The Medium

The Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti combo delivers playable frame rates across all tested resolutions in The Medium, but the performance scaling reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher settings. The data shows a clear pattern: the transition from 1080p to 4K causes a dramatic frame rate collapse when using Ultra settings, while the CPU maintains sufficient headroom to keep the GPU saturated at lower presets. This pairing ranks 100th out of 1689 tested combos, placing it in the top 6% of all configurations tested for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is steep and consistent across all settings, indicating that the RTX 5070 Ti is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 178.5 at 1080p to 123.8 at 4K, a reduction of 54.7 frames per second. This 31% performance loss is relatively modest, suggesting that even at 4K, the GPU is not fully saturated at the lowest preset.

The scaling becomes more pronounced as settings increase. At Medium settings, the average drops from 111.8 FPS at 1080p to 75.3 FPS at 4K, a 36.5 FPS decrease. High settings show a similar pattern, falling from 83.6 to 56.9 FPS, while Ultra settings suffer the largest absolute drop from 67.7 to 43.2 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 43.2 FPS is the only measured configuration that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that this preset is not viable at the highest resolution.

The scaling between 1440p and 4K is tighter than between 1080p and 1440p. At High settings, the difference between 1440p and 4K is 14.3 FPS, while the gap between 1080p and 1440p is 12.4 FPS. This suggests that the GPU is approaching its limits around 1440p at higher presets, with diminishing returns from resolution reductions. The data indicates that the RTX 5070 Ti's 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 896.0 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily at 4K Ultra, where the 43.2 FPS result reflects a GPU-bound scenario.

GPU Role

The RTX 5070 Ti's memory subsystem plays a critical role in The Medium's performance. With 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, the card delivers 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is sufficient for the game's demands at all tested settings, as evidenced by the lack of a catastrophic frame rate collapse at 4K Ultra. The GPU's boost clock of 2452 MHz and base clock of 2295 MHz provide the computational throughput necessary to maintain playable frame rates at 1440p High, where the average sits at 71.2 FPS.

The GPU's benchmark scores confirm its position relative to the CPU. The RTX 5070 Ti achieves a Passmark G3D score of 32974 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 231226, placing it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 52086 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, with a deltaPct of 0%. This near-parity explains why the combo's performance in The Medium is competitive with systems using that older flagship.

The GPU's 43.94 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 70 RT cores are relevant for The Medium's fixed camera angles and pre-rendered scenes. The game's horror atmosphere relies on lighting effects, which leverage the RTX 5070 Ti's ray tracing capabilities. However, the measured results indicate that even without explicit RT settings, the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K Ultra, where the 43.2 FPS average is 24.5 FPS below the 1440p Ultra result.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data clearly identifies Ultra settings at 4K as the only configuration that fails to deliver a smooth experience, with an average of 43.2 FPS. For players targeting 4K, High settings provide the best balance, achieving 56.9 FPS. This is still below 60 FPS but represents a 13.7 FPS improvement over Ultra, making it the most sensible choice for those prioritizing visual fidelity at native 4K.

At 1440p, the situation is more flexible. Medium settings deliver 96.1 FPS, while High settings achieve 71.2 FPS. The 24.9 FPS gap between these presets suggests that High is the recommended choice for most users, as it remains comfortably above 60 FPS while offering better visual quality. Ultra at 1440p drops to 52.6 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, making it less desirable unless players accept the lower frame rate for maximum quality.

At 1080p, all settings are playable, with even Ultra achieving 67.7 FPS. The data shows that Low settings reach 178.5 FPS, Medium hits 111.8 FPS, and High manages 83.6 FPS. For 1080p users, Ultra is the only preset that strains the system, but it still remains above 60 FPS. The recommendation is to use High or Ultra at 1080p, with the latter being viable for those who prioritize image quality over the higher refresh rates available at lower presets.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 100 out of 1689 tested configurations places it in the top 5.9% of all systems tested in The Medium. This is a strong result, but it is not the absolute top tier. The CPU's percentile of 93 against all processors and the GPU's percentile of 87 against all graphics cards indicate that both components are high-end but not the absolute fastest available.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 47282 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700KF, which scores 47334 with a deltaPct of -0.1%. This means the 13700K is essentially tied with the KF variant, differing by only 52 points in average score. The AMD EPYC 4364P is 0.3% ahead, while the Intel Core i9-12900F is 0.4% behind. These small deltas confirm that the 13700K is a well-balanced processor that does not bottleneck the RTX 5070 Ti in this game.

The GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, has an identical average score of 52085 with a deltaPct of 0%. This parity suggests that the RTX 5070 Ti offers comparable performance to the previous generation's flagship in this title. The AMD Radeon RX 7700S is 0.8% ahead, while the NVIDIA RTX A1000 is 2.5% behind. These comparisons highlight that the combo's rank is driven by the GPU's strong performance, with the CPU providing adequate support.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest playable setting at 4K resolution?

A: High settings at 3840x2160 produce an average of 56.9 FPS, which is the only 4K preset that approaches 60 FPS. Ultra settings at 4K drop to 43.2 FPS, making them less suitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 Ti compare to the RTX 4080 in this game?

A: The two GPUs have identical average benchmark scores of 52086 and 52085 respectively, with a deltaPct of 0%. This indicates that the RTX 5070 Ti delivers equivalent performance to the RTX 4080 in The Medium.

Q: Is the Core i7-13700K a bottleneck for this GPU?

A: The CPU's single-thread score of 1136 in 3DMark and multicore score of 12412 suggest it has ample headroom. The combo's 100th place ranking out of 1689 configurations indicates that the CPU does not limit the GPU in this title.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average is 96.1 FPS, which provides a smooth experience well above the 60 FPS threshold. This is 20.9 FPS higher than High settings at the same resolution.

Q: Does the game benefit from the CPU's 16 cores and 24 threads?

A: The CPU's Passmark multithread score of 45887 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39000 indicate strong parallel performance. The Medium's fixed camera angles likely benefit from this, though the GPU remains the primary determinant of frame rates.

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

A: Low settings achieve 178.5 FPS, while Ultra settings reach 67.7 FPS. This represents a 110.8 FPS difference, showing that the game's visual settings have a substantial impact on performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 5070 Ti and Core i7-13700K deliver the following average frame rates: Low settings reach 178.5 FPS, Medium hits 111.8 FPS, High manages 83.6 FPS, and Ultra achieves 67.7 FPS. All four presets remain above 60 FPS, making 1080p the most flexible resolution for this combo.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably. Low settings produce 156.1 FPS, Medium achieves 96.1 FPS, High delivers 71.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 52.6 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only 1440p configuration that drops below 60 FPS, while Medium and High both provide playable frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly stressed. Low settings maintain a strong 123.8 FPS, but Medium falls to 75.3 FPS, High drops to 56.9 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 43.2 FPS. The 4K results show a 80.6 FPS spread between Low and Ultra, demonstrating the significant impact of settings at this resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K's 16 cores and 24 threads provide robust processing power for The Medium. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.40 GHz ensure high single-thread performance, as evidenced by the 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5505. These scores are critical for a horror game that relies on scripted sequences and fixed camera angles, where frame pacing depends on consistent CPU responsiveness.

The CPU's 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide fast access to game data. The 10 nm process node and Raptor Lake architecture deliver the efficiency needed to keep the GPU fed at all resolutions. The Passmark physics score of 2716 indicates that the CPU can handle the game's physics calculations without becoming a bottleneck, while the Passmark integer math score of 154446 shows strong computational throughput.

The CPU's benchmark results place it in the 93rd percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 47282. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700KF, scores 47334 with a deltaPct of -0.1%, confirming that the 13700K is essentially at the top of its class. The CPU's single-thread performance of 4333 in Passmark ensures that the game's main thread is never a limiting factor, allowing the RTX 5070 Ti to operate at its full potential. The data confirms that this CPU provides the necessary headroom for the GPU to deliver the measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings.