The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title, presents an interesting case study in system balancing when paired with the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 7600. The benchmark data reveals a configuration that is heavily skewed toward graphical limitations, where the CPU's substantial headroom is left largely untapped by the GPU's output at higher settings. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and presets, interpreting what the numbers indicate about the underlying hardware dynamics.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock of 3.30 GHz can boost up to 4.90 GHz, giving it strong single-thread capabilities that are often relevant for game logic and scene management. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and a single-core score of 3655, placing it in the 85th percentile among all CPUs. Its Passmark single-thread score of 4412 further confirms its proficiency in tasks that rely on fewer, faster cores.

The data from The Medium suggests that this CPU is not the bottleneck in this pairing. The measured FPS at 1080p Low is 92, which is a high frame rate that indicates the CPU can feed the GPU adequately. However, when looking at the scaling across resolutions, the CPU's performance ceiling is never visibly reached. The largest FPS drop occurs when moving from 1080p Low (92 FPS) to 1440p Low (77 FPS), a 16% reduction. This drop, while notable, is more likely attributable to the GPU's pixel throughput limits than to the CPU, as the resolution increase directly raises the GPU's workload.

The core configuration of 10 cores and 10 threads (without Hyper-Threading) is sufficient for this title. The Medium is not known for heavily threading its physics or rendering workloads to the extent that a 10-thread CPU would be overwhelmed at the frame rates observed. The CPU's L3 cache of 20 MB shared and 3 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample storage for game assets that need quick access. The CPU's memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s via dual-channel DDR5 support is also not a limiting factor here, as the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are more critical for texture streaming at higher resolutions.

The benchmark results indicate that the Core Ultra 5 225 is a capable partner, but its potential is muted. In the nearest rival comparison, the CPU's average benchmark score of 36938 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945) and only 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018). This places it in a performance tier where it can handle any modern game's CPU demands. However, in this specific game, the data shows that the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rate, especially at higher presets and resolutions. The CPU's role is to ensure that the GPU is never starved for data, which it does successfully up to the point where the GPU's own limits take over.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain a playable frame rate?

A: At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 92 FPS, which is the highest measured average. For a more balanced visual quality, 1080p Medium yields 57 FPS, while 1440p Low drops to 77 FPS. The 4K Low setting is the only 4K preset that exceeds 60 FPS, hitting 61 FPS, but this is a minimal graphical setting.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its direct rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938. This is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945, 0% delta) and slightly behind the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018, -0.2% delta) and AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093, -0.4% delta). The performance difference is negligible, indicating a tight competitive grouping.

Q: Is the GPU's 8 GB VRAM a limiting factor in this game?

A: The data suggests that at 4K Medium, the average FPS is 38, which is low but not indicative of a VRAM overflow crash. The game's performance scaling from 1080p Low (92 FPS) to 4K Low (61 FPS) shows a steady decline, which is more consistent with raw compute and memory bandwidth limits (288.0 GB/s) than a VRAM capacity issue, as the Low preset likely uses less than 8 GB.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested configurations?

A: This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 7600 ranks 2007 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the lower third of the database, reflecting that while it can run the game, it does not deliver top-tier performance.

Q: Does the game benefit more from the CPU's single-core or multi-core performance?

A: The CPU's strong single-core score (Cinebench R23 single-core: 3655) is likely more relevant than its multi-core score (25891) for this title. The FPS data shows that the game is GPU-bound at most settings, meaning the CPU's ability to process game logic quickly on a few threads is sufficient, but its multi-threaded headroom is not fully utilized.

Q: How does the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings compare to Low settings?

A: At High settings, the FPS drops from 41 (1080p) to 35 (1440p) and finally to 27 (4K), a total reduction of 34% from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the drop is from 92 (1080p) to 77 (1440p) to 61 (4K), a total reduction of 34% as well. The relative percentage drop is consistent, but the absolute FPS difference is larger at Low settings.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling data provides a clear picture of the system's bottleneck. At Low settings, the game runs at 92 FPS at 1080p, 77 FPS at 1440p, and 61 FPS at 4K. The transition from 1080p to 1440p represents a 16.3% drop in frame rate, while the move from 1440p to 4K (which has 2.25 times the pixels of 1440p) results in a 20.8% drop. This non-linear scaling suggests that the GPU is struggling to fill pixels as the resolution increases, but the CPU is still keeping pace.

At Medium settings, the pattern is similar but with lower absolute numbers: 57 FPS at 1080p, 48 FPS at 1440p, and 38 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 20.8%, identical to the Low preset drop. This consistency in percentage drop across different presets is a strong indicator that the limiting factor is the GPU's rendering pipeline, specifically its pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth. The RX 7600 has a pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 339.8 GTexel/s, which are being saturated as resolution increases.

The High preset shows a steeper decline in percentage terms from 1080p to 1440p: 41 FPS to 35 FPS, a 14.6% drop. From 1440p to 4K, it drops from 35 FPS to 27 FPS, a 22.9% reduction. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with 33 FPS at 1080p, 27 FPS at 1440p, and 22 FPS at 4K. The performance at 4K Ultra (22 FPS) is barely interactive, underscoring that this GPU is not designed for high-fidelity 4K gaming in this title.

