Minimum

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER lands at rank 2047 out of 2939 tested combos for Minimum. This places the pairing in the 30th percentile of all configurations measured, which is a middling result for a game that is over a decade old. The ranking reflects a significant imbalance: the CPU is a top-tier modern processor, while the GPU is an end-of-life mid-range part from an older generation. The data shows that this combo is held back by its graphics component in nearly every scenario, and the overall rank is more indicative of the GPU's limitations than the CPU's capabilities.

Benchmark results indicate that the combo's position is not due to a lack of CPU horsepower. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 sits in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 64640. It edges out the AMD EPYC 9124 by 0.7% and trails the AMD EPYC 4464P by only 0.3%. In contrast, the RTX 2060 SUPER is in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 18093. It is effectively tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, which is 0.4% slower, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700, which is 0.5% slower. The GPU's percentile ranking is far below the CPU's, creating a bottleneck that defines the entire combo's performance profile.

Given this setup, the system's rank of 2047 suggests that while it can play Minimum, it cannot do so at the highest levels of visual fidelity or resolution without compromising frame rates. The combo is not a top-tier performer, but it is also far from the bottom of the list. It occupies a space where users must make deliberate choices about settings to achieve a playable experience. The measured FPS data confirms this: at 1080p, the combo delivers solid triple-digit frame rates on lower presets, but at 4K, it struggles to maintain even 60 FPS on any setting. This is a classic sign of a GPU-bound configuration, where the CPU's potential is left untapped.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the primary determinant of this combo's gaming performance in Minimum. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU's base clock is 1470 MHz, with a boost clock of 1650 MHz. These specifications are modest by modern standards, and the data shows that they are insufficient for high-refresh-rate gaming at higher resolutions in this title.

The GPU's memory capacity and bandwidth are adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming in Minimum, but they become a limiting factor at 4K. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the combo averages 38 FPS, which drops to 29 FPS on Ultra. This indicates that the GPU's compute resources and memory subsystem are saturated at this resolution. The 8 GB VRAM buffer is likely a constraint, as Minimum's higher presets at 4K can exceed this capacity, leading to performance degradation. However, the data does not provide direct VRAM usage figures, so this remains an inference based on the FPS deltas between settings.

The RTX 2060 SUPER's architectural features, such as its 2176 shading units and 136 texture mapping units, are more than enough for a game released in 2014. The bottleneck at 4K is not a lack of raw shader throughput but rather the overall memory bandwidth and the GPU's age relative to the demands of higher resolutions. The GPU's passmark DirectX 11 score of 130 and DirectX 12 score of 61 suggest that it handles older APIs well, but Minimum's engine likely benefits more from raw rasterization power than from the RTX 2060 SUPER's Turing-specific features like ray tracing cores, which are irrelevant here.

Benchmark results show that the GPU's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 460, is 1.5% slower, while the Intel Arc A770M is 1.6% faster. These are tight margins, but they do not change the fundamental picture: the RTX 2060 SUPER is a mid-range card that delivers playable performance at 1080p and 1440p, but it cannot maintain high frame rates at 4K in Minimum. The data indicates that users should not expect this GPU to drive a 4K display at high refresh rates, regardless of the CPU paired with it.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound system. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 170 FPS. This drops to 110 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 59 FPS at 3840x2160. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p results in a 35% reduction in frame rate, and from 1440p to 4K, the frame rate drops by another 46%. This steep decline is a strong indicator that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting component, as a CPU-bound scenario would show less variation across resolutions.

The trend holds across all settings presets. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 109 at 1080p to 71 at 1440p to 38 at 4K. At Medium settings, the averages are 130, 84, and 45 FPS respectively. The 4K Medium result includes a minimum FPS of 38 and a maximum of 52, showing that the frame rate is not only low but also inconsistent, with a 14 FPS variance. This instability further confirms that the GPU is struggling to keep up with the pixel count at 4K.

The resolution scaling data also reveals that the CPU's performance headroom is not being utilized. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 170 FPS, which is a high frame rate, but it is not an extreme number that would indicate the CPU is being pushed to its limits. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265, with its 20 cores and 20 threads, can handle far more demanding workloads than what Minimum presents at 1080p. The fact that the frame rate drops so dramatically at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is saturated long before the CPU reaches its maximum output.

