Minimum

# Minimum — Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile

The benchmark data for Minimum on this laptop configuration shows a system that can handle the game comfortably at 1080p, remains playable at 1440p with settings adjustments, but struggles to maintain smooth frame rates at 4K. With an average FPS of 88 at 1080p Ultra and 180 at 1080p Low, the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile delivers a wide performance envelope, though the scaling curve reveals where the GPU becomes the primary constraint.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable decline as resolution increases, but the rate of that decline varies significantly by settings preset. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 116 FPS at 1920x1080 to 75 FPS at 2560x1440 — a 35% reduction — and then falls further to 40 FPS at 3840x2160, which represents a 47% drop from the 1440p figure. This pattern indicates that the RTX 4060 Mobile is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit memory bus become increasingly strained when pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K.

The Low settings preset shows a similar trend but with higher absolute values: 180 FPS at 1080p, 116 FPS at 1440p, and 62 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 36% from 1080p to 1440p and 47% from 1440p to 4K, which closely mirrors the High preset's scaling behavior. This consistency suggests that the performance penalty from resolution scaling is relatively uniform regardless of graphics quality, pointing to a GPU-bound scenario where the rendering workload scales with pixel count.

Medium settings provide the only complete dataset with both minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the average is 138 FPS with a minimum of 117 and maximum of 158. Moving to 1440p Medium drops the average to 89 FPS (min 75, max 102), a 36% reduction. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 48 FPS with a minimum of 41 and maximum of 55, representing another 46% drop. The minimum frame rates at each resolution show that the system maintains reasonably consistent frame pacing, with the spread between min and max staying tight — roughly 30% of the average at each resolution.

The Ultra preset tells the harshest story at high resolutions. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 88 FPS, which is playable. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 57 FPS — still functional for most players. But at 4K Ultra, the average collapses to 31 FPS, which falls below the generally accepted threshold for smooth gameplay. The scaling from 1440p Ultra to 4K Ultra represents a 46% reduction, consistent with the other presets, but the starting point is already low enough that the final result becomes marginal.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile sits at the 67th percentile among all GPUs in the benchmark database, with an average benchmark score of 22729. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (avg score 22895, deltaPct -0.7), the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (avg score 22549, deltaPct 0.8), the Intel Arc B580 (avg score 23021, deltaPct -1.3), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile (avg score 22435, deltaPct 1.3). This places the RTX 4060 Mobile in a competitive position, trading blows with desktop-class GPUs from previous generations.

The GPU's memory configuration is critical for understanding the 4K results. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus delivering 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth, the card has enough capacity for 1080p and 1440p gaming but becomes constrained at 3840x2160, particularly at higher settings. The memory clock runs at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective speed, which is standard for the class but not exceptional. The 48 ROPs and 96 TMUs provide adequate pixel and texture throughput for a mobile part, but the 3072 shading units working at a boost clock of 1890 MHz (base 1545 MHz) have to process significantly more fragments at 4K.

The Ada Lovelace architecture brings efficiency advantages, but the raw compute figures tell the story: 11.61 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 90.72 GPixel/s with a texture rate of 181.4 GTexel/s. These numbers explain why the card performs well at 1080p where it can sustain high frame rates across all settings, but the 4K Ultra result of 31 FPS shows the architectural limits when pixel throughput requirements exceed the GPU's capabilities.

The Geekbench scores provide additional context: 89420 in OpenCL and 89569 in Vulkan, both strong results for a mobile GPU. The Passmark scores show a G3D score of 17469 and a GPU compute score of 6816, with DirectX 11 performance (157) significantly outpacing DirectX 12 (73) in the older Passmark tests. This suggests that Minimum, released in 2014, likely benefits from the card's strong DirectX 11 performance since the game predates widespread DirectX 12 adoption.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to Medium settings as the optimal balance for most gaming scenarios on this hardware. At 1080p Medium, the average of 138 FPS with a minimum of 117 FPS provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. The jump from Low (180 FPS) to Medium (138 FPS) costs 42 FPS but delivers noticeably better visual quality, while the leap from Medium to High (116 FPS) only gains 22 FPS — a smaller return for the same settings step.

At 1440p, Medium becomes even more clearly the sweet spot. The 89 FPS average with a 75 FPS minimum keeps the experience above 60 FPS in nearly all situations, while High at 75 FPS average leaves less headroom and Ultra at 57 FPS risks dropping below smooth thresholds. The data shows that Medium settings at 1440p deliver a better experience than High settings at 4K (40 FPS), making it the recommended resolution for players who prioritize frame rate consistency.

For 4K gaming, the options are limited. Low settings produce 62 FPS average, which is playable but visually sparse. Medium produces 48 FPS average with a 41 FPS minimum — borderline for fast-paced third-person shooter gameplay. Ultra at 31 FPS is not recommended for any competitive or action-oriented play. Given that Minimum is a Third-Person Shooter, the responsiveness of frame rate matters more than absolute visual fidelity, so players with 4K displays should either accept Low settings or drop to 1440p for a better experience.

The Ultra preset at 1080p (88 FPS) represents the highest visual quality that remains comfortably playable, but the performance cost is steep — a 36% reduction from Medium's 138 FPS. For players who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, Ultra at 1080p is viable, but Medium at 1440p offers a superior combination of resolution and performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full range of settings produces playable results. Low settings deliver an average of 180 FPS, which is exceptionally high and suitable for high-refresh-rate displays. Medium settings average 138 FPS with a minimum of 117 and maximum of 158, providing a smooth experience with a tight frame time distribution. High settings average 116 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings average 88 FPS, which remains fluid for most players, though the drop from High to Ultra (28 FPS) is notable.

