Minimum

Minimum is a 2014 third-person shooter that, on paper, should be far behind modern hardware. Yet, the data for the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile combo reveals a complex performance landscape where frame rates scale dramatically with settings, but the bottleneck shifts in surprising ways. This analysis examines the measured FPS data to understand how this top-tier mobile platform handles an aging title, what the numbers say about the CPU and GPU roles, and where the real performance limits lie.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture, built on a 3 nm process from TSMC. Its base clock of 2.70 GHz can boost up to 5.40 GHz, and it carries a 36 MB shared L3 cache. For a game from 2014, one might expect the CPU to be largely irrelevant, but the benchmark data suggests otherwise. The processor sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 67,469. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon w5-3525 and AMD EPYC 4484PX, which are within 0.5% of its average score, indicating that this mobile chip is competing with workstation-class silicon.

In the context of Minimum's measured frames, the CPU's capability is most evident at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 280 FPS, which is a massive number that likely approaches the engine's or display's limits. The CPU's single-core performance, as indicated by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,204, is critical for maintaining high frame rates in a third-person shooter where game logic and draw calls often bottleneck on one or two threads. The 24 cores provide immense multi-threaded headroom, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35,589, but a title from 2014 is unlikely to leverage all of them. Instead, the high boost clock of 5.40 GHz becomes the key asset, ensuring that the primary game thread can execute as quickly as possible. The data implies that while the game is not CPU-bound at higher settings, the processor's raw speed is a prerequisite for unlocking the triple-digit frame rates seen at 1080p and 1440p.

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

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo in Minimum?

A: The highest average frame rate is 280 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo's overall rank in this game compare to other tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 834th out of 3,712 total tested combos, placing it in the top 22.5% of all configurations for this game.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average frame rate drops from 180 FPS on Low to 88 FPS on Ultra, a decrease of 92 FPS.

Q: Is there a measurable frame time variance at any tested setting?

A: Yes, the Medium preset at all three resolutions includes minimum and maximum FPS data. At 1080p Medium, the range is 182 to 246 FPS, indicating a 64 FPS variance.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark percentile compare to its in-game rank?

A: The RTX 4090 Mobile sits in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, but the combo's in-game rank of 834/3712 suggests that other factors, such as CPU or game optimization, are limiting its absolute performance in Minimum.

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K Ultra, and how does it compare to 4K Low?

A: At 3840x2160 on Ultra, the average FPS is 48. On Low settings at the same resolution, it jumps to 97 FPS, which is more than double the frame rate.

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

The measured data shows a clear and consistent pattern of frame rate reduction as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the drop varies significantly by settings preset. Looking at the Low preset, the average FPS goes from 280 at 1080p, to 180 at 1440p, and finally to 97 at 4K. This represents a 65% drop from 1080p to 4K. For the High preset, the figures are 180 FPS at 1080p, 116 FPS at 1440p, and 62 FPS at 4K, a 66% reduction. The Ultra preset shows a similar trend: 137 FPS at 1080p, 88 FPS at 1440p, and 48 FPS at 4K, which is a 65% decrease.

The fact that the relative performance drop from 1080p to 4K is nearly identical (around 65%) across all settings is a strong indicator that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. When the resolution increases, the pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, placing a much heavier load on the rasterization and shading units of the RTX 4090 Mobile. Since the frame rate scales down proportionally with the pixel count, the CPU is clearly not the bottleneck at these higher resolutions. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 576.0 GB/s bandwidth are being utilized heavily, but the 48 FPS at 4K Ultra suggests that even this top-tier mobile GPU cannot brute-force maximum settings at 4K in this title. The data implies that for a smooth 4K experience, users must sacrifice settings, as the GPU's raw compute is the wall.

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

The measured rows provide a clear picture of how each settings preset affects performance. At 1080p, all presets are playable, with even Ultra hitting a high 137 FPS average. However, the jump from High to Ultra costs 43 FPS (180 to 137), a 24% reduction for likely marginal visual gains in a 2014 game. The Medium preset at 1080p offers a balanced 214 FPS average with a frame time range of 182 to 246 FPS, suggesting it provides a smooth experience without pushing the GPU to its absolute limits.

