The Medium

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a playable experience in The Medium, but the headroom is heavily dependent on resolution and preset choice. Benchmark results show the combo clears the 60 FPS threshold at 1080p and 1440p with Medium settings, while 4K requires dropping to Low to stay fluid. At 1080p Low, the system posts a 125 FPS average, which drops to 77.8 FPS at Medium and 55.6 FPS at High. The Ultra preset at 1080p falls to 42.6 FPS, indicating the RTX 3070’s 8 GB frame buffer and Ampere architecture are pushed hard by this title’s fixed-camera rendering.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the data reveals a steep scaling curve. On Low settings, the combo averages 83.8 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playability threshold. Moving to Medium drops the average to 48.9 FPS, a 34.9 FPS loss that makes the game feel stutter-prone. High settings yield 33.8 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 29 FPS. These numbers indicate that 4K is only viable on the lowest preset; any increase in visual fidelity pushes the frame rate below 50 FPS, which is not smooth for a horror title requiring precise camera control.

At 2560x1440, the picture improves significantly. Low settings produce 106.1 FPS, giving substantial headroom. Medium settings hold 66 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS target with a small margin. High settings drop to 47.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 38.2 FPS. The 1440p results show a clear break: Medium is the highest preset that maintains playability, while High and Ultra are best reserved for screenshots rather than gameplay.

At 1920x1080, the combo performs best. Low settings hit 125 FPS, Medium delivers 77.8 FPS, and High manages 55.6 FPS. Ultra is the only preset that fails to reach 60 FPS, averaging 42.6 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is 22.2 FPS, suggesting that the RTX 3070’s 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 20.31 TFLOPS FP32 throughput are sufficient for medium-quality assets but struggle with higher-resolution textures and shadow maps at 1080p.

Across all resolutions, the min and max FPS values were not recorded in the measured data, so the analysis relies solely on averages. The absence of frame time variance metrics means the consistency of these averages is unknown, but the large gaps between presets (e.g., 48.9 to 33.8 FPS at 4K Medium to High) suggest that the GPU is the limiting factor rather than the CPU. The i7-13700K’s 16 cores and 24 threads, with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, provide ample processing headroom, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30745.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for The Medium, this specific pairing ranks 1557 out of 3724 combos, placing it in the 58th percentile of all tested systems. This ranking reflects a mid-to-upper tier position, meaning it outperforms a majority of hardware configurations but is not near the top. The CPU’s percentile vs all CPUs is 89, indicating the i7-13700K is a high-end processor, while the GPU’s percentile vs all GPUs is 61, showing the RTX 3070 is slightly above average but not a flagship.

The combo’s rank of 1557 suggests that many other systems achieve higher frame rates, likely due to more powerful GPUs or better optimization. However, the data shows that this combo still delivers playable performance at 1080p and 1440p with Medium settings, which is a strong result given the GPU’s 61st percentile standing. The gap between the CPU’s 89th percentile and GPU’s 61st percentile indicates potential bottlenecking; the i7-13700K can feed frames faster than the RTX 3070 can render them, particularly at lower resolutions where CPU overhead matters more.

Compared to the nearest rival CPUs, the i7-13700K’s average benchmark score of 46881 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (46971, delta -0.2%) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (47022, delta -0.3%). It slightly edges out the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535, both at 46654 and 46653 respectively, with a delta of 0.5%. This means swapping the CPU for any of these alternatives would yield virtually the same performance in The Medium, as the game is likely GPU-bound in most scenarios.

For the GPU, the RTX 3070’s average benchmark score of 17208 is close to the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (17083, delta 0.7%) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17037, delta 1%). The NVIDIA Tesla K40c is slightly faster at 17468 (delta -1.5%), but that is a compute-oriented card not suited for gaming. Choosing any of these GPUs would result in similar frame rates, though the RX 7600 XT’s 0.7% delta is negligible in real-world terms.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run The Medium at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but only on Low settings. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Low is 83.8, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium drops to 48.9 FPS, High to 33.8 FPS, and Ultra to 29 FPS, all below the playable mark.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p to maintain 60 FPS?

