The Medium

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers a performance profile in The Medium that is heavily dictated by graphical settings, with the CPU providing more than enough headroom to keep the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The data indicates a clear hierarchy where the game’s demanding visual effects scale aggressively with settings, making the Ultra preset nearly unplayable at 4K while the Low preset offers exceptional frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression across resolutions reveals a classic GPU-bound workload, but with a twist: the scaling is not perfectly linear, suggesting that the game’s engine has varying degrees of sensitivity to pixel count depending on the quality preset. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 167 FPS, which drops to 140 FPS at 2560x1440 (a 16% reduction) and further to 110 FPS at 3840x2160 (a 21% reduction from 1440p). This pattern indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER is being pushed progressively harder as resolution increases, but the 1080p result still leaves some performance on the table, hinting at a slight CPU limitation at that extreme frame rate.

The scaling behavior changes dramatically when moving to Medium settings. At 1080p Medium, the average is 104 FPS, dropping to 88 FPS at 1440p (a 15% decrease) and then to 69 FPS at 4K (a 22% decrease from 1440p). The min-to-max FPS range at Medium settings, from 88 to 120 at 1080p and 75 to 101 at 1440p, shows that the frame pacing remains consistent, but the 4K Medium result of 69 FPS is starting to approach the threshold where smoothness can become a concern for some displays.

High settings present a more punishing scaling curve. The 1080p High average is 75 FPS, which falls to 63 FPS at 1440p (a 16% drop) and then to 49 FPS at 4K (a 22% drop from 1440p). This suggests that the High preset introduces effects that are particularly taxing on the GPU’s compute and memory subsystems, as the performance penalty from 1440p to 4K is proportionally larger than the pixel count difference. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with 59 FPS at 1080p, 50 FPS at 1440p (a 15% drop), and 39 FPS at 4K (a 22% drop from 1440p).

The data strongly indicates that the limiting component at 4K is the RTX 4070 SUPER. The GPU’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game’s assets at 4K High, but the sheer compute load of the Ultra preset overwhelms the 35.48 TFLOPS FP32 throughput. Conversely, at 1080p Low, the 167 FPS result is close to the practical limit for many high-refresh displays, and the CPU’s role becomes more prominent, though the 24-core processor still has ample headroom to sustain such frame rates without becoming a bottleneck.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz provide substantial single-thread performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2439. In The Medium, a horror title that relies on fixed camera angles and scripted sequences, the CPU’s role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage the game’s logic, rather than to compute complex physics or AI.

The benchmark data shows that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this combo. At 1080p Low, where the GPU has the least work to do, the combo reaches 167 FPS. If the CPU were severely constrained, we would expect to see this frame rate plateau or drop disproportionately as resolution decreases, but the 167 FPS figure is high enough to suggest that the processor can handle the game’s single-threaded demands without issue. The PassMark single-thread score of 5068 and the Cinebench R15 single-core score of 354 both place the CPU in a strong position for gaming workloads.

The 24 threads are more than sufficient for The Medium, which is unlikely to scale beyond a handful of cores. The game’s release in 2021 predates the CPU’s 2026 launch, so the processor is running a title that does not fully utilize its 36 MB of shared L3 cache or its 115.2 GB/s dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth. However, the high boost clock of 5.50 GHz ensures that the game’s primary thread receives maximum responsiveness, which is critical for maintaining consistent frame times in a game with frequent loading stutters and environmental transitions.

The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44253 and PassMark multithread score of 68574 are exceptional, but these figures are largely irrelevant for The Medium. The game’s engine is not designed to leverage 24 cores, so the benchmark results indicate that the processor’s headroom is vast, meaning that any performance shortfalls in the measured FPS are attributable to the GPU or the game’s optimization, not the CPU. The 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs further confirms that this processor is in the top tier of desktop hardware, making it a non-issue in this specific title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER achieves a rank of 380 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the top 13% of all configurations. This rank is respectable but not elite, which is consistent with the RTX 4070 SUPER being a mid-range to upper-mid-range GPU in the GeForce 40-series lineup. The GPU’s 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs, based on its average benchmark score of 43223, is the primary driver of this combo’s position.

The combo’s rank is slightly lower than what the CPU’s 96th percentile would suggest, reinforcing the notion that the GPU is the performance limiter in this pairing. The CPU’s nearest rival, the Intel Xeon 6520P, has an identical average benchmark score of 93786, while the AMD EPYC 4564P is 1.5% ahead. This CPU-level performance has no bearing on the game’s FPS, as the game is not CPU-bound at the tested settings.

The rank of 380 indicates that there are 379 other combinations that deliver higher average FPS in The Medium. These are likely to feature more powerful GPUs such as the RTX 4080 or 4090 series, which are not directly compared here but would naturally outperform the RTX 4070 SUPER in a GPU-bound title. The combo’s position in the top 13% is a solid result for a single-GPU setup, and the data suggests that users seeking higher frame rates at Ultra settings would need to step up to a more powerful GPU rather than a different CPU.

