The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title from 2021, presents an unusual stress test for the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and the AMD Radeon RX 570. The data shows this pairing is heavily constrained by the graphics card, resulting in a very demanding experience at higher resolutions. With an overall combo rank of 3557 out of 3724 tested combinations, this system sits in the bottom 5% of all tested configs for this specific game, indicating severe performance limitations. The benchmark results point to a clear imbalance where a high-end 20-core processor is paired with a legacy GPU, making the frame rate almost entirely dependent on the graphics settings and resolution chosen.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average frame rate this combo can achieve in The Medium?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 44, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low preset. This is the only configuration that approaches playable frame rates, as all other settings and resolutions yield results at or below 37 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in general benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K has an average benchmark score of 70,879. This places it 1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and 1.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, while being 0.2% behind the Intel Xeon 6511P and 0.7% behind the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270.

Q: What is the performance gap between the GPU and its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 570 has an average benchmark score of 28,766. This places it 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon R9 M295X and 1.2% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000, while being 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6800M and 0.8% behind the AMD Radeon RX 470.

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

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 44 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers an average of 16 FPS. This represents a 28 FPS drop, or a 63.6% reduction in performance, when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings.

Q: How much does the frame rate drop when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At the Low preset, the average FPS falls from 44 at 1920x1080 to 29 at 3840x2160. This is a drop of 15 FPS, or 34.1%, showing a significant impact from the increased pixel count on the GPU.

Q: Does the CPU have enough processing power for this game based on its specs?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K has 20 cores and 20 threads, with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. Its benchmark scores, such as a multi-core score of 35,850 in Cinebench R23 and a single-core score of 2,713 in Geekbench, indicate a very high level of processing capability that is far beyond what The Medium's performance data suggests is being utilized.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound scenario. At the Low preset, the average frame rate drops from 44 FPS at 1920x1080 to 37 FPS at 2560x1440, and further to 29 FPS at 3840x2160. This shows that the load on the AMD Radeon RX 570 increases substantially with every step up in resolution, confirming that the graphics card is the primary limiting component in this system.

The scaling is even more pronounced at higher settings. For instance, the Medium preset yields average FPS of 28 at 1080p, 23 at 1440p, and 18 at 4K. The High preset follows a similar trajectory, with averages of 20 FPS at 1080p, 17 FPS at 1440p, and 13 FPS at 4K. The data indicates that the performance drop is not linear but becomes more severe as the resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU that is overwhelmed by the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth demands of higher resolutions.

Analyzing the percentage drops from 1080p to 4K provides further insight. At the Low preset, the 34.1% drop in FPS suggests that while the GPU is struggling, the reduction in quality settings helps alleviate some of the pressure. However, at the Medium preset, the drop from 28 FPS to 18 FPS represents a 35.7% decrease, and at High, the drop from 20 FPS to 13 FPS is a 35% decrease. This consistency across presets underscores that the limiting factor is the GPU's raw processing power and its 4 GB of VRAM, which is likely being saturated at higher resolutions regardless of the specific quality settings.

The fact that the frame rates are so low at 4K, even at the Low preset (29 FPS), points to the RX 570's inability to handle the game's rendering requirements at that resolution. The game's fixed-camera angles and pre-rendered-style environments can be demanding, and the data suggests that this GPU architecture, which is based on GCN 4.0 and a 14 nm process, is simply too old and underpowered for a modern title like The Medium at high resolutions. The performance is dictated almost entirely by the GPU, with the powerful CPU having no noticeable effect on the outcome.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and the AMD Radeon RX 570 achieves a combo rank of 3557 out of 3724 tested combinations for The Medium. This places the system in the bottom 5.6% of all tested configurations, indicating that it is one of the slower setups for this particular game. The rank is a direct reflection of the measured FPS data, which shows that the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates in most scenarios.

This low rank is primarily attributable to the GPU's age and performance class. The RX 570, which is an end-of-life product from 2017, is far below the performance level required to run a 2021 horror title smoothly at modern resolutions. The data shows that even at the lowest settings and resolution, the system only manages an average of 44 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target that many players consider the baseline for a good experience. The high-end CPU, which ranks in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations, as the game's performance is overwhelmingly dependent on the graphics card.

The disparity between the CPU's high percentile (94) and the combo's low game rank (3557) is stark. It demonstrates that pairing a top-tier processor with a low-tier GPU creates a significant bottleneck that severely hampers gaming performance. While the CPU is more than capable of handling the game's logic and physics, the GPU is unable to render the frames fast enough to utilize the CPU's processing power. The benchmark results indicate that this combo is severely unbalanced for gaming, and any upgrade path would need to focus on the GPU to improve performance in The Medium.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only configuration that provides a playable experience is the Low preset at 1920x1080, which yields an average of 44 FPS. This is the sole setting that approaches a stable frame rate, though it is still below the ideal 60 FPS threshold. The next best option is the Low preset at 2560x1440, which averages 37 FPS, but this is still a compromise in terms of smoothness.

