The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title from 2021, proves to be a demanding showcase for the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination. The measured data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions, yet capable of delivering high refresh rates at 1080p on lower settings. The performance profile is consistent with a modern mid-range graphics card paired with a high-end processor, where the scaling from 1080p to 4K illustrates the classic shift in bottleneck from the CPU to the GPU.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a steep and predictable decline as resolution increases, confirming that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is the primary limiting factor in this pairing for The Medium. At the "High" settings preset, the average frame rate drops from 73 FPS at 1920x1080 to 60.7 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 17%. The most significant performance hit occurs when moving to 4K, where the average FPS falls to 49.5, a further 18% drop from 1440p. This pattern strongly indicates that the GPU’s rendering throughput is saturated at higher pixel counts, while the Intel Core i7-13700K has ample headroom to feed the graphics card.

The scaling is even more pronounced at the "Ultra" settings preset. Here, the system manages 56.3 FPS at 1080p, which is a playable frame rate, but this collapses to 49.1 FPS at 1440p and finally to a demanding 37.8 FPS at 4K. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra represents a 12.8% performance loss, while the jump to 4K incurs a further 23% penalty. This data suggests that the "Ultra" preset includes effects that are particularly taxing on the GPU’s compute and memory subsystems, making 4K Ultra a target only for those willing to accept sub-40 FPS averages.

Conversely, the "Low" settings preset showcases the raw power of the CPU and GPU combination. At 1080p Low, the system achieves an average of 159.7 FPS, which is more than double the frame rate seen at 1080p Ultra. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU is still capable of driving the game engine at very high speeds when the GPU is not burdened with complex shading and lighting calculations. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is a 32.6% drop to 107.6 FPS, which is less severe in percentage terms than the drops seen at higher presets, but still demonstrates the GPU’s dominance. The data clearly shows that for players targeting 144Hz or higher refresh rates, the Low preset at 1080p is the only viable option, while the High preset at 1440p offers a balanced 60 FPS experience.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database for The Medium, this specific combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 holds the rank of 284 out of 1689 tested combos. This places the system comfortably in the top 17% of all tested configurations, indicating a strong overall gaming performance. The rank reflects the aggregate of the measured FPS across all tested resolutions and settings, and the high placement is consistent with the component specifications. The CPU alone sits at the 93rd percentile when compared to all other processors in the database, showing that it is not a bottleneck in this title.

The GPU, while performing well, is ranked in the 83rd percentile against all other graphics cards, which suggests that other, more powerful GPUs could yield significantly higher frame rates. The combination’s overall rank of 284 is a result of the GPU’s strong, but not top-tier, performance. The benchmark scores for the individual components support this analysis. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39000 and the GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 29137 are both high, but the GPU’s raw score is not in the same league as the top-tier cards that would occupy the higher ranks in this game’s combo list.

When comparing to its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark charts, the i7-13700K is virtually tied with the Intel Core i7-13700KF, showing a negligible deltaPct of -0.1. It also performs comparably to the AMD EPYC 4364P, with a deltaPct of 0.3, and the Intel Core i9-12900F, with a deltaPct of 0.4. This indicates that the choice of CPU has a minimal impact on the final ranking, as the GPU’s performance is the dominant factor in this specific game. The data shows that the 284th rank is a direct reflection of the RTX 5070’s capabilities, and that a more powerful GPU would be required to significantly improve this system’s standing in The Medium.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate for this system at 1080p with the High settings preset?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with the High preset is 73 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in The Medium?

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 4K with the Medium preset, it achieves 66.2 FPS. At the High preset, it drops to 49.5 FPS, and at Ultra, it falls to 37.8 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more of a bottleneck in this game at 1440p?

A: The data indicates a GPU bottleneck. At 2560x1440, the average FPS ranges from 49.1 on Ultra to 137.2 on Low, showing that the frame rate scales directly with GPU load settings.

Q: What is the best settings preset to achieve a 60 FPS experience at 1440p?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 yields an average of 60.7 FPS. The Medium preset is more comfortable, delivering 87.9 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems in The Medium?

A: It ranks 284th out of 1689 tested combinations, placing it in the top 17% of all tested systems.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: The difference is substantial. The Low preset achieves 159.7 FPS, while the Ultra preset only manages 56.3 FPS, representing a performance gap of roughly 103 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination in The Medium is detailed below. The results show a clear hierarchy based on resolution and settings.

At 1920x1080, the system is capable of high refresh rates. The Low preset delivers an average of 159.7 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset provides 102 FPS, and the High preset yields 73 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, resulting in an average of 56.3 FPS. This data shows that even at 1080p, the Ultra preset can push the GPU significantly.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease as expected. The Low preset still offers a very smooth experience at 137.2 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 87.9 FPS, while the High preset falls to 60.7 FPS, which is just at the threshold for standard 60Hz displays. The Ultra preset at 1440p produces an average of 49.1 FPS, which may require a VRR display to feel smooth.

At the demanding 3840x2160 resolution, the GPU is clearly stressed. The Low preset remains playable at 107.6 FPS, surprisingly high for 4K. The Medium preset drops to 66.2 FPS, which is a solid 60 FPS experience. The High preset falls to 49.5 FPS, and the Ultra preset is the most taxing, achieving only 37.8 FPS. These figures highlight the RTX 5070’s capabilities at lower settings, but also its limitations at maximum graphical fidelity in 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 plays the central role in determining this system’s performance in The Medium. The GPU’s specifications, including its 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, provide a theoretical bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is sufficient for the game’s assets at most settings, but the data suggests that the GPU’s processing power is the limiting factor. The boost clock of 2512 MHz and the 6144 shading units are responsible for the raw compute throughput that drives the frame rates seen in the measurements.

The performance scaling across presets is a direct consequence of the GPU’s workload. The transition from Low to Ultra settings increases the demand on the shader units and memory bandwidth, which is reflected in the FPS drops. The GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 29137 places it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, indicating that it is a strong performer, but not at the very top of the range. This is consistent with its ranking relative to rivals; the data shows it is only 0.6% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 in the average benchmark score, and 0.2% faster than the AMD Radeon Pro 5300.

The 12 GB of VRAM is a key asset, allowing the game to run at High and Ultra settings at 4K without running out of memory, although the frame rates suffer. The GPU’s architectural features, such as its 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores, are present in the hardware, but their specific impact on this game’s fixed-camera rendering is not isolated in the FPS data. The measured results indicate that rasterization performance is the primary driver, and the RTX 5070’s strength in this area allows it to deliver playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, while struggling to maintain high frame rates at 4K with maximum settings.