The Medium

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT lands at rank 1045 out of 2911 tested combinations for The Medium, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all systems evaluated. That position, roughly the 64th percentile among combos, suggests a machine that can handle the game but with meaningful compromises at the highest settings. The ranking reflects a pairing where neither component is a bottleneck at typical resolutions, yet the system does not approach the top echelon reserved for flagship hardware.

What makes this rank interesting is the asymmetry between the two components' standalone standings. The CPU sits at the 85th percentile among all processors, a strong showing that indicates plenty of headroom for demanding workloads. The GPU, by contrast, ranks at the 67th percentile among all graphics cards, a more modest position. In a game like The Medium, which leans heavily on rendering fidelity, the graphics card's lower relative standing likely drags the combo down from what the CPU alone might suggest. The data implies that this pairing is balanced toward CPU capability, with the GPU as the limiting factor in pushing frame rates higher.

Comparing to the nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks, the CPU's average score of 36938 is statistically tied with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F at 36945, a delta of 0%. The Ryzen 5 5500X3D scores 37018, just 0.2% higher, while the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 and Intel Core i9-12900T are within 0.5% either way. This clustering means the processor choice among these options would not materially change in-game performance. On the GPU side, the RX 7700 XT's average benchmark score of 22549 sits 0.5% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile (22435) and 0.8% below the RTX 4060 Mobile (22729). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 is 1.5% higher, while the AMD Radeon RX 5700 trails by 1.7%. These margins are small enough that driver optimizations or game-specific quirks could flip the order in any given title.

The practical takeaway from the combo rank is that this system delivers playable performance for The Medium across most settings, but users targeting ultra-high framerates at 4K will need to temper expectations. The rank of 1045 out of 2911 places it ahead of a solid majority of tested configurations, which includes many older or lower-tier parts. For a horror game that thrives on atmosphere and deliberate pacing, the measured frame rates suggest the experience will be smooth enough at medium presets, with the caveat that the most demanding settings will push the hardware to its limits.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 brings 10 cores and 10 threads to the table, a configuration that omits hyper-threading entirely. Its base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.90 GHz provide the single-threaded muscle that many games still depend on, and the 20 MB of shared L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed data close at hand. The processor is built on a 3 nm process at TSMC, housing 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die, which speaks to a modern, power-efficient design. With a 65 W TDP, it draws modest power while delivering competitive multi-threaded performance.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU's multi-core scores are respectable: 2609 in Cinebench R15, 6317 in R20, and 25891 in R23. Single-core results follow suit with 368, 891, and 3655 in the same tests respectively. The PassMark multi-thread score of 30459 and single-thread score of 4412 further confirm a balanced profile. These numbers indicate a processor that can handle both gaming and productivity tasks without breaking a sweat, but the lack of threads beyond 10 could become a limitation in heavily threaded scenarios, though The Medium is not known for pushing CPU cores to their limits.

For this specific game, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU. The Medium's fixed-camera angles and pre-rendered environments place most of the computational burden on the graphics card. The Ultra 5's strong single-core performance, evidenced by the 3655 Cinebench R23 single-core score, ensures that game logic, physics calculations, and frame pacing do not become bottlenecks. The 4.90 GHz boost clock is particularly relevant for maintaining consistent frame times in scenes with complex lighting and shadow calculations, which The Medium uses extensively to create its eerie atmosphere.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s via dual-channel DDR5 is adequate for feeding the GPU with draw calls and texture data. While not exceptional, it does not present a constraint in this pairing. The 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs reinforces that this processor has substantial headroom; even in CPU-intensive sections of the game, it is unlikely to be the limiting factor. Instead, the data points to the GPU as the component that will determine how high settings can go before frame rates become uncomfortable.

# FAQ

Q: What is the overall rank of this CPU and GPU combo for The Medium?

A: The combo ranks 1045 out of 2911 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle tier of systems evaluated for this game.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 scores 36938 on average, essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F at 36945 (0% delta). The Ryzen 5 5500X3D is 0.2% higher, while the Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 and Core i9-12900T are 0.4% and 0.5% higher respectively.

Q: What are the measured frame rates at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the combo delivers an average of 79 FPS, with minimums of 67 FPS and maximums of 91 FPS.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU more likely to be the bottleneck in this game?

