The Medium

The Medium is a horror title that places distinct demands on both processor and graphics card. This analysis examines the specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, using measured performance data to understand how each component contributes to the final frame rates. The data shows a system where a very capable 20-core processor is paired with an entry-level graphics card, creating a significant performance bottleneck that defines the entire experience. The measured FPS across resolutions and settings reveals a clear narrative about which component is the limiting factor and how users should configure the game for the best possible experience.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a high-end desktop processor with 20 cores and 20 threads, a configuration that provides substantial multi-threaded capability for modern workloads. Its base clock of 3.90 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz give it strong single-thread performance when needed, which is often relevant for game logic and physics calculations. The processor belongs to the Core Ultra Series 2, built on the Arrow Lake architecture using a 3 nm process node from TSMC, and it supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus delivering 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth. It also includes integrated graphics in the form of Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU, though this review focuses on the discrete GPU pairing.

The CPU's benchmark scores demonstrate its overall capability. In Cinebench R23, it scores 35,850 in multi-core and 2,020 in single-core tests. Geekbench results show 23,085 in multi-core and 2,713 in single-core. These numbers place the CPU in the 94th percentile versus all CPUs, indicating it is a powerful processor. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6511P with an average score of 71,051 and a delta of -0.2%, the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 with a score of 71,370 and a delta of -0.7%, the Intel Core i7-14700KF with a score of 70,163 and a delta of 1%, and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F with a score of 69,996 and a delta of 1.3%. This places the 265K in a competitive position, performing within a few percentage points of these alternatives.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data, handle game logic, and manage the rendering pipeline. However, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the primary constraint in this pairing. At 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS is 44, which is the highest frame rate recorded in this data set. At the same resolution with Ultra settings, the frame rate drops to 16 FPS. This dramatic drop is indicative of the GPU's limitations, not the CPU's. The 265K has enough processing power to handle the game's demands, but the GTX 1650 cannot keep up with the increased graphical load. The CPU's high multi-core scores and fast clock speeds mean it is likely waiting on the GPU to complete its work, rather than being a bottleneck itself. The data suggests that the processor has headroom to spare, and its performance is not the limiting factor in achieving higher frame rates.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is an entry-level graphics card from the GeForce 10-series, based on the TU117 chip and Turing architecture. It has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1485 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz. It features 896 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units. The card's compute power is rated at 2.984 TFLOPS for FP32 operations. With a TDP of 75 W, it is a low-power card, but its performance is limited by its small memory size and modest compute capabilities. The GPU is classified as end-of-life, having been released on 2019-04-22.

The GTX 1650's benchmark scores reflect its entry-level positioning. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 305. Passmark G3D gives it a score of 7,880, while Passmark GPU Compute scores 3,048. Its overall percentile versus all GPUs is 40, placing it below the median. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 8850M with an average score of 7,447 and a delta of 0.3%, the Intel UHD Graphics 750 with a score of 7,441 and a delta of 0.4%, and the AMD Radeon R7 350 with a score of 7,425 and a delta of 0.6%. The Intel Arc A310 scores 7,550 with a delta of -1%. These comparisons show that the GTX 1650 is at the bottom of the performance tier, competing with integrated graphics solutions.

In The Medium, the GPU is the clear limiting factor. The 4 GB of VRAM is insufficient for higher resolutions and settings, causing frame rates to plummet as the game demands more memory and processing power. At 4K with Ultra settings, the average FPS is only 10, and at 4K with High settings, it is 13. Even at 1080p with Medium settings, the average FPS is 27, which is barely playable for a horror game that benefits from smooth motion. The frame rate scaling is directly tied to the GPU's workload. Lowering settings reduces the strain on the GPU, allowing it to render frames faster. The data shows that the GTX 1650 can manage a reasonable frame rate only at the lowest settings, where the demand on its resources is minimal. The GPU's small memory capacity and limited compute power prevent it from handling the game's higher quality presets, making it the primary reason for the low overall performance of this combo.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of which settings preset offers the best playable experience for this combo. The goal is to find a balance between visual fidelity and a smooth frame rate. The data shows that the Low preset is the only one that consistently approaches acceptable performance across all resolutions. At 1080p, the Low preset achieves an average of 44 FPS, which is the highest frame rate in the entire data set. At 1440p, the Low preset drops to 37 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 29 FPS. These numbers indicate that Low is the only setting that can provide a playable experience, especially at 1080p and 1440p.

The Medium preset is a significant step down in performance. At 1080p, it averages 27 FPS, which is lower than Low and may be borderline for a game that requires atmospheric tension and quick reactions. At 1440p, the Medium preset averages 23 FPS, and at 4K, it drops to 18 FPS. The High preset performs even worse, with averages of 20 FPS at 1080p, 16 FPS at 1440p, and 13 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, yielding only 16 FPS at 1080p, 13 FPS at 1440p, and 10 FPS at 4K. These results show that the higher presets are not viable for actual gameplay.

Based on the measured rows, the Low preset is the recommended choice for this combination. It is the only preset that provides an average frame rate above 30 FPS, which is often considered a minimum threshold for playable performance. At 1080p, the 44 FPS average is the most comfortable, and even at 1440p, the 37 FPS average is acceptable for a slower-paced horror game. The Medium preset could be considered by users who prioritize visual quality over smoothness, but the drop to 27 FPS at 1080p is a marginal improvement in visuals at the cost of a significant reduction in frame rate. The data strongly suggests that users should play at Low settings to achieve the best balance, with a possible preference for 1080p resolution to maximize the frame rate. At 4K, even the Low preset struggles with only 29 FPS, so it is not recommended unless the user is willing to accept a less smooth experience.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 ranks poorly in The Medium. The data shows a combo rank of 3,594 out of 3,724 tested combinations. This places the combo in the bottom 4% of all systems tested for this game. The rank is a direct result of the GPU's limitations, as the CPU is a high-performance part that is being held back by the entry-level graphics card.

