Minimum

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile delivers a playable but resolution-sensitive experience in Minimum, a 2014 third-person shooter. The data shows a clear pattern: the combination is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p but struggles to maintain smooth frame rates at 4K, indicating that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as resolution increases.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance drop as resolution scales from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 175 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 113 FPS, a 35% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls to 61 FPS, which is a 46% reduction from 1440p and a 65% reduction from 1080p. This scaling pattern is consistent across all quality presets, though the absolute FPS values shift.

At High settings, the progression is 112 FPS at 1080p, 72 FPS at 1440p, and 39 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic decline: 85 FPS at 1080p, 55 FPS at 1440p, and just 30 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset follows the same trajectory with 134 FPS, 86 FPS, and 46 FPS respectively.

The data indicates a significant bottleneck at 4K. With the Ultra preset at 4K, the average FPS of 30 sits right at the edge of playability. The gap between 1080p and 1440p results is substantial, but the gap between 1440p and 4K is even more pronounced. For instance, at High settings, moving from 1080p to 1440p costs 40 FPS, while moving from 1440p to 4K costs another 33 FPS.

This scaling behavior suggests that the rendering load at 4K overwhelms the GPU's capabilities. The RTX 5060 Mobile's 8 GB of GDDR7 memory and 384.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the pixel throughput required at 3840x2160 exceeds what the GPU can deliver at acceptable frame rates. The 4K Ultra result of 30 FPS is particularly telling — it shows that even with the CPU providing ample headroom, the GPU cannot maintain fluid motion at this resolution.

The minimum FPS data available for Medium settings reinforces this analysis. At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 114, while at 1440p Medium it drops to 73, and at 4K Medium it falls to 39. These minimums are close to the averages, indicating consistent frame delivery without severe stuttering, but the absolute values at 4K are too low for competitive or fast-paced gameplay.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H is a 16-core, 16-thread processor based on the Panther Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. The CPU's benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance: it scores 18,911 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,200.5 in single-core. Its PassMark multi-thread score is 36,811, with a single-thread score of 4,280.

In the context of Minimum, a game released in 2014, the CPU's capabilities far exceed what the title demands. The game's engine was designed for hardware from that era, so the X9 388H provides massive headroom. The data supports this: at 1080p Low, the combo hits 175 FPS, which is likely near the game's engine limit rather than a CPU constraint. The processor's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 153.6 GB/s memory bandwidth ensure that data feeding the GPU is never starved.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 88 among all CPUs places it in the top tier. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D (0.2% slower) and the Intel Core i9-13950HX (0.3% faster). This proximity in average benchmark scores indicates that the X9 388H is competitive with high-end desktop and mobile processors from previous generations.

For Minimum, the CPU's role is to maintain frame pacing and handle game logic. Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, the CPU ensures that the 30 FPS average is delivered consistently. The lack of stuttering, evidenced by the close average-to-minimum FPS ratios at Medium settings, suggests that the CPU is never the limiting component. If the CPU were struggling, we would expect larger discrepancies between average and minimum FPS, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU has more headroom.

The 16 threads are more than sufficient for a 2014 title. Modern games might leverage more cores, but Minimum's age means it likely uses fewer threads. The X9 388H's single-thread performance, demonstrated by the 2,200.5 Cinebench R23 single-core score, ensures that any single-threaded game logic runs efficiently.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile is the clear performance limiter in this combination at higher resolutions. The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is 1455 MHz, and it contains 3,328 shading units, 104 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The GPU's PassMark G3D score is 18,852, with a percentile ranking of 67 among all GPUs.

The GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (0.5% faster) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile (1.3% faster). This places the RTX 5060 Mobile in a competitive mid-range segment. However, its performance in Minimum at 4K shows its limitations.

The 4K results are the most revealing. At 4K High, the average FPS is 39; at 4K Medium, it's 46; at 4K Low, it's 61; and at 4K Ultra, it's 30. The spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is 31 FPS, which indicates that the GPU's fill rate and pixel processing capabilities are being taxed heavily. The 48 ROPs and 69.84 GPixel/s pixel rate are insufficient for smooth 4K gameplay, especially with higher-quality settings that increase shading complexity.

The GPU's 8 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, as evidenced by the strong performance at those resolutions. At 4K, texture memory requirements can exceed 8 GB in modern titles, but Minimum is older and likely fits within this budget. The 384.0 GB/s bandwidth is also sufficient for the game's data transfer needs.

The RTX 5060 Mobile's FP32 performance of 9.684 TFLOPS is moderate by current standards. This limits the GPU's ability to handle intensive pixel shaders at high resolutions. The 3,328 shading units must process significantly more fragments at 4K compared to 1080p, which explains the steep FPS drop. The GPU's DirectX 12 score of 87 on PassMark indicates it can handle modern APIs, but Minimum likely uses DirectX 11 or earlier, so the game's rendering path is well within the GPU's capabilities.

