The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title built around shifting between two simultaneous realities, places a distinctive load on PC hardware. The measured data for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 reveals a configuration that is capable but heavily constrained by graphics settings and resolution, with the GPU emerging as the clear bottleneck in this specific pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, indicating that the rendering load scales aggressively with pixel count. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 101 FPS at 1920x1080 to 85 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 16 FPS, and then to 67 FPS at 3840x2160, an 18 FPS drop from 1440p. This trajectory shows that even at the lowest graphical preset, the game remains sensitive to resolution, though the 4K result of 67 FPS remains playable.

Moving to Medium settings, the pattern shifts. The average at 1080p is 63 FPS, which drops to 53 FPS at 1440p and then to 42 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is 10 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 11 FPS, showing a nearly linear scaling penalty as resolution increases. The High preset tells a similar story: 45 FPS at 1080p, 38 FPS at 1440p, and 30 FPS at 4K. Each step up in resolution costs roughly 7 to 8 FPS, which suggests the GPU is running out of headroom rather than the CPU being a limiting factor.

Ultra settings are the most punishing. The 1080p average is 36 FPS, falling to 30 FPS at 1440p and 24 FPS at 4K. The margin between 1080p and 4K on Ultra is 12 FPS, the smallest absolute drop of any preset, but the starting point is already low enough that the 4K result is barely interactive. The data indicates that the limiting component shifts with resolution: at 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU, but as pixel count rises, the RX 9060's rendering throughput becomes the dominant constraint, causing the frame rate to collapse toward the 20s on the highest preset.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a Navi 44 chip, featuring 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus. The memory bandwidth is 288.0 GB/s, and the GPU operates at a base clock of 1700 MHz with a boost clock of 2990 MHz. These specifications position the card as a mid-range solution, and the benchmark data confirms that it is the primary performance limiter in this game at higher resolutions and settings.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a significant factor in The Medium, a game known for its dual-world rendering technique that can inflate memory usage. While the measured FPS rows do not include VRAM usage figures, the steep performance degradation from Medium to Ultra settings at 4K—from 42 FPS to 24 FPS—suggests that the card is struggling with both compute and memory bandwidth demands. The 128-bit bus, paired with 8 GB of GDDR6, may be insufficient for the texture and geometry loads required at Ultra 4K, where the average frame rate drops to 24 FPS, a value that is below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark scores reinforce this interpretation. The card achieves a Passmark G3D score of 17631, placing it at the 59th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, posts an average score of 16129, with the RX 9060 being 0.7% ahead. This close margin indicates that the RX 9060 performs in the same tier as a previous-generation mid-range card, and The Medium's results reflect that positioning. The card's FP32 compute is 21.43 TFLOPS, and it has 1792 shading units, but these figures do not translate into high frame rates when the game pushes resolution and settings to the maximum.

At 1080p Low, the GPU achieves 101 FPS, showing that it can handle the game when the load is light. However, the drop to 36 FPS at 1080p Ultra, a 64% reduction, demonstrates that the card's pixel and texture rates—191.4 GPixel/s and 334.9 GTexel/s respectively—are not sufficient to maintain high frame rates under maxed-out settings. The data suggests that the RX 9060 is best suited for Medium or High settings at 1080p or 1440p, where it can deliver 45 to 63 FPS, rather than pushing for Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested CPU-GPU combinations for The Medium, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and the AMD Radeon RX 9060 ranks 1648 out of 2911 tested combos. This places it in the 56.6th percentile of all configurations, meaning it outperforms a slight majority of systems but is far from the top tier. The rank reflects a balance where the CPU is well above average, but the GPU holds the combination back.

The CPU itself is a strong performer. Its average benchmark score is 64640, which places it at the 93rd percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 4464P, which scores 64823 (0.3% higher), and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F, which scores 64438 (0.3% lower). This indicates that the Core Ultra 7 265 is a high-end processor whose capabilities far exceed what the RX 9060 can utilize in this game. The combination rank of 1648, therefore, is almost certainly driven by the GPU's mid-range standing rather than any CPU deficiency.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 59th among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 16014, is much lower than the CPU's 93rd percentile. This mismatch is evident in the measured FPS data: even at 1080p Low, where the CPU has minimal work to do, the frame rate is 101 FPS, which is respectable but not exceptional. At higher settings, the GPU's limitations become the ceiling, and the combination's rank reflects that ceiling. A system with a weaker CPU but a stronger GPU would likely rank higher in this game, as the title appears to be GPU-bound at most settings tested.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers four resolutions and four settings, providing a complete picture of the combination's performance envelope. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 101 FPS, which is the highest result in the entire dataset. Medium settings at 1080p produce 63 FPS, with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS, showing some frame pacing variance but maintaining a playable range. High settings reduce the average to 45 FPS, and Ultra drops it further to 36 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 65 FPS, a massive range that highlights the GPU's sensitivity to graphical fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 85 FPS, which is still smooth for most displays. Medium settings yield 53 FPS, with a minimum of 45 FPS and a maximum of 61 FPS, indicating that the game can dip below 60 FPS during demanding scenes. High settings at 1440p average 38 FPS, and Ultra drops to 30 FPS. The 1440p results show a clear pattern: the combination can handle Low and Medium settings comfortably, but High and Ultra require compromises for a consistent experience.

