The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title built on Unreal Engine 4, presents a demanding workload that splits the screen between two simultaneous worlds. The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a playable but inconsistent experience, ranking 1648th out of 2911 tested combos for this game. That placement puts it in the lower half of the database, indicating that this pairing is better suited for 1080p or moderate 1440p gaming rather than chasing maximum fidelity at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1648 out of 2911 tested configurations places it near the 43rd percentile of all tested pairs for The Medium. That is a middling result, reflecting a system that can run the game comfortably at lower settings but struggles to maintain smooth frame rates when the graphical load increases. The ranking is driven primarily by the GPU, which sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the CPU ranks at the 85th percentile among all CPUs. This imbalance suggests the graphics card is the limiting factor in most scenarios, as the processor has more headroom than the GPU can utilize in this title.

Looking at the GPU’s nearest rivals, the RTX 2070 SUPER posts an average benchmark score of 20282, sitting just 1% below the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480) and 1.2% below the GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534). It also trails the Intel Arc B570 (20556) by 1.3% and the Intel Arc A750 (20582) by 1.5%. These are tight margins, meaning the RTX 2070 SUPER is essentially on par with those cards in synthetic tests, but in The Medium specifically, the measured frame rates show that this GPU class is stretched thin at higher resolutions.

The CPU, meanwhile, has an average benchmark score of 36938, nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945, 0% delta), and slightly ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018, -0.2%), AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093, -0.4%), and Intel Core i9-12900T (37112, -0.5%). The differences are negligible, meaning the Ultra 5 225 delivers performance consistent with those rivals. In The Medium, the CPU is rarely the bottleneck; instead, the GPU’s 8 GB of VRAM and Turing architecture define the experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The chip includes 20 MB of shared L3 cache, along with 192 KB of L1 cache per core and 3 MB of L2 cache per core. Memory support is limited to DDR5 with a dual-channel bus, providing 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth.

For The Medium, this processor is more than sufficient. The game’s fixed-camera angles and scripted sequences do not demand the kind of high-thread-count workloads seen in open-world titles. Benchmark results reinforce this: the CPU scores 25891 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3655 in single-core, placing it well above what this game needs. The PassMark multithread score of 30459 and single-thread score of 4412 further confirm that the Ultra 5 225 can feed the GPU without issue.

The real question is whether the CPU’s 10 threads are enough for the game’s dual-reality rendering. The Medium renders two full scenes simultaneously during certain puzzle sequences, which increases both CPU and GPU load. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 101 FPS, indicating the CPU is not holding back performance at that setting. Even at 4K Low, the system hits 67 FPS, suggesting the CPU scales well with resolution changes. The CPU’s 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs means it outperforms the vast majority of processors in the database, so it is unlikely to be the source of frame rate drops in this title.

The nearest CPU rivals, such as the Ryzen 5 5600F and Ryzen 5 5500X3D, have nearly identical average scores, with deltas of 0% and -0.2% respectively. This means swapping the Ultra 5 225 for one of those chips would produce virtually the same results in The Medium. The processor’s 4.90 GHz boost clock provides strong single-thread performance, which is beneficial for the game’s primary simulation thread, but the overall frame rate is dictated by the GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with a TU104 chip, manufactured on a 12 nm process. It features 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, along with 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores. The card has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1605 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz, and memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The GPU’s FP32 performance is 9.062 TFLOPS, with a pixel rate of 113.3 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 283.2 GTexel/s.

The RTX 2070 SUPER sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, which is a solid mid-range position. Its average benchmark score of 20282 places it just below the Quadro M4000M and RTX 3070 Mobile, as noted earlier. For The Medium, the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM is a critical factor. The game’s high-resolution textures and dual-world rendering can push memory usage above 8 GB at 4K Ultra, which leads to the measured 24 FPS average at that setting. Even at 1440p High, the card manages only 38 FPS, and at 1080p High it reaches 45 FPS.

The GPU’s Turing architecture supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which allows for hardware-accelerated ray tracing, but The Medium’s implementation is not the primary bottleneck. Instead, the card’s raw rasterization performance and VRAM capacity limit its ability to handle the game’s demands. The measured data shows that at 1080p Low, the card achieves 101 FPS, indicating it can perform well when the load is reduced. However, as settings increase, the frame rate drops sharply, suggesting the GPU is the limiting component.

