Minimum

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti lands at rank 273 out of 2,939 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the top 9.3% of all configurations evaluated. This is a strong showing for a system built around a mainstream desktop processor and a high-end graphics card, though the ranking reveals that the combo is not near the absolute top tier for this game. The percentile positioning suggests that while this pairing delivers consistently high frame rates across the tested settings, there are roughly 272 other combinations that extract even more performance from Minimum's engine.

The combo's rank is influenced by both components working in concert. The CPU's 89th percentile standing among all processors and the GPU's 86th percentile among all graphics cards indicate that neither part is a weak link, but the overall system rank of 273 out of 2,939 reflects how the two interact specifically in this third-person shooter. Data shows that the combo outperforms the vast majority of tested systems, yet it does not break into the elite tier where frame rates exceed what this hardware can deliver. For context, the CPU's nearest rivals — including the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and the Intel Core i9-13900HX — have nearly identical average benchmark scores, differing by only 0.1%, which suggests that swapping to those processors would yield minimal changes in Minimum's performance.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 brings 14 cores and 14 threads to the table, a configuration that relies on a 3.40 GHz base clock and a 5.00 GHz boost clock to handle both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads. This is a 14-thread design with no hyper-threading, meaning each core handles one thread at a time. In a game like Minimum, which is a third-person shooter from 2014, the workload tends to favor higher clock speeds over raw core counts, and the 5.00 GHz boost clock provides ample headroom for the game's primary game logic and physics calculations. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core help reduce memory latency, which can be beneficial for frame pacing in fast-paced shooter scenarios.

Benchmark data for the CPU shows a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14,769 and a single-core score of 2,085, placing it at the 89th percentile among all CPUs. The single-core performance is particularly relevant for Minimum, as older game engines often have a primary thread that limits overall frame rates. The PassMark single-thread score of 4,516 reinforces that this processor handles lightly-threaded tasks well. The CPU's memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s via dual-channel DDR5 support ensures that data can flow to the GPU without becoming a bottleneck, especially at lower resolutions where the CPU has more influence on final frame rates.

The nearest CPU rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 at 46,030 (0.1% higher) and the Intel Core i9-13900HX at 46,098 (0.1% lower). These negligible differences suggest that the Core Ultra 5 235 is well-positioned within its performance class. The fact that the combo ranks at 273 overall indicates that the CPU is not holding back the GPU in Minimum, particularly at 1080p and 1440p where the processor's boost clock can keep up with the game's demands.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is the dominant component in this pairing, featuring 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock runs at 2295 MHz with a boost clock of 2452 MHz, and it packs 8,960 shading units, 280 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units. For Minimum, a game released in 2014, the GPU has far more computational power than the title requires, but the measured frame rates show how the card scales across different settings and resolutions. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for this game, even at 4K with Ultra settings, as the title's texture and geometry demands are modest by modern standards.

The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 32,974 places it at the 86th percentile among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 49,957. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 (0.1% lower score), the Intel Arc A550M (0.4% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (2% higher), and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT (3.1% lower). These comparisons show that the RTX 5070 Ti sits in a competitive mid-to-high range, though it is not the absolute fastest card available. In Minimum, the GPU's raw throughput is more than enough to push frame rates well above playable thresholds, even at 4K Ultra where the average FPS drops to 57.

The GPU's 70 ray tracing cores and 280 tensor cores are largely unused in Minimum, as the game predates widespread ray tracing implementation. Instead, the card's traditional rasterization performance — reflected in its pixel rate of 235.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 686.6 GTexel/s — drives the results. The 43.94 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power ensures that even the most demanding scenes in Minimum are handled with ease, and the data confirms that the GPU is the primary factor in the combo's overall ranking.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 335 FPS, which drops to 257 FPS at Medium, 215 FPS at High, and 164 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset includes a minimum FPS of 218 and a maximum of 295, showing a stable frame delivery with a 77 FPS range between the lowest and highest recorded values. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 171 FPS, indicating that the GPU has substantial headroom even when graphical demands are increased.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS figures decrease but remain highly playable. Low settings average 216 FPS, Medium averages 166 FPS with a min of 141 and max of 190, High averages 139 FPS, and Ultra averages 106 FPS. The drop from 1080p Low to 1440p Low is 119 FPS, while the drop from 1080p Ultra to 1440p Ultra is 58 FPS. This pattern suggests that at lower settings, the CPU becomes a larger factor, while at higher settings, the GPU's workload scales more predictably with resolution.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates remain respectable but begin to show the GPU's limits. Low settings average 116 FPS, Medium averages 89 FPS with a min of 76 and max of 103, High averages 75 FPS, and Ultra averages 57 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration tested that dips below 60 FPS on average, though it stays within a playable range for a game of this genre. The Medium preset at 4K offers the most detailed data with a 27 FPS range between min and max, indicating some frame time variance but no severe stuttering.

