The Medium

# The Medium: Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 — Benchmark Analysis

The Medium presents a demanding fixed-camera horror experience that stresses both GPU and CPU in unusual ways, and this mobile platform pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers a playable but uneven performance profile across resolutions. The measured frame rates reveal a system that is firmly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, yet shows surprising headroom at 1080p where the CPU and memory subsystem become more relevant. This analysis draws exclusively from the measured FPS data, component specifications, and benchmark scores in the fact pack to characterize how this combo behaves in The Medium.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep performance degradation as resolution increases, which is typical for a visually intensive horror title like The Medium. At Medium settings, the average frame rate drops from 86 FPS at 1920x1080 to 72 FPS at 2560x1440, a decline of approximately 16%. Moving further to 3840x2160, the average falls to 57 FPS, which represents a 34% reduction from the 1440p figure and a 34% drop from 1080p. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the frame rate penalty scales almost linearly with pixel count.

The Ultra preset tells a similar story with even more pronounced degradation. At 1080p Ultra, the system manages 49 FPS average; at 1440p Ultra, it drops to 41 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 32 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is particularly telling — it sits below the 30 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for a playable experience, suggesting that this combo cannot handle the game's most demanding settings at native 4K without compromises.

Low settings exhibit the least resolution sensitivity, with 137 FPS at 1080p, 116 FPS at 1440p, and 91 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low result still represents a 34% drop from 1080p Low, but the absolute numbers remain high enough to indicate that the game becomes increasingly CPU-bound at lower graphical loads. The fact that 4K Low (91 FPS) is substantially higher than 1080p Ultra (49 FPS) confirms that the GPU's workload, not resolution alone, determines the frame rate ceiling in this title.

The scaling between High and Ultra presets is also noteworthy. At 1440p, High yields 52 FPS while Ultra yields 41 FPS, a 21% penalty for the Ultra upgrade. At 1080p, the gap narrows slightly: High produces 61 FPS versus Ultra's 49 FPS, a 20% difference. This consistent ~20% penalty suggests that Ultra settings introduce additional effects that tax the GPU heavily regardless of resolution, while Medium to High transitions are more moderate.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's overall ranking in The Medium is 872 out of 2911 tested combinations, placing it in the 70th percentile of all tested systems. This is a respectable position, though not exceptional for a platform featuring an RTX 4080-class GPU. The ranking reflects that while the GPU is capable, the mobile nature of the CPU and the game's specific optimization patterns prevent this combo from reaching the top tiers.

Given the RTX 4080's position in the GPU hierarchy — its average benchmark score of 54247 places it within 0.1% of the RTX 4080 SUPER and 1.1% above the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X — one might expect a higher ranking. However, the CPU's performance relative to its rivals provides context. The Core Ultra 7 265HX has an average benchmark score of 63173, which is 0.1% above the Intel Core i7-13790F and 0.5% above the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P185, but 0.2% below the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G. These margins are tiny, indicating that the CPU is well-matched with its direct competitors but not a standout performer.

The 872nd rank out of 2911 combos suggests that many systems with similar or slightly better component pairings achieve higher frame rates in The Medium. This could be due to the game's sensitivity to memory bandwidth or cache behavior, where the 265HX's 30 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support at 102.4 GB/s might not be optimal for this title's data access patterns. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs further emphasizes that the processor itself is strong, yet the game-specific result lags behind what the raw specs might predict.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 in this combo is a mobile variant of the Ada Lovelace architecture, built on TSMC's 5 nm process with 45,900 million transistors. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth, which is substantial for a laptop GPU. The memory operates at 1400 MHz with 22.4 Gbps effective speed, and the GPU's base clock is 2205 MHz with a boost clock of 2505 MHz.

In The Medium, the GPU's role is clearly dominant at higher resolutions. The 4K Medium result of 57 FPS average, with a minimum of 48 FPS and maximum of 65 FPS, shows that the GPU is working hard to maintain playable frame rates. The 4K Ultra result of 32 FPS average indicates that the GPU's 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 280.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are insufficient for the game's most demanding settings at that resolution. The GPU's 76 ray tracing cores and 304 tensor cores are present but the game's implementation may not leverage them effectively, as evidenced by the steep performance cliff at Ultra.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its mid-high tier positioning. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6567 and PassMark G3D score of 34457 place it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rival is the RTX 4080 SUPER with an average score of 54209 (0.1% lower), followed by the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X at 54828 (1.1% higher). These small deltas indicate that the RTX 4080 is a well-balanced GPU whose performance is closely matched by its immediate competitors, yet the game-specific results show that The Medium's optimization favors certain architectures.

At 1080p, the GPU still matters but becomes less of a bottleneck. The 1080p Low result of 137 FPS average suggests that the GPU has significant headroom when graphical load is reduced, but the 1080p Ultra result of 49 FPS shows that even at this resolution, the GPU's compute and memory subsystems are fully utilized. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is ample for The Medium's requirements at all tested settings, so memory capacity is not a limiting factor.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1920x1080, Medium settings deliver 86 FPS average with a minimum of 73 FPS and maximum of 99 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. High settings at 1080p yield 61 FPS average, which is still playable but with less headroom. Ultra at 1080p drops to 49 FPS, which may be acceptable for a slower-paced horror title but is borderline for action sequences.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings produce 72 FPS average (minimum 61 FPS, maximum 83 FPS), which is the sweet spot for this resolution. High settings at 1440p yield 52 FPS average, which is playable but requires some tolerance for frame rate dips. Ultra at 1440p falls to 41 FPS, which is below the ideal range for smooth gameplay. Low settings at 1440p achieve 116 FPS average, but the visual quality trade-off is substantial.

