Minimum

# CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread processor built on the Arrow Lake architecture, fabricated on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock sits at 2.40 GHz, with a boost capability up to 5.30 GHz, and it draws a 65 W TDP. The chip carries 30 MB of shared L3 cache, with 192 KB of L1 and 3 MB of L2 per core. This is not a hyperthreaded design — 20 cores means 20 threads, a deliberate choice that prioritizes physical cores over logical ones for sustained workloads.

In the context of Minimum, a third-person shooter from 2014, the CPU's role is primarily about maintaining a high frame rate ceiling rather than breaking through a bottleneck. The game is old enough that its engine likely doesn't scale perfectly across 20 cores, but the Ultra 7's strong single-core performance — evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5960 — ensures that lightly threaded game logic runs with minimal latency. The multi-core score of 42216 in the same test also indicates that background tasks or any game-side threading would be handled with ease.

The benchmark data shows that the CPU holds a 93rd percentile ranking among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 64640. Compared to its nearest rivals, the AMD EPYC 4464P scores 64823 (0.3% higher), while the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F scores 64438 (0.3% lower). The AMD EPYC 7343 and EPYC 9124 are 0.7% and 0.7% away, respectively. These are server-class chips, which suggests the Ultra 7 265 is performing in rarefied company — but for a game like Minimum, what matters more is how the CPU feeds the GPU at various resolutions.

At 1080p with Low settings, the combo pushes 277 FPS, a figure that would strain many CPUs. The fact that this processor sustains that pace implies it is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions. Instead, the data suggests the CPU provides ample headroom, allowing the GPU to become the primary constraint as settings and resolution increase. The 20 threads may not all be utilized by Minimum, but the high boost clock and efficient Arrow Lake architecture ensure that the few threads the game does use are serviced promptly.

# FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 compare to its closest CPU rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The Ultra 7 265 scores 64640 on average. The AMD EPYC 4464P is 0.3% higher at 64823, while the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F is 0.3% lower at 64438. The AMD EPYC 7343 and EPYC 9124 sit at 64202 and 65104, representing 0.7% lower and 0.7% higher scores, respectively.

Q: What is the best FPS result for this CPU-GPU combo in Minimum?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 277 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only measurement that exceeds 250 FPS, and it drops to 212 at Medium and 178 at High, showing a steep scaling curve as settings increase.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the combo hit 60 FPS or above?

A: Every measured configuration exceeds 60 FPS. The lowest average is 47 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, meaning even the most demanding preset at 4K falls short of 60. However, at 4K High, the average is 62 FPS, which clears that threshold.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark percentile compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti sits at the 83rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 41187. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 5300, scores 40870 (0.8% lower), while the NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB scores 41707 (1.2% higher). The GeForce RTX 5070 trails at 40377, which is 2% lower.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded across all tests?

A: The only tests with min FPS data are at Medium settings. At 3840x2160, the min is 63 FPS with an average of 74. At 2560x1440, the min is 116 FPS against a 137 average. At 1920x1080, the min is 180 FPS with a 212 average. No min FPS is reported for Low, High, or Ultra presets.

Q: Does the combo rank in the top quarter of all tested configurations for this game?

A: Yes. The combo ranks 705th out of 2939 total combos tested in Minimum, placing it in the top 24% of all configurations. This suggests a balanced pairing that outperforms the majority of systems benchmarked for this title.

# Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

Resolution scaling reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound behavior at higher pixel counts. Starting at 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo delivers 178 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 High drops that to 115 FPS, a 35% reduction. At 3840x2160 High, the average falls to 62 FPS, which is a 65% drop from 1080p and a 46% drop from 1440p. This is a steep curve that indicates the RTX 3080 Ti's rendering workload is scaling almost linearly with pixel count, as would be expected when the GPU is the primary constraint.

The Low settings preset tells a similar story but with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 277 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 179 FPS (a 35% reduction), and at 4K Low, it falls to 96 FPS (a 65% reduction from 1080p). The consistent percentage drops across presets suggest that resolution scaling is independent of quality level — the GPU is doing proportionally more work as pixel count rises, regardless of how many effects are enabled.

Medium settings show the same trend with slightly different magnitudes. From 212 FPS at 1080p, the average drops to 137 FPS at 1440p (35% lower) and 74 FPS at 4K (65% lower). Ultra settings, meanwhile, start at 136 FPS at 1080p, fall to 87 FPS at 1440p (36% lower), and end at 47 FPS at 4K (65% lower). The uniformity of these percentages — roughly 35% for each 1440p step and 65% for the full 1080p-to-4K jump — is a strong indicator that the CPU is not introducing variability. If the CPU were a bottleneck, the drops would flatten out at higher resolutions, but they don't.

This means the limiting component is clearly the GPU. The CPU has enough headroom to feed the RTX 3080 Ti at all settings and resolutions, with the GPU's fill rate and shading capacity dictating the final frame rate. The fact that 4K Ultra yields 47 FPS while 4K Low yields 96 FPS — a 2x difference — further emphasizes that the GPU's workload is the deciding factor, not the processor.

