The Medium

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H pairs with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile to deliver a split personality in The Medium. At 1080p, the combination is firmly CPU-limited, while at 4K it transitions into a GPU-bound scenario, with the data showing a clear scaling pattern that favors lower settings for sustained frame rates. The measured results reveal that this laptop combo ranks in the 77th percentile of all tested configurations, a position driven more by the GPU's raw strength than the CPU's mid-range standing.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H is a 16-core, 22-thread processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 7 nm process node. It operates with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and can boost up to 5.00 GHz, with a 28W TDP that places it firmly in the mobile efficiency segment. The processor features a 24 MB shared L3 cache, alongside 112 KB of L1 and 2 MB of L2 per core, and supports dual-channel DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. Its integrated Arc Xe-LPG 128EU graphics are irrelevant when paired with the discrete RTX 4090 Mobile, but the CPU's computational headroom is not the bottleneck in most of the measured scenarios.

The data shows that the Ultra 7 165H sits in the 84th percentile of all CPUs in the benchmark database, with an average benchmark score of 34083. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H, which scores 33989 (0.3% slower), and the AMD EPYC 4244P at 34220 (0.4% faster), indicating that this chip is competitive with mid-range desktop parts from a few generations ago. In multithreaded workloads, the Cinebench R23 score of 14551 and single-thread score of 1759 suggest a solid all-rounder, but not an exceptional one for gaming. PassMark multithread results of 25933 and single-thread of 3509 reinforce this positioning.

For The Medium specifically, the CPU's role becomes apparent when examining the frame rate deltas across resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo hits 146 FPS average, which is the highest measured value across any configuration. This is nearly 3.4x the 4K Ultra result of 35 FPS, and the scaling from 1080p to 1440p to 4K shows a consistent decline that accelerates as resolution increases. The CPU's 16 cores and 22 threads are sufficient to feed the RTX 4090 Mobile at lower resolutions, but the data suggests that the processor's single-thread performance, evidenced by the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1759, is adequate but not exceptional for maintaining high frame rates in this horror title.

The processor's 84th percentile ranking among all CPUs, combined with the GPU's 84th percentile among all GPUs, creates a balanced pairing on paper. However, the measured FPS in The Medium tells a more nuanced story. At 1080p High, the combo produces 67 FPS, which is only 14% higher than the 4K High result of 45 FPS, suggesting that the CPU is not the primary limiter at higher resolutions. The real bottleneck shifts to the GPU as pixel count increases, and the CPU's 22 threads handle the game's fixed-cost logic without issue, as evidenced by the 146 FPS Low 1080p result being 47% higher than the 99 FPS Low 4K result.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The data reveals a clear hierarchy across settings presets, with the Medium preset offering the best balance of visual quality and performance for most users. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 94 FPS average with a minimum of 80 FPS and maximum of 108 FPS. This is a 29% improvement over High settings (67 FPS) while still maintaining a frame rate that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS for smooth gameplay. The jump from Medium to Ultra at 1080p drops performance to 53 FPS, a 44% reduction, which makes Ultra unsuitable for fast-paced sections despite the visual fidelity gains.

At 1440p, the Medium preset again emerges as the sweet spot, producing 79 FPS average with a minimum of 67 FPS and maximum of 91 FPS. This is 39% faster than High settings (57 FPS) and 75% faster than Ultra (45 FPS). The 1440p Medium result is particularly impressive because it maintains a minimum frame rate above 60 FPS, which is critical for a horror game where frame pacing consistency matters for atmosphere. The Low preset at 1440p achieves 127 FPS, but the visual compromise is substantial, and the data does not justify it when Medium offers 79 FPS with better image quality.

For 4K, the situation changes dramatically. The Medium preset at 3840x2160 yields 62 FPS average with a minimum of 53 FPS and maximum of 71 FPS. This is the only 4K preset that approaches playable territory, as High drops to 45 FPS and Ultra falls to 35 FPS. The 4K Low preset produces 99 FPS, but the visual downgrade is severe enough that most players would prefer the Medium preset's 62 FPS. The data strongly suggests that Medium is the optimal preset across all resolutions for this combo, offering the best compromise between the 146 FPS Low ceiling and the 35 FPS Ultra floor.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling pattern in the measured data reveals a textbook GPU-bound progression, with the CPU's influence diminishing as pixel count increases. Starting from 1080p Low at 146 FPS, the frame rate drops to 127 FPS at 1440p Low (a 13% reduction) and then to 99 FPS at 4K Low (a 32% reduction from 1080p). This scaling is consistent with a GPU that has ample headroom at lower resolutions but begins to saturate its rendering pipeline as the pixel workload grows.

The High preset tells a similar story: 67 FPS at 1080p, 57 FPS at 1440p (a 15% drop), and 45 FPS at 4K (a 33% drop from 1080p). The Ultra preset shows the steepest decline: 53 FPS at 1080p, 45 FPS at 1440p (a 15% drop), and 35 FPS at 4K (a 34% drop). These consistent percentage drops across presets indicate that the limiting component is the GPU's fill rate and shading capacity, not the CPU's ability to submit draw calls or process game logic.

The Medium preset, which has minimum and maximum FPS data available, demonstrates this most clearly. At 1080p Medium, the average is 94 FPS with a range of 80-108 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 79 FPS (a 16% reduction) with a range of 67-91 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 62 FPS (a 34% reduction from 1080p) with a range of 53-71 FPS. The widening gap between minimum and maximum FPS at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is increasingly strained, with frame time variance growing as the rendering load increases.

This scaling behavior confirms that the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H is not the primary bottleneck in The Medium. The CPU's 22 threads and 5.00 GHz boost clock provide sufficient single-thread performance to feed the RTX 4090 Mobile at 1080p, where the GPU is still delivering 146 FPS on Low settings. The 4K results, where even Low settings produce only 99 FPS, indicate that the GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 576.0 GB/s bandwidth are the limiting factors, not the CPU's 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth or 24 MB L3 cache.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile ranks 833rd out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the top 22.4% of all configurations in the database. This ranking is notable because the CPU itself sits at the 84th percentile among all processors, while the GPU also sits at the 84th percentile among all GPUs. The combo's 833rd position, however, is lower than the individual component percentiles might suggest, indicating that The Medium's specific workload does not fully utilize the strengths of this pairing.

To contextualize this ranking, consider the GPU's nearest rivals. The RTX 4090 Mobile's average benchmark score of 43667 places it just ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 (43301, 0.8% slower) and RTX 5050 Mobile (43268, 0.9% slower), but behind the RTX A6000 (44075, 0.9% faster). This suggests that the RTX 4090 Mobile is a high-end mobile part, but not the absolute fastest in the database. The CPU's nearest rivals include the Ultra 5 338H (0.3% faster), EPYC 4244P (0.4% faster), and Ryzen AI 7 350 (0.4% faster), indicating that the Ultra 7 165H is competitive but not dominant.

The 833rd rank out of 3724 combos means there are 832 configurations that achieve higher average FPS in The Medium. Given that the RTX 4090 Mobile is one of the most powerful mobile GPUs available, this ranking suggests that The Medium is particularly demanding on the CPU for certain operations, or that the game's optimization favors different hardware combinations. The data shows that the combo performs best at 1080p Low (146 FPS) and worst at 4K Ultra (35 FPS), with the Medium preset at 1080p (94 FPS) representing the most realistic gaming scenario for most users.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this CPU/GPU pairing in The Medium?

A: The data shows that 1440p Medium provides the best balance, with 79 FPS average, 67 FPS minimum, and 91 FPS maximum. This maintains a minimum above 60 FPS while offering better visual fidelity than Low settings.

Q: How does the Ultra 7 165H compare to its closest CPU rivals?

A: The Ultra 7 165H scores 34083 on average, which is 0.3% higher than the Ultra 5 338H (33989), 0.4% lower than the EPYC 4244P (34220), and 0.4% lower than the Ryzen AI 7 350 (34222). These are all statistically similar scores.

Q: Is the RTX 4090 Mobile the limiting factor at 4K?

A: Yes, the resolution scaling data shows consistent FPS drops of approximately 30-34% from 1080p to 4K across all settings presets. At 4K Ultra, the combo only produces 35 FPS, indicating the GPU's 16 GB memory and 576.0 GB/s bandwidth are the primary constraints.

Q: What CPU benchmark scores support the claim that the processor is not a bottleneck?

A: The CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14551 and single-core score of 1759, with a PassMark multithread score of 25933. These are mid-to-high range scores, but the 1080p Low FPS of 146 versus 1080p Ultra FPS of 53 suggests the GPU is handling the majority of the workload.

Q: How does this combo's rank compare to its component percentiles?

A: The combo ranks 833rd out of 3724 (top 22.4%), while the CPU and GPU each sit at the 84th percentile of their respective categories. The lower combo rank indicates that The Medium does not fully exploit the pairing's strengths.

Q: What is the minimum FPS at 4K Medium, and is it playable?

A: The 4K Medium preset produces 62 FPS average with a 53 FPS minimum and 71 FPS maximum. The 53 FPS minimum is below the 60 FPS threshold but still playable, though the 1080p Medium minimum of 80 FPS is more consistent.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data for this combo in The Medium is presented below, organized by resolution and settings preset. All values are average FPS unless otherwise noted, with minimum and maximum data provided where available.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 146 FPS average
• Medium: 94 FPS average, 80 FPS minimum, 108 FPS maximum
• High: 67 FPS average
• Ultra: 53 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 127 FPS average
• Medium: 79 FPS average, 67 FPS minimum, 91 FPS maximum
• High: 57 FPS average
• Ultra: 45 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 99 FPS average
• Medium: 62 FPS average, 53 FPS minimum, 71 FPS maximum
• High: 45 FPS average
• Ultra: 35 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern across all settings presets: moving from 1080p to 1440p reduces FPS by approximately 13-16%, while moving from 1440p to 4K reduces FPS by another 22-24%. The total reduction from 1080p to 4K is approximately 32-34% across all presets. The Medium preset is the only one with complete minimum and maximum data, showing that frame pacing is tightest at 1080p (80-108 range) and loosest at 4K (53-71 range). The 4K Ultra result of 35 FPS is the lowest measured value, while the 1080p Low result of 146 FPS is the highest. The spread between these extremes is 111 FPS, illustrating the wide performance envelope this combo can deliver depending on configuration.