A: The GPU appears to be the limiting factor. The CPU ranks at the 85th percentile among all processors, while the GPU sits at the 67th percentile. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 30 FPS, indicating GPU-bound performance.

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

A: The RX 7700 XT scores 22549 on average, sitting 0.5% above the RTX 5060 Mobile, 0.8% below the RTX 4060 Mobile, 1.5% below the RTX 2080, and 1.7% above the RX 5700.

Q: What is the best resolution for maintaining high frame rates?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 126 FPS average, and at 1440p Low it reaches 106 FPS. For a smoother experience above 60 FPS, 1080p Medium (79 FPS) or 1440p Low (106 FPS) are the most viable options.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how this combo performs across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the system delivers 126 FPS on Low settings, 79 FPS on Medium (with a range of 67 to 91 FPS), 56 FPS on High, and 45 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show a predictable scaling curve, with each step up in quality costing a significant chunk of performance. The jump from Low to Medium represents a 37% drop in average frame rate, while Medium to High costs another 29%, and High to Ultra costs 20% more.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern continues but with lower absolute numbers. Low settings yield 106 FPS, Medium produces 66 FPS (ranging from 56 to 76), High manages 47 FPS, and Ultra drops to 38 FPS. The relative penalties are similar to 1080p, but the baseline is lower, meaning that High and Ultra presets fall below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider the minimum for smooth gameplay. Medium remains playable at 66 FPS average, while Low comfortably exceeds 100 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become stark. Low settings still manage 83 FPS, which is respectable for 4K, but Medium drops to 52 FPS (with a range of 44 to 60), High falls to 37 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 30 FPS. The 4K Medium result is the only preset at this resolution that approaches playability, and even then, the minimum of 44 FPS suggests occasional stutters during demanding scenes. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K is a 37% reduction, mirroring the 1080p scaling, but the starting point is lower, making the higher presets impractical.

Notably, the data only includes average FPS for most settings, with min and max values recorded solely for the Medium preset at each resolution. This omission suggests that the test methodology focused on average performance, but the available min/max data for Medium reveals variance of roughly 15-20% around the mean. At 1080p Medium, the 67-91 FPS range indicates that even in this comfortable territory, frame times are not perfectly consistent, which could matter in a horror game where sudden scene changes or loading transitions might cause dips.

# Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior of this combo reveals a system that is firmly GPU-bound. Comparing 1080p to 4K at each settings level, the frame rate drops are consistent and significant. At Low settings, 1080p yields 126 FPS while 4K produces 83 FPS, a 34% reduction. At Medium, 79 FPS at 1080p falls to 52 FPS at 4K, a 34% decline as well. High settings show 56 FPS at 1080p dropping to 37 FPS at 4K, a 34% decrease. Ultra is similar, with 45 FPS at 1080p and 30 FPS at 4K, representing a 33% drop.

The uniformity of these percentage drops across all settings is telling. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the 1080p numbers to be artificially capped, with smaller percentage losses as resolution increases. Instead, the consistent 33-34% reduction from 1080p to 4K indicates that the GPU's rendering throughput scales predictably with pixel count. This is classic GPU-bound behavior, where the CPU has enough headroom to feed the graphics card at all resolutions, but the GPU's fill rate and shading capabilities determine the final frame rate.

The 1440p results sit roughly midway between 1080p and 4K, as expected. At Low, 106 FPS at 1440p is 16% lower than 1080p's 126 FPS and 28% higher than 4K's 83 FPS. Medium shows 66 FPS at 1440p, which is 16% below 1080p's 79 FPS and 27% above 4K's 52 FPS. This linear scaling reinforces the GPU-bound nature of the system, as the frame rate tracks the pixel count almost exactly. The 12 GB of VRAM and 432.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth on the RX 7700 XT appear sufficient to avoid memory capacity issues even at 4K, since the performance drops are proportional to resolution rather than showing sudden cliffs that would indicate VRAM exhaustion.

What the data does not show is any significant CPU limitation at 1080p. If the Ultra 5 225 were struggling to keep up, the 1080p Low result of 126 FPS would likely be lower, or the scaling from 1080p to 1440p would be less than proportional. Instead, the smooth scaling curve suggests that the CPU is delivering frames as fast as the GPU can render them, and the system's performance ceiling is set by the Radeon card's compute capabilities.

