Minimum

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers a robust performance profile in Minimum, a third-person shooter released in 2014. The data shows this combination is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p and maintains playable performance at 4K, though the scaling pattern reveals a system that is heavily influenced by both CPU and GPU depending on the resolution and settings. This analysis walks through the measured FPS data to interpret what the numbers mean for the CPU’s role, the GPU’s headroom, and the optimal settings for different display targets.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 262 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 169 FPS, a 35.5% reduction. The further step to 4K Low yields 91 FPS, which is a 46.2% reduction from the 1440p figure. This progressive decline is typical of GPU-bound workloads, where the rendering load increases exponentially with pixel count.

However, the scaling behavior changes when looking at higher settings. At Ultra settings, the transition from 1080p (128 FPS) to 1440p (83 FPS) represents a 35.2% drop, while the move from 1440p to 4K (45 FPS) is a 45.8% reduction. The consistency of these percentage drops across Low and Ultra settings suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at all resolutions for this title. The RX 9070, with its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 256-bit bus, has the bandwidth to handle the 4K texture loads, but the raw shading throughput becomes the bottleneck as resolution climbs.

The data indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 262 FPS ceiling is far above what most displays can show, suggesting the CPU can feed frames quickly enough. The Core Ultra 5 245, with 14 cores and 14 threads, has a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, which provides ample single-thread performance for this 2014 title. The gap between 1080p Low (262 FPS) and 1440p Low (169 FPS) is substantial, confirming that the GPU is the component that throttles performance as resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global database of tested combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 holds the rank of 832 out of 2939 combos for Minimum. This places it in the top 28.3% of all tested systems for this specific game, which is a strong showing for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU. The percentile ranking for the CPU alone is 90, meaning it outperforms 90% of all CPUs in the database across various workloads.

The GPU’s percentile is notably lower at 69, indicating that the RX 9070 is a good but not exceptional performer in the broader GPU landscape. The discrepancy between the CPU’s high percentile and the GPU’s more modest percentile suggests that the overall combo rank is pulled down by the GPU’s relative standing. In Minimum, this means the system’s performance ceiling is defined more by the GPU than the CPU, which aligns with the resolution scaling analysis.

When comparing to the CPU’s nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 5 245 shows competitive scores. It trails the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G by 0.4% and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 by 0.5% in average benchmark scores, but it leads the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H by 0.6% and the Intel Core i5-14600K by 0.8%. These narrow margins indicate that the CPU is well-positioned among its peers, and the in-game performance should not be held back by processing power.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is built on the Arrow Lake architecture using a 3 nm process from TSMC. It features 14 cores and 14 threads, which is a notable configuration that lacks hyper-threading. The base clock is 3.50 GHz, and the boost clock reaches 5.10 GHz, providing strong single-thread performance that is critical for older games like Minimum. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache further aids in reducing memory latency, which is beneficial for game logic and physics calculations.

In Minimum, the CPU’s role is evident at the lowest resolution and settings. The 262 FPS at 1080p Low demonstrates that the processor can handle the game’s draw calls and simulation logic without becoming a bottleneck. The passmark single-thread score of 4394 and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648 both indicate robust per-core performance. This is crucial because third-person shooters from the 2014 era often rely heavily on a single main thread for game logic, and the Core Ultra 5 245’s 5.10 GHz boost clock is well-suited for that workload.

However, the lack of multi-threading on the 14 cores means that the CPU does not have 28 threads like some competing designs. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32924 is strong, but the CPU’s nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, has a similar average score (49228 vs 48995 for the Core Ultra 5 245, a 0.5% difference). This suggests that in heavily threaded scenarios, the CPU performs on par with its competitors, but Minimum is unlikely to stress all 14 cores simultaneously, making the high boost clock the more relevant factor.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 60 FPS?

A: The data shows that at 2560x1440 with High settings, the average FPS is 109, which comfortably exceeds 60. At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average drops to 70 FPS, still above 60. For a locked 60 FPS experience, 4K High is borderline at 59 FPS average, so 4K Medium is the safer choice.

Q: Does this combo support ray tracing in Minimum?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 has 56 ray accelerators, but the measured data does not include any ray tracing benchmarks for this game. Therefore, the performance impact of ray tracing in Minimum cannot be determined from the available facts.

Q: How does the CPU compare to the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G?

