The Medium

The Medium is a fixed-camera horror title that stresses the GPU heavily, and the pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER produces a wide spread of results depending on the resolution and preset selected. The data shows a system that is capable of smooth gameplay at lower settings, but which quickly becomes bound by the graphics card as visual fidelity and pixel count rise. The Core Ultra 7 265 provides a strong foundation with its 20 cores and 20 threads, running at a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, ensuring that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in most scenarios.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread desktop processor built on the Arrow Lake architecture. Its 3 nm process node and 30 MB of shared L3 cache provide ample compute headroom for a title like The Medium, which relies on fixed camera angles and streaming environments rather than massive physics simulations. With a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, the processor delivers strong single-threaded performance when needed, though benchmark results indicate that the game’s frame rates are overwhelmingly dictated by the graphics card rather than the CPU.

In synthetic testing, the Core Ultra 7 265 demonstrates its capability with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 42216 and a single-core score of 5960. These numbers place it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs tested, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of processors in the database. However, the measured FPS data for The Medium shows no scenario where the CPU becomes the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 101 FPS, and at 4K Low it still manages 67 FPS, suggesting that the CPU can feed the GPU adequately even at lower resolutions where CPU overhead is typically more pronounced.

The processor’s memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s via dual-channel DDR5 support is sufficient for the game’s data streaming needs. The 20-core configuration is overkill for a horror game that primarily uses a few threads for gameplay logic, but it ensures that background tasks and asset decompression do not interfere with frame pacing. Compared to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 7 265 sits within a tight performance band: it is 0.3% behind the AMD EPYC 4464P, 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F, 0.7% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7343, and 0.7% behind the AMD EPYC 9124. These deltas are negligible in gaming contexts, confirming that the CPU choice has minimal impact on The Medium’s output.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling across all four settings presets. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 45 FPS at 1080p to 38 FPS at 1440p, then to 30 FPS at 4K. This represents a 33% drop from 1080p to 4K, a decline that is characteristic of a graphics card struggling with pixel throughput rather than a processor limitation. The RTX 2070 SUPER, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, begins to saturate at higher resolutions, and the data confirms this.

The Low preset tells a similar story but with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the system produces 101 FPS, which drops to 85 FPS at 1440p and 67 FPS at 4K. The percentage decrease from 1080p to 4K is approximately 34%, nearly identical to the High preset’s scaling. This consistency indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck across all settings, as the CPU’s workload does not vary significantly with resolution. The Medium preset shows the same trend: 63 FPS at 1080p, 53 FPS at 1440p, and 42 FPS at 4K, with a 33% drop from the lowest to highest resolution.

Ultra settings exhibit the most severe scaling, though the pattern holds. The system averages 36 FPS at 1080p, 30 FPS at 1440p, and 24 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 24 FPS is below the threshold for comfortable play, and the data shows that even at 1080p Ultra, the frame rate is not ideal. The consistent ~33% penalty from 1080p to 4K across all presets is a strong indicator that the RTX 2070 SUPER is the limiting component, as a CPU-bound scenario would show a much smaller gap between resolutions. The Core Ultra 7 265’s high single-thread score of 5960 in Cinebench R23 further supports the conclusion that the processor is not holding the system back.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1648 out of 2911 total combos for The Medium. This places it in the middle of the pack, which is somewhat surprising given the CPU’s high percentile ranking of 93. The rank reflects the GPU’s limitations more than the CPU’s strengths, as the RTX 2070 SUPER sits in the 65th percentile among all GPUs tested.

The combo’s mid-pack standing suggests that many other graphics cards paired with slower processors achieve better frame rates in this title. The RTX 2070 SUPER’s nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark data include the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (1% higher average score), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (1.2% higher), the Intel Arc B570 (1.3% higher), and the Intel Arc A750 (1.5% higher). These small deltas indicate that the GPU is competitive with its immediate peers, but none of these cards are top-tier performers, which explains the combo’s rank.

The measured FPS at 1080p Medium (63 FPS) and 1440p Medium (53 FPS) are playable, but the 4K Ultra result of 24 FPS is below the 30 FPS target many horror games aim for. This places the combo in the lower half of all tested systems for The Medium, as many modern GPUs can handle 1440p Ultra or 4K High in this title. The CPU’s performance is not the issue; rather, the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB VRAM and 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are modest by current standards. The rank of 1648 out of 2911 confirms that users seeking higher frame rates in The Medium would need a more powerful GPU, as the Core Ultra 7 265 is clearly capable of supporting one.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in The Medium?

