Minimum

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 delivers a playable experience in Minimum, but the data clearly shows that the 8 GB GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution and settings increase. This combination ranks in the 35th percentile overall, placing it at 1920 out of 2939 tested combos, which is a modest position for a mobile flagship processor paired with a mid-range discrete GPU.

The benchmark results indicate a system that is exceptionally strong at lower resolutions but struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K with maximum visual fidelity. The 24-core processor provides ample headroom, ensuring that the graphics card is almost always the limiting component in this title. For gamers targeting high-refresh-rate 1080p displays, this combo is more than sufficient, but 4K Ultra gaming is out of reach without significant compromises.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, revealing the GPU’s memory and bandwidth constraints. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 175 FPS at 1920x1080 to 113 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 35.4%. Moving to 4K at Low settings further drops the average to 61 FPS, meaning the transition from 1080p to 4K costs the system 114 FPS, or a 65.1% performance loss.

The scaling pattern is similar at Medium settings, where the average drops from 134 FPS at 1080p to 86 FPS at 1440p, and then to 46 FPS at 4K. This represents a 65.7% decrease from the lowest to the highest resolution. At High settings, the trend continues with averages of 112 FPS, 72 FPS, and 39 FPS for 1080p, 1440p, and 4K respectively. The most demanding preset, Ultra, shows the same trajectory with 85 FPS at 1080p, 55 FPS at 1440p, and just 30 FPS at 4K.

These numbers indicate that the RTX 5060’s 128-bit memory interface and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are heavily taxed at higher resolutions. The 4K results, particularly the 30 FPS average at Ultra settings, suggest that the GPU is hitting a hard performance ceiling. The gap between 1440p and 4K is consistently larger than the gap between 1080p and 1440p, which is a classic sign that the frame buffer and memory bandwidth are insufficient for the pixel count demands of 4K.

Interestingly, the CPU does not appear to be a limiting factor at any resolution. The 275HX’s high single-core performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2204, ensures that even at 1080p Low settings where the GPU is less stressed, the frame rate scales as expected without a CPU-induced plateau. The data suggests that the 175 FPS average at 1080p Low is likely near the practical limit for this GPU in this title, not a reflection of processor limitations.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset at 1440p represents the sweet spot for this combination. The 86 FPS average at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and the minimum frame rate of 73 FPS indicates consistent performance without significant stutters. This configuration delivers a 24.4% improvement over High settings at the same resolution while maintaining a visually acceptable level of detail.

At 1080p, the High preset is the recommended choice, producing an average of 112 FPS. This is a 16.4% drop from the Medium preset’s 134 FPS but offers better visual fidelity. The jump from High to Ultra at 1080p is not worth the cost, as the average falls to 85 FPS, a 24.1% reduction for what is typically a marginal visual improvement in a 2014 title. For competitive play, the Low preset at 1080p yields 175 FPS, which maximizes the refresh rate potential of high-end displays.

At 4K, the data shows that only the Low preset is viable for consistent playability, with an average of 61 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 46 FPS, which is borderline for a third-person shooter, and the High and Ultra presets at 39 FPS and 30 FPS respectively are too low for a satisfying experience. Users with 4K displays should either stick to 1440p or accept Low settings, as the frame rate penalty for higher presets is severe.

The measured minimum frame rates for the Medium preset, which are the only min/max values recorded, provide additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the range is 114 to 154 FPS, showing a tight frame time distribution. At 1440p Medium, the range is 73 to 99 FPS, which still maintains a 73 FPS floor. At 4K Medium, the range widens to 39 to 53 FPS, indicating less consistent frame pacing at the highest resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is the decisive component in this pairing, and its 8 GB of GDDR7 memory is the primary constraint. The GPU’s 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 128-bit bus width are simply not enough to handle 4K textures and geometry without significant performance degradation. The benchmark results show that the GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 20891 places it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, which is respectable but not exceptional for demanding 4K workloads.

The GPU’s clock speeds, with a base of 2280 MHz and a boost of 2497 MHz, are relatively high, but they do not compensate for the memory limitations. The 3840 shading units and 48 ROPs are adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, as evidenced by the strong frame rates at those resolutions. However, the 4K results suggest that the pixel fill rate of 119.9 GPixel/s is insufficient for the demands of 3840x2160 at high detail levels.

The RTX 5060’s performance relative to its nearest rivals is telling. It scores 1.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT, with an average benchmark score of 26331 compared to 26011. This puts it in the same performance tier as last-generation mid-range cards. The GPU’s 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 3628 indicates that it handles DirectX 12 workloads competently, but the 4K results in Minimum show that raw compute power is not the limiting factor.

