The Medium

The Medium is a demanding title that stresses both GPU and CPU depending on the settings and resolution. The data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti combo shows a clear picture of where the bottlenecks lie and how to configure the game for the best experience. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, indicating that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti becomes the primary limiting component at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 58 FPS at 1920x1080 to 49 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 9 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160 drops the average further to 38 FPS. This represents a 34% decrease in performance from 1080p to 4K at High settings, a pattern consistent with a GPU-bound scenario where the render resolution outpaces the card's capabilities.

The scaling at Low settings shows an even more dramatic shift. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 129 FPS, which drops to 109 FPS at 2560x1440 and then to 85 FPS at 3840x2160. The transition from 1080p to 4K here is a 34% performance loss, similar to High settings, but the absolute frame rates are much higher. This suggests that even at Low settings, the GPU is still the main constraint, as the CPU has enough headroom to feed the graphics card at these lower fidelity levels.

Medium settings provide the most complete data set, as it is the only preset with recorded minimum and maximum frame rates. At 1920x1080, the average is 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS. At 2560x1440, the average drops to 68 FPS, with a minimum of 58 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS. At 3840x2160, the average is 53 FPS, with a minimum of 45 FPS and a maximum of 61 FPS. The gap between minimum and maximum frame rates narrows as resolution increases, which is typical for GPU-bound workloads where frame times become more consistent under sustained load.

The Ultra preset is the most punishing, with the combo managing only 46 FPS at 1080p, 39 FPS at 1440p, and 30 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is a 35% reduction, confirming that this preset is designed for higher-end hardware than the RTX 3070 Ti can provide at these resolutions. The data suggests that 4K gaming is only viable at Low settings, where the 85 FPS average is playable, while Medium settings at 1440p offer a solid 68 FPS for a balanced experience.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset offers the best balance between visual fidelity and playable frame rates. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers 81 FPS, which is 23 FPS higher than High and only 48 FPS lower than Low. The jump from Low to Medium is substantial, providing a significant visual upgrade for a 48 FPS cost at 1080p. However, the jump from Medium to High is more modest, with only a 23 FPS difference, making Medium the sweet spot for this resolution.

At 2560x1440, Medium remains the recommended choice with 68 FPS. This is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while High drops to 49 FPS and Ultra falls to 39 FPS. Low at 1440p provides 109 FPS, but this comes at the cost of reduced visual quality that may not be worth the extra frames. The Medium preset at 1440p offers a 19 FPS advantage over High, making it the clear winner for a 1440p display.

For 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. Medium delivers 53 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. High drops to 38 FPS and Ultra to 30 FPS, both of which are below the 60 FPS target. Low at 4K provides 85 FPS, but this sacrifices most of the visual detail that makes The Medium's horror atmosphere effective. The data indicates that 4K players should stick with Medium as a compromise, accepting the 53 FPS average, or drop to Low if frame rate is paramount.

The minimum frame rate data for Medium settings is also informative. At 1080p, the minimum is 69 FPS, which ensures no noticeable stutter. At 1440p, the minimum is 58 FPS, which is still smooth. At 4K, the minimum drops to 45 FPS, which may cause occasional hitches in demanding scenes. Players targeting 4K should be aware of this lower bound and adjust settings accordingly.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is the dominant factor in this game's performance, as evidenced by the steep resolution scaling. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 608.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for this title at 1080p and 1440p but becomes a constraint at 4K. The card's boost clock of 1770 MHz and base clock of 1575 MHz are typical for the Ampere architecture, and the 6144 shading units handle the game's DirectX 12 workload effectively.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 75th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29945. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile, scores 29928, a delta of 0.1%, meaning the RTX 3070 Ti is effectively on par with that mobile part. The AMD Radeon RX 6800 scores 30095, putting it 0.5% ahead, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti scores 29783, trailing by 0.5%. These close margins suggest the RTX 3070 Ti is a well-positioned mid-range card.

