The Medium

The Medium presents a uniquely demanding scenario for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and AMD Radeon RX 580 combination. This pairing places a modern, high-core-count CPU alongside a legacy graphics card, creating a significant performance bottleneck that is clearly visible in the measured frame rates. The data indicates that while the CPU has ample headroom for this title, the GPU is consistently overwhelmed, resulting in a gameplay experience that is largely defined by the graphics card's limitations.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. This is a modern, high-performance desktop part with a 65 W TDP, and its benchmark scores reflect a strong showing. In Cinebench R23, it scores 32924 points in multi-core and 4648 points in single-core tests, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. This indicates that the processor is exceptionally capable of handling complex, multi-threaded workloads, which are common in modern game engines.

For a game like The Medium, which features a fixed-camera perspective and pre-rendered backgrounds, the CPU's role is typically focused on game logic, AI, and streaming assets. The Core Ultra 5 245's high single-thread performance is particularly relevant here, as many game simulation tasks are still single-threaded. Its Passmark single-thread score of 4394 suggests that it can handle the game's core logic without becoming a limiting factor. The data from the measured FPS, however, shows that the system is not achieving high frame rates, which strongly implies the CPU is not the primary bottleneck.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals reinforces this point. The Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48995, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49196, -0.4%) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49228, -0.5%). It is also only slightly ahead of the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698, 0.6%) and the Intel Core i5-14600K (48618, 0.8%). These negligible percentage differences indicate that in terms of raw processing power, this CPU is on par with several other high-end options. When paired with a much more powerful GPU, this level of performance would be more than sufficient for a smooth experience in The Medium. The fact that the frame rates are so low points directly to the GPU as the performance ceiling.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is a much older component, based on the Polaris 20 chip and the GCN 4.0 architecture. It features 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. Its core clocks are set to a base of 1257 MHz and a boost of 1340 MHz. While this was a capable mid-range card at its release, its 14 nm process and 2017-era design place it at a significant disadvantage when handling modern, graphically intensive titles. Its Passmark G3D score of 8813 places it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a mid-pack performer.

The RX 580's performance is closely matched with its nearest rivals, which include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (12940, -0.1%) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER (12986, -0.4%). This suggests that its raw compute power is comparable to those mobile and older desktop parts. However, for a game like The Medium, which relies heavily on complex lighting, shadows, and post-processing effects, the RX 580's raw compute power is simply insufficient. The benchmark results show a GPU that is struggling to maintain playable frame rates even at 1080p with medium settings. The data consistently shows the GPU as the limiting factor, as the CPU has far more headroom than the frame rates suggest.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the only preset that provides a consistently playable experience is Low. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 49 FPS. This is the only configuration in the entire dataset that crosses the 30 FPS threshold, which is often considered the minimum for a playable experience in a story-driven game. While 49 FPS is not high-refresh-rate territory, it is a stable and playable frame rate for this title.

Stepping up to Medium settings at 1080p drops the average FPS to 31, with a minimum of 26 and a maximum of 35. This is a significant performance hit for a modest visual upgrade. While the average is technically above 30 FPS, the minimum frame rate dipping to 26 suggests there will be noticeable stutters and frame pacing issues during intense scenes. For a game that relies on atmosphere and tension, these drops can be detrimental to the experience.

High and Ultra settings at 1080p are not recommended, as they produce average frame rates of 22 and 17 FPS, respectively. These are well below playable thresholds and would result in a sluggish, unresponsive experience. Therefore, for the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the data clearly points to the Low preset at 1080p as the only viable option for this hardware combination. The Medium preset is a gamble that will likely result in an unstable experience.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and the AMD Radeon RX 580 ranks 2654th out of 2911 tested combos for The Medium. This places the system in the bottom 9th percentile of all tested configurations. This ranking is a stark indicator of how poorly this specific pairing performs in this game.

This low ranking is not a reflection of the CPU, which is a high-end part, but rather a direct consequence of the GPU's limitations. The data suggests that the RX 580 is simply not capable of rendering The Medium at a level that competes with even mid-range modern systems. The rank of 2654 implies that the vast majority of other hardware combinations tested will provide a significantly better experience. This is a crucial data point for anyone considering this setup, as it demonstrates that despite having a modern, powerful processor, the overall system performance is dragged down by the older graphics card. The system is effectively crippled by its weakest link.

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

The measured FPS data across different resolutions provides clear evidence of the GPU bottleneck. Starting at 1080p, the system achieves an average of 49 FPS on Low settings. Moving to 1440p, the average drops to 41 FPS, a decrease of 8 FPS or approximately 16%. At 4K, the average falls to 32 FPS, a further drop of 9 FPS from 1440p.

This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would remain relatively constant across resolutions, as the CPU's workload would not change significantly. However, the data shows a clear and consistent decline in performance as the resolution increases. This is because the GPU's workload scales directly with the number of pixels it needs to render. At 1080p, the RX 580 is working hard; at 4K, it is completely overwhelmed.

Looking at the Medium preset, the trend is even more pronounced. At 1080p, the average is 31 FPS. At 1440p, it drops to 26 FPS, and at 4K, it plummets to 20 FPS. The consistent drop at every resolution step confirms that the GPU is the definitive performance limiter. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is more than capable of feeding the RX 580 with data, but the GPU cannot process it fast enough to maintain higher frame rates as the pixel count increases.

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

The following is the complete measured FPS data for The Medium with this hardware combination.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: Average FPS 49
• Medium: Average FPS 31, Minimum FPS 26, Maximum FPS 35
• High: Average FPS 22
• Ultra: Average FPS 17

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: Average FPS 41
• Medium: Average FPS 26, Minimum FPS 22, Maximum FPS 30
• High: Average FPS 18
• Ultra: Average FPS 15

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: Average FPS 32
• Medium: Average FPS 20, Minimum FPS 17, Maximum FPS 23
• High: Average FPS 14
• Ultra: Average FPS 11

The data shows a clear hierarchy. The 1080p Low setting is the only configuration that provides a consistently playable experience. The 1080p Medium setting is borderline, with a minimum FPS that dips below 30. All other settings and resolutions produce frame rates that are too low for a smooth gameplay experience. The Ultra preset is effectively unplayable at all resolutions, with an average FPS of 17 at 1080p and just 11 at 4K.

FAQ

Q: Is this CPU and GPU combination good for The Medium?

A: The data shows this combination ranks 2654th out of 2911 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 9th percentile. The AMD Radeon RX 580 is the primary bottleneck, limiting performance to a playable level only at 1080p with Low settings.

Q: What is the best settings preset for this system?

A: According to the measured data, the Low preset at 1920x1080 is the only configuration that provides a consistently playable experience, with an average of 49 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p has an average of 31 FPS but dips to a minimum of 26 FPS, which can cause stutters.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48995. It is nearly identical in performance to the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49196, -0.4%) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49228, -0.5%), and only slightly ahead of the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698, 0.6%).

Q: How does the AMD Radeon RX 580 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 580 has an average benchmark score of 12928. Its performance is very close to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (12940, -0.1%) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER (12986, -0.4%), showing it is a mid-range performer.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The benchmark results clearly indicate the GPU is the limiting factor. As resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, frame rates drop significantly (e.g., from 49 to 32 FPS on Low settings), which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU has far more performance headroom than the frame rates suggest.

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K?

A: While it can technically run the game at 4K, the performance is not playable. The highest average FPS at 4K is 32 on Low settings, which is still borderline, and all other presets produce an average of 20 FPS or lower, including an unplayable 11 FPS on Ultra.