The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title that stresses both GPU and CPU, and the measured results for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 reveal a system that is firmly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, with the processor providing ample headroom. This combination ranks 2007th out of 2911 tested combos in this game, placing it in the lower half of all configurations, which aligns with the mid-range positioning of the graphics card. The data shows a clear narrative: at 1080p, the system delivers playable framerates, but pushing to 4K requires significant settings compromises to maintain smooth motion.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep decline as resolution increases, which is the primary indicator of where the performance bottleneck lies. At the Low preset, the average framerate drops from 92 FPS at 1920x1080 to 77 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of approximately 16%. Moving further to 3840x2160, the average falls to 61 FPS, which is a 34% drop from the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a system where the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU’s workload does not increase proportionally with pixel count.

The Medium preset exhibits a similar trend, with averages of 57 FPS at 1080p, 48 FPS at 1440p, and 38 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 4K here is 19 FPS, or roughly 33% lower performance at the highest resolution. For the High preset, the averages are 41 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p, and 27 FPS at 4K, showing a 34% reduction from the lowest to highest resolution tested. The Ultra preset is the most punishing, with 33 FPS at 1080p dropping to 27 FPS at 1440p and finally 22 FPS at 4K, representing a 33% loss in performance.

What this scaling indicates is that the Radeon RX 7600’s rendering capabilities are saturated well before the CPU becomes a concern. The consistent percentage drops across all presets when moving from 1080p to 1440p and then to 4K point to a purely GPU-bound scenario. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265, with its 20 cores and 20 threads, is not showing any signs of struggling to feed the GPU frames, as the framerate degradation follows the expected curve of increased pixel throughput demands on the graphics card.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The card’s boost clock is rated at 2655 MHz, with a game clock of 2250 MHz, and these specifications directly influence the measured results. In The Medium, the 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient at 1080p and 1440p across all presets, as evidenced by the playable framerates at those resolutions. However, at 4K, the combination of higher memory pressure and the card’s compute limits becomes apparent.

The GPU’s performance percentile sits at 57th among all tested GPUs, and its average benchmark score is 15171. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM, scores 15199, a negligible 0.2% difference, while the AMD Radeon 680M is 0.7% higher at 15270. This places the RX 7600 in a tight competitive bracket, and the measured FPS in The Medium reflects this mid-pack positioning. The card’s 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs are tasked with rendering the game’s fixed-camera horror environments, which often feature complex lighting and volumetric effects that tax the GPU heavily.

At the Ultra preset, the framerates become problematic across all resolutions, with 33 FPS at 1080p and 22 FPS at 4K. This suggests that the highest settings introduce effects that push the RX 7600’s memory bandwidth and compute capacity to their limits. The Low preset, by contrast, allows the GPU to stretch its legs, delivering 92 FPS at 1080p and 61 FPS at 4K, which indicates that the card can handle the game well when graphical demands are reduced. The data shows that the GPU’s 8 GB memory is not a hard barrier, but rather the overall throughput of the chip that governs performance, as the scaling between presets is consistent across resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a high-core-count processor with 20 cores and 20 threads, operating at a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its benchmark results are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42216 and a single-core score of 5960, placing it in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs. The processor’s average benchmark score is 64640, and its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 4464P at 64823 (0.3% higher) and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F at 64438 (0.3% lower), showing that it performs consistently with other high-end desktop parts.

In The Medium, the CPU’s role is largely to maintain a stable frame delivery, which it does admirably given the GPU-bound nature of the workload. The game is not known for extreme CPU demands, and with 20 threads available, the Core Ultra 7 265 has ample resources to handle background tasks and game logic without becoming a bottleneck. The measured framerates show no anomalies that would suggest CPU limitations, such as inconsistent frame pacing or sudden drops that would occur if the processor were maxed out.

For example, at 1080p Low, the system achieves 92 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 33 FPS. This wide range is entirely attributable to the GPU’s workload, as the CPU’s clock speeds and core count are more than sufficient to handle the game’s threading model. The processor’s 30 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s ensure that data can be fed to the GPU quickly, but the performance ceiling is clearly set by the graphics card, not the processor. The CPU’s percentile rank of 93rd versus the GPU’s 57th underscores this disparity, indicating that the processor is a much stronger component in this pairing relative to the graphics card.

FAQ

Q: What is the average framerate at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the system achieves an average of 57 FPS, with a minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 66 FPS, as measured in the benchmark data.

Q: How does the RX 7600 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7600 has an average benchmark score of 15171, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199, a difference of -0.2%, indicating nearly identical performance in that metric.

