Minimum

# Minimum with Intel Core Ultra 7 165H + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 delivers a playable but constrained experience in Minimum, a third-person shooter released in mid-2014. Benchmark results place this combination at rank 2325 out of 2939 tested combos, which puts it in the lower-middle tier of the database. The data shows a system that can handle 1080p gaming comfortably across most settings, but struggles to maintain smooth frame rates at 4K, particularly at higher quality presets.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all four settings presets remain above 70 FPS on average. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset drops to 47 FPS, while at 3840x2160, even the Low preset only reaches 52 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H has an average benchmark score of 34083, which is 0.3% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H (33989) and 0.4% higher than both the AMD EPYC 4244P and AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 (34220 and 34222 respectively). It trails the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X by 0.5% (34260).

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 sits at the 66th percentile among all GPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score of 21035 places it 1.6% above the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (20713) and 0.6% below the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (21153).

Q: Which settings preset delivers the highest minimum FPS?

A: The Medium preset at 1920x1080 shows a minimum FPS of 97 with an average of 114 FPS. At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum drops to 62 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Medium, it falls to 34 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K?

A: The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K suggests the GPU becomes the primary constraint. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 95 at 1080p to 61 at 1440p and further to 33 at 4K, a reduction of 62 FPS between the lowest and highest resolution tested.

Q: Does the combo support modern graphics APIs?

A: The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, which covers all API requirements for Minimum. The CPU's integrated Arc Xe-LPG 128EU graphics are present but not used in these benchmark results.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H is a 16-core, 22-thread mobile processor from the Core Ultra Series 1, built on Intel's 7 nm Meteor Lake architecture. It operates with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, drawing 28 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 112 KB L1 per core, 2 MB L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and 89.6 GB/s bandwidth.

In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14551 and a single-core score of 1759. The PassMark multi-thread score is 25933, while single-thread performance reaches 3509. These numbers place the CPU at the 84th percentile among all processors, indicating it is a capable mid-range mobile chip. The nearest rival comparison shows the Core Ultra 7 165H is essentially tied with the Core Ultra 5 338H (0.3% faster), AMD EPYC 4244P (0.4% faster), and AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 (0.4% faster), while being 0.5% slower than the Ryzen 7 3700X.

For Minimum, a game released in 2014, the CPU's multi-core performance is more than sufficient. The game's engine does not appear to be heavily threaded based on the measured results, as the frame rates scale primarily with resolution and GPU load. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 148 FPS, which suggests the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at lower resolutions. The 22 threads and high boost clock of 5.00 GHz provide ample headroom for game logic, physics, and AI processing typical of a third-person shooter from this era.

The data shows no evidence of CPU bottlenecking in Minimum. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU has the least work to do, the system achieves 148 FPS, indicating the CPU can sustain frame delivery well above typical display refresh rates. The CPU's 84th percentile ranking reinforces that it is not the weak link in this configuration.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB207 chip, fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process. It contains 16,900 million transistors on a 149 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 113.4M per mm². The GPU operates with a base clock of 2317 MHz and a boost clock of 2572 MHz, with memory running at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective).

The memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has 2560 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. It also includes 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores. Compute capabilities are rated at 13.17 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16 (1:1 ratio). The pixel rate is 82.30 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 205.8 GTexel/s. Power consumption is rated at 130 W TDP, with a suggested 300 W PSU.

In benchmark tests, the RTX 5050 achieves a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2502 and a PassMark G3D score of 17326. The GPU's average benchmark score of 21035 places it at the 66th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (0.6% faster), AMD Radeon HD 8970M (1.0% faster), AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (1.6% slower), and NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile (1.6% faster).

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for Minimum, which was released before high-resolution texture packs became standard. The 320 GB/s bandwidth supports the measured frame rates, but the GPU's raw compute power appears to be the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The data shows a clear pattern: at 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 25 FPS, while at 1080p Ultra, it reaches 73 FPS. This suggests the GPU's 13.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is insufficient for 4K gaming at maximum settings in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 2325 out of 2939 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the 21st percentile among all configurations. This rank reflects the GPU's mid-range positioning (66th percentile overall) being offset by the CPU's stronger standing (84th percentile), but the game's performance is ultimately constrained by the GPU.

