Minimum

Minimum is a 2014 third-person shooter that remains a solid benchmark for mid-range hardware, and the pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 produces a predictable set of results that scale cleanly with resolution and settings. The measured data shows a system that is clearly capable of high-refresh 1080p gameplay, but which begins to strain under the demands of 4K, particularly at higher quality presets. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, examines what the scaling patterns reveal about the CPU and GPU balance, and provides practical recommendations based strictly on the data.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, and it clearly identifies the AMD Radeon RX 9060 as the primary limiting component at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 187 FPS at 1920x1080 to 121 FPS at 2560x1440, and then further down to 65 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 35% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and another 46% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The pattern is consistent across all presets, but the absolute drop is most dramatic at Ultra, where the average plummets from 92 FPS at 1080p to 59 FPS at 1440p and finally to 32 FPS at 4K. This is a classic GPU-bound scenario; the pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, and the frame rate responds almost proportionally, indicating that the CPU is not the bottleneck at these higher resolutions.

At 1080p, the picture is different. The jump from Low (187 FPS) to High (120 FPS) is a 36% performance hit, but the system is still delivering well above 60 FPS on every preset except Ultra, which sits at 92 FPS. The fact that 1080p Low nearly doubles the 4K Ultra frame rate (187 vs 32) suggests that the CPU, with its 14 cores and 5.10 GHz boost clock, has ample headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions. However, the scaling between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings (187 to 121 FPS) is a 35% drop, which is larger than the pure pixel count increase would suggest, implying that even at 1440p Low, the GPU is starting to become the limiting factor. The data indicates that for maximum frame rates, 1080p is the sweet spot, while 1440p remains very playable, and 4K is only viable at Low or Medium settings if you can tolerate sub-60 FPS averages.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Minimum if I want to stay above 60 FPS?

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 is the highest resolution where every preset except Ultra stays above 60 FPS. At 1440p, Low averages 121 FPS, Medium 92 FPS, and High 78 FPS. Ultra drops to 59 FPS, just below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Minimum?

A: Yes, but only at lower presets. At 3840x2160, Low settings yield an average of 65 FPS, and Medium averages 50 FPS with a minimum of 42 FPS. High and Ultra averages of 42 FPS and 32 FPS respectively are below the smoothness most players expect.

Q: How does the CPU performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48995, which is 0.4% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and 0.5% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900. It is 0.6% higher than the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H and 0.8% higher than the Intel Core i5-14600K.

Q: How does the GPU performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, which is 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. It is 1% higher than both the AMD Radeon R9 370X and the AMD Radeon RX 7700, and 2.1% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro W5500.

Q: What is the difference in frame rate between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 187 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 92 FPS. This is a 95 FPS difference, meaning the Ultra preset delivers roughly half the frame rate of the Low preset.

Q: Is there a significant frame rate difference between Medium and High at 1440p?

A: Yes, at 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 92 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS, while the High preset averages 78 FPS. The Medium preset provides a 14 FPS higher average and a smoother minimum frame rate experience.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the decisive factor in Minimum's performance, as the FPS scaling with resolution clearly shows. The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is adequate for the game at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the combination of higher memory pressure and the GPU's compute limits becomes apparent. The boost clock of 2990 MHz and game clock of 2400 MHz help the card reach a 21.43 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, which is sufficient for high frame rates at lower resolutions but is taxed heavily at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 32.

The GPU's benchmark scores reflect its mid-range positioning. It sits at the 59th percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 16014 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which scores 16129 (a 0.7% difference). The closest rival, the AMD Radeon R9 370X, scores 15862, putting the RX 9060 just 1% ahead. This data suggests that the RX 9060 is a capable 1080p and 1440p card, but its 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus are not designed for 4K Ultra settings. The measured FPS at 4K Medium (50 FPS) and 4K High (42 FPS) indicate that the GPU's shading units and ROPs are overwhelmed by the pixel count, rather than the CPU being unable to keep up.

