Minimum

# Minimum with Intel Core Ultra 7 165H + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti ranks 1065th out of 2939 tested combinations in Minimum, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems. This is a measured configuration, not an estimate, and the data indicates a pairing where the 16-core mobile processor and the Blackwell-based desktop GPU produce playable frame rates across most settings, though the aging 2014 title still presents challenges at maximum quality settings.

How This Combo Ranks

At rank 1065 out of 2939 tested combos, this system sits in the 64th percentile of all configurations tested for Minimum. The ranking reflects a combination that is firmly above average but not near the top of the leaderboard, which makes sense given the processor's mobile pedigree and the game's age relative to modern hardware. The RTX 5070 Ti is the dominant component here, as its 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs outpaces the CPU's 84th percentile standing among all processors, though the margin is narrow. The CPU's average benchmark score of 34083 places it within 0.3% of the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H and 0.4% of both the AMD EPYC 4244P and AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, while trailing the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X by just 0.5%. These rival deltas are trivial, indicating the Ultra 7 165H is well-positioned against comparable silicon. The GPU's average score of 49957 shows it trailing the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 by 0.1%, leading the Intel Arc A550M by 0.4%, and sitting 2% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT while leading the RX 6800 XT by 3.1%. In practical terms for Minimum, this combo's rank suggests it will handle the game comfortably at most settings, but the data shows that Ultra settings at 4K push it below the 60 FPS threshold that many players target.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H is a 16-core, 22-thread Meteor Lake processor with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth provide adequate headroom for Minimum's CPU demands, which are modest given the game's 2014 release. The processor's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14551 and single-core score of 1759 indicate strong multi-threaded performance relative to its mobile segment, though the single-core figure is more relevant for this title. PassMark single-thread performance of 3509 and multithread score of 25933 reinforce that the CPU is capable, but the game's engine from a decade ago will not fully utilize all 22 threads. The data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 234 FPS, which suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions; however, the gap between 1080p Low and 4K Low — from 234 to 81 FPS — indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor as resolution scales. The CPU's 84th percentile ranking versus all CPUs, combined with its 28 W TDP, means it is a power-efficient mobile part that can sustain high clock speeds without excessive thermal load. For Minimum, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU efficiently, and benchmark results indicate it does so without becoming the primary constraint at any resolution tested, as evidenced by the substantial FPS drops when increasing resolution at fixed settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is the star of this pairing, featuring 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus with 896.0 GB/s bandwidth. Its Blackwell 2.0 architecture on TSMC's 5 nm process packs 45,600 million transistors into a 378 mm² die, with 8960 shading units, 280 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The GPU's base clock of 2295 MHz and boost clock of 2452 MHz, along with 70 RT cores and 280 tensor cores, make it a formidable part for modern titles, but Minimum's age means these features are largely underutilized. The GPU delivers 43.94 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 686.6 GTexel/s texture rate, which are far beyond what a 2014 third-person shooter requires. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6604 and PassMark G3D score of 32974 place the GPU in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, confirming its high-end status. In Minimum, the GPU's performance dictates the experience at higher resolutions: at 1080p Ultra the combo hits 115 FPS, but at 4K Ultra it drops to 40 FPS. This 75 FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings shows that the GPU is heavily taxed at 4K with maximum quality, which is expected given the 4x pixel count increase. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for Minimum, as the game's textures and geometry from 2014 will not approach this limit, but the raw rasterization throughput at 4K Ultra is what causes the frame rate to dip below playable thresholds.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings tiers. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 234 FPS at Low, 179 FPS at Medium, 150 FPS at High, and 115 FPS at Ultra. The Medium setting shows a minimum of 152 FPS and maximum of 206 FPS, indicating smooth frame pacing. Moving to 2560x1440, frame rates drop to 151 FPS at Low, 116 FPS at Medium, 97 FPS at High, and 74 FPS at Ultra. The Medium setting at 1440p shows a minimum of 98 FPS and maximum of 133 FPS, maintaining a consistent experience above 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, the data reveals a steeper decline: 81 FPS at Low, 62 FPS at Medium, 52 FPS at High, and 40 FPS at Ultra. The 4K Medium setting records a minimum of 53 FPS and maximum of 72 FPS, which means even at Medium settings, 4K can dip below 60 FPS in demanding scenes. The 1080p numbers are uniformly high, with all settings exceeding 100 FPS, making 1080p the sweet spot for high refresh rate displays. The 1440p results show that High and below stay well above 60 FPS, while Ultra remains playable at 74 FPS. The 4K results are the most revealing: only Low settings achieve a comfortable 81 FPS, Medium is borderline at 62 FPS, and High and Ultra fall below the 60 FPS target.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies in this system. At Low settings, the combo delivers 234 FPS at 1080p, 151 FPS at 1440p, and 81 FPS at 4K — representing a 35% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 46% drop from 1440p to 4K. At Ultra settings, the progression is 115 FPS at 1080p, 74 FPS at 1440p, and 40 FPS at 4K, with drops of 36% and 46% respectively. The consistency of these percentage drops across settings — roughly one-third from 1080p to 1440p and nearly half from 1440p to 4K — is a hallmark of GPU-bound performance. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would show smaller relative drops at higher resolutions because the CPU work per frame remains constant while GPU work increases. The data shows the opposite: frame rates scale inversely with pixel count, which means the RTX 5070 Ti's rasterization throughput is the primary constraint at 1440p and 4K, while the Ultra 7 165H has sufficient headroom to keep the GPU fed. The 1080p results, with 234 FPS at Low, further confirm that the CPU can drive very high frame rates when the GPU is not overloaded, as the 16-core, 22-thread processor with 5.00 GHz boost has ample single-thread performance for Minimum's engine.

