The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title that stresses both the CPU and GPU, and the data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti reveals a system that is well-balanced but ultimately limited by the graphics card at higher resolutions. The measured frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets provide a clear picture of where this combo excels and where it falls short. This analysis breaks down the performance metrics, scaling behavior, and component roles based solely on the provided data.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates the shifting bottleneck between the processor and the graphics card. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 129 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this system. This high score indicates that the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is capable of feeding the GPU effectively at lower graphical loads, where the CPU is often the limiting factor. As the resolution increases to 1440p, the Low setting frame rate drops to 109 FPS, and at 4K it further declines to 85 FPS. This pattern shows that even at the lowest settings, the rendering load is scaling with resolution, but the CPU still maintains a strong floor.

The scaling becomes more pronounced at higher settings. Moving from 1080p to 1440p on Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 81 to 68, a reduction of 13 FPS. The jump to 4K Medium causes a more severe drop to 53 FPS, showing that the GPU is becoming the primary constraint. This is typical behavior; as resolution increases, the pixel fill rate and shading demands on the GPU grow exponentially, while the CPU's workload for game logic and draw calls remains relatively constant. The data shows a clear inflection point where the RTX 3070 Ti starts to struggle.

At 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 30, which is a significant 45% reduction from the 1080p Ultra score of 46 FPS. This steep decline confirms that the GPU is the limiting component for this title at high resolutions. The 8 GB of VRAM on the RTX 3070 Ti, combined with the high-resolution textures and effects of The Medium, likely contributes to this bottleneck. The difference between 1080p Ultra (46 FPS) and 1080p High (58 FPS) is 12 FPS, while the difference between 4K Ultra (30 FPS) and 4K High (38 FPS) is only 8 FPS. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so saturated that even reducing settings from Ultra to High provides diminishing returns, as the core rendering resolution is still the primary hurdle.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested CPU and GPU combinations for The Medium, this specific pairing ranks 978 out of 2911 tested combos. This places it in the top third of all systems tested, indicating solid performance for a mid-range to high-end setup. The percentile for the CPU is 85, meaning it outperforms 85% of all tested processors, while the GPU percentile is 75, outperforming 75% of all tested graphics cards. This combination of a high-percentile CPU with a solidly above-average GPU creates a system that is well-positioned for this game, but not at the absolute top tier.

The rank of 978 out of 2911 suggests that while this combo is capable, there are many other systems that deliver higher frame rates in The Medium. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D, have nearly identical average benchmark scores, with deltaPct values of 0 and -0.2 respectively. This indicates that the Core Ultra 5 225 is in a highly competitive performance band, and in-game results are unlikely to differ significantly between these processors. The GPU’s nearest rivals, including the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile and the AMD Radeon RX 6800, also show very close average scores, with deltaPct values of 0.1 and -0.5. This positions the RTX 3070 Ti as a mainstream performer that is closely matched with other popular cards.

The data shows that this combo is not a top-tier performer for The Medium, but it is far from a weak one. The rank is a holistic measure that considers all tested resolutions and settings, and the system’s ability to maintain playable frame rates at 1440p on High settings, as shown in the measured FPS data, reflects its overall capability. It is a balanced pairing where neither component is a drastic bottleneck for the other, though the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: The data shows that at 4K resolution, the average frame rate is 38 FPS on High settings, 30 FPS on Ultra, and 53 FPS on Medium. While the Medium preset is technically playable, the High and Ultra presets fall below the 60 FPS threshold and are likely to feel less smooth.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo?

A: Based on the measured data, 1440p is the sweet spot. At 1440p High, the combo achieves 49 FPS, and at Medium it reaches 68 FPS. This provides a good balance between visual fidelity and performance, with frame rates that are more consistently playable than at 4K.

Q: How does the CPU performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, has a score of 36945, which is a deltaPct of 0. The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D has a score of 37018, a deltaPct of -0.2. This means the Core Ultra 5 225 is essentially tied with these processors in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: Is the GPU a limiting factor in this game?

A: Yes, particularly at higher resolutions. The frame rate drops significantly from 1080p to 4K, especially on Ultra settings, where it falls from 46 FPS to 30 FPS. This indicates that the RTX 3070 Ti's rendering capabilities, including its 8 GB of VRAM, are the primary constraint at 4K.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the Low preset averages 109 FPS, while the High preset averages 49 FPS. This is a substantial difference of 60 FPS, showing that the graphical settings have a major impact on performance at this resolution.

Q: Does the system maintain a stable frame rate on Medium settings?