At 1080p, the GPU shows what it can do when unconstrained by resolution. The 175 FPS at Low and 112 FPS at High demonstrate that the RTX 5060 Mobile has ample power for 1080p gaming. The bottleneck at 4K is purely a function of pixel throughput and shading capacity.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all tested combinations in the benchmark database, this pairing of Intel Core Ultra X9 388H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile ranks 2,460 out of 3,712 combos for Minimum. This places it in the 34th percentile, meaning roughly two-thirds of tested configurations perform better in this game.

This ranking is surprising given the individual components' strengths. The CPU ranks in the 88th percentile, and the GPU in the 67th percentile, yet their combination ranks much lower. This discrepancy suggests that Minimum either does not scale well with high-end hardware or that other combos with more powerful GPUs dominate the rankings.

The combo's rank is likely dragged down by the GPU's 4K performance. Many other tested combos feature desktop-class GPUs or higher-tier mobile parts that handle 4K more effectively. At 1080p and 1440p, this combo would rank much higher, but the aggregate score across all resolutions pulls it down.

The 2,460th position out of 3,712 indicates that the combo is in the lower half of tested configurations. For a game that can run on modest hardware, high-end components don't necessarily translate to top rankings. The data shows that this combo is capable of excellent 1080p performance, but its 4K results place it in the bottom tier for that resolution.

Compared to the GPU's nearest rivals, the RTX 5060 Mobile is competitive. The Radeon RX 7700 XT is 0.5% faster on average, and the RTX 4060 Mobile is 1.3% faster. These margins are small and unlikely to cause significant differences in Minimum's frame rates. The combo's rank is more influenced by the specific hardware pairing than by the GPU's absolute performance.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Minimum?*

A: The data shows that 1080p provides the most consistent experience, with average FPS ranging from 85 at Ultra to 175 at Low. At 1440p, the range is 55 to 113 FPS, which is also playable. At 4K, only the Low preset achieves 61 FPS average, while High and Ultra drop to 39 and 30 FPS respectively.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: No. The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H's benchmark scores, including an 18,911 Cinebench R23 multi-core score and a 4,280 PassMark single-thread score, far exceed the requirements of a 2014 title. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a GPU-bound pattern, with performance dropping as resolution increases.

Q: How much FPS do you lose going from 1080p to 1440p?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 112 to 72, a loss of 40 FPS. At Low settings, it drops from 175 to 113, a loss of 62 FPS. At Ultra, it drops from 85 to 55, a loss of 30 FPS.

*Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Minimum?*

A: Only at Low settings, where it achieves 61 FPS average. At Medium, the average is 46 FPS, and at High it's 39 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K produces just 30 FPS average, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5060 Mobile's average benchmark score is 22,435. The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT scores 22,549, which is 0.5% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 scores 22,170, which is 1.2% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile scores 22,729, which is 1.3% higher.

Q: What is the highest FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 175, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. The maximum FPS recorded at Medium settings is 154 at 1080p, and 99 at 1440p.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p gaming, the data supports using High settings for a balance of visual quality and performance. The 112 FPS average at High is smooth, and the game's 2014 era visuals do not benefit substantially from Ultra settings, which cost 27 FPS (85 vs 112). Medium settings at 1080p provide 134 FPS, which is beneficial for high-refresh-rate displays, but High offers a better visual experience at a still-playable frame rate.

For 1440p, High settings are the best choice. The 72 FPS average at High is playable, while Low provides 113 FPS but with reduced visual fidelity. Medium at 86 FPS is a viable alternative for those who prefer smoother motion over maximum detail. Ultra at 55 FPS is acceptable for slower-paced gameplay but may feel less responsive in fast action sequences.

At 4K, the options are limited. Low settings produce 61 FPS average, which is the only preset that provides a consistently smooth experience. Medium at 46 FPS is borderline, and High at 39 FPS is likely to feel sluggish. Ultra at 30 FPS is not recommended for active gameplay, as the frame rate dips below the 30 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for playable performance. The minimum FPS data at Medium settings shows 39 FPS at 4K, indicating that even the average is close to the lower bound.

The measured rows show that the Medium preset at 1440p offers a strong compromise: 86 FPS average with a minimum of 73 FPS and maximum of 99 FPS. This level of performance is smooth and responsive, while the visual quality remains respectable. For users with 1440p displays, this is the recommended configuration.

For 1080p users, the High preset is the clear winner. The 112 FPS average provides a fluid experience, and the visual quality is near the game's maximum. The Ultra preset's additional 27 FPS cost does not justify the marginal visual improvement in a game from 2014.

The data indicates that the combo's sweet spot is 1080p High or 1440p Medium. These configurations leverage the GPU's strengths without exceeding its limits. The 4K resolution should be avoided unless visual fidelity is prioritized over frame rate, as even Low settings at 4K produce just 61 FPS, which is barely above the 60 FPS target.