Minimum

Minimum is a third-person shooter with a release date of 2014-06-25, and the measured data for the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 shows a configuration that scales predictably across resolutions and settings. The dataset includes average FPS for 1080p, 1440p, and 4K across Low, Medium, High, and Ultra presets, with only the Medium preset providing minimum and maximum FPS values. This analysis walks through the resolution scaling, CPU and GPU roles, settings recommendations, ranking, and a detailed FPS breakdown.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, indicating that the rendering load scales heavily with pixel count. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 180 at 1920x1080 to 116 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 64 FPS, and then to 62 at 3840x2160, another 54 FPS drop. This pattern shows a roughly 36% performance loss when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 47% loss from 1440p to 4K at Low settings. The trend is similar at High settings, where the average drops from 116 at 1080p to 75 at 1440p and then to 40 at 4K, representing decreases of 41 FPS and 35 FPS respectively.

The scaling behavior points to the GPU as the primary limiting component at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 180 FPS average suggests the CPU can feed frames quickly, but the GPU becomes the bottleneck as resolution increases. The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens at higher resolutions: at 1080p, the difference between Low (180) and Ultra (88) is 92 FPS, while at 4K, the difference between Low (62) and Ultra (31) is only 31 FPS. This compression of the settings range at 4K indicates that the GPU is saturated even at Low settings, leaving little headroom for quality improvements without substantial FPS penalties.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers 89 average FPS with a minimum of 75 and a maximum of 102, which is a playable range for most scenarios. The 4K Medium preset drops to 48 average FPS with a minimum of 41 and a maximum of 55, showing that even mid-tier settings struggle at this resolution. The data suggests that 4K is only viable for slower-paced gameplay or when visual fidelity is prioritized over frame rate, while 1080p and 1440p offer much more flexibility.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H is a mobile processor with 16 cores and 22 threads, base clock of 3.80 GHz, and boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its benchmark scores include a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14551 and a single-core score of 1759, placing it in the 84th percentile among all CPUs. These numbers indicate strong multi-threaded capability, but for a game like Minimum, the single-thread performance and core count matter more for maintaining high frame rates.

The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 3509 and multithread score of 25933 provide context for its gaming performance. In the measured FPS data, the CPU appears sufficient to drive frame rates above 180 FPS at 1080p Low, which is a high threshold. However, at 1080p Ultra, the average FPS drops to 88, suggesting that the GPU is already struggling with the increased graphical load rather than the CPU being a limiting factor. The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for feeding the GPU with data.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 7 165H has an average benchmark score of 34083, which is 0.3% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H, and 0.4% to 0.5% higher than the AMD EPYC 4244P, AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, and AMD Ryzen 7 3700X. These small deltas mean the CPU is not a differentiator in this game; the performance headroom it provides is more than enough for Minimum's engine, which appears to be GPU-bound at most settings. The 3.80 GHz base and 5.00 GHz boost clocks are typical for a mobile chip, and the data shows no evidence of CPU throttling or bottlenecking even at the highest frame rates measured.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS values, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers 138 average FPS with a minimum of 117 and a maximum of 158, which provides smooth gameplay with a comfortable margin above typical display refresh rates. The High preset at 1080p drops to 116 average FPS, still playable, but the step from Medium to High costs 22 FPS, which is significant for competitive play.

At 2560x1440, Medium again stands out with 89 average FPS and a minimum of 75, ensuring frame times stay consistent. High at 1440p averages 75 FPS, which is acceptable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. Ultra at 1440p falls to 57 average FPS, which may feel less responsive. For 4K, the data shows that Medium is the highest playable option at 48 average FPS, while High drops to 40 and Ultra to 31. Low at 4K reaches 62 average FPS, but the visual trade-off is substantial.

