Minimum

# Minimum with Intel Core Ultra 7 265 + AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT

This combo pairs Intel's 20-core Arrow Lake desktop processor with AMD's RDNA 2-based mid-range GPU, producing a system that handles the 2014 third-person shooter Minimum with considerable headroom at most settings. The measured frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets reveal a setup that is firmly GPU-limited at higher settings but capable of triple-digit performance at 1080p, with the CPU's strong single-threaded and multi-threaded scores providing ample foundation for the game's demands.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 brings 20 cores and 20 threads to the table, with a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This is a processor designed for high-throughput workloads, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42,216 and single-core score of 5,960. For a game like Minimum, which launched in 2014 and is not known for extreme CPU demands, this processor is far more capable than necessary, but its architecture still matters for consistent frame delivery.

The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 4,689 places it in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, indicating that per-core performance is strong enough to avoid bottlenecking even at high frame rates. The multi-threaded performance, with a PassMark multi-thread score of 49,682, ensures that any background tasks or game logic threads are handled without contention. The processor's 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB L2 cache per core provide low-latency access to frequently used data, which helps maintain stable frame pacing in scenes with many entities.

In the context of Minimum's measured results, the CPU's role is primarily enabling the GPU to reach its full potential. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 214 FPS average, which is well beyond what most displays can show and indicates that the CPU is not limiting performance at that resolution. The processor's nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 4464P, which scores 0.3% higher on average, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F, which scores 0.3% lower. These are negligible differences that would not produce measurable FPS variations in real gaming scenarios.

The 20-thread configuration means the CPU can handle the game's physics, AI, and rendering threads simultaneously without context-switching overhead. The boost clock of 5.30 GHz is particularly relevant for frame-time consistency, as higher single-thread clocks generally reduce the likelihood of micro-stutters in older game engines that may not fully utilize many cores. While Minimum's engine may only use a handful of threads, the sheer clock speed and modern architecture ensure that even the most demanding gameplay moments do not expose CPU-related frame drops.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with 2,560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units. Its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for a game from 2014 that was designed for much less capable hardware. The GPU's base clock of 2150 MHz and boost clock of 2600 MHz, with a game clock of 2495 MHz, give it substantial compute throughput for its class.

The GPU's 13.31 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 166.4 GPixel/s pixel rate are far beyond what Minimum requires, but the measured results show how settings and resolution scale against this hardware. The GPU sits in the 71st percentile among all GPUs, with its nearest rival being the AMD Radeon R9 M395X at 0.5% higher average score, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile at 1.1% higher. These close scores in synthetic benchmarks do not translate to identical gaming performance, but they do indicate that the RX 6750 XT is a well-positioned mid-range part.

The 12 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for Minimum at any resolution, as even at 4K Ultra the game would not approach this memory limit. The memory bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s allows the GPU to feed its shader units efficiently, which is evident in the scaling from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p Low, the GPU produces 214 FPS, and at 4K Low it drops to 74 FPS, which represents a 65% reduction — a scaling pattern that points to the GPU becoming the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The RDNA 2 architecture supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, which is not a factor for Minimum's older engine, but the GPU's raw rasterization performance is what drives the results. The 40 ray tracing cores and support for Vulkan 1.4 are forward-looking features that do not impact this game, but they show the GPU is not a one-trick pony. The measured frame rates across all settings and resolutions confirm that the RX 6750 XT delivers playable performance even at 4K High (48 FPS average), though users seeking higher refresh rates will want to target 1440p or 1080p.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data shows a clear hierarchy of performance across the four presets at each resolution, and the optimal choice depends on the user's display and preference for visual fidelity versus frame rate. At 1080p, all presets deliver playable frame rates, with Low achieving 214 FPS, Medium 164 FPS, High 138 FPS, and Ultra 105 FPS. The jump from Medium to High costs 26 FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra costs 33 FPS, indicating diminishing returns at the top end.

For users with a 1080p 144 Hz display, the High preset at 138 FPS is the sweet spot, as it provides near-maximum visual quality while staying close to the refresh rate ceiling. The Ultra preset at 105 FPS is also viable for 60 Hz displays, but the 24% drop from High is hard to justify for the incremental visual gains. At 1440p, the Medium preset delivers 106 FPS, which is ideal for 100 Hz or 120 Hz displays, while High at 89 FPS still offers smooth gameplay for 60-75 Hz monitors. The Low preset at 138 FPS is excessive for most 1440p displays and would only benefit competitive players with high-refresh monitors.

At 4K, the situation becomes more constrained. The Medium preset at 57 FPS is the only option that clears 60 FPS, though it does so barely, with a minimum FPS of 48. The High preset at 48 FPS is playable but not ideal for fast-paced shooter gameplay, and the Ultra preset at 36 FPS is not recommended for anything other than screenshots. For 4K users, the Medium preset provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, with the Low preset at 74 FPS offering a more responsive experience if frame rate takes priority over fidelity.