A: Medium settings are the highest preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, with an average of 66 FPS. Low settings run at 106.1 FPS, but Medium offers a better visual quality while remaining playable.

Q: Does the RTX 3070 bottleneck the i7-13700K in this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at higher presets. The CPU’s 89th percentile ranking versus the GPU’s 61st percentile indicates the i7-13700K has more headroom, but the measured FPS drops at High and Ultra settings point to the RTX 3070 struggling with the game’s rendering load.

Q: How does this combo compare to systems with an RTX 3070 and a weaker CPU?

A: Since the i7-13700K is within 0.5% performance of its nearest CPU rivals, swapping to a slower processor would likely have a minimal impact. The frame rates are more dependent on the GPU, so the combination’s 1557 rank out of 3724 is driven primarily by the RTX 3070’s capabilities.

Q: Is Ultra settings ever playable at any resolution?

A: No. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 42.6; at 1440p Ultra, it is 38.2; and at 4K Ultra, it is 29. All of these fall below the 60 FPS playability threshold, making Ultra unsuitable for smooth gameplay at any tested resolution.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average is 55.6 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target. This preset is not considered playable by the benchmark’s threshold, so dropping to Medium (77.8 FPS) is recommended for a smooth experience.

The Verdict

This PC can run The Medium with playable frame rates, but the settings menu requires careful selection. At 3840x2160, the only playable setting is Low, which delivers an average of 83.8 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 60 FPS, with averages of 48.9, 33.8, and 29 FPS respectively. For 2560x1440, Low and Medium are playable, with Medium being the best choice at 66 FPS. High drops to 47.4 FPS and Ultra to 38.2 FPS, so those are not viable. At 1920x1080, Low and Medium clear the threshold, with Medium at 77.8 FPS as the optimal preset. High at 55.6 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 42.6 FPS is not playable.

The verdict is clear: the combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming with Medium settings. 4K is only possible on Low, which sacrifices visual fidelity significantly. The RTX 3070’s 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game’s medium-quality textures, but the Ultra preset appears to exceed the card’s capacity, causing frame rates to plummet. The i7-13700K’s strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2116) ensures that CPU-related stutters are unlikely, but the GPU remains the deciding factor.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals to the i7-13700K are the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375, AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX, and Intel Xeon w3-2535. The Ryzen 9 5900 has an average benchmark score of 46971, which is 0.2% lower than the i7-13700K’s 46881. The Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47022 (0.3% lower), while the Ryzen 9 7845HX and Xeon w3-2535 both score 46654 and 46653 (0.5% higher). In practical terms, all four CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in The Medium, as the game is not heavily CPU-bound at the tested settings. Users with these processors can expect the same playable presets: Medium at 1080p and 1440p, and Low at 4K.

For the GPU, the closest matches are the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (score 17083, 0.7% lower), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17037, 1% lower), and NVIDIA Tesla K40c (17468, 1.5% higher). The RX 7600 XT is the most relevant gaming alternative, as it would deliver almost identical performance to the RTX 3070. The GTX 690 is a much older dual-GPU card with driver limitations, and the Tesla K40c is a workstation part without optimized gaming drivers. Therefore, the RX 7600 XT is the only realistic substitute, offering the same playable settings across all resolutions. Users with an RTX 3070 and any of the listed CPUs, or an RX 7600 XT with the i7-13700K, should see comparable FPS numbers.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the only preset that maintains an average at or above 60 FPS is Low, with a measured average of 83.8 FPS. This is the recommended setting for 4K, as it provides enough headroom to avoid dips below the threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra all average below 60 FPS, so they should be avoided for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, Medium is the highest playable preset, averaging 66 FPS. This strikes a balance between visual quality and performance, offering a 17.6 FPS improvement over High’s 47.4 FPS. Low settings run at 106.1 FPS, but Medium is preferable for a better-looking image.

At 1920x1080, Medium is again the best choice, averaging 77.8 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS target. High settings at 55.6 FPS are just below the threshold and may be playable for some users, but Medium guarantees a consistent experience. Low settings at 125 FPS are unnecessary unless chasing maximum refresh rates. Ultra is not recommended at any resolution due to sub-60 FPS averages.