The GPU's architecture, RDNA 4.0 on a 4 nm process, delivers a texture rate of 334.9 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 191.4 GPixel/s. These figures are more than enough for 1080p, but at 4K, the pixel rate directly limits fill-rate-bound scenes. The card's performance relative to its rivals, being within 1% of both the R9 370X and RX 7700, confirms that it is a solid mainstream option. However, for Minimum at 4K, the data suggests that dropping to Medium settings is necessary to maintain a playable 50 FPS average, and even then, the minimum frame rate of 42 FPS shows occasional dips.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy for settings at each resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset offers the best balance, averaging 120 FPS. This is 23 FPS lower than the Low preset's 187 FPS, but the visual quality gain is substantial, and 120 FPS is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 92 FPS, which is still excellent, but the 28 FPS drop from High to Ultra might not justify the negligible visual difference in a fast-paced third-person shooter. For competitive play, the Low preset at 187 FPS is the best choice, but for a standard experience, High is recommended.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the clear winner. It averages 92 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS, providing a smooth experience. The High preset drops to 78 FPS, which is still playable, but the 14 FPS difference is noticeable. The Ultra preset at 59 FPS is borderline, and the Low preset at 121 FPS is the choice for high-refresh monitors. For most users, Medium at 1440p is the optimal setting: it maintains a minimum frame rate above 75 FPS, ensuring no stutter, while offering better visuals than Low.

At 3840x2160, the options are limited. The Low preset averages 65 FPS, which is the only preset that reaches the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset averages 50 FPS with a minimum of 42 FPS, which is playable but may have noticeable dips in intense scenes. Given that the High and Ultra presets average 42 FPS and 32 FPS respectively, they are not recommended for a smooth experience. The best recommendation for 4K is to use the Low preset for a consistent 65 FPS, or the Medium preset if you can tolerate occasional drops below 50 FPS. The data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, so reducing settings is the only way to gain performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and AMD Radeon RX 9060 ranks 1677th out of 2939 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the 43rd percentile of all combinations, meaning it outperforms 43% of the tested systems. This ranking is consistent with the hardware's individual performance: the CPU is at the 90th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is at the 59th percentile. The low GPU percentile is the primary drag on the combo's overall rank, as the CPU has significant headroom.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and AMD Ryzen 9 7900, are within 0.5% of its average score. This indicates that the Ultra 5 245 is a strong performer, and in a game like Minimum, which is not heavily threaded, its 14 cores and 14 threads are more than sufficient. The GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, is within 0.7% of its score, suggesting that systems with that GPU would perform similarly. The combo's rank of 1677 out of 2939 is a direct result of the GPU's mid-range standing; pairing this CPU with a higher-tier GPU would likely push the rank much higher, but with the RX 9060, the system is firmly in the mid-range tier for Minimum.

The measured FPS data supports this ranking. At 1080p High, the combo delivers 120 FPS, which is excellent. At 1440p High, it delivers 78 FPS, which is good. At 4K High, it drops to 42 FPS, which is poor. This scaling pattern shows that the combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, and its rank reflects that it is not a top-tier 4K system. The data confirms that the CPU is not a bottleneck, as the frame rates scale almost entirely with the GPU's capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates are as follows: Low settings deliver 187 FPS, Medium delivers 143 FPS with a minimum of 122 FPS and a maximum of 165 FPS, High delivers 120 FPS, and Ultra delivers 92 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 122 FPS ensures a very smooth experience even in demanding scenes. The gap between Low and Medium is 44 FPS, and between Medium and High is 23 FPS, while the drop from High to Ultra is 28 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 121 FPS, Medium at 92 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 106 FPS, High at 78 FPS, and Ultra at 59 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 79 FPS is particularly notable, as it keeps frame times consistent. The drop from Low to Medium is 29 FPS, from Medium to High is 14 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 19 FPS. The Ultra preset at 59 FPS is just below the 60 FPS target, making it a marginal choice.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 65 FPS, Medium at 50 FPS with a minimum of 42 FPS and a maximum of 57 FPS, High at 42 FPS, and Ultra at 32 FPS. The Low preset is the only one that remains above 60 FPS. The Medium preset's 50 FPS average is playable, but the 42 FPS minimum indicates potential stutter. The High preset at 42 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 32 FPS is not recommended for smooth gameplay. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at each setting is consistent, with all presets losing roughly half their frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K, confirming the GPU is the limiting factor.