Minimum

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H paired with the AMD Radeon 760M delivers playable performance at 1080p in Minimum, but the data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution climbs. This integrated graphics configuration, ranked 2930 out of 2939 tested combos in this game, is clearly bound by its GPU. The measured frames per second (FPS) across settings and resolutions tell a consistent story: this is a combination designed for esports-level titles at lower resolutions, not for high-fidelity 4K gaming.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is dramatic and immediate, underscoring the GPU's limited fill rate. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 37 FPS at 1080p to 24 FPS at 1440p, a 35% reduction, and then plummets to 13 FPS at 4K. That represents a 65% loss from 1080p to 4K. The pattern is consistent across all quality presets. At Low settings, the average drops from 58 FPS at 1080p to 37 FPS at 1440p and finally to 20 FPS at 4K. The scaling is not linear; the gap between 1440p and 4K is particularly punishing, suggesting the Radeon 760M’s 16 ROPs and limited memory bandwidth become the decisive bottleneck at higher pixel counts.

The data implies that the limiting component shifts as resolution increases. At 1080p, the processor’s strong single-core performance (a Geekbench single-core score of 1794) can help feed the GPU, but the 760M still holds the frame rate below 60 FPS even at Low. At 4K, the GPU is the absolute constraint. The measured results show that dropping from High to Low at 4K only recovers 7 FPS (from 13 to 20), which is a 54% improvement but still leaves the game unplayable by any standard. The resolution scaling suggests that the Radeon 760M, with its 512 shading units and 5.323 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, is simply overwhelmed by the pixel workload at 3840x2160. The 4K Ultra preset, at 10 FPS average, is a clear outlier, indicating that this configuration should never be considered for 4K gaming in Minimum.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 760M is an integrated graphics processor based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, fabricated on a 4 nm process. Its performance characteristics are defined by its modest specifications: 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and only 16 raster operation pipelines. The boost clock of 2599 MHz is relatively high for an iGPU, but the pixel rate of 41.58 GPixel/s and texture rate of 83.17 GTexel/s are not sufficient for demanding modern titles at high resolutions. The GPU’s memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning its bandwidth is "System Dependent." In this configuration with the Core Ultra 9 185H, the memory bus is dual-channel with a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s, which is shared with the CPU. This shared memory architecture is a likely contributor to the performance collapse at 4K, as the GPU must compete with the processor for the same memory resources.

The GPU’s benchmark scores reinforce its position in the lower tiers. Its Passmark G3D score is 5310, placing it in the 35th percentile of all GPUs. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 400 is a more modern metric that confirms its entry-level status. In synthetic tests, the Radeon 760M is narrowly outperformed by the AMD Radeon RX 6400 (deltaPct of 0.3) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M (deltaPct of 0.3), and it slightly edges out the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server (deltaPct of 0.4) and the NVIDIA Quadro P2000 (deltaPct of -0.5). These rival comparisons show that the 760M sits in a performance tier with older discrete GPUs, but it cannot match the sustained performance of a dedicated card. The low DirectX 11 Passmark score of 52 and DirectX 12 score of 25 are telling; they suggest that the GPU’s drivers or hardware do not excel in these modern API workloads, which is critical for a game like Minimum that relies on DirectX.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combination run Minimum at 1080p with a smooth frame rate?*

A: At 1080p with Low settings, the data shows an average of 58 FPS. This is the only preset that approaches a standard 60 FPS target. Medium settings yield 44 FPS, and High drops to 37 FPS, which may be acceptable for some players but is not consistently smooth.

Q: What is the best resolution for this iGPU setup?

A: The measured results indicate that 1920x1080 is the only viable resolution. At 2560x1440, even Low settings only produce an average of 37 FPS, which is below the threshold for a playable experience in a fast-paced third-person shooter.

Q: How does the Radeon 760M compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 6019 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 6400 (6001) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M (6000). It is less than 1% slower or faster than these competitors, indicating that its raw compute and graphics capabilities are on par with those older discrete solutions.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck in this game?

A: The benchmark results strongly indicate the GPU is the limiting factor. The frame rates are consistently low across all settings, and the drastic drop from 1080p to 4K is a classic sign of a GPU-bound workload. The CPU’s high core count (16 cores) and boost clock (5.10 GHz) are not enough to compensate for the iGPU’s limited fill rate.

Q: What does the combo rank of 2930 out of 2939 tell us?

