The Medium

The Medium is a fixed-camera horror title that leans heavily on atmosphere, and the benchmark data for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 shows a configuration that is clearly capable of running it well, though the experience varies significantly depending on resolution and preset. The data indicates that this mobile platform combo ranks 1525 out of 2911 tested combinations for this specific game, placing it in the upper half of the field. The measured frame rates reveal a system where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strong multi-threaded performance ensures the game remains fluid at lower settings.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX is a mobile processor built on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture, fabricated on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It features 20 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This is a high-core-count design that also carries a 30 MB shared L3 cache, which is substantial for a laptop chip. In the context of The Medium, which is not typically a CPU-intensive title due to its fixed camera angles and slower pacing, the 265HX provides a massive amount of headroom. The benchmark results for the chip itself are strong; it scores 40,642 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 5,737 in single-core, which places it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. This indicates that the processor is far from being a limiting factor in this game.

When looking at its nearest rivals by average benchmark score, the 265HX is effectively tied with the Intel Core i7-13790F, showing a delta of just 0.1%. It is also nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G, which is 0.2% behind, and it edges out the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P185 by 0.5%. The closest competitor that it trails is the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G, but the margin is negligible. For The Medium, this means that the CPU's 20 threads are likely sitting mostly idle, as the game's logic and scene rendering are not heavily parallelized. The single-thread performance, evidenced by the 5,737 Cinebench R23 score, is more relevant for the game's primary thread, and it is more than sufficient to feed the GPU. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 108 FPS, which is the highest average in the dataset, indicating that the CPU can easily handle the game's demands when the GPU is not overwhelmed.

The processor's memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s, delivered via dual-channel DDR5, is also ample for this title. The game does not require massive data streaming, so the memory subsystem is unlikely to be a hindrance. The 20 threads and high boost clock mean that even in moments where the game engine has to load new areas or handle complex scripted events, there is plenty of processing power available. The PassMark multi-thread score of 47,985 further confirms the chip's capability, but for this specific title, the CPU role is to stay out of the way and allow the RTX 4070 to do the heavy lifting. The data strongly suggests that the CPU is a non-issue; the frame rates are dictated almost entirely by the GPU and the chosen settings.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 in this system is the mobile variant of the Ada Lovelace architecture, built on a 5 nm process. It comes with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, offering a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1920 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz, with memory running at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). This is a powerful mobile GPU, sitting in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 37,648 is very close to the desktop NVIDIA Tesla P4 (0.1% higher) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (0.4% higher). It also trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile by 1.3%, which is a small margin in the context of gaming performance.

The GPU's role in The Medium is far more critical than the CPU's. The game uses heavy post-processing, volumetric lighting, and detailed textures to create its horror atmosphere, all of which stress the GPU. The 12 GB of VRAM is a key asset here. At 4K Ultra, the game likely demands significant memory, and the data shows the average FPS drops to 25. This is not a VRAM capacity issue but rather a raw compute and memory bandwidth limitation. The 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth is high, but rendering at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is a massive workload. The GPU's 5,888 shading units and 46 RT cores are being pushed to their limits.

Comparing the GPU's performance to the CPU's, the RTX 4070 is clearly the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system hits 108 FPS, which is excellent, but as resolution increases, the FPS drops off a cliff. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 26,927 and its DirectX 12 score of 103 indicate it is a capable DirectX 12 performer, which is relevant since The Medium runs on DirectX 12. The GPU's 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is substantial, but the game's visual effects are demanding. The data shows that the RTX 4070 can deliver a playable experience at 4K only if settings are lowered; at 4K Low, the average FPS jumps to 72, which is a dramatic improvement over the 25 FPS at Ultra. This suggests that the GPU has the raw power but is constrained by the memory bandwidth and compute load at higher detail levels.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern that points directly to the GPU as the bottleneck. At 1080p Medium, the system averages 68 FPS. Moving to 1440p Medium, the average drops to 57 FPS, a reduction of approximately 16%. Moving to 4K Medium, the average falls to 45 FPS, a further reduction of about 21% from 1440p. This trend is consistent across all settings. At High settings, the scaling is steeper: 1080p yields 49 FPS, 1440p yields 41 FPS, and 4K yields 32 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 4K at High is about 35%. At Ultra settings, the scaling is even more punishing, with 39 FPS at 1080p, 32 FPS at 1440p, and 25 FPS at 4K.

The pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would be more consistent across resolutions, as the CPU workload does not change significantly with resolution. Instead, the FPS scales inversely with pixel count, which is a classic sign of GPU saturation. The 265HX is more than capable of pushing high frame rates, as evidenced by the 108 FPS at 1080p Low. The fact that the FPS drops to 72 at 4K Low, which is a 33% reduction, shows that even at the lowest settings, the GPU is still the primary constraint due to the sheer number of pixels being rendered.

