The Medium

The Medium is a fixed-camera horror title that stresses the GPU heavily at higher resolutions, and the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 produces a consistent, predictable scaling pattern across the four tested quality presets. Based on the measured data, this pairing delivers playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p on Medium settings, while 4K Ultra remains the only configuration that falls below 30 FPS. The system’s overall rank of 1525 out of 2911 tested combinations places it in the middle of the database, indicating balanced performance for a horror game that prioritizes atmosphere over fast-paced action.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals that the RTX 4060 becomes the limiting component as pixel count rises. At Medium settings, the average frame rate falls from 68 FPS at 1920x1080 to 57 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 16.2%. Moving from 1440p to 3840x2160, the Medium preset drops further to 45 FPS, which is a 21.1% decrease from the 1440p result and a 33.8% drop from the 1080p baseline. This scaling behavior is typical for a GPU with 8 GB of VRAM and a 128-bit memory bus, as the pixel throughput demand at 4K outpaces what the AD107 chip can deliver.

The Low preset shows the least severe scaling, with 108 FPS at 1080p, 91 FPS at 1440p, and 72 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 15.7% from 1080p to 1440p and 20.9% from 1440p to 4K, totaling a 33.3% reduction from the lowest resolution to the highest. This suggests that even at Low settings, the GPU is still the primary constraint, as the CPU has ample headroom with its 14 cores and 14 threads. The High preset follows a similar pattern: 49 FPS at 1080p, 41 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K, with drops of 16.3% and 22.0% respectively.

Ultra settings produce the most dramatic scaling, starting at 39 FPS at 1080p and falling to 32 FPS at 1440p (a 17.9% drop) and then to 25 FPS at 4K (a 21.9% drop from 1440p). The total reduction from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra is 35.9%, which is the largest relative decline across any preset. This indicates that Ultra settings push the RTX 4060 beyond its comfortable operating range, particularly at 4K where the 25 FPS average falls below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The data consistently shows that resolution scaling is GPU-bound, with the Core Ultra 5 245’s single-core performance of 4648 in Cinebench R23 remaining more than sufficient to feed the graphics card at all tested settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60+ FPS?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 108, which is the only configuration that exceeds 100 FPS. The 2560x1440 Low preset achieves 91 FPS, also above 60, but no Medium, High, or Ultra setting at any resolution reaches 60 FPS. The 1080p Medium preset comes closest at 68 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4060’s 8 GB VRAM affect 4K performance?

A: At 3840x2160, the Medium preset delivers 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS. The High preset drops to 32 FPS, and Ultra falls to 25 FPS. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory with 272.0 GB/s bandwidth appears insufficient for smooth 4K play on higher presets, as the frame rate declines sharply with each quality increase.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 a bottleneck in The Medium?

A: No. The CPU has 14 cores, 14 threads, a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, and a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924, placing it in the 90th percentile against all CPUs. The measured FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows consistent GPU-bound behavior, with no anomalous drops that would indicate CPU limitations.

Q: What is the combo’s overall ranking among tested systems?

A: This pairing ranks 1525 out of 2911 combinations in The Medium, placing it in the 52nd percentile of tested hardware. This indicates slightly above-average performance for the game, though not near the top tier of systems.

Q: Which preset offers the most balanced experience at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 produces 57 FPS average, with a minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 66 FPS. This is the only 1440p setting that stays above 45 FPS, making it the most playable option for users targeting smooth frame rates at that resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 17639, which is 0.3% higher than the AMD Radeon 780M (17588) and 0.5% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17551). It trails the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (17666) by 0.2%. These margins are negligible, indicating near-identical compute performance in general benchmarks.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor from the Arrow Lake-S architecture, built on a 3 nm TSMC process with 17,800 million transistors. Its base clock of 3.50 GHz and boost clock of 5.10 GHz provide strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648. In The Medium, this CPU does not appear to constrain the GPU at any resolution or preset, as the frame rates scale predictably with pixel count and quality settings.

The CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities are substantial, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and a Passmark multithread score of 38706. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache help maintain data throughput, though the game’s fixed-camera perspective likely relies more on GPU rendering than CPU physics or AI calculations. The nearest rival comparisons show the Core Ultra 5 245’s average benchmark score of 48995 is 0.4% below the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49196) and 0.5% below the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49228), while being 0.6% above the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698) and 0.8% above the Intel Core i5-14600K (48618). These differences are within 1% and have no meaningful impact on gaming performance.

At 1080p Low, the system achieves 108 FPS, which is high enough that any CPU bottleneck would manifest as inconsistent frame times or reduced scaling compared to higher resolutions. The data shows a smooth progression from 108 FPS at 1080p to 91 FPS at 1440p and 72 FPS at 4K on Low settings, a pattern that confirms GPU dominance. The CPU’s 65 W TDP and ECC memory support are irrelevant to gaming, but its 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth with DDR5 support ensures adequate data transfer to the GPU. The Core Ultra 5 245’s 90th percentile ranking against all CPUs reinforces that it is a high-end processor capable of handling any modern game without becoming the limiting factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average frame rate at 108 FPS, followed by Medium at 68 FPS with a minimum of 58 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS. High settings drop to 49 FPS, and Ultra falls to 39 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 69 FPS, indicating that the quality preset has a substantial impact on performance at this resolution. The Medium preset’s minimum of 58 FPS suggests that even during demanding scenes, the frame rate remains above 55 FPS, providing a stable experience.

At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 91 FPS, which is still comfortably above 60. Medium averages 57 FPS with a minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 66 FPS, placing it on the edge of playability for users who prefer a 60 FPS target. High settings average 41 FPS, and Ultra drops to 32 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across all presets, with Low losing 17 FPS, Medium losing 11 FPS, High losing 8 FPS, and Ultra losing 7 FPS. This scaling suggests that the RTX 4060’s pixel processing capacity is the main constraint, as the absolute FPS loss decreases with lower quality settings.

At 3840x2160, Low settings average 72 FPS, which is the only 4K preset above 60 FPS. Medium averages 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS, providing a playable but not smooth experience. High settings drop to 32 FPS, and Ultra falls to 25 FPS, both below the 30 FPS threshold for acceptable gameplay. The 4K results show a clear hierarchy: Low is playable, Medium is borderline, and High/Ultra are not recommended for a consistent frame rate. The Medium preset’s minimum of 38 FPS indicates significant frame drops during intense scenes, while the maximum of 52 FPS shows that the system can occasionally reach smoother levels.

Comparing the three resolutions, the Medium preset at 1440p (57 FPS) outperforms the High preset at 1080p (49 FPS) by 16.3%, which is notable because it offers a higher resolution with better frame rates. Similarly, the Low preset at 4K (72 FPS) outperforms the High preset at 1080p by 46.9%, demonstrating that lowering quality can unlock higher resolutions. The data also shows that the transition from Medium to High at any resolution results in a significant FPS loss: 19 FPS at 1080p, 16 FPS at 1440p, and 13 FPS at 4K, suggesting that High settings introduce rendering features that disproportionately impact the RTX 4060.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1525 out of 2911 tested combinations in The Medium, placing it in the 52.4th percentile. This ranking indicates that the system performs better than slightly more than half of all tested hardware configurations, which is a reasonable result for a mid-range GPU paired with a high-end CPU. The RTX 4060 itself sits in the 61st percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17639, while the Core Ultra 5 245 sits in the 90th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48995.

The discrepancy between the GPU’s 61st percentile and the CPU’s 90th percentile suggests that the graphics card is the performance limiter in this pairing. The combo’s rank of 1525 out of 2911 is closer to the GPU’s percentile than the CPU’s, confirming that The Medium’s performance is primarily determined by the RTX 4060. The nearest GPU rivals, the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (17666, -0.2%), AMD Radeon 780M (17588, +0.3%), AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17551, +0.5%), and AMD Radeon Pro 460 (17509, +0.7%), all have average benchmark scores within 1% of the RTX 4060, indicating that these GPUs would likely produce similar frame rates in this game.

