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 5070 produces a specific performance profile. The data shows this pairing ranks 1566 out of 2911 tested combos for this game, placing it in the 46th percentile of all systems tested. This mid-pack ranking suggests the hardware is capable but not top-tier for this particular title, which is curious given the modern components involved. The benchmark results reveal a system that can deliver playable frame rates at lower settings but struggles to maintain smooth performance at the highest visual presets, particularly at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1566 out of 2911 tested combinations for The Medium places it just below the median of all tested systems. This positioning is somewhat surprising when considering the individual component strengths, as both the CPU and GPU rank in the 82nd and 83rd percentiles respectively against all other hardware. The disconnect between component-level rankings and this in-game result suggests that The Medium's specific engine demands may not align perfectly with what this hardware excels at.

Benchmark results indicate the CPU's average benchmark score of 32697 places it statistically even with its nearest rivals, including the Intel Core i5-14600T with a score of 32707 and a deltaPct of 0, and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 at 32662 with a deltaPct of 0.1. The GPU similarly sits close to its nearest competitors, with the AMD Radeon Pro 580 scoring 40318 against the RTX 5070's 40377 average, a marginal 0.1 percent difference. This tight clustering around rivals explains why the combo lands in the middle of the pack rather than at the top, as neither component decisively outperforms its direct competition.

The 46th percentile ranking implies that roughly 54 percent of tested combos deliver better performance in The Medium. This is a meaningful finding, as it suggests that the combination of a mobile-class CPU with a desktop-class GPU creates a bottleneck scenario that limits overall frame rates. The data does not support the notion that this is a high-end gaming combo for this title, despite the individual hardware pedigree.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 brings substantial resources to The Medium, featuring 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates with a base clock of 2325 MHz and a boost clock of 2512 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz or 28 Gbps effective. These specifications provide the foundation for the measured frame rates, though the results indicate that raw GPU power alone does not guarantee high performance in this game.

The GPU's 82nd percentile ranking against all GPUs, combined with its average benchmark score of 40377, shows it performs comparably to its nearest rivals. The data reveals a slight edge over the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100, which scores 40063 with a deltaPct of 0.8, and the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile at 39568 with a deltaPct of 2. However, the RTX 5070 trails the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 by 1.2 percent, which scores 40870. These small margins indicate that the GPU is competitive but not dominant in its class.

The 12 GB VRAM capacity appears sufficient for The Medium across all tested settings, as no measurement indicates a memory-related performance collapse. The GPU's texture rate of 482.3 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 201.0 GPixel/s provide ample throughput for the game's fixed-camera scenes. The measured FPS at 1080p Low reaches 107 average, suggesting the GPU is not the limiting factor at lower settings, but the drop to 38 average at 1080p Ultra shows how demanding the highest presets are on this hardware.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance ranking for this combo in The Medium?

A: This combo ranks 1566 out of 2911 tested combinations, placing it in the 46th percentile of all tested systems for this game.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H scores 32697 on average, which is virtually identical to the Intel Core i5-14600T at 32707, and just 0.1 percent ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 at 32662.

Q: What is the best average frame rate achieved at 1080p?

A: The highest average frame rate at 1080p is 107 FPS, achieved with Low settings. Medium settings deliver 67 FPS average, High delivers 48, and Ultra drops to 38.

Q: How much does the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings?

A: At Medium settings, the average frame rate falls from 67 FPS at 1080p to 56 FPS at 1440p, and further to 44 FPS at 4K, representing a 34 percent reduction from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Does the GPU outperform its closest competitor?

A: The RTX 5070's average benchmark score of 40377 places it 0.1 percent ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 580 at 40318, but 1.2 percent behind the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 at 40870.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate recorded at 4K Medium settings?

A: At 4K with Medium settings, the minimum frame rate measured is 37 FPS, with a maximum of 51 FPS and an average of 44 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system achieves its highest frame rates, with Low settings producing an average of 107 FPS. Medium settings at this resolution yield 67 FPS average with a minimum of 57 and maximum of 77, while High settings deliver 48 FPS average. Ultra settings at 1080p drop to 38 FPS average, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales predictably downward. Low settings produce 90 FPS average, which remains highly playable. Medium settings deliver 56 FPS average with a range of 48 to 65, while High settings reduce to 40 FPS average. Ultra at 1440p drops to 32 FPS average, making it the first preset where playability becomes questionable.