The rank of 2325 indicates that approximately 614 other combos perform worse than this setup, while 2324 perform better. Given the GPU's 66th percentile ranking, the combo's overall game-specific rank is lower than the GPU's general percentile, suggesting that Minimum may be particularly demanding on certain GPU features or that the RTX 5050's architecture does not excel in this specific title.

The CPU's nearest rivals all have similar average scores (within 0.5%), so swapping the processor for any of these alternatives would likely produce nearly identical results in Minimum. The GPU's rivals, however, show more variance: the RX 5600 XT scores 1.6% lower, while the RX Vega M GL scores 0.6% higher. These small differences in synthetic benchmarks translate to minor FPS variations in real gaming scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance. The Low preset achieves an average of 148 FPS. Medium improves visual quality while maintaining 114 FPS average, with a minimum of 97 FPS and maximum of 131 FPS. High settings produce 95 FPS average. Ultra settings yield 73 FPS average, which remains smooth for most displays.

Moving to 2560x1440, frame rates drop significantly. Low settings produce 96 FPS average. Medium reaches 73 FPS average, with minimum 62 FPS and maximum 84 FPS. High settings drop to 61 FPS average. Ultra falls to 47 FPS average, which begins to feel less fluid for fast-paced gameplay.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes marginal. Low settings manage 52 FPS average. Medium achieves 39 FPS average, with minimum 34 FPS and maximum 45 FPS. High settings drop to 33 FPS average. Ultra falls to 25 FPS average, which is below playable thresholds for most users.

The data reveals that the Medium preset at 1080p offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with 114 FPS average and a minimum of 97 FPS ensuring consistent frame delivery. The gap between Low and Medium at each resolution is substantial: 34 FPS at 1080p, 23 FPS at 1440p, and 13 FPS at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 provides the best overall experience. The average of 114 FPS exceeds typical 60 Hz and 144 Hz display refresh rates, while the minimum of 97 FPS ensures no noticeable stuttering during intense combat sequences. The maximum of 131 FPS shows there is headroom for occasional frame spikes.

For users prioritizing maximum visual fidelity, High settings at 1920x1080 deliver 95 FPS average, which remains smooth. At 2560x1440, High settings produce 61 FPS average, which is acceptable for slower-paced gameplay but may feel less responsive in competitive scenarios.

The Ultra preset is only recommended at 1920x1080, where it achieves 73 FPS average. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 47 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 25 FPS, making these configurations unsuitable for consistent gameplay. The Low preset is viable at all resolutions except 4K, where 52 FPS average is borderline.

The data suggests that Medium at 1440p (73 FPS average) is a better choice than High at 4K (33 FPS average) for users who want a balance between resolution and smoothness. The 34 FPS minimum at 4K Medium indicates frame pacing issues that would detract from the experience.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU-bound nature of this configuration. At High settings, the average FPS decreases from 95 at 1080p to 61 at 1440p (a 36% reduction) and further to 33 at 4K (a 65% reduction from 1080p). This scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU that has sufficient bandwidth for 1080p and 1440p but lacks the raw compute power for 4K.

The Low preset shows a similar trend: 148 FPS at 1080p, 96 FPS at 1440p (35% reduction), and 52 FPS at 4K (65% reduction). The consistent proportional drops across settings indicate that the GPU's fill rate and shading capabilities are the limiting factors, rather than memory bandwidth or CPU throughput.

The Medium preset, which includes minimum and maximum FPS data, shows the frame time variance increasing with resolution. At 1080p, the spread is 34 FPS (97 to 131). At 1440p, the spread narrows to 22 FPS (62 to 84). At 4K, the spread is 11 FPS (34 to 45). This narrowing suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU operates closer to its maximum capacity, reducing the headroom for frame rate variation.

The data indicates that the RTX 5050's 8 GB VRAM and 320 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for this game at all tested resolutions, as the FPS drops correlate with compute load rather than memory limitations. The 13.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is the primary constraint at 4K, where even Low settings only achieve 52 FPS. Users targeting 4K gameplay should consider reducing resolution scaling or accepting lower quality presets, as the measured data shows no configuration achieving 60 FPS average at 3840x2160.