The Medium

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT paired with the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K delivers a playable, though not consistently smooth, experience in The Medium. Benchmark data reveals a configuration that is heavily constrained by the graphics card at higher settings, while the processor provides ample headroom. The measured results show a clear hierarchy where resolution and preset choices dramatically alter performance, from a highly fluid 96.6 FPS at 1080p Low down to a barely interactive 22.3 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, indicating that the Radeon RX 7600 XT is the primary limiting factor in this pairing. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings reduces the average frame rate from 43 FPS to 37 FPS, a decline of approximately 14%. However, the more significant jump occurs when scaling from 1440p to 3840x2160, where the High preset average falls from 37 FPS to 30 FPS. This pattern of diminishing returns at higher resolutions is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the pixel throughput demand outpaces the card's 288.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 22.57 TFLOPS of FP32 compute.

At the Low preset, the scaling behavior reveals the same GPU limitation but from a different starting point. The 1080p Low result of 96.6 FPS drops to 83 FPS at 1440p, and then plummets to 62.4 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low figure is still higher than the 1440p High result of 37 FPS, which underscores how much of the performance ceiling is tied to the preset's pixel shading and texture work. The data suggests that the CPU is never the bottleneck; even at the lowest resolution and settings, the frame rate is governed by the GPU's ability to fill the screen, not the processor's ability to feed it draw calls.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (96.6 FPS) and Ultra (32.9 FPS) is roughly 63.5 FPS. At 4K, that gap narrows to 40.1 FPS (62.4 FPS versus 22.3 FPS). This compression of the performance envelope at higher resolutions further confirms that the GPU's raw shader and ROP throughput, rather than memory bandwidth alone, is the decisive constraint. The 64 ROPs and 176.3 GPixel/s pixel rate are simply overwhelmed when the pixel count quadruples.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 7600 XT's specifications directly explain the measured frame rates. With 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, the card offers a substantial capacity but a relatively narrow 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Medium's detailed environments and fixed camera angles likely require large texture pools, which the 16 GB frame buffer can accommodate without swapping, but the 128-bit interface struggles to feed the 2048 shading units efficiently at high resolutions. This is evident in the 4K High average of 30 FPS, which sits right at the edge of playability.

The card's clock speeds are high, with a boost clock of 2755 MHz and a game clock of 2470 MHz. These frequencies help the GPU maintain competitive performance in lighter scenes, as seen in the 1080p Low result of 96.6 FPS. However, the architecture's reliance on these high clocks means that when the workload becomes uniform and heavy, as it does at Ultra settings, the card cannot sustain a smooth output, dropping to 32.9 FPS at 1080p and 22.3 FPS at 4K. The 32 ray accelerators are present, but the game's implementation of ray tracing, if any, appears to place a significant burden on the GPU, given the steep drop from High to Ultra presets.

The benchmark position of this GPU is modest, sitting at the 63rd percentile among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 20146 places it extremely close to the AMD Radeon RX 7600, which scores 20258, a delta of -0.6%. This near-tie suggests that the XT variant's extra memory does not translate into a raw compute advantage in synthetic tests, but the 16 GB capacity could be a differentiator in texture-heavy games like The Medium. The data shows the card is also on par with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, which has an average score of 19774, a delta of 1.9% in favor of the RX 7600 XT.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal balance between visual fidelity and frame rate is achieved at the Medium preset. At 1920x1080, Medium yields an average of 58.4 FPS, which is comfortably above the 30 FPS floor and provides a smooth experience for a horror title where pacing is critical. The High preset at the same resolution drops to 43 FPS, which is playable but less fluid, and the Ultra preset falls to 32.9 FPS, which introduces noticeable stutter in a game that relies on atmospheric tension.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset remains viable with an average of 50.5 FPS, but users seeking a more stable experience should consider the Low preset, which delivers 83 FPS. The High preset at 1440p, at 37 FPS, is borderline and may cause judder during camera pans. At 3840x2160, the data suggests that only the Low preset, with an average of 62.4 FPS, is suitable for consistent play. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 36.5 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for a game that benefits from smooth motion to maintain immersion.

