The Medium

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 218th out of 3,724 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the top 6% of all configurations. This is a high-end pairing that delivers playable frame rates at every resolution tested, though the demands of 4K Ultra push the system to its limits. The data shows a combination that is powerful enough for smooth 1080p and 1440p gameplay at maximum settings, while 4K requires a settings trade-off to maintain 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 218 out of 3,724 tested configurations places it firmly in the upper echelon of systems for The Medium. This percentile position indicates that the i7-13700K and RTX 4080 together outperform roughly 94% of all other tested hardware pairings in this specific title. The CPU itself sits in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU holds the 86th percentile among all GPUs, confirming that both components are strong individually and synergize well for this horror title. Given that the game launched on 2021-01-27, this modern pairing from late 2022 easily handles the title’s engine demands. The benchmark results indicate that the system’s weakest performance point is 4K Ultra at 45 FPS, which is still a playable experience for many, but falls short of the 60 FPS target. At every other resolution and preset combination, the system clears the 60 FPS playable threshold, making this a versatile configuration for The Medium.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern: the RTX 4080 is the dominant factor in this pairing, with the CPU providing ample headroom at all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, the jump from Low to Ultra settings costs 113 FPS (from 181 to 68), which is a dramatic drop driven almost entirely by the GPU’s rendering workload. The CPU’s 16 cores and 24 threads, with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, are more than sufficient to feed the GPU even at 1080p Low where the average FPS hits 181. Scaling to 2560x1440, the same preset range shows a drop from 161 to 57 FPS, indicating that resolution scaling is beginning to shift more load onto the GPU, but the CPU still keeps pace without bottlenecking. At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor: Ultra drops to 45 FPS while Low maintains 127 FPS, a 72% reduction in performance from the lowest to highest preset. The CPU’s role is consistent across resolutions, as its benchmark scores (Cinebench R23 multicore of 30745 and single-core of 2116) suggest it can handle the game’s dual-reality rendering mechanics without becoming a constraint. The data shows that for this game, the RTX 4080’s 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 9728 shading units are the primary drivers of performance, especially at 4K where memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s becomes critical.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 181, providing an exceptionally smooth experience. Medium settings yield 120 FPS average with minimums of 102 and maximums of 138, showing tight frame pacing. High settings produce an 86 FPS average, still well above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings drop to a 68 FPS average, which is playable but shows the game’s most demanding preset. The variance between Low and Ultra at 1080p is substantial, with the gap between the two presets reaching 113 FPS, demonstrating that The Medium’s graphical options have a major impact on performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the system remains highly capable. Low settings produce 161 FPS average, while Medium delivers 101 FPS with a minimum of 86 and maximum of 116. High settings maintain a 72 FPS average, still comfortably above the 60 FPS playable threshold. Ultra settings at 1440p produce 57 FPS, which falls just below the 60 FPS target. The 1440p results show a similar scaling pattern to 1080p, but with roughly a 15-20% reduction in average FPS across all presets, indicating that the resolution increase costs a consistent amount of performance.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s limits become apparent. Low settings deliver 127 FPS average, which is still excellent for 4K. Medium settings produce 79 FPS average with minimums of 67 and maximums of 91, providing a stable experience above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings drop to 57 FPS, just under the playable threshold. Ultra settings at 4K produce 45 FPS, which is the lowest result in the entire test suite. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 72% performance drop, emphasizing that this resolution is where the RTX 4080’s 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is most taxed.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the Intel Core i7-13700K, the nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, which scores 46971 versus the i7-13700K’s 46881, a negligible 0.2% difference. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 is also within 0.3% of the i7-13700K’s score. The AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 both sit 0.5% ahead of the i7-13700K. These CPUs would all behave nearly identically in The Medium, as the game is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions. The single-core performance of the i7-13700K (Geekbench single-core of 2529) is particularly strong, and rivals within 0.5% would show similar behavior in the game’s CPU-bound scenarios, though such scenarios are rare in this title.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, the closest rival is the RTX 4080 SUPER, which scores 54209 versus 54247, a 0.1% difference. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% behind, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB and AMD Radeon 8060S are 2.6% and 2.7% behind, respectively. In practical terms for The Medium, the RTX 4080 SUPER would deliver nearly identical frame rates across all resolutions and presets. The AMD alternatives would show slightly lower performance, translating to roughly 1-3 FPS differences at 4K Medium settings. None of these rivals would change the verdict at any resolution, as they all fall within a narrow performance band.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, at 4K the system achieves playable frame rates (above 60 FPS) on Low and Medium settings. Medium produces 79 FPS average with a minimum of 67 FPS. High and Ultra settings fall below 60 FPS, with High at 57 FPS and Ultra at 45 FPS.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p gameplay?

A: The best 1440p setting is High, which delivers a 72 FPS average, clearing the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings at 1440p drop to 57 FPS, just below the playable target.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The RTX 4080 scores 54247 in average benchmarks, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54209, a 0.1% difference. In The Medium, this translates to virtually identical frame rates at all tested resolutions and presets.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The data shows the GPU is the dominant factor. At 4K, frame rates drop from 127 FPS on Low to 45 FPS on Ultra, a 72% reduction, while the CPU maintains high benchmark scores (30745 in Cinebench R23 multicore) that suggest it is never the bottleneck.

Q: What is the maximum playable preset at 1080p?

A: All presets are playable at 1080p. Ultra settings produce a 68 FPS average, which clears the 60 FPS threshold, making it the best playable setting with an average of 68 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: The i7-13700K and RTX 4080 combination ranks 218th out of 3,724 tested combos for The Medium, placing it in the top 6% of all configurations tested.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 can run The Medium with playable frame rates at all three tested resolutions, provided settings are chosen appropriately. At 1920x1080, the system clears 60 FPS at every preset, with Ultra delivering 68 FPS average. At 2560x1440, High settings are the best playable option at 72 FPS, while Ultra falls just short at 57 FPS. At 3840x2160, Medium settings are the best playable choice at 79 FPS, with Low also playable at 127 FPS, but High and Ultra drop below the 60 FPS threshold. The verdict is clear: this is a 1080p and 1440p Ultra-capable system for The Medium, while 4K players should stick to Medium settings for a smooth experience. The system’s overall rank of 218 out of 3,724 confirms it is a top-tier configuration for this title, delivering consistently high performance across most settings and resolutions.