Minimum

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 580 is a combination that lands in the lower tier of performance for Minimum, ranking 2682 out of 2939 tested combos. The data shows a system that is firmly GPU-bound in almost every scenario, with the aging Polaris 20 chip struggling to maintain playable frame rates at higher resolutions and settings. While the modern Arrow Lake CPU provides ample headroom, the RX 580’s 8 GB of VRAM and GCN 4.0 architecture are the definitive bottlenecks, making this a configuration best suited for 1080p gaming with adjusted expectations.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals a clear GPU limitation. At 1080p High settings, the combo produces an average of 58 FPS, but moving to 1440p High drops that to 38 FPS, a 34% reduction. Pushing further to 4K High yields only 20 FPS, a 65% loss from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a system where the graphics card is the sole limiting factor; the CPU is not holding the frame rate back at lower resolutions, so the GPU’s workload scales almost linearly with pixel count.

The trend is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the frame rate falls from 91 FPS at 1080p to 59 FPS at 1440p and then to 32 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset shows an even more dramatic collapse, going from 45 FPS at 1080p to 29 FPS at 1440p and finally to a slideshow-like 15 FPS at 4K. The data indicates that the RX 580’s raw fill rate and shader throughput are insufficient for 4K, regardless of how light the preset is. Even on Low, the card cannot maintain a 60 FPS average at 4K, delivering just over half that target.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing. For Medium settings, the drop is from 45 FPS to 24 FPS, a 47% decrease. This non-linear degradation suggests that the GPU is hitting memory bandwidth or ROP limits at 4K, as the 256.0 GB/s bandwidth and 32 ROPs are simply not enough to handle the pixel throughput required at 3840x2160. The 1080p to 1440p transition, while significant, is less catastrophic, indicating that 1440p is the absolute ceiling for this configuration, and only with lowered settings.

The benchmark results show that 1080p is the only resolution where this combo can deliver anything close to a smooth experience. The 91 FPS average on Low is the standout figure, showing that the CPU can feed the GPU adequately. However, the sharp decline at higher resolutions means users should treat 4K as an unsupported territory, and 1440p as a compromise that requires sacrificing visual fidelity to stay above 30 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a modern 14-core, 14-thread processor with a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, and its benchmark scores place it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and single-core score of 4648 indicate a high level of processing power that vastly exceeds the demands of Minimum, a game released in 2014. The data suggests that the CPU is never the bottleneck in this pairing, as evidenced by the fact that the GPU’s performance is the primary driver of the frame rate differences across resolutions.

The CPU’s role in this specific benchmark is to ensure that frame times remain stable, particularly at 1080p where the GPU is working less hard. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 91 FPS, a figure that is likely near the upper limit of what the RX 580 can produce, regardless of CPU. The processor’s Passmark single-thread score of 4394 and multi-thread score of 38706 confirm that it has ample headroom for the game’s logic and draw calls, which are likely minimal given the game’s age.

Comparing the Ultra 5 245 to its nearest rivals, it sits within a narrow performance band. It is 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and 0.5% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, but 0.6% ahead of the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H and 0.8% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600K. These differences are negligible and confirm that the CPU is not a differentiating factor in this combo’s ranking. The processor’s 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth are more than sufficient for a game of this era.

The fact that the CPU has 14 cores but only 14 threads (no hyperthreading) is irrelevant here, as the game is unlikely to scale beyond a few cores. The high boost clock of 5.10 GHz is more pertinent, as it ensures that the primary game thread is processed quickly, reducing the chance of CPU-induced stutters that could be misattributed to the GPU. In summary, the Ultra 5 245 is a non-factor in this benchmark, a high-end component held back by a much older graphics card.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Minimum with this hardware?*

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo achieves playable frame rates across all presets. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 91, while at 1440p Low it drops to 59 FPS. 4K is not viable, with the highest average being 32 FPS on Low.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The CPU’s average benchmark score of 48995 is nearly identical to its rivals. It is 0.4% slower than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and 0.5% slower than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, but 0.6% faster than the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H and 0.8% faster than the Intel Core i5-14600K.

Q: Is the AMD Radeon RX 580 a bottleneck for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245?