The High preset at 4K (30 FPS) is the absolute minimum for playability, but the Ultra preset at 22.3 FPS is not recommended. The jump from Medium to High appears to incur a significant cost in frame rate across all resolutions, with an average drop of about 12-15 FPS, suggesting that the High preset enables effects that heavily tax the GPU's compute units. For a locked 60 FPS experience, the Low preset at 1080p is the only setting that consistently exceeds that target, with a 96.6 FPS average.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full range of settings shows a wide spread. The Low preset achieves an average of 96.6 FPS, providing a high-refresh-rate experience. Medium drops to 58.4 FPS, which is still smooth for most displays. High settles at 43 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 32.9 FPS. The performance degradation from Low to Ultra is approximately 66%, indicating that the Ultra preset's additional visual layers are extremely demanding.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern repeats with lower absolute values. Low delivers 83 FPS, a strong result that remains fluid. Medium produces 50.5 FPS, which is acceptable for slower gameplay. High falls to 37 FPS, and Ultra drops to 27 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 56 FPS, showing that the GPU's headroom shrinks as pixel count increases.

At 3840x2160, the data shows a severe constraint. Low is the only playable option at 62.4 FPS. Medium drops to 36.5 FPS, which is on the edge of playability. High yields 30 FPS, and Ultra is nearly unplayable at 22.3 FPS. The scaling from 1080p Low to 4K Low shows a 35% performance loss, while the scaling from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra shows a 32% loss, indicating that the GPU's limitations are relatively uniform across settings when resolution is the variable.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for a smooth experience with this CPU and GPU combo?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with the Low preset delivers the highest average at 96.6 FPS. For a balance of quality and performance, 2560x1440 at Medium provides 50.5 FPS, which is a solid target for a horror game.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in The Medium?

A: Yes, but only at the Low preset, which achieves an average of 62.4 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 36.5 FPS, and the High preset falls to 30 FPS, making them less suitable for consistent play.

Q: How does the RX 7600 XT compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 7600 XT has an average benchmark score of 20146, which is 0.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 7600 (20258) and 1.9% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER (19774).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The benchmark results indicate a GPU bottleneck. The frame rates scale significantly with resolution and settings, while the Core Ultra 7 265K's high multi-threaded score of 58838 in Passmark suggests it is not limiting performance at any of the measured settings.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with the High preset is 37 FPS. This is a playable but not ideal frame rate, suggesting a need to lower settings for smoother motion.

Q: How much faster is the Low preset compared to Ultra at 1080p?

A: The Low preset at 1080p averages 96.6 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 32.9 FPS. This represents a 63.7 FPS difference, showing that the Ultra preset is significantly more demanding.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a high-end processor that is not the limiting factor in this game. With 20 cores and 20 threads, it provides substantial parallel processing capability, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 50009. Its single-thread performance is also strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7060, which is critical for game logic and draw call submission. The processor's high Passmark single-thread score of 4904 and its 97th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirm that it is more than capable of feeding the RX 7600 XT.

The data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the frame rate of 96.6 FPS is still limited by the graphics card, not the processor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a plateau in frame rates regardless of resolution or settings. Instead, the frame rates drop consistently as resolution increases, which is the signature of a GPU-bound workload. The Core Ultra 7 265K's 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth provide ample data throughput for the game's assets.

The processor's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-14900KF, have an average score of 79245, which is only 0.2% higher than the Core Ultra 7 265K's 79102. This indicates that the CPU is performing at the top of its class. In The Medium, the CPU's role is to maintain a consistent frame pacing, which it does successfully, as the measured FPS values are stable without significant dips that would indicate CPU stutter. The 125W TDP and 5.50 GHz boost clock ensure that the processor can sustain its performance over long gaming sessions without throttling.