The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title that stresses both the GPU and CPU depending on the settings and resolution chosen. With the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, the data shows a combination that can handle high refresh rates at 1080p and 1440p, but requires careful settings management to maintain smooth gameplay at 4K. The Core Ultra 7 265, with its 20 cores and 20 threads, provides a robust foundation, while the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory, becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across all tested settings and resolutions, offering practical guidance for optimizing your experience.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals a clear GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At Medium settings, the average frame rate falls from 110 FPS at 1920x1080 to 93 FPS at 2560x1440, a 15% reduction. Pushing further to 3840x2160, the average drops to 73 FPS, which is a 34% decrease from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the limiting component as pixel count increases, with the CPU having ample headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions.

The trend is even more pronounced at Low settings, where the CPU has less graphics work to wait on. At 1920x1080 Low, the combo achieves 177 FPS, dropping to 149 FPS at 2560x1440 (a 16% reduction) and then to 117 FPS at 3840x2160 (a 21% reduction from 1440p). The relatively smaller percentage drops between 1440p and 4K at Low settings, compared to Medium, suggest that even at 4K Low, the GPU is still being pushed hard, but the CPU is better able to keep up with the lower graphical load.

At High settings, the frame rates are 79 FPS at 1080p, 67 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 15%, and from 1440p to 4K is 22%. This shows a consistent and expected degradation as resolution increases, with the GPU struggling more at 4K Ultra where the average falls to 42 FPS. The data indicates that for 4K gaming, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the primary constraint, and users should expect to compromise on quality settings to achieve playable frame rates.

The difference between 1080p and 1440p at Ultra settings is notable: 63 FPS versus 53 FPS, a 16% drop. However, the jump to 4K Ultra results in a 33% reduction from 1440p, landing at 42 FPS. This nonlinear scaling suggests that the 4K Ultra preset pushes the GPU’s memory bandwidth and compute resources to their limits. The 16 GB frame buffer is sufficient, but the raw processing power of the AD103 chip is what holds back performance at this extreme resolution and quality level.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of performance across the four presets. At 1920x1080, all presets are playable, with Low hitting 177 FPS, Medium at 110 FPS, High at 79 FPS, and Ultra at 63 FPS. For competitive or high-refresh-rate play at 1080p, Low or Medium are the best choices, as they provide frame rates well above 100 FPS. The jump from Medium to High costs 31 FPS, which is significant, but going from High to Ultra costs only 16 FPS, suggesting that Ultra is a more efficient step up from High if you want better visuals without a massive performance hit.

At 2560x1440, the situation becomes more nuanced. Low provides 149 FPS, which is excellent for high refresh rate monitors. Medium delivers 93 FPS, which is comfortable for most players. High drops to 67 FPS, which is still playable but starts to show the GPU’s strain. Ultra falls to 53 FPS, which is on the edge of smoothness for many users. The data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot at 1440p, offering a 39% improvement over High while maintaining a frame rate that is 40% higher than Ultra.

For 4K gaming, the options are more limited. Low is the only preset that provides a frame rate above 100 FPS, hitting 117 FPS. Medium is the best quality setting for a smooth experience, with an average of 73 FPS and a minimum of 62 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. High drops to 52 FPS, and Ultra is below playable at 42 FPS. The data strongly recommends Medium for 4K, as it balances visual fidelity with performance, while High and Ultra should be reserved for less demanding scenes or for players who prioritize image quality over frame rate consistency.

The minimum frame rate data for Medium settings is also telling. At 1080p, the minimum is 94 FPS, at 1440p it is 79 FPS, and at 4K it is 62 FPS. These minimums are relatively close to the averages, indicating that the game does not have severe frame time spikes at this preset. This consistency makes Medium the most reliable preset across all resolutions, as it provides a stable experience without the dramatic drops seen when switching to Ultra.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run The Medium at 4K with a smooth frame rate?

A: Yes, but only at Medium settings. The measured data shows an average of 73 FPS at 3840x2160 with a minimum of 62 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings average 52 FPS, and Ultra averages 42 FPS, both of which are below ideal smoothness.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming?

A: Medium is the recommended preset at 2560x1440, providing 93 FPS average with a 79 FPS minimum. It offers a significant performance advantage over High (67 FPS) and Ultra (53 FPS) while still delivering good visual quality.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings?

