The Medium

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers a performance profile that is heavily skewed toward high refresh rates at lower resolutions, while still managing to hold the 60 FPS line at 4K with the right settings. Benchmark data for The Medium shows a clear pattern: this combination is exceptionally strong at 1080p and 1440p, where it can push well beyond 100 FPS at medium settings, but requires careful preset selection at 4K to avoid dropping below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The data indicates that the RTX 5080’s raw rasterization power is the primary driver of these results, though the i7-13700K’s high single-thread and multi-thread scores ensure the CPU never becomes a bottleneck in this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains at least 60 FPS at 3840x2160 resolution?

A: At 4K, the High preset is the most demanding setting that stays playable, delivering an average FPS of 60.4. The Ultra preset falls short of the 60 FPS threshold with an average of 50.1 FPS.

Q: How does the combo perform at 1920x1080 compared to 2560x1440 at High settings?

A: The average FPS at 1080p High is 92.0, while at 1440p High it drops to 75.5. This represents a 16.5 FPS decrease when moving from 1080p to 1440p at the same preset.

Q: Which component is more influential for this game’s performance at 4K?

A: The data shows the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. The RTX 5080’s scores, such as its Passmark G3D score of 36565, align with the heavy frame rate scaling seen across resolutions, whereas the i7-13700K’s robust Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30745 indicates ample headroom for this workload.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at any resolution for this combination?

A: Yes, but only at 1920x1080. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 74.0. At 2560x1440 Ultra, the average drops to 59.1, which is just below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between Low and Medium settings at 2560x1440?

A: At 1440p, the Low preset averages 172.3 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 108.7 FPS. The performance cost of moving from Low to Medium is approximately 63.6 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 116th out of 3724 tested combinations, placing it in the top 3.1% of all configurations tested for The Medium.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions in The Medium points to the GPU being the dominant factor, especially as resolution increases. From 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average FPS drops from 92.0 to 75.5, a 17.9% reduction. This scaling intensifies at 4K, where the High preset yields only 60.4 FPS. The RTX 5080’s specifications, including its 56.28 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 960.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, are directly reflected in these numbers. The GPU is clearly the primary driver of frame rates.

The CPU’s role is more pronounced at lower resolutions where the GPU is less saturated. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 181.7 FPS, which is only 9.4 FPS higher than the 172.3 FPS seen at 1440p Low. This relatively small gap suggests that at 1080p, the i7-13700K’s performance—evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 and Passmark single-thread score of 4333—is sufficient to feed the GPU without becoming a bottleneck. However, the data does not show a scenario where the CPU limits performance, as the frame rates remain high even at the lowest settings.

The pattern across presets reinforces the GPU-centric nature of the workload. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra is 84.2 FPS (134.3 vs 50.1), which is a massive swing that only a powerful GPU like the RTX 5080 can produce. In contrast, the CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities, such as its Geekbench multi-core score of 19429, are more than adequate for the game’s demands. The data suggests that for this specific title, the RTX 5080 is the component that dictates playability, while the i7-13700K provides a stable foundation that does not introduce frame pacing issues or CPU-bound dips.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all presets. The Low preset averages 181.7 FPS. Moving to Medium reduces the average to 126.1 FPS. The High preset further lowers performance to 92.0 FPS. The most demanding Ultra preset still maintains a solid 74.0 FPS average. All four presets at this resolution exceed the 60 FPS playable threshold by a wide margin.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. The Low preset averages 172.3 FPS, which is only a minor reduction from 1080p. The Medium preset drops to 108.7 FPS. High settings yield a 75.5 FPS average, which remains comfortably above the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset, however, falls just short of playable, averaging 59.1 FPS. This is the only preset at 1440p that fails to clear the 60 FPS line.