# How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti ranks 705th out of 2939 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the top 24% of all configurations benchmarked for this game, a solid result given that the GPU is from the previous generation and the CPU is a recent release. The rank is measured across all tested hardware pairings, which likely includes more powerful GPUs like the RTX 40-series and newer AMD options, so being in the top quarter confirms the balance of this pairing.

To contextualize the rank, consider the GPU's position among its peers. The RTX 3080 Ti scores 41187 on average, which is 0.8% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 and 1.2% lower than the NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB. The nearest rival on the GPU side is the GeForce RTX 5070, which scores 40377 — a 2% deficit. This means the 3080 Ti is competitive with current mid-range offerings, and when paired with a top-tier CPU like the Ultra 7 265, it can achieve frame rates that rival more modern configurations.

The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking among all processors suggests that the Ultra 7 265 is doing its part to avoid bottlenecking the GPU. In a game like Minimum, which was released in 2014 and does not have the complex AI or physics simulations of modern titles, the CPU's 20 cores are more than sufficient. The rank of 705 indicates that there are 704 combos that perform better, but those likely include GPUs with higher raw throughput or systems with faster memory. For a pairing of this specific CPU and GPU, the data shows a well-matched duo that delivers high frame rates across most settings and resolutions.

# Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the High preset at 2560x1440 stands out as the sweet spot. It delivers an average of 115 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while also providing a significant visual upgrade over Low and Medium. At 1080p, High pushes 178 FPS, but the jump to 1440p adds detail without sacrificing playability. The 4K High setting, at 62 FPS, is playable but leaves little headroom for frame drops during intense combat scenes.

If the priority is maximum frame rate for competitive play, Low settings at 1080p yield 277 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. However, this sacrifices most visual effects, and the jump from Low to Medium at 1080p only costs 65 FPS (from 277 to 212), which is a reasonable trade for improved graphics. Medium at 1440p, with an average of 137 FPS and a minimum of 116 FPS, also offers a strong balance — the min FPS data shows that even in the worst measured moments, the frame rate stays above 115.

Ultra settings are the most demanding, delivering 136 FPS at 1080p, 87 FPS at 1440p, and 47 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is below 60 FPS, making it unsuitable for smooth play, while 1440p Ultra at 87 FPS is a viable option for those who prioritize visual fidelity over raw speed. The measured data suggests that High or Medium at 1440p offers the best experience, as both stay above 100 FPS while providing a richer visual presentation than Low. For 4K, High is the only preset that clears 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice at that resolution.

# Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings average 277 FPS, Medium averages 212 FPS with a minimum of 180 and maximum of 244, High averages 178 FPS, and Ultra averages 136 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 141 FPS, showing that settings have a dramatic impact at this resolution. The min FPS data at Medium (180) is higher than the average FPS at High (178), which indicates that Medium provides a more consistent experience than High.

At 2560x1440, the numbers scale down proportionally. Low averages 179 FPS, Medium averages 137 FPS with a min of 116 and max of 157, High averages 115 FPS, and Ultra averages 87 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 35% across all settings, consistent with the resolution scaling analysis. The Medium preset's min FPS of 116 is still above the 60 FPS threshold, making it a reliable choice for 1440p gaming.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to struggle with the highest presets. Low averages 96 FPS, Medium averages 74 FPS with a min of 63 and max of 85, High averages 62 FPS, and Ultra averages 47 FPS. The Medium min of 63 FPS is just above the 60 FPS line, but the average of 74 FPS shows that the combination can handle 4K with lower settings. Ultra at 47 FPS is the only measurement below 60 FPS across the entire test suite, and it's the only configuration where the average drops below 50 FPS.

# GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA102 chip, fabricated on an 8 nm process by Samsung. It packs 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 1188 MHz, which translates to 19 Gbps effective, and the GPU's base clock is 1365 MHz with a boost of 1665 MHz. The card has 10240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, along with 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores.

For Minimum, the GPU's 12 GB VRAM is more than adequate — a 2014 title would struggle to fill even a fraction of that capacity at 4K. The memory bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s ensures that texture streaming and geometry data are delivered without stutter, even at high resolutions. The pixel rate of 186.5 GPixel/s and texture rate of 532.8 GTexel/s are the specs that matter most for a game like this, as they dictate how quickly the GPU can fill the screen with rendered frames.

The GPU's benchmark results show a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5077, a Geekbench OpenCL score of 170037, and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 192697. In Passmark, it scores 26896 in G3D and 15282 in GPU compute. The 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates it is an upper-midrange card by current standards, but the measured FPS in Minimum shows it performing admirably — the 4K High average of 62 FPS is a strong result for a game of this era.

The RTX 3080 Ti's 350 W TDP and dual-slot design are worth noting, but the data shows that the card's power draw is justified by its performance. The FP32 throughput of 34.10 TFLOPS is what drives the high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, and the 1:1 FP16 ratio means the card can also handle compute-heavy tasks if needed. For Minimum, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, but at lower resolutions and settings, it has enough headroom to let the CPU's strong single-core performance shine through.