The Medium

The Medium’s performance on the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti combo reveals a system that is clearly capable of high frame rates, yet is consistently held back by the graphics card as resolution climbs. The measured data shows a dramatic drop in average FPS from 1080p to 4K, pinpointing the GPU as the primary bottleneck for this horror title. This analysis explores how the CPU’s core configuration, the GPU’s memory and clock speeds, and the game’s settings presets interact to produce the observed results.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, indicating a classic GPU-bound scenario. At the High preset, the average frame rate falls from 116 FPS at 1920x1080 to 73 FPS at 2560x1440, a 37% reduction. Pushing to 3840x2160 yields only 38 FPS, a further 48% drop from the 1440p figure and a 67% decline from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern is a clear sign that the RTX 3070 Ti is the limiting component, as the CPU has ample headroom at lower resolutions.

The trend is even more pronounced at the Ultra preset. The average FPS plummets from 93 at 1080p to 59 at 1440p, and then to a barely playable 31 at 4K. This suggests that the most demanding settings amplify the GPU’s workload, making it impossible to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The data implies that the game’s visual complexity at 4K, combined with the Ultra preset, simply overwhelms the RTX 3070 Ti’s capabilities.

At the Low and Medium presets, the scaling is less aggressive but still shows a GPU limit. At Low, the frame rate drops from 259 at 1080p to 164 at 1440p, and then to 86 at 4K. While these numbers are high, the 47% drop from 1440p to 4K still points to the GPU being the primary constraint. The Medium preset tells a similar story: 164 FPS at 1080p, 103 at 1440p, and 54 at 4K. The consistent pattern across all presets confirms that the CPU is not the bottleneck; the system’s performance ceiling is defined by the graphics card’s rendering power at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19784 and a single-core score of 1850.5. In the 3DMark tests, it achieves 9276 in the 16-thread test and 9979 in the max-thread test, indicating robust multi-threaded performance. These results place the CPU in the 84th percentile of all processors, showing it is a high-end part.

However, the game’s FPS data suggests that the CPU is rarely the limiting factor in The Medium. The fact that frame rates scale so heavily with resolution and settings indicates that the workload is primarily on the GPU. The CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with data, and with its high single-thread performance (Geekbench single-core score of 2308) and multi-core capability, it easily keeps up. The data implies that even at 1080p with Low settings, where the CPU would be most stressed, the 259 FPS average is still well within the CPU’s ability to deliver.

The processor’s 25 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 likely contribute to its ability to handle the game’s data streaming without becoming a bottleneck. The benchmark results show the CPU is more than sufficient for this title, as the measured FPS is almost entirely dictated by the GPU’s performance at each resolution and setting combination. In essence, the i7-12700K provides a stable foundation, but the game’s performance is not a test of its limits.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data suggests that the most balanced experience is found at the High preset. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 116 FPS, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay. At 2560x1440, it still manages a solid 73 FPS, making it a viable option for high-refresh-rate monitors. Even at 4K, the High preset’s 38 FPS is borderline, but the drop from 1440p is significant, suggesting that 4K should be reserved for less demanding presets.

For players targeting 4K, the Medium preset appears to be the best compromise. It offers an average of 54 FPS at 3840x2160, which is more playable than the High preset’s 38 FPS. The Medium preset also shows a minimum FPS of 46 at 4K, indicating that the frame rate stays relatively stable. This is in contrast to the Ultra preset, which drops to 31 FPS at 4K, a figure that is likely too low for a smooth experience.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset is a viable choice, delivering 59 FPS on average. This is a better option than the Medium preset’s 103 FPS if visual fidelity is a priority, but it comes at a cost of a 43% performance reduction. The data suggests that for most users, the High preset at 1440p offers a sweet spot, balancing the 73 FPS average with higher visual quality than Medium. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset can be used effectively, with an average of 93 FPS, making it the only resolution where Ultra is recommended without significant compromises.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K with the High preset?

