The Medium

The Medium presents a demanding dual-reality rendering challenge, and the data for the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile reveals a pairing that is consistently playable at 1080p but quickly becomes strained as resolution climbs. The measured frames per second across the four quality presets and three resolutions tell a coherent story about where the bottleneck lies and what settings offer the most stable experience. This analysis examines the raw numbers, the combo’s standing against other tested systems, and the specific roles the CPU and GPU play in producing these results.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are dramatic and clearly point to the GPU as the limiting component. At Medium settings, the average frame rate falls from 60 FPS at 1920x1080 to 51 FPS at 2560x1440, a 15% reduction, and then plummets to 40 FPS at 3840x2160, a further 21.5% drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern is typical for a title where pixel count heavily taxes the renderer, and the RTX 4060 Mobile’s 8 GB VRAM and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are being pushed to their limits at the higher resolutions.

The Low preset shows an even steeper absolute decline, starting at a very smooth 97 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 81 FPS at 1440p, and then falling to 64 FPS at 4K. While the percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is 34%, the frame rate remains playable even at the highest resolution on Low, suggesting that the GPU’s compute units are still capable if the memory and shading load are reduced. In contrast, the Ultra preset at 4K yields only 23 FPS, which is below the threshold for a smooth experience, indicating that the combination of maximum visual effects and 4K resolution is simply too much for this mobile GPU.

The High preset follows a similar trajectory, with 43 FPS at 1080p, 36 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K. The gap between High and Medium at each resolution is consistent, roughly 10-12 FPS, which suggests that the additional effects in High are not disproportionately expensive but still subtract meaningful performance. The data implies that for 4K gaming, only the Low preset provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, while Medium sits at 40 FPS, which is borderline for a horror title that may benefit from higher frame rates. The scaling behavior confirms that the RTX 4060 Mobile is the primary constraint, as the CPU’s role becomes less relevant when the GPU is saturated with pixel work.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2285 out of 3724 tested combinations for The Medium, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database. This position, roughly at the 38.7th percentile of all combos, is notable because the individual components have higher percentile scores—the CPU is at the 84th percentile and the GPU at the 67th percentile. The gap between the component scores and the combo rank suggests that The Medium is particularly demanding on the GPU, and the RTX 4060 Mobile’s performance in this title is not as strong as its overall benchmark average might imply.

Looking at the nearest rivals for the GPU, the RTX 4060 Mobile’s average benchmark score of 22729 is within 1.3% of the Intel Arc B580 and 0.7% of the desktop RTX 2080. However, these scores are synthetic averages, and the actual in-game performance may vary. The data shows that the RTX 4060 Mobile is 1.3% ahead of the RTX 5060 Mobile in average score, which is a small margin, but in a game like The Medium, that difference could translate to a few frames per second at critical moments. The combo’s rank indicates that it is not a top-tier configuration for this specific title, but it is far from the bottom, and the measured FPS at 1080p Medium and High presets are respectable.

The CPU’s nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, have average scores within 0.5% of the Core Ultra 7 165H’s 34083. This clustering suggests that the CPU is not a differentiator in most games, and The Medium is no exception. The combo rank of 2285 is likely driven more by the GPU’s performance at higher resolutions, as the CPU’s capabilities are sufficient to feed the GPU at 1080p and 1440p. For a user with a 1080p display, this combo performs admirably, but for 4K, the rank reflects the GPU’s limitations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H is a 16-core, 22-thread processor with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. In The Medium, this level of core and thread count is more than adequate, as the game’s dual-reality mechanic likely benefits from additional threads for streaming and physics, but the frame rates are not CPU-bound at any resolution. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14551 and single-core score of 1759 indicate a strong processor, and its 84th percentile ranking versus all CPUs confirms it is a high-end mobile part.

The data shows that the FPS differences between resolutions are much larger than any potential CPU-related variance. For instance, at Medium settings, the 1080p score of 60 FPS drops to 40 FPS at 4K, a 33% reduction that cannot be attributed to the CPU. The CPU’s L3 cache is 24 MB shared, which is ample for gaming workloads, and its memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s is sufficient for transferring game data to the GPU. The 22 threads are likely utilized by The Medium’s background streaming, but the game’s primary load is on the graphics card.

In comparison to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 7 165H is effectively tied with the AMD EPYC 4244P and the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X in average benchmark score, with deltas of -0.4% and -0.5% respectively. This means that swapping to a different CPU would not yield meaningful FPS improvements in this game. The CPU’s boost clock of 5.00 GHz is high for mobile, and the single-core performance is strong, which helps with game logic and draw call submission. However, the measured FPS at 1080p Low, 97 FPS, is the highest recorded for this combo, suggesting that the CPU can comfortably push high frame rates when the GPU is not the bottleneck.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60 FPS on Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows that at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 60, with a minimum of 51 and maximum of 69. This is the only resolution where the Medium preset achieves the 60 FPS target, as 2560x1440 drops to 51 FPS and 3840x2160 falls to 40 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 Mobile compare to the RTX 2080 in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4060 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 22729, which is 0.7% lower than the RTX 2080’s score of 22895. This places them in the same performance tier, though in-game results for The Medium may vary.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p with Low settings?

