The Medium

The Medium presents a unique technical challenge, blending fixed-camera angles with real-time ray tracing to create its signature split-screen horror atmosphere. For this analysis, we examine the combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, a pairing that produces a fascinating set of performance characteristics across resolutions and settings. The data indicates a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher fidelity presets, while the CPU demonstrates its capability to push extreme frame rates at lower settings.

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

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, capable of processing 24 threads simultaneously. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz, which can boost up to 5.40 GHz under load. This high boost clock is crucial for gaming, as it allows the processor to handle the single-threaded workloads that often dominate game logic and physics. The chip features a 30 MB shared L3 cache, which helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores, reducing latency.

In the context of The Medium, this CPU's role is to feed the RTX 4080 with enough data to keep it saturated. At lower resolutions and settings, where the GPU has less work to do per frame, the CPU's performance becomes the limiting factor. The benchmark results show that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 181 FPS, a figure that is significantly higher than the 4K Low result of 127 FPS. This suggests that at 1080p Low, the system is hitting a ceiling imposed by the CPU's ability to process the game's draw calls and physics calculations. The i7-13700K's strong multithreaded performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30745, ensures that even when the game does utilize multiple cores for streaming or AI calculations, there is ample headroom.

Interestingly, the CPU's performance relative to its direct competitors is exceptionally tight. The data shows that the i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 46881. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, scores 46971, which is a delta of -0.2%. This means the i7-13700K is essentially tied with the Ryzen 9 5900 in overall processor benchmarks. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 is also close, with a delta of -0.3%, while the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 are both 0.5% behind the i7-13700K. These sub-1% differences indicate that in a game like The Medium, the choice between these high-end CPUs would not be the deciding factor in frame rates; the GPU would be the primary differentiator.

The processor's 125W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory give system builders flexibility, but for this benchmark, the focus is on its gaming capability. The data confirms that the i7-13700K is not a bottleneck at 1440p and 4K, where the GPU is clearly the limiting component. However, at 1080p with Low settings, the 181 FPS result suggests the CPU is providing a substantial performance floor, preventing the frame rate from climbing even higher. This is a classic sign of a well-balanced system for high-refresh-rate gaming at lower graphical loads.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the undisputed performance driver in this pairing. Built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC, it features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. This substantial VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for The Medium's high-resolution textures and effects at 4K, ensuring that the GPU does not suffer from memory swapping that could cause stutters. The GPU's base clock is 2205 MHz, with a boost clock of 2505 MHz, allowing for significant compute throughput.

The RTX 4080's raw compute power is evident in its specifications: 9728 shading units, 76 RT cores, and 304 tensor cores, delivering 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. This hardware is designed to handle the ray-traced lighting and reflections that The Medium uses to create its eerie atmosphere. The benchmark results show the GPU's dominance at higher settings. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages 45 FPS, which is a demanding workload that stresses the GPU's ray tracing capabilities. In contrast, at 1080p Low, the GPU is underutilized, as evidenced by the 181 FPS result, which is more likely limited by the CPU.

Comparing the RTX 4080 to its closest rivals, its average benchmark score is 54247. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is a near-identical performer, with a score of 54209 and a delta of 0.1%. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% ahead, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB and AMD Radeon 8060S are 2.6% and 2.7% behind, respectively. These small deltas suggest that in The Medium, the RTX 4080's performance is very much in line with other top-tier graphics cards. The data indicates that the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rates at 1440p and 4K, particularly at High and Ultra settings, where its 16 GB VRAM and high memory bandwidth are fully utilized.

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

The scaling of average FPS across resolutions provides a clear picture of where the bottleneck lies. Moving from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings, the average frame rate drops from 120 FPS to 79 FPS, a reduction of 41 FPS. This is a significant decline, but the percentage drop is less severe than what would be seen if the GPU were the sole limiting factor at all resolutions. The 4K result of 79 FPS is still highly playable, indicating the RTX 4080 has enough headroom to handle the increased pixel count.

At High settings, the scaling is similar: 86 FPS at 1080p, 72 FPS at 1440p, and 57 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 15 FPS, which is a 20.8% reduction. This pattern suggests that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes more heavily loaded, and the CPU's influence on the frame rate diminishes. The fact that the 4K High result is 57 FPS, while 4K Ultra is 45 FPS, shows that the GPU is the primary constraint at these higher fidelity settings.