The Low preset at 1080p produces 180 average FPS, which is the highest measured value, but the visual quality reduction makes this suitable only for maximum frame rate scenarios. The Ultra preset at 1080p at 88 average FPS is still above 60, but the jump from Medium to Ultra costs 50 FPS, which is a 36% reduction. For most users, Medium at 1080p or 1440p provides the best experience, with High as a viable alternative for those prioritizing visuals over frame rate headroom.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination ranks 1752 out of 2939 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the lower half of all configurations, which is surprising given the individual component performance. The GPU alone sits in the 61st percentile among all GPUs, and the CPU in the 84th percentile, but the combination's rank suggests that other factors, such as system configuration or driver optimizations, may impact the game's performance.

The ranking indicates that while this combo is capable of high frame rates at lower resolutions, it is not exceptional for this game. The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639, which is very close to its nearest rivals: the AMD Radeon HD 7790 at 17666 (0.2% higher), the AMD Radeon 780M at 17588 (0.3% lower), the AMD Radeon Pro 560 at 17551 (0.5% lower), and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 at 17509 (0.7% lower). This tight clustering means the RTX 4060 is not a standout performer in absolute terms, despite its modern architecture.

The combo rank of 1752 out of 2939 means that 1187 other combinations perform better in Minimum. This is consistent with the GPU's mid-tier status; the RTX 4060's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus width are modest compared to higher-tier cards. The CPU's high percentile does not compensate for the GPU's limitations in this title, which is primarily graphics-bound. The data suggests that users with this combo should expect solid 1080p performance and acceptable 1440p, but 4K will require significant settings compromises.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process node, featuring 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. Its base clock is 1830 MHz with a boost clock of 2460 MHz, and it has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's FP32 performance is 15.11 TFLOPS, and it includes 24 ray tracing cores and 96 tensor cores, though Minimum's age means these features are unlikely to be heavily utilized.

The GPU's role in the measured FPS data is clear: it is the limiting component at higher resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the 180 average FPS shows the GPU can handle light loads easily, but the drop to 88 FPS at Ultra demonstrates the impact of increased shading and texture work. The 4K results, ranging from 31 to 62 FPS, further confirm that the GPU's 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus are insufficient for high-resolution rendering without significant compromises.

The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 19545 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2302 provide additional context for its performance. The nearest rival comparisons show the RTX 4060 is nearly identical in average benchmark score to older or integrated GPUs like the Radeon HD 7790 and Radeon 780M, which is notable given the generational gap. The 61st percentile placement among all GPUs means it outperforms about 60% of the database, but for a modern card, this is a modest standing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a clear progression across settings. Low averages 180 FPS, Medium averages 138 FPS with a minimum of 117 and maximum of 158, High averages 116 FPS, and Ultra averages 88 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 92 FPS, indicating that the game scales well with settings at this resolution, and even Ultra remains above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 116 FPS for Low, 89 FPS for Medium (minimum 75, maximum 102), 75 FPS for High, and 57 FPS for Ultra. The step from Low to Medium costs 27 FPS, while Medium to High costs 14 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 18 FPS. This shows a diminishing return on FPS as settings increase, with Ultra being the first preset to drop below 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 62 FPS for Low, 48 FPS for Medium (minimum 41, maximum 55), 40 FPS for High, and 31 FPS for Ultra. All settings except Low fall below 60 FPS, making 4K a challenging resolution for this combo. The Medium preset's minimum of 41 FPS means there will be noticeable frame drops in demanding scenes, while the maximum of 55 FPS indicates the GPU rarely reaches a smooth 60 FPS threshold.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Minimum?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 as the best resolution, with all settings except Ultra staying above 116 FPS average. Even Ultra at 1080p averages 88 FPS, which is above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Radeon HD 7790, 0.3% higher than the AMD Radeon 780M, 0.5% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 560, and 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 460.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as shown by the FPS drop from 180 at 1080p Low to 62 at 4K Low. The CPU's high benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14551, indicate it is not limiting performance.

Q: What is the playable frame rate range at 1440p Medium?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 89, with a minimum of 75 and a maximum of 102. This provides a consistent and playable experience.

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

A: The combo ranks 1752 out of 2939 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the lower half of all configurations tested.

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

A: At 1920x1080, Low averages 180 FPS while Ultra averages 88 FPS, resulting in a 92 FPS difference between the two presets.