The Medium

The Medium presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT combination. The benchmark data shows a system that is clearly capable of delivering playable frame rates, but the balance between CPU and GPU shifts dramatically depending on the resolution and quality preset selected. The measured FPS across the three tested resolutions—1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160—and four quality settings—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—provides a comprehensive view of this pairing's performance envelope. The following analysis breaks down the data to understand where the bottlenecks lie and what settings offer the most consistent experience.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K reveals the expected trend of decreasing frame rates as pixel count increases, but the rate of decline tells a clear story about the limiting component. At the Low preset, the average frame rate drops from 161 FPS at 1920x1080 to 136 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 25 FPS. Moving further to 3840x2160, the average falls to 107 FPS, which is a 54 FPS drop from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern indicates that while the GPU is being pushed harder at higher resolutions, the CPU is still able to feed it adequately, as the frame rates remain very high even at 4K.

The scaling becomes more pronounced at the Medium preset, where the frame rate goes from 101 FPS at 1080p to 85 FPS at 1440p, and then down to 67 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 18 FPS, which is a larger absolute decrease than the 16 FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p. This suggests that the GPU's workload is increasing super-linearly with resolution, and its performance limits are starting to become more apparent. The High preset shows a similar pattern, with averages of 72 FPS at 1080p, 61 FPS at 1440p, and 48 FPS at 4K, a steady and consistent decline that points to the GPU being the primary constraint.

The Ultra preset exhibits the most severe scaling, with frame rates of 57 FPS at 1080p, 48 FPS at 1440p, and 38 FPS at 4K. The difference between 1080p and 4K is 19 FPS, a significant drop that leaves the system below the 60 FPS threshold at all resolutions. The data indicates that at lower settings like Low and Medium, the CPU has enough headroom to maintain high frame rates even at 4K, but the GPU is the limiting factor. As the preset is increased to High and Ultra, the GPU's rendering load becomes the dominant bottleneck, causing frame rates to scale more directly with the number of pixels being rendered. The benchmark results demonstrate a system where the CPU is not a major hindrance at any resolution, but the GPU's capabilities define the performance ceiling for this game.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy for optimizing the experience in The Medium. For users targeting a smooth 60 FPS or higher, the Medium preset is the most balanced option. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers an average of 101 FPS, which is more than sufficient for a responsive experience. At 2560x1440, it maintains an average of 85 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS target. Even at 3840x2160, the Medium preset achieves an average of 67 FPS, making it the only preset that provides a consistently playable experience at 4K, with measured minimums of 57 FPS and maximums of 77 FPS.

The Low preset offers the highest performance, with averages of 161 FPS at 1080p, 136 FPS at 1440p, and 107 FPS at 4K. This preset is ideal for competitive play or for users with high refresh rate monitors, as it ensures frame rates are never a limiting factor. However, the visual quality trade-off is substantial, and the data suggests that the Medium preset provides a significantly better visual experience for a relatively modest performance cost. The performance delta between Low and Medium is 60 FPS at 1080p, 51 FPS at 1440p, and 40 FPS at 4K, which is a substantial margin that may not be worth sacrificing for the visual improvements.

The High preset is a more demanding option that still provides playable frame rates. At 1080p, it averages 72 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold, but at 1440p it drops to 61 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 48 FPS. This preset is only recommended for users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate consistency, particularly at 1440p and 4K where the frame rate dips below 60 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with averages of 57 FPS at 1080p, 48 FPS at 1440p, and 38 FPS at 4K. It fails to reach 60 FPS at any resolution, and the data suggests that it is not a viable option for this hardware combination in The Medium. The best experience per the measured rows is the Medium preset, as it provides a high and consistent frame rate across all three resolutions, with the 4K average of 67 FPS being particularly impressive for a horror game that benefits from a smooth presentation.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows the combo is most effective at 2560x1440, where the Medium preset averages 85 FPS and the High preset averages 61 FPS. While 1080p offers higher frame rates, 1440p provides a better balance of visual detail and performance, and 4K is only playable on the Medium preset.

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

A: Yes, but only on the Low and Medium presets. The Medium preset achieves an average of 67 FPS at 3840x2160, with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS. The High and Ultra presets are not playable at 4K, averaging 48 FPS and 38 FPS respectively.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 a bottleneck for the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT in this game?

A: The data suggests that the CPU is not a significant bottleneck. At the Low preset, the CPU is able to drive frame rates up to 161 FPS at 1080p and 107 FPS at 4K, indicating it has sufficient headroom. The frame rate drops are more closely tied to the GPU's rendering load, which increases with resolution and settings.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between the Low and Ultra presets?

A: The difference is substantial. At 1920x1080, the average frame rate drops from 161 FPS on Low to 57 FPS on Ultra, a difference of 104 FPS. At 3840x2160, the difference is 69 FPS, with 107 FPS on Low versus 38 FPS on Ultra.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset?

A: The measured minimum FPS for the Medium preset is 86 FPS at 1920x1080, 72 FPS at 2560x1440, and 57 FPS at 3840x2160. These minimums indicate that the frame pacing is consistent and does not have severe drops.

Q: Does the game scale well with resolution?

A: The game scales predictably with resolution. At the Medium preset, going from 1080p to 1440p reduces the average frame rate by 16 FPS, and going from 1440p to 4K reduces it by 18 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is the primary scaling factor, and the performance cost of higher resolutions is consistent.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT combination ranks 451 out of 2911 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the top 15.5% of all configurations, indicating a strong overall performance level. The rank is likely influenced by the GPU's capabilities, as the CPU's performance is adequate but not exceptional. The data shows that this combo outperforms a significant majority of other systems, making it a solid choice for playing this title at high settings and resolutions.