A: In average benchmark scores, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G. This negligible difference means the two CPUs should perform nearly identically in Minimum, with the Intel chip having a higher boost clock of 5.10 GHz versus the AMD chip’s unspecified clock.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The only min FPS data available is for Medium settings: 59 FPS at 4K, 110 FPS at 1440p, and 171 FPS at 1080p. No minimum FPS data is provided for Low, High, or Ultra settings, so those figures cannot be reported.

Q: Is the RX 9070 a better performer than the RTX 2080 SUPER?

A: The average benchmark scores show the RX 9070 is 1.2% below the RTX 2080 SUPER. In Minimum, this suggests the two GPUs would deliver similar frame rates, with the RX 9070 having a slight disadvantage in raw compute.

Q: Does the game utilize the CPU’s 14 cores effectively?

A: The measured FPS at 1080p Low (262 FPS) indicates the CPU is not a bottleneck at that resolution. However, the game is from 2014, and the data does not provide per-core utilization metrics. The high boost clock is likely more important than the core count for this title.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is based on the RDNA 4.0 architecture and the Navi 48 chip, manufactured on a 4 nm process at TSMC. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has 3584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 128 raster operation units. The boost clock is 2520 MHz, with a game clock of 2070 MHz, delivering 36.13 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

In Minimum, the GPU’s role becomes dominant as resolution increases. The 4K Ultra settings produce only 45 FPS, which is the lowest measured result in the dataset. This indicates that the RX 9070’s raw shading power is insufficient for maxed-out settings at 4K in this title. The gap between 4K Low (91 FPS) and 4K Ultra (45 FPS) is a 50.5% reduction, showing that the Ultra preset imposes a significant rendering load. The 16 GB VRAM is unlikely to be a limiting factor at 4K since the game is from 2014 and likely has modest texture memory requirements, but the compute load from Ultra settings is clearly taxing.

The GPU’s benchmark scores show a passmark G3D score of 25381, which places it at the 69th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER, has a 1.2% higher average score. In Minimum, this means the RX 9070 should deliver frame rates very similar to the RTX 2080 SUPER, which is a capable card for 1440p gaming. The data confirms this: at 1440p High, the combo produces 109 FPS, which is a smooth experience for a third-person shooter.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p displays, the Ultra preset delivers 128 FPS average, which is excellent for high-refresh monitors. There is little reason to drop below High settings at 1080p, as even High produces 169 FPS. The Low preset at 262 FPS offers diminishing returns for most users, but competitive players might prefer the higher frame rate.

For 1440p, the High preset at 109 FPS is the sweet spot for a 100Hz+ monitor. The Medium preset at 130 FPS is also viable, but the visual quality trade-off may not be worth the 21 FPS gain. The Ultra preset at 83 FPS is still playable, but it sits below the 100 FPS threshold that many gamers prefer for smooth motion. The data suggests that 1440p High offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. The Medium preset at 70 FPS is the recommended choice for a 60Hz display, as it provides headroom above the 60 FPS target. The High preset at 59 FPS is technically playable but sits right at the edge of the 60 FPS line, meaning any scene complexity could push it below. The Ultra preset at 45 FPS is not recommended for 4K, as it falls below the acceptable threshold for smooth gameplay. The Low preset at 91 FPS is the only 4K option that exceeds 90 FPS, but the visual quality loss is significant. For 4K, the Medium preset is the logical choice.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are as follows: Low settings produce 262 FPS, Medium produces 201 FPS (with a min of 171 and max of 231), High produces 169 FPS, and Ultra produces 128 FPS. The spread of 134 FPS from Low to Ultra demonstrates the significant impact of settings on performance at this resolution. The min FPS for Medium at 171 FPS indicates that even the worst-case frame times are well above the refresh rate of most monitors.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 169 FPS, Medium at 130 FPS (min 110, max 149), High at 109 FPS, and Ultra at 83 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p reduces performance by 35-36% across all settings, confirming a consistent scaling factor. The min FPS for Medium at 110 FPS is still comfortably above 60, making 1440p Medium a safe choice for consistent frame delivery.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 91 FPS, Medium at 70 FPS (min 59, max 80), High at 59 FPS, and Ultra at 45 FPS. The min FPS for Medium at 59 FPS is exactly at the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that there are moments where the system dips below the target. The High preset’s average of 59 FPS suggests it is barely capable of maintaining 60 FPS on average, but the lack of min FPS data for High means the worst-case scenario is unknown. The Ultra preset at 45 FPS is the only setting that drops below the 60 FPS threshold on average, making it unsuitable for 4K gaming. Overall, the data shows that the RX 9070 is best utilized at 1440p or below for high-refresh experiences, with 4K requiring Medium settings to maintain a playable frame rate.