Minimum

Opening

The data for Minimum with the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet surprisingly CPU-limited at 1080p. The measured FPS ranges from a demanding 69 FPS at 4K Ultra to a blistering 403 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating a wide performance envelope that shifts bottlenecks depending on the settings. This analysis explores how the resolution scaling, CPU characteristics, and GPU capabilities interact to produce these results, and where the combo stands among the 2,939 tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking aspect of the data is the dramatic drop in frame rates as resolution increases. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 259 at 1920x1080 to 167 at 2560x1440 (a 36% reduction) and then to 90 at 3840x2160 (a further 46% drop from 1440p). This steep scaling pattern is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where the RTX 5090’s rendering workload grows exponentially with pixel count.

The scaling behavior varies by preset. At Low settings, the transition from 1080p (403 FPS) to 1440p (260 FPS) represents a 35% decline, while moving to 4K (140 FPS) costs another 46%. This consistent ~35-46% drop per resolution step suggests that even at Low settings, the GPU is still the primary limiter at 4K, though the sheer headroom at 1080p hints at CPU constraints. At Medium settings, the pattern holds: 309 FPS at 1080p, 199 at 1440p, and 107 at 4K. The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling, with 197 FPS at 1080p plummeting to 127 at 1440p and finally 69 at 4K — a 65% total reduction from 1080p to 4K.

What does this imply about the limiting component? At 1080p, the gap between Low (403 FPS) and Ultra (197 FPS) is massive, suggesting the CPU can push extremely high frame rates but the GPU workload at Ultra still overwhelms it. At 4K, the difference between Low (140 FPS) and Ultra (69 FPS) is exactly 2x, which strongly indicates that the RTX 5090 is the sole bottleneck, as its rendering tasks scale predictably with pixel count and quality settings. The data suggests that at 4K, no CPU choice would meaningfully change these numbers; the GPU is saturated.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 brings 14 cores and 14 threads to the table, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This configuration is notable for lacking hyperthreading, meaning each core handles a single thread, which can affect how the CPU distributes workload in a game like Minimum. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 scores — 14,769 multi-core and 2,085 single-core — provide context for its gaming potential, though these are synthetic benchmarks rather than game-specific metrics.

In Minimum, the CPU’s role becomes evident when examining the 1080p results. At Low settings, the system achieves 403 FPS, which is extraordinarily high and suggests the game engine is well-optimized for multi-core processing, or conversely, that the GPU is so fast that the CPU is being pushed to its limits. The fact that dropping from 1080p Low (403 FPS) to 1440p Low (260 FPS) yields a 35% reduction — while the pixel count only increases by 78% — implies the CPU is still contributing at 1440p Low, keeping frame rates higher than pure GPU scaling would suggest.

However, the CPU’s limitations become apparent when comparing to its nearest rivals in general benchmarks. The Core Ultra 5 235 scores nearly identically to the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (0.1% higher) and the Intel Core i9-13900HX (0.1% lower), with average benchmark scores around 46,000. This places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, indicating strong single-threaded performance that should handle game logic effectively. The L3 cache of 24 MB shared across cores is moderate, but the 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth from dual-channel DDR5 support likely helps feed the GPU’s demands at high frame rates.

The data implies that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor for achieving even higher frame rates beyond 403 FPS, as the GPU clearly has headroom (evidenced by 4K Low still hitting 140 FPS). The 14-thread configuration, while substantial, may not scale perfectly with Minimum’s engine, which could explain why the 1080p Ultra (197 FPS) is not proportionally lower than 1440p Ultra (127 FPS) — the CPU is holding back the GPU at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Interpreting the measured rows for the best experience requires balancing frame rate against visual quality. The Ultra preset at 1080p delivers 197 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth for a third-person shooter, but the jump to Medium at 1080p yields 309 FPS — a 57% improvement — while presumably sacrificing some visual fidelity. At 1440p, Medium offers 199 FPS, which is nearly identical to 1080p Ultra, suggesting that Medium at 1440p provides a better visual experience (higher resolution) with comparable performance.

For 4K, the choices become more constrained. High settings produce 90 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play, while Medium drops to 107 FPS. Low at 4K gives 140 FPS, which is the only preset exceeding 120 FPS at this resolution. The data suggests that for 4K gaming, Medium is the sweet spot — it offers 107 FPS (18% higher than High) with a reasonable balance of visual quality, while Low (140 FPS) might be preferred for maximum smoothness.

At 1080p, the recommended preset is Medium, as it provides 309 FPS with a minimum of 262 FPS, ensuring no noticeable dips below 240Hz refresh rates. High at 1080p (259 FPS) is also viable but offers diminishing returns over Medium. At 1440p, High (167 FPS) strikes the best balance, as it exceeds 144Hz displays while providing better visuals than Medium (199 FPS, which may prioritize frame rate over quality). The Ultra preset is only recommended for 1080p (197 FPS) if visual fidelity is paramount, but the 37% performance cost over High (259 FPS) is significant.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 72nd out of 2,939 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the top 2.5% of all configurations. This high ranking is expected given the RTX 5090’s position as the flagship GPU in the GeForce 50-series, but it’s notable that 71 other combos outperform it, suggesting that some CPU-GPU pairings achieve even higher frame rates, likely due to faster CPUs or different memory configurations.