A: The measured data shows an average of 38 FPS at 3840x2160 with the High settings preset.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The FPS drops consistently as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation, while the CPU’s strong benchmark scores suggest it has ample headroom.

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

A: Based on the measured FPS, the High preset at 2560x1440 provides a good balance with an average of 73 FPS. The Medium preset offers higher performance at 103 FPS, while the Ultra preset is also playable at 59 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 93 FPS, which is lower than the High preset’s 116 FPS. The performance cost of Ultra is about a 20% reduction in average FPS.

Q: Does the RTX 3070 Ti have enough VRAM for this game?

A: The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6X memory. The measured FPS data shows playable frame rates at 1440p and 1080p on most presets, but the significant drop at 4K suggests the memory capacity or bandwidth may be a limiting factor at that resolution.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The only preset with a recorded minimum FPS is Medium. At 1080p, the minimum is 139 FPS; at 1440p, it is 88 FPS; and at 4K, it is 46 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s. Its core clocks are 1575 MHz base and 1770 MHz boost, with 6144 shading units and 48 RT cores. The GPU’s benchmark scores are respectable, with a PassMark G3D score of 23356 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 139541, placing it in the 75th percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU’s role in The Medium is clearly dominant. The measured FPS data shows that the RTX 3070 Ti is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, particularly at 4K. The memory bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s is substantial, but the 8 GB capacity may be insufficient for the game’s high-resolution textures at Ultra settings, contributing to the low 31 FPS average at 4K Ultra. The data suggests that the GPU’s compute power, while strong, is not enough to handle the game’s demands at 4K with maximum settings.

At 1440p, the GPU performs well, delivering over 60 FPS on all presets except Ultra, which hits 59 FPS. This indicates that the RTX 3070 Ti is well-suited for 1440p gaming in this title. The boost clock of 1770 MHz and the high texture rate of 339.8 GTexel/s likely help maintain these frame rates. However, the steep performance drop at 4K, especially when moving from High (38 FPS) to Ultra (31 FPS), shows that the GPU’s capabilities are stretched to their limit at that resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers high frame rates across all presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 259 FPS, while Medium sees 164 FPS with a minimum of 139 and a maximum of 188. High drops to 116 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 93 FPS. This shows that at 1080p, the CPU and GPU combo is capable of very high performance, with even the Ultra preset remaining well above the 60 FPS threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages decrease significantly. Low delivers 164 FPS, Medium provides 103 FPS with a minimum of 88 and a maximum of 119, High drops to 73 FPS, and Ultra falls to 59 FPS. The data shows a clear progression, with the Ultra preset just barely hitting the 60 FPS mark, suggesting that 1440p is the practical ceiling for the highest settings on this hardware.

At 3840x2160, the performance takes a major hit. Low is the only preset that remains highly playable, with an average of 86 FPS. Medium drops to 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 and a maximum of 62, making it the best option for a stable 4K experience. High falls to 38 FPS, and Ultra is nearly unplayable at 31 FPS. This breakdown confirms that 4K gaming is only viable with lower settings on this combo.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti ranks 99th out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the top 2.7% of all systems tested, indicating that it is a high-performing configuration for this specific game. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU, even though the GPU is the limiting factor.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score are the Intel Core i5-13600T, Intel Core i7-12700KF, Intel Core i7-13700T, and Intel Core 5 213PE, with delta percentages of -0.1%, -0.2%, -0.3%, and -0.4% respectively. This shows that the i7-12700K is essentially on par with these processors, with negligible performance differences. The GPU’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile, AMD Radeon RX 6800, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, and AMD Radeon RX 6700, with deltas of 0.1%, -0.5%, 0.5%, and -1.6%.

The combo’s rank of 99 suggests that the pairing is well-suited for The Medium, delivering a performance level that is superior to the vast majority of systems in the database. The data implies that while the RTX 3070 Ti is the bottleneck at 4K, the overall system is still capable of providing a good experience at lower resolutions, justifying its high ranking. The combination’s performance is consistent with what would be expected from a high-end CPU and a solid mid-to-high-end GPU.