The Medium

The Medium presents a demanding fixed-camera horror experience, and the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile yields a distinct performance profile. The data indicates a system that is firmly capable of smooth gameplay at mainstream resolutions, but one that encounters significant strain as pixel counts rise. This analysis breaks down the measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and settings, contextualizes the hardware pairing against other tested combinations, and examines the specific roles of the GPU and CPU in shaping the final experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a pronounced and consistent drop in performance as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the Low settings preset, the average frame rate falls from 108 FPS at 1080p to 91 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 17 FPS. The scaling continues to 3840x2160, where the average drops further to 72 FPS. This pattern indicates that even at the lowest graphical fidelity, the rendering load at 4K is substantial enough to cut performance by roughly one-third compared to 1080p.

The impact of resolution becomes more severe with higher graphical presets. At the High settings preset, the average FPS scales from 49 at 1080p to 41 at 1440p, and finally down to 32 at 4K. The Medium preset shows a similar trajectory, moving from 68 FPS at 1080p to 57 FPS at 1440p and then to 45 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with averages of 39 FPS at 1080p, 32 FPS at 1440p, and a marginal 25 FPS at 4K.

This scaling behavior points to the GPU as the primary limiting component at higher resolutions. The consistent and significant FPS loss from 1440p to 4K, regardless of the settings preset, suggests that the rendering pipeline is saturated by the increased pixel count. The RTX 4070 Mobile's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth, while adequate for 1080p and 1440p, appear to be a bottleneck when tackling the sheer volume of data required for 4K output in this title. The transition from 1080p to 1440p also shows a clear performance cost, but the drop to 4K is where the system's limitations become most apparent, particularly for maintaining a 60 FPS target.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested combinations for The Medium, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile holds a rank of 1999 out of 3724 total combinations. This places the combo in the upper half of all tested systems, indicating that it is a competent performer for this game, though not at the very top tier. The rank reflects a balance between the CPU's capabilities and the GPU's rendering power, with the combination achieving a mid-pack position.

The CPU itself is a strong performer in general benchmarks, with an average benchmark score of 32697 and a percentile ranking of 83 against all CPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-14600T and AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360, show a delta percentage of 0 and 0.1, respectively, indicating near-identical synthetic performance. This suggests that the 155H provides a solid foundation for gaming, unlikely to be a limiting factor in most scenarios. However, its rank of 1999 in this specific game context, compared to the top percentile CPU performance, implies that the overall combo's position is dragged down by the GPU's performance in The Medium's specific rendering environment.

The GPU's standalone benchmark data shows an average score of 27435, ranking it in the 73rd percentile against all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, has a delta percentage of 0, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 shows a delta of -0.5, suggesting the RTX 4070 Mobile is outperforming the older flagship in these synthetic tests. Yet, the combo's rank of 1999 indicates that when paired with this specific CPU, the real-world gaming performance in The Medium is moderate, highlighting a potential imbalance or a game-specific bottleneck that prevents the combo from reaching a higher position.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile is a central figure in this performance analysis, and its specifications directly correlate with the measured FPS results. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1395 MHz and a boost clock of 1695 MHz, and it is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC. Its memory configuration consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. These figures are the foundation for the frame rates observed across all settings and resolutions.

The RTX 4070 Mobile's 8 GB VRAM capacity is particularly relevant in The Medium. The data shows a clear performance cliff at higher settings and resolutions, where the average FPS drops significantly. For instance, at 3840x2160, the average FPS falls from 45 on Medium to 32 on High, and then to 25 on Ultra. This pattern suggests that beyond a certain threshold of texture and effect complexity, the GPU is struggling with memory capacity or bandwidth, leading to a sharp decline in performance. The 256.0 GB/s bandwidth is likely a limiting factor at 4K with high-detail settings, where the demand for texture streaming and shader data overwhelms the available memory throughput.

The GPU's compute capabilities, including 4608 shading units and a FP32 performance of 15.62 TFLOPS, are substantial for a mobile part. However, the measured FPS in The Medium indicates that these raw compute numbers do not translate into high frame rates at 4K. The game's rendering engine clearly places a heavy load on the memory subsystem, as evidenced by the significant FPS penalties at higher resolutions. The 36 RT cores and 144 tensor cores are present, but their impact on this specific title's performance is secondary to the core rasterization and memory bandwidth constraints. The data suggests that the RTX 4070 Mobile is a capable 1080p and 1440p card for this game, but its 4K performance is compromised by its memory architecture.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the system's performance across all combinations of resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the system delivers playable frame rates across the board. The Low preset yields an average of 108 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth. The Medium preset produces an average of 68 FPS, with a minimum of 58 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS, indicating a stable experience. The High preset drops to an average of 49 FPS, and the Ultra preset further reduces the average to 39 FPS. These numbers show that at 1080p, the combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate monitors on Low settings and remains playable at higher presets.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. The Low preset maintains a high average of 91 FPS, which is still excellent for competitive play. The Medium preset delivers an average of 57 FPS, with a minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 66 FPS, providing a smooth experience that hovers near the 60 FPS target. The High preset averages 41 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 32 FPS, which begins to feel less fluid.