The 4K results are the most constrained. At 3840x2160, Low settings average 67 FPS, which is surprising given the resolution, but Medium drops to 42 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS. High settings average 30 FPS, and Ultra falls to 24 FPS. The 4K data shows that the RX 9060 can manage 4K only on Low settings, where it stays above 60 FPS, but any increase in fidelity pushes it below the 40 FPS threshold. The minimum FPS figures for Medium settings at all resolutions—53 FPS at 1080p, 45 FPS at 1440p, and 35 FPS at 4K—suggest that the game's dual-world rendering can cause sudden drops, requiring a larger frame rate buffer for a stable experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. It has 30 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. These specifications make it a formidable CPU for multithreaded workloads, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 42216 and single-core score of 5960. Its Passmark multithread score is 49682, and its single-thread score is 4689.

In The Medium, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle the game's logic, but the benchmark results indicate that it is rarely the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the frame rate of 101 FPS is likely near the CPU's limit for this game, but as resolution increases, the GPU takes over as the limiting factor. The CPU's high single-thread performance, reflected in its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5960, ensures that it can keep up with the game's main thread even at lower resolutions.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the synthetic benchmark database all have similar average scores, with the AMD EPYC 4464P just 0.3% ahead and the AMD EPYC 7343 0.7% ahead. This consistency suggests that the Core Ultra 7 265 is well-matched to other high-end processors, but none of these rivals would change the outcome in The Medium because the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's 20 cores and threads are more than sufficient for a game that does not heavily utilize multithreading, and the 5.30 GHz boost clock provides ample single-thread headroom. The data shows that the CPU's performance is effectively invisible in this game's results, as the FPS numbers are dictated almost entirely by the GPU and the selected settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play The Medium with this CPU and GPU combo?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the most consistent resolution. At Low settings it averages 101 FPS, at Medium it averages 63 FPS, and at High it averages 45 FPS. The 2560x1440 resolution is also viable, with Low averaging 85 FPS and Medium averaging 53 FPS, but 4K requires Low settings to stay above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 9060 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 9060's average benchmark score is 16014, while its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, scores 16129. The RX 9060 is 0.7% behind the RTX 3060 Ti. Another rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7700, scores 15852, putting the RX 9060 about 1% ahead.

Q: Is this combination better suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming?

A: The data shows that 1080p is the stronger choice. At 1080p Medium, the combo averages 63 FPS, while at 1440p Medium it averages 53 FPS. For a smoother experience, 1080p High (45 FPS) may be preferable to 1440p Medium (53 FPS) depending on the user's preference for resolution versus fidelity.

Q: What is the frame rate at 4K Ultra, and is it playable?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 24 FPS. This is below the generally accepted threshold for smooth gameplay and would likely be considered unplayable for most users. Dropping to Low settings at 4K raises the average to 67 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's performance rank compared to other processors?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 has an average benchmark score of 64640, which places it at the 93rd percentile among all CPUs. Its closest rival, the AMD EPYC 4464P, scores 64823, which is 0.3% higher, while the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F scores 64438, which is 0.3% lower.

Q: Does the combo rank high among all tested configurations for The Medium?

A: The combination ranks 1648 out of 2911 tested combos, placing it in the 56.6th percentile. This is a mid-pack result, reflecting the GPU's limitations rather than the CPU's capabilities, as the CPU ranks at the 93rd percentile while the GPU ranks at the 59th percentile.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy for the best experience with this combination. The optimal balance between visual quality and performance is found at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, which delivers an average of 63 FPS with a minimum of 53 FPS. This settings level provides a smooth experience for most users while retaining moderate visual fidelity. The 53 FPS minimum indicates that the game will rarely dip below the playable threshold, making this the safest choice for consistent performance.

For users with higher refresh rate monitors, the 1080p Low preset offers the highest frame rate at 101 FPS, but this comes at the cost of reduced visual quality. The Low preset is best suited for competitive play or for users who prioritize frame rate above all else. At 1440p, the Medium preset is the recommended option, averaging 53 FPS with a minimum of 45 FPS. This is a viable choice for users with 1440p displays who can tolerate occasional dips below 60 FPS.

The High and Ultra presets are not recommended for this combination. At 1080p High, the average is 45 FPS, which is playable but not ideal, and at 1440p High, it drops to 38 FPS. The 4K resolution should only be used with Low settings, where the average is 67 FPS, but even this preset may feel inconsistent due to the lack of headroom. For the best experience, the data supports using 1080p Medium as the primary configuration, with 1440p Medium as a secondary option for users who prefer higher resolution. The Ultra preset, which averages 36 FPS at 1080p and 24 FPS at 4K, should be avoided due to the significant performance penalty it imposes on the GPU.