A: The data shows that 1080p Low delivers 101 FPS, while 1440p Low drops to 85 FPS and 4K Low falls to 67 FPS. For a balance of visual quality and performance, 1440p Medium at 53 FPS is the highest resolution and preset combination that remains above 50 FPS.

Q: Does the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 bottleneck the RTX 2070 SUPER in this game?

A: No. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is nearly identical across all presets, dropping by roughly 33% regardless of settings. This consistent scaling indicates the GPU is the limiting component, and the CPU’s high Cinebench scores support that conclusion.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its closest rivals in the database?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 20282, which is 1% lower than the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, 1.2% lower than the RTX 3070 Mobile, 1.3% lower than the Intel Arc B570, and 1.5% lower than the Intel Arc A750. These are all very small differences.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this setup?

A: At 4K Low, the system achieves 67 FPS, which is playable. However, 4K Medium drops to 42 FPS, 4K High to 30 FPS, and 4K Ultra to 24 FPS. The data suggests 4K is only viable at Low or Medium settings for a smooth experience.

Q: What is the combo’s overall rank among tested systems?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1648 out of 2911 tested combinations for The Medium. This places it in the middle of the field, reflecting the GPU’s mid-tier status.

Q: What is the difference between the CPU’s single-core and multicore performance?

A: The Core Ultra 7 265 scores 5960 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 42216 in multicore. The multicore score is over seven times higher, indicating strong parallel processing capability, though The Medium does not appear to leverage this heavily.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the defining component in this combination for The Medium. Built on the Turing architecture with a 12 nm process, this GPU features 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming but becomes strained at 4K. The base clock of 1605 MHz and boost clock of 1770 MHz are moderate by today’s standards, and the 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores offer ray tracing and DLSS support, though the measured data does not indicate these features were used.

The GPU’s compute capabilities are quantified by its FP32 performance of 9.062 TFLOPS and its texture rate of 283.2 GTexel/s. These figures place the RTX 2070 SUPER in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20282. Its nearest rivals are all within 1.5% of its score, meaning the card is competitive with the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, RTX 3070 Mobile, Intel Arc B570, and Intel Arc A750. However, none of these cards are top-tier, and the measured FPS data reflects this mid-range positioning.

The 8 GB VRAM is a critical factor at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the system averages 24 FPS, likely due to both memory capacity and bandwidth limitations. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is modest for 4K textures, and the card’s 64 ROPs limit pixel fill rate at high resolutions. The pixel rate of 113.3 GPixel/s is adequate for 1080p but struggles to keep up with 4K’s 8.3 million pixels per frame. The data shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at all resolutions, as the CPU’s performance is consistently high enough to avoid limiting frame rates.

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

Given the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user’s target resolution and acceptable frame rate. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 63 FPS with a minimum of 54 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS, providing a smooth experience with decent visual quality. The Low preset at 1080p offers 101 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate displays, but the visual downgrade may be noticeable in a horror game where atmosphere matters. The High preset at 1080p drops to 45 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action, while Ultra falls to 36 FPS, below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation, as it achieves 53 FPS with a minimum of 45 FPS and a maximum of 61 FPS. This provides a playable experience with balanced visuals. The Low preset at 1440p reaches 85 FPS, offering a very smooth experience with reduced detail, while High drops to 38 FPS and Ultra to 30 FPS, both of which are borderline for playability. For 4K, the Low preset at 67 FPS is the only option that provides a comfortable frame rate, as Medium drops to 42 FPS, High to 30 FPS, and Ultra to 24 FPS.

The data indicates that the Medium preset is the sweet spot for this combo across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the system maintains 63 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it holds 53 FPS; and at 4K Medium, it falls to 42 FPS. Users prioritizing frame rate over visuals should select Low, which yields 101 FPS at 1080p, 85 FPS at 1440p, and 67 FPS at 4K. Those seeking the highest visual fidelity should stick to 1080p Ultra at 36 FPS, as higher resolutions at Ultra become increasingly unplayable. The measured rows suggest that Medium is the best balance of performance and quality, while High and Ultra are only viable at 1080p for users who can tolerate frame rates in the 30-45 FPS range.