The GPU's compute capabilities are strong, with a Passmark G3D score of 23356 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 139541. The 21.75 TFLOPS FP32 performance is the theoretical peak, and the game's utilization of this power is evident in the frame rates. The 8 GB memory capacity is the most likely bottleneck at 4K, as the game's textures and geometry at Ultra settings can exceed this limit, causing the GPU to swap data and reduce performance.

In the context of this combo, the RTX 3070 Ti is clearly the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The CPU has ample headroom, as shown by the minimal difference between Low and High settings at 1080p (129 FPS vs 58 FPS), which is a GPU-side effect. The card's end-of-life production status means it is no longer in active manufacturing, but its performance remains competitive with newer mobile parts.

FAQ

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

A: 2560x1440 with Medium settings is the best choice, delivering 68 FPS average with a 58 FPS minimum. This provides a good balance between visual quality and smoothness, as 4K at Medium only reaches 53 FPS and 1080p at High drops to 58 FPS.

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

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it achieves 85 FPS. At Medium, it drops to 53 FPS, and at High or Ultra, it falls below 40 FPS, which is not ideal for a smooth experience.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 Ti compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 2080 Ti?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti scores 29945 in average benchmarks, which is 0.5% higher than the RTX 2080 Ti's 29783. This means the RTX 3070 Ti is slightly faster overall, but the difference is within a small margin.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 a bottleneck in this game?

A: No, the data shows the GPU is the limiting factor. At 1080p, the frame rate scales significantly with settings (129 FPS on Low vs 46 FPS on Ultra), indicating the CPU can feed the GPU adequately.

Q: What is the frame rate at 1440p High settings?

A: The combo achieves 49 FPS on average at 2560x1440 with High settings. This is below the 60 FPS target, so Medium settings at 68 FPS are recommended instead.

Q: How much faster is Low compared to Medium at 1080p?

A: Low delivers 129 FPS, which is 48 FPS higher than Medium's 81 FPS. This is a significant jump, but it comes at the cost of reduced visual quality.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti combination ranks 978th out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the 66th percentile of all combos, meaning it outperforms roughly two-thirds of the tested systems. This rank is respectable, but it indicates that this combo is not at the top tier for this game, which is expected given the GPU's 75th percentile standing.

The rank of 978 suggests that many other combos with more powerful GPUs or newer CPUs achieve higher frame rates. However, the data shows that this combo is capable of playable performance at 1080p and 1440p, especially on Medium settings. The rank is a holistic measure of average performance across all settings and resolutions, and the 66th percentile result aligns with the GPU's own percentile ranking.

In practical terms, this rank means the combo is a solid mid-range option for The Medium. It will not max out the game at 4K, but it provides a good experience at lower resolutions. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs suggests it is not holding back the system, and the overall combo rank reflects the GPU's limitations rather than any CPU deficiency.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 plays a supporting role in this game, as the benchmark results indicate the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The CPU features 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This configuration is well-suited for modern games, which typically use fewer than 8 cores, and the high boost clock ensures strong single-threaded performance.

The CPU's benchmark scores confirm its capability. In Cinebench R23, it scores 14769 in multi-core and 2085 in single-core. The Passmark single-thread score is 4516, and the multi-thread score is 37816. These numbers place the CPU in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46062. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, scores 46030, a delta of 0.1%, meaning the Ultra 5 235 is essentially tied with that laptop chip.

The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample data storage for game assets, and the dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth ensures the GPU receives data quickly. The 3 nm process node from TSMC, with 17,800 million transistors, contributes to its efficiency, though the 65 W TDP is a modest power draw.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role is to maintain frame pacing and handle the game's logic, while the GPU renders the visuals. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 129 FPS, which suggests the CPU can handle high frame rates without becoming a bottleneck. Even at 1080p Ultra, the 46 FPS result is GPU-limited, as the CPU has more than enough headroom to push higher if the GPU could deliver. The CPU's 14 threads are sufficient for this game, and its performance is not a limiting factor in any of the measured scenarios.