The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title that stresses both CPU and GPU, and the data for this specific combo — the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile — reveals a system that plays the game well at lower settings but struggles to maintain high frame rates at maximum quality presets. The measured FPS across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions shows a clear scaling pattern that points to the GPU as the primary bottleneck, while the CPU’s performance metrics indicate it has enough headroom to support the graphics card in most scenarios. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results to show exactly where this combo stands and what the numbers imply for gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile ranks 1180 out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the top third of all systems benchmarked for this game. That percentile position is respectable but not elite, which makes sense given the data: the GPU is strong but not top-tier, and the CPU is a mid-range mobile part. The rank suggests that while this system can run the game, there are hundreds of other configurations that deliver higher average frame rates, particularly at higher settings where the GPU’s limits become apparent.

Looking at the CPU’s overall performance relative to its peers, the Core Ultra 5 125H sits at the 79th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27507. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 scores 27535, just 0.1% ahead, and the Intel Core i5-12600K scores 27578, 0.3% ahead. The AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5355G trails by 0.5% with a score of 27382. This tight grouping means the CPU is performing almost exactly at the level of several established desktop and mobile parts, which is notable for a 14-core, 18-thread mobile processor. The data implies the CPU is not a weak link in this combo’s overall ranking.

For the GPU, the RTX 4080 Mobile holds an 81st percentile ranking against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 38135. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 (38299, 0.4% ahead) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile (38349, 0.6% ahead), while the RTX 4070 trails by 1.3% with a score of 37648. The fact that the 4080 Mobile is nearly tied with the MX570 in this aggregate benchmark is curious, but in-game results for The Medium tell a different story, as the measured FPS shows the 4080 Mobile delivering playable frame rates at medium settings across all resolutions. The combo’s overall rank of 1180/3724 indicates that the system is competitive, but the data shows it is not at the top tier where ultra settings at 4K would be viable.

GPU Role

The RTX 4080 Mobile is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain much of the measured performance. It comes with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock is 2250 MHz, which translates to 18 Gbps effective. This memory configuration is ample for The Medium, a game that does not typically require more than 12 GB at 1080p or 1440p, and even at 4K, the data shows the frame rates are more limited by compute than by memory capacity.

The GPU’s core clocks are listed as a base of 1290 MHz and a boost of 1665 MHz. With 7424 shading units, 232 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units, the card delivers a pixel rate of 133.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 386.3 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 24.72 TFLOPS, which is a solid figure for a mobile part. In The Medium, these numbers translate to a GPU that can handle low settings at 1080p with ease (137 FPS average) but drops to 49 FPS average at ultra settings at the same resolution. This 64% drop from low to ultra at 1080p highlights how the GPU’s raw compute is the limiting factor when the game’s rendering load increases with higher quality presets.

The GPU’s 81st percentile rank against all GPUs, with a Passmark G3D score of 24926, places it above most mobile parts but below the top-tier desktop cards. The data shows that at 4K ultra, the average FPS drops to 32, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. This suggests that the RTX 4080 Mobile, despite its 12 GB VRAM and high TFLOPS, is not sufficient for max settings at 4K in this title. The GPU’s role is to push frame rates at medium and high settings, where it delivers 57 and 41 FPS respectively at 4K, but the ultra preset is simply too demanding for this hardware.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS across resolutions shows a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p medium, the combo averages 86 FPS, dropping to 72 FPS at 1440p and 57 FPS at 4K. This represents a 16% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 34% drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, which indicates that the GPU is becoming more saturated as the pixel count increases, but the CPU is still keeping up.

At low settings, the scaling is more dramatic: 137 FPS at 1080p, 116 FPS at 1440p, and 91 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is 34%, which is a significant reduction but still leaves the game playable. This suggests that at low settings, the GPU has enough headroom to handle the increased resolution without the CPU becoming a limiting factor. The fact that low settings at 4K (91 FPS) are higher than ultra settings at 1080p (49 FPS) strongly implies that the game’s settings have a more substantial impact on performance than resolution alone.