The 8 GB memory capacity is particularly problematic for this game at 4K. The low preset at 4K achieves 61 FPS, but the medium preset drops to 46 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is running out of memory or bandwidth when texture quality increases. The lack of recorded minimum frame rates for most settings makes it difficult to assess stuttering, but the available data for Medium settings shows a wider variance at 4K compared to lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 ranks 1920th out of 2939 tested combinations in Minimum, placing it in the 65.3rd percentile of performance. This is a lower ranking than the individual component percentiles would suggest, as the CPU alone sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs while the GPU is in the 72nd percentile. The mismatch between the high-end processor and mid-range GPU creates an imbalanced system that does not achieve its full potential.

The ranking indicates that the GPU is holding back the CPU in this title. The 275HX’s average benchmark score of 67469 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, including the Intel Xeon w5-3525 at 67673 (0.3% higher) and the AMD EPYC 4484PX at 67822 (0.5% higher). This CPU is clearly capable of feeding a much more powerful GPU than the RTX 5060, but in this combo, the GPU becomes the bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Compared to other tested combos, this pairing performs best at 1080p where the GPU can keep up with the CPU’s demands. The 175 FPS average at Low settings demonstrates that the system can achieve high frame rates when the GPU is not taxed. However, as resolution increases, the combo’s relative ranking would likely drop, as the GPU’s limitations become more pronounced while the CPU’s advantages become less relevant.

The data suggests that this combo is better suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming than for 4K. The 112 FPS average at 1080p High places it in a comfortable range for most displays, and the 72 FPS at 1440p High is still playable. The 4K results, particularly the 30 FPS average at Ultra, would place this combo in the lower quartile of performance for users attempting to play at that resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a formidable mobile processor, but its role in this game is secondary to the GPU. With 24 cores and 24 threads, this Arrow Lake-HX chip provides massive multi-threaded capabilities, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35589. The CPU’s base clock of 2.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.40 GHz offer excellent single-thread performance, which is critical for game logic and physics.

The CPU’s PassMark single-thread score of 4713 places it well above average, and its Cinebench R20 single-core score of 2809 indicates strong per-core performance. In Minimum, a third-person shooter from 2014, the CPU is unlikely to be a limiting factor even at high frame rates. The data supports this, as the frame rates scale consistently with GPU load rather than showing CPU-related plateaus.

The 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample fast storage for game data, reducing latency and improving frame time consistency. The CPU’s 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth is sufficient for the game’s needs, and the dual-channel DDR5 support ensures that the processor can quickly access data without starving the GPU.

The CPU’s performance relative to its rivals is exceptionally tight. It is 0.3% slower than the Intel Xeon w5-3525, 0.5% slower than the AMD EPYC 4484PX, and 0.6% slower than the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5955WX. It is 0.7% faster than the Intel Xeon 6515P. This indicates that the 275HX is a top-tier processor, but its performance advantage over the GPU is what creates the imbalance in this combo.

In Minimum, the CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities are largely underutilized, as the game likely does not scale well beyond a few cores. The PassMark physics score of 3338 and find prime numbers score of 448 are moderate, suggesting that the CPU’s raw compute power is not fully exercised by this title. The 175 FPS ceiling at 1080p Low is more likely a GPU limit than a CPU limit, given the processor’s single-thread capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance. The Low preset achieves an average of 175 FPS, which is the highest recorded frame rate across all tests. The Medium preset produces 134 FPS with a minimum of 114 FPS and a maximum of 154 FPS, showing consistent performance. The High preset drops to 112 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 85 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p represents a 51.4% performance decrease, which is substantial but leaves all presets playable.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the GPU’s growing limitations. The Low preset averages 113 FPS, a 35.4% drop from 1080p Low. The Medium preset averages 86 FPS with a minimum of 73 FPS and a maximum of 99 FPS, providing a smooth experience. The High preset averages 72 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 55 FPS. The transition from Medium to High at 1440p costs 14 FPS (16.3%), while the jump from High to Ultra costs 17 FPS (23.6%).

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates at higher presets. The Low preset is the only option that exceeds 60 FPS, with an average of 61 FPS. The Medium preset averages 46 FPS with a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS, placing it in a playable but not ideal range. The High preset falls to 39 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 30 FPS, which is borderline unplayable for a third-person shooter. The performance difference between 1440p and 4K is stark: at Low settings, the drop is 52 FPS (46.0%), and at Ultra settings, the drop is 25 FPS (45.5%).

The data reveals that the Medium preset at 1440p offers the best balance of performance and visual quality, with an average of 86 FPS and a minimum of 73 FPS. For users prioritizing frame rate over visuals, the Low preset at 1080p delivers the maximum possible performance at 175 FPS. The 4K resolution should be avoided except at Low settings, and even then, the 61 FPS average is only marginally playable. The lack of minimum frame rate data for most settings makes it difficult to assess worst-case performance, but the available Medium preset data shows that frame pacing is most consistent at 1080p and becomes more variable at higher resolutions.