The Medium

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers a compelling, if resolution-sensitive, experience in The Medium. The dataset shows a system with substantial headroom at lower resolutions, but one that is progressively constrained by the GPU as pixel counts rise. The following analysis breaks down the measured performance across the available configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The performance trajectory from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates where the bottleneck lies in this pairing. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 141 FPS, indicating that the CPU and GPU have ample resources to feed the frame buffer. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low preset, the average drops to 119 FPS, a reduction of roughly 15.6%. The final step to 3840x2160 at Low yields 93 FPS, which is another 21.8% decline from the 1440p figure.

This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU, with its high multi-threaded throughput, is not the limiting factor at these settings. The Radeon RX 9070, however, sees its workload increase dramatically with pixel count. The delta between 1080p and 1440p is modest, but the jump to 4K exacts a heavier toll, confirming that the graphics card is the primary constraint at higher resolutions.

The gap narrows considerably when looking at Ultra settings. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 50 FPS, while at 1440p Ultra it falls to 42 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the system can only manage 33 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is 34%, which is steeper than the 34% drop seen at Low (from 141 FPS to 93 FPS). This suggests that the most demanding preset amplifies the GPU's workload even further, making the resolution scaling less linear and more punishing at the top end.

The data suggests that this combo is best suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p or smooth 60+ FPS experiences at 1440p with adjusted settings. The 4K High preset, at 42 FPS, is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action, while 4K Medium at 58 FPS offers a more balanced experience. The resolution scaling data points to a system where the CPU is never the primary constraint, allowing the GPU to be the sole determinant of frame rates across the board.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, and it features a substantial 36 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 44,253 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,439 in single-core, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs tested.

However, the measured FPS data in The Medium does not reflect a CPU-bound scenario. At 1080p Low, the system hits 141 FPS, a figure that is more likely limited by the game's engine or the GPU's raw throughput rather than the processor's compute capabilities. The CPU's high single-core performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 score, ensures that game logic and draw calls are processed quickly, but the frame rate ceiling is still set by the graphics card.

The processor's role here is to provide a stable platform that does not introduce stutters or frame drops. With a PassMark multi-thread score of 68,574 and a single-thread score of 5,068, the 270K Plus has more than enough headroom for a title like The Medium. The data shows that even at 4K Low, where the GPU is heavily taxed, the average FPS of 93 indicates that the CPU is not causing a bottleneck. The processor is effectively a "silent partner" in this configuration, ensuring that the GPU is always fed with data, but never becoming the limiting factor itself.

Comparing to its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database, the 270K Plus is statistically tied with the Intel Xeon 6520P, showing a 0% delta in average score. It is slightly behind the AMD EPYC 4564P, which scores -1.5% higher, and the AMD EPYC 9175F at -1.9% higher. These are all server-class chips, indicating that the 270K Plus holds its own against much more expensive workstation parts in synthetic tests. In gaming, this level of performance means the CPU is a non-issue, allowing the RX 9070 to operate at its full potential.

How This Combo Ranks

In the specific context of The Medium, this combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 is ranked 797th out of 2,911 tested combos. This places it in the top 27.4% of all systems tested for this game, which is a solid position given the wide variety of hardware configurations possible.

This ranking is influenced by the fact that the GPU, while capable, is not at the very top of the performance hierarchy. The RX 9070 sits in the 69th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23,877. Its nearest rivals in the GPU database include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z (with a 0.6% higher score), the AMD Radeon RX 6800S (-0.8% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (-1.2% lower). This puts the RX 9070 in a competitive mid-to-high-range tier.

The combo's rank of 797 suggests that while it is not a top-tier contender for maximum frame rates at 4K Ultra, it is a very capable setup for most gaming scenarios. The CPU's high percentile (96th) helps to boost the combo's standing, but the GPU's mid-range position ultimately caps its overall ranking. In practice, this means the system will deliver smooth performance at 1080p and 1440p, but will require settings adjustments to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The ranking reflects the balance of the pairing, where the strong CPU ensures no wasted GPU potential, but the GPU itself is the limiting factor in the most demanding situations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a granular look at how the system performs across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low preset averages 141 FPS, Medium averages 88 FPS (with a minimum of 75 and maximum of 101), High averages 63 FPS, and Ultra averages 50 FPS. This shows a clear linear progression of performance cost as visual fidelity increases.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 119 FPS, Medium at 74 FPS (min 63, max 85), High at 53 FPS, and Ultra at 42 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across presets, with roughly a 15-17% reduction in frame rate. This is a manageable hit and indicates that the system can handle 1440p gaming well, especially on Medium and High settings.

