Minimum

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 delivers a robust 1080p and 1440p experience in Minimum, but the data shows that pushing to 4K requires accepting significant compromises. At 1080p, the combo is exceptionally strong, with the Low preset hitting 199 FPS and even Ultra maintaining a smooth 97 FPS. The sweet spot for this configuration is the Medium preset, which offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions, delivering 152 FPS at 1080p, 98 FPS at 1440p, and a playable 53 FPS at 4K. The High preset is also viable at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K it drops to 44 FPS, making Medium the recommended default for users who want a stable experience without fine-tuning individual settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the Medium settings preset provides the most consistent and practical experience for this hardware combination. At 1920x1080, Medium achieves 152 FPS average, which is 24 FPS higher than High and 55 FPS higher than Ultra. This headroom ensures the game remains fluid during intense firefights, even if framerate dips to the recorded minimum of 129 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, Medium maintains 98 FPS, which is 16 FPS above High and 35 FPS above Ultra. The 1440p Medium result is particularly notable because it keeps the experience well above the 60 FPS threshold while still offering improved visual fidelity over Low.

At 3840x2160, the choice becomes more constrained. Medium is the only preset that keeps the average above 50 FPS, with a recorded 53 FPS and a minimum of 45 FPS. High drops to 44 FPS, and Ultra falls to 34 FPS, both of which are borderline for a third-person shooter where aiming precision matters. Low at 4K offers 69 FPS, which is playable, but the visual degradation is significant. For users with a 4K display, Medium is the recommended preset because it provides the highest visual quality that still maintains a playable framerate. The data indicates that Ultra is only viable at 1080p, where the 97 FPS average is acceptable for slower-paced exploration but may feel less responsive in combat.

FAQ

*Q: Is this CPU-GPU combo capable of running Minimum at 4K?*

A: Yes, but only with compromises. The Medium preset at 3840x2160 yields 53 FPS average with a 45 FPS minimum, which is playable. The Low preset offers a more comfortable 69 FPS, while High and Ultra drop to 44 FPS and 34 FPS respectively.

Q: What is the best preset for high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors?

A: The Medium preset provides 152 FPS average at 1920x1080. If you have a 144Hz or 165Hz monitor, this is the optimal choice. The Low preset reaches 199 FPS but sacrifices visual quality, while High at 128 FPS may not fully saturate a 144Hz display.

Q: How does the combo perform at 1440p?

A: It performs very well. The Low preset hits 128 FPS, Medium achieves 98 FPS, and High manages 82 FPS. Even Ultra stays playable at 63 FPS. The Medium preset is the best recommendation for a balance of quality and speed.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck. The framerate drops sharply from 1080p to 4K, with Medium falling from 152 FPS to 53 FPS, a reduction of 99 FPS. This scaling pattern indicates the graphics card is saturated at higher resolutions, while the CPU has ample headroom.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the benchmark data?

A: The only preset with a recorded minimum FPS is Medium across all resolutions. At 4K the minimum is 45 FPS, at 1440p it is 83 FPS, and at 1080p it is 129 FPS. These figures represent the worst-case dips for that setting.

Q: Can the combo handle the Ultra preset?

A: Only at 1080p, where it achieves 97 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 63 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 34 FPS. For a competitive shooter, 34 FPS is too low, so Ultra should be reserved for 1080p or for taking screenshots.

Resolution Scaling

Examining the FPS data across the three resolutions reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At the Medium preset, performance falls from 152 FPS at 1920x1080 to 98 FPS at 2560x1440, a 35.5% reduction. Moving to 3840x2160, the framerate plunges to 53 FPS, another 45.9% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline is characteristic of a system where the graphics card is the limiting component; the RTX 5070 is working progressively harder to fill the additional pixels.

