Minimum

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT sits at rank 2164 out of 2939 tested combos in Minimum. That places this configuration in the lower 27th percentile of all tested pairings, meaning roughly three out of every four combos in the database deliver better average performance in this title. The ranking reflects a fundamental imbalance in this pairing: the CPU is a modern high-end part with a 93rd percentile standing among all CPUs, while the GPU is a previous-generation mid-range card sitting at the 59th percentile among all GPUs. The data suggests the graphics card is the limiting factor in most scenarios, particularly at higher resolutions where the CPU's advantage matters less.

Benchmark results indicate this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming with moderate settings. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 166 FPS average, which is more than enough for smooth competitive play. The High preset at the same resolution delivers 107 FPS average, still comfortable for most displays. However, pushing to 4K reveals the GPU's limitations, with Ultra settings dropping to 28 FPS average—a playability threshold that falls below acceptable standards for a shooter. The sweet spot for this pairing is 1080p Medium, which produces 127 FPS average with a minimum of 108 FPS, ensuring consistent frame pacing without the visual compromise of Low settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2164 out of 2939 places this system in the bottom quarter of tested configurations for Minimum. This is a surprisingly low position given the strength of the CPU, but the data makes the reason clear: the RX 5700 XT is the bottleneck in nearly every measured scenario. The GPU's percentile ranking of 59 among all GPUs means it outperforms only about 59% of the graphics cards in the database, while the CPU's 93rd percentile ranking indicates it outperforms 93% of processors. The wide gap between these two percentiles means the system cannot leverage the CPU's full potential in a GPU-bound title like Minimum.

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals provides context for its performance ceiling. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 averages a benchmark score of 64640, which is 0.3% lower than the AMD EPYC 4464P at 64823, and 0.3% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F at 64438. The AMD EPYC 7343 sits 0.7% behind at 64202, while the AMD EPYC 9124 is 0.7% ahead at 65104. These are all server-class processors with balanced multi-core workloads in mind, so the desktop-oriented Core Ultra 7 265 holds its own in synthetic benchmarks. The real story is the GPU side: the RX 5700 XT's average benchmark score of 16361 is 0.1% behind the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M at 16351, and 0.3% behind the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell at 16408. The AMD Radeon PRO W7500 is 0.3% ahead at 16415, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D V2 leads by 0.9% at 16504. These deltas are tiny, meaning the RX 5700 XT performs exactly where its class suggests it should—but that class is simply not enough for high-refresh 1440p or comfortable 4K in this game.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and frame rate, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is the clear recommendation. The measured data shows 127 FPS average with a minimum of 108 FPS and a maximum of 147 FPS. The minimum frame rate above 100 ensures no noticeable stutter during intense firefights, and the average is high enough to take advantage of 120Hz displays. The High preset at the same resolution drops to 107 FPS average, which is still playable, but the margin above 60 FPS is thinner and could lead to occasional dips below the refresh rate threshold on demanding scenes.

If you prioritize competitive performance over visuals, the Low preset at 1920x1080 delivers 166 FPS average—the highest measured across all settings and resolutions. This frame rate comfortably supports 144Hz monitors and provides the lowest input latency. The visual sacrifice is significant, but for a third-person shooter where reaction time matters, the extra smoothness can be worth it. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 82 FPS average, which is a 35% reduction from Medium and a 51% reduction from Low. The visual uplift from Medium to Ultra is rarely worth that performance cost on this GPU.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset provides 82 FPS average with a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 94 FPS. This is the only 1440p setting that maintains an average above 80 FPS, making it viable for 60Hz displays but not for high-refresh monitors. The High preset at 1440p drops to 69 FPS average, which is borderline for 60Hz but risks drops below 60 in busy scenes. The Low preset at 1440p achieves 107 FPS average, which is actually higher than the High preset at 1080p—a signal of how much the GPU struggles with higher detail settings regardless of resolution. For 4K, no preset is truly recommended. The best 4K result is Low at 58 FPS average, which is barely playable but not smooth. The Medium preset at 4K averages 44 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS, and Ultra drops to 28 FPS average—all below the 60 FPS target most players expect.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Minimum at 60 FPS on a 1440p monitor?*

A: Yes, but only with the Medium preset. The measured data shows 82 FPS average at 2560x1440 with Medium settings, with a minimum of 70 FPS. The High preset drops to 69 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 53 FPS average, so Medium is the only 1440p preset that reliably stays above 60 FPS.

*Q: What is the highest frame rate this system can achieve in Minimum?*

A: The highest measured result is 166 FPS average at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. The Medium preset at the same resolution reaches 127 FPS average, and High reaches 107 FPS average. No other resolution or settings combination exceeds these numbers.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 holding back the RX 5700 XT in this game?

A: The data suggests the opposite. The CPU ranks in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 59th percentile among all GPUs. The GPU's lower percentile and the fact that frame rates drop significantly at higher resolutions indicate the graphics card is the limiting factor, not the processor.

Q: How does the RX 5700 XT compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 5700 XT scores 16361 on average, which is 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M at 16351, 0.3% behind the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell at 16408, 0.3% behind the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 at 16415, and 0.9% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D V2 at 16504. These differences are negligible in real-world gaming.