The data suggests that the Medium preset is the most versatile across all three resolutions, providing 164 FPS at 1080p, 106 FPS at 1440p, and 57 FPS at 4K. This consistency makes it the recommended starting point, with users able to adjust upward or downward based on their specific performance targets. The measured minimum FPS values for Medium settings (139 at 1080p, 90 at 1440p, 48 at 4K) indicate that frame pacing remains stable even in demanding scenes, which is crucial for a shooter where consistency matters more than peak frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT ranks 1,284 out of 2,939 tested combos in Minimum, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database. This ranking reflects a system that is capable but not top-tier, with the GPU being the primary differentiator in gaming performance. The CPU's 93rd percentile standing among all processors does not lift the combo's gaming rank as much as one might expect, because Minimum is not a CPU-intensive title at these settings.

The rank of 1,284 out of 2,939 means that roughly 44% of tested combos outperform this setup in Minimum, while 56% fall below it. This is a reasonable position for a mid-range GPU paired with a high-end CPU, and it underscores that the RX 6750 XT is the limiting factor for high-refresh-rate gaming. The GPU's rank in the 71st percentile among all GPUs is lower than the CPU's 93rd percentile, which further confirms that the graphics card holds back the combo from reaching higher positions.

In practical terms, this rank means the combo is well-suited for 1080p high-refresh gaming and 1440p 60-100 Hz gaming, but it will not compete with flagship GPU pairings that occupy the top of the rankings. The gap between this combo and higher-ranked systems is likely attributable to GPUs with more shading units, higher memory bandwidth, or newer architectures, rather than any CPU deficiency. Users considering this pairing should view the rank as confirmation that it is a balanced mid-range setup with clear upgrade paths on the GPU side.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU-bound nature of this combo in Minimum. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 214 at 1080p to 138 at 1440p (a 36% reduction) and then to 74 at 4K (a 65% reduction from 1080p). This scaling is typical for a GPU with 13.31 TFLOPS of compute power, as the pixel throughput requirements quadruple from 1080p to 4K, and the RX 6750 XT's 166.4 GPixel/s pixel rate becomes the bottleneck.

At Medium settings, the scaling is similar: 164 FPS at 1080p, 106 FPS at 1440p, and 57 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 46%, which is less severe than the 54% drop from 1080p to 1440p, suggesting that the GPU's memory bandwidth and cache hierarchy help mitigate the resolution increase at this preset. At High settings, the pattern continues with 138 FPS at 1080p, 89 FPS at 1440p, and 48 FPS at 4K, representing a 65% total reduction from 1080p to 4K.

The Ultra preset shows the steepest scaling, dropping from 105 FPS at 1080p to 68 FPS at 1440p (a 35% reduction) and then to 36 FPS at 4K (a 66% reduction from 1080p). This indicates that the Ultra preset's additional effects and draw calls place increasing pressure on the GPU's compute units and memory subsystem. The consistent pattern of roughly two-thirds performance loss from 1080p to 4K across all presets confirms that the RX 6750 XT is the limiting component, as a CPU-bound scenario would show much smaller FPS differences between resolutions.

The CPU's performance at 1080p Low (214 FPS) demonstrates that it is not a bottleneck even at high frame rates, as the measured FPS would be much lower if the CPU were struggling to feed the GPU. The fact that the CPU can sustain over 200 FPS in this game while also running background tasks reflects its 5.30 GHz boost clock and modern architecture, but it also means that users seeking higher frame rates at 4K would need a more powerful GPU rather than a faster CPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results across all presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 214 FPS, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset and indicates that the CPU and GPU are both operating well within their limits. The Medium preset produces 164 FPS average with a minimum of 139 FPS and maximum of 189 FPS, showing tight frame pacing that is ideal for competitive play. The High preset drops to 138 FPS average, which is still well above 120 FPS and suitable for high-refresh displays. The Ultra preset rounds out the 1080p results at 105 FPS average, providing a smooth experience for 60 Hz displays with room to spare for V-Sync or frame rate caps.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers 106 FPS average with a minimum of 90 FPS and maximum of 122 FPS, making it the best choice for 1440p gaming with this combo. The Low preset achieves 138 FPS, which offers a significant advantage for users with 144 Hz or 165 Hz monitors. The High preset at 89 FPS is still playable but sits below the 100 FPS threshold that many gamers prefer for fast-paced titles. The Ultra preset at 68 FPS is adequate for 60 Hz displays but shows that the GPU is beginning to struggle with the higher resolution and maximum settings.

At 3840x2160, the results are more modest, reflecting the GPU's mid-range positioning. The Low preset achieves 74 FPS, which is playable for most users and provides a responsive experience. The Medium preset at 57 FPS average, with a minimum of 48 FPS and maximum of 66 FPS, is the only 4K preset that approaches 60 FPS, though the minimum frame rate suggests occasional dips that could be noticeable in intense combat. The High preset at 48 FPS is borderline playable but may feel sluggish to some players, while the Ultra preset at 36 FPS is not recommended for actual gameplay. The measured minimum FPS values at 4K Medium (48 FPS) and 1440p Medium (90 FPS) indicate that the Medium preset maintains the most consistent frame delivery across all resolutions, making it the most reliable choice for this combo.