The High preset shows a similar trend, with 128 FPS at 1080p, 82 FPS at 1440p, and 44 FPS at 4K. The Low preset, which reduces the pixel shading workload, still scales predictably: 199 FPS at 1080p, 128 FPS at 1440p, and 69 FPS at 4K. The fact that even Low settings see a 65.3% drop from 1080p to 4K confirms that the GPU's raw fillrate and bandwidth are the primary constraints, not the CPU. As a reference, the RTX 5070 features 80 ROPs and a pixel rate of 201.0 GPixel/s, which aligns with the observed 4K performance ceiling.

The data also indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution. The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H, with its 16 cores and 16 threads, is more than capable of feeding the GPU. The 1080p Low result of 199 FPS suggests the CPU can push framerates well beyond the 144Hz range, and the consistent scaling pattern across resolutions implies that the processor has additional headroom even in the most demanding scenarios.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 ranks 1584 out of 2939 tested combos for Minimum. This places it in the 46th percentile of all configurations, meaning just over half of the tested systems perform better. This ranking is somewhat surprising given the strong absolute performance numbers, but it reflects the fact that Minimum is a 2014 title that can be run effectively on a wide range of hardware, including much older and less expensive components.

The CPU itself sits in the 88th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 44466. Its nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D, which scores 44573, a negligible 0.2% difference. The Intel Core i9-13950HX trails by 0.3%, and the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 is 0.4% behind. This indicates the processor is a top-tier part, but its performance advantage does not translate into a higher combo rank because the game is not CPU-intensive. Similarly, the GPU ranks in the 82nd percentile, with its nearest rival being the AMD Radeon Pro 580 at a 0.1% difference.

The combination's mid-pack ranking reflects the game's scalability. Many older or weaker GPUs, such as the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile which scores 2% lower than the RTX 5070, can still achieve playable framerates at lower settings. The 1584th rank does not diminish the combo's capability; it simply highlights that Minimum is a game where high-end hardware does not provide a proportional advantage over mid-range parts.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H is a mobile processor based on the Panther Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by Intel. It features 16 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. The cache configuration includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. This is a high-performance part, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 18911 and single-core score of 2200.5.

In Minimum, the CPU's role is to maintain a steady framerate by handling game logic, physics, and draw calls. The benchmark data shows that the CPU is not a limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 199 FPS, and even at 1080p Ultra it maintains 97 FPS. The minimal FPS dips recorded at Medium settings (129 FPS at 1080p, 83 FPS at 1440p) are more likely caused by GPU load spikes than CPU stalls.

The processor's high single-thread performance, demonstrated by a PassMark single-thread score of 4280, is beneficial for a 2014 game that may not be optimized for multi-core scaling. The 16 threads provide ample parallel processing capability for background tasks and any modern game engine features. The L3 cache of 18 MB is sufficient for the game's working set, preventing memory bandwidth from becoming a bottleneck. The CPU's 88th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with a negligible performance delta of 0.2% compared to the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D, confirms that this processor is not the weak link in this combination.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance across all settings. The Low preset averages 199 FPS, providing a framerate high enough for even the fastest 240Hz monitors. Medium achieves 152 FPS with a minimum of 129 FPS and a maximum of 175 FPS, offering smooth and consistent gameplay. High drops to 128 FPS, and Ultra settles at 97 FPS. All four presets are playable, but Medium is the recommended choice for the best balance of visual fidelity and speed.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows the expected scaling. Low hits 128 FPS, which is still excellent for high-refresh-rate 1440p displays. Medium averages 98 FPS, with minimum and maximum figures of 83 FPS and 113 FPS respectively. High produces 82 FPS, and Ultra manages 63 FPS. The Medium preset is again the standout, providing a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold for a smoother experience.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the primary constraint. Low is the only preset to exceed 60 FPS, with an average of 69 FPS. Medium averages 53 FPS, with a minimum of 45 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play. High drops to 44 FPS, and Ultra falls to 34 FPS. The data shows that 4K gaming is possible with this combo, but users must be willing to reduce settings to Medium or Low to maintain playable framerates. The substantial difference between 1080p and 4K performance, particularly the 99 FPS drop for Medium, underscores the GPU's workload at higher resolutions.