The Medium

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 sits at rank 1600 out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the bottom 5% of all configurations. That ranking is heavily influenced by the graphics card, not the processor. The CPU alone performs at the 93rd percentile among all tested processors, which is a stark contrast to the GPU's 43rd percentile standing. The data suggests a profound imbalance: the processor is near the top of its class while the graphics card is near the middle of the pack, and the game's demands clearly expose the weaker link.

The system's overall performance is dragged down by the GPU bottleneck, which becomes evident when examining the measured frame rates across all settings and resolutions. This combo is not competitive for smooth gameplay at any resolution above 1080p, and even at 1080p, the frame rates are below what most players would consider acceptable. The rank reflects this reality: out of 1689 combinations, only 89 perform worse, and those are likely paired with even older or more limited hardware.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the primary constraint in this pairing. It comes with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 1485 MHz with a boost clock of 1665 MHz, and it has 896 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. Its memory operates at 2001 MHz, which translates to 8 Gbps effective. These specifications are modest for a 2021 horror title like The Medium, which likely relies on streaming high-resolution assets and complex lighting.

In this game, the GPU's limited memory capacity and bandwidth become critical. At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate drops to 11.6 FPS, which is essentially a slideshow. Even at 1080p Ultra, the average is only 14.6 FPS. The GTX 1650's FP32 performance is 2.984 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate is 53.28 GPixel/s, but these numbers do not translate into playable performance in this title. The GPU's DirectX 12 benchmark score is 35, which is notably low, and its Vulkan score is 35966, but neither helps in practice. The data indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor in every single measured configuration, regardless of the CPU's strength.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS shows a clear pattern of resolution scaling that highlights the GPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 43.2 FPS, which is the best result in the entire dataset. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 39.6 FPS, a reduction of 3.6 FPS. At 4K Low, the average falls to 31 FPS, another drop of 8.6 FPS. These reductions are relatively modest in percentage terms, suggesting that at Low settings, the GPU is still managing to keep up somewhat, but the trend is downward.

However, at higher settings, the scaling becomes more punishing. At High settings, the frame rates are 23 FPS at 1080p, 18.1 FPS at 1440p, and 14.2 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is 8.8 FPS, which is a 38% reduction. At Ultra settings, the frame rates are 14.6 FPS at 1080p, 11.6 FPS at 1440p, and 11.6 FPS at 4K. The Ultra results are so low that resolution scaling has almost no effect, because the GPU is already saturated. This pattern indicates that the limiting component is the GPU, not the CPU, since a CPU bottleneck would typically show less variation across resolutions and more variation across settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the only viable configuration for this combo is 1080p Low, which delivers 43.2 FPS. This is the only setting and resolution combination that approaches a playable frame rate. The next best is 1440p Low at 39.6 FPS, but that is still below 40 FPS, which may feel choppy in a horror game where smooth camera movement matters. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 26.5 FPS, and at 1080p High, it falls to 23 FPS.

For players who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, 1080p Medium at 26.5 FPS might be tolerable, but it is not recommended for a game that relies on atmosphere and tension. The data suggests that Ultra settings are entirely off the table, as even 1080p Ultra only yields 14.6 FPS. The recommendation is clear: use Low settings at 1080p for the best experience. If the player insists on higher resolution, 1440p Low at 39.6 FPS is the only other option that stays above 30 FPS, but it comes with a noticeable hit to clarity. Everything else falls below 30 FPS, which is generally considered the minimum threshold for playable performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings produce an average of 43.2 FPS, Medium produces 26.5 FPS, High produces 23 FPS, and Ultra produces 14.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 16.7 FPS, which is significant, while the gap between Medium and High is only 3.5 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 8.4 FPS. This suggests that the Medium to High transition is less demanding, but the High to Ultra transition is punishing.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 39.6 FPS for Low, 21.7 FPS for Medium, 18.1 FPS for High, and 11.6 FPS for Ultra. The drop from Low to Medium is 17.9 FPS, which is the largest single-setting drop at this resolution. The difference between High and Ultra is 6.5 FPS, and the Ultra result matches the 4K Ultra result exactly at 11.6 FPS, indicating that the GPU is completely maxed out at this point.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 31 FPS for Low, 20.7 FPS for Medium, 14.2 FPS for High, and 11.6 FPS for Ultra. The Low setting at 4K is actually higher than the Medium setting at 1440p, which shows that resolution scaling is less impactful than settings scaling for this GPU. The data reveals that the GTX 1650 cannot handle this game at 4K with any quality setting above Low, and even Low at 4K is only 31 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the best frame rate this combo can achieve in The Medium?

A: The highest measured average is 43.2 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in The Medium?

A: At 4K, the best result is 31 FPS on Low settings. Medium, High, and Ultra produce 20.7 FPS, 14.2 FPS, and 11.6 FPS respectively, which are not playable.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 47282, which is 0.1% lower than the Intel Core i7-13700KF and 0.5% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945, but it is 0.3% higher than the AMD EPYC 4364P and 0.4% higher than the Intel Core i9-12900F.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 8713, which is 0.4% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile and the AMD Radeon 550X, and 0.5% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100, but it is 0.5% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro P2200.

Q: What is the CPU's single-thread performance?

A: The CPU scores 1136 in 3DMark single-thread, 554 in Cinebench R15 single-core, 2312 in Cinebench R20 single-core, 5505 in Cinebench R23 single-core, and 2850 in Geekbench single-core.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The GPU has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory with a 128-bit bus, providing 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock is 2001 MHz, which is 8 Gbps effective.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and it uses the Intel Socket 1700.

In this game, the CPU's role is largely secondary. The processor's multi-threaded performance is exceptional, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39000 and a Passmark multithread score of 45887. Its single-thread performance is also strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5505. However, the measured frame rates in The Medium do not reflect this strength, because the GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU is operating far below its potential, and the game's performance is entirely constrained by the GTX 1650.

The data indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor in any of the 12 measured configurations. The frame rates scale with resolution and settings in a way that is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar frame rates across different resolutions, but that is not the case. Instead, the frame rates drop as resolution increases, confirming that the GPU is saturated. The i7-13700K has more than enough processing power for this game, and its 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs underscores that point. In a different pairing with a stronger GPU, this processor would likely deliver significantly higher frame rates, but with the GTX 1650, the CPU's capabilities are wasted.