The most demanding resolution, 3840x2160, shows the following: Low at 93 FPS, Medium at 58 FPS (min 50, max 67), High at 42 FPS, and Ultra at 33 FPS. The 4K Medium result is particularly notable, as it is the only 4K preset with a recorded minimum FPS (50), suggesting that the frame pacing is relatively stable. The drop from 1440p to 4K is more severe, with a 22-27% reduction in average FPS across all presets, underscoring the GPU's workload at this resolution.

The data also reveals that the jump from Low to Medium is a significant performance cost at all resolutions. For example, at 1080p, the drop is from 141 to 88 FPS (a 37.6% reduction), while at 4K, it is from 93 to 58 FPS (a 37.6% reduction as well). This indicates that the Medium preset introduces a substantial increase in graphical effects, which the RX 9070 handles with a consistent relative penalty. The move from High to Ultra is less punishing, with a smaller absolute FPS drop, suggesting diminishing returns in visual quality for the extra performance cost.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture and features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. Its boost clock is 2520 MHz, and it has 3,584 shading units. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 25,381 in PassMark G3D and 62,90 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12.

The GPU's role in The Medium is clearly the dominant factor in determining frame rates. The scaling data shows that as resolution increases, the FPS drops proportionally, which is the hallmark of a GPU-bound workload. The card's 16 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for this game at any resolution, meaning there is no capacity-related stutter. The memory bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s also helps to maintain steady frame times, as evidenced by the recorded minimum FPS values at Medium settings.

The RX 9070's performance tier is defined by its nearest rivals. It is slightly faster than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (by 1.2% in average score) but slower than the AMD Radeon RX 6800S (by 0.8%). This places it in a performance bracket that is now a generation or two old at the high end, but still very capable for modern titles. In The Medium, the GPU's raw compute power is the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where it can only muster 33 FPS, but it shines at 1080p and 1440p, where it easily exceeds 60 FPS on most presets.

The data suggests that the RX 9070 is a well-balanced card for 1440p gaming. At that resolution, it can handle High settings at 53 FPS and Medium at 74 FPS, both of which are playable. The card's thermal and power characteristics (a 220 W TDP) are not directly measured in this dataset, but its performance profile indicates it is a mid-range solution that offers good performance per frame, without the extreme power requirements of a flagship.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a 1920x1080 display, the High preset at 63 FPS is the best balance of visual fidelity and smoothness. For those with high-refresh-rate monitors (120Hz+), the Low preset at 141 FPS is the only way to fully utilize the display's potential, while Medium at 88 FPS is a solid compromise for 120Hz displays.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 74 FPS is the clear sweet spot. It provides a smooth, above-60 FPS experience with a good level of detail. The High preset at 53 FPS is also playable, but it dips below the 60 FPS threshold, which may be noticeable to sensitive users. The Low preset at 119 FPS is excellent for competitive play, but sacrifices too much visual quality for a horror game that relies on atmosphere.

For 3840x2160 displays, the options are more constrained. The Medium preset at 58 FPS is the only configuration that approaches a smooth 60 FPS experience, and it is the recommended choice for 4K gaming. The Low preset at 93 FPS is technically smoother, but the visual downgrade is severe. The High preset at 42 FPS and Ultra at 33 FPS are best avoided, as they do not provide a consistent frame rate suitable for a game with tense, slow-paced exploration.

In summary, the best experience per the measured rows is achieved by selecting the Medium preset at 1080p or 1440p, and Medium at 4K for those willing to accept a slightly lower frame rate. The data indicates that the High preset offers diminishing returns over Medium for a significant FPS cost, making Medium the most efficient choice for a balanced experience on this hardware. For users prioritizing frame rate over visuals, the Low preset is the fallback, but the Medium preset represents the optimal trade-off for this specific CPU-GPU combination in The Medium.