Minimum

The pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 presents a compelling dataset for analyzing performance in Minimum, a 2014 Third-Person Shooter. The measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and settings reveal a system with substantial headroom, but also highlight distinct bottlenecks depending on the workload. The CPU's 24 cores and 24 threads, boosted by a 5.50 GHz clock, suggest a processor built for heavy multitasking, while the GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and RDNA 4.0 architecture indicate a modern graphics solution. The benchmark results illustrate how these components interact under the strain of different graphical presets, from the highly responsive Low settings to the demanding Ultra preset.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a formidable processor on paper, featuring 24 cores and 24 threads based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz can ramp up to a 5.50 GHz boost clock, which is a significant factor for a game like Minimum. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 262 FPS average, a figure that suggests the CPU is capable of feeding frames at a very high rate. This high boost clock is likely the primary driver of this performance, as the game's engine can leverage the single-threaded speed to process game logic and draw calls quickly.

However, the CPU's role shifts when considering the multi-core performance. With a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44253, the processor demonstrates immense parallel processing power. Yet, in Minimum, this power seems underutilized at lower resolutions. The jump from 1080p Low (262 FPS) to 1080p High (169 FPS) is a 93 FPS drop, which is a substantial decrease that points more to the GPU becoming a limiting factor rather than the CPU. The CPU’s 24 threads are more than sufficient to handle the game's AI and physics, but the game’s release date in 2014 suggests it may not be optimized to use all 24 threads effectively. The PassMark multi-thread score of 68574 reinforces the CPU's raw capacity, but the benchmark data indicates that in this specific title, the CPU rarely becomes the primary bottleneck until the GPU is heavily loaded.

The processor's memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s, supported by dual-channel DDR5, provides ample data throughput for the CPU to communicate with the system. This is crucial for maintaining stable frame times, especially when the GPU is rendering at higher resolutions. The L3 cache of 36 MB shared is also beneficial, as it can hold frequently accessed data closer to the cores, reducing latency. The data suggests that the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a high-performance CPU that provides a solid foundation, but its full potential is not always realized in Minimum due to the game's age and the GPU's role at higher settings. The percentile rank of 96 vs all CPUs confirms its high standing, and it sits within 2.1% of the AMD EPYC 4565P in average benchmark score, indicating its performance class.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this combo, and at what settings?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 262, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration in the data that breaks the 260 FPS barrier, indicating a highly responsive experience for fast-paced action.

Q: How does the performance scale when moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average FPS is 169. When the resolution is increased to 2560x1440 with the same High preset, the average FPS drops to 109. This represents a 60 FPS decrease, or roughly a 35.5% reduction in frame rate, showing that the GPU is becoming a more significant factor at higher pixel counts.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K Ultra. The average FPS falls to 45, which is below the 59 FPS average seen at 4K High. This steep decline with increased graphical fidelity, while the CPU remains constant, points to the Radeon RX 9070 being unable to maintain high frame rates at this demanding resolution and preset combination.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers an average of 169 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers an average of 83 FPS. This is a difference of 86 FPS, which is a massive gap. It suggests that the Ultra preset introduces graphical effects that are particularly taxing on the GPU, nearly halving the performance compared to the Low preset.

Q: How does the combo's ranking in this game compare to its overall hardware percentile?

A: The CPU has a percentile rank of 96 vs all CPUs, and the GPU has a percentile of 69 vs all GPUs. However, in Minimum, this specific combo ranks 832 out of 2939 tested combos. This places it in the top 28.3% of all combos for this game, which is a strong result but does not perfectly mirror the CPU's excellent standalone ranking.

Q: Does the game utilize the CPU's high core count effectively?

A: The benchmark results suggest it does not fully utilize the 24 cores. The massive frame rate jumps from changing resolutions (e.g., 169 FPS at 1080p High to 109 FPS at 1440p High) indicate that the GPU is the limiting factor in these scenarios. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the FPS to remain more constant across resolutions, as the CPU workload would not change significantly. The data implies the game is more dependent on raw single-thread performance and GPU throughput.

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

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how the system scales across resolutions. At High settings, the average FPS starts at 169 at 1920x1080, then drops to 109 at 2560x1440, and finally falls to 59 at 3840x2160. This progression shows a steep decline, with the 1440p to 4K transition resulting in a 50 FPS drop. This pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. The Radeon RX 9070 has to render four times the pixels at 4K compared to 1080p, and the data shows it cannot keep up with the same frame rate. The CPU's workload remains relatively static across these resolutions, so the performance drop is directly attributable to the GPU's rendering load.

When examining the Low settings, the scaling is even more revealing. The average FPS at 1080p is 262, which drops to 169 at 1440p, and then to 91 at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 93 FPS, which is a significant 35.5% reduction. This suggests that even at Low settings, the GPU is struggling to maintain the high frame rates that the CPU can provide. The 4K result of 91 FPS is still very playable, but it highlights that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU is likely still capable of producing more frames.

The Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling. From 128 FPS at 1080p, the frame rate drops to 83 FPS at 1440p, and then plummets to 45 FPS at 4K. The 1440p to 4K drop of 38 FPS is the largest absolute decrease in the dataset, further confirming that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at the highest fidelity settings. The data suggests that the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has ample headroom to support the GPU, but the RX 9070's performance ceiling is reached as resolution and graphical complexity increase. The system is clearly more balanced at 1080p and 1440p, where the GPU can still provide high frame rates, but at 4K, the GPU's limitations become the defining factor.

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

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates its maximum potential. With Low settings, the average FPS is 262, making it the fastest configuration tested. The Medium preset yields an average of 201 FPS, with a minimum of 171 and a maximum of 231 FPS, showing a tight range. High settings produce an average of 169 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to an average of 128 FPS. These figures show a clear hierarchy, with each step up in quality costing a significant number of frames. The delta between Low and Ultra is 134 FPS, indicating that the graphical preset has a massive impact on performance at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the expected decline. The Low preset averages 169 FPS, which is exactly the same as the 1080p High result. The Medium preset averages 130 FPS (min 110, max 149), High averages 109 FPS, and Ultra averages 83 FPS. The scaling here is consistent, with the difference between Low and Ultra being 86 FPS. This resolution appears to be a sweet spot for the GPU, as it still delivers high frame rates in most presets, but the GPU's load is increasing.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly under the most stress. The Low preset averages 91 FPS, which is still a playable number. The Medium preset averages 70 FPS (min 59, max 80), and High drops to 59 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 45 FPS, which is the lowest figure in the entire dataset. The drop from Low to Ultra at 4K is 46 FPS. The data shows that at 4K, the user must make a significant compromise between visual quality and frame rate. The 59 FPS at High is just below the 60 FPS threshold often considered smooth, while the 45 FPS at Ultra may feel less fluid. The 91 FPS at Low is the only 4K setting that provides a clear margin above 60 FPS.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 48 chip. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. This memory configuration is substantial and is more than sufficient for a game from 2014, even at 4K resolution. The high bandwidth ensures that the GPU can quickly access textures and frame buffers, which is crucial for maintaining performance. The GPU's boost clock of 2520 MHz and game clock of 2070 MHz are high, and they contribute to its raw compute power.

The GPU's performance in Minimum is directly correlated with its clock speeds and memory bandwidth. At 1080p, the GPU is able to render frames at a very high rate, achieving 262 FPS on Low settings. However, as the resolution increases, the GPU's fill rate and shading units become the limiting factor. The 3584 shading units and 128 ROPs are tasked with processing more pixels, leading to the observed frame rate drops. The data shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions and settings, as the CPU's performance remains constant.

The PassMark G3D score of 25381 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6290 provide a synthetic benchmark context. The GPU's percentile rank of 69 vs all GPUs indicates it is a solid mid-to-high-end performer. However, its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z, which is only 0.6% behind in average score, and the RTX 2080 SUPER, which is 1.2% behind. This suggests that while the RX 9070 is a new card, its raw performance in this game is comparable to older flagship models. The 16 GB of VRAM is not stressed by Minimum, so the GPU's memory capacity is not a factor in the results. Instead, the compute performance, driven by the clocks and architecture, is what determines the frame rates.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's resolution and preference for frame rate versus visual fidelity. At 1920x1080, the High preset offers an excellent balance, delivering an average of 169 FPS. This is a very high frame rate that will ensure smooth gameplay, and it is a significant improvement over the 128 FPS of the Ultra preset while only sacrificing some visual effects. The Medium preset at 201 FPS is also viable for competitive play, but High provides a better visual experience without a major performance penalty.

At 2560x1440, the High preset again appears to be the best choice, with an average of 109 FPS. This is above the 100 FPS threshold, which is generally considered very smooth. The Ultra preset drops to 83 FPS, which is still playable but may not be as fluid for fast-paced action. The Low preset at 169 FPS is for users seeking maximum frame rates, but the visual quality is significantly reduced. The Medium preset at 130 FPS is a strong alternative, but High offers a better visual return for the 21 FPS loss.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more challenging. The Low preset is the only one that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, averaging 91 FPS. The Medium preset averages 70 FPS, which is acceptable, but the High preset at 59 FPS is right on the edge. The Ultra preset at 45 FPS would likely feel less responsive. For a 4K experience, the Medium or Low presets are recommended to ensure a playable frame rate. The data suggests that High at 4K is a compromise, and users should be prepared for occasional dips below 60 FPS, as the minimum FPS for Medium is 59. The most balanced experience across all resolutions appears to be the High preset at 1080p and 1440p, where the system can maintain high frame rates without compromising too much on visual quality.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks 832 out of 2939 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the top 28.3% of all configurations tested. This is a strong ranking, indicating that this system performs well for this specific game. However, it is not a top-tier ranking, which suggests that there are many other combinations that can achieve higher frame rates. The CPU's high percentile rank of 96 suggests that the processor is not the limiting factor, and the GPU's lower percentile of 69 indicates that the graphics card is what holds the combo back from a higher ranking.

The data suggests that the combo's ranking is primarily determined by the GPU's performance. While the CPU is a high-end part, the RX 9070's performance in Minimum is only average, as indicated by its 69th percentile. This means that many other GPUs, particularly those with higher compute power, would likely achieve better results. The fact that the combo ranks 832nd out of 2939 implies that a significant number of other GPU and CPU pairings can outperform it, likely due to the GPU being a less powerful component relative to the CPU. The benchmark results show that the system is well-balanced at lower resolutions, but the GPU's limitations become apparent at 4K, which likely contributes to its mid-pack ranking. The system is a capable performer, but it is not at the top of the leaderboards for this title, and users seeking the absolute highest frame rates may need to consider a more powerful GPU.