Minimum

# Minimum — Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus + AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT

The combination of Intel's Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and AMD's Radeon RX 7800 XT delivers a strong 1440p experience in Minimum, a third-person shooter from 2014 that remains demanding at high resolutions. Measured data shows this pairing ranks 930th out of 2,939 tested combinations, placing it in the upper third of all configs. The CPU's 24 cores and 5.50 GHz boost clock provide ample headroom, while the GPU's 16 GB of VRAM and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth handle texture-heavy scenes with ease. However, resolution scaling reveals a clear GPU-bound profile at 4K, with frame rates dropping below the 60 FPS threshold at Ultra settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable decline as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the drop varies significantly by settings preset. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 252 FPS at 1920x1080 to 162 FPS at 2560x1440, a 35.7% reduction, and then to 87 FPS at 3840x2160, a further 46.3% drop. This steep scaling curve at Low settings indicates the GPU becomes the limiting factor as pixel count rises, with the CPU's 24 threads never becoming a bottleneck even at 1080p.

At High settings, the scaling is more moderate in percentage terms: 162 FPS at 1080p drops to 104 FPS at 1440p (35.8% reduction) and then to 56 FPS at 4K (46.2% reduction). The consistency of these percentage drops across Low and High presets suggests the render pipeline is uniformly GPU-limited. The Medium preset tells a similar story: 193 FPS at 1080p, 124 FPS at 1440p, and 67 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings show the most severe scaling, with 123 FPS at 1080p falling to 79 FPS at 1440p and finally 43 FPS at 4K — the only preset where the 4K average dips below 60 FPS.

The frame rate deltas between 1080p and 4K range from 65% at Ultra (123 to 43 FPS) to 65.5% at Low (252 to 87 FPS). This tight clustering of percentage drops across all presets strongly indicates the GPU is the primary limiter at 4K, regardless of quality settings. The RX 7800 XT's 2,430 MHz boost clock and 37.32 TFLOPS FP32 compute are insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 3840x2160 Ultra, where the 96 ROPs and 583.2 GTexel/s texture rate become saturated.

How This Combo Ranks

With a combo rank of 930 out of 2,939 tested configurations, this pairing sits in the 68th percentile of all combos tested for Minimum. This places it above the median but below the top-tier configurations that dominate the leaderboard. The rank reflects a balanced setup: the CPU's 96th percentile standing among all processors (based on average benchmark score) is offset by the GPU's 51st percentile position, pulling the overall combo down.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks — the Intel Xeon 6520P (average score 93,786, 0% delta), AMD EPYC 4564P (95,183, -1.5% delta), and AMD EPYC 9175F (95,615, -1.9% delta) — are all server-class parts with comparable multithreaded performance. This indicates the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus delivers workstation-level compute in a desktop package. However, the GPU's nearest rivals tell a different story: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 (average score 11,680, -0.5% delta), AMD Radeon Pro 5500M (11,528, 0.9% delta), and NVIDIA Tesla K20c (11,479, 1.3% delta) are all older or lower-tier parts, suggesting the RX 7800 XT's average benchmark score of 11,627 is modest relative to its gaming performance in this specific title.

The discrepancy between the CPU's strong percentile ranking and the GPU's middling one explains the overall 930th position. In Minimum, the frame rate data shows the GPU is the dominant factor, so the combo's rank is more heavily influenced by the RX 7800 XT's capabilities than the CPU's substantial compute headroom.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT, built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 32 chip, provides the graphical horsepower for this configuration. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves sufficient for Minimum's texture-heavy environments even at 4K. The GPU's 3,840 shading units and 240 texture mapping units drive the 583.2 GTexel/s fill rate, while 96 ROPs handle pixel output at 233.3 GPixel/s.

Clock behavior is notable: the base clock of 1,295 MHz boosts to 2,430 MHz, with a game clock of 2,124 MHz. The 2438 MHz memory clock (19.5 Gbps effective) helps maintain bandwidth at higher resolutions. The GPU's 51st percentile ranking among all GPUs reflects its mid-pack positioning, but in Minimum specifically, the measured FPS shows it punches above this ranking at 1080p and 1440p.

The 4K Ultra result of 43 FPS is the clearest indicator of GPU limitation. At this setting, the GPU's 37.32 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 233.3 GPixel/s pixel rate are insufficient to maintain fluid frame rates. The 4K Medium result of 67 FPS shows the GPU can handle moderate quality at 4K, but the jump from Medium to Ultra costs 24 FPS (a 35.8% reduction), demonstrating how the GPU's fill rate becomes the bottleneck as shader complexity increases. Interestingly, the 4K Low result of 87 FPS shows the GPU can exceed 60 FPS at 4K when geometry and shading loads are reduced, indicating the RX 7800 XT's raw rasterization capability is adequate but its shading throughput limits high-quality 4K play.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the config delivers excellent performance across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 252 FPS, Medium drops to 193 FPS, High to 162 FPS, and Ultra to 123 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 164 FPS and maximum of 222 FPS, indicating a tight frame pacing window. All 1080p results exceed 120 FPS, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate displays.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 162 FPS (Low), 124 FPS (Medium), 104 FPS (High), and 79 FPS (Ultra). The Medium preset's min/max of 106/143 FPS shows a 37 FPS spread, wider than at 1080p, reflecting increased GPU workload variance. The 1440p Ultra result of 79 FPS remains above 60 FPS, suggesting this resolution is the sweet spot for high-quality play with this hardware.

At 3840x2160, performance drops significantly. Low averages 87 FPS, Medium 67 FPS (with min/max of 57/77 FPS), High 56 FPS, and Ultra 43 FPS. Only the Low and Medium presets maintain averages above 60 FPS, and the Medium preset's 57 FPS minimum shows dips below that threshold. The High preset at 56 FPS and Ultra at 43 FPS fail to reach the 60 FPS target, making 4K viable only with reduced settings.

