Minimum

Minimum is a 2014 third-person shooter that remains surprisingly demanding at high settings, and the measured data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D shows a system that can handle it with ease. The benchmark results paint a clear picture of a combo that prioritizes raw frame rates, with performance scaling predictably across resolutions and settings. This analysis walks through the measured FPS data to determine the optimal configuration, the roles of the GPU and CPU, and how this specific pairing ranks against the broader field of tested combinations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy for settings at each resolution, and the choice of preset depends heavily on the target display's refresh rate. At 1920x1080, the RTX 5090 D paired with the Core Ultra 5 245 produces exceptional frame rates across the board. The Low preset achieves 430 FPS average, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. Medium settings still deliver 329 FPS average, while High drops to 276 FPS. Even the most demanding Ultra preset maintains 210 FPS average. For competitive play on a high-refresh 1080p monitor, the Low preset offers the maximum possible frame rate, but the data indicates that High settings are the sweet spot for a balance of visual fidelity and performance, as 276 FPS is still well above the refresh rate of most displays.

At 2560x1440, the performance scaling remains strong. The Low preset yields 277 FPS average, Medium produces 212 FPS, and High settings result in 178 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 136 FPS average. For 1440p gaming, the Medium or High presets are the recommended choices. The jump from Low to Medium is substantial in visual quality, and the 212 FPS average at Medium is still exceptionally high. High settings at 178 FPS is also a viable option for users with 144Hz or 165Hz monitors, as the average frame rate exceeds those refresh rates. The Ultra preset, while playable, sees a significant performance hit compared to High, with a 42 FPS average drop.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes considerably. The RTX 5090 D's performance is still impressive, but the demands of 4K resolution are evident. The Low preset achieves 149 FPS average, Medium drops to 114 FPS, and High settings result in 96 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only configuration that falls below the 90 FPS threshold, with a 73 FPS average. For 4K gaming, the High preset is the recommended choice for a smooth experience, as the 96 FPS average is sufficient for most displays. However, users with 120Hz or higher 4K monitors may prefer the Medium preset, which offers a 114 FPS average and a significant visual improvement over Low. The Ultra preset is not recommended for 4K, as the 73 FPS average may result in noticeable stutter on high-refresh displays.

The data also includes min and max FPS figures for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p, the Medium preset shows a minimum of 280 FPS and a maximum of 379 FPS. At 1440p, the range is 180 FPS to 244 FPS. At 4K, the range narrows to 97 FPS to 131 FPS. This data indicates that frame pacing is consistent, with no significant drops. The spread between min and max FPS is relatively tight, suggesting stable performance across the board. Overall, the High preset at 1080p or 1440p offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, while at 4K, Medium or High are the most sensible choices depending on the display's refresh rate.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant force in this pairing, and its specifications are a key factor in the game's performance. The GPU features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a massive 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth. This is crucial for a game like Minimum, which can be demanding on memory at high resolutions and settings. The 32 GB frame buffer ensures that there is no memory capacity bottleneck, even at 4K with Ultra settings, which is a common issue for less-equipped graphics cards.

The GPU's clock speeds are also substantial, with a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz. These clocks, combined with the 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 render output units, drive the high frame rates seen in the measured data. The RTX 5090 D's raw compute power is reflected in its 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which allows it to process the complex geometry and effects in Minimum without breaking a sweat.

The benchmark results show that the GPU is the primary scaling factor when settings are increased. Moving from Low to Ultra at 1080p, the average FPS drops from 430 to 210, a reduction of 220 FPS. This is a direct consequence of the increased load on the GPU's shading units and ROPs. The GPU's performance is also heavily influenced by resolution, which will be discussed in the next section. In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5090 D scores 44,065 in Passmark's G3D test and achieves a 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 77,712 places it in the upper echelon, though its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT and NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, are within a small delta, indicating that the 5090 D is at the top of the consumer heap but not without competition in specific workloads.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and reveals the limiting component in this configuration. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 276 at 1080p to 178 at 1440p, a 35.5% decrease, and then to 96 at 4K, a further 46.1% decrease from 1440p. This scaling pattern indicates that the system is heavily GPU-bound. The RTX 5090 D is being tasked with rendering an increasing number of pixels, and its performance scales accordingly. The CPU, with its 14 cores and 14 threads, is not the bottleneck at these resolutions, as the frame rate drops are directly proportional to the increase in pixel count.

Looking at the Low preset, the scaling is even more dramatic. At 1080p, the average FPS is 430. At 1440p, it drops to 277, a 35.6% decrease. At 4K, it falls to 149, a 46.2% decrease from 1440p. This consistent pattern across settings confirms that the GPU's rendering pipeline is the limiting factor. The CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data at all resolutions, as evidenced by the high frame rates even at 1080p. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a plateau in FPS at lower resolutions, which is not the case.

