The Medium

The Medium is a horror title that leans heavily on fixed-camera angles and pre-rendered transitions, yet it still demands a solid GPU. This analysis covers the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination, using measured frame rate data. The results show a clear pattern: this combo is capable of smooth gameplay at 1080p and 1440p with tweaks, but 4K requires significant compromises. The data indicates the RTX 4070 is the primary driver of performance here, as the CPU's 14 cores and 14 threads provide ample headroom for the game's logic.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured FPS, 2560x1440 with Medium settings delivers a 79 FPS average, which is the sweet spot for a smooth experience without dropping to the lower quality of the Low preset. 1920x1080 is also excellent, with the Medium preset hitting a 93 FPS average.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K (3840x2160) gaming in The Medium?

A: Only at Low settings, which produces a 99 FPS average. Moving to Medium at 4K drops the average to 62 FPS, and High falls to 44 FPS. Ultra is not playable at this resolution, with only a 35 FPS average.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 compare to its nearest rivals in general GPU benchmarks?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 37648, which puts it 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla P4 and 1.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO W6400. It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile by 1.3% and is 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56.

Q: How does the Core Ultra 5 245 compare to its nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score is 48995. It is 0.6% ahead of the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H and 0.8% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600K. It trails the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G by 0.4% and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 by 0.5%.

Q: Is the CPU or the GPU more likely to be the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data points to the GPU. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 150 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 53 FPS. This massive swing across settings at the same resolution indicates the graphics card is the limiting factor as visual load increases, while the CPU maintains frame delivery.

Q: What is the largest performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets?

A: The largest gap is at 1920x1080, where the Low preset averages 150 FPS and the Ultra preset averages 53 FPS, a difference of 97 FPS. This shows the high cost of the Ultra preset's visual features on the RTX 4070.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the decisive component in this pairing. With 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, the card provides a 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth, which is substantial for loading the game's detailed textures. The chip is the AD104, built on a 5 nm process, and operates with a base clock of 1920 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz. These specifications explain why the measured FPS scales so dramatically with settings.

Looking at the benchmark data, the GPU's role is clear. At 1920x1080, the jump from Medium (93 FPS) to High (67 FPS) is a 26 FPS drop, and from High to Ultra (53 FPS) is another 14 FPS drop. This steep decline suggests that the Ultra preset introduces effects that heavily tax the RTX 4070's compute resources. The card has 5888 shading units and 184 texture mapping units, but the 64 ROPs appear to be a limiting factor when fill-rate demands spike at higher settings.

At 2560x1440, the pattern repeats. The Medium preset yields a 79 FPS average, which is smooth. However, High drops to 56 FPS, and Ultra falls to 45 FPS. The data shows that the RTX 4070 is most comfortable at Medium settings across all resolutions. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is not the issue here; rather, the processing power required for the game's lighting and shadow effects at High and Ultra presets exceeds what the card can deliver for a locked 60 FPS experience at 1440p.

The GPU's overall percentile ranking is 81st among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37648. This places it in a competitive but not top-tier position. The nearest rival data shows a tight grouping: the RTX 4070 is 1.3% behind the RTX 4080 Mobile and 0.4% ahead of the RX Vega 56. This indicates that in The Medium, the RTX 4070 performs as expected for its class, delivering strong 1080p and 1440p performance but struggling to maintain high frame rates at 4K with demanding presets.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 provides the processing foundation for this combo. It features 14 cores and 14 threads, a configuration that is more than sufficient for The Medium, which is not known for heavy multi-threaded CPU usage. The CPU's base clock is 3.50 GHz, with a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, and it has a 24 MB shared L3 cache. For a horror game with scripted events and AI-driven sequences, these specifications ensure that the CPU is unlikely to be the source of frame rate drops.

The CPU benchmark scores support this view. In Cinebench R23, the Core Ultra 5 245 scores 32924 in multi-core and 4648 in single-core. These are strong numbers that place it in the 90th percentile among all CPUs. The nearest rival data shows a near-tie with the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (0.4% behind) and AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (0.5% behind), while it is 0.8% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600K. This performance level means the CPU can easily feed the RTX 4070 with draw calls and game logic data.

The measured FPS data confirms the CPU is not a bottleneck. At 1920x1080 Low, the combo hits 150 FPS, which is a high frame rate that would stress a weaker processor. The fact that the CPU can deliver this while the GPU is under minimal load shows its capability. The 3 nm process node and DDR5 memory support (with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth) further contribute to its efficiency. The CPU's 65 W TDP is modest, indicating that thermal throttling is unlikely to be an issue in a standard desktop case, allowing the boost clock to be sustained during gameplay.

In this game, the CPU's role is to maintain a stable frame delivery pipeline. The data shows that as GPU load increases from Low to Ultra, the FPS drops proportionally, which is the expected behavior when the CPU is not the limiting factor. If the CPU were weaker, we would see inconsistent FPS numbers or a plateau where higher settings do not reduce performance. The benchmark results indicate a clean scaling, confirming the Core Ultra 5 245 is doing its job without introducing stutter or frame pacing issues.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of settings for this combo. At all three tested resolutions, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The Medium preset is the only one that provides min and max FPS data, suggesting it is the most stable and recommended configuration.