In practical terms, this means that users seeking higher frame rates should prioritize resolution reduction over CPU upgrades. The data shows that dropping from 4K to 1440p at High settings nearly doubles the average FPS from 38 to 71. Similarly, dropping from 1440p to 1080p at High settings increases the average from 71 to 109. These are significant gains that cannot be achieved by any CPU change, given that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the clear bottleneck.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall ranking of this combo for Minimum?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination ranks 2047 out of 2939 tested combos in Minimum.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 has an average benchmark score of 64640. It is 0.3% slower than the AMD EPYC 4464P and 0.3% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 18093. It is 0.4% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile and 1.5% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 460.

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

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 170 at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

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

A: The lowest average FPS recorded is 29 at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the combo maintain a stable frame rate at 4K Medium settings?

A: No, at 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 45, but the minimum FPS drops to 38 and the maximum reaches 52, indicating notable frame time variance.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy of performance across presets and resolutions. For users targeting 60 FPS, the options are limited at higher resolutions. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset achieves an average of 59 FPS, which is just shy of the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset at 4K averages 45 FPS, and High drops to 38 FPS, while Ultra falls to 29 FPS. Therefore, the only viable 4K option for a smooth experience is the Low preset, and even that is marginal.

At 2560x1440, the situation improves significantly. The Low preset delivers 110 FPS, Medium delivers 84 FPS, and High delivers 71 FPS. All of these are above the 60 FPS threshold, making 1440p a much more comfortable resolution for this combo. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 54 FPS, which is below 60, so it should be avoided for competitive play. The Medium preset at 1440p offers a good balance, with an average of 84 FPS and a minimum of 71 FPS, ensuring consistent frame delivery.

For 1920x1080, the combo is clearly capable of high refresh rates. The Low preset averages 170 FPS, Medium averages 130 FPS, and High averages 109 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 83 FPS, which is still above 60 but not as high as the other presets. Given the game's release date in 2014, the High preset at 1080p provides an excellent visual experience while maintaining a 109 FPS average, making it the recommended choice for most users. The Medium preset is also strong, with a minimum FPS of 111, which is higher than the average of the High preset, but the visual fidelity is lower.

The data suggests that the optimal experience depends on the user's display. For 4K displays, the Low preset is the only way to get close to 60 FPS. For 1440p displays, the Medium or High presets are ideal. For 1080p displays, the High preset is the best balance of visuals and performance, while the Ultra preset is playable but not ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. Users should avoid the Ultra preset at 1440p and 4K, as the average FPS falls below 60, and the experience will feel less responsive.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a high-end desktop processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, featuring 20 cores and 20 threads. It has a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU is built on a 3 nm process node and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. These are flagship-level specifications that far exceed the demands of Minimum.

However, the benchmark data shows that the CPU's role in this combo is largely to avoid being a bottleneck. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 42216, and its single-core score is 5960, both of which are strong results. The PassMark multi-thread score is 49682, and the single-thread score is 4689. These numbers indicate that the CPU has immense processing power, which is not fully utilized by a game like Minimum, especially at higher resolutions where the GPU is the limiting factor.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 4464P, which is 0.3% faster in average benchmark score, and the AMD EPYC 7343, which is 0.7% faster. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265F is 0.3% slower. These are tightly clustered results, showing that the Ultra 7 265 is competitive with other high-end parts, but the differences are negligible in real-world gaming scenarios.

In Minimum, the CPU's performance is more than sufficient to drive high frame rates at 1080p. The measured 170 FPS at Low settings is likely limited by the GPU, as the CPU could theoretically push higher frame rates. The CPU's 20 cores and 20 threads are overkill for a game from 2014, which is unlikely to utilize more than a few threads. The high boost clock of 5.30 GHz ensures strong single-threaded performance, which is more relevant for gaming than the multi-core capabilities.

The data indicates that users should not consider upgrading the CPU to improve Minimum's performance when paired with the RTX 2060 SUPER. The bottleneck is squarely on the GPU, as evidenced by the resolution scaling patterns. The CPU's percentile ranking of 93 versus the GPU's percentile ranking of 62 highlights this imbalance. For this specific game, the CPU is a silent partner that provides a stable foundation, but the GPU dictates the final frame rates.