The deltaPct values for the GPU’s nearest rivals show that the RTX 4070 SUPER is extremely close to the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (0.1% behind) and the GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile (0.1% behind), but these are workstation and mobile parts, respectively. This proximity in synthetic benchmarks does not translate to identical gaming performance, as the RTX 4070 SUPER’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and Ada Lovelace architecture are better suited to modern game features. The combo’s rank of 380 is a fair representation of its capabilities in The Medium, where the 4K Ultra result of 39 FPS is the weakest point.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo’s performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 167 FPS, which is the highest figure recorded for this combo. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 104 FPS with a min of 88 FPS and a max of 120 FPS, indicating a stable experience. The High preset at 1080p averages 75 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 59 FPS. This 1080p scaling shows a 64% drop from Low to Ultra, which is substantial but expected for a game with heavy visual effects.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 140 FPS, which is a 16% reduction from 1080p Low. The Medium preset averages 88 FPS with a min of 75 FPS and a max of 101 FPS, representing a 15% drop from 1080p Medium. The High preset at 1440p averages 63 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 50 FPS. The 1440p results show that the RTX 4070 SUPER can handle Medium and High settings comfortably for 60 FPS gaming, but Ultra requires a compromise with a 50 FPS average.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 110 FPS, which is still very playable and represents a 21% drop from 1440p Low. The Medium preset averages 69 FPS with a min of 59 FPS and a max of 79 FPS, making it the only 4K preset that can sustain near-60 FPS. The High preset at 4K averages 49 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 39 FPS. The 4K data clearly shows that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the performance drop from 1440p to 4K is consistent across all settings, ranging from 21% to 22%, which is close to the pixel count difference of 2.25x but mitigated by the GPU’s memory bandwidth.

The min and max FPS data is only available for the Medium preset at all resolutions, which provides insight into frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the 88 to 120 FPS range shows a 32 FPS spread, while at 1440p Medium, the 75 to 101 FPS range shows a 26 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the 59 to 79 FPS range shows a 20 FPS spread. This narrowing of the frame time variance as resolution increases suggests that the GPU becomes more consistently utilized, reducing the impact of CPU-side hiccups.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is based on the AD104 chip with the Ada Lovelace architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It features 7168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units, along with 56 RT cores and 224 tensor cores. The GPU’s boost clock of 2475 MHz and base clock of 1980 MHz allow it to achieve a pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 554.4 GTexel/s. These specifications make it a powerful mid-range card that excels in 1440p gaming and can handle 4K with adjusted settings.

In The Medium, the GPU’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. This is sufficient for the game’s textures at 4K High, but the Ultra preset’s increased texture detail and shadow quality likely push the memory subsystem to its limits. The data shows that the 4K Ultra average of 39 FPS is the lowest recorded, indicating that the GPU is fully saturated at this setting. The 4K High average of 49 FPS is more playable but still below the 60 FPS threshold, while the 4K Medium average of 69 FPS is the sweet spot for 4K gaming on this card.

The GPU’s FP32 performance of 35.48 TFLOPS is a key factor in the game’s rendering. The Medium uses fixed camera angles with pre-rendered backgrounds in some areas, but real-time 3D rendering in others, which places varying loads on the GPU. The DirectX 12 benchmark score of 110 in Passmark is low relative to other tests, but this is a synthetic measure that does not directly correlate to game performance. The GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 29995 and its 83rd percentile ranking confirm that it is a capable card, but its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are older Quadro workstation cards and a mobile RTX 5050, which highlights that the RTX 4070 SUPER is positioned for high-refresh 1440p rather than maxed-out 4K.

The RTX 4070 SUPER’s 80 ROPs are sufficient for the game’s resolution scaling, but the 4K Ultra result shows that the card’s pixel throughput is not enough to maintain high frame rates with all effects enabled. The GPU’s support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 ensures compatibility with modern rendering features, but The Medium’s 2021 release date means it does not utilize the latest ray tracing or DLSS features that could improve performance. The GPU’s 220 W TDP and dual-slot design are reasonable for its performance class, and the 550 W suggested PSU indicates that the card is not overly power-hungry.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with Medium settings delivers an average of 88 FPS with a min of 75 FPS, providing a smooth and visually appealing experience. For 4K gaming, the 3840x2160 Medium preset averages 69 FPS with a min of 59 FPS, which is the only 4K option that consistently stays above 60 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus a bottleneck for the RTX 4070 SUPER in this game?

A: No. The CPU’s 24 cores and 5.50 GHz boost clock provide ample headroom, as evidenced by the 167 FPS result at 1080p Low. The game is clearly GPU-bound at higher settings, as shown by the consistent 21-22% performance drop from 1440p to 4K across all presets.

Q: How does the combo’s ranking compare to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 380th out of 2911 tested combinations, placing it in the top 13% of all systems. This rank is driven by the GPU’s 83rd percentile performance, while the CPU’s 96th percentile ranking indicates that the processor is not the limiting factor.

Q: Can this combo play The Medium at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The 4K Ultra preset averages 39 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. While playable on some displays, the data suggests that the RTX 4070 SUPER is not powerful enough for maxed-out 4K in this title, and users should opt for Medium or High settings at 4K.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 167 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 59 FPS. This represents a 64% reduction in performance, indicating that the Ultra preset is significantly more demanding on the GPU.

Q: Does the GPU’s memory capacity affect performance in The Medium?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory with 504.2 GB/s bandwidth. The data shows that 4K Medium and High settings perform well, suggesting that memory capacity is not a constraint, but the 4K Ultra preset’s 39 FPS average indicates that the GPU’s compute and memory subsystems are fully taxed at that setting.