Minimum

Minimum is a 2014 third-person shooter that, despite its age, still imposes a meaningful load on modern hardware depending on how it is configured. The data for this specific combination of an Intel Core Ultra X9 388H and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile reveals a system that is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p but begins to show its limits as resolution climbs. The measured frames per second (FPS) across the board indicate a pairing where the CPU is rarely the bottleneck, leaving the GPU to dictate performance ceilings, particularly at higher settings and resolutions.

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

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H is a 16-core, 16-thread processor from the Panther Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. This configuration, paired with 18 MB of shared L3 cache, suggests a chip designed to handle both high-thread-count workloads and single-threaded tasks with equal aplomb. In the context of Minimum, a third-person shooter from 2014, the game's engine is typically more sensitive to single-core performance than to massive multi-threading, but the X9 388H's robust core count ensures that background processes and game logic never starve the main threads.

Benchmark data for the CPU reinforces its capability. In Cinebench R23, it scores 18911 points in multi-core and 2200.5 points in single-core tests, placing it in the 88th percentile among all CPUs. This single-core score is particularly relevant for older game engines that rely heavily on a few threads for physics and game logic. The passmark single-thread score of 4280 further corroborates strong per-core performance. When analyzing the measured FPS in Minimum, the data shows that even at 1080p with Low settings, where the CPU would be most likely to bottleneck a weaker processor, the system achieves 180 FPS. This high frame rate suggests the X9 388H is keeping up without breaking a sweat, as the GPU is still able to push frames at that rate.

Comparing the X9 388H to its nearest rivals, it sits in a tight performance cluster. Its average benchmark score of 44466 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D (44573, -0.2%), the Intel Core i9-13950HX (44342, 0.3%), and the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 (44309, 0.4%). This means that, from a pure processor standpoint, the choice between these chips would not yield significant differences in Minimum's frame rates. The data implies that the CPU is not the limiting component in this system for this game, as even the most CPU-intensive scenarios at 1080p Low produce frame rates that are high enough for competitive play.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile ranks 2262 out of 3712 tested combos in Minimum. This position, roughly in the 61st percentile, is surprisingly low given the individual components' performance percentiles. The CPU sits in the 88th percentile, and the GPU in the 67th, yet their combined rank is lower than either would suggest. This discrepancy hints at a potential bottleneck or a scenario where the game's performance is not scaling as expected with the hardware's raw capabilities.

This rank suggests that while this combo is far from the bottom, it is not among the top performers for this specific title. The data indicates that many other combinations of CPUs and GPUs can achieve higher frame rates in Minimum. The gap between the GPU's 67th percentile and the combo's 61st percentile is notable, implying that the RTX 4060 Mobile might be holding the system back more than its raw score would indicate, or that the game's optimization favors other hardware architectures. It is a mid-pack result, which is unexpected for a system with a top-tier mobile CPU and a solid mid-range mobile GPU.

Looking at the GPU's rival performance, the RTX 4060 Mobile's average score of 22729 is close to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22895, -0.7%) and the Intel Arc B580 (23021, -1.3%), while being slightly ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (22549, 0.8%) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile (22435, 1.3%). This suggests the GPU is a known quantity, yet the combo's rank indicates that Minimum might be sensitive to other system factors not captured in these synthetic benchmarks. The rank of 2262 out of 3712 implies that there are better combinations available, but this setup is certainly capable of delivering a playable experience.

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

The measured FPS data across different resolutions provides a clear picture of how the system scales with increasing pixel count. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 180 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops this to 116 FPS, a reduction of 35.6%. At 4K, the frame rate falls to 62 FPS, which is a 46.6% drop from 1440p and a 65.6% drop from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-limited scenario, where the rendering resolution directly impacts the pixel fill rate and shading load.

The scaling is even more pronounced at Ultra settings. The 1080p Ultra frame rate is 88 FPS, which drops to 57 FPS at 1440p (a 35.2% decrease) and then to 31 FPS at 4K (a 45.6% decrease from 1440p). These consistent percentage drops across settings indicate that the GPU is the primary limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a smaller difference between 1080p and 1440p, as the CPU load would remain similar while the GPU load increases. Instead, the frame rates scale inversely with the number of pixels, a classic sign of a GPU-bound workload.

This analysis is supported by the CPU's strong benchmark scores, which suggest it has headroom to feed the GPU more data if needed. The fact that 1080p Low produces 180 FPS, but 4K Low only produces 62 FPS, shows that the RTX 4060 Mobile is being saturated by the increased resolution. For gamers, this means that to achieve higher frame rates at 1440p or 4K, reducing graphics settings is more effective than upgrading the CPU, as the data clearly identifies the GPU as the bottleneck in this combination for Minimum.