A: The data shows 97 FPS at 1080p Low, which is the highest average across all settings and resolutions. Given the CPU’s strong single-core score of 1759 in Cinebench R23, it is unlikely to be a limiting factor at this resolution.

Q: What is the combo’s ranking out of all tested configurations for The Medium?

A: The combo ranks 2285 out of 3724 total combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database for this specific game.

Q: Does the GPU’s VRAM capacity affect performance at 4K?

A: The RTX 4060 Mobile has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, and at 4K with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 23. While the data does not directly measure VRAM usage, the significant FPS drop at 4K Ultra suggests the memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s and capacity are stressed.

Q: How much faster is the Low preset compared to Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 81 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 29 FPS. This is a 52 FPS difference, or roughly 179% higher performance on Low.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile is an Ada Lovelace architecture chip with 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. Its boost clock is 1890 MHz, and it has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s FP32 performance is 11.61 TFLOPS, which is moderate for a mobile part, and its 67th percentile ranking versus all GPUs indicates it is above average but not a high-end desktop replacement.

In The Medium, the GPU’s role is dominant, as evidenced by the resolution scaling. The 4K Ultra result of 23 FPS is a clear indication that the GPU is overwhelmed by the combination of high-resolution rendering and maximum effects. The 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores are present for ray tracing and DLSS, but the measured data does not include any upscaling or ray tracing-specific tests, so their impact is not directly quantified here. The pixel rate of 90.72 GPixel/s and texture rate of 181.4 GTexel/s provide theoretical limits that align with the observed FPS drops.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 4060 Mobile is 1.3% behind the Intel Arc B580 and 0.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT in average benchmark score. This clustering suggests that in synthetic tests, the GPU is competitive with mid-range desktop parts, but in The Medium, the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus may limit performance at higher resolutions. The 4K Medium result of 40 FPS, with a minimum of 34 and maximum of 46, shows that the GPU can handle moderate settings at 4K, but the frame times are not consistent, which could lead to stutter in a horror game where smoothness is critical.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear picture of which preset offers the best experience for this combo. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers exactly 60 FPS on average, with a minimum of 51 FPS, making it the ideal choice for a balance between visual quality and smoothness. The High preset at 1080p drops to 43 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a game that relies on atmosphere and smooth camera movement. The Low preset at 1080p achieves 97 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play or if the user prioritizes frame rate over visuals, but it sacrifices the graphical fidelity that The Medium’s horror aesthetic benefits from.

For users with a 1440p display, the Medium preset at 51 FPS is the best option, as the High preset falls to 36 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. The Low preset at 1440p yields 81 FPS, which is smooth, but again, the visual downgrade may not be worth it for a story-driven horror title. At 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option for a playable experience, with 64 FPS, while Medium drops to 40 FPS and High to 29 FPS. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it only achieves 34 FPS at 1080p and 23 FPS at 4K, which is too low for a smooth experience.

The data suggests that the optimal experience is 1080p with Medium settings, as it provides a locked 60 FPS average with reasonable minimums. If the user has a 1440p monitor, Medium is the highest playable preset, but they should be prepared for occasional drops to 43 FPS. For 4K, Low is the only choice, and the 64 FPS average is acceptable, but the visual quality will be significantly reduced. The Medium preset’s minimum FPS of 51 at 1080p is the highest minimum across all settings at that resolution, indicating good frame pacing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured frame rates for this combo is as follows. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 97 FPS, the Medium preset averages 60 FPS with a minimum of 51 and maximum of 69, the High preset averages 43 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 34 FPS. This shows a clear progression where each step up in quality costs roughly 15-20 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 81 FPS, the Medium preset averages 51 FPS with a minimum of 43 and maximum of 59, the High preset averages 36 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 29 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across presets, with an average reduction of about 16 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 64 FPS, the Medium preset averages 40 FPS with a minimum of 34 and maximum of 46, the High preset averages 29 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 23 FPS. The 4K results show the GPU’s limitations most clearly, as even the Low preset cannot maintain the 97 FPS seen at 1080p. The data indicates that the Medium preset at 4K is the highest quality setting that stays above 30 FPS, but just barely, with a minimum of 34 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the worst performer, with an average of 23 FPS, which is unplayable for most users. The measured FPS values provide a comprehensive view of how this combo handles The Medium, and the consistent scaling across resolutions confirms that the GPU is the primary determinant of performance.