The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title known for its dual-reality rendering, presents a unique stress profile for the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination. The benchmark data reveals a system capable of extremely high frame rates, yet one whose performance ceiling is heavily dictated by graphics settings and resolution scaling. The measured results show a clear hierarchy where the RTX 5090’s immense power is the primary driver of the experience, while the 24-core processor ensures the frame pacing remains consistent even when the GPU is pushed to its limits.

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. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, a specification that suggests strong single-thread performance for game logic and engine tasks. This processor sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is among the top tier of available processors for overall compute capability. Its average benchmark score of 93785 places it in a virtual tie with the Intel Xeon 6520P, which scores 93786 with a 0% delta. This proximity to a server-class chip highlights the Core Ultra 7’s exceptional multi-threaded throughput, a trait that is less critical for gaming but beneficial for background tasks.

For a game like The Medium, the CPU’s role is less about raw frame generation and more about maintaining a stable frame delivery pipeline. The game’s signature mechanic involves rendering two simultaneous perspectives, which can increase draw calls and CPU overhead. The Core Ultra 7’s high boost clock of 5.50 GHz helps ensure that the primary game thread does not become a bottleneck. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 209 FPS, indicating that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to reach very high frame rates. If the CPU were a limiting factor, we would expect to see frame rates plateau regardless of resolution or settings. Instead, the FPS scales significantly with resolution, pointing to a GPU-bound scenario in most configurations.

The processor’s 36 MB of shared L3 cache is another factor in its gaming performance. This large pool of fast memory allows the CPU to store more of the game’s active data, reducing the need to access slower system memory. While the specific impact on The Medium is hard to isolate from the data, the overall CPU benchmark scores—including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44253—show a processor that is far more powerful than what is typically required for a 2021 horror title. This headroom means that the CPU is unlikely to be the cause of any frame rate dips, and the performance differences between settings are almost entirely attributable to the GPU’s workload.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this configuration, and its specifications suggest it is built to handle the most demanding graphical workloads. It features a massive 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This is a crucial specification for The Medium, as the game’s dual-reality rendering can require loading two full scenes into memory. The large VRAM pool ensures that texture quality and geometry detail are not compromised by memory capacity limits, even at 4K resolution with Ultra settings.

The GPU’s architecture, Blackwell 2.0, is built on a 5 nm process and includes 21,760 shading units. Its boost clock of 2407 MHz allows it to achieve a pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s. These figures translate directly into the measured FPS. At 4K with Low settings, the RTX 5090 produces 143 FPS, showing that it can easily handle the game’s base rendering load. However, the jump to High settings at 4K drops the average FPS to 64, a 55% reduction. This demonstrates that the game’s higher presets introduce significant computational complexity, likely through advanced lighting, shadows, and post-processing effects.

The RTX 5090’s performance percentile stands at 92, with an average benchmark score of 79842. Interestingly, its nearest rivals in the benchmark database are not other consumer GPUs but rather professional and mobile parts, such as the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (0.3% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (1.1% delta). This reflects the RTX 5090’s position as a compute powerhouse, although its gaming-specific performance is what the measured FPS data captures. The GPU’s 32 GB of VRAM is particularly notable, as it provides a substantial buffer that prevents any memory-related stuttering or texture pop-in, a critical factor for maintaining immersion in a slow-paced horror game where visual consistency is key.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to experience the game with a smooth frame rate?

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 (1440p) with Medium settings provides an excellent balance, achieving an average of 114 FPS with a minimum of 97 FPS. This ensures a consistently smooth experience that stays well above the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K, even with Medium settings, the average FPS drops to 90, which is still playable but offers less headroom.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals in the benchmark database?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has an average benchmark score of 93785. This places it 1.5% behind the AMD EPYC 4564P (95183) and 1.9% behind the AMD EPYC 9175F (95615). It is virtually identical in performance to the Intel Xeon 6520P, which scores 93786 with a 0% delta.

Q: Does the game benefit more from the CPU or the GPU in this configuration?

A: The data strongly indicates a GPU-bound scenario. When lowering the resolution from 1440p to 1080p at Medium settings, the average FPS increases from 114 to 135, a 18% gain. This scaling shows the GPU has more headroom at lower resolutions. The CPU’s high core count and clock speed ensure it does not hold the GPU back, but the overall performance is dictated by the graphics card’s workload.

Q: What is the impact of enabling the Ultra preset on the frame rate?

A: Enabling the Ultra preset has a severe impact on performance. At 1080p, the average FPS drops to 77 from 135 on Medium, a 43% reduction. At 1440p, it falls to 65 FPS, and at 4K, it drops to 51 FPS. This suggests the Ultra preset at 4K is not a viable option for a smooth experience, as it approaches the 48 FPS minimum threshold.