The data implies that the CPU is not the limiting component at any point. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar FPS numbers across different resolutions, as the CPU workload would remain constant. Instead, the FPS scales inversely with resolution, confirming that the GPU is the primary constraint. The CPU's high single-thread performance ensures that it can handle the game's logic at high frame rates, but the GPU cannot translate that into higher FPS at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience depends heavily on the target resolution and the user's preference for smoothness over visual fidelity. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 92 FPS, which is excellent for high refresh rate monitors. However, the Medium preset at 57 FPS provides a more balanced visual experience without dropping below 49 FPS (min FPS), which is still smooth for a horror game. The High preset at 41 FPS is playable but begins to feel less fluid, while the Ultra preset at 33 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold and may feel stuttery in fast-paced scenes.

At 1440p, the Low preset is the only one that achieves a high frame rate, hitting 77 FPS. The Medium preset at 48 FPS is the best compromise for visual quality, as it maintains a playable frame rate with a minimum of 41 FPS. The High preset at 35 FPS and Ultra at 27 FPS are generally not recommended for a smooth experience, as they fall below the 30 FPS threshold that is often considered the minimum for playable console-like performance.

At 4K, the situation is clear: only the Low preset (61 FPS) is viable for a playable experience. The Medium preset at 38 FPS is borderline, with a minimum of 32 FPS, which could be acceptable for a slow-paced horror game but is not ideal. The High (27 FPS) and Ultra (22 FPS) presets are not recommended, as they produce frame rates that are too low for comfortable gameplay.

The data suggests that the "best experience" is found at 1080p Medium or 1440p Low, depending on the display's native resolution. For users with a 1440p monitor, the Medium preset at 48 FPS offers a good balance of detail and smoothness, especially given the game's atmospheric nature where a steady 30-40 FPS is often tolerable. For 1080p users, the Medium preset at 57 FPS is the sweet spot, providing a significant visual upgrade over Low while maintaining a solid frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 7600 ranks 2007 out of 2911 tested configurations in The Medium. This places it in the 31st percentile of all combos, meaning that roughly 69% of tested systems perform better than this one. This ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's performance, as the CPU is relatively strong.

The GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs is 57, indicating it is a mid-range part. Its average benchmark score is 15171, which is very close to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (15199, -0.2% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro 560X (15082, 0.6% delta). This places the RX 7600 in a performance tier that is adequate for 1080p gaming but struggles at higher resolutions. The combo's low rank in this game suggests that The Medium is particularly demanding on the GPU, likely due to its use of volumetric lighting and high-resolution textures.

The CPU's high percentile (85) does not compensate for the GPU's mid-range position. In a game like The Medium, the GPU is the primary driver of FPS, and the RX 7600's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus limit its ability to handle high-resolution textures and effects. The combo rank of 2007 out of 2911 indicates that while this system is functional, it is not a high-performance gaming rig for this specific title. Users with this combo should expect to lower settings to achieve playable frame rates at higher resolutions, as the data confirms the GPU's limitations.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the system's performance across all combinations of resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 92 FPS, which is the highest score recorded. The Medium preset drops to 57 FPS, with a minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 66 FPS, indicating some frame time variance. The High preset yields 41 FPS, while the Ultra preset is the lowest at 33 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 77 FPS, a significant drop from 1080p but still highly playable. The Medium preset at 48 FPS has a minimum of 41 FPS and a maximum of 56 FPS, showing a tighter frame time distribution than the 1080p Medium result. The High preset at 35 FPS and Ultra at 27 FPS are both below the 40 FPS threshold, making them less ideal for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only one that remains above 60 FPS, hitting 61 FPS. The Medium preset at 38 FPS has a minimum of 32 FPS and a maximum of 44 FPS, which is a playable range for a slow-paced horror game. The High preset at 27 FPS and Ultra at 22 FPS are the lowest scores in the entire dataset, making them unsuitable for a comfortable experience.

The data shows a clear linear progression: as resolution increases, FPS decreases proportionally. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is consistent across all presets (approximately 34%), which reinforces the GPU-bound nature of the system. The min and max FPS values for the Medium preset at each resolution show that the frame rate is relatively stable, with a difference of about 12-15 FPS between the minimum and maximum, indicating no severe stuttering or frame drops.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 33 chip, manufactured on a 6 nm process by TSMC. Its boost clock of 2655 MHz and game clock of 2250 MHz provide solid computational throughput, with a FP32 performance of 21.75 TFLOPS. The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is a critical factor in the game's performance at higher resolutions.

In The Medium, the GPU's role is dominant. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (22 FPS) is a clear indication that the GPU is overwhelmed by the game's graphical demands. The game likely uses high-resolution textures and complex lighting effects that require significant memory bandwidth and fill rate. The RX 7600's 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but at 4K, the texture data may be close to exceeding the VRAM capacity, leading to lower performance.

The GPU's pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 339.8 GTexel/s are the theoretical limits that govern how many pixels and texels it can process per second. The resolution scaling data shows that the GPU's fill rate is the bottleneck, as the FPS drops in near-perfect proportion to the pixel count increase. The GPU's benchmark scores, such as a Passmark G3D score of 16634, place it in the 57th percentile, confirming its mid-range status.

The GPU's performance relative to its rivals is interesting. The RX 7600's average benchmark score (15171) is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (15199, -0.2% delta), but the RTX 3050 OEM has a different memory configuration. The fact that the RX 7600 performs similarly to such a rival in synthetic tests, yet struggles in The Medium at 4K, suggests that the game's specific requirements (e.g., memory bandwidth) are not fully captured by the average benchmark score. The GPU's 128-bit memory bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are modest, and the game's performance at 4K Medium (38 FPS) versus 1080p Medium (57 FPS) highlights this limitation. The data indicates that the GPU is the clear limiting factor in this combo, and its mid-range specifications dictate that users must compromise on resolution or settings to achieve playable frame rates.