The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title, and the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and AMD Radeon 760M integrated graphics produces a very specific performance profile. The data shows this system is strictly for low-resolution, low-detail play, with the integrated GPU acting as the definitive bottleneck across all measured configurations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured frames per second (FPS) data reveals a clear hierarchy: the only playable configuration for this hardware is at 1920x1080 with the Low preset, which delivers an average of 31 FPS. This is the sole setting that approaches a playable threshold, and it is the recommended choice for any actual gameplay session. The Medium preset at the same resolution drops to 19 FPS average, which is a significant 12 FPS reduction that makes motion feel choppy and compromises the game's atmospheric tension.

Moving to the High preset at 1080p yields only 14 FPS average, a figure that is not viable for a game requiring even basic navigation. The Ultra preset is the worst performer, hitting just 11 FPS average. The data strongly indicates that the performance cost of each graphical step is substantial; the jump from Low to Medium represents a 38.7% decrease in frame rate, while the jump from Low to High represents a 54.8% decrease. Consequently, the Low preset at 1080p is the only logical choice, as it provides the highest possible frame rate and ensures the game remains responsive enough to play.

At higher resolutions, the situation becomes untenable. At 2560x1440, the Low preset produces 26 FPS average, and at 3840x2160, it drops to 21 FPS average. These numbers are below the threshold for comfortable play. Therefore, users should not consider any settings other than 1080p Low, as the data shows this is the only configuration where the frame rate is high enough for a functional experience.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 760M is an integrated graphics processor based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, built on a 4 nm process by TSMC. It features 512 shading units, 32 texture mapping units, and 16 raster output units. The GPU operates with a base clock of 800 MHz and a boost clock of 2599 MHz. Its memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the host system's memory, with bandwidth listed as "System Dependent." This shared memory architecture is a primary reason for its performance limitations, as it must contend with the CPU for memory access.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark scores place it in the 35th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a lower-tier performer. Its average benchmark score is 6019, which is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 6400 (6001, 0.3% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M (6000, 0.3% delta). This suggests its raw compute capability is on par with those older discrete solutions, but its integrated nature and shared memory bandwidth hamper real-world gaming performance, particularly in a title like The Medium that has high memory and bandwidth demands. The GPU's Passmark G3D score is 5310, and its DirectX 12 score is 25, which are low figures that correlate with the poor FPS results in this game.

The 7 FPS average at 3840x2160 Ultra and 9 FPS at 2560x1440 Ultra show that the GPU is completely overwhelmed by high-detail rendering. The boost clock of 2599 MHz is high for an iGPU, but the sheer lack of dedicated memory bandwidth and the limited number of ROPs (16) create a severe performance ceiling. The game's reliance on heavy shader work and memory streaming exposes these weaknesses, resulting in the single-digit frame rates seen at high resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a predictable but severe decline as resolution increases, confirming that the AMD Radeon 760M is the limiting component. At the Low preset, the game runs at 31 FPS average at 1920x1080. When resolution increases to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops to 26, a decrease of 5 FPS. Moving further to 3840x2160, the average FPS falls to 21, another 5 FPS drop. This scaling indicates that the GPU is struggling with the increased pixel count, but the relative drop is not as steep as it would be for a GPU with more compute power.

The scaling at the Medium preset is more telling. At 1080p, the average is 19 FPS. At 1440p, it is 16 FPS, and at 4K, it is 13 FPS. The performance loss from 1080p to 4K is 31.5%, which shows that while the resolution increase hurts, the GPU is already so saturated that the additional load has a diminishing absolute impact on FPS. The bottleneck is so severe that even a massive resolution jump only results in a handful of frames lost.

The data suggests that the game is not CPU-limited at any resolution. The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is a high-end mobile processor, and its performance is far beyond what this iGPU can feed. Therefore, the FPS is entirely dictated by the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth. The 1080p Low result of 31 FPS is the maximum output this iGPU can achieve in this game, and the resolution scaling shows that any increase in pixel workload directly translates to a lower frame rate, proving the GPU is the primary and overwhelming bottleneck.

