The Medium

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers a playable, though not overwhelmingly smooth, experience in The Medium, a horror title from 2021. The data shows a clear pattern of performance scaling across resolutions and settings, with the GPU emerging as the primary constraint at higher resolutions and the CPU demonstrating ample headroom. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to provide a methodical view of what this hardware pairing can achieve.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a pronounced drop in performance as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound title. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 108 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 91 FPS, a 15.7% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls further to 72 FPS, which is a 33.3% decrease from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 4060 is the limiting factor, as the workload per pixel grows substantially with each step up in resolution.

The trend is even more pronounced at higher settings. At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 68 at 1080p to 57 at 1440p, and then to 45 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings is a 33.8% reduction in average FPS. At High settings, the averages are 49, 41, and 32 FPS for 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, respectively. This represents a 34.7% decline from 1080p to 4K. The data shows that the RTX 4060's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are increasingly strained as the pixel count and texture detail rise.

The most demanding preset, Ultra, shows the steepest drop-off. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 39 FPS. This falls to 32 FPS at 1440p Ultra, a 17.9% decrease. At 4K Ultra, the average plummets to 25 FPS, which is 35.9% lower than the 1080p figure. This steep decline at 4K Ultra suggests the GPU is hitting a hard limit, likely due to memory capacity or bandwidth constraints. The data indicates that this resolution and settings combination is not viable for smooth gameplay.

The scaling behavior reveals that the RTX 4060 is the bottleneck across all tested configurations. The CPU, with its 20 cores and 20 threads, is not the limiting factor; the FPS variability is driven by the GPU's ability to process frames. The 4K Low result of 72 FPS is notable because it shows that even at a lower preset, the resolution alone imposes a significant performance cost compared to 1080p Low. This confirms that the GPU is the primary component governing performance in this game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best experience for this combo is achieved at Medium settings. At 1080p Medium, the combo averages 68 FPS with a minimum of 58 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS. This provides a smooth, consistent frame rate that is well-suited for a horror title where pacing and atmosphere are crucial. The minimum FPS of 58 is above the 60 FPS threshold for most displays, indicating a stable experience.

At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 57 FPS, with a minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 66 FPS. This is still playable, but the minimum FPS is noticeably lower, which could lead to occasional stutters during intense scenes. For users with a 1440p monitor, Medium settings offer a reasonable balance between visual fidelity and performance. The High preset at 1440p yields an average of 41 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and may not be ideal for a game that relies on smooth motion.

For 4K, the data suggests that Low settings are the only viable option for a playable experience. The 4K Low average of 72 FPS is surprisingly strong, but the Medium preset drops to 45 FPS and the High preset to 32 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is effectively unplayable at 25 FPS. Therefore, the recommendation for 4K is to stick with Low settings to maintain frame rates above 60 FPS, or to accept a slower experience at Medium.

The Low preset at 1080p provides the highest average FPS at 108, but it does so at the cost of visual quality. Given that the Medium preset at 1080p delivers a 68 FPS average and a 58 FPS minimum, it is the superior choice for a balanced experience. The data shows that the jump from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 40 FPS on average, but it likely provides a significant improvement in texture and shadow quality. The High and Ultra presets at 1080p, with averages of 49 and 39 FPS respectively, do not offer enough headroom above the 60 FPS target to justify their graphical demands.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the central component in this analysis, and its specifications directly explain the measured performance. The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. This is a modest amount of bandwidth for a modern GPU, and the data suggests it is a limiting factor at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 25 FPS likely reflects the GPU struggling to feed the rendering pipeline with texture data.

The RTX 4060 has a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz. The boost clock is relatively high, but the GPU's compute capability is capped by its 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. With 3072 shading units, the GPU is designed for 1080p and 1440p gaming, not for 4K at high presets. The pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s are adequate for lower resolutions but fall short at 4K.

The GPU's memory configuration is a key weakness. The 8 GB frame buffer is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K with High or Ultra settings, the game likely exceeds this capacity. This causes the GPU to rely on slower memory fallback, which explains the steep drop in FPS at 4K Ultra. The data shows that at 4K Low, the GPU can still produce 72 FPS, indicating that the memory pressure is manageable with lower texture quality.

The benchmark results for the RTX 4060 place it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs, with a Passmark G3D score of 19545. The nearest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 7790, has a score of 17666, which is 0.2% lower. This places the RTX 4060 in a competitive position for its class, but the data from The Medium shows that it is not a high-end 4K solution. The GPU's performance in this game aligns with its mid-range positioning, offering strong 1080p performance and acceptable 1440p performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers consistent results across the four presets. The Low preset averages 108 FPS, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. The Medium preset averages 68 FPS, with a minimum of 58 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS, providing a stable experience. The High preset averages 49 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 39 FPS. The data shows a clear progression: each step up in settings reduces the average FPS, with the largest single drop occurring between Low and Medium (a 40 FPS reduction).

