The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title built on Unreal Engine 4, presents a unique load profile that is heavily reliant on the GPU. In this analysis, we examine the performance of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070. The measured data provides a clear picture of how this combination handles the game’s demanding dual-world rendering technique, which often doubles the geometric and shading workload.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression across resolutions reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers an average of 65.2 FPS. Moving to 1440p, the average drops to 58.1 FPS, a reduction of approximately 10.9%. The jump to 4K is far more punishing, with the average falling to 42 FPS, a further 27.5% decrease from the 1440p result. This steep decline from 1440p to 4K strongly indicates that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070’s rendering throughput, rather than the CPU’s processing power, is the limiting factor.

The pattern holds across other settings. At Medium settings, 1080p yields 91.9 FPS, which falls to 78.8 FPS at 1440p and 64.5 FPS at 4K. The scaling factor from 1080p to 4K at Medium is a 29.8% drop, which is less severe than the High preset’s 35.6% drop. This suggests that as the preset’s complexity increases, the GPU’s memory bandwidth and shader output become even more critical, amplifying the resolution penalty. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling, with 51.8 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 42.9 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 34.8 FPS at 4K.

Low settings present an interesting anomaly. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 146.5 FPS, indicating that the CPU is capable of feeding frames at a very high rate when the GPU load is minimal. However, the 4K Low result of 97 FPS, while still high, shows a 33.8% drop from the 1080p figure. This substantial reduction at 4K, even on Low settings, underscores that the game’s inherent resolution-dependent pixel workload remains a significant hurdle for the RTX 4070. The data unequivocally shows that users targeting 4K will need to significantly adjust settings to achieve smooth gameplay, while 1080p and 1440p offer much more headroom.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of 1,689 tested combos for The Medium, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 achieves a rank of 450. This places it in the upper echelon of tested configurations, specifically within the top 26.6% of all combinations. This ranking is a strong indicator of a well-balanced system for this title, as it outperforms a majority of other hardware pairings.

The ranking is particularly notable when considering the CPU’s standing. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K holds a 97th percentile ranking against all CPUs, indicating exceptional processing power. However, its performance in this game is tempered by the GPU. The RTX 4070’s 81st percentile ranking against all GPUs is respectable, but it is the pairing of this specific GPU with a top-tier CPU that yields the high combo rank. The data suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck, allowing the RTX 4070 to operate at its full potential.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 7 265K has an average benchmark score of 79,102. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF scores 79,240, a negligible 0.2% difference. Similarly, the Intel Core i9-14900KF is 0.2% faster, and the Intel Core i9-14900K is 0.9% faster. These tiny deltas confirm that the 265K is performing as expected for its class. The fact that the combo still ranks as high as it does, despite the GPU being a more mid-range part, indicates that the game is not heavily CPU-dependent. A slower CPU paired with a faster GPU might achieve a higher rank, but this data shows the 265K provides a stable, high-performance foundation for the RTX 4070.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 146.5, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 34.8 on Ultra settings to 97 on Low settings, with Medium and High presets yielding 64.5 and 42 FPS respectively.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K a bottleneck for the RTX 4070 in this game?

A: No. The benchmark results indicate the system is GPU-bound, especially at higher resolutions. The CPU’s high percentile ranking and the significant FPS drops as resolution increases confirm the GPU is the primary performance limiter.

Q: What is the combo's standing compared to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 450th out of 1,689 tested combinations for The Medium, placing it in the top 26.6% of all configurations.

Q: Which settings preset offers the most balanced performance at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers an average of 58.1 FPS. The Medium preset provides a smoother 78.8 FPS, while Ultra drops to 42.9 FPS. The choice depends on preference for visual fidelity versus frame rate.

Q: What is the performance difference between High and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the High preset averages 65.2 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 51.8 FPS, representing a 20.6% decrease in performance for the higher visual quality.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the measured average FPS for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination in The Medium.

1920x1080

• Low: 146.5 FPS
• Medium: 91.9 FPS
• High: 65.2 FPS
• Ultra: 51.8 FPS

2560x1440

• Low: 127.3 FPS
• Medium: 78.8 FPS
• High: 58.1 FPS
• Ultra: 42.9 FPS

3840x2160

• Low: 97.0 FPS
• Medium: 64.5 FPS
• High: 42.0 FPS
• Ultra: 34.8 FPS

The data shows a consistent hierarchy across all resolutions. Low settings provide the highest frame rates, while Ultra provides the lowest. The gap between Medium and High is relatively consistent, but the gap between High and Ultra widens at higher resolutions, highlighting the cost of the most demanding visual features. For a 60 FPS target, 1080p users can comfortably use High settings, while 1440p users will need to use Medium to stay above the threshold. At 4K, only the Low preset manages to stay above 60 FPS, with Medium dipping slightly below.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, plays the central role in determining this game’s performance. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. This bandwidth is crucial for The Medium, which often renders two distinct scenes simultaneously. The data supports this, as the performance scaling from 1080p to 4K is steep, correlating with the increased memory and fill-rate demands.

The GPU’s clock speeds are also a factor. With a base clock of 1920 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz, the RTX 4070 can sustain high throughput in this title. The boost clock behavior is likely consistent, as the game is not thermally demanding on the CPU, allowing the GPU to maintain high clocks. The 46 RT cores are present, but the game’s performance is less about ray tracing and more about raw pixel throughput and shader complexity.

The GPU’s 81st percentile ranking against all GPUs indicates it is a competent performer, but it is not a top-tier part. In this specific game, the RTX 4070’s capabilities are the defining factor. The data shows that while the CPU is highly capable, the GPU’s limits are reached at 4K Ultra. The 34.8 FPS result at that setting is a direct reflection of the GPU’s inability to process the immense workload. Conversely, the high FPS at 1080p Low suggests that the GPU is efficiently utilized when the load is lighter. This combination of a powerful CPU and a mid-range to high-end GPU results in a system that is well-matched for 1440p High settings, offering a good balance between visual quality and performance.