Minimum

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers a dominant performance profile in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter that is clearly far more forgiving on modern hardware than contemporary titles. The benchmark results show this combination achieving extremely high frame rates across all tested configurations, with the data indicating that the GPU becomes the primary scaling factor as resolution increases, while the CPU provides ample headroom at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 reveals a predictable but pronounced drop in frame rates, characteristic of a system where the graphics card is the limiting component at higher pixel counts. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 229 at 1080p to 148 at 1440p, a 35% reduction, and then to 79 at 4K, representing a further 47% decline from the 1440p result. This steep curve indicates that the RTX 4080’s rendering workload scales heavily with resolution, as expected for a game with dated visuals that do not impose significant CPU overhead.

Looking at the Low settings preset, the scaling pattern is even more dramatic. The average FPS at 1080p is 356, which drops to 230 at 1440p (a 35% decrease) and then to 124 at 4K (a 46% decrease from 1440p). The fact that the 4K Low result is still above 120 FPS suggests that even at the lowest settings, the GPU is not entirely bottlenecked, but the relative performance loss from 1080p to 4K is consistent across presets, hovering around 65% of the 1080p value. This consistency points to a purely GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, with the CPU’s role diminishing as pixel count rises.

The Medium settings data reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p, the average is 273 FPS, dropping to 176 at 1440p and 95 at 4K. The percentage drops from 1080p to 1440p (36%) and from 1440p to 4K (46%) mirror the High and Low presets almost exactly. This uniformity across all three presets strongly suggests that the scaling is driven by the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth, not by any CPU limitation. The Ultra preset follows suit, with 174 FPS at 1080p, 112 at 1440p, and 61 at 4K, with the 4K result being the only one that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that Ultra settings at 4K are the first configuration to push the RTX 4080 to its limits.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the undisputed workhorse in this pairing, and its specifications align perfectly with the observed frame rates. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. This substantial memory subsystem is more than sufficient for a game from 2014, which likely has modest texture and geometry requirements, explaining why even at 4K Ultra the card maintains playable performance. The boost clock of 2505 MHz, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, provides the raw compute power needed to sustain such high frame rates.

The benchmark scores for the RTX 4080 underscore its capability. In PassMark G3D, it scores 34457, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54209 in the average benchmark score, which is only 0.1% higher than the RTX 4080’s 54247, indicating that the two cards are virtually identical in overall performance. This proximity in scores suggests that the 4080 is not leaving any significant performance on the table in this title. The GPU’s DirectX 12 Ultimate support, with a score of 132 in PassMark DirectX 12, is relevant for a game from 2014 that likely uses older APIs, but the card’s raw power ensures it excels regardless of the API overhead.

The data shows that the RTX 4080’s role becomes more critical as resolution increases. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high (up to 356 FPS at Low) that the CPU likely becomes a limiting factor, but at 4K, the GPU’s workload dominates. The 61 FPS average at 4K Ultra is a clear indicator that this is the most demanding scenario, and it aligns with the card’s 320 W TDP and 700 W suggested PSU, which are necessary to feed its 9728 shading units. The memory clock of 1400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective) contributes to the 716.8 GB/s bandwidth, which is ample for the game’s data streaming needs.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 246th out of 3712 total combos in Minimum. This places it in the top 6.6% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing given that the game is not particularly demanding by modern standards. The rank reflects the combination’s ability to deliver high frame rates across all settings, but it is not the top performer, suggesting that other CPUs or GPUs may achieve even higher scores in this specific title.

The CPU’s percentile ranking of 90 out of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48995, positions it as a high-end processor, though not the absolute best. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which has an average score of 49228 (0.5% higher), and the Intel Core i5-14600K, which scores 48618 (0.8% lower). These small differences indicate that the Ultra 5 245 is well within the performance envelope of its peers, and the combo rank is likely more influenced by the GPU’s capabilities than the CPU’s. The GPU’s 86th percentile ranking, with an average score of 54247, is similarly high, and its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, is only 0.1% faster, confirming that this GPU is near the top of its class.

The combination’s rank of 246 suggests that while it is excellent, there are 245 other combos that perform better in this game. Given that the RTX 4080 is end-of-life and the CPU is a recent release, the rank is likely determined by systems with even more powerful GPUs, such as the RTX 4090 or newer RTX 50-series cards, which are not in the data. However, for the components in question, this rank reflects their balanced performance, with neither part being a significant bottleneck in most scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system’s performance across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system achieves its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 356, which is the peak performance observed in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield an average of 273 FPS, with a minimum of 232 and a maximum of 313. High settings produce an average of 229 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 174 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is capable of exceeding 350 FPS at the lowest settings, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors, though the Ultra preset still delivers well above 144 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings average 230 FPS, which is still exceptionally high. Medium settings average 176 FPS, with a minimum of 149 and a maximum of 202, showing a consistent performance envelope. High settings average 148 FPS, and Ultra settings average 112 FPS. The 1440p results demonstrate that the system is fully capable of driving high-refresh-rate 1440p displays at any preset, with even the Ultra setting staying above 100 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system begins to show its limits. Low settings average 124 FPS, which is still smooth for most users. Medium settings average 95 FPS, with a minimum of 80 and a maximum of 109, indicating some fluctuation but remaining playable. High settings average 79 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 61 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The data shows that 4K Ultra is the only configuration where the system dips close to 60 FPS, but it never falls below that mark, confirming that the RTX 4080 is sufficient for 4K gaming in this title.

The min/max data for Medium settings at each resolution provides insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p, the range is from 232 to 313 FPS, a spread of 81 FPS. At 1440p, the range is from 149 to 202 FPS, a spread of 53 FPS. At 4K, the range is from 80 to 109 FPS, a spread of 29 FPS. This narrowing spread at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU workload becomes more consistent, reducing the variance in frame times as the system becomes more GPU-bound.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 356, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Does the system maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 61, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its closest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54209, a difference of only 0.1%.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 149, with an average of 176 and a maximum of 202.

Q: What is the combo's rank in the database for this game?

A: This combo ranks 246th out of 3712 tested combinations in Minimum.

Q: What is the CPU's single-thread performance score?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores 4648 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 4394 in PassMark single-thread.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 plays a supporting role in this configuration, but its capabilities are crucial for achieving the high frame rates seen at lower resolutions. The CPU features 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. This configuration, built on the Arrow Lake architecture with a 3 nm process, provides strong single-thread performance, which is essential for older games like Minimum that may not scale well across many cores. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648 and multi-core score of 32924 indicate a well-balanced processor that can handle both lightly-threaded and heavily-threaded workloads.

The CPU’s 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB L2 cache per core provide sufficient memory bandwidth for the game’s data access patterns. The dual-channel DDR5 memory support, with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s, ensures that the CPU can feed the GPU without becoming a bottleneck, especially at 1080p where frame rates exceed 350 FPS. The PassMark multi-thread score of 38706 and single-thread score of 4394 show that the CPU is competitive with its rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which scores 49228 on average, a mere 0.5% difference.

In the context of Minimum, the CPU’s role is most apparent at 1080p Low settings, where the 356 FPS average suggests that the GPU is not fully utilized, and the CPU’s single-thread performance is likely the limiting factor. However, at 4K, the CPU’s workload decreases relative to the GPU, and the system becomes GPU-bound. The CPU’s 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48995, confirms that it is not a weak link in this system. Its boost clock of 5.10 GHz is particularly beneficial for a game from 2014, which likely relies on high clock speeds rather than core count, and the data shows that this CPU provides ample headroom for the RTX 4080 to operate at its full potential.