A: The performance loss is substantial. At Medium settings, the average frame rate drops from 110 FPS at 1080p to 73 FPS at 4K, a 34% reduction. At Low settings, it drops from 177 FPS to 117 FPS, a 34% reduction as well.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 a bottleneck for the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at higher resolutions. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is consistent with GPU limitations, and the 20-core processor provides sufficient headroom to maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions, as seen with 177 FPS at 1080p Low.

Q: What are the minimum frame rates for Medium settings at different resolutions?

A: The measured minimums are 94 FPS at 1920x1080, 79 FPS at 2560x1440, and 62 FPS at 3840x2160. These values indicate a stable frame time curve, making Medium a reliable choice for consistent gameplay.

Q: Is Ultra settings playable at any resolution?

A: Ultra is playable at 1080p with an average of 63 FPS, but at 1440p it drops to 53 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 42 FPS. For the majority of players, Ultra is only recommended at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER ranks 245th out of 2911 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the top 8.4% of all combinations, indicating a high-performance pairing that is well-suited for this title. The rank reflects the combined capabilities of the CPU and GPU, with the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER providing strong rasterization performance and the Core Ultra 7 265 ensuring the system is not held back by processing power.

The rank of 245 is impressive given the large number of tested combos, which include both more powerful and less powerful hardware. This suggests that the combo offers a balanced experience, capable of delivering high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p while still being able to handle 4K with settings adjustments. The percentile ranking for the GPU is 76, and for the CPU it is 93, indicating that the processor is relatively stronger than the graphics card when compared to all other components.

In practical terms, this rank means the combo is better than 2666 other configurations for this specific game. It outperforms the vast majority of systems, making it a solid choice for gamers who want to play The Medium with high settings and good performance. However, it is not at the very top of the rankings, leaving room for more powerful GPUs like the RTX 4090 or newer generations to achieve higher scores.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with 30 MB of shared L3 cache. These specifications are more than sufficient for The Medium, a game that is primarily GPU-bound at high resolutions. The CPU’s high single-thread performance, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5960, ensures that the game’s main thread is well-fed.

The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 177 FPS, which is a high frame rate that requires a capable processor to maintain. The fact that the frame rate scales down consistently as resolution increases indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck, not the CPU. The Core Ultra 7 265’s 20 threads provide ample parallelism for the game’s background tasks, preventing any stuttering or frame drops due to CPU limitations.

The CPU’s passmark multithread score of 49682 and a percentile of 93 versus all CPUs further confirm its strength. In comparison to its nearest rivals, it is only 0.3% slower than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F and 0.7% faster than the AMD EPYC 7343, showing it is a top-tier desktop processor. For The Medium, the CPU’s role is to provide a stable platform for the GPU to operate at its full potential, and the data indicates it does so without issue, even at the highest frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers a wide range of performance depending on settings. Low settings produce an average of 177 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings yield 110 FPS with a minimum of 94 FPS and a maximum of 127 FPS, providing a smooth and consistent experience. High settings drop to 79 FPS, while Ultra falls to 63 FPS. The 1080p resolution is clearly the strongest for this combo, with all presets being playable and Low/Medium offering excellent frame rates.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. Low settings average 149 FPS, still a very high frame rate. Medium settings deliver 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 107 FPS, which is a solid choice for 1440p gaming. High settings average 67 FPS, and Ultra drops to 53 FPS. At this resolution, Medium is the recommended preset for a balance of visual quality and performance, while Low is suitable for competitive play.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is pushed to its limits. Low settings still manage an average of 117 FPS, making it the only preset that exceeds 100 FPS at 4K. Medium settings provide 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 84 FPS, which is the only playable preset for a 60 FPS target. High settings average 52 FPS, and Ultra falls to 42 FPS, both of which are below the ideal threshold for smooth gameplay. The data clearly shows that 4K requires a significant compromise in settings to maintain playable frame rates with this combo.

The full data set shows a consistent pattern: the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is a strong 1080p and 1440p card, but struggles at 4K with higher presets. The Core Ultra 7 265 ensures that the CPU never becomes a bottleneck, allowing the GPU to be the sole determinant of performance. For users with a 4K display, Medium settings are the maximum recommended, while for 1440p and 1080p, the combo offers excellent flexibility across all presets.