The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title built on Unreal Engine 4, presents a unique workload that stresses both the CPU and GPU in distinct ways. This analysis examines the performance of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, using measured FPS data to understand how this combination handles the game's dual-reality rendering. The data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but which also shows surprising CPU sensitivity at lower settings, making it a nuanced performer that defies simple categorization.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and expected trend: as resolution increases, average frame rates drop significantly. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 139 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings, the average falls to 117 FPS, a reduction of roughly 16%. At 3840x2160, the average plunges to 92 FPS, a 34% drop from the 1440p figure and a 34% drop from the 1080p figure. This pattern strongly indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is the primary limiting factor as pixel count rises.

The scaling behavior becomes more dramatic when examining the High preset. The system delivers 62 FPS at 1080p, drops to 52 FPS at 1440p, and falls further to 41 FPS at 4K. This represents a 34% performance loss from 1080p to 4K, which is a significant hit. The trend suggests that the game's visual fidelity at High settings, which likely includes complex lighting and shadow effects, places an enormous load on the GPU's 512.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 20.74 TFLOPS of compute power. The data implies that the GPU's raw throughput is being saturated, leaving little headroom for higher resolutions.

Interestingly, the scaling from Low to High settings at a fixed resolution is not uniform. At 1080p, the jump from Low (139 FPS) to High (62 FPS) represents a 55% reduction in performance. At 4K, the same settings change results in a drop from 92 FPS to 41 FPS, also a 55% reduction. This consistency suggests that the settings presets scale the GPU workload in a linear fashion, regardless of resolution. However, the fact that the 4K Low score (92 FPS) is still higher than the 1080p High score (62 FPS) reveals that the GPU has ample headroom at lower resolutions, but the settings are the dominant factor in determining final performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. In The Medium, its role appears to be secondary to the GPU, but not negligible. The benchmark results show that the combo's performance is highly dependent on the graphics settings, which points to the GPU being the bottleneck in most scenarios. However, the CPU's single-threaded performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655, is likely sufficient to feed the GPU without causing major stutters.

The data does not provide a direct CPU-only benchmark for this game, but the performance scaling hints at its influence. At 1080p with Low settings, the system hits 139 FPS. This high frame rate suggests that the CPU is capable of processing the game's logic and draw calls quickly enough to avoid limiting the GPU. If the CPU were a significant bottleneck, we would expect to see a plateau in frame rates as resolution decreases, but instead, we see a continuous climb. The processor's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth likely help in streaming the game's fixed-camera scenes efficiently.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 5 225's average benchmark score is 36938, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945) and just 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018). This parity in synthetic tests suggests that in CPU-bound scenarios, the experience would be virtually identical to those other chips. In The Medium, this means that the Core Ultra 5 225 is unlikely to be the source of any performance discrepancy; it is a capable mid-range processor that can keep up with the demands of the game, provided the GPU is not overwhelmed.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT holds a rank of 846 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the top 29% of all tested systems, which is a respectable position. The percentileVsAllCpus for the CPU is 85%, and the percentileVsAllGpus for the GPU is also 85%, indicating that both components are in the upper echelon of their respective categories. However, the combo's rank is lower than the individual component percentiles might suggest, implying that there are other pairings that extract more performance from similar hardware.

The rank of 846 suggests that while this system is far from the bottom, it is not a top-tier performer for this specific title. The data indicates that the GPU, despite being powerful, is not enough to push this combo into the higher echelons of the rankings. The RX 6800 XT's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, has an average score of 49957, which is 3% higher. This small gap in synthetic benchmarks might translate to a few extra frames in The Medium, but the measured data for this combo shows it is sufficient for a playable experience at most settings.