The nearest GPU rivals, such as the Intel Arc B570 and Arc A750, have slightly higher average scores (20556 and 20582 respectively), but the deltas are under 1.5%. In practice, those cards would likely deliver similar frame rates in The Medium. The RTX 2070 SUPER’s 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores do not provide a significant advantage in this title, as the game’s performance is more dependent on traditional shader throughput and memory bandwidth.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 2070 SUPER and Ultra 5 225 combo delivers its best results. On Low settings, the average frame rate is 101 FPS, which is smooth and well above the threshold for comfortable play. Medium settings drop the average to 63 FPS, with minimums of 54 FPS and maximums of 72 FPS, providing a stable experience. High settings further reduce the average to 45 FPS, while Ultra settings bring it down to 36 FPS. These numbers show that 1080p is the resolution where this combo is most viable, with Low and Medium settings offering the best balance of visual quality and performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decline noticeably. Low settings average 85 FPS, which is still playable, but Medium drops to 53 FPS (min 45, max 61), and High falls to 38 FPS. Ultra settings bottom out at 30 FPS, which is on the edge of playability for a horror game that relies on atmosphere rather than fast action. The gap between Low and Medium at 1440p is 32 FPS, indicating that the GPU is being pushed harder as texture quality and shadow details increase.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles. Low settings average 67 FPS, which is surprisingly high for 4K, but Medium drops to 42 FPS (min 35, max 48), and High falls to 30 FPS. Ultra settings produce an unplayable 24 FPS average. The 4K Low result of 67 FPS suggests that the game is not entirely GPU-bound at lower settings, as the CPU can still push frames, but the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and compute units become overwhelmed as settings rise. The 4K Medium minimum of 35 FPS indicates occasional stutters, which could be disruptive in a game that relies on tension.

The Medium’s settings scale is steep. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 65 FPS (101 vs 36). At 1440p, that difference is 55 FPS (85 vs 30). At 4K, it is 43 FPS (67 vs 24). This pattern shows that the GPU’s performance ceiling is reached quickly, and higher settings have diminishing returns. The measured data includes only average FPS for most settings, with min and max values provided only for Medium at each resolution, indicating that Medium is the most thoroughly tested setting.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 101 at 1080p to 85 at 1440p (a 15.8% drop) and then to 67 at 4K (a 21.2% drop from 1440p). This scaling is relatively moderate, suggesting that at Low settings, the CPU still has some influence. At Medium settings, the drop is more pronounced: 63 FPS at 1080p, 53 FPS at 1440p (a 15.9% drop), and 42 FPS at 4K (a 20.8% drop from 1440p). High settings show a similar pattern: 45 FPS at 1080p, 38 FPS at 1440p (a 15.6% drop), and 30 FPS at 4K (a 21.1% drop). Ultra settings are the steepest: 36 FPS at 1080p, 30 FPS at 1440p (a 16.7% drop), and 24 FPS at 4K (a 20% drop from 1440p).

These scaling patterns indicate that the GPU is the limiting component. The consistent 15-16% drop from 1080p to 1440p and the 20-21% drop from 1440p to 4K are typical of a GPU that is running out of pixel throughput and memory bandwidth. The CPU’s 85th percentile ranking means it can handle the increased draw calls at higher resolutions, but the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 65th percentile ranking shows it is not a high-end card by modern standards.

The fact that Low settings at 4K hit 67 FPS is notable. This suggests that the game’s Low preset reduces the GPU load enough that the combo can achieve playable frame rates even at 4K. However, the visual quality at Low is significantly reduced, and the game’s atmospheric lighting and shadows are key to its horror tone. The 4K Medium result of 42 FPS is borderline, and the 4K High result of 30 FPS is exactly at the threshold of playability for many users.

The resolution scaling data clearly shows that the limiting component is the GPU. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would not drop as significantly with resolution increases. The RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB VRAM is likely a factor at 4K Ultra, where the game may be swapping textures, but even at 1440p High, the card cannot maintain 60 FPS. This is a GPU that was designed for 1080p and 1440p gaming at high settings, and The Medium’s dual-world rendering pushes it beyond its comfort zone.

FAQ

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

A: The 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings delivers 101 FPS, while Medium settings provide 63 FPS with minimums of 54 FPS. This is the only resolution where the combo consistently exceeds 60 FPS at Medium or higher settings, making 1080p the recommended choice.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in The Medium?

A: At 4K, the combo achieves 67 FPS on Low settings, 42 FPS on Medium, 30 FPS on High, and 24 FPS on Ultra. Only Low settings are reliably playable, while Medium and High are borderline, and Ultra is not recommended.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals for this game?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 20282, which is 1% below the Quadro M4000M (20480), 1.2% below the RTX 3070 Mobile (20534), 1.3% below the Intel Arc B570 (20556), and 1.5% below the Intel Arc A750 (20582). These differences are small, so performance in The Medium would be similar across these cards.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 strong enough for The Medium?

A: The CPU scores 25891 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3655 in single-core, ranking at the 85th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, has a nearly identical average score (36945 vs 36938, 0% delta), indicating the CPU is more than capable for this game.

Q: What settings provide a stable 60 FPS experience?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo hits 101 FPS. At 1080p Medium, it averages 63 FPS with a minimum of 54 FPS, which is close to 60 FPS but not guaranteed. For a locked 60 FPS, Low settings at 1080p are the safest option.

Q: Does the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM cause issues in The Medium?

A: The 8 GB VRAM is a limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 24, and at 1440p Ultra it is 30 FPS. The game’s dual-world rendering increases memory usage, and the data suggests that VRAM capacity contributes to the steep performance drop as settings increase.