The Medium

The Medium presents a stark test of hardware balance, and the pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus with the AMD Radeon RX 580 is a study in extremes. The CPU is a modern powerhouse, while the GPU is a legacy part from a different era. Benchmark results reveal a system where the processor is never the bottleneck; instead, every frame rate is dictated by the graphics card's age. The data shows a clear narrative of a CPU with immense headroom being held back by a GPU that struggles to maintain playable frame rates at any resolution above the bare minimum.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture. With a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, it is designed for high-throughput workloads. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44,253 and single-core score of 2,439 place it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, indicating top-tier performance. The PassMark multi-thread score of 68,574 further underscores its capability in heavily threaded scenarios.

However, in The Medium, this processing power is largely irrelevant. The game’s frame rates are not scaling with CPU performance. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 49 FPS, but this is a GPU-bound figure. The CPU is capable of far more; its PassMark single-thread score of 5,068 suggests it can handle the game's logic and draw calls with ease. The data implies that the game is not demanding on the processor, and the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is never the limiting factor.

The comparison to its nearest rivals confirms the CPU's strength. It performs within 0% of the Intel Xeon 6520P, within -1.5% of the AMD EPYC 4564P, and -1.9% of the AMD EPYC 9175F in average benchmark scores. These are all server-class processors, indicating the 270K Plus is in the same performance tier as enterprise silicon. This context is crucial: the CPU's headroom is so vast that even a 1.5% or 2.1% deficit against these rivals would have no observable impact on game performance, because the GPU is the sole constraint.

The L3 cache is 36 MB (shared), and the CPU supports DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s. While memory bandwidth can sometimes affect gaming performance, it is not the bottleneck here. The game's frame rates are far too low to be limited by memory throughput. The benchmark results indicate that the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is effectively idle, waiting for the Radeon RX 580 to render frames. This is a classic case of CPU overkill for the GPU in question, where the processor's role is to ensure zero frame drops due to processing, but it cannot conjure graphics performance that the GPU cannot deliver.

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

The FPS scaling across resolutions is a textbook demonstration of a GPU-bound system. At 1080p with Low settings, the system averages 49 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops the average to 41 FPS, a 16.3% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls to 32 FPS, which is 34.7% lower than the 1080p result. This pattern shows that as the pixel count increases, the GPU must work harder, and its performance degrades proportionally.

The impact is even more pronounced at higher settings. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 22 at 1080p to 18 at 1440p (an 18.2% decrease) and then to 14 at 4K (a 36.4% decrease from 1080p). The trend is consistent: every resolution increase has a significant negative impact on frame rate. This is the signature of a GPU that is fully saturated. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect frame rates to remain relatively flat across resolutions, as the CPU's workload is similar regardless of resolution. That is not what the data shows.

The conclusion is inescapable. The AMD Radeon RX 580 is the limiting component at every resolution and setting. The data suggests that the game is not just GPU-bound but severely so. Even at 1080p Low, the GPU is only managing 49 FPS, which is not a high frame rate. The CPU is not contributing to this bottleneck; it has the power to push far more frames if the GPU could render them. The resolution scaling analysis confirms that the RX 580 is the component holding back the system, and no amount of CPU headroom can change that.

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

The measured data provides a clear picture of what is achievable. At 4K, the only preset that yields an average FPS above 30 is Low, with 32 FPS. Medium drops to 20 FPS, High to 14 FPS, and Ultra to 11 FPS. For a horror game where atmosphere is key, 32 FPS at Low settings is the only remotely playable option at 4K, though it will require sacrificing visual fidelity.

At 1440p, the Low preset offers 41 FPS, which is playable. Medium drops to 26 FPS, which is borderline. High (18 FPS) and Ultra (15 FPS) are not recommended for smooth gameplay. The best experience at 1440p is clearly the Low preset, as it is the only one that stays above the 30 FPS threshold.

At 1080p, the situation improves. Low produces 49 FPS, which is the highest average in the entire dataset. Medium produces 31 FPS, which is just above the playable threshold. High yields 22 FPS, and Ultra yields 17 FPS. The data suggests that 1080p Low is the best combination of playability and performance, as it is the only setting that approaches 60 FPS. Medium is a compromise for those who want better visuals but can tolerate lower frame rates.

The recommendation is clear: play at 1080p with the Low preset. This provides the highest average FPS (49) and the most consistent experience. If visual quality is paramount, Medium at 1080p (31 FPS) is the only other viable option. The data shows that any setting above Medium at any resolution results in a sub-30 FPS experience, which is generally considered unplayable for a game requiring quick reactions. The measured rows indicate that this system is not capable of delivering a high-fidelity experience in The Medium.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system in The Medium?*

A: According to the measured data, 1920x1080 with Low settings provides the highest average FPS at 49. This is the only configuration that approaches a smooth frame rate. 1080p Medium (31 FPS) is the only other playable option for better visuals.

*Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K?*

A: The data shows that at 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 11 (Ultra) to 32 (Low). Only the Low preset achieves an average above 30 FPS. Higher presets result in an unplayable experience.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus the reason for the low frame rates?

A: No. The CPU is in the 96th percentile of all CPUs with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44,253. The frame rates are consistently low across all resolutions, which indicates the GPU is the bottleneck, not the processor.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon RX 580 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 580 has an average benchmark score of 12,928, which is within -0.4% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER (12,986) and -0.1% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (12,940). It is 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon 740M (12,870).

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this system?

A: The highest average FPS is 49, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. The minimum FPS for this configuration was not recorded.

Q: Is the CPU's performance worth it for this GPU?

A: The benchmark results show a 2654th rank out of 2911 combos for this game. The CPU's power is not utilized, as the GPU is the limiting factor. The system's performance is governed entirely by the RX 580.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is a Polaris 20 chip based on the GCN 4.0 architecture, built on a 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 1257 MHz and a boost clock of 1340 MHz. The GPU is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. Its compute power is rated at 6.175 TFLOPS FP32. This is a legacy part, released in April 2017, and it is now end-of-life.

The GPU's benchmarks show it is a mid-range part. Its PassMark G3D score is 8,813, and it falls in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 12,928 places it near the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER. The RX 580's DirectX 12 score is 43, which is notably low, and its Vulkan score is 45,173. These scores reflect its older architecture and limited feature set for modern game engines.

In The Medium, the GPU's age is painfully evident. The game's fixed camera angles and pre-rendered backgrounds still require significant GPU power. The 8 GB of VRAM is not the issue; the core compute and memory bandwidth are insufficient for the game's demands at higher settings. The measured FPS shows that at 4K Ultra, the average is 11 FPS, which is a slideshow. Even at 1080p Ultra, the average is only 17 FPS. The GPU is simply overwhelmed by the game's rendering load.

The data indicates that the RX 580's performance is a direct result of its specifications. With a texture rate of 193.0 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s, it struggles to fill the screen with details at higher resolutions. The GPU is the primary reason for the low frame rates, and its 53rd percentile ranking reflects its status as a lower-tier part in the current landscape. The results show that this GPU is not suitable for modern horror titles at high settings.

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

The complete dataset of measured frame rates for The Medium with this combo is as follows. At 3840x2160, the Low preset achieves an average of 32 FPS. Medium averages 20 FPS, with a minimum of 17 and a maximum of 23. High averages 14 FPS, and Ultra averages 11 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 41 FPS. Medium averages 26 FPS, with a minimum of 22 and a maximum of 30. High averages 18 FPS, and Ultra averages 15 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 49 FPS. Medium averages 31 FPS, with a minimum of 26 and a maximum of 35. High averages 22 FPS, and Ultra averages 17 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the Low preset is the only one that provides a playable experience at any resolution, and even then, it is only at 1080p that the average FPS approaches 50. The Medium preset is playable at 1080p (31 FPS) but dips below 30 FPS at 1440p. The High and Ultra presets are not playable at any resolution, with all averages falling below 25 FPS. The minimum FPS values for Medium at 1080p (26) and 1440p (22) show that even the playable settings can have stutters. The maximum FPS values, such as 35 at 1080p Medium, are still far from smooth. This data quantifies the GPU's limitations completely.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and the AMD Radeon RX 580 ranks 2654th out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the bottom 9% of all tested systems. This low rank is not due to the CPU, which is a top-tier processor. The ranking is almost entirely a reflection of the GPU's performance.

The data shows that the CPU is in the 96th percentile, while the GPU is in the 53rd percentile. This massive disparity is the root cause of the low combo rank. The system is severely imbalanced; the CPU is overqualified, and the GPU is underpowered for the game. The rank of 2654 indicates that the vast majority of other tested combinations, even those with significantly weaker CPUs, will outperform this system because they have more capable graphics cards.

This ranking serves as a clear warning. It shows that pairing a high-end CPU with a low-end GPU does not produce a balanced gaming system. The combo's performance is dictated by its weakest link, which in this case is the RX 580. The data suggests that a user would see no benefit from the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus in this game, as the GPU is the sole limiting factor. The 2654th rank is a direct result of the GPU's inability to keep up with the game's demands, and it highlights that the CPU's power is entirely wasted in this configuration.