The rank of 3,594 out of 3,724 indicates that almost all other tested combos perform better in this game. This is a low position, reflecting the fact that the GTX 1650 is simply not equipped to handle the demands of The Medium at playable frame rates. The CPU's high percentile ranking (94th) is irrelevant in this context because the game's performance is constrained by the GPU. The data suggests that this combo is not suitable for playing The Medium with any reasonable quality settings. Users with this hardware configuration would likely experience significant frustration due to the low frame rates, even at the lowest settings. The combo rank serves as a warning that this pairing is not recommended for this specific game.

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

The FPS data across resolutions provides strong evidence of the GPU being the limiting component. Examining the Low preset, which places the least strain on the GPU, shows a clear trend. At 1080p, the average FPS is 44. At 1440p, it drops to 37, a decrease of 7 FPS or about 16%. At 4K, it drops further to 29, a decrease of 8 FPS from 1440p or about 22%. This pattern shows that as resolution increases, the frame rate decreases, but the drop is not linear. The GPU has to render more pixels, and its limited bandwidth and compute power become more strained.

Looking at the Medium preset, the scaling is even more pronounced. At 1080p, the average is 27 FPS. At 1440p, it drops to 23 FPS, a decrease of 4 FPS. At 4K, it drops to 18 FPS, a decrease of 5 FPS. The High preset shows 20 FPS at 1080p, 16 FPS at 1440p, and 13 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset shows 16 FPS at 1080p, 13 FPS at 1440p, and 10 FPS at 4K. In every case, the frame rate drops as resolution increases, but the drops are relatively small in absolute terms, which indicates that the GPU is already near its limit even at 1080p.

If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the frame rates to remain relatively consistent across resolutions, as the CPU's workload does not change significantly with resolution. However, the data shows a consistent decrease in FPS as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The GPU is the component that has to do more work at higher resolutions, and its inability to keep up is reflected in the lower frame rates. The fact that even at 1080p the frame rates are low (20 FPS on High, 27 FPS on Medium) reinforces that the GPU is the primary constraint. The CPU has plenty of performance headroom, but it is unable to compensate for the GPU's lack of power. This analysis confirms that the GTX 1650 is the limiting component in this system, and upgrading the GPU would be the most effective way to improve performance in The Medium.

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

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured FPS for each resolution and settings preset, using the exact numbers from the data.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Ultra: The average FPS is 10. This is the lowest frame rate recorded in the entire data set, indicating that the game is unplayable at this setting.
• High: The average FPS is 13. This is a slight improvement over Ultra, but still far below playable levels.
• Medium: The average FPS is 18, with a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 21. This shows some variability, but the performance is still very poor.
• Low: The average FPS is 29. This is the best performance at 4K, but it is still below the 30 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Ultra: The average FPS is 13. This is identical to the 4K High setting, showing that the GPU is severely limited.
• High: The average FPS is 16. This is a slight improvement over Ultra, but still very low.
• Medium: The average FPS is 23, with a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 26. This is a noticeable step up from the lower presets, but still not ideal.
• Low: The average FPS is 37. This is the best performance at 1440p and is approaching playable levels.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Ultra: The average FPS is 16. This is a very low frame rate for the most common resolution.
• High: The average FPS is 20. This is an improvement over Ultra, but still not smooth.
• Medium: The average FPS is 27, with a minimum of 23 and a maximum of 31. This is the highest average for the Medium preset across all resolutions.
• Low: The average FPS is 44. This is the highest frame rate in the entire data set and is the only setting that provides a comfortable playable experience.

The data shows a clear hierarchy. The Low preset at 1080p is the only configuration that achieves an average FPS above 40. All other settings and resolutions result in average FPS below 40, with many falling below 30. The jump from 1080p Low (44 FPS) to 1440p Low (37 FPS) is a 7 FPS drop, and the jump to 4K Low (29 FPS) is another 8 FPS drop. This scaling indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck, as its performance degrades predictably with increasing pixel count.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

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

A: The Low preset is the best choice. At 1080p, it achieves an average of 44 FPS, which is the highest frame rate in the data set. The Medium preset at 1080p averages only 27 FPS, a significant drop in smoothness for a minor visual improvement.

Q: Is this combo playable at 4K resolution?

A: No, the data indicates it is not. Even at the lowest settings (Low preset), the average FPS at 4K is only 29, which is below the 30 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Higher settings at 4K result in averages of 18 FPS or lower.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested systems for this game?

A: The combo ranks 3,594 out of 3,724 tested combinations. This places it in the bottom 4% of all systems tested, indicating that the vast majority of other hardware combinations perform better in The Medium.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K has an average benchmark score of 70,879. It is 0.2% slower than the Intel Xeon 6511P (71,051), 0.7% slower than the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 (71,370), 1% faster than the Intel Core i7-14700KF (70,163), and 1.3% faster than the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (69,996).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in this system?

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. Frame rates decrease consistently as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, which is a classic sign of a GPU limitation. The CPU has a high percentile ranking (94th) and its performance is not the cause of the low frame rates.

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

A: The average FPS at 1440p with Medium settings is 23, with a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 26. This is below the playable threshold and suggests that users should avoid this setting combination.