For 1920x1080, Medium is the clear choice. The 93 FPS average with a 79 FPS minimum ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. High (67 FPS) is playable but may feel less fluid, while Ultra (53 FPS) is borderline for a game that benefits from consistent frame times. Low (150 FPS) is unnecessary for single-player horror, as the visual downgrade is not worth the extra headroom.

At 2560x1440, Medium again stands out with a 79 FPS average and a 67 FPS minimum. This is the ideal resolution for this combo, as it offers a significant visual upgrade over 1080p while maintaining playable frame rates. High (56 FPS) is acceptable for those who prioritize visuals over smoothness, but the 23 FPS drop from Medium is substantial. Ultra (45 FPS) should be avoided due to the risk of noticeable stutter in a game that relies on atmosphere.

For 3840x2160, the data tells a different story. Low (99 FPS) is the only playable option for a smooth experience. Medium (62 FPS) is technically playable but lacks the headroom for consistent performance, especially with the 53 FPS minimum. High (44 FPS) and Ultra (35 FPS) are not recommended for a game that requires immersion without technical distractions. If 4K is the target, the Low preset is the practical choice, but the visual compromise is severe.

The recommendation is to play at 2560x1440 with the Medium preset. This configuration delivers a 79 FPS average, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and the 67 FPS minimum ensures that the experience remains consistent. The Medium preset appears to be the designed sweet spot for this hardware, offering a balance of texture detail and lighting effects that the RTX 4070 can handle without exceeding its limits.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 614th out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the top 21% of all configurations tested, which is a solid result for a mid-range to upper-mid-range pairing. The rank reflects the GPU's 81st percentile performance and the CPU's 90th percentile performance, with the GPU being the limiting factor in this specific game.

The rank of 614 out of 2911 indicates that while this combo is not top-tier, it outperforms the majority of systems. The data suggests that combos ranked higher likely feature more powerful GPUs, such as the RTX 4080 or above, which can handle the High and Ultra presets at higher resolutions. The Core Ultra 5 245's strong CPU performance ensures that it does not drag the combo down, but the RTX 4070's 12 GB VRAM and compute capabilities cap the overall potential in this title.

Given the measured FPS, the 614th rank is justified. The combo delivers excellent 1080p performance (93 FPS at Medium) and good 1440p performance (79 FPS at Medium), but falls short at 4K. Systems ranked higher are likely achieving 60 FPS or better at 4K with High settings, which the RTX 4070 cannot do. The rank also reflects the game's demanding nature, as The Medium is a visually intensive title that does not favor mid-range GPUs at high resolutions.

For comparison, the CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, are within 0.5% in benchmark scores, meaning the CPU choice is not a significant factor in the rank. The GPU's rivals, like the RTX 4080 Mobile, are within 1.3%, but in a desktop context, the RTX 4070's performance is what it is. The 614th rank is a fair assessment of this combo's capabilities, positioning it as a strong 1440p machine that can handle 1080p with ease but requires setting compromises for 4K gaming.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of this combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. The data is presented as average FPS, with min and max FPS only recorded for the Medium preset.

1920x1080:

• Low: 150 FPS average. This is the highest frame rate measured for this combo, indicating no CPU bottleneck and the GPU running at moderate load.
• Medium: 93 FPS average, with a 79 FPS minimum and 108 FPS maximum. This is the most stable preset, offering a wide performance window.
• High: 67 FPS average. A significant drop from Medium, showing the cost of increased visual effects.
• Ultra: 53 FPS average. The lowest playable frame rate at this resolution, approaching the threshold where frame pacing issues become noticeable.

2560x1440:

• Low: 126 FPS average. Still very high, confirming the CPU's ability to drive the GPU at lower settings.
• Medium: 79 FPS average, with a 67 FPS minimum and 91 FPS maximum. This is the recommended preset for this resolution, providing a smooth experience.
• High: 56 FPS average. A 23 FPS drop from Medium, making this preset less desirable for consistent gameplay.
• Ultra: 45 FPS average. Not recommended due to the risk of stutter in a game that requires atmospheric immersion.

3840x2160:

• Low: 99 FPS average. Surprisingly high for 4K, showing that the RTX 4070 can handle the game's geometry at low detail.
• Medium: 62 FPS average, with a 53 FPS minimum and 71 FPS maximum. This is the only 4K preset with min/max data, but the 53 FPS minimum is concerning for a horror game.
• High: 44 FPS average. Below the 60 FPS threshold, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay.
• Ultra: 35 FPS average. The lowest measured frame rate, confirming that the Ultra preset is not viable at 4K.

The data shows a clear trend: the gap between Low and Medium is smaller than the gap between Medium and High, suggesting that the High and Ultra presets introduce disproportionately heavy effects. The 1080p Low result of 150 FPS is the performance ceiling for this combo, while the 4K Ultra result of 35 FPS is the floor. The Medium preset at 1440p (79 FPS) represents the best compromise, offering a high frame rate with a minimum that stays above 60 FPS. The min and max FPS data for Medium presets show consistent frame delivery, with the 1440p Medium showing a 24 FPS range between min and max, which is acceptable for a game of this type.