The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title built on Unreal Engine, presents a demanding workload that scales dramatically with resolution and quality settings. The data for the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination reveals a system that is profoundly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, yet capable of delivering extremely high frame rates when settings are lowered. The measured results show a clear hierarchy where the visual fidelity of the "Ultra" preset comes at a steep performance cost, while "Low" settings unlock performance that far exceeds the demands of most displays.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, illustrating where the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER becomes the primary bottleneck. At the "High" preset, the system averages 83.9 FPS at 1920x1080, which falls to 72.1 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 54.7 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 34.8% reduction in average FPS when moving from 1080p to 4K. The scaling indicates that the graphics card is working progressively harder to fill the increasing pixel count, while the Intel Core i7-13700K has ample headroom to keep feeding the GPU.

The most extreme scaling occurs at the "Low" preset, where the average FPS drops from 181.1 at 1080p to 160.6 at 1440p and then plummets to 126.0 at 4K. While the absolute numbers remain high, the 30.4% performance penalty from 1080p to 4K at "Low" settings suggests that even with minimal graphical load, the GPU is still the limiting factor. At "Ultra" settings, the scaling is more linear but severe: the system delivers 67.2 FPS at 1080p, 58.1 FPS at 1440p, and 44.4 FPS at 4K. The 33.9% drop from 1080p to 4K at "Ultra" confirms that the RTX 4080 SUPER is being pushed to its limits, as the game's heavy post-processing and volumetric effects scale directly with resolution.

This behavior indicates that the limiting component in this configuration is the GPU. The CPU, with its 16 cores and 24 threads, is unlikely to be the constraint, as the frame rate variation across resolutions follows the expected pattern of GPU-bound rendering. At 1080p with "Low" settings, the 181.1 FPS average suggests the CPU can keep up with the GPU’s output, but the data does not show a CPU bottleneck at any tested configuration.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear picture of the trade-off between visual quality and performance. The "Ultra" preset is the most demanding, yielding 67.2 FPS at 1080p, which is acceptable but drops to 44.4 FPS at 4K—a level that is not smooth for a game that relies on atmospheric tension. The "High" preset offers a more balanced experience, with 83.9 FPS at 1080p and 54.7 FPS at 4K. This preset appears to be the sweet spot for players with high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors, as it delivers 72.1 FPS at that resolution, which is close to the 75Hz refresh rate commonly found on such displays.

For those targeting 4K, the "Medium" preset is the recommended choice, as it provides an average of 78.1 FPS at 3840x2160. This is a significant improvement over "High" and "Ultra" at the same resolution, offering a smooth experience without the visual extremes of the highest preset. The "Low" preset, while delivering 126.0 FPS at 4K, sacrifices too much visual fidelity for a game where atmosphere and lighting are critical to the horror experience. The data suggests that "Medium" at 4K provides the best combination of playability and visual coherence, as the jump from "Medium" to "High" at 4K costs 23.4 FPS, a 30% performance penalty that is hard to justify.

At 1080p, "High" is the best choice, delivering 83.9 FPS while maintaining the visual effects that define the game’s aesthetic. The "Ultra" preset at 1080p, with 67.2 FPS, is playable but not necessary, as the visual difference between "High" and "Ultra" is often subtle in fixed-camera scenes. The data clearly shows that "Medium" at 4K and "High" at 1080p and 1440p are the most efficient settings for this hardware combination.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combo in The Medium?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with "High" settings delivers 72.1 FPS, which is a smooth experience. However, if you want to play at 4K, the "Medium" preset at 78.1 FPS is the only viable option above 60 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost by enabling "Ultra" settings?

A: At 4K, moving from "High" to "Ultra" drops the average FPS from 54.7 to 44.4, a loss of 10.3 FPS. At 1080p, the drop is from 83.9 to 67.2 FPS, a 16.7 FPS reduction.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-13700K a bottleneck for the RTX 4080 SUPER in this game?

A: The benchmark results do not indicate a CPU bottleneck. The frame rates scale consistently with resolution changes, which is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario. The CPU’s high single-thread performance, as evidenced by its 1136 score in the 3dmark_single_thread test, is sufficient to feed the GPU.

Q: Can this system achieve 144 FPS in The Medium?

A: Yes, but only at 1080p with "Low" settings, which yields 181.1 FPS. At "Medium" settings, 1080p produces 116.7 FPS, which is below 144 FPS. No other resolution or preset combination in the data reaches 144 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in general benchmarks?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 53610, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT and 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M. It is 2.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7700S and 2.9% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti.

Q: What is the performance difference between "Low" and "Ultra" at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, "Low" settings produce 160.6 FPS, while "Ultra" settings produce 58.1 FPS. This represents a 102.5 FPS difference, meaning "Ultra" is roughly 64% slower than "Low" at this resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combination is comprehensive, covering three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates: 181.1 FPS on "Low", 116.7 FPS on "Medium", 83.9 FPS on "High", and 67.2 FPS on "Ultra". The progression shows a clear performance cost for each step up in quality, with the largest single drop occurring between "Medium" and "High" at 32.8 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are 160.6 on "Low", 100.3 on "Medium", 72.1 on "High", and 58.1 on "Ultra". The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent, with an average reduction of about 12-15% across all presets. The "Ultra" preset at 1440p is the first configuration to dip below 60 FPS, indicating that this resolution is too demanding for the highest quality settings.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly: 126.0 FPS on "Low", 78.1 FPS on "Medium", 54.7 FPS on "High", and 44.4 FPS on "Ultra". The gap between "Medium" and "High" at 4K is 23.4 FPS, which is the largest single-preset difference at any resolution. The "Ultra" preset at 4K is the slowest configuration tested, delivering less than half the frame rate of the "Low" preset at the same resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall ranking for The Medium, this combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER achieves a rank of 82 out of 1689 tested combinations. This places it in the top 4.9% of all systems tested for this game, indicating that it is a high-end configuration capable of handling the game’s demands. The percentile ranking for the CPU is 93, meaning it outperforms 93% of all CPUs in general benchmarks, while the GPU’s percentile is 88.

The CPU’s average benchmark score is 47282, which is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700KF, which scores 47334, a delta of -0.1%. The AMD EPYC 4364P is 0.3% slower, and the Intel Core i9-12900F is 0.4% slower. The AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 is 0.5% faster, with a score of 47527. This indicates that the i7-13700K is at parity with its closest competitors, with no significant performance advantage or disadvantage.

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 53610 puts it ahead of all its nearest rivals. The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT trails by 0.2%, the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M by 0.4%, the AMD Radeon RX 7700S by 2.1%, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti by 2.9%. This shows that the RTX 4080 SUPER is a top-tier graphics card, and its performance in The Medium is consistent with its position in the benchmark hierarchy. The rank of 82 out of 1689 confirms that this is a premium configuration, and the measured FPS data reflects a system that can play the game smoothly at most settings, with only the most extreme "Ultra" preset at 4K falling below a playable threshold.