At 3840x2160, the system shows its limitations. Low settings still manage 71 FPS average, which is respectable for 4K. Medium settings produce 44 FPS average with a minimum of 37 and maximum of 51, placing it at the edge of acceptable performance. High settings drop to 32 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 25 FPS average, both of which are below comfortable playability thresholds.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: Low settings always deliver playable frame rates, Medium settings provide marginal playability at 4K, and High and Ultra settings are only viable at 1080p for those who prioritize visual fidelity over smoothness.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H features 16 cores and 22 threads, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. This Meteor Lake architecture processor operates at 28 W TDP, with 24 MB of shared L3 cache and a dual-channel memory bus offering 89.6 GB/s bandwidth. The CPU's average benchmark score of 32697 places it in the 83rd percentile against all CPUs, indicating solid overall performance.

The CPU's single-thread performance, as measured by Cinebench R23 at 1743, and multi-core score of 15028, show a balanced capability. The Passmark single-thread score of 3468 and multithread score of 24873 further confirm this balance. The nearest rival comparison shows the Core Ultra 7 155H performs nearly identically to the Intel Core i5-14600T, with a deltaPct of 0, and marginally better than the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 at 0.1 percent.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU at higher resolutions. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K at the same settings suggest that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases. However, at 1080p Low settings where the GPU has headroom, the CPU's performance allows the system to reach 107 FPS, indicating it can feed the GPU adequately at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which settings presets offer the best experience for this combo. At 1080p, Low settings deliver 107 FPS average, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate displays, while Medium settings at 67 FPS provide a good balance between visual quality and smoothness. High and Ultra settings at 1080p drop to 48 and 38 FPS respectively, making them less desirable for consistent gameplay.

For 1440p, the recommendation shifts to Low settings, which deliver 90 FPS average and provide the smoothest experience at this resolution. Medium settings at 56 FPS are playable but show some dips to 48 FPS minimum, which could be noticeable in fast-paced scenes. High and Ultra at 1440p fall below 40 FPS, making them poor choices for this resolution.

At 4K, only Low settings provide a comfortable experience with 71 FPS average. Medium settings at 44 FPS average with a 37 FPS minimum are borderline, and the data suggests that players who prioritize frame rate stability should avoid this preset. High and Ultra at 4K are effectively unplayable with averages of 32 and 25 FPS.

The optimal experience appears to be Medium settings at 1080p, which offers 67 FPS average with a narrow range of 57 to 77 FPS, providing consistent performance with acceptable visual quality. For players with higher-resolution displays, Low settings at 1440p or 4K provide the best frame rate stability.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals important characteristics about the system's bottleneck. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 107 at 1080p to 90 at 1440p, a 16 percent reduction, and then to 71 at 4K, a 34 percent total reduction. This gradual decline suggests the GPU is handling the increased pixel count reasonably well at lower settings.

At Medium settings, the scaling shows a steeper curve. The average drops from 67 at 1080p to 56 at 1440p, a 16 percent reduction, and then to 44 at 4K, a 34 percent total drop. The minimum frame rates follow a similar pattern, falling from 57 at 1080p to 48 at 1440p, and finally to 37 at 4K. This consistent scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor across all resolutions at Medium settings.

The High settings scaling tells a different story. The average frame rate drops from 48 at 1080p to 40 at 1440p, a 17 percent reduction, and then to 32 at 4K, a 33 percent total drop. Ultra settings show the most severe scaling, with averages falling from 38 at 1080p to 32 at 1440p, and finally to 25 at 4K, representing a 34 percent total reduction from 1080p.

The data indicates that the frame rate drops proportionally with resolution increases, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The consistent 33-34 percent reduction from 1080p to 4K across all settings suggests that the CPU is not introducing additional bottlenecks at higher resolutions. This uniformity implies that players seeking higher frame rates at 4K should focus on reducing graphical settings rather than upgrading the processor, as the GPU's workload is the primary constraint in this configuration.