Moving to 1440p, the story becomes more nuanced. High settings produce a solid 116 FPS average, which is excellent for competitive play. Low settings push this to 180 FPS, but the visual quality likely suffers. Ultra at 1440p drops to 88 FPS, which is still playable but represents a significant cost. The Medium preset at 1440p, with a 138 FPS average and a range of 117 to 159 FPS, appears to be the sweet spot, offering high frame rates with a stable frame pacing.

At 4K, the recommendations change drastically. Ultra settings yield only 48 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. High settings improve this to 62 FPS, barely crossing that line. Low settings provide 97 FPS, making it the only preset at 4K that offers a truly comfortable margin above 60 FPS. Given the data, the best experience for a balance of visual fidelity and performance would be High settings at 1440p or Medium at 1080p. For users prioritizing frame rate above all else, Low at 1080p is the clear winner. For 4K, the data suggests that High settings are the maximum viable option, with Low being the recommended choice for consistent performance.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo of the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile ranks 834th out of 3,712 tested combinations in Minimum. This places it in the 77.5th percentile of all tested combos, meaning that roughly 77% of the tested configurations performed better in this specific game. This is a surprising result for what is ostensibly a top-tier mobile platform. The CPU alone is in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU is in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, yet their combined performance in this game is only average.

This discrepancy highlights the fact that raw hardware power does not always translate directly to in-game performance. Minimum, being a 2014 title, may not be optimized for the modern architecture of the Arrow Lake-HX CPU or the Ada Lovelace GPU. The game might be limited by its older DirectX version or by a lack of multi-threading support, preventing the 24-core CPU from flexing its muscles. The GPU's 84th percentile rank is also lower than the CPU's, indicating that the RTX 4090 Mobile is not performing at its peak relative to other GPUs in this title. The rank of 834 suggests that other combos, likely with different CPU-GPU pairings, are better suited to this game's specific requirements. This data implies that for older games, the combination of a high-core-count CPU and a flagship GPU does not guarantee top-tier performance, and other factors like driver optimization and game code efficiency play a more significant role.

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

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings yield an average of 280 FPS; Medium settings yield 214 FPS with a minimum of 182 and a maximum of 246; High settings yield 180 FPS; and Ultra settings yield 137 FPS. This shows a linear progression where each step up in settings costs roughly 40-70 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. Low settings produce an average of 180 FPS. Medium settings average 138 FPS, with a range of 117 to 159 FPS. High settings average 116 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 88 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra narrows to 28 FPS, compared to a 43 FPS gap at 1080p, suggesting that the GPU is starting to become more of a limiting factor at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates fall significantly. Low settings average 97 FPS. Medium settings average 74 FPS, with a minimum of 63 and a maximum of 86. High settings average 62 FPS, and Ultra settings average only 48 FPS. The data shows that at 4K, even the Low preset cannot reach the 100 FPS mark, and the Ultra preset falls below the 50 FPS threshold, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 4K, with an average of 74 FPS, provides the most balanced experience in terms of visuals and playability.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile is a monster of a mobile GPU, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process. It features 9,728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 ROPs, with a base clock of 1335 MHz and a boost clock of 1695 MHz. It is equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 576.0 GB/s. In terms of raw specifications, this GPU is more than capable of handling any modern game at high settings.

However, the benchmark results in Minimum tell a different story. The GPU's Passmark G3D score is 27,212, which places it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 and the RTX 5050 Mobile, which are within 1% of its average score. This suggests that while the RTX 4090 Mobile is a top-tier part, its performance in this specific game is not exceptional. The 48 FPS at 4K Ultra indicates that the GPU is being heavily taxed, but the fact that it cannot maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra in a 2014 game is telling.

The VRAM capacity of 16 GB is likely not the issue, as Minimum is not a VRAM-heavy title. The bottleneck is more likely the GPU's raw compute power being limited by the game's rendering pipeline. The data shows that the GPU's performance scales almost linearly with resolution, which is a classic sign of a fill-rate or pixel-shading bottleneck. The boost clock of 1695 MHz, while high, is not sufficient to overcome the demands of 4K rendering in this game. The GPU's role in this combo is clear: it is the primary driver of performance at higher resolutions, and its limits are exposed at 4K with max settings, where it falls short of providing a smooth experience.