At 2560x1440, the performance is predictably lower. The Low preset averages 91 FPS, which is still playable. The Medium preset averages 57 FPS, with a minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 66 FPS. This is the only 1440p configuration with a recorded minimum FPS, indicating it is the most stable of the four. The High preset averages 41 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 32 FPS. The transition from Low to Medium at 1440p costs 34 FPS, which is slightly less than the 40 FPS drop at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the performance is the most varied. The Low preset averages 72 FPS, which is surprising given the resolution. The Medium preset averages 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS. The High preset averages 32 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 25 FPS. The data shows that at 4K, the gap between Low and Medium is 27 FPS, and the gap between Medium and High is 13 FPS. The Ultra preset is only 7 FPS below High, suggesting the GPU is hitting a hard ceiling.

The full dataset shows that the Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values at all three resolutions. This indicates that the game's performance is most predictable at this setting. The High and Ultra presets lack these values, which could mean the game is more erratic at these settings, or the data collection was incomplete. Overall, the measured FPS breakdown confirms that the RTX 4060 is best suited for 1080p Medium or High, and 1440p Medium.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in The Medium?*

A: The highest average FPS is 108, achieved at 1080p with Low settings.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this combo?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where the average FPS is 72. At Medium settings, the average drops to 45 FPS, and at Ultra settings, it falls to 25 FPS.

Q: What is the most stable settings preset across all resolutions?

A: The Medium preset is the most stable, as it is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values at all three resolutions (1080p, 1440p, and 4K).

Q: How does the GPU's memory bandwidth affect performance?

A: The GPU has 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a limiting factor at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 25 FPS indicates the GPU is struggling with memory-intensive workloads.

Q: What is the CPU's role in this game's performance?

A: The CPU is not the primary bottleneck. The data shows FPS drops are tied to resolution and settings, which are GPU-related. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 has 20 cores and 20 threads, which is more than sufficient for this title.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1525 out of 2911 tested combinations, placing it in the middle of the pack for this game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a high-end desktop processor with 20 cores and 20 threads. Its base clock is 2.40 GHz, and it boosts up to 5.30 GHz. In The Medium, the data indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor. The FPS variations across resolutions and settings are consistent with a GPU-bound workload, where the CPU has enough headroom to feed the graphics card.

The CPU's benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 42216 and a single-core score of 5960. These scores place it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a top-tier performer. The nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 4464P, has an average score of 64823, which is 0.3% higher. This close competition shows that the CPU is competitive with other high-end models.

The CPU's 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample storage for game data. The memory support for DDR5 with a dual-channel bus and 102.4 GB/s bandwidth ensures that the CPU can quickly access game assets. In The Medium, the CPU's performance is more than adequate, as the game is not heavily threaded. The 20 threads are unlikely to be fully utilized, but they do not cause any performance degradation.

The data shows that the CPU's role is to provide a stable platform for the GPU. At 1080p Low, the CPU can easily deliver 108 FPS, and at 4K Low, it can still deliver 72 FPS. This indicates that the CPU is not holding back the GPU. The CPU's high single-core performance is beneficial for games that rely on a few threads, and The Medium appears to be one of those games. The measured results show no signs of CPU-related stuttering or frame drops.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combo ranks 1525 out of 2911 tested combinations in The Medium. This places it in the 52nd percentile of all tested combos, which is a middle-of-the-road position. The ranking suggests that while this hardware is capable, it is not among the top performers for this specific game.

The GPU's percentile of 61 places it above average, but the CPU's percentile of 93 is far higher. This discrepancy highlights that the GPU is the limiting factor in this combo. The CPU is capable of supporting a more powerful GPU, but the RTX 4060's performance ceiling is what determines the final ranking. The data shows that the combo's performance in The Medium is directly tied to the GPU's capabilities.

The combo's ranking is understandable given the game's demands. The Medium is a horror title with a focus on atmosphere, and it can be demanding at high resolutions. The RTX 4060 is a mid-range GPU, and its performance at 4K is limited. The combo's middle-of-the-pack ranking reflects this. Users with this hardware should expect a playable experience at 1080p and 1440p, but not a top-tier 4K experience.

The ranking also shows that the CPU is not a liability. If the CPU were weaker, the combo would likely rank lower. The fact that it ranks above the median suggests that the CPU's high performance helps to offset the GPU's limitations in some scenarios. However, the overall ranking is determined by the GPU, and the RTX 4060's 8 GB memory and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are the primary constraints. The data indicates that this combo is best used for 1080p gaming, with 1440p being a secondary option.