The Medium

The Medium presents a demanding fixed-camera environment where visual fidelity and resolution scaling heavily influence performance. This analysis examines the measured frame rates for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 across three resolutions and four quality presets. The data reveals a configuration that is consistently capable, though the gap between Low and Ultra settings is substantial, particularly at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K clearly demonstrates the GPU-bound nature of this title. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 138.9 FPS, which drops to 116.9 FPS at 1440p and further to 94 FPS at 4K. This represents a 32.3% reduction from 1080p to 4K on Low, indicating that even at the lowest settings, resolution scaling has a pronounced effect.

The scaling pattern intensifies with higher quality presets. On Medium settings, the average frame rate falls from 89 FPS at 1080p to 77.1 FPS at 1440p, then to 60.4 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K on Medium is 21.6%, while the 1080p to 1440p reduction is 13.4%. This suggests that the GPU’s rendering load scales non-linearly with pixel count, a characteristic typical of games with heavy post-processing effects.

High settings show a similar trend, with 62.5 FPS at 1080p, 50.4 FPS at 1440p, and 42.5 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is 32% lower than the 1080p figure. Ultra settings produce the most dramatic scaling: 52.1 FPS at 1080p, 42.6 FPS at 1440p, and 36.1 FPS at 4K. Here, the 4K average is 30.7% below the 1080p average.

The data indicates that the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is not the limiting factor in this game. The consistent frame rate reductions across resolutions, even at Low settings, point to the AMD Radeon RX 9070 as the primary bottleneck. The CPU’s 20 cores and 20 threads, with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, provide ample headroom for the game’s logic and scene management, allowing the GPU to be the sole determinant of performance scaling.

FAQ

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

A: At 1080p, the combo achieves playable frame rates across all presets, with averages ranging from 52.1 FPS on Ultra to 138.9 FPS on Low. At 1440p, Medium provides 77.1 FPS, which is a balanced option. The 4K resolution is only viable on Low, where it produces 94 FPS, as Medium drops to 60.4 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High in terms of performance?

A: The Ultra preset consistently delivers lower frame rates than High across all resolutions. At 1080p, the difference is 10.4 FPS (62.5 vs 52.1). At 1440p, it is 7.8 FPS (50.4 vs 42.6). At 4K, the gap narrows to 6.4 FPS (42.5 vs 36.1). The relative cost of Ultra increases with resolution.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in this configuration?

A: No, benchmark results indicate the CPU is not limiting performance. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are substantial even on Low settings, showing that the GPU’s rendering workload is the deciding factor. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K’s high single-thread score of 7060 in Cinebench R23 suggests it can easily feed the GPU.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Medium settings?

A: The difference is significant. At 1080p, Low produces 138.9 FPS while Medium produces 89 FPS, a 49.9 FPS gap. At 1440p, the gap is 39.8 FPS (116.9 vs 77.1). At 4K, the difference is 33.6 FPS (94 vs 60.4). The cost of Medium over Low is roughly a 36% reduction in frame rate.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but with caveats. On Low settings, the average frame rate is 94 FPS, which is smooth. On Medium, it drops to 60.4 FPS, which is borderline for a 60 Hz display. High and Ultra presets yield 42.5 FPS and 36.1 FPS, respectively, which are not ideal for fast-paced action.

Q: How does the GPU’s memory configuration affect these results?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. This capacity is sufficient for the game’s textures at 4K, as evidenced by the playable frame rates on Medium. The high bandwidth helps maintain consistent performance across resolutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is the dominant component in this pairing. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 644.6 GB/s bandwidth proves adequate for The Medium’s asset streaming, even at 3840x2160. The GPU’s boost clock of 2520 MHz and game clock of 2070 MHz allow it to sustain high throughput, but the measured frame rates show that the game’s visual effects place a heavy load on the rendering pipeline.