# FAQ

Q: What is the combo's overall rank in Minimum compared to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 273rd out of 2,939 tested combinations, placing it in the top 9.3% of all configurations.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance compare to its multi-thread performance?

A: The CPU scores 2,085 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 14,769 in multi-core, with a PassMark single-thread score of 4,516. The single-core performance is strong enough to support the game's primary thread without bottlenecking.

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 335, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Does the combo maintain 60+ FPS at 4K across all settings?

A: Yes, except for Ultra settings. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 57, while Low averages 116, Medium averages 89, and High averages 75.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have and is it sufficient for this game?

A: The GPU has 16 GB of GDDR7 memory, which is more than sufficient for Minimum at any resolution or setting tested.

Q: What are the CPU's nearest rivals in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 scores 46,030 (0.1% higher), the Intel Core i9-13900HX scores 46,098 (0.1% lower), and the AMD EPYC 4364P scores 45,970 (0.2% higher).

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the best balance between visual quality and performance across all three resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 257 FPS average with a minimum of 218 and maximum of 295, providing smooth gameplay with no risk of dropping below the refresh rate of most monitors. At 1440p, Medium averages 166 FPS with a min of 141, still well above the 60 FPS threshold for comfortable play. At 4K, Medium averages 89 FPS with a min of 76, which remains smooth even on high-refresh displays.

High settings are also a viable option for users prioritizing visual fidelity, particularly at 1080p (215 FPS) and 1440p (139 FPS), but at 4K the average drops to 75 FPS, which may be noticeable on 120Hz or faster displays. Ultra settings push the GPU harder, with 164 FPS at 1080p, 106 FPS at 1440p, and 57 FPS at 4K — the latter being the only tested configuration that falls below 60 FPS. For users with 144Hz or 240Hz monitors, Low settings at 1080p (335 FPS) or 1440p (216 FPS) could maximize frame rates, but the visual trade-off is significant.

The data indicates that Medium is the sweet spot for this combo, as it maintains high frame rates while providing noticeably better visuals than Low. The 4K Medium result of 89 FPS is particularly impressive, as it allows for high-resolution play without sacrificing smoothness. Users with 4K displays should prefer Medium over High or Ultra, as the performance gain from dropping one tier is substantial (from 75 to 89 FPS) while the visual difference may be less perceptible in a fast-paced game.

# Resolution Scaling

The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K reveal important insights about the limiting component. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 335 at 1080p to 216 at 1440p and 116 at 4K — a reduction of 119 FPS (35.5%) when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and another 100 FPS (46.3%) from 1440p to 4K. This steep decline indicates that at Low settings, the GPU is not the primary bottleneck at 1080p; the CPU's 5.00 GHz boost clock and 14 threads are capable of driving very high frame rates, but the GPU's workload increases significantly with resolution, causing the frame rate to drop proportionally.

At Ultra settings, the pattern is different. The average FPS goes from 164 at 1080p to 106 at 1440p and 57 at 4K, with drops of 58 FPS (35.4%) and 49 FPS (46.2%), respectively. The similarity in percentage drops between Low and Ultra settings suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor across all resolution steps, but the absolute numbers tell a more nuanced story. At 1080p Ultra, the GPU is working hard enough that the CPU has less headroom, while at 1080p Low, the GPU is underutilized and the CPU's performance ceiling becomes more relevant.

The Medium settings provide the most detailed data with min and max FPS values. At 1080p, the range is 218 to 295 FPS (a 77 FPS spread), at 1440p it narrows to 141 to 190 FPS (49 FPS spread), and at 4K it tightens further to 76 to 103 FPS (27 FPS spread). This decreasing variance with higher resolution indicates that the GPU becomes more consistently saturated as pixel count increases, reducing frame time fluctuations. The data shows that the combo is well-balanced for 1440p gaming, where the CPU provides sufficient headroom and the GPU delivers strong performance across all settings without excessive frame pacing issues. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the dominant constraint, as evidenced by the 57 FPS average at Ultra, while at 1080p, the CPU's single-thread performance becomes more influential, particularly at Low settings where the 335 FPS result approaches the limits of what the processor can feed to the GPU.