Q: Is the Core Ultra 7 265 a bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: No, the data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor. At 4K with Low settings, the system achieves 61 FPS, and with Ultra settings, it drops to 22 FPS, with the scaling pattern consistent with GPU-bound performance.

Q: What is the best resolution for maintaining 60+ FPS?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system averages 92 FPS, and at 2560x1440 with Low settings, it averages 77 FPS, both exceeding 60 FPS. At 4K with Low settings, the average is 61 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations in The Medium?

A: This combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and AMD Radeon RX 7600 ranks 2007th out of 2911 tested combos, placing it in the lower third of all systems tested for this game.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 41, with an average of 48 FPS and a maximum of 56 FPS, as shown in the measured data.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of which settings presets offer the best experience for this hardware combination. For players targeting a smooth 60 FPS experience, the Low preset is the only reliable choice across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, Low delivers 92 FPS, which provides ample headroom for consistent frame pacing. At 2560x1440, Low drops to 77 FPS, still comfortably above the 60 FPS target, and even at 3840x2160, Low maintains 61 FPS, making it the only preset that achieves playable framerates at 4K.

The Medium preset is a viable option for those who want improved visual fidelity, but only at 1080p, where it averages 57 FPS. This is close to the 60 FPS target, and the minimum of 49 FPS suggests occasional dips that may be noticeable in slower scenes. At 1440p, Medium averages 48 FPS, which is acceptable for a horror game with a slower pace, but it requires a tolerance for sub-60 FPS gameplay. At 4K, Medium falls to 38 FPS, which is borderline for playability and may strain the eyes during camera movements.

The High and Ultra presets are not recommended for this GPU. High averages 41 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p, and 27 FPS at 4K, all of which are below the 60 FPS threshold and may result in a less responsive experience. Ultra is the worst performer, with 33 FPS at 1080p and dropping to 22 FPS at 4K, which is likely to be a frustrating experience given the game’s atmospheric tension. The data suggests that the Low preset is the most balanced for this system, as it is the only setting that allows the RX 7600 to maintain high framerates at any resolution. Medium at 1080p is a secondary option for those prioritizing visuals over absolute smoothness.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full set of measured framerates provides a comprehensive view of the system’s capabilities across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 92 FPS, the highest of any setting tested. Medium follows with 57 FPS on average, with a minimum of 49 and maximum of 66 FPS. High drops to 41 FPS, and Ultra is the lowest at 33 FPS. This shows a clear progression where each step up in settings costs approximately 15-20% of the framerate.

At 2560x1440, the pattern continues but with lower absolute values. Low averages 77 FPS, Medium averages 48 FPS with a minimum of 41 and maximum of 56, High averages 35 FPS, and Ultra averages 27 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 50 FPS, indicating a massive performance range that depends entirely on the chosen settings. The Medium preset’s minimum of 41 FPS suggests that the system can dip below 45 FPS in demanding scenes, which may be noticeable during the game’s more intense moments.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops are most pronounced. Low averages 61 FPS, which is the only playable option at this resolution. Medium averages 38 FPS with a minimum of 32 and maximum of 44, High averages 27 FPS, and Ultra averages 22 FPS. The 4K results highlight the GPU’s limitations, as the card’s 288.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 2048 shading units are insufficient for high-detail rendering at this pixel count. The data shows that the system is capable of 4K gaming, but only with significant graphical compromises.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and AMD Radeon RX 7600 ranks 2007th out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the 31st percentile of all systems tested. This ranking reflects the GPU’s mid-tier positioning, as the CPU is a top-tier component that does not hold the system back. The GPU’s percentile rank of 57th among all GPUs is the primary driver of this overall ranking, as the framerates achieved are consistent with what would be expected from a card that sits just above the median in synthetic benchmarks.

Compared to the CPU’s nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 7 265 performs nearly identically to the AMD EPYC 4464P, which scores 0.3% higher, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F, which scores 0.3% lower. These differences are negligible in real-world gaming. For the GPU, the RX 7600 is 0.2% slower than the RTX 3050 OEM and 0.7% slower than the AMD Radeon 680M in average benchmark scores, but the measured FPS in The Medium shows that this card can deliver playable framerates when settings are adjusted appropriately.

The ranking of 2007 out of 2911 indicates that many other combinations deliver higher performance, but it also means that a significant number of systems perform worse. For a mid-range GPU paired with a high-end CPU, this result is expected, as the graphics card is the limiting factor. The data suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield substantial improvements in this game, while the CPU has ample headroom for future graphics card upgrades without becoming a bottleneck. The system’s overall position in the rankings is a direct consequence of the GPU’s capabilities, and the measured framerates reflect a balanced yet GPU-constrained configuration.