Minimum

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Minimum, but the data shows a steep penalty at 4K Ultra. This combination ranks in the 47th percentile of tested combos for this title, indicating that while it is capable, there is significant headroom above it in the database. The following analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings, focusing on where the bottleneck lies and how to optimize the experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling curve as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 202 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 Low, the average drops to 130 FPS, which is a 36% reduction. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls to 70 FPS, another 46% reduction from the 1440p figure. This pattern is consistent across all settings presets, confirming that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the primary limiting factor as pixel count rises.

Looking at the High preset, the scaling is slightly less aggressive but still pronounced. The combo achieves 130 FPS at 1080p, 84 FPS at 1440p (a 35% drop), and 45 FPS at 4K (a 46% drop from 1440p). The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling: 99 FPS at 1080p, 64 FPS at 1440p (35% drop), and 34 FPS at 4K (47% drop). The consistency of these percentage drops across presets strongly suggests that the GPU’s raw throughput, rather than CPU limitations or memory bandwidth, is dictating performance.

The CPU’s role is minimal here. The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H has 16 cores and 22 threads, with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14551 and single-core score of 1759 are respectable for a mobile chip, but the FPS deltas between 1080p and 1440p are too large to blame the processor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the 1080p-to-1440p gap to be smaller than the 1440p-to-4K gap. Instead, the uniform percentage drops indicate that the RTX 4070 is saturated at all resolutions above 1080p. At 1080p Low, the 202 FPS figure may start to approach CPU limits, but the lack of min FPS data for that row prevents a definitive conclusion.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database for Minimum, this specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 holds a combo rank of 1562 out of 2939 tested combos. That places it in the lower-middle portion of the field, at roughly the 47th percentile. This is a notable finding because the individual components score well in synthetic benchmarks: the CPU is in the 84th percentile versus all CPUs, and the GPU is in the 81st percentile versus all GPUs. The discrepancy between component-level percentiles and the in-game combo rank suggests that Minimum is particularly demanding on the GPU’s memory subsystem or that the game favors different hardware configurations.

The GPU’s nearest rivals further contextualize its standing. The RTX 4070’s average benchmark score is 37648, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37628) and 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507). It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile by 1.3% (38135 vs 37648). These are tight margins, indicating that the RTX 4070 is positioned in a crowded performance band. For Minimum, being in the 47th percentile of combos means that many systems with slightly faster GPUs or better CPU-GPU pairings will push ahead, especially at higher resolutions where the GPU is the sole bottleneck.

The CPU’s nearest rivals paint a similar picture. The Core Ultra 7 165H has an average benchmark score of 34083, which is 0.3% above the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H (33989) and 0.4% above the AMD EPYC 4244P (34220) and AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 (34222). It is 0.5% below the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X (34260). These deltas are negligible in real-world gaming, reinforcing that the CPU is not the differentiator in this title. The bottleneck is firmly on the GPU, and the combo rank reflects that the RTX 4070’s performance is merely average for this game compared to other tested configurations.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Minimum?*

A: The highest measured average is 202 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next best is 154 FPS at 1080p Medium, followed by 130 FPS at 1080p High and 130 FPS at 1440p Low.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K?

A: No. The only 4K result above 60 FPS is the Low preset at 70 FPS. Medium averages 54 FPS, High averages 45 FPS, and Ultra averages 34 FPS. For a locked 60 FPS experience at 4K, you would need to use Low settings or reduce the resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 compare to the RTX 4080 Mobile in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37648, which is 1.3% lower than the RTX 4080 Mobile’s score of 38135. This is a small margin, but it translates to a measurable FPS difference in demanding scenarios.

Q: What is the CPU’s performance relative to the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X?

A: The Core Ultra 7 165H has an average benchmark score of 34083, which is 0.5% lower than the Ryzen 7 3700X’s score of 34260. In gaming, this difference is unlikely to be noticeable.

Q: Is there a significant FPS gap between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: Yes. At 2560x1440, Low averages 130 FPS, Medium averages 100 FPS, High averages 84 FPS, and Ultra averages 64 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 66 FPS, which is a 51% performance drop.