A: Yes, the benchmark results indicate the GPU is the limiting factor. The RX 580’s average benchmark score of 12928 places it in the 53rd percentile, and its performance dictates the FPS drops from 1080p to 4K. The CPU’s 90th percentile ranking shows it has significant unused headroom.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 91 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 45 FPS. This is a 46 FPS difference, showing that the Ultra preset is significantly more demanding on the GPU.

Q: Can this combo handle 1440p gaming?

A: Only at lower settings. At 1440p Low, the average FPS is 59, which is close to a 60 FPS target. However, at 1440p Medium, the average drops to 45 FPS, and at High it falls to 38 FPS. Ultra at 1440p averages just 29 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU’s benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 580’s average score of 12928 is nearly identical to its competitors. It is 0.1% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, but 0.4% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER. It is 0.5% faster than the AMD Radeon 740M and 0.6% faster than the AMD FirePro W5100.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the configuration shows its best results. The Low preset delivers an average of 91 FPS, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. The Medium preset averages 70 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS, indicating a stable experience. High settings average 58 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS mark. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, averaging 45 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop significantly. Low settings average 59 FPS, which is exactly half the 1080p Low score. Medium settings average 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS. High settings average 38 FPS, and Ultra settings average 29 FPS. These figures suggest that 1440p is only playable on Low, with Medium being a compromise.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overwhelmed. Low settings average 32 FPS, which is the only preset to break 30 FPS at this resolution. Medium settings average 24 FPS, with a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 28 FPS. High settings average 20 FPS. The Ultra preset produces an average of just 15 FPS, making it unplayable. The data shows a consistent pattern: each resolution step up halves the performance, and each settings step up reduces FPS by roughly 20-30%.

The Medium preset is the only one with min/max data provided across all three resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 59-80 FPS; at 1440p, it is 38-52 FPS; and at 4K, it is 21-28 FPS. This data indicates that the frame pacing is relatively consistent, but the average FPS is too low for a smooth experience at 4K.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is the defining component in this benchmark, and its age is evident. With a boost clock of 1340 MHz and 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, it provides 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its Passmark G3D score of 8813 places it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a mid-range card that is now several generations old. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 12928 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, showing that it performs as expected for its class.

The GPU’s architecture, GCN 4.0, is a major factor in its performance. It supports DirectX 12 (12_0), but its raw compute power of 6.175 TFLOPS is insufficient for modern titles at high resolutions. The texture rate of 193.0 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s are the limiting factors in Minimum, as the game’s rendering demands exceed these capabilities at 4K. The data shows that the GPU is the primary reason for the low frame rates at higher resolutions.

The 8 GB VRAM is not the primary bottleneck in this case, as the game is from 2014 and likely does not require more than 4 GB at 1080p. However, at 4K, the memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s becomes a constraint, as the GPU struggles to feed the ROPs with enough data to fill the screen. The 32 ROPs are particularly low for 4K rendering, which explains the dramatic FPS drop from 1440p to 4K.

The GPU’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, which is 0.1% faster, and the GTX 1660 SUPER, which is 0.4% faster. This indicates that the RX 580 is still competitive with entry-level cards from a few years ago, but it is far behind modern mid-range offerings. The benchmark results confirm that this GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU is clearly capable of much higher frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal experience for this hardware is at 1080p with the Low preset, which yields an average of 91 FPS. This is the only configuration that delivers a frame rate well above 60 FPS, providing a smooth and responsive experience. The Low preset is recommended for players who prioritize frame rate and responsiveness over visual fidelity.

For users who want a balance between visuals and performance, the 1080p Medium preset is the next best option, averaging 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS. This ensures that the game stays above 60 FPS most of the time, while offering improved textures and effects over Low. The 1080p High preset, averaging 58 FPS, is a viable alternative for those who prefer higher visual quality, but it will occasionally dip below 60 FPS.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution. At 1080p, it averages 45 FPS, which is noticeably less smooth than the lower presets. At 1440p, the Ultra preset averages 29 FPS, which is below the threshold for playability. The data suggests that the Ultra preset is too demanding for the RX 580, and users should avoid it.

At 1440p, the only recommended setting is Low, which averages 59 FPS. This is a marginal experience, as it is right at the edge of the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset at 1440p, averaging 45 FPS, is a significant compromise and should only be considered if visual quality is paramount. 4K is not recommended for any setting, as the highest average FPS is 32 on Low, which is too low for a smooth experience. The best experience per the measured rows is unequivocally 1080p Low or Medium.