In the context of the full database, a rank of 1525 out of 2911 means there are 1386 combinations that perform worse and 1524 that perform better. This places the system in the upper-middle tier, suitable for 1080p gaming at Medium to High settings and 1440p at Medium settings, as the measured FPS data confirms. The combo’s ranking does not reflect the CPU’s capabilities, as the Core Ultra 5 245’s 90th percentile ranking would suggest a higher overall position if the game were CPU-bound. This analysis underscores that users seeking better performance in The Medium should focus on upgrading the GPU rather than the processor.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings based on resolution. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average of 68 FPS, a minimum of 58 FPS, and a maximum of 78 FPS. This is the only 1080p preset that maintains a minimum above 55 FPS while providing higher quality than Low. The Low preset at 108 FPS is unnecessary for a horror game with a slower pace, and the High preset at 49 FPS introduces a noticeable quality improvement but drops below 60 FPS. Ultra at 39 FPS is not recommended as the visual gains over High are likely marginal while the frame rate suffers a 20.4% reduction.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation, with an average of 57 FPS, a minimum of 49 FPS, and a maximum of 66 FPS. This provides a playable experience with only occasional dips below 50 FPS. The Low preset at 91 FPS is smoother but sacrifices significant visual fidelity, while High at 41 FPS and Ultra at 32 FPS are too demanding for consistent gameplay. Users with adaptive sync monitors may find the Medium preset’s 49-66 FPS range acceptable, but those seeking a locked 60 FPS should consider lowering to Low or reducing the resolution.

At 3840x2160, only the Low preset achieves a playable frame rate, with an average of 72 FPS. The Medium preset at 45 FPS is borderline, with a minimum of 38 FPS that could cause noticeable stuttering in a fixed-camera game where scene transitions are common. High at 32 FPS and Ultra at 25 FPS are not viable for a smooth experience. For 4K users, the Low preset is the only recommendation, though the visual compromise is substantial. The Medium preset at 1440p (57 FPS) provides a better overall experience than Low at 4K (72 FPS) due to the higher quality settings, making 1440p Medium the sweet spot for this hardware.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using the AD107 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm TSMC process with 18,900 million transistors. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a limiting factor at higher resolutions as the data shows. The GPU’s boost clock of 2460 MHz and base clock of 1830 MHz deliver a peak FP32 performance of 15.11 TFLOPS, which is modest for a modern graphics card but sufficient for 1080p gaming.

The RTX 4060’s 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs contribute to its pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s. These specifications explain the performance scaling observed in The Medium: at 1080p, the GPU can maintain high frame rates on Medium settings, but the 128-bit memory bus becomes a bottleneck at 1440p and especially 4K. The 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores are present but have minimal impact on this game, as The Medium does not heavily utilize ray tracing. The GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 19545 places it in a narrow band with its nearest rivals, all within 0.7% of its average benchmark score of 17639.

The 115 W TDP and 300 W suggested PSU indicate that the RTX 4060 is power-efficient, but this does not translate to high-end performance at 4K. The PCIe 4.0 x8 interface is sufficient for the GPU’s bandwidth requirements, as the measured FPS data shows no anomalies that would suggest interface limitations. The GPU’s 61st percentile ranking against all GPUs reflects its mid-range positioning, and in The Medium, the 4K Ultra result of 25 FPS confirms that this card is not designed for maximum settings at high resolutions. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for 1080p and 1440p Medium presets, but the High and Ultra presets at 4K likely exceed the memory buffer, contributing to the sub-30 FPS results. Overall, the RTX 4060 is the decisive factor in this combo’s performance, and its capabilities align with the measured frame rates across all tested configurations.