The Medium

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers a commanding performance profile in The Medium, a horror title released on 2021-01-27. The measured data shows that this combination handles the game’s demanding dual-reality rendering with significant headroom at most settings, though the absolute highest preset at 4K pushes the system to its limits. Benchmark results indicate a clear hierarchy across resolutions, with the RTX 5090’s 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and the i7-13700K’s 16 cores providing ample resources for the game’s visual effects. The following analysis breaks down the exact measured frame rates, optimal settings per resolution, and how this combo stacks against other tested configurations.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of 60 FPS or higher is High, which delivers a measured 63.6 FPS average. The data shows that Ultra settings at this resolution fall below the playable threshold, averaging 50.4 FPS, making them unsuitable for a smooth experience. Medium settings provide a comfortable buffer at 87.6 FPS, but High is the optimal choice for maximizing visual quality while staying above the 60 FPS playable threshold. Low settings at 4K reach 148 FPS, but that preset sacrifices too much graphical fidelity for the hardware’s capability.

Moving to 2560x1440, the entire settings range becomes playable, with Ultra achieving an average of 67.3 FPS. This makes Ultra the best settings option at 1440p, as it clears the 60 FPS threshold by a margin of 7.3 frames. High settings at this resolution average 84.2 FPS, Medium reaches 118.1 FPS, and Low hits 168.4 FPS, but Ultra represents the peak visual experience without dropping below the playable line. The 67.3 FPS average at Ultra indicates the GPU still has some headroom, though the margin is narrower than at lower presets.

At 1920x1080, Ultra settings are fully viable, with a measured average of 78.4 FPS. This is the best settings choice at 1080p, as it provides the highest visual fidelity while staying well above the 60 FPS threshold, offering an 18.4 FPS buffer. High settings average 96.3 FPS, Medium reaches 134.6 FPS, and Low hits 179.1 FPS, but none of these lower presets are necessary given the hardware’s capability. The data confirms that at 1080p, the combo can run the game at its maximum preset with comfortable performance.

FAQ

Q: Can the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 run The Medium at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. The measured data shows that at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 50.4 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdictByResolution data lists High, Low, and Medium as playable at 4K, with High being the best settings option at 63.6 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 67.3 FPS, making it the best playable option. The verdictByResolution field confirms all four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable at this resolution, but Ultra offers the highest quality while maintaining 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5090’s performance in The Medium compare to its nearest rival GPUs?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 79842, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, scores 79605, a delta of 0.3%. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78940, which is 1.1% lower, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scores 80959, which is 1.4% higher.

Q: Is the Core i7-13700K a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 in this game?

A: The data does not indicate a bottleneck, as the combo achieves playable frame rates at all resolutions except 4K Ultra. The CPU’s average benchmark score is 46881, ranking in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, scores 46971, just 0.2% higher, suggesting the CPU is well-matched for this workload.

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

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings is 134.6 FPS. This is well above the playable threshold of 60 FPS, and the data shows that even Ultra settings at 1080p achieve 78.4 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among other tested configurations in The Medium?

A: The combo ranks 64th out of 3724 tested combinations, placing it in the top 2% of all systems tested. This ranking reflects the strong performance of the i7-13700K and RTX 5090 pairing across the game’s settings and resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the measured frame rates show a clear progression across settings. Low settings deliver an average of 148 FPS, providing the highest performance at this resolution. Medium settings reduce the average to 87.6 FPS, still offering strong performance. High settings drop further to 63.6 FPS, which remains just above the 60 FPS playable threshold. Ultra settings produce the lowest average at 50.4 FPS, falling below the playable line. The gap between Low and Ultra is substantial, with a difference of 97.6 FPS, indicating the significant cost of the game’s highest visual preset at 4K.

The 2560x1440 results follow a similar pattern but with higher overall performance. Low settings average 168.4 FPS, making it the fastest preset at this resolution. Medium settings reach 118.1 FPS, High settings average 84.2 FPS, and Ultra settings achieve 67.3 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra is 101.1 FPS, slightly larger than at 4K, but all presets remain playable. The Ultra average of 67.3 FPS is the narrowest margin above the 60 FPS threshold across all playable settings, indicating that 1440p Ultra is the most demanding configuration that still clears the playable line.

At 1920x1080, the performance scales even higher. Low settings produce an average of 179.1 FPS, the highest measured value across all resolutions and settings. Medium settings average 134.6 FPS, High settings reach 96.3 FPS, and Ultra settings achieve 78.4 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 100.7 FPS, consistent with the other resolutions. Notably, the 1080p Ultra average of 78.4 FPS provides an 18.4 FPS buffer above the playable threshold, making it the safest high-fidelity option among the three resolutions. Across all resolutions, Low settings consistently deliver more than double the frame rate of Ultra, but the game’s visual demands mean that Ultra remains viable at 1440p and 1080p.

The Verdict

The data confirms that this PC can run The Medium at playable frame rates across most configurations. At 3840x2160, the verdictByResolution lists High, Low, and Medium as playable settings, with High being the best option at an average of 63.6 FPS. Ultra at 4K is not playable, as its 50.4 FPS average falls short of the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, all four settings presets are playable, with Ultra achieving 67.3 FPS as the best settings choice. The 1920x1080 resolution allows for Ultra settings at 78.4 FPS, which is the highest quality preset across any resolution. For users prioritizing visual fidelity, 1440p Ultra offers a balanced experience, while 1080p Ultra provides the largest buffer above the playable threshold. At 4K, users must compromise to High settings to maintain 60 FPS, but the 63.6 FPS average indicates that the system is still capable of delivering a smooth experience at that resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU’s nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, include the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, which scores 46971 compared to the i7-13700K’s 46881, a negligible delta of -0.2%. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47022, also 0.3% lower than the i7-13700K, indicating nearly identical performance. On the higher side, the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX scores 46654, which is 0.5% lower, and the Intel Xeon w3-2535 scores 46653, also 0.5% lower. These deltas are all within 0.5%, meaning any of these CPUs would deliver essentially the same frame rates in The Medium when paired with the RTX 5090.

For the GPU, the RTX 5090’s average benchmark score of 79842 places it among the top tier. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, scores 79605, a delta of 0.3% higher, meaning the Tesla P100 would perform nearly identically in this game. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79396, which is 0.6% higher, while the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78940, 1.1% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scores 80959, which is 1.4% higher than the RTX 5090, making it the closest competitor with a slight edge. These small deltas suggest that users with any of these GPUs would see comparable performance in The Medium, though the RTX 5090’s 32 GB of memory and Blackwell 2.0 architecture provide additional future-proofing beyond this specific game.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for The Medium, this pairing of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 64th out of 3724 total combos. This places the system in the top 1.7% of all tested configurations, reflecting its high-end status. The rank is driven by the GPU’s strong performance, as the RTX 5090 sits in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU ranks in the 89th percentile. The combination of these two components results in a system that can handle the game’s most demanding settings at all but the highest 4K preset. The ranking also indicates that there are 63 other combos that outperform this pairing, likely featuring even more powerful CPUs or specialized hardware, but the absolute performance difference is minimal given the playable frame rates achieved across most settings. For practical purposes, this combo is positioned at the upper echelon of systems capable of running The Medium smoothly.