The ranking is a holistic measure that accounts for the combination's performance across all tested settings and resolutions. With an average of 67 FPS at 4K on Medium settings, the combo demonstrates that it can handle the game's demands at high resolutions. The rank of 451 out of 2911 suggests that while there are many systems that are faster, this particular pairing is well above the median and provides a very capable gaming experience. The CPU, which has a percentile rank of 90 against all CPUs, and the GPU, which has a percentile rank of 55 against all GPUs, work together to achieve this result. The GPU's lower percentile rank is a limiting factor, but the combination's overall rank shows that it is well-balanced for this specific game.

When compared to the nearest rival combinations, the performance is closely matched. The CPU's nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, has a score that is 0.4% higher, while the Intel Core i5-14600K is 0.8% higher. The GPU's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, has a score that is 1.5% higher. These small deltas indicate that the system is in a highly competitive performance tier, and the ranking of 451 reflects its position within this competitive group. The overall rank confirms the balance of the components, as neither the CPU nor the GPU is a major outlier in terms of performance.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is the primary driver of The Medium's performance, and its specifications directly influence the measured FPS. The GPU features 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 800.0 GB/s. This large memory capacity is more than sufficient for the game's assets, even at 4K resolution, ensuring that the GPU is not hampered by a lack of video memory. The high bandwidth allows for quick access to textures and geometry, which is crucial for maintaining the frame rates seen in the data.

The GPU's clock speeds are 1387 MHz base, 2025 MHz game, and 2394 MHz boost. The boost clock of 2394 MHz is the highest frequency the GPU can achieve, and it is during these boost states that the GPU delivers its peak performance. The data shows that the GPU is capable of hitting an average of 161 FPS at 1080p on Low settings, which reflects its raw compute power. The GPU’s architecture, RDNA 3.0, is built on a 5 nm process and contains 57,700 million transistors, which contributes to its processing capabilities.

The GPU's role becomes more apparent as the resolution and settings increase. At 4K with the Ultra preset, the average frame rate drops to 38 FPS, indicating that the GPU is fully saturated with the rendering workload. The pixel rate of 459.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 804.4 GTexel/s are the theoretical limits that the GPU cannot exceed, and the game's demands at high settings push it close to these boundaries. The GPU's performance relative to its rivals is also telling, as it sits at the 55th percentile against all GPUs, and its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, is only 1.5% faster in synthetic benchmarks. This suggests that the RX 7900 XT is a strong performer, and the frame rates measured in The Medium are a direct result of its robust hardware specifications, particularly its memory subsystem and high clock speeds.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed picture of the system's performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 161 FPS on Low, 101 FPS on Medium, 72 FPS on High, and 57 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset has a minimum of 86 FPS and a maximum of 116 FPS, showing a stable frame pacing. The data shows a clear step-down in performance as the preset increases, with a 60 FPS difference between Low and Medium, a 29 FPS difference between Medium and High, and a 15 FPS difference between High and Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are 136 FPS on Low, 85 FPS on Medium, 61 FPS on High, and 48 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset has a minimum of 72 FPS and a maximum of 98 FPS. The performance deltas are 51 FPS between Low and Medium, 24 FPS between Medium and High, and 13 FPS between High and Ultra. The reduction in frame rates from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across all presets, but the absolute differences between the presets become smaller at higher resolutions, indicating that the GPU is becoming the bottleneck.

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are 107 FPS on Low, 67 FPS on Medium, 48 FPS on High, and 38 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset has a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS. This is the most demanding resolution, and the data shows that only the Low and Medium presets are capable of maintaining an average above 60 FPS. The High preset averages 48 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 38 FPS, both of which are below the playable threshold. The breakdown shows that the Medium preset is the sweet spot for this game, as it provides a playable frame rate at all resolutions, with the 4K average of 67 FPS being particularly notable. The data also reveals that the game's performance is heavily influenced by the quality preset, with the Ultra preset costing a significant number of frames across all resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process. Its base clock is 3.50 GHz, and it can boost up to 5.10 GHz. In The Medium, the CPU's role is to handle the game's logic, physics, and draw calls, while the GPU renders the visuals. The CPU's high boost clock of 5.10 GHz is beneficial for single-threaded tasks, which are common in game engines, and its 14 cores ensure that multi-threaded workloads are processed efficiently.

The CPU's performance is demonstrated in the benchmark results, where it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and a single-core score of 4648. These scores place it at the 90th percentile against all CPUs, indicating it is a high-performance processor. In the context of The Medium, the CPU's capabilities are more than sufficient to keep up with the GPU. This is evident from the frame rates at the Low preset, where the CPU is able to drive the GPU to its limits, achieving 161 FPS at 1080p and 107 FPS at 4K. The data shows that the CPU is not a limiting factor, as the frame rates scale more directly with the GPU's workload.

The CPU's memory support for DDR5 with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s is also a factor in its performance. This bandwidth allows for fast communication between the CPU and system memory, which can help reduce loading times and improve overall system responsiveness. The CPU's nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, has an average benchmark score that is 0.4% higher, while the Intel Core i5-14600K is 0.8% higher. These small differences in synthetic benchmarks do not translate into a noticeable difference in The Medium's frame rates, as the CPU's performance in this game is more than adequate. The data points to a CPU that is well-suited for gaming, with a high clock speed and a sufficient core count to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at any resolution or setting.