Q: Is the 32 GB of VRAM on the RTX 5090 a critical factor for The Medium?

A: While the data does not show VRAM usage, the 32 GB capacity is a major advantage for this title. The game’s dual-reality mechanic requires rendering two full scenes, which can consume significant memory. The 512-bit memory bus and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth provide the necessary data throughput to handle these large textures without causing stutters, allowing the GPU to maintain its high average frame rates.

Q: How does the combo’s performance rank against all other tested configurations in the database?

A: The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 26th out of 2911 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the top 1% of all configurations, indicating that it offers near-top-tier performance for this specific game, even if it is not the absolute fastest.

How This Combo Ranks

The data places this specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 at rank 26 out of 2911 tested combos for The Medium. This is a remarkably strong performance, placing the system in the top 0.9% of all configurations tested in the database. This high rank confirms the synergy between the two components, but it is important to consider what this ranking means in context. It suggests that while there are 25 other combinations that achieve higher average FPS, this setup is still far above the median experience and will provide an exceptionally smooth and high-fidelity gaming session.

The rank is likely achieved due to the RTX 5090’s raw power rather than any specific optimization for this game. The CPU’s role is to ensure the GPU is fed with data, and its 96th percentile standing among all CPUs means it is more than capable of this task. The fact that the combo ranks so high is a strong indicator that the performance is not being artificially capped by a weak processor. In contrast, a lower-ranked combo with a weaker CPU might see frame rates dip in CPU-intensive scenes, even with a similarly powerful GPU. The 26th rank out of 2911 is a clear signal that this is a high-end pairing that delivers elite performance, though the absolute frame rates vary significantly depending on the chosen settings.

Settings Recommendations

For the optimal experience in The Medium, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 provides the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. The data shows an average of 114 FPS with a minimum of 97 FPS, ensuring the frame rate never drops below the 60 FPS target. This setting offers a significant visual upgrade over Low while maintaining a frame rate that is more than double that of the Ultra preset at the same resolution. The minimum FPS of 97 also indicates that even in the most demanding scenes, the game will remain smooth without any noticeable hitches.

For users prioritizing a locked 60 FPS experience at 4K, the Medium preset at 3840x2160 is the recommended choice. It achieves an average of 90 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. While the High preset at 4K drops to 64 FPS, which is still technically playable, the lower minimum FPS margin makes it riskier for scenes with heavy effects. The Ultra preset should be avoided at all resolutions, as it incurs a massive performance penalty. At 1080p, it drops to 77 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 51 FPS, which is below the standard for a smooth experience. The data suggests that the visual gains from Ultra are not worth the significant reduction in performance, making Medium the sweet spot for this powerful hardware.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at how the combo performs across different resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast, with the Low preset hitting an average of 209 FPS. This drops to 135 FPS on Medium, 97 FPS on High, and 77 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 115 FPS and a maximum of 156 FPS, indicating a stable frame rate with a 41 FPS variance. This resolution is clearly not a challenge for the RTX 5090, and the performance is limited by the game engine’s frame rate cap or CPU overhead, as the GPU is not being fully utilized.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but begin to scale down. The Low preset achieves 182 FPS, while Medium drops to 114 FPS (min 97, max 131), High to 82 FPS, and Ultra to 65 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent, with a roughly 15-20% reduction in FPS for each preset, which is a typical result of the increased pixel count. At 3840x2160, the performance impact is more pronounced. The Low preset still manages 143 FPS, but Medium falls to 90 FPS (min 76, max 103), High to 64 FPS, and Ultra to 51 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is a massive 92 FPS, highlighting the extreme cost of the highest settings.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling data reveals a clear picture of where the bottleneck lies. When moving from 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS across all settings drops by approximately 18%. This is a moderate decline, suggesting that the GPU is still the primary driver, but the CPU is keeping up with the increased demand. For example, at Medium settings, the FPS drops from 135 at 1080p to 114 at 1440p, a 15.5% decrease. This is a linear scaling pattern that is expected when the GPU is the limiting factor.

However, the scaling from 1440p to 4K is less linear and more severe. At Medium settings, the FPS drops from 114 at 1440p to 90 at 4K, a 21% decrease. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 65 FPS to 51 FPS, a 21.5% decrease. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is working much harder to fill the additional pixels, and the 32 GB of VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are being fully utilized. The fact that the FPS drops are consistent across all settings indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor at any resolution. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would see the FPS remain flat or even increase at lower resolutions. Instead, the data shows that the RTX 5090’s performance is the sole determinant of the frame rate, and its immense power is the reason why this combo can even approach playable frame rates at 4K with Medium settings.