The ranking context becomes clearer when examining the GPU’s benchmark position. The RTX 5090 scores 79,842 in average benchmarks, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in synthetic tests — the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (0.3% higher score) and Radeon Pro Vega 64X (1.4% higher) — are not typical gaming GPUs, indicating that the RTX 5090’s gaming performance is exceptional even if synthetic scores don’t fully capture its gaming prowess. The CPU’s 89th percentile ranking (average score 46,062) is slightly lower than the GPU’s percentile, which may explain why the combo doesn’t rank even higher in Minimum — the CPU is the weaker link in this pairing.

The rank of 72 out of 2,939 combos implies that approximately 97.5% of tested systems perform worse in Minimum. This reflects the raw power of the RTX 5090, but the fact that it doesn’t crack the top 50 suggests that CPU selection still matters for this game, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU becomes the bottleneck. The data indicates that pairing the RTX 5090 with a higher-tier CPU (e.g., one with more threads or higher single-core performance) could improve the 1080p results and potentially push the combo into the top 50.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a behemoth of a graphics card, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a GB202 chip manufactured on a 5 nm process. It features 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster operations pipelines, along with 170 ray tracing cores and 680 tensor cores. The GPU’s clock speeds are notable: a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective).

The memory subsystem is a defining feature: 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus provides 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. This massive memory pool and bandwidth are overkill for Minimum, a game released in 2014, but they ensure that the GPU never becomes memory-constrained. The 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance gives the RTX 5090 enormous compute headroom, which is reflected in the game’s high frame rates across all resolutions.

The GPU’s role in Minimum is most evident in the 4K scaling. At 4K Ultra, the card produces 69 FPS, which is exactly half of the 4K Low result (140 FPS). This perfect 2x ratio strongly suggests that the GPU is the sole limiting factor at 4K, as rendering workload scales linearly with quality settings. The transition from 1440p Ultra (127 FPS) to 4K Ultra (69 FPS) represents a 45% reduction for a 2.25x increase in pixel count, which is typical of GPU-bound scenarios where pixel fill rate becomes the bottleneck.

The RTX 5090’s benchmark scores provide additional context. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 18,355 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 376,728 indicate strong DirectX 12 and Vulkan performance, which are relevant APIs for modern games. The PassMark G3D score of 39,650 places it in the 92nd percentile of GPUs, though its nearest rivals in that benchmark — the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (0.3% higher) and Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (0.6% higher) — are datacenter cards, not consumer gaming GPUs, highlighting the RTX 5090’s unique position.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS the Core Ultra 5 235 + RTX 5090 combo achieves in Minimum?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 403 at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This represents the peak performance of this combo, likely limited by the CPU rather than the GPU.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 the bottleneck at 4K resolution in Minimum?

A: Yes, the data strongly indicates GPU bottleneck at 4K. The average FPS at 4K Low is 140, while 4K Ultra is 69 — exactly half — suggesting the GPU’s rendering workload scales linearly with settings, making it the limiting component.

Q: How does the Core Ultra 5 235 compare to its nearest CPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Core Ultra 5 235 scores 46,062 on average, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46,030) and 0.1% lower than the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46,098). It also edges out the AMD EPYC 4364P (45,970) and EPYC 7303 (45,960) by 0.2%.

Q: What is the combo’s ranking among all tested CPU-GPU combinations in Minimum?

A: The combo ranks 72nd out of 2,939 tested combinations, placing it in the top 2.5% of all systems. This high ranking is primarily driven by the RTX 5090’s exceptional performance.

Q: What minimum FPS is recorded for this combo at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 resolution with Medium settings, the combo achieves an average FPS of 199, with a minimum of 169 FPS and a maximum of 229 FPS. This ensures smooth gameplay on 144Hz displays.

Q: Does the RTX 5090’s 32 GB of VRAM provide any benefit in Minimum?

A: The game is from 2014 and likely doesn’t require 32 GB of VRAM, but the 1.79 TB/s bandwidth ensures no memory bottlenecks. The GPU’s benchmark percentile of 92% indicates it performs well above average across all tested workloads.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 in Minimum is organized by resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 403 at Low settings to 197 at Ultra. The Medium preset delivers 309 FPS with a minimum of 262 and maximum of 355, while High produces 259 FPS. This resolution shows the widest spread between presets, with a 206 FPS difference between Low and Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings achieve 260 FPS, High delivers 167 FPS, and Medium produces 199 FPS (minimum 169, maximum 229). The Ultra preset drops to 127 FPS, representing a 51% reduction from Low. The gap between presets narrows compared to 1080p, with a 133 FPS difference between Low and Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become more compressed. Low settings yield 140 FPS, Medium provides 107 FPS (minimum 91, maximum 123), High delivers 90 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 69 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 71 FPS, which is the smallest absolute spread across all resolutions. Notably, the 4K Medium minimum FPS of 91 ensures that even the most demanding scenes stay above 90 FPS, making this preset the safest choice for 4K gaming.

The data shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, the performance gap between settings narrows, and the average FPS becomes more dependent on the GPU’s raw throughput rather than CPU or settings optimization. This breakdown confirms that the RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this combo, with the CPU only becoming relevant at 1080p where frame rates exceed 300 FPS.