The Medium

The Medium is a fixed-camera horror title that stresses both GPU and CPU depending on the settings and resolution chosen. For the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and the AMD Radeon 8050S, the measured data reveals a system that can handle the game at playable framerates, but only when settings are managed carefully. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across three resolutions and four quality presets to determine the optimal configuration and the role each component plays.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and AMD Radeon 8050S in The Medium?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Low settings yields the highest average FPS at 90. For a balance of visual quality and performance, 2560x1440 with Low settings achieves an average of 76 FPS, while 1920x1080 with Medium settings delivers 56 FPS.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon 8050S compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 62108. This places it 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M, which scores 61896. It trails the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 by 2.5% (63693), the AMD Radeon RX 7600M by 2.6% (63775), and the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT LP by 2.7% (63830).

Q: What is the performance percentile of the CPU and GPU in this combo?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H ranks in the 81st percentile against all CPUs. The AMD Radeon 8050S ranks higher, falling in the 89th percentile against all GPUs. This suggests the GPU is a relatively stronger component than the CPU when compared to their respective markets.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the measured minimum FPS is 40, with an average of 47 and a maximum of 54. This indicates that while the average is acceptable, there can be dips that might be noticeable during intense scenes.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon 8050S have dedicated video memory?

A: No, the memory configuration is listed as "System Shared" for size, type, bus width, and bandwidth. The memory bandwidth is also described as "System Dependent," meaning it relies on the system's main memory.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance compare to its multi-thread performance in the data?

A: The CPU's Cinebench R23 single-core score is 1700, while its multi-core score is 11875.5. The single-thread score is significantly lower than the multi-core score, which is typical, but the single-thread performance is crucial for gaming.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and AMD Radeon 8050S is ranked 2135 out of 2911 tested combos for The Medium. This places the system in the lower-middle tier of performance, indicating that it is not a high-end gaming setup for this specific title. The ranking reflects the measured FPS data, which shows that the system struggles with higher settings and resolutions.

This ranking is influenced by both components. The GPU, while ranking in the 89th percentile overall, is still a mobile integrated part with shared memory. The CPU, ranking in the 81st percentile, is a capable mobile processor but not a desktop-class gaming chip. The data suggests that while each part is individually respectable in their respective categories, the combination is not optimized for the demands of The Medium at high visual fidelity. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra, at 21 FPS average, is a clear indicator of this, placing the combo in a position where it cannot handle the most demanding configurations. The system is better suited for lower resolutions and settings, where it can achieve framerates that are more in line with a smooth experience.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings to use. The primary goal is to achieve a playable framerate, which is generally considered to be 30 FPS or higher for a horror game where atmosphere and pacing are key.

• For 1920x1080: The Medium preset offers a balanced experience with an average of 56 FPS and a minimum of 48 FPS. This is the recommended preset for this resolution, as it provides a significant visual upgrade over Low while maintaining a framerate that stays above 48 FPS. The High preset at 40 FPS is also playable, but the Medium preset offers a better safety margin. Low at 90 FPS is an option for those who prefer maximum smoothness, but the visual sacrifice is considerable.
• For 2560x1440: The Low preset is the only viable option here, with an average of 76 FPS. The Medium preset drops to an average of 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS, which is borderline playable but may feel inconsistent. The High preset at 34 FPS is marginal, and the Ultra preset at 27 FPS is not recommended for a consistent experience.
• For 3840x2160: The Low preset is the only one that achieves a playable average framerate, hitting 59 FPS. The Medium preset at 37 FPS is technically playable but very close to the lower bound of comfort. The High preset at 27 FPS and Ultra at 21 FPS are not suitable for actual gameplay.

The best experience per the measured rows is at 1920x1080 with Medium settings. This configuration provides a stable framerate with a minimum above 48 FPS and a reasonable level of visual detail. If a higher resolution is preferred, 2560x1440 with Low settings is the next best option, offering a high average framerate but with reduced visual fidelity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The FPS data is consistent across all three resolutions, showing a clear hierarchy of performance based on settings.

