Minimum

# FAQ

Q: What is the comboRankInGame for this configuration?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 ranks 1584 out of 2939 tested combos in Minimum. This places it in the middle of the pack, suggesting that while this hardware is capable, many other combinations deliver higher average frame rates in this title.

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system reaches 199 FPS average. This is the highest recorded average across all tested resolutions and settings, indicating that the hardware has ample headroom when graphical demands are reduced.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-core performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 9 275HX has an average benchmark score of 67469. It sits 0.3% behind the Intel Xeon w5-3525 (67673), 0.5% behind the AMD EPYC 4484PX (67822), and 0.6% behind the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5955WX (67868). However, it is 0.7% ahead of the Intel Xeon 6515P (67006). These deltas are minimal, indicating near-identical overall CPU performance among these processors.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested GPUs?

A: The RTX 5070 falls in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs, based on its average benchmark score of 40377. This is a strong showing, though its nearest rivals—such as the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (40318, 0.1% behind) and AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 (40063, 0.8% behind)—are very close in aggregate performance.

Q: What is the highest average FPS at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the best result is 69 FPS average with Low settings. This is notably lower than the 1080p Low result of 199 FPS, demonstrating a significant performance drop as resolution increases.

Q: Does the measured data include minimum and maximum FPS for all settings?

A: No. Only the Medium preset at each resolution includes both min and max FPS values. For example, at 1080p Medium, the range is 129 to 175 FPS. All other settings at all resolutions report only average FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, using the GB205 chip fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units. The GPU's base clock is 2325 MHz, with a boost clock of 2512 MHz. Memory consists of 12 GB of GDDR7 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

In Minimum, the GPU's role becomes increasingly apparent as resolution scales. At 1080p, the RTX 5070 can push frame rates well beyond 120 FPS on High settings (128 FPS average). However, at 4K, even Medium settings only yield 53 FPS average, with a minimum of 45 FPS—a notable drop that suggests the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher pixel counts.

The 12 GB VRAM capacity is relevant here, though the data does not indicate any memory-related bottleneck at the tested settings. The GPU's pixel rate of 201.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 482.3 GTexel/s provide the raw throughput needed for high-resolution rendering, yet the measured results show that 4K Ultra (34 FPS average) falls below playable thresholds for many users.

The RTX 5070's FP32 performance of 30.87 TFLOPS and FP16 performance at the same rate (1:1) indicate strong compute capability, but Minimum's engine appears to favor raw rasterization over compute-heavy effects, as evidenced by the relatively small difference between Low and Medium settings at each resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a clear pattern: as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, average FPS drops substantially across all settings. At Low settings, the progression is 199 FPS (1080p) → 128 FPS (1440p) → 69 FPS (4K). This represents a 35.7% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 46.1% drop from 1440p to 4K.

For High settings, the decline is 128 FPS (1080p) → 82 FPS (1440p) → 44 FPS (4K). The percentage drops are 35.9% and 46.3% respectively, showing a remarkably consistent scaling pattern regardless of quality preset. Medium settings follow suit: 152 FPS → 98 FPS → 53 FPS, with drops of 35.5% and 45.9%.

Ultra settings show the steepest absolute decline: 97 FPS → 63 FPS → 34 FPS, representing 35.1% and 46.0% drops. The consistency of these percentages—all hovering around 35-36% for the first step and 46% for the second—strongly indicates that the scaling is resolution-driven rather than setting-driven. The GPU is being pushed harder at each higher resolution, with the RTX 5070's fill rate and memory bandwidth becoming the limiting factors.

At 1080p, the CPU's role becomes more prominent, as frame rates above 150 FPS require the Core Ultra 9 275HX to feed the GPU efficiently. The 24 cores and 24 threads, boosted by the 5.40 GHz max clock, appear sufficient to avoid a CPU bottleneck at these frame rates, given that Low settings hit 199 FPS without any reported minimum FPS issues.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 199 FPS average
• Medium: 152 FPS average (min 129, max 175)
• High: 128 FPS average
• Ultra: 97 FPS average

At 1080p, the RTX 5070 delivers excellent performance across all presets. The gap between Low and Ultra is 102 FPS, indicating that the GPU has significant headroom even at the highest settings. The Medium preset's min/max range of 129-175 FPS shows a 46 FPS spread, which is relatively narrow and suggests stable frame pacing.

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 128 FPS average
• Medium: 98 FPS average (min 83, max 113)
• High: 82 FPS average
• Ultra: 63 FPS average

At 1440p, the performance scales down proportionally. The Medium preset's range of 83-113 FPS (30 FPS spread) is tighter than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming more consistently utilized. Ultra settings still manage 63 FPS, which remains playable for a third-person shooter.