The data also shows the min and max FPS for Medium settings at each resolution. At 1080p, the range is 58 to 78 FPS, a spread of 20 FPS. At 1440p, the range is 49 to 66 FPS, a spread of 17 FPS. At 4K, the range is 38 to 52 FPS, a spread of 14 FPS. This narrowing of the frame time variance at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is becoming more consistently busy. At lower resolutions, the CPU can sometimes deliver frames faster than the GPU can render them, leading to more variance. At higher resolutions, the GPU is always the bottleneck, so the frame times are more stable but lower overall. This analysis confirms that for the best experience, users should focus on GPU settings rather than CPU settings.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the data, 2560x1440 provides the best balance. At Medium settings, it delivers an average of 57 FPS, which is playable, while 4K Medium only manages 45 FPS and 1080p Medium hits 68 FPS. For a smoother experience, 1080p is better, but 1440p offers a significant visual upgrade without a massive FPS penalty.

Q: Can this system run the game at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 72, which is very playable. At 4K High, it drops to 32 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 25 FPS, which is not ideal for a horror game that benefits from smooth motion. The 12 GB VRAM is sufficient, but the GPU compute limits high-detail 4K performance.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its direct rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX has an average benchmark score of 63,173. It is 0.1% faster than the Intel Core i7-13790F and 0.5% faster than the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P185. It is 0.2% slower than the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G and 0.7% slower than the Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX. The differences are negligible, indicating they are all in the same performance class.

Q: Is the GPU more powerful than its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average score of 37,648. It is 0.1% faster than the NVIDIA Tesla P4 and 0.4% faster than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56. It is 1.3% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile and 1.3% faster than the AMD Radeon PRO W6400. The performance delta is small, placing it in a tight competitive band.

Q: Why is the frame rate so much higher at Low settings?

A: The data shows that at 1080p, Low settings yield 108 FPS compared to 49 FPS at High. This is because Low settings drastically reduce the GPU's workload, such as disabling volumetric effects and lowering texture quality. The GPU is the bottleneck, so reducing its load directly translates to higher FPS.

Q: What is the FPS range at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the average is 68 FPS with a range of 58 to 78 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 57 FPS with a range of 49 to 66 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 45 FPS with a range of 38 to 52 FPS. This shows that the frame rate is relatively stable, with a variance of about 14-20 FPS depending on resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this hardware in The Medium is achieved with the Medium preset. This is the only preset for which the data includes min and max FPS values, indicating it is the most stable and likely the intended baseline for testing. At 1080p, Medium delivers 68 FPS average, which is smooth. At 1440p, it drops to 57 FPS, which is still playable and provides a sharper image. At 4K, it falls to 45 FPS, which is acceptable for a slower-paced horror game, though not ideal for fast camera movements.

The High preset is a step down in performance, offering 49 FPS at 1080p and 41 FPS at 1440p. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with 39 FPS at 1080p and 25 FPS at 4K. These are not recommended for a consistently smooth experience, as the frame rates dip below the 60 FPS threshold for fluidity. The Low preset is the performance king, hitting 108 FPS at 1080p and 72 FPS at 4K, but it likely sacrifices the game's visual atmosphere, which is a core component of the horror experience.

Given the game's genre, maintaining a stable frame rate is more important than hitting the highest visual detail. A horror game relies on tension and atmosphere, and frame pacing issues can ruin the immersion. The Medium preset at 1440p provides the best compromise between visual quality and performance, offering 57 FPS average with a min of 49 FPS. If the user prefers 1080p, Medium at 68 FPS is excellent. For 4K, Medium at 45 FPS is the highest playable option, as High and Ultra fall below the 35 FPS threshold for comfortable playability. The data clearly indicates that Medium is the sweet spot for this hardware.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The following is the complete set of measured average FPS data for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 in The Medium. All values are as recorded in the benchmark database.

1920x1080:

• Low: 108 FPS average
• Medium: 68 FPS average (min 58, max 78)
• High: 49 FPS average
• Ultra: 39 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 91 FPS average
• Medium: 57 FPS average (min 49, max 66)
• High: 41 FPS average
• Ultra: 32 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 72 FPS average
• Medium: 45 FPS average (min 38, max 52)
• High: 32 FPS average
• Ultra: 25 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern across all resolutions. The Low preset is always the fastest, followed by Medium, then High, with Ultra being the slowest. The jump from Low to Medium is substantial, with a 37% decrease in FPS at 1080p (from 108 to 68). The jump from Medium to High is also significant, with a 28% decrease at 1080p. The jump from High to Ultra is smaller, with a 20% decrease. This suggests that the Medium preset offers the most efficient use of GPU resources, providing a large visual boost over Low without the severe performance penalty of High and Ultra. The min and max FPS data for Medium settings also indicates that the game is well-optimized at this preset, as the frame times are relatively stable. The 4K Medium result of 45 FPS is the minimum recommended for a playable experience, as the High and Ultra presets drop below 33 FPS, which is generally considered unplayable for a game that requires any level of responsiveness.