FAQ

Q: Is this combination capable of running Minimum at 60 FPS in all tested settings?

A: No. At 1080p and 1440p, all settings from Low to Ultra exceed 60 FPS, with Ultra at 115 FPS and 74 FPS respectively. However, at 4K, only Low (81 FPS) and Medium (62 FPS) average above 60 FPS; High (52 FPS) and Ultra (40 FPS) fall short.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 Ti compare to its nearest rivals in overall GPU benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5070 Ti's average benchmark score of 49957 is 0.1% below the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 (50001), 0.4% above the Intel Arc A550M (49737), 2% below the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (50951), and 3.1% above the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT (48477).

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain consistently high frame rates?

A: 1920x1080 is the strongest choice, with all settings delivering at least 115 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 179 FPS average with a minimum of 152 FPS, providing excellent smoothness. 1440p is also viable, with High at 97 FPS and Ultra at 74 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance in Minimum?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. Evidence includes the 46% frame rate drop from 1440p to 4K at both Low and Ultra settings, which aligns with the 2.25x pixel increase. The CPU's strong single-thread score of 1759 in Cinebench R23 and 3509 in PassMark indicates it is not the primary constraint.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H rank among all CPUs?

A: The CPU sits in the 84th percentile of all processors with an average benchmark score of 34083. It is 0.3% above the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H, 0.4% below both the AMD EPYC 4244P and AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, and 0.5% below the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X.

Q: What is the lowest FPS recorded in any tested configuration?

A: The lowest average FPS is 40, recorded at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. The lowest minimum FPS is 53, recorded at 4K Medium settings, where the average is 62 FPS and maximum is 72 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience depends on the target resolution. For 1080p users, the Ultra preset at 115 FPS average is the best choice, as it delivers the highest visual quality while maintaining frame rates well above 60 FPS and even above 100 FPS. The High preset at 150 FPS offers a smoother experience for competitive play, but Ultra's 115 FPS is already sufficient for most displays. At 1440p, the High preset at 97 FPS provides the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, as Ultra at 74 FPS is playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 116 FPS is a strong alternative for players prioritizing frame rate consistency, with a minimum of 98 FPS ensuring no drops below 60 FPS. At 4K, the data indicates that High and Ultra are not viable for a smooth experience, with averages of 52 FPS and 40 FPS respectively. The Medium preset at 62 FPS average is the highest quality option that stays above 60 FPS on average, but its minimum of 53 FPS means occasional dips below the threshold. For the most consistent 4K experience, the Low preset at 81 FPS average is recommended, as it maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS with no recorded minimums below that level. Overall, the data suggests that 1440p High is the sweet spot for this combination, delivering 97 FPS average with strong visual quality, while 4K users should stick to Medium or Low depending on their tolerance for frame rate fluctuations.