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

The dataset provides exact average FPS figures for each resolution and settings preset, with some entries also including minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings yield 180 FPS, Medium yields 138 FPS (with a minimum of 117 and a maximum of 158), High yields 116 FPS, and Ultra yields 88 FPS. The step-down from Low to Medium is 42 FPS, from Medium to High is 22 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 28 FPS. This shows that the most significant performance cost comes from moving off the Low preset, while the differences between Medium, High, and Ultra are less severe but still substantial.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are lower across the board. Low settings produce 116 FPS, Medium produces 89 FPS (with a minimum of 75 and a maximum of 102), High produces 75 FPS, and Ultra produces 57 FPS. The pattern of a large drop from Low to Medium (27 FPS) is repeated, followed by a 14 FPS drop to High and an 18 FPS drop to Ultra. The minimum FPS at Medium (75) is still above 60, indicating smooth gameplay, but the Ultra preset's average of 57 FPS suggests occasional dips below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates on higher settings. Low settings yield 62 FPS, Medium yields 48 FPS (with a minimum of 41 and a maximum of 55), High yields 40 FPS, and Ultra yields 31 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium is a 14 FPS drop, and the subsequent drops are 8 FPS to High and 9 FPS to Ultra. The data shows that 4K is only playable on Low settings, as the Medium preset's minimum FPS of 41 indicates noticeable stuttering. The Ultra preset at 31 FPS is not suitable for a fast-paced third-person shooter.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, with a base clock of 1545 MHz and a boost clock of 1890 MHz. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. For a game released in 2014, 8 GB of VRAM is ample, and the memory bandwidth is more than sufficient for the game's textures and assets. The GPU's 3072 shading units and 48 ROPs are the key specifications that dictate its pixel processing power, which is the primary factor in the resolution scaling observed.

The GPU's compute capabilities, measured at 11.61 TFLOPS FP32, are solid for a mobile part, but the game's performance is more tied to the fixed-function units like ROPs and TMUs. The pixel rate of 90.72 GPixel/s and texture rate of 181.4 GTexel/s are the specifications that directly impact fill-rate-limited scenarios like Minimum. The data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, which aligns with its relatively lower percentile rank of 67% compared to the CPU's 88%.

The RTX 4060 Mobile's average benchmark score of 22729 places it near desktop cards like the RTX 2080 and the newer RTX 5060 Mobile. However, in Minimum, its performance is constrained by the resolution, as evidenced by the FPS drops. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM is not a concern here, as even 4K textures would not exceed that limit for this game. The data suggests that the GPU's raw shading power, rather than memory capacity or bandwidth, is what limits performance in this title, particularly at 4K Ultra where it drops to 31 FPS.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 116 FPS offers an excellent balance of visual quality and performance, comfortably exceeding the 60 FPS threshold and providing headroom for a high-refresh-rate monitor. If a player prefers maximum visual fidelity, the Ultra preset at 88 FPS is still very playable and is the best choice for those with a 144Hz display, as it stays above the typical 60 FPS minimum.

At 1440p, the High preset at 75 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides smooth gameplay while maintaining good visual detail. The Medium preset at 89 FPS is also viable and offers a better frame rate margin for those who prioritize performance, but the drop in visual quality from High to Medium is noticeable. The Ultra preset at 57 FPS is borderline, as it dips below 60 FPS on average, which could lead to stuttering on some displays. For a competitive edge, Low at 116 FPS would be the best choice, but for a balanced experience, High is the sweet spot.

For 4K, the options are limited. The Low preset at 62 FPS is the only setting that provides a consistently playable experience, with an average just above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 48 FPS is playable but will have noticeable frame drops, as indicated by the minimum of 41 FPS. The High and Ultra presets at 40 FPS and 31 FPS, respectively, are not recommended for a fast-paced shooter, as they will feel sluggish. Therefore, for 4K gaming on this combo, players must accept the visual compromises of the Low preset to maintain fluid gameplay.

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

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for a stable 60+ FPS experience?

A: The data shows that 1080p High yields 116 FPS and 1440p High yields 75 FPS, both comfortably above 60 FPS. For 4K, only the Low preset at 62 FPS achieves an average above 60 FPS, but it is close to the boundary.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H has an average benchmark score of 44466, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D (44573, -0.2%) and the Intel Core i9-13950HX (44342, 0.3%). It is also similar to the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 (44309, 0.4%) and the Intel Core i5-13600 (44240, 0.5%), indicating a very tight performance cluster.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the bottleneck in this system for Minimum?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck. This is evidenced by the resolution scaling, where frame rates drop significantly from 1080p to 4K (e.g., from 180 FPS at Low to 62 FPS at Low), a pattern consistent with GPU-bound performance. The CPU's high benchmark scores and 88th percentile ranking support this conclusion.

Q: What is the lowest frame rate recorded across all test configurations?

A: The lowest average FPS is 31, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings. The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 41, which occurs at 4K with Medium settings.

Q: Does the system support high refresh rate gaming at 1080p?

A: Yes, the data shows that at 1080p, the system can achieve 180 FPS on Low, 138 FPS on Medium, 116 FPS on High, and 88 FPS on Ultra. These frame rates are sufficient for 144Hz or even 240Hz displays, depending on the chosen settings preset.

Q: How does the GPU's performance compare to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080?

A: The RTX 4060 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 22729, which is slightly lower than the RTX 2080's score of 22895, a delta of -0.7%. This indicates that the mobile GPU performs at a very similar level to the older desktop card.