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 69 FPS average
• Medium: 53 FPS average (min 45, max 61)
• High: 44 FPS average
• Ultra: 34 FPS average

At 4K, the RTX 5070 struggles to maintain high frame rates. Only Low settings exceed 60 FPS, while Ultra drops to 34 FPS average—a 65% reduction from the 1080p Ultra result. The Medium preset's min of 45 FPS indicates that even mid-range settings can dip below acceptable thresholds during demanding scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame of 1584 out of 2939 places this configuration in the 54th percentile of all tested combinations. This is a middling result for a hardware pairing that individually ranks high: the CPU is in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU is in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs.

The discrepancy between component-level rankings and the in-game combo ranking suggests that Minimum's performance characteristics do not favor this particular pairing as strongly as other games might. The game's 2014 release date likely means it is more CPU-bound than modern titles, yet the Core Ultra 9 275HX's strong multi-core scores (e.g., 35589 in Cinebench R23 multi-core) do not translate into top-tier in-game performance at 1080p.

The nearest CPU rivals—the Intel Xeon w5-3525, AMD EPYC 4484PX, and Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5955WX—all have similar average benchmark scores (within 0.6%), yet the in-game ranking suggests other combos with similar or slightly different CPUs and GPUs achieve better frame rates. This could be due to the game's engine favoring certain CPU architectures or memory configurations, though the data does not specify these details.

The RTX 5070's nearest GPU rivals (AMD Radeon Pro 580, Radeon Pro WX 7100, Radeon Pro 5300) are all workstation-class GPUs with lower gaming-focused performance, yet their aggregate scores are within 2% of the RTX 5070. This indicates that the 5070's gaming prowess is not fully reflected in its overall benchmark average, which may explain why the combo ranking is not higher.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process at TSMC. Its base clock is 2.70 GHz, boosting up to 5.40 GHz. The CPU features 36 MB of shared L3 cache, with 192 KB L1 and 3 MB L2 per core. Memory support is DDR5 via a dual-channel interface, providing 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth.

In Minimum, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p, where frame rates exceed 150 FPS. The 5.40 GHz boost clock provides the single-thread performance needed for high-FPS gaming, while the 24 threads handle background tasks and game logic. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2204 and Geekbench single-core score of 2458 are robust, though not class-leading.

The CPU's multi-core capabilities are substantial, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35589 and a Passmark multithread score of 55759. However, Minimum's engine likely does not scale perfectly across 24 threads, as the 0.6% delta to the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5955WX (which has fewer cores but higher per-core performance) suggests that thread count alone does not determine in-game performance.

The 36 MB L3 cache is beneficial for game assets, and the 3 nm process node keeps power consumption manageable within the 55 W TDP. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU is present but unused in this configuration, as the discrete RTX 5070 handles all rendering. The CPU's PCIe Gen 5 support (20 lanes) provides adequate bandwidth for the GPU's PCIe 5.0 x16 interface.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate.

For 1080p gaming: High settings at 128 FPS average offer the best balance of visual quality and performance. Ultra settings drop to 97 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 24% performance reduction for visual gains that may be marginal in a 2014 title. Medium settings at 152 FPS provide a smoother experience if competitive play is prioritized, but High is recommended for the best overall experience.

For 1440p gaming: High settings at 82 FPS average are the sweet spot, delivering smooth gameplay with strong visuals. Medium settings at 98 FPS offer additional headroom for demanding scenes, while Ultra at 63 FPS remains viable but approaches the lower threshold for fast-paced shooter gameplay. Low settings at 128 FPS are excessive for most users, as the visual downgrade outweighs the FPS benefit.

For 4K gaming: Low settings at 69 FPS are the only preset that consistently exceeds 60 FPS. Medium settings at 53 FPS average (min 45 FPS) may be acceptable for less competitive play, but the frame drops below 50 FPS could impact responsiveness. High and Ultra settings (44 and 34 FPS respectively) are not recommended for gameplay, as they fall below the minimum thresholds for smooth third-person shooter action.

Ultimate recommendation: For most users, 1440p High (82 FPS) or 1080p High (128 FPS) provides the best experience. The data shows that Ultra settings offer diminishing returns in this game, with the RTX 5070 unable to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra. The Medium preset at 1080p (152 FPS) is ideal for high-refresh-rate displays, while 4K should be reserved for Low settings only if resolution is the top priority.