At 2560x1440, the performance hierarchy remains intact but the margins shrink. Low settings produce 116 FPS average, matching the 1080p High result. Medium settings average 89 FPS with a minimum of 75 and maximum of 102, keeping gameplay smooth. High settings average 75 FPS, which is acceptable but leaves less room for demanding scenes. Ultra settings average 57 FPS, which is playable but marginal for a shooter where quick reactions matter.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become evident. Low settings average 62 FPS, just above the 60 FPS line but with no stated minimum to confirm consistency. Medium settings average 48 FPS with a minimum of 41 and maximum of 55, indicating that frame rates will dip noticeably during intense action. High settings average 40 FPS, which is below the smooth threshold. Ultra settings average 31 FPS, which is not recommended for actual gameplay.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data across all three resolutions, which allows for a more detailed analysis of frame consistency. At 1080p, the spread from minimum to maximum (117-158) represents a 35% variance from the average, which is typical for a game of this era. At 1440p, the spread (75-102) shows a 30% variance, suggesting slightly better frame pacing. At 4K, the spread (41-55) shows a 29% variance, indicating that even as the average drops, the frame time consistency remains stable — the bottleneck is sustained throughput rather than stuttering.

FAQ

*Q: Can this laptop run Minimum at 4K?*

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which produce an average of 62 FPS. Medium settings drop to 48 FPS average with a 41 FPS minimum, while High and Ultra fall to 40 FPS and 31 FPS respectively. For a smooth experience, 1440p is the practical ceiling for this GPU.

Q: What settings should I use for the best competitive experience?

A: At 1080p, Low settings deliver 180 FPS average, which maximizes frame rate for competitive play. If you prefer better visuals while maintaining high performance, Medium at 138 FPS average provides a robust compromise. At 1440p, Medium at 89 FPS average is the most balanced choice.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 Mobile compare to desktop GPUs?

A: The RTX 4060 Mobile's average benchmark score of 22729 places it 0.7% behind the desktop RTX 2080 (22895) and 0.8% ahead of the Radeon RX 7700 XT (22549). It also outperforms the RTX 5060 Mobile by 1.3% (22435) but trails the Intel Arc B580 by 1.3% (23021).

Q: Is the CPU holding back performance in this game?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX has a 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 52073, placing it within 0.7% of the Core i9-13900F (51730) and 0.4% behind the Core i7-14700 (52301). Given that the GPU becomes the bottleneck at higher resolutions, the CPU is not limiting performance in Minimum.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: High settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 75 FPS. This is 16 FPS lower than the 89 FPS average at Medium settings, but still above the 60 FPS threshold. If you prefer visual quality over maximum frame rate, this is a viable option, though Ultra at 57 FPS is riskier.

Q: Does the game benefit from the CPU's high boost clock?

A: The Core Ultra 5 235HX boosts to 5.10 GHz with a base clock of 2.90 GHz across 14 cores and 14 threads. Its Cinebench R23 scores of 34731 multi-core and 4903 single-core indicate strong single-thread performance, which is beneficial for a 2014-era game like Minimum that may rely on fewer threads.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on TSMC's 3 nm process node with 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die. It features a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, with 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core. The processor supports dual-channel DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s and connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 20 CPU lanes.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU demonstrates strong multi-threaded performance with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 34731 and a single-core score of 4903. The Passmark multi-thread score of 40849 and single-thread score of 4683 further confirm its capability. The processor ranks at the 91st percentile among all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the AMD EPYC 8124P (avg score 52121, deltaPct -0.1), the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (avg score 51947, deltaPct 0.2), the Intel Core i7-14700 (avg score 52301, deltaPct -0.4), and the Intel Core i9-13900F (avg score 51730, deltaPct 0.7).

For Minimum, a game released in 2014, the CPU's capabilities far exceed what the title likely requires. The measured FPS data shows that performance scaling from 1080p to 4K follows a pattern consistent with GPU limitation — the frame rate drops proportionally with pixel count increases, not with scene complexity that would stress the CPU. The fact that Low settings produce 180 FPS at 1080p and 62 FPS at 4K, while High settings produce 116 FPS at 1080p and 40 FPS at 4K, indicates that the GPU's rendering workload is the determining factor.

The CPU's 14 cores and 14 threads, combined with its high boost clock, provide ample headroom for the game's single-threaded or lightly-threaded workloads. The Passmark physics score of 2550 and integer math score of 97177 suggest strong computational throughput that would handle game logic and physics calculations without bottlenecking the GPU. The data compression score of 426417 and encryption score of 32697 indicate that the CPU is not a limiting factor in any typical gaming scenario.

The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 48EU is present but irrelevant for this discrete GPU configuration. The TDP of 55 W positions this as a high-performance mobile processor, and the 3 nm process node helps maintain efficiency under sustained loads. The CPU's 14 threads may seem limited compared to higher-core-count rivals, but for gaming, the single-core performance and cache hierarchy matter more, and the 24 MB shared L3 cache provides decent latency characteristics for the game's data access patterns.

The nearest rival data shows the Core Ultra 5 235HX performing essentially on par with desktop-class CPUs from the previous generation. Its average benchmark score of 52073 is within 0.7% of the Core i9-13900F (51730) and 0.4% of the Core i7-14700 (52301), while slightly trailing the EPYC 8124P (52121) by 0.1% and slightly ahead of the Ryzen 9 5950X (51947) by 0.2%. This level of performance ensures that the CPU will not be the limiting component in Minimum at any resolution or settings combination tested.