The most telling data point is the Low settings scaling. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 181 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 161 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 127 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is only 20 FPS, which is a smaller relative decrease than the drop from 1440p to 4K (34 FPS). This indicates that at Low settings, the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p and 1440p, as the GPU can render these frames quickly enough to be constrained by the CPU's frame generation rate. Only at 4K Low does the GPU's workload increase enough to become the primary bottleneck, resulting in a more pronounced FPS drop. This analysis confirms that the i7-13700K is capable of driving very high frame rates, but the RTX 4080's performance ceiling is reached at 4K Ultra, where the game's most demanding effects are enabled.

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

The measured FPS data provides a granular view of the system's behavior in The Medium. At 1920x1080, the combo starts at 181 FPS with Low settings, which is the highest average frame rate recorded for this configuration. Medium settings yield 120 FPS, with a minimum of 102 FPS and a maximum of 138 FPS, showing a stable frame time distribution. High settings reduce the average to 86 FPS, and Ultra settings bring it down to 68 FPS. This progression shows a 113 FPS difference between the lowest and highest fidelity presets at 1080p, highlighting the significant impact of the game's graphical options on performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates are still robust. Low settings deliver 161 FPS, a modest 20 FPS drop from 1080p, indicating that the CPU is still contributing to the high frame rate ceiling. Medium settings average 101 FPS, with a minimum of 86 FPS and a maximum of 116 FPS. High settings drop to 72 FPS, and Ultra settings average 57 FPS. The 1440p results show a clear trend where the GPU becomes more of a limiting factor, but the system remains capable of high-refresh-rate gaming at Medium and Low settings.

At 3840x2160, the 4K results are what one would expect from a high-end system. Low settings produce 127 FPS, which is still a very playable frame rate for a horror game. Medium settings average 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 91 FPS. High settings yield 57 FPS, and Ultra settings bring the average down to 45 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the most demanding scenario, and the 45 FPS average indicates that the game's ray tracing and high-resolution textures are placing a significant load on the RTX 4080. The data shows a consistent pattern: the RTX 4080 is the primary driver of performance at 4K, while the i7-13700K provides a solid foundation that prevents the system from becoming CPU-bound at these higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 218th out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium. This puts it in the top 5.9% of all systems tested, which is a strong result. The rank of 218 indicates that while this is a high-performance combination, there are still 217 other configurations that achieve higher average frame rates in this specific game. These higher-ranking combos likely feature newer or more powerful GPUs, such as the RTX 4090 or possibly the RTX 4080 SUPER, which the data shows is a near-identical performer to the RTX 4080.

The fact that this combo ranks 218th, rather than higher, reflects the demanding nature of The Medium's Ultra settings. While the system excels at lower settings, the 4K Ultra result of 45 FPS is the weakest performance point and likely contributes to the overall rank. The data shows that the RTX 4080 is 0.1% behind the RTX 4080 SUPER in average benchmark scores, so systems with the SUPER variant would likely rank marginally higher. The rank also reflects the CPU's performance, as the i7-13700K is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, meaning that systems with either CPU and a similar GPU would perform nearly identically.

Overall, the 218th rank out of 3724 combos is a strong showing, placing this system in the upper echelon of tested hardware. It indicates that this combo is well-suited for The Medium at High settings and 4K, though players seeking a locked 60 FPS at 4K Ultra may need to consider a more powerful GPU or adjust some settings. The data confirms that this is a high-end configuration that delivers excellent performance, but it is not the absolute pinnacle of what is possible in this game.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in The Medium?

A: The highest average FPS is 181, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Can this system maintain a smooth 60 FPS experience at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No, at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system averages 45 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for a perfectly smooth experience.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54209, resulting in a delta of 0.1%. This means the RTX 4080 is essentially identical in performance to the SUPER variant.

Q: What is the frame rate range at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the system achieves an average of 101 FPS, with a minimum of 86 FPS and a maximum of 116 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck at 1080p Low settings?

A: At 1080p Low, the system hits 181 FPS, which is likely limited by the CPU. This is because the GPU can render these frames quickly, and the CPU's frame generation rate becomes the limiting factor.

Q: What is the system's overall rank among all tested combos in The Medium?

A: The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 218th out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium.