The Medium

The Medium presents a demanding fixed-camera horror experience, and the combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D produces a clear performance profile across resolutions and settings. The measured data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet shows interesting scaling behavior at 1080p that hints at the CPU’s capabilities. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, the roles of each component, and how this specific combo ranks among 2,911 tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable yet pronounced drop as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Medium settings, which is the only preset with complete min/max data, the average frame rate falls from 144 FPS at 1080p to 122 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 95 FPS at 4K. This represents a 34% reduction from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the rendering load scales significantly with pixel count. The RTX 5090 D, with its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 512-bit bus, is clearly capable of handling the geometry and texture work, but the sheer pixel throughput at 4K begins to tax the GPU more heavily.

Looking at High settings, the pattern continues with 103 FPS at 1080p, 87 FPS at 1440p, and 68 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 15.5%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 21.8%. This non-linear scaling suggests that the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth become increasingly critical as resolution climbs. The 1.79 TB/s bandwidth of the RTX 5090 D helps mitigate some of this, but the data clearly shows that 4K Ultra is the most demanding scenario, with only 54 FPS average.

At Low settings, the scaling is less severe percentage-wise: 181 FPS at 1080p, 171 FPS at 1440p, and 153 FPS at 4K. The difference between 1080p and 4K is only 15.5%, compared to 34% at Medium settings. This indicates that at Low settings, the scene complexity is reduced enough that the GPU is no longer the sole bottleneck. The CPU, with its 16 cores and 24 threads, becomes more relevant here, as the data suggests the i7-13700K can keep up with the reduced rendering demands, allowing the GPU to operate closer to its full potential across all resolutions.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling: 82 FPS at 1080p, 69 FPS at 1440p, and 54 FPS at 4K. The 34% drop from 1080p to 4K mirrors the Medium preset, confirming that Ultra settings add effects that scale directly with resolution. The fact that 1080p Ultra only reaches 82 FPS, while 4K Low reaches 153 FPS, underscores how much the Ultra preset’s additional visual features—likely including higher-quality shadows and post-processing—impact the GPU. The data suggests that at 4K, the RTX 5090 D is the limiting component, as the CPU’s high single-thread performance, evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 1,136, is not the constraint at this pixel density.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this combo, and its specifications directly explain the measured results. The GPU features a base clock of 2,017 MHz and a boost clock of 2,407 MHz, which are relatively high for a large Blackwell 2.0 chip. The 5 nm process node from TSMC allows for a transistor count of 92,200 million on a die size of 750 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 122.9M per mm². This density enables 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output units, all of which contribute to the raw fill rates.

The GPU’s memory subsystem is particularly relevant for The Medium, a game that often loads large, high-resolution textures for its fixed-camera scenes. With 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, the RTX 5090 D provides a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This is crucial for maintaining frame rates at 4K Ultra, where the game’s texture streaming can demand significant memory throughput. The measured 54 FPS at 4K Ultra, while lower than other presets, is still playable, and the data suggests that the GPU is not running out of memory but rather hitting compute limits from the Ultra preset’s effects.

The GPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,712. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (deltaPct of -1.6) and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (deltaPct of -2.4), both of which score lower. This indicates that the RTX 5090 D is near the top of the performance hierarchy, which aligns with the high frame rates seen in the measured data. However, the game’s performance at 4K Ultra (54 FPS) versus 4K Low (153 FPS) shows that even this powerful GPU is sensitive to settings increases, with the Ultra preset nearly tripling the rendering workload compared to Low.

The tensor cores and RT cores also play a role, though the fixed-camera nature of The Medium means ray tracing is less prominent. The GPU’s RTX 5090 D has 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores, which support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4. These features are available, but the measured FPS data does not isolate their impact. What is clear is that the GPU’s raw compute power, as measured by its FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS, is more than sufficient for this game at 1080p, where it reaches 181 FPS on Low settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset at 1440p offers the best balance between visual fidelity and performance. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset achieves an average of 122 FPS, with minimums of 103 FPS and maximums of 140 FPS. This is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay, and the minimum FPS indicates that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate stays high. The 1080p Medium preset is also excellent, with 144 FPS average and a minimum of 123 FPS, but the higher resolution of 1440p provides more detail without a significant penalty.

For users with 4K displays, the Medium preset at 3840x2160 delivers 95 FPS average, with minimums of 81 FPS and maximums of 110 FPS. This is still a very playable experience, and the data suggests that the RTX 5090 D can handle 4K Medium without issues. The High preset at 4K drops to 68 FPS, which is acceptable but less comfortable for fast-paced sections. The Ultra preset at 4K, at 54 FPS, is the most demanding and may cause noticeable stutters in scenes with heavy particle effects or dynamic lighting.

The Low preset is not recommended for this hardware, as it sacrifices too much visual quality for frame rates that exceed what the display can typically show. At 1080p Low, the game runs at 181 FPS, which is far beyond the 144 Hz refresh rate of most monitors, making the extra performance moot. The data indicates that Medium settings provide the best experience because they offer a substantial visual upgrade over Low while maintaining frame rates that are at least 95 FPS across all resolutions. For competitive play or if maximum frame rates are desired, the Low preset at 4K (153 FPS) is the best option, but for most users, Medium is the sweet spot.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings, providing a comprehensive view of the combo’s performance. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 181 FPS, which is the highest recorded for this combo. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 144 FPS, with a minimum of 123 FPS and a maximum of 166 FPS. This tight range suggests consistent performance, with no major frame time spikes. The High preset averages 103 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 82 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 99 FPS, showing the massive impact of settings on frame rates.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 171 FPS, which is still very high. The Medium preset averages 122 FPS, with a minimum of 103 FPS and a maximum of 140 FPS. The High preset averages 87 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 69 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 102 FPS, similar to 1080p. The data shows that the RTX 5090 D maintains a high level of performance at 1440p, with even the Ultra preset staying above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 153 FPS, which is impressive for 4K. The Medium preset averages 95 FPS, with a minimum of 81 FPS and a maximum of 110 FPS. The High preset averages 68 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 54 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 99 FPS, mirroring the other resolutions. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium (81 FPS) is still above 60, indicating that the combo can handle most scenes without dropping below playable thresholds. The Ultra preset’s 54 FPS average is the only data point below 60 FPS, making it the only setting where the combo might struggle to maintain a smooth experience.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global database of tested combos, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 17th out of 2,911 combos for The Medium. This places it in the top 0.6% of all tested configurations, which is consistent with the high-end nature of both components. The combo’s rank reflects the GPU’s position in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs and the CPU’s position in the 89th percentile among all CPUs. The combination of a top-tier GPU with a strong CPU ensures that there are few bottlenecks, as evidenced by the high frame rates across all settings.

The CPU’s nearest rivals provide context for its performance. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 has an average benchmark score of 46,971, which is 0.2% higher than the i7-13700K’s score of 46,881. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47,022, which is 0.3% higher. The AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX scores 46,654, which is 0.5% lower, and the Intel Xeon w3-2535 scores 46,653, also 0.5% lower. These tiny deltas indicate that the i7-13700K is well within the same performance class as its direct competitors, and the differences are negligible in real-world gaming.

The GPU’s nearest rivals show a similar pattern. The AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT has an average score of 76,904, which is 1.1% higher than the RTX 5090 D’s 77,712. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78,940, which is 1.6% lower, and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79,396, which is 2.1% lower. The RTX 5090 D sits comfortably between these rivals, and its 92nd percentile ranking confirms that it is among the fastest GPUs tested. The combo’s 17th rank out of 2,911 is a direct result of this strong GPU performance, combined with a CPU that does not hold it back.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K with Medium settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium settings is 95 FPS, with a minimum of 81 FPS and a maximum of 110 FPS.

Q: How does the combo perform at 1080p on Low settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 181 FPS, which is the highest recorded in the measured data.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested configurations for The Medium?

A: This combo ranks 17th out of 2,911 tested combos for The Medium, placing it in the top 0.6% of all configurations.

Q: Which setting provides the highest minimum FPS at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium setting has a minimum FPS of 103, which is the highest recorded minimum for that resolution (excluding Low, which has no min/max data).

Q: Is the RTX 5090 D the bottleneck at 4K Ultra?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 54, which is the lowest measured value, indicating the GPU is the limiting component.

Q: How does the i7-13700K compare to its nearest CPU rival?

A: The i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 46,881, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 5900’s score of 46,971, making the difference negligible.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K plays a supporting role in this combo, but its specifications ensure it does not bottleneck the RTX 5090 D. The CPU features 16 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. This high boost clock is critical for gaming, as many titles, including The Medium, rely on single-thread performance for game logic and scene management. The CPU’s 3DMark single-thread score of 1,136 and PassMark single-thread score of 4,333 indicate strong per-core performance, which is essential for maintaining high frame rates.

The CPU’s cache hierarchy also contributes to its performance. It has 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. This large L3 cache helps reduce memory latency, which is beneficial in games with complex scenes that require frequent data access. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, allowing for flexible system builds. Its 125W TDP is reasonable for a desktop processor, and the unlocked multiplier allows for overclocking, though the measured data does not indicate whether overclocking was used.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU’s role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the game runs at 181 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s limit for this title. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 10,717 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30,745 show that the CPU has ample multi-threaded capability, but games rarely use all 24 threads. The data suggests that the i7-13700K is sufficient for this game, as even at 4K Ultra, the frame rate is limited by the GPU, not the CPU. The CPU’s percentile rank of 89 among all CPUs confirms that it is a high-end processor, and its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (deltaPct of -0.2) and AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (deltaPct of -0.3), are all within a fraction of a percent in average benchmark scores. This means the CPU is not a differentiator in this combo, but it is more than capable of feeding the RTX 5090 D with enough data to maintain high frame rates.