A: This rank places the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H + AMD Radeon 760M combination in the bottom 1% of all tested configurations for Minimum. It indicates that virtually any discrete GPU, even entry-level models, is likely to provide a significantly better gaming experience.

Q: Is there any scenario where the Ultra settings are playable?

A: No. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 28 FPS, at 1440p it drops to 18 FPS, and at 4K it is a measly 10 FPS. These frame rates are far below the minimum for a playable third-person shooter, where quick camera movements require high and stable FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear matrix of performance. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 58 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this combination. Medium settings average 44 FPS, with a minimum of 38 and a maximum of 51, indicating some frame pacing instability. High settings average 37 FPS, and Ultra drops to 28 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 30 FPS, a significant 52% performance penalty for higher visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the performance becomes more challenging. Low settings average 37 FPS, which is equal to the 1080p High preset. Medium averages 29 FPS (min 24, max 33), High averages 24 FPS, and Ultra averages 18 FPS. The step from 1080p Low to 1440p Low results in a 21 FPS loss, highlighting the GPU's inability to handle the increased pixel count. The 1440p Medium preset shows a minimum of 24 FPS, which will likely feel stuttery during gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the results are largely academic. Low settings average 20 FPS, Medium averages 15 FPS (min 13, max 18), High averages 13 FPS, and Ultra averages 10 FPS. None of these results are near playable. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is only 10 FPS, showing that the GPU is completely saturated and settings have diminishing returns. The 4K Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 13, which is a severe drop from its average of 15, suggesting occasional moments of extreme lag.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and the AMD Radeon 760M holds a rank of 2930 out of 2939 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the bottom 0.3% of all configurations. This ranking is a stark indicator of its performance ceiling. The data shows that this combo is not just below average; it is at the very bottom of the pile, with only 9 other combinations performing worse.

This ranking is predictable given the GPU's specifications. The Radeon 760M is an integrated processor, and while it is a modern RDNA 3.0 design, it is still sharing resources with the CPU. The Passmark G3D score of 5310 places the GPU in the 35th percentile, but the game's specific demands push it even lower. The CPU, on the other hand, is a high-end mobile processor. The Core Ultra 9 185H has an average benchmark score of 35670, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. This mismatch between a powerful processor and a weak integrated GPU is the core reason for the low combo rank. The CPU is capable of handling the game's logic and physics, but the GPU cannot keep up with the rendering demands, leading to the low overall ranking.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is a 16-core, 22-thread processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, built on a 7 nm process. It features a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. This is a powerful mobile CPU, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17984.5 and single-core score of 1810.5. In synthetic tests, it is virtually tied with its nearest rivals: the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 (deltaPct of -0.1), the Intel Core 7 250H (deltaPct of -0.2), and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (deltaPct of -0.4). This indicates that the CPU is not a weak link in the chain.

In Minimum, a third-person shooter, the CPU is responsible for game logic, physics, and AI. The data suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this configuration. At 1080p Low, the frame rate of 58 FPS is likely near the GPU's maximum. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see frame rates plateau across different resolutions. However, the frame rates drop consistently as resolution increases, which is a clear sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU’s high single-thread performance, as shown by its Geekbench single-core score of 1794, should be more than sufficient for a 2014 title. The processor’s 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support are also adequate. The conclusion is that the CPU is doing its job, but the Radeon 760M is holding the entire system back.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the only reasonable settings for a playable experience are at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This is the only combination that yields an average frame rate near 60 FPS (58 FPS). While it is not a locked 60, it is the best possible outcome for this hardware. The Medium preset at 1080p, with an average of 44 FPS, is a compromise, but the minimum FPS of 38 suggests that it will dip into uncomfortable territory during intense action.

For players who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, the High preset at 1080p offers an average of 37 FPS. This is a significant visual improvement over Low, but the lower frame rate may impact gameplay. The Ultra preset is not recommended, as its 28 FPS average is too low for a shooter. At 1440p, the Low preset (37 FPS) could be playable for some, but it is below the ideal threshold. The data clearly shows that 4K is not a viable option. The best experience per the measured rows is unequivocally 1080p Low, as it is the only setting that allows the game to run at a fluid pace. The performance gap between Low and Medium at 1080p is 14 FPS, which is a substantial difference that favors staying on Low. The recommendation is to accept the visual compromises of Low settings to achieve the highest possible frame rate, as the game’s core mechanics will benefit more from smoothness than from shadows or texture detail.