FAQ

Q: What is the best performance I can expect from this system in The Medium?

A: The highest average frame rate measured across all configurations is 31 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset. This is the only playable configuration in the data set.

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

A: While the game will launch, the performance is not viable. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 7 on Ultra to 21 on Low. Even the Low preset result is far below a comfortable playable frame rate.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon 760M compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU has an average benchmark score of 6019. It is statistically tied with the AMD Radeon RX 6400 (6001, 0.3% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M (6000, 0.3% delta), and it is 0.5% slower than the NVIDIA Quadro P2000 (6049).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data clearly points to the GPU. The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is a powerful processor, and as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, frame rates drop consistently, which is a classic sign of GPU saturation. The CPU has ample headroom, but the integrated GPU cannot render frames fast enough.

Q: What is the difference in performance between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 31 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages only 11 FPS. This represents a 64.5% reduction in frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded at the Medium preset?

A: At the Medium preset, the data includes minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1920x1080, the range is 17 to 22 FPS. At 2560x1440, it is 14 to 19 FPS, and at 3840x2160, it is 11 to 15 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is a 16-core, 22-thread processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 7 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, with a 45W TDP. Its cache configuration includes 112 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores highly, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 17984.5 and a single-core score of 1810.5. Its average benchmark score is 35670, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, indicating strong multi-threaded performance.

The CPU's nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, include the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 (35719, -0.1% delta) and the Intel Core 7 250H (35728, -0.2% delta). This shows that the Core Ultra 9 185H is a top-tier performer in its class, and its 22 threads and high boost clock provide ample processing power for gaming workloads. In The Medium, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, AI, and physics, but the measured FPS shows that the CPU is never the bottleneck. The frame rates are consistently low across all settings, and the performance drops are directly correlated with GPU load increases (resolution and settings), not CPU workload.

The Passmark multi-thread score of 29376 and the data encryption score of 19827 further highlight the CPU's capability. However, in this specific game, the CPU's power is largely untapped. The fact that the FPS at 1080p Low (31 FPS) is the maximum suggests that the CPU is waiting for the GPU to finish rendering each frame. The CPU's high single-core performance, as evidenced by the Geekbench single-core score of 1794, ensures that it can quickly process game instructions, but it cannot compensate for the GPU's inability to output more frames. The data indicates that the CPU is a capable partner, but the AMD Radeon 760M severely limits the overall experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the exact measured average FPS for the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and AMD Radeon 760M combination. All figures are from the FACT PACK.

At 1920x1080 resolution, the performance varies heavily by preset. The Low preset achieves an average of 31 FPS. The Medium preset averages 19 FPS, with a minimum of 17 FPS and a maximum of 22 FPS. The High preset averages 14 FPS. The Ultra preset is the slowest at 1080p, averaging 11 FPS.

At 2560x1440 resolution, the frame rates drop further. The Low preset averages 26 FPS. The Medium preset averages 16 FPS, with a minimum of 14 FPS and a maximum of 19 FPS. The High preset averages 12 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 9 FPS.

At 3840x2160 resolution, the game becomes nearly unplayable. The Low preset averages 21 FPS. The Medium preset averages 13 FPS, with a minimum of 11 FPS and a maximum of 15 FPS. The High preset averages 9 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 7 FPS, which is the lowest measured result in the entire data set.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each increase in resolution or settings tier results in a significant, measurable drop in performance. The spread between the best (1080p Low at 31 FPS) and worst (4K Ultra at 7 FPS) configurations is 24 FPS, a 77.4% performance loss. The Medium preset is the only one with recorded min and max FPS values, allowing for a better understanding of frame pacing; at 1080p, the 17-22 FPS range shows a tight but low window, indicating a constant state of GPU limitation. The overall performance envelope is narrow, confirming that this hardware is only suitable for the lowest fidelity settings at the lowest resolution.