The high combo rank relative to the total number of tested combos (2911) is a positive sign. It means that the Core Ultra 5 225 and RX 6800 XT work well together, without any major compatibility or driver overhead issues that could cripple performance. The system is balanced enough to avoid extreme bottlenecking, where one component is vastly underpowered compared to the other. This balance is key, as it allows the system to scale predictably with resolution and settings changes, as seen in the measured FPS data.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system performs admirably across all settings. The Low preset delivers an average of 139 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth for a horror game. The Medium preset sees a drop to 87 FPS, with minimum and maximum values of 74 and 100 FPS, respectively, indicating a stable frame pacing. High settings yield 62 FPS, which is still playable, but the Ultra preset brings the average down to 49 FPS. This shows that at 1080p, the user has a wide range of options, from high-refresh-rate gaming at Low to a more visually rich experience at High.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings still provide a high average of 117 FPS. Medium settings drop to 73 FPS, with a minimum of 62 and a maximum of 84 FPS. This is a very playable range for most users. High settings average 52 FPS, which is on the cusp of what many consider the minimum for a smooth experience. Ultra settings fall to 42 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for fast-paced action, though The Medium's slower pace might make it tolerable. The data shows that 1440p High is a reasonable target for this combo.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. Low settings are the only option that provides a high frame rate, with an average of 92 FPS. Medium settings drop to 57 FPS, with a minimum of 49 and a maximum of 66 FPS, which is a playable but not ideal range. High settings yield 41 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 33 FPS. The data suggests that 4K gaming is only viable at Low or Medium settings for a consistent experience, and even then, the minimum frame rates at Medium (49 FPS) indicate potential for minor stutters in demanding scenes.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is a 16 GB GDDR6 graphics card with a 256-bit memory bus and a bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s. Its architecture, RDNA 2.0, features 4608 shading units and 72 ray accelerators. In The Medium, the GPU's massive memory pool is a significant asset, as the game's dual-reality mechanic requires rendering two distinct scenes simultaneously, which can consume a large amount of VRAM. The 16 GB capacity ensures that the game does not run out of memory at any resolution or setting, preventing texture pop-in or crashes.

The GPU's clock speeds are also a factor. With a base clock of 1825 MHz and a boost clock of 2250 MHz, the RX 6800 XT is a high-frequency card. This helps to maintain high fill rates, especially at lower resolutions where the CPU can feed it data quickly. The 288 TMUs and 128 ROPs allow for efficient texture filtering and pixel output, which is crucial for the game's detailed environments. The data shows that the GPU is the driving force behind the resolution scaling, with performance dropping as the pixel count increases.

The GPU's benchmark scores support its position in the market. Its Passmark G3D score is 24980, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 3689. These scores place it in the 85th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile, has a score that is 1.5% lower, while the Intel Arc A550M is 2.5% higher. This suggests that the RX 6800 XT is a solid performer, but it is not at the very top of the performance stack. In The Medium, this translates to a card that can handle the game at high settings in 1080p and 1440p, but struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user's resolution and performance priorities. For 1920x1080, the High preset is the best balance, offering an average of 62 FPS. This provides a visually rich experience while maintaining a frame rate that is above the 60 FPS threshold for most players. The Medium preset at 87 FPS is also a strong choice for those who prefer a higher refresh rate, but the visual fidelity will be lower. The Ultra preset is not recommended, as the 49 FPS average is too low for a smooth experience.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the recommended choice. With an average of 73 FPS and a minimum of 62 FPS, it provides a smooth and stable experience with good visual quality. The High preset, at 52 FPS, is a viable alternative for users who prioritize visuals over frame rate, but they should be prepared for occasional dips below 60 FPS. The Low preset is unnecessary at this resolution, as the Medium preset already offers a high frame rate. The Ultra preset should be avoided, as the 42 FPS average is too low.

For 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only setting that provides a consistently high frame rate, with an average of 92 FPS. The Medium preset, at 57 FPS, is playable but has a minimum of 49 FPS, which could cause noticeable stuttering in intense scenes. The High and Ultra presets are not recommended for a satisfying experience. The data clearly shows that 4K gaming with this combo requires a significant compromise in visual quality to achieve acceptable performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The system achieves an average of 87 FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, with a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 33, which is below the playable threshold for most users.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as performance scales significantly with resolution changes. However, at 1080p Low, the CPU's capability is sufficient to reach 139 FPS, showing it is not a major limiting factor.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 offers the best balance, with an average of 73 FPS and a minimum of 62 FPS, providing a smooth experience.

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

A: This combo ranks 846th out of 2911 tested combinations in The Medium, placing it in the top 29% of all systems.

Q: Does the RX 6800 XT have enough VRAM for this game?

A: Yes, the 16 GB of GDDR6 memory is more than sufficient for The Medium, ensuring no memory-related performance issues at any tested resolution or setting.