At high settings, the FPS drops from 61 at 1080p to 52 at 1440p and 41 at 4K, a 33% reduction from 1080p to 4K. At ultra, the numbers are 49 FPS at 1080p, 41 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K, a 35% drop. The consistency of the percentage drops across settings (around 33-35%) indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck at all quality levels, and the resolution scaling is purely a function of the GPU’s pixel processing capability. The data shows that the CPU is not causing any unexpected slowdowns at higher resolutions, as the frame rate drops are proportional to the increase in pixel count.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full set of measured FPS data provides a detailed picture of the combo’s performance in The Medium. At 1920x1080, the lowest tested resolution, the average FPS ranges from 137 at low settings to 49 at ultra settings. The medium preset delivers 86 FPS with a minimum of 73 and a maximum of 99, while high settings produce 61 FPS. This shows that the system can easily handle the game at 1080p with any settings, but the ultra preset is not smooth, with an average below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops across the board. Low settings average 116 FPS, medium averages 72 FPS (with minimum 61 and maximum 83), high averages 52 FPS, and ultra averages 41 FPS. The medium preset at 1440p offers a good balance, staying above 60 FPS on average, but the minimum of 61 FPS suggests that there may be occasional dips below that level during intense scenes. High and ultra settings at 1440p are below 60 FPS, making them less ideal for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the highest tested resolution, the performance is more limited. Low settings average 91 FPS, which is still playable, but medium drops to 57 FPS (with minimum 48 and maximum 65), high averages 41 FPS, and ultra averages 32 FPS. The medium preset at 4K is borderline, with an average below 60 FPS and a minimum of 48, which may result in noticeable stuttering. The ultra preset at 4K is not viable for serious play, as the 32 FPS average is well below the smoothness threshold. The data shows that for 4K gaming, only low settings provide a consistently smooth experience, while medium settings are marginal.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 125H is a 14-core, 18-thread processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 7 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.50 GHz, with a TDP of 28 watts. The cache layout includes 112 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU’s benchmark scores show it is a capable mid-range part: Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 12804.5, single-core is 1647.5, and Passmark multi-thread score is 21100. These numbers place it at the 79th percentile against all CPUs.

In The Medium, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic. The measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck, as the frame rates scale predictably with resolution and settings, which is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU’s Passmark single-thread score of 3399 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1647.5 indicate that its per-core performance is sufficient for the game’s requirements. The nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 and Intel Core i5-12600K, have average scores within 0.3% of the Core Ultra 5 125H, which suggests that this mobile processor is competitive with desktop parts from a few generations ago.

The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s, using dual-channel DDR5, is adequate for feeding the GPU, but it is not a standout feature. The fact that the CPU has 18 threads indicates it can handle background tasks without impacting game performance, but the data shows that in this title, the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU’s boost clock of 4.50 GHz is high enough to avoid any single-thread bottlenecks, and the benchmark results imply that the processor has ample headroom to support the RTX 4080 Mobile in this game.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the most comfortable resolution, with medium settings averaging 86 FPS and high settings averaging 61 FPS. At 2560x1440, medium settings average 72 FPS, which is still playable, but high settings drop to 52 FPS. At 3840x2160, only low settings (91 FPS) provide a smooth experience, while medium averages 57 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle ultra settings?

A: Ultra settings are not recommended for smooth gameplay. At 1080p, ultra averages 49 FPS, at 1440p it averages 41 FPS, and at 4K it averages 32 FPS. All of these are below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play, and the 4K result is particularly low.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 125H has an average benchmark score of 27507, which is 0.1% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 (27535) and 0.3% lower than the Intel Core i5-12600K (27578). It is 0.5% higher than the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5355G (27382). These differences are negligible in real-world gaming.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The FPS drops consistently by about 33-35% from 1080p to 4K across all settings, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU’s benchmark scores are competitive with its rivals, and the frame rates scale with resolution, not with CPU load.

Q: What is the minimum FPS on medium settings?

A: At 1080p medium, the minimum FPS is 73. At 1440p medium, the minimum is 61. At 4K medium, the minimum is 48. These minimums show that the game can dip below the average in demanding scenes, especially at higher resolutions.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM make a difference at 4K?

A: The 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for The Medium at 4K, as the game does not appear to exceed this capacity based on the measured FPS. The performance drop from 1440p to 4K is consistent with GPU compute limits, not memory capacity, since the low settings at 4K still achieve 91 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combo depends on the display resolution. At 1920x1080, the high preset offers a good balance, with an average of 61 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. The medium preset provides a smoother experience at 86 FPS, with a minimum of 73 FPS, making it the safest choice for consistent performance. Ultra settings at 1080p are not recommended, as the 49 FPS average may result in noticeable stuttering during gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the medium preset is the clear winner, averaging 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS. This provides a smooth experience without the visual sacrifices of low settings. The high preset at 52 FPS is playable but may have occasional dips, while ultra at 41 FPS is not recommended for action sequences. For users who prioritize frame rate over visuals, low settings at 116 FPS are an option, but medium offers a better visual experience at a still-playable frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the data shows that only low settings (91 FPS) deliver a consistently smooth experience. The medium preset at 57 FPS is borderline, with a minimum of 48 FPS, which could lead to noticeable stutters. High and ultra presets at 41 and 32 FPS respectively are not recommended for serious gameplay. For 4K users, the recommendation is to play on low settings for the best frame rate, or to consider lowering the resolution to 1440p to unlock higher quality presets. The medium setting at 1440p provides the best overall combination of visuals and performance across all tested configurations.