The Medium

The Medium with an Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti presents a specific performance profile that is heavily dictated by the GPU rather than the processor. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings show a clear pattern of GPU-bound behavior, with the CPU’s substantial headroom remaining largely underutilized. This analysis breaks down the data from the benchmark database to explain where the bottleneck lies and how to optimize the experience.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. It features a 30 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a 3DMark max-thread score of 12412 and a single-thread score of 1136, with a Cinebench R23 multicore result of 39000 and single-core result of 5505. Its average benchmark score is 47282, placing it in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs.

However, the measured FPS data for The Medium indicates that this processing power is not the limiting factor. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 149.5 FPS, but this drops to 67.7 FPS at High settings and 53.8 FPS at Ultra. The progression of frame rates correlates directly with graphical load, not CPU workload. The i7-13700K’s nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Core i7-13700KF (-0.1% delta) and the AMD EPYC 4364P (+0.3% delta), all within a fraction of a percent of each other. This tight grouping suggests that any of these processors would deliver nearly identical results in a GPU-bound scenario like The Medium, confirming that the CPU’s 16 cores and high clock speeds are more than sufficient for this title’s demands. The game simply does not stress the processor enough to differentiate between these top-tier chips.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best average FPS achievable with this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 149.5, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is significantly higher than the 94.7 FPS at Medium and 67.7 FPS at High, showing a steep performance cost for each quality tier.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 Ti compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti has an average benchmark score of 41224, which is 0.5% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (score of 41441). It is also 0.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 and 1.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, indicating a very close performance cluster.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck in The Medium?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting component. For example, at 2560x1440, the average FPS drops from 126.7 at Low to 43.5 at Ultra, a 65.7% reduction. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would remain more stable across different graphical presets.

Q: What percentile does the RTX 3080 Ti rank in among all GPUs?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti places in the 83rd percentile among all tested GPUs, with a Passmark G3D score of 26896 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5077. This places it well above average but not at the absolute top tier.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between 1080p and 4K at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the combo averages 94.7 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160 Medium reduces this to 64.6 FPS, a 31.7% decrease. This indicates that the GPU is being pushed harder at higher resolutions, confirming the graphics card’s role as the performance limiter.

Q: How does the CPU’s multi-threaded score compare to its single-threaded score?

A: The i7-13700K scores 39000 in Cinebench R23 multicore versus 5505 in single-core, a ratio of roughly 7:1. This shows massive parallel processing capability, but The Medium’s frame rates do not scale with this headroom, reinforcing that the game is not CPU-intensive.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a consistent and predictable drop as resolution increases, which is a hallmark of GPU-bound performance. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 149.5 at 1080p to 126.7 at 1440p and finally 98.4 at 4K. This is a 34.2% decrease from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the numbers are 67.7 FPS at 1080p, 58.9 FPS at 1440p, and 44.4 FPS at 4K, representing a 34.4% drop. The consistency of this percentage drop across different presets is telling.

If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS at 1080p would be artificially capped, and the drop to 4K would be minimal because the GPU would still be waiting on the CPU. Instead, the FPS scales almost linearly with the pixel count increase, indicating that the RTX 3080 Ti is doing all the heavy lifting. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 34.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play. The GPU’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 912.4 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated at this resolution and quality, while the CPU’s 24 threads remain largely idle. The data clearly shows that to improve 4K performance, one would need a more powerful GPU, not a faster CPU.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured rows offer a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 149.5 FPS, which is well beyond what most displays can show, making it a waste of graphical potential. The Medium preset at 94.7 FPS is a better balance, offering a solid experience above 90 FPS. High settings at 67.7 FPS are still playable, but Ultra drops to 53.8 FPS, which may be less desirable for a horror title where smooth motion is important. For 1080p, the Medium preset appears to be the sweet spot, providing high frame rates while retaining more visual detail than Low.

At 1440p, the pattern shifts. Medium settings yield 76.9 FPS, which is ideal for a 60 Hz or 144 Hz monitor, providing a smooth and responsive experience. High settings at 58.9 FPS are borderline, dipping below 60 FPS. Ultra at 43.5 FPS is noticeably less fluid. For 1440p, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. At 4K, the situation becomes more constrained. Medium settings produce 64.6 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold, while High drops to 44.4 FPS and Ultra to 34.1 FPS. The data suggests that 4K Medium is the only viable preset for a playable experience, as it is the only one that stays above 60 FPS. Low settings at 4K achieve 98.4 FPS, but this comes at a severe cost to visual quality, making Medium the better compromise.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti ranks at position 388 out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the top 23% of all configurations tested. Given the GPU’s 83rd percentile ranking and the CPU’s 93rd percentile, one might expect a higher placement. However, the ranking is heavily influenced by the fact that many other combos feature more powerful GPUs like the RTX 3090, which has a higher average benchmark score.

The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-13700KF, have nearly identical average scores, so the ranking difference between combos using these CPUs would be minimal. The RTX 3080 Ti’s closest rival, the RTX 3090, is only 0.5% faster in synthetic benchmarks, which translates to a negligible FPS difference in-game. This suggests that the combo’s rank of 388 is primarily determined by the GPU tier, not the CPU. The data indicates that this setup is a solid mid-to-high-tier performer, capable of handling the game at 1080p and 1440p with ease, but it is not at the absolute top of the leaderboard, which is reserved for combos with newer or higher-end graphics cards.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 149.5 FPS average
• Medium: 94.7 FPS average
• High: 67.7 FPS average
• Ultra: 53.8 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 126.7 FPS average
• Medium: 76.9 FPS average
• High: 58.9 FPS average
• Ultra: 43.5 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 98.4 FPS average
• Medium: 64.6 FPS average
• High: 44.4 FPS average
• Ultra: 34.1 FPS average

These numbers show a clear hierarchy. At 1080p, the combo easily exceeds 60 FPS on all presets except Ultra, which still manages a playable 53.8 FPS. At 1440p, the Low preset is the only one above 100 FPS, with Medium and High staying above 58 FPS. At 4K, only Low and Medium presets stay above 60 FPS, with High and Ultra falling below 45 FPS. The data suggests that for a locked 60 FPS experience, the user should stick to Medium settings at 4K, High settings at 1440p, or Ultra settings at 1080p. The RTX 3080 Ti’s 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for all tested configurations, but the raw compute power is the limiting factor at higher resolutions and quality settings. The 34.1 FPS result at 4K Ultra indicates that this is the most demanding configuration, and the GPU is simply not capable of maintaining a high frame rate there.