At 3840x2160, the demands of 4K become evident. The Low preset still averages 134.3 FPS, indicating that the GPU has significant headroom when visual effects are reduced. The Medium preset averages 84.6 FPS, which is still well above the threshold. High settings produce an average of 60.4 FPS, just barely meeting the playable standard. The Ultra preset is the only configuration that fails to reach 60 FPS, with an average of 50.1 FPS. The data shows a clear trend: each resolution increase reduces the maximum playable preset by one step.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run The Medium effectively at all tested resolutions, but the playable settings vary significantly. The verdict data confirms that at 3840x2160, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best preset that achieves an average of 60.4 FPS. At 2560x1440, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High again being the best option, delivering 75.5 FPS average. At 1920x1080, all four presets are playable, with Ultra being the best, averaging 74.0 FPS.

The 60 FPS threshold is a clear demarcation point in the data. At 4K, the Ultra preset is the only one that fails, and it does so by a margin of 9.9 FPS. At 1440p, the Ultra preset fails by a much smaller margin of 0.9 FPS. This suggests that for 1440p gaming, a slight reduction in settings or a minor overclock could potentially push the Ultra preset over the line. However, based on the measured data, the recommended configuration is High at both 4K and 1440p, and Ultra at 1080p. The combination is powerful enough to provide a smooth experience across most settings, with only the most demanding presets at higher resolutions requiring adjustment.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the nearest rival data for the Intel Core i7-13700K, several CPUs would yield similar overall system performance. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 has an average score of 46971, which is 0.2% lower than the i7-13700K’s average of 46881. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47022, a 0.3% difference. The AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 both score around 46654, which is 0.5% higher than the i7-13700K. These deltas are all within a rounding error, meaning that swapping the i7-13700K for any of these CPUs would likely result in nearly identical frame rates in The Medium, as the game is not CPU-bound in the tested scenarios.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080, the nearest rivals show similar performance parity. The AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757, which is 0.6% higher than the RTX 5080’s average of 56083. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, a 0.7% difference. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, which is 2.3% lower. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE scores 57367, which is 2.2% higher. These differences are small, indicating that any of these GPUs would produce frame rates within a few percent of the RTX 5080. In practice, a user with a Radeon RX 9070 GRE could expect slightly higher average FPS, while a user with a Radeon Pro W5700X might see a minor reduction, but all would be in the same performance tier.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 116 out of 3724 tested combinations places this system in the 96.9th percentile of all configurations tested for The Medium. This is an exceptional ranking, indicating that the i7-13700K and RTX 5080 combination outperforms the vast majority of other hardware pairings. The high rank is consistent with the measured FPS data, which shows the system easily clearing 60 FPS at most settings and resolutions. The only area where it falters is 4K Ultra, which is an extreme demand that few systems can meet.

The ranking also reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU. The i7-13700K’s percentile rank of 89 among all CPUs and the RTX 5080’s percentile rank of 87 among all GPUs show that both components are in the top tier of their respective categories. When paired together, they synergize well, with the CPU’s high single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread score of 1136) ensuring that it does not hold back the GPU’s capabilities. The data suggests that this combo is well-optimized for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1440p and solid 4K gaming with adjusted settings.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the best settings that keep the average FPS at or above 60 are High, with an average of 60.4 FPS. While this is just over the threshold, it is the most demanding preset that remains playable. The Medium preset would offer a higher frame rate of 84.6 FPS, but High provides the best visual quality while still meeting the performance target.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are also High, with an average of 75.5 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold, leaving headroom for occasional dips in demanding scenes. The Ultra preset is not recommended here, as its 59.1 FPS average falls just below the playable threshold.

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra, with an average of 74.0 FPS. This is the only resolution where the Ultra preset is playable, and it still maintains a frame rate that is 14 FPS above the 60 FPS target. For users seeking maximum visual fidelity, 1080p Ultra is the optimal configuration for this hardware. The data clearly shows that the RTX 5080 paired with the i7-13700K is capable of delivering a high-quality experience at 1080p and 1440p, with 4K requiring a slight reduction in preset to maintain smooth gameplay.