The Medium

The Medium, a horror title built around fixed-camera angles and heavy atmosphere, places a significant burden on the graphics card. The data for the Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Radeon RX 7600 combination reveals a system where the GPU is the clear bottleneck, with the CPU's substantial headroom remaining largely untapped across all tested settings and resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, confirming that the RX 7600 is the limiting factor. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 89.9 FPS at 1920x1080 to 80 FPS at 2560x1440, and then plummets to 63.3 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 29.6% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, a clear sign that the GPU is struggling to fill the additional pixels.

The scaling becomes even more pronounced at higher quality presets. Moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings drops the average from 44 FPS to 25 FPS, a 43.2% loss. At Ultra settings, the same resolution change brings the frame rate down from 35.9 FPS to 23 FPS, a 35.9% decline. The pattern is clear: as resolution increases, the GPU's pixel throughput becomes the dominant constraint, and the CPU's ability to feed frames becomes irrelevant.

This behavior is typical of a system where the graphics card is the primary performance limiter. The RX 7600's 128-bit memory bus and 8 GB of VRAM are being pushed hard, and the data shows that even at 1440p, the card is already showing its limits. The Medium is not a particularly CPU-intensive game at these settings, so the resolution scaling is almost entirely dictated by the GPU's raw rendering power.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global benchmark database, this specific CPU-GPU pairing achieves a rank of 1130 out of 1689 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the 33rd percentile, meaning roughly two-thirds of all tested combinations deliver higher average frame rates in this game. The rank is not terrible, but it is not impressive either, reflecting the fact that the RX 7600 is a mid-range card paired with a high-end CPU.

The CPU is not the issue here. The Core i7-13700K ranks in the 93rd percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 47282. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-13700KF (a 0.1% difference), the AMD EPYC 4364P (0.3% ahead), and the Intel Core i9-12900F (0.4% ahead). This puts the CPU in the top tier of processors, but the combination's overall rank is dragged down by the GPU.

The GPU, by contrast, ranks in the 63rd percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20258. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (0.6% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 460 (0.8% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (1.3% lower). The RX 7600 is a competent card, but it is clearly not in the same class as the CPU it is paired with. The combo rank reflects this imbalance, showing that the system's overall performance in The Medium is limited by the GPU's capabilities.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with a Navi 33 chip, manufactured on a 6 nm process. It features 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation pipelines. The card has a base clock of 1720 MHz, a game clock of 2250 MHz, and a boost clock of 2655 MHz. It is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s.

In The Medium, the GPU's role is decisive. The measured FPS data shows that the card's performance is heavily influenced by the settings preset. At 1080p, the average frame rate scales from 89.9 FPS at Low to 59.4 FPS at Medium, 44 FPS at High, and 35.9 FPS at Ultra. This is a classic GPU-bound scenario where the card's shading units and memory bandwidth are the primary determinants of performance.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for this game at 1080p and 1440p, but the 128-bit memory bus is a limiting factor at higher resolutions. The 4K results show a significant drop, with the average frame rate falling to 25 FPS at High settings and 23 FPS at Ultra. This indicates that the card is struggling to maintain the data throughput required for 4K rendering, even with the CPU providing ample headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers playable frame rates across all settings. The Low preset yields an average of 89.9 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. The Medium preset drops to 59.4 FPS, which is still acceptable for most players. The High preset produces 44 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The Ultra preset brings the average down to 35.9 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider the target for a smooth experience.

At 2560x1440, the performance degrades noticeably. The Low preset averages 80 FPS, which is still good. The Medium preset averages 48.7 FPS, which is borderline. The High preset drops to 35.5 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 26.8 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1440p gaming is only viable at Low or Medium settings for a consistently smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the card is clearly out of its depth. The Low preset averages 63.3 FPS, which is surprisingly playable, but the Medium preset drops to 37.2 FPS. The High preset averages 25 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 23 FPS. These frame rates are too low for a playable experience, making 4K gaming impractical except at the lowest settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on a 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a 30 MB shared L3 cache. The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39000 and a single-core score of 5505. Its PassMark multithread score is 45887, and its Geekbench multicore score is 17731.

In The Medium, the CPU's role is secondary but not negligible. The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck at any tested resolution or setting. The frame rates are consistently limited by the GPU, as evidenced by the significant performance drops when moving from 1080p to 4K. The CPU's high single-thread performance is more than sufficient to handle the game's logic and draw calls, even at the highest settings.

The Core i7-13700K's 16 cores and 24 threads are overkill for this title, which is not heavily multithreaded. The game's performance is primarily dependent on the GPU, and the CPU's 93rd percentile ranking means it is unlikely to hold back the system in any scenario. The data confirms that the combination's rank is determined by the GPU, not the CPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this system depend on the target resolution and frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers the best balance, delivering 59.4 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS target. The High preset at 44 FPS is acceptable for a slower-paced horror game, but Medium is the sweet spot for consistent smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only option that guarantees a smooth experience, with an average of 80 FPS. The Medium preset at 48.7 FPS is playable but may exhibit occasional stutters. For players who prefer higher visual quality, the Medium preset is a reasonable compromise, but the Low preset is recommended for a consistently responsive experience.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only viable option, averaging 63.3 FPS. The Medium preset at 37.2 FPS is too low for a comfortable experience, and the High and Ultra presets are unplayable. For 4K gaming, the Low preset is the only choice, and even then, the experience is not ideal due to the reduced visual fidelity.

For the best overall experience, the Medium preset at 1080p is the recommended configuration. It provides a frame rate that is close to the 60 FPS target while maintaining a reasonable level of visual quality. Players who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate can opt for the High preset, but they should be prepared for a noticeable drop in smoothness. The Ultra preset is not recommended, as the performance cost outweighs the visual benefits at all resolutions.