Q: What is the best 4K preset for this combo?

A: The Low preset at 3840x2160 provides 58 FPS average, which is the highest 4K result. The Medium preset averages 44 FPS, High averages 37 FPS, and Ultra drops to 28 FPS. None of these are ideal for a shooter, but Low is the only one approaching playability.

Q: Does the CPU's 20-core configuration help with this game's performance?

A: The Core Ultra 7 265 has 20 cores and 20 threads, but Minimum is a third-person shooter from 2014 that does not scale across that many cores. The benchmark data shows the GPU is the bottleneck at all resolutions, so the CPU's core count provides no measurable benefit in this title beyond avoiding any potential CPU-side frame drops.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest results. The Low preset achieves 166 FPS average, the highest score in the entire dataset. Medium follows at 127 FPS average with a minimum of 108 FPS and a maximum of 147 FPS, offering the best combination of smoothness and visual fidelity. High reaches 107 FPS average, and Ultra drops to 82 FPS average. The gap between Low and Ultra is 84 FPS, or roughly a 51% reduction in frame rate when maxing out settings. This resolution is clearly where this combo belongs, with every preset except Ultra staying above the 100 FPS mark.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably. The Low preset still delivers 107 FPS average, which matches the High preset at 1080p—indicating that resolution scaling is more forgiving than settings scaling for this GPU. Medium produces 82 FPS average with a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 94 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for high-refresh monitors. High drops to 69 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 53 FPS average. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 54 FPS, a smaller absolute difference than at 1080p but a larger percentage drop (50%). The 1440p results suggest that players should stay on Medium or lower to maintain frame rates above 70 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become severe. The Low preset manages 58 FPS average, which is the only 4K result above 50 FPS. Medium averages 44 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 51 FPS—the only measured row in the dataset that includes min/max values at 4K. High drops to 37 FPS average, and Ultra bottoms out at 28 FPS average. The progression from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 50% performance reduction, from 58 FPS to 28 FPS. These numbers indicate that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo in Minimum, even with the lowest settings. The 58 FPS Low result is technically above 30 FPS but falls short of the 60 FPS target, and the 28 FPS Ultra result is unplayable for a shooter.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is built on the RDNA 1.0 architecture with the Navi 10 chip, manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It carries 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz, which translates to 14 Gbps effective. The GPU has 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. Its boost clock reaches 1905 MHz, with a game clock of 1755 MHz and a base clock of 1605 MHz. The card draws up to 225 W and requires a 550 W power supply, using a single 6-pin and single 8-pin power connector.

The GPU's influence on Minimum is clear from the measured frame rates. The RX 5700 XT ranks in the 59th percentile among all GPUs, which places it in the middle of the pack. Its nearest rivals in benchmark scores are all within 1% of its 16361 average, including the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M at 16351 and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell at 16408. The performance in Minimum follows this pattern: the GPU delivers playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p with reduced settings, but struggles at 4K. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for this 2014 title, as none of the measured settings indicate memory-related stuttering or texture loading issues.

The clock speeds and memory bandwidth play a direct role in the frame rates. At 1080p Low, the GPU achieves 166 FPS, which suggests it is not bandwidth-limited at lower resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the 28 FPS result indicates the GPU is heavily pixel-bound, with the 448.0 GB/s bandwidth and 64 ROPs struggling to fill 8.3 million pixels per frame at high detail. The 9.754 TFLOPS FP32 compute figure is respectable for the GPU's class, but Minimum appears to be more rasterization-bound than compute-bound, given the sharp drop in performance as pixel count increases. The 121.9 GPixel/s pixel rate and 304.8 GTexel/s texture rate are the specifications most relevant to this game's rendering workload.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process at TSMC. It has a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is DDR5 in dual-channel configuration, providing 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The CPU supports PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes and includes integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 32 execution units. It launched with an MSRP of $394 in January 2025.

The CPU's benchmark performance is strong. It scores 42216 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 5960 in single-core, which are both excellent results for a desktop processor. Its PassMark multi-thread score of 49682 and single-thread score of 4689 reinforce its high-end positioning. The CPU ranks in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 64640. Its nearest rivals are all server-class chips: the AMD EPYC 4464P is 0.3% ahead, the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F is 0.3% behind, the AMD EPYC 7343 is 0.7% behind, and the AMD EPYC 9124 is 0.7% ahead. These deltas are insignificant, meaning the Core Ultra 7 265 performs exactly at the level expected for its class.

In Minimum, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU. The measured frame rates show that performance scales with resolution and settings in a way that is characteristic of GPU-bound workloads. At 1080p Low, the 166 FPS result is high enough that the CPU must be keeping up with the GPU's output, but the drop to 28 FPS at 4K Ultra confirms the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's 20 cores and 30 MB of L3 cache provide ample headroom for this game's threading requirements, which are modest for a 2014 title. The 5.30 GHz boost clock ensures strong single-threaded performance, which matters more than core count for older game engines. The 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth and DDR5 support are more than sufficient for Minimum's data throughput needs, and the PCIe Gen 5 interface ensures no bottleneck in data transfer to the GPU. The data suggests that pairing this CPU with a more powerful GPU would yield significantly higher frame rates, as the processor is not the constraint in any measured scenario.