The Medium

The Medium presents a demanding fixed-camera horror experience, and the pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 creates a fascinating bottleneck study. The data reveals a configuration where a top-tier 24-core processor is paired with a mid-range graphics card from a previous generation, leading to results that are almost entirely dictated by the GPU’s capabilities. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings, contextualizing the scores against the hardware’s theoretical potential and its nearest rivals.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a computational powerhouse on paper. It packs 24 cores and 24 threads, running at a base clock of 3.70 GHz and capable of boosting up to 5.50 GHz. This Arrow Lake Refresh processor, built on a 3 nm process, features 36 MB of shared L3 cache. Its synthetic benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44,253 and a single-core score of 2,439. In PassMark tests, it achieves a multi-thread score of 68,574 and a single-thread score of 5,068, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs.

However, the game’s measured FPS data tells a different story about the CPU's role. In The Medium, the frame rates are consistently low, even at 1080p, where a powerful CPU would typically allow a GPU to stretch its legs. For instance, at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is just 30. The fact that the CPU is capable of a PassMark physics score of 4,064 and a data compression score of 804,322 suggests it is not the limiting factor here. The benchmark results indicate that the game engine is heavily reliant on the GPU, leaving the Ultra 7 270K Plus largely underutilized. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Xeon 6520P with an average score of 93,786, show near-identical computing power, but none of this theoretical headroom translates into higher frame rates in this specific title.

The core and thread count, while excellent for productivity tasks like data encryption (59,097 PassMark score) or floating-point math (229,491 score), do not directly influence the rendered frames. The game’s performance is gated by the graphics pipeline, not the processor. The high clock speeds and large cache are effectively waiting for the GPU to feed them frames, but the RTX 2060 cannot keep up. This is a classic case where the CPU’s immense power is irrelevant to the game’s outcome, as the bottleneck resides entirely on the graphics card side of the system.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the definitive performance limiter in this combination. Built on the 12 nm Turing architecture, it features 1,920 shading units, 30 RT cores, and 240 tensor cores. Its memory configuration consists of 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, offering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s base clock is 1365 MHz with a boost clock of 1680 MHz, and its FP32 performance is rated at 6.451 TFLOPS. This hardware places the card in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15,290, closely matching rivals like the AMD Radeon 680M (15,270) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (15,199).

The measured FPS data confirms the GPU is the primary constraint. The 6 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor, especially at higher resolutions where memory demands increase. The data shows a steep decline in performance as resolution scales up, which is typical of a memory-bandwidth and capacity-limited card. At 1080p, the RTX 2060 manages a playable 52 FPS average on Medium settings, but this drops to 37 FPS on High and 30 FPS on Ultra. The situation worsens at 4K, where the card averages only 25 FPS on High and 20 FPS on Ultra, indicating it is completely overwhelmed.

The GPU's compute capabilities, while adequate for DirectX 12 (PassMark score of 53), are insufficient for this game’s demands at high fidelity. The texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 80.64 GPixel/s are simply not enough to maintain smooth frame rates in The Medium’s detailed environments. The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is the sole reason for the sub-60 FPS performance across all measured configurations, and its 6 GB VRAM is likely causing texture thrashing or reduced detail at higher settings, further impacting the frame rate. The RTX 2060 is a capable 1080p card for less demanding titles, but The Medium exposes its age and limitations.

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

Based on the measured data, finding a "best experience" requires balancing visual fidelity against playable frame rates. The data suggests that the highest playable configuration is at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, where the average FPS is 52, with a minimum of 44 and a maximum of 60. This is the only preset where the system consistently maintains a frame rate near the 60 FPS target, making it the optimal choice for smooth gameplay. While Low settings at 1080p offer a higher average of 83 FPS, the visual quality trade-off is significant, and the game’s atmosphere relies heavily on lighting and texture detail.

At 1440p, the situation becomes more challenging. The Medium preset at 2560x1440 yields an average of 44 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a title that benefits from a stable frame rate. The High preset at this resolution drops to 31 FPS, which is borderline unplayable. For 4K, the data shows that only Low settings (55 FPS average) provide a playable experience, while Medium (34 FPS), High (25 FPS), and Ultra (20 FPS) are all too demanding for the RTX 2060.

The measured rows indicate that the "Ultra" preset is not a viable option at any resolution, as it yields the lowest frame rates (30 FPS at 1080p, 25 FPS at 1440p, 20 FPS at 4K). The performance delta between Medium and High is substantial, suggesting that the High preset introduces effects that disproportionately tax the GPU. Therefore, the recommended path is to prioritize the Medium preset, starting at 1080p for the best experience, and only resorting to Low settings if higher resolutions are required for desktop space or screen size. The data clearly shows that sacrificing graphical fidelity to Medium is the only way to achieve a reasonably smooth experience with this hardware combination.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations for The Medium, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks at 2,948 out of 3,724 total combos. This places it in the bottom 21% of all tested systems, which is a surprisingly low ranking given the CPU’s high-end status. This rank underscores the severity of the GPU bottleneck; the powerful processor does little to boost the system’s standing when paired with such a modest graphics card.

The ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU’s performance, which is in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. The CPU’s 96th percentile ranking is effectively nullified in this gaming context. The combo’s rank is heavily influenced by the GPU’s inability to produce high frame rates, especially at higher resolutions. Compared to other combos, this system is clearly at a disadvantage, as many other pairings likely feature more balanced components. The deltaPct values for the GPU’s rivals are minimal (0.8% difference with the RX 7600), indicating that even slightly faster GPUs would likely push this combo higher in the rankings.

The data implies that this combo is a mismatch for The Medium. While the CPU is a future-proof powerhouse, the GPU is a legacy component that holds the entire system back. The rank of 2,948 serves as a quantitative warning that this pairing is not optimized for this title. The benchmark results indicate that the system is significantly hampered by the RTX 2060, and users would need to make drastic settings changes or lower resolutions to achieve a playable experience, which in turn affects the overall ranking potential.

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

The frame rate scaling across resolutions provides clear evidence of the limiting component. At 1080p, the system achieves its peak performance, with the Low preset hitting 83 FPS and Medium hitting 52 FPS. When moving to 1440p, the average frame rates drop by roughly 15-16% (e.g., Medium goes from 52 FPS to 44 FPS), which is a moderate decrease. However, the most significant drop occurs when moving from 1440p to 4K. For the Medium preset, the frame rate falls from 44 FPS to 34 FPS, a 23% decrease. The High preset drops from 31 FPS to 25 FPS, a 19% decrease.

This pattern is a textbook indicator of a GPU bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would remain relatively flat across resolutions, as the CPU’s workload does not increase significantly with resolution. Here, the frame rates plummet as resolution increases, which means the GPU is working harder to render more pixels and is running out of processing power and memory bandwidth. The RTX 2060’s 336.0 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient for the demands of 4K textures and shader work, causing the steep FPS drop.

The data shows that the scaling is not linear, suggesting a memory capacity issue at 4K. The 6 GB VRAM likely becomes saturated at 3840x2160, leading to a severe performance penalty beyond just the raw compute requirements. The jump from 55 FPS at 4K Low to 34 FPS at 4K Medium is a 38% drop, which is much steeper than the 1080p to 1440p transition. This indicates that the card’s memory and bandwidth are exhausted, confirming that the GPU is the definitive bottleneck in this system, and its limitations are most pronounced at higher resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: According to the measured data, the optimal configuration is 1920x1080 with Medium settings, which yields an average of 52 FPS. This is the only preset in the data that approaches a smooth 60 FPS experience, with a minimum of 44 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in The Medium?

A: The data indicates that 4K is only playable on Low settings, where the average FPS is 55. On Medium, High, and Ultra presets, the frame rates drop to 34, 25, and 20 FPS respectively, which are not smooth enough for a good experience.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus a good match for the RTX 2060 in this game?

A: No, the benchmark results indicate a significant bottleneck. The CPU is in the 96th percentile of all processors, but the combo ranks in the bottom 21% (2,948 out of 3,724). The GPU is the limiting factor, preventing the CPU’s power from being utilized.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest rivals in terms of raw performance?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15,290. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580, has a score of 15,283 (0% delta), while the AMD Radeon 680M has a score of 15,270 (0.1% delta). These scores are nearly identical, showing the GPU is at the lower end of the performance spectrum.

Q: Why is the frame rate drop so severe when moving from 1440p to 4K?

A: The severe drop is likely due to the GPU’s 6 GB VRAM capacity and 336.0 GB/s memory bandwidth. At 4K, the memory is saturated, causing a more significant performance penalty than the compute load alone would suggest, as seen in the 38% drop from Low to Medium at 4K.

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

The following table details the exact measured average FPS values for each resolution and settings preset.

• 1920x1080 (1080p)
• Ultra: 30 FPS average
• High: 37 FPS average
• Medium: 52 FPS average (minimum 44, maximum 60)
• Low: 83 FPS average

• 2560x1440 (1440p)
• Ultra: 25 FPS average
• High: 31 FPS average
• Medium: 44 FPS average (minimum 37, maximum 50)
• Low: 70 FPS average

• 3840x2160 (4K)
• Ultra: 20 FPS average
• High: 25 FPS average
• Medium: 34 FPS average (minimum 29, maximum 40)
• Low: 55 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern: the Medium preset is the only one that provides a balance between visual quality and playability, and the system’s performance degrades rapidly as resolution increases. The 1080p Medium result is the standout, while 4K is only viable on the lowest settings. The minimum FPS values for Medium settings (44 at 1080p, 37 at 1440p, 29 at 4K) also show that there is occasional stuttering, but the averages are stable enough for a horror title where pacing is slower.