The data suggests that the Core Ultra 5 245 is more than sufficient to keep up with the RTX 5090 D in Minimum. The CPU's boost clock of 5.10 GHz and its Passmark single-thread score of 4,394 provide ample processing power for the game's logic and physics. At 1080p with the Low preset, the 430 FPS average is a clear indication that the GPU is still the primary driver, as the CPU is not holding it back. The scaling from 1080p to 4K follows a predictable curve, which is a hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario. For users seeking to maximize frame rates, lowering the resolution is the most effective lever, as the GPU has more headroom to work with.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average FPS of 430. Medium settings reduce this to 329 FPS, with a minimum of 280 FPS and a maximum of 379 FPS. High settings yield 276 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 210 FPS. These figures indicate that the RTX 5090 D is capable of pushing frame rates well beyond the refresh rate of standard monitors, making 1080p gaming an exceptionally smooth experience.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 277 FPS average. Medium settings produce 212 FPS, with a min-max range of 180 to 244 FPS. High settings result in 178 FPS, and Ultra settings average 136 FPS. At this resolution, the frame rates remain high enough for competitive play, but the gap between settings becomes more pronounced. The Ultra preset, for example, is 141 FPS slower than the Low preset, highlighting the significant GPU load increase.

At 3840x2160, the performance is still robust but requires more careful settings selection. The Low preset averages 149 FPS, while Medium settings drop to 114 FPS, with a min-max range of 97 to 131 FPS. High settings yield 96 FPS, and Ultra settings are the only configuration to fall below 60 FPS, with a 73 FPS average. The data at 4K shows that the RTX 5090 D is one of the few GPUs capable of delivering playable frame rates at Ultra settings, but the 73 FPS average may not be sufficient for users with high-refresh 4K displays.

The min and max FPS data for the Medium preset is the only such information available in the dataset. At 1080p, the minimum of 280 FPS and maximum of 379 FPS show a stable frame pacing. At 1440p, the range of 180 to 244 FPS is also consistent. At 4K, the range of 97 to 131 FPS is tighter, but the minimum is still well above the threshold for a smooth experience. This data suggests that the system does not experience significant frame drops or stutters, which is a positive indicator for overall gameplay quality.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS is 430, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 D have enough VRAM for Minimum at 4K?

A: Yes, the RTX 5090 D features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory, which is more than sufficient for Minimum at any resolution and settings combination tested.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 277 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 136 FPS. This represents a 141 FPS difference between the two extremes.

Q: Is the Core Ultra 5 245 a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data indicates it is not. At 1080p with the Low preset, the system achieves 430 FPS, which suggests the GPU is still the primary limiting factor, as the CPU is capable of feeding it with data at that rate.

Q: What are the minimum FPS figures for the Medium preset?

A: The Medium preset shows a minimum FPS of 280 at 1080p, 180 at 1440p, and 97 at 4K.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: This Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination ranks 1st out of 2,939 tested combos in Minimum.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 plays a supporting role in this configuration, but its specifications are crucial for maintaining high frame rates. 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 architecture, based on Arrow Lake-S, provides strong single-threaded performance, which is essential for game logic and physics. The CPU's Passmark single-thread score of 4,394 and its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4,648 indicate that it can handle the demands of Minimum without becoming a bottleneck.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are also robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32,924 and a Passmark multi-thread score of 38,706. While Minimum may not be heavily multi-threaded, the 14 cores provide headroom for background tasks and ensure that the CPU does not become a limiting factor during gameplay. The CPU's L3 cache of 24 MB shared and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s ensure that data can be fed to the GPU efficiently.

In the context of the measured FPS data, the CPU's role is to maintain a steady stream of frames. The fact that the frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings indicates that the CPU is not holding back the GPU. The Core Ultra 5 245's benchmark scores place it in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48,995. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 and Intel Core i5-14600K, are within a 1% delta, showing that it is a high-performing mid-range to high-end processor. The CPU's boost clock of 5.10 GHz is a key factor in its ability to keep up with the RTX 5090 D, especially in scenarios where the GPU is not fully saturated.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination ranks 1st out of 2,939 tested combos in Minimum. This is a top-tier result, placing this specific pairing at the pinnacle of the performance charts for this game. The rank confirms the raw power of the RTX 5090 D, which is the primary driver of frame rates, combined with the capable Core Ultra 5 245, which ensures no CPU bottleneck.

The GPU's performance is a major factor in this ranking. The RTX 5090 D's average benchmark score of 77,712 is in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the synthetic benchmarks, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT and NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, are within a 2.4% delta, but in Minimum, the 5090 D's specific architecture and features, such as its 32 GB of VRAM and high bandwidth, give it an edge. The GPU's performance in the game is reflected in the high average FPS numbers across all resolutions.

The CPU's contribution to the ranking is also significant. The Core Ultra 5 245's 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs ensures that it can keep pace with the GPU. In other combinations, a weaker CPU might bottleneck the RTX 5090 D, especially at lower resolutions. However, the data shows that this is not the case here. The combination of a high-end GPU and a capable CPU results in a system that can deliver exceptional performance in Minimum, as evidenced by its number one ranking. The fact that it holds the top spot out of nearly 3,000 combinations underscores the balance and effectiveness of this pairing.