At 3840x2160, Medium settings are the only viable option for a playable experience, with 57 FPS average (minimum 48 FPS, maximum 65 FPS). High settings at 4K produce 41 FPS average, which is marginal, while Ultra at 4K drops to 32 FPS average, which is below the playability threshold for most users. Low settings at 4K achieve 91 FPS average but significantly compromise the game's visual atmosphere, which is integral to the horror experience.

The data suggests that Medium settings provide the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. The consistent minimum frame rates at Medium (73 FPS at 1080p, 61 FPS at 1440p, 48 FPS at 4K) indicate stable performance without severe dips. For users prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate, High settings at 1080p or 1440p are acceptable, but Ultra should be avoided at any resolution given the steep performance penalty.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run The Medium at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but only at Medium settings, where it achieves 57 FPS average with a minimum of 48 FPS. At 4K High, the average drops to 41 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 32 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS minimum for smooth gameplay.

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

A: Medium settings deliver the best experience at 1440p, with 72 FPS average, 61 FPS minimum, and 83 FPS maximum. High settings at 1440p yield 52 FPS average, which is acceptable but less consistent.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 4080's average benchmark score of 54247 is 0.1% higher than the RTX 4080 SUPER, 1.1% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X, 2.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, and 2.7% lower than the AMD Radeon 8060S.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: At 1080p Low, the system achieves 137 FPS average, which suggests the CPU can drive high frame rates when the GPU is not heavily loaded. However, at 1080p Ultra (49 FPS) and 4K Ultra (32 FPS), the GPU becomes the limiting factor, indicating minimal CPU bottleneck at higher graphical settings.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: Low settings produce 137 FPS average at 1080p, while Ultra produces 49 FPS average, a difference of 88 FPS. This represents a 179% performance uplift from Ultra to Low.

Q: Is the 16 GB VRAM sufficient for The Medium at 4K?

A: The measured data shows no VRAM-related issues at any resolution or setting, with 4K Ultra achieving 32 FPS average. The 16 GB GDDR6X memory with 716.8 GB/s bandwidth is more than adequate for this game's requirements.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture, manufactured on TSMC's 3 nm process. Its base clock of 2.60 GHz and boost clock of 5.30 GHz, combined with 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s of dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth, provide a solid foundation for gaming workloads. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 63173, confirms its strong overall performance.

In The Medium, the CPU's role becomes apparent at lower resolutions and graphical settings. The 1080p Low result of 137 FPS average demonstrates that the CPU can feed the GPU with enough frames to reach high refresh rates. However, the CPU's PassMark scores reveal some limitations: its multithread score of 47985 and single-thread score of 4500 are respectable but not exceptional. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 40642 and single-core score of 5737 further characterize the CPU's compute capability.

The CPU's nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score are the Intel Core i7-13790F (0.1% lower), AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G (0.2% higher), AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P185 (0.5% lower), and Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX (0.7% lower). These small deltas suggest that the 265HX is well-positioned among its peers, but its performance in The Medium at 1080p — where CPU-bound scenarios are more likely — is not dramatically better than these alternatives.

The CPU's 20 cores and 20 threads (no hyperthreading) provide ample parallelism for modern games, but The Medium's fixed-camera design may not fully utilize all cores. The 3 nm process node and 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die indicate a power-efficient design with a 55 W TDP, which is appropriate for a mobile platform. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU is not relevant for gaming performance when a discrete RTX 4080 is present, but it does offer a fallback for non-gaming tasks.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for The Medium across all tested resolutions and settings is as follows:

At 1920x1080, Low settings deliver 137 FPS average, Medium delivers 86 FPS average with a minimum of 73 FPS and maximum of 99 FPS, High delivers 61 FPS average, and Ultra delivers 49 FPS average.

At 2560x1440, Low settings deliver 116 FPS average, Medium delivers 72 FPS average with a minimum of 61 FPS and maximum of 83 FPS, High delivers 52 FPS average, and Ultra delivers 41 FPS average.

At 3840x2160, Low settings deliver 91 FPS average, Medium delivers 57 FPS average with a minimum of 48 FPS and maximum of 65 FPS, High delivers 41 FPS average, and Ultra delivers 32 FPS average.

The Medium settings are the only preset with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, providing insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the range from 73 to 99 FPS (a 26 FPS spread) indicates reasonably stable performance. At 1440p Medium, the range from 61 to 83 FPS (a 22 FPS spread) shows slightly better consistency. At 4K Medium, the range from 48 to 65 FPS (a 17 FPS spread) demonstrates the tightest frame time distribution, which is expected when the GPU is more heavily loaded and frame rates are lower.

The resolution scaling from 1080p to 4K at each setting reveals consistent patterns. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 137 to 116 to 91 FPS, representing a 15% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 22% drop from 1440p to 4K. At Medium settings, the drops are 16% and 21%, respectively. At High settings, the drops are 15% and 21%. At Ultra settings, the drops are 16% and 22%. This consistency suggests that The Medium's rendering pipeline scales predictably with resolution, and the GPU's performance characteristics are uniform across settings.

The data shows that this combo is capable of delivering a smooth experience at 1080p and 1440p with Medium settings, and at 4K with Medium settings it remains playable. The ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as even at 1080p it fails to reach 60 FPS. The high preset is a viable alternative at 1080p but falls short of 60 FPS at higher resolutions. Overall, the measured FPS breakdown confirms that Medium is the optimal preset for this hardware combination in The Medium, offering the best compromise between visual quality and frame rate consistency.