Q: What are the min and max FPS values recorded for Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the min FPS is 131 and the max is 178. At 1440p Medium, the min is 85 and the max is 115. At 4K Medium, the min is 46 and the max is 62. These ranges show good consistency, with no severe frame time spikes.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete picture across three resolutions and four settings presets. Starting at 1920x1080, the combo is exceptionally fast. Low settings deliver 202 FPS, which is the highest raw number in the entire dataset. Medium settings produce 154 FPS with a min of 131 and a max of 178, indicating smooth frame pacing. High settings drop to 130 FPS, and Ultra falls to 99 FPS. At 1080p, even the most demanding preset clears the 90 FPS threshold, making this resolution entirely GPU-bound but with ample headroom for high refresh rate displays.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. Low settings still manage 130 FPS, which is excellent for a 1440p panel. Medium averages 100 FPS with a min of 85 and a max of 115, providing a stable experience for competitive play. High settings average 84 FPS, which is playable but begins to show the GPU’s limits. Ultra averages 64 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target but leaves little margin for demanding scenes. The 1440p data suggests that Medium or High settings are the sweet spot, depending on whether you prioritize frame rate or visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4070 struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings average 70 FPS, which is the only 4K preset that reaches a comfortable playable level. Medium averages 54 FPS with a min of 46 and a max of 62, meaning it will dip below 60 FPS in busy areas. High averages 45 FPS, and Ultra averages just 34 FPS. The step from Medium to High represents a 9 FPS drop, while High to Ultra is an 11 FPS drop. For 4K, the data clearly shows that Low is the only viable preset for a smooth experience, and even then, the 70 FPS average is not locked.

The medium settings rows are the only ones with min and max data, which provides insight into frame consistency. At 1080p, the 131-178 FPS range shows a 47 FPS spread. At 1440p, the 85-115 FPS range narrows to a 30 FPS spread. At 4K, the 46-62 FPS range is a 16 FPS spread. This tightening of the range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is working at near-constant load, which reduces frame time variance but also means there is no headroom for spikes.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the clear driver of Minimum’s performance, and its specifications explain the measured results. The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 1313 MHz, which translates to 21 Gbps effective. For a game released in 2014, 12 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for texture data, so capacity is not a limitation. However, the 192-bit bus width and the resulting bandwidth are moderate for a modern GPU, which could contribute to the steep performance drop at 4K where memory throughput demands increase.

The core clocks are base 1920 MHz and boost 2475 MHz. The boost clock is critical for sustained performance, and the 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is substantial. However, the benchmark results show that this compute power is not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra. The pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 455.4 GTexel/s are respectable, but the 64 ROPs may be a limiting factor for fill-rate heavy scenes at high resolutions. The RTX 4070’s synthetic benchmark scores reflect a mid-to-high tier position: its PassMark G3D score is 26927, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 3854.

The GPU’s nearest rivals show that it sits in a tight performance cluster. The RTX 4070’s average benchmark score of 37648 is nearly identical to the Tesla P4 (37628) and RX Vega 56 (37507). It is only 1.3% behind the RTX 4080 Mobile. In Minimum, this translates to the combo ranking at 1562 out of 2939, which is below the median. The 200 W TDP and the adapter’s PCIe 4.0 x16 interface are standard for this class, but the data suggests that the GPU’s memory bandwidth is the primary constraint at 4K, rather than raw compute. The 12 GB VRAM is not a factor, as the game’s age means it likely does not exceed 6 GB even at Ultra settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on your target resolution and refresh rate. For 1920x1080, the combo is overpowered. Ultra settings average 99 FPS, which is excellent for a 60 Hz or 144 Hz monitor. If you have a 240 Hz display, High settings at 130 FPS or Medium at 154 FPS will push you closer to the panel’s limit. Low settings at 202 FPS are unnecessary for most users, as the visual quality trade-off is not worth the extra frames beyond 144 FPS. The data indicates that High is the best balance at 1080p, offering 130 FPS with better visuals than Medium.

For 2560x1440, the recommendation is more nuanced. If you prioritize competitive frame rates, Low settings at 130 FPS are the best choice, matching the High preset’s 1080p performance. Medium at 100 FPS is a strong middle ground, providing a 30 FPS buffer over High’s 84 FPS. For a 144 Hz 1440p monitor, Medium is the only preset that gets close to 100 FPS, and the min FPS of 85 ensures it stays above 80 FPS. Ultra at 64 FPS is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action, as any drop below 60 FPS will be noticeable. The sweet spot is Medium, which delivers a smooth 100 FPS average with reasonable visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the choices are limited. Low settings average 70 FPS, which is the only preset that provides a comfortable experience. Medium averages 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and will feel stuttery in intense moments. High and Ultra are not recommended, as 45 FPS and 34 FPS respectively are too low for a third-person shooter where quick camera movements are common. If you own a 4K display, the data suggests accepting Low settings or dropping to 1440p and using Medium or High. There is no preset that delivers both high visual quality and high frame rates at 4K with this hardware, so the GPU’s limitations must be acknowledged.