A: The data includes min and max FPS for Medium settings. At 1080p, the frame rate ranges from 69 to 93 FPS, with an average of 81. At 1440p, it ranges from 58 to 78 FPS, with an average of 68. At 4K, it ranges from 45 to 61 FPS, with an average of 53. This shows a consistent spread, indicating some variability but no severe stuttering.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience with this hardware, the Medium preset is the most balanced choice across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium provides an average of 81 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. The frame rate range of 69 to 93 FPS shows that the system can handle the game's action without dipping to unplayable levels. Moving to 1440p, Medium still delivers a respectable 68 FPS average, with a range of 58 to 78 FPS. This is the recommended resolution for this preset, as it offers a significant visual upgrade over 1080p while maintaining a mostly stable frame rate.

At 4K, the Medium preset yields a 53 FPS average, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The High preset at 1440p provides an average of 49 FPS, which is lower than the Medium preset at the same resolution. The data suggests that for users who prioritize frame rate, sticking to Medium is the safer option. For those who want to push visual quality, High at 1080p is also viable, with an average of 58 FPS, but it is not a significant improvement over the 1440p Medium experience.

The Low preset is available for maximum performance, achieving 129 FPS at 1080p and 109 FPS at 1440p. However, this preset often sacrifices too much visual fidelity in a game like The Medium, which relies heavily on atmosphere and lighting. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, and the data shows it is only suitable for 1080p, where it averages 46 FPS, or for users who can tolerate sub-40 FPS at higher resolutions. Therefore, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation for this system, providing the best balance of visual quality and performance across all tested resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at performance across different configurations. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 129 FPS, which is the highest score in the dataset. The Medium preset averages 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 and a maximum of 93. The High preset averages 58 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 46 FPS. This shows a clear progression where performance decreases as settings increase.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 109 FPS. The Medium preset averages 68 FPS, with a range of 58 to 78 FPS. The High preset averages 49 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 39 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium at this resolution is 41 FPS, which is significant, but the Medium to High drop is only 19 FPS, showing a more gradual decline. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 85 FPS. The Medium preset averages 53 FPS, with a range of 45 to 61 FPS. The High preset averages 38 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 30 FPS.

The data reveals that the step from 1080p to 1440p on the same preset has a consistent impact. For Low settings, the drop is 20 FPS (from 129 to 109). For Medium, it is 13 FPS (from 81 to 68). For High, it is 9 FPS (from 58 to 49). For Ultra, it is 7 FPS (from 46 to 39). This trend shows that the performance penalty for increasing resolution is smaller at higher settings, which is counterintuitive but indicates that at Ultra settings, the system is already so load-bound that the resolution increase has a relatively smaller marginal effect. The move from 1440p to 4K is more punishing across the board, with the Low preset dropping by 24 FPS and the Medium preset dropping by 15 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 25891 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3655 in single-core. Its PassMark multithread score is 30459, and its single-thread score is 4412. These scores indicate a strong modern processor that can handle the demands of gaming and multi-threaded workloads.

In The Medium, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and draw calls. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 129 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's limit for this game. The fact that this is the highest frame rate across all tests suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions. The CPU’s performance is comparable to its nearest rivals, with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F having a deltaPct of 0, meaning they are essentially equal in performance. This proves the Core Ultra 5 225's efficiency.

The processor's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s contribute to its responsiveness. The 3 nm process node and high boost clock of 4.90 GHz help ensure that single-threaded performance is strong, which is crucial for games that are not fully multi-threaded. The data suggests that this CPU provides a solid foundation for the RTX 3070 Ti, and it is unlikely to be the limiting factor in The Medium until frame rates are extremely high. The 10 cores and 10 threads are sufficient for modern games, and the lack of hyper-threading is not a significant drawback in this title, as the performance data shows.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is based on the Ampere architecture with the GA104 chip. It has 6144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, along with 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores. The GPU has a base clock of 1575 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz. It is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s. This memory configuration is a critical factor in its performance, especially at higher resolutions.

The data shows that the GPU is the primary limiting factor in The Medium at 4K. The frame rate drops from 85 FPS at 4K Low to 30 FPS at 4K Ultra. This is a clear indication that the GPU's rendering power and its 8 GB VRAM buffer are being saturated by the game's high-resolution textures and effects. In its benchmark scores, the RTX 3070 Ti achieves a PassMark G3D score of 23356 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 119718. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6800, has a deltaPct of -0.5 in average benchmark score, showing they are very close in overall performance.

The GPU's performance at 1440p is more balanced. On Medium settings, it achieves 68 FPS, which is a playable frame rate for most users. The move to High settings at 1440p reduces the frame rate to 49 FPS, which is still acceptable for a slower-paced horror game. The data indicates that the RTX 3070 Ti is a capable card for 1440p gaming, but its 8 GB VRAM and compute power are not sufficient for a consistently smooth 4K experience in this title. The GPU's FP32 performance of 21.75 TFLOPS and its 48 RT cores are capable, but the game's demands at 4K exceed what this card can comfortably deliver.