The scaling pattern across resolutions shows consistent GPU-bound behavior: at 1080p, the CPU's 24 threads and 5.50 GHz boost clock keep frame rates high, but as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the sole limiter. The 252 FPS at 1080p Low versus 87 FPS at 4K Low represents a 65.5% reduction, while the 123 FPS at 1080p Ultra versus 43 FPS at 4K Ultra is a 65% reduction — nearly identical proportional drops, confirming the uniform GPU limitation.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, part of the Core Ultra Series 2 (Arrow Lake Refresh), provides substantial compute resources that prevent CPU bottlenecking in Minimum. Its 24 cores and 24 threads, running at a 3.70 GHz base clock and 5.50 GHz boost, deliver strong multithreaded performance. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB L2 per core provide ample on-die storage for game data. The CPU's 96th percentile ranking among all processors reflects its capabilities, with an average benchmark score of 93,785.

Synthetic benchmarks show the CPU's strength: Cinebench R23 multicore score of 44,253, single-core of 2,439; PassMark multithread score of 68,574 and single-thread of 5,068. These scores indicate the CPU can handle Minimum's game logic and physics without becoming a limiting factor, even at 1080p where the GPU produces 252 FPS at Low settings. The 17,800 million transistors on a 3 nm TSMC process with a 243 mm² die size contribute to its efficiency, with a 125 W TDP.

The CPU's memory support for DDR5 with 115.2 GB/s bandwidth across a dual-channel interface ensures the GPU receives data promptly. The 20 PCIe Gen 5 lanes provide high-bandwidth connectivity to the RX 7800 XT, which uses PCIe 4.0 x16. In Minimum, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and geometry; at 1080p Low with 252 FPS, the CPU demonstrates it can sustain frame rates well above typical display refresh rates.

The nearest CPU rivals — the Intel Xeon 6520P (0% delta), AMD EPYC 4564P (-1.5% delta), and AMD EPYC 9175F (-1.9% delta) — all match or slightly exceed the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus in average benchmark score. These server processors have comparable multithreaded throughput, but the Core Ultra's advantage in single-threaded performance (5,068 PassMark single-thread score) makes it well-suited for gaming workloads that depend on per-core IPC.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K in Minimum?

A: Only at Low and Medium settings. The measured averages are 87 FPS at 4K Low and 67 FPS at 4K Medium, but the Medium preset's minimum of 57 FPS shows dips below 60. At High (56 FPS) and Ultra (43 FPS), the average falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best resolution for this hardware in Minimum?

A: 2560x1440 provides the best balance of quality and performance. All presets at 1440p exceed 79 FPS average, with Ultra at 79 FPS, High at 104 FPS, Medium at 124 FPS, and Low at 162 FPS. This allows high-refresh-rate play even at maximum quality.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark ranking compare to the GPU's?

A: The CPU ranks in the 96th percentile among all processors with an average benchmark score of 93,785, while the GPU ranks in the 51st percentile with an average score of 11,627. This significant gap indicates the CPU has substantially more headroom relative to its peers than the GPU.

Q: Is the 16 GB VRAM sufficient for 4K in this game?

A: The 16 GB GDDR6 memory with 624.1 GB/s bandwidth is not the limiting factor at 4K. The FPS drops from 87 at Low to 43 at Ultra at 4K are driven by the GPU's shading and pixel throughput, not memory capacity. The 256-bit bus and 19.5 Gbps effective memory clock provide adequate bandwidth.

Q: How much performance is lost going from 1080p to 4K?

A: The average FPS reduction is approximately 65% across all presets. At Low, 252 FPS drops to 87 FPS; at Medium, 193 to 67; at High, 162 to 56; at Ultra, 123 to 43. This consistent percentage drop confirms the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions.

Q: What does the combo's rank of 930 out of 2,939 indicate?

A: It places this configuration in the upper third of all tested combos for Minimum, approximately the 68th percentile. The rank reflects the balanced pairing of a top-tier CPU with a mid-range GPU, where the GPU's 51st percentile standing limits the overall result.

Settings Recommendations

For 1920x1080 displays, the Ultra preset at 123 FPS average is the clear choice, providing maximum visual quality while maintaining frame rates well above 120 FPS. The 1080p High preset at 162 FPS offers a substantial boost for high-refresh-rate monitors, but the 39 FPS difference between High and Ultra is modest compared to the visual improvements Ultra typically provides. Given the ample headroom at 1080p, Ultra settings are recommended without compromise.

For 2560x1440, the High preset at 104 FPS average offers the best experience for most players. It maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while delivering strong visual quality. The Ultra preset at 79 FPS is viable for those prioritizing image quality over frame rate, but the 25 FPS penalty (a 24% reduction) may be noticeable in fast-paced third-person shooter gameplay. The Medium preset at 124 FPS is recommended for competitive play where higher frame rates provide an advantage, though the visual trade-off from High to Medium is significant.

For 3840x2160, the Medium preset at 67 FPS average is the only quality setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS, though its 57 FPS minimum shows occasional dips. Players willing to accept occasional frame drops below 60 can use Medium for a balanced experience. The Low preset at 87 FPS provides a more consistent frame rate but with noticeably reduced visual fidelity. The High preset at 56 FPS and Ultra at 43 FPS are not recommended for 4K, as the sub-60 FPS averages will result in stutter and reduced responsiveness. For 4K displays, the Medium preset represents the best compromise between visual quality and playable frame rates, with Low as a fallback for smoother gameplay.