For users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 offers a more detailed image at an average of 28 FPS. However, this is a significant drop from the Low preset and may result in a less responsive experience, especially in a game that relies on atmosphere and tension. The High and Ultra presets at any resolution are not recommended, as the frame rates fall to 20 FPS and below, which is likely to be a janky and unpleasant experience.

The data clearly suggests that to get a stable 60 FPS experience, the user would need to lower the resolution below 1080p, which is not a standard option in the dataset, or significantly reduce the graphical fidelity. Given the options available, the Low preset at 1920x1080 is the only viable choice for a playable session. The performance gap between Low and Medium at 1080p is 16 FPS (from 44 to 28), which is a substantial difference that highlights the GPU's inability to handle higher quality effects and textures. As such, the recommendation is to stick with the Low preset at 1080p for the best balance of performance and playability.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's performance across all combinations of resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 44 FPS for Low, 28 FPS for Medium, 20 FPS for High, and 16 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset also includes a min FPS of 23 and a max FPS of 32, showing some frame time variance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average frame rates drop to 37 FPS for Low, 23 FPS for Medium, 17 FPS for High, and 13 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset at this resolution has a min FPS of 20 and a max FPS of 27. At 3840x2160, the average frame rates further decline to 29 FPS for Low, 18 FPS for Medium, 13 FPS for High, and 10 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K has a min FPS of 15 and a max FPS of 21.

The data shows a consistent pattern across all resolutions: the Low preset is the only one that yields average frame rates above 30 FPS, and this only occurs at 1080p and 1440p. The Medium preset generally provides frame rates in the 18-28 FPS range, which is playable but not smooth. The High and Ultra presets are largely unplayable, with frame rates dropping to as low as 10 FPS at 4K Ultra. The min FPS values for the Medium preset across all resolutions suggest occasional dips that could cause noticeable stuttering, particularly at 4K where the min FPS is 15.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a high-end desktop processor with 20 cores and 20 threads, based on the Arrow Lake architecture and built on a 3 nm process. It features a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, along with a substantial 30 MB of shared L3 cache. Its benchmark scores are impressive, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35,850 and a single-core score of 2,020, which places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs.

Despite this immense processing power, the CPU's role in The Medium is largely underutilized. The game's performance is clearly GPU-bound, as evidenced by the FPS dropping with resolution and settings increases. The CPU's capabilities, such as its high single-thread performance (Geekbench single-core score of 2,713), should be more than sufficient to handle the game's logic and AI. The data suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck, as even at the lowest settings and resolution where the GPU has the least work to do, the frame rate is still limited by the graphics card.

The CPU's high core count and clock speeds are irrelevant in this context because the GPU cannot produce frames fast enough to keep the CPU busy. The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is capable of far more than what this game demands, and its performance is effectively wasted in this pairing. The processor's 20 threads and high boost clock would be better suited for a more powerful GPU that could push the frame rate higher, but with the RX 570, the CPU is essentially idle waiting for the next frame to render.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the primary limiting factor in this system's performance in The Medium. It is based on the Polaris 20 chip and the GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process. It features 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. Its clocks are 1168 MHz base and 1244 MHz boost, with a memory clock of 7 Gbps effective. The GPU has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, and its FP32 performance is rated at 5.095 TFLOPS.

The GPU's 4 GB of VRAM is likely a major bottleneck in The Medium. The game's high-quality textures and effects can easily exceed 4 GB of memory at higher resolutions and settings, causing the GPU to rely on slower system memory, which would explain the severe FPS drops. The data shows that even at 1080p, the High and Ultra presets yield average frame rates of 20 and 16 FPS respectively, which is unplayable. This suggests that the GPU's raw compute power is also insufficient, as it struggles to maintain playable frame rates even when the VRAM is not the primary constraint.

The GPU's age is also a factor. As an end-of-life product from 2017, its architecture lacks modern features and optimizations that newer games like The Medium might utilize. Its DirectX 12 support is only at level 12_0, which is the base feature level, and it does not have dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores. The benchmark scores confirm its low performance class, with an average score of 28,766, placing it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, which is misleadingly high due to the age of the benchmark database. In practice, the RX 570 is a legacy part that is not capable of running modern horror titles at acceptable frame rates, as the data clearly demonstrates.