Minimum

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti combination delivers a striking performance profile in Minimum, a Third-Person Shooter from 2014. The data shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet showcases the CPU's formidable strength at 1080p. This analysis breaks down how the resolution scaling, processor capabilities, and graphics card architecture shape the final frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic and pronounced resolution scaling curve. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system produces an average of 335 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops that figure to 216 FPS, a significant 35.5% reduction. The climb to 3840x2160 (4K) further reduces the average to 116 FPS, which is a 46.3% drop from the 1440p result and a 65.4% drop from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline is the first indicator that while the CPU is capable of massive frame generation, the GPU's rendering workload is the primary limiter as pixel count increases.

The scaling pattern holds true across all settings presets. For High settings, the frame rate goes from 215 FPS at 1080p to 139 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 75 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset follows a similar trajectory, starting at 164 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 106 FPS at 1440p, and bottoming out at 57 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K consistently represents a loss of over 60% of the average frame rate, regardless of the quality preset. This consistency confirms that the scaling bottleneck is tied directly to the resolution and the corresponding pixel fill rate demands placed on the GPU.

The data suggests that the limiting component shifts based on resolution. At 1080p, the extremely high frame rates—approaching 335 FPS on Low—suggest the CPU is still providing ample headroom, but the GPU is working hard to keep up. However, the massive frame rate collapse at 4K, especially the 57 FPS average on Ultra, points squarely at the GPU as the definitive constraint. The RTX 5070 Ti is a powerful card, but the demands of 4K rendering in this title prove too much for it to maintain the high refresh rates seen at lower resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. This configuration yields a strong single-thread performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648, which is crucial for games that rely on a few primary threads for game logic and physics.

In the context of Minimum, the CPU's role appears to be enabling exceptionally high frame rates, particularly at 1080p. The jump from 257 FPS on Medium at 1080p to 335 FPS on Low at 1080p indicates that the processor can feed the GPU with enough data to push frame rates far beyond the standard 60-144 Hz range. The processor's PassMark single-thread score of 4394 and its percentile ranking of 90 vs all CPUs support its capability in this regard.

The CPU's multi-core performance is also robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924. However, the benchmark data does not show this scaling directly translating to higher frame rates in Minimum at higher resolutions, as the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The CPU's performance is comparatively close to its nearest rivals. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G has an average benchmark score that is only 0.4% lower, while the Intel Core i5-14600K is a mere 0.8% higher in average score. This places the Ultra 5 245 in a highly competitive position, but its specific advantage in this game lies in its ability to sustain high minimum FPS, as seen in the Medium settings at 1440p where the minimum FPS is 141.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU with 8960 shading units and 70 RT cores. It is equipped with 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a substantial 896.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. Its core clocks are rated at a base of 2295 MHz and a boost of 2452 MHz. This hardware configuration is responsible for the raw rendering power that dictates performance at higher resolutions.

The GPU's role is clearly defined by the measured FPS. At 4K, the GPU's workload is immense. The difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K is a drop from 116 FPS to 57 FPS, a 50.9% reduction in performance. This demonstrates how the GPU's shading units and texture units are heavily taxed by the higher detail levels, which include more complex lighting and geometry. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 32974 and its 86th percentile ranking vs all GPUs place it as a high-end part, but the data shows it is still not enough to conquer 4K Ultra in this title.

The RTX 5070 Ti's performance relative to its nearest rivals is interesting. Its average benchmark score is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64, which is only 0.1% lower, and the Intel Arc A550M, which is 0.4% higher. It sits between the Radeon RX 6800 XT (3.1% higher) and the Radeon RX 6900 XT (2.0% lower). In Minimum, the 16 GB of VRAM is unlikely to be a limiting factor even at 4K, as the game is from 2014 and would not have texture sizes that consume such capacity. The bottleneck is more likely the raw computational throughput of the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the system's performance across three resolutions and four quality presets.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 335 FPS average
• Medium: 257 FPS average (minimum 218, maximum 295)
• High: 215 FPS average
• Ultra: 164 FPS average

At 1080p, the system is exceptionally fast. The data shows a clear hierarchy, with a 71 FPS difference between Low and Medium, and a 51 FPS difference between Medium and High. The jump to Ultra costs another 51 FPS. This indicates that even at the highest settings, the system can easily drive high-refresh-rate monitors.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 216 FPS average
• Medium: 166 FPS average (minimum 141, maximum 190)
• High: 139 FPS average
• Ultra: 106 FPS average

At 1440p, the performance remains excellent, but the scaling is steeper. The difference between Low and Medium is 50 FPS, and Medium to High is 27 FPS. The system still provides a very playable experience at Ultra settings, with an average of 106 FPS.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 116 FPS average
• Medium: 89 FPS average (minimum 76, maximum 103)
• High: 75 FPS average
• Ultra: 57 FPS average

At 4K, the GPU begins to show its limits. While Low settings are still very smooth at 116 FPS, the higher presets dip into more moderate territory. The Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 76, which is still above the 60 FPS threshold, but the Ultra preset's 57 FPS average suggests that 4K Ultra is not a smooth experience for this combination. The performance gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 59 FPS, highlighting the significant cost of the highest visual fidelity.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this system can achieve in Minimum?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 335 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Can this system run Minimum at 4K with a smooth experience?

A: It depends on the settings. At 4K Low, it averages 116 FPS, which is very smooth. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 57 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS standard for smoothness. The Medium preset at 4K achieves an average of 89 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS, which is generally considered smooth.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score that is 0.4% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, indicating they are essentially performance equals in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU more likely to be the bottleneck at 1440p High settings?

A: At 1440p High, the system averages 139 FPS. Given the CPU's ability to push over 200 FPS at 1080p Low, and the significant frame rate drop at higher resolutions, the GPU is the primary limiting component at 1440p.

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

A: At 1080p, Low settings average 335 FPS, while Ultra settings average 164 FPS. This represents a 171 FPS difference, or a 51% reduction in performance when moving to the highest quality preset.

Q: Does the RTX 5070 Ti have more or less memory bandwidth than what is needed for this game?

A: The RTX 5070 Ti has 896.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. Since Minimum is a 2014 title, it is highly unlikely that this bandwidth is a limiting factor; the GPU's computational power is the more probable constraint, as seen in the 4K Ultra results.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's display resolution and target frame rate.

For users with a 1080p display, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation. The system maintains an average of 164 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most high-end 1080p monitors and provides the best visual quality without sacrificing smoothness.

At 1440p, the High preset offers a fantastic balance. It delivers an average of 139 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors. While Ultra is still playable at 106 FPS, the High preset provides a significant FPS buffer and likely a more consistent experience. The Medium preset is also viable if a user prioritizes frame rates above 144 FPS, as it averages 166 FPS.

For 4K users, the choice is more nuanced. The Medium preset is the sweet spot, providing an average of 89 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS. This ensures a mostly smooth experience while still offering a significant visual upgrade over Low settings. The High preset, at 75 FPS average, is also an option for those who prefer visual fidelity, but it is closer to the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset, averaging 57 FPS, should be avoided if a consistent 60 FPS experience is desired. The data suggests that Medium at 4K is the best compromise between visual quality and playable frame rates for this hardware combination.