The GPU’s performance percentile of 79 versus all GPUs indicates it is above average, but not at the top tier. The nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks, such as the NVIDIA A2 with a deltaPct of -0.2, suggest the RX 9070’s raw compute is competitive, yet the game-specific results show a clear scaling pattern with resolution. The FP32 throughput of 36.13 TFLOPS is substantial, but the game’s use of fixed-camera angles and complex lighting effects still causes frame rate drops at higher presets.

The data shows that the RX 9070 performs best when not pushed to its limits. At 1080p Low, it delivers 138.9 FPS, indicating it can handle simple rendering tasks with ease. As settings increase, the GPU’s shading units (3584) and texture mapping units (224) become saturated, leading to the observed frame rate reductions. The 4K Ultra result of 36.1 FPS highlights the GPU’s limitations with the most demanding settings, where the 128 ROPs struggle to keep pace with the pixel fill rate requirements.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested configurations, this combo ranks 515 out of 1689 for The Medium. This places it in the upper third of all tested combinations, indicating solid performance. The ranking reflects the balance between the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and the AMD Radeon RX 9070. The CPU’s 97th percentile ranking versus all CPUs ensures no bottleneck, while the GPU’s 79th percentile provides the graphical muscle.

The combo’s rank is influenced by the GPU’s performance tier. The RX 9070’s average benchmark score of 34780, with a percentile of 79, places it among mid-range to upper-mid-range graphics cards. The nearest rival, the NVIDIA A2, has a deltaPct of -0.2, meaning the RX 9070 is essentially tied with it in synthetic benchmarks. However, in real-world gaming, the RX 9070’s architecture proves more capable, as shown by the measured frame rates.

The 515th rank out of 1689 combos suggests that while this setup is not at the top, it is far from the bottom. It outperforms a majority of configurations, likely due to the CPU’s strength in maintaining minimum frame rates. The data indicates that users with this combo can expect a smooth experience at 1080p and 1440p with moderate settings, with 4K being a possibility only on lower presets.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired smoothness. For 1080p, the Medium preset offers 89 FPS, which is a good balance between visual quality and performance. The High preset at 62.5 FPS is also playable, while Ultra at 52.1 FPS may be preferred for slower scenes.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 77.1 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides a substantial improvement over High (50.4 FPS) without the steep drop to Ultra (42.6 FPS). The Low preset at 116.9 FPS is excessive for most displays and sacrifices too much visual fidelity.

For 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option for consistent smoothness, yielding 94 FPS. The Medium preset at 60.4 FPS is playable but may experience occasional dips below 60 FPS in demanding scenes. High and Ultra presets are not recommended for 4K, as their averages of 42.5 FPS and 36.1 FPS fall below the threshold for fluid gameplay.

The data suggests that the Medium preset is the sweet spot for this combo across all resolutions. It offers a significant visual upgrade over Low while maintaining frame rates that are 60 FPS or above at 1080p and 1440p, and near 60 FPS at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers an average of 138.9 FPS on Low, 89 FPS on Medium, 62.5 FPS on High, and 52.1 FPS on Ultra. These figures show a clear progression, with each preset step reducing performance by roughly 30%. The jump from Low to Medium is the largest, at 49.9 FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra is the smallest, at 10.4 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 116.9 FPS on Low, 77.1 FPS on Medium, 50.4 FPS on High, and 42.6 FPS on Ultra. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p reduces performance by 15.8% on Low, 13.4% on Medium, 19.4% on High, and 18.2% on Ultra. The Medium preset remains above 60 FPS, while High and Ultra fall below.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 94 FPS on Low, 60.4 FPS on Medium, 42.5 FPS on High, and 36.1 FPS on Ultra. The transition from 1440p to 4K results in a 19.6% reduction on Low, 21.6% on Medium, 15.7% on High, and 15.3% on Ultra. Only the Low preset maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, with Medium barely reaching it.

The overall pattern shows that the AMD Radeon RX 9070 is capable of high frame rates at lower settings, but the game’s visual complexity quickly overwhelms it as settings increase. The data confirms that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming with Medium settings, with 4K reserved for Low presets.