At 3840x2160, the system's limits are clearly exposed. The Low preset is the only option that provides a consistently smooth experience, with an average of 72 FPS. The Medium preset falls to an average of 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS, which is borderline playable but with noticeable dips. The High preset averages 32 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages just 25 FPS, making both presets effectively unplayable for a smooth experience. The data confirms that 4K gaming is only viable when graphical settings are reduced to Low.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For players prioritizing a smooth, high-refresh experience at 1920x1080, the Low preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 108 FPS. This setting will provide the most responsive gameplay. However, for those seeking a balance between visual fidelity and performance at 1080p, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as its average of 68 FPS is well above the 60 FPS threshold and offers a significant visual upgrade over Low.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the clear winner. It delivers an average of 57 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS target, and its minimum of 49 FPS ensures that the experience remains relatively stable. The High preset at 41 FPS is a compromise for those who value visuals over frame rate, but the Medium preset provides the best overall experience. The Low preset at 91 FPS is unnecessary for most players at this resolution, as the Medium preset offers a far better balance.

For 3840x2160, the recommendations are more constrained. The Low preset, with an average of 72 FPS, is the only option that provides a consistently smooth experience. The Medium preset, at 45 FPS, is playable but will suffer from occasional dips into the 30s, which can be jarring. Therefore, for 4K gaming, the Low preset is the only viable option for a fluid experience. The data suggests that users with 4K displays should consider lowering the resolution to 1440p to unlock higher quality settings, as the performance at 4K Medium is similar to the performance at 1440p Ultra.

FAQ

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

A: The data indicates that 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. At this resolution, the Medium preset achieves an average of 57 FPS, which is near the 60 FPS target. At 1920x1080, performance is higher, but the visual fidelity is lower. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset provides a consistently smooth frame rate.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 Mobile's 8 GB VRAM affect 4K performance?

A: The measured FPS at 3840x2160 shows a sharp decline as settings increase, from 72 FPS on Low to 45 FPS on Medium and 25 FPS on Ultra. This pattern suggests the 8 GB memory capacity and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth become a limiting factor at high resolutions and detail levels, causing significant performance drops.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at any resolution?

A: The Ultra preset is only marginally playable at 1920x1080, with an average of 39 FPS. At 2560x1440, the average drops to 32 FPS, and at 3840x2160, it falls to 25 FPS. These frame rates are generally considered too low for a smooth experience in a game like this.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile ranks 1999 out of 3724 tested combinations for The Medium. This places it in the upper half of all tested systems, indicating it is a competent but not top-tier performer for this game.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Medium presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 108 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 68 FPS. This represents a 40 FPS difference, with the Low preset offering a significantly higher frame rate at the cost of visual quality.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in this game?

A: The resolution scaling data points to the GPU as the primary limiting factor. The FPS drops consistently and significantly as resolution increases across all settings, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU's strong benchmark scores and high percentile ranking suggest it is not the primary constraint at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H is a 16-core, 22-thread processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, built on a 7 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz, with a 24 MB shared L3 cache. These specifications are robust for a mobile CPU, and its benchmark scores reflect this, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15028 and a single-core score of 1743. The high core count and thread count are valuable for multitasking and heavily threaded workloads, but their impact on The Medium's frame rates is nuanced.

Given that the resolution scaling analysis indicates a GPU bottleneck, the CPU's role is primarily to ensure it can feed the GPU with enough data to avoid becoming a limiting factor. The 155H's strong single-core performance, evidenced by its Passmark single-thread score of 3468, is sufficient for the game's logic and physics calculations. The CPU's 83rd percentile ranking against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32697, confirms that it is a high-performing part that is unlikely to hold back the RTX 4070 Mobile in most scenarios.

However, the combo's rank of 1999 out of 3724 suggests that the CPU is not the sole determinant of performance. The data shows that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions, but at 1920x1080 with Low settings, where the GPU load is lower, the CPU's performance could become more relevant. The 155H's 16 cores and 22 threads ensure that it can handle the game's background tasks and asset streaming without causing stutters, but the measured FPS at 1080p Low (108 FPS) is still high, indicating the CPU is managing the load effectively. In this context, the CPU provides a stable and capable foundation, but the overall gaming experience is ultimately dictated by the RTX 4070 Mobile's rendering capabilities.