At 1920x1080, the performance ranges from an average of 90 FPS on Low to 32 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset delivers an average of 56 FPS, with a minimum of 48 and a maximum of 64. The High preset sits in between at 40 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 34 FPS, which is a significant cost for the increased visual quality. The drop from Medium to High is 16 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 8 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down. The Low preset averages 76 FPS, which is a 14 FPS drop from the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset averages 47 FPS, with a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 54. The High preset averages 34 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 27 FPS. The relative performance gaps between presets remain similar to those at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily taxed. The Low preset is the only one to surpass 60 FPS, with an average of 59 FPS. The Medium preset averages 37 FPS, with a minimum of 32 and a maximum of 43. The High preset drops to 27 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 21 FPS. The data shows that at 4K, even the Low preset is near the edge of the playable threshold, and any increase in quality quickly makes the game unplayable.

The consistency of the data across the resolution steps suggests a linear scaling of performance, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario at these settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 8050S is the primary driver of performance in The Medium, as evidenced by the sharp FPS drops when resolution and settings are increased. The GPU is based on the RDNA 3.5 architecture and features a boost clock of 2800 MHz. It has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, which are all crucial for rendering the game's detailed environments.

The most critical aspect of this GPU is its memory configuration. The memory size, type, and bus width are all listed as "System Shared," with bandwidth being "System Dependent." This means the GPU relies on the system's main memory, which is a significant bottleneck. Dedicated VRAM, as found in discrete GPUs, is much faster. This shared memory setup explains why the GPU's performance degrades so dramatically at higher resolutions and settings, as the memory bandwidth becomes a limiting factor.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark scores are strong, with a Geekbench OpenCL score of 65818 and a Vulkan score of 58398. It ranks in the 89th percentile, which indicates it is a capable part in general compute tasks. However, the measured FPS in The Medium tells a different story, highlighting that the shared memory architecture severely limits its gaming potential. In this title, the GPU is clearly the limiting component, as lowering resolution and settings provides immediate and substantial FPS gains.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H has a 14-core, 18-thread configuration based on the Meteor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. The CPU has 18 MB of shared L3 cache. In terms of gaming, the single-thread performance is often more important than the multi-thread performance. The Cinebench R23 single-core score is 1700, which is a moderate result.

The CPU's benchmark data shows it is a solid performer, with a Passmark single-thread score of 3521 and a multi-thread score of 22422. It ranks in the 81st percentile, and its average benchmark score of 29093 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, which has a deltaPct of -0.1%.

In The Medium, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU. The FPS data shows that the system is heavily GPU-bound, as evidenced by the large performance differences between settings and resolutions. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see smaller FPS gaps between resolutions and settings. The fact that lowering the resolution from 4K to 1080p can nearly triple the average FPS on Low settings (from 59 to 90) indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU is likely capable of feeding the GPU with enough data, but the GPU's shared memory and architecture cannot keep up with the demands of the game at higher settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is significant and reveals the limiting component. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 90 at 1920x1080 to 76 at 2560x1440 (a 15.6% drop) and then to 59 at 3840x2160 (a 22.4% drop from 1440p). This scaling is not linear; the drop from 1440p to 4K is more severe, which is expected as the pixel count increases by 2.25 times.

The pattern is even more pronounced at Medium settings. The average FPS drops from 56 at 1080p to 47 at 1440p (a 16.1% drop) and then to 37 at 4K (a 21.3% drop from 1440p). These drops are substantial, but they are not as large as the gains seen when lowering settings. This suggests that the GPU is struggling to fill the increased pixel count, especially with more complex shading and effects enabled.

The data clearly indicates that the AMD Radeon 8050S is the limiting factor. A system with a more powerful CPU but a weaker GPU would show a similar pattern, but the CPU here is not the bottleneck. If the CPU were the limit, the FPS would remain relatively constant across resolutions, as the CPU's workload does not increase with resolution. Since the FPS drops consistently with every resolution increase, the GPU's rendering capabilities and its shared memory bandwidth are the primary constraints. The system is best utilized at 1080p, where the GPU can maintain a playable framerate even at Medium settings, or at 1440p with Low settings for a higher resolution experience.