# Settings Recommendations

For players seeking the best balance between visual quality and smooth performance, the data points to Medium settings as the sweet spot for this combo. At 1080p Medium, the 79 FPS average with a minimum of 67 FPS provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring that most scenes will play smoothly without noticeable stuttering. The horror genre benefits from consistent frame pacing, and the 67 FPS minimum suggests that even the most demanding moments stay within playable territory.

At 1440p, Medium settings deliver 66 FPS average with a range of 56 to 76 FPS. This is borderline but playable, with the minimum dipping below 60 FPS in heavier scenes. For users with 1440p monitors, Medium is the recommended starting point, though those sensitive to frame drops might prefer Low settings, which offer 106 FPS average and eliminate any concerns about smoothness. The visual difference between Low and Medium in The Medium, a game that relies on atmospheric lighting and shadow detail, is noticeable but not transformative.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. Medium settings produce 52 FPS average with a 44 to 60 FPS range, which is technically playable but frequently dips below 60 FPS. Low settings at 83 FPS average are the safer choice for 4K, providing a smooth experience while sacrificing some visual fidelity. The 30 FPS Ultra result at 4K is not recommended for anything other than screenshots or slow-paced exploration, as the frame rate is too low for comfortable gameplay.

High settings occupy an awkward middle ground at all resolutions. At 1080p, 56 FPS is below the 60 FPS target; at 1440p, 47 FPS is noticeably choppy; at 4K, 37 FPS is borderline unplayable. The step from Medium to High costs roughly 29% of performance at each resolution, yet the visual improvement is unlikely to justify that penalty for most players. Ultra settings are even more punishing, with only 30 FPS at 4K and 38 FPS at 1440p, making them viable only at 1080p where 45 FPS is still marginal.

The best experience per the measured rows is Medium at 1080p or 1440p, depending on the user's display. For 4K users, Low settings at 83 FPS offer the most consistent experience, with Medium as a fallback for those who prioritize visuals over frame rate stability.

# GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is the primary driver of this combo's gaming performance, and the measured FPS data confirms its central role. Built on the Navi 32 chip with RDNA 3.0 architecture, the GPU features 3456 shading units, 216 texture mapping units, and 96 raster operation units. Its 54 ray tracing cores support the DirectX 12 Ultimate feature set, which The Medium can leverage for its lighting effects. The GPU's boost clock of 2544 MHz and game clock of 2171 MHz provide the raw compute throughput, rated at 35.17 TFLOPS for FP32 operations.

The 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus delivers 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which appears sufficient for The Medium's requirements across all tested resolutions and settings. The lack of VRAM-related performance cliffs in the scaling data suggests that the game's textures and geometry fit comfortably within 12 GB, even at 4K Ultra settings. This is notable because many modern games at 4K can exceed 10 GB of VRAM usage, but The Medium, released in 2021, was designed for hardware of that era and does not appear to push memory capacity to its limits.

The GPU's benchmark results place it at the 67th percentile among all graphics cards, with an average score of 22549. Its nearest rivals in synthetic testing are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile (22435, 0.5% lower), RTX 4060 Mobile (22729, 0.8% higher), RTX 2080 (22895, 1.5% higher), and RX 5700 (22170, 1.7% lower). These tight margins indicate that the RX 7700 XT is competitive with mid-range GPUs from both AMD and NVIDIA, though it does not approach the performance of higher-tier cards that would push the combo's rank higher.

In The Medium specifically, the GPU's limitations become apparent at higher settings and resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 30 FPS average suggests that the card's fill rate and shading power are insufficient for the most demanding configuration. However, the 4K Low result of 83 FPS demonstrates that the GPU has ample headroom when settings are reduced, making it a versatile card for users willing to adjust quality presets. The 54 ray tracing cores are present but modest in number, and the game's use of ray-traced reflections or shadows could explain the steep performance penalties at Ultra settings where these features likely become more intensive.

The GPU's 245 W TDP and 2x 8-pin power connectors indicate a power-hungry design, though the suggested 550 W PSU provides adequate headroom for most systems. The dual-slot form factor and 267 mm length make it compatible with a wide range of cases, and the display outputs include HDMI 2.1a, two DisplayPort 2.1, and one USB Type-C, offering flexibility for modern monitors. Overall, the RX 7700 XT delivers solid mid-range performance that aligns with its 67th percentile ranking, and in The Medium, it proves capable of smooth gameplay at medium presets across all resolutions, with the caveat that 4K Ultra remains out of reach.