The Medium

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

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is a 16-core, 22-thread mobile processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 7 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, with a 45 W TDP. The chip carries 24 MB of shared L3 cache, along with 2 MB of L2 cache per core and 112 KB of L1 cache per core. Its memory interface is dual-channel DDR5, providing 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth, and it supports PCIe Gen 5 with 8 lanes for the CPU.

Benchmark data places this CPU in the 85th percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 35670. Its nearest rivals in aggregate performance are the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 (35719, -0.1% delta), the Intel Core 7 250H (35728, -0.2%), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35802, -0.4%), and the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X (35909, -0.7%). These deltas are all within a single percentage point, indicating that the Core Ultra 9 185H sits in a tightly contested performance band, essentially trading blows with those chips.

In multi-threaded workloads, the processor scores 17984.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 10356 in Cinebench R20 multi-core. Single-thread performance is respectable as well, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1810.5 and a Geekbench single-core score of 1794. The Geekbench multi-core result of 11657 demonstrates strong scaling across its 16 cores. Passmark results further illustrate the chip's character: a multi-thread score of 29376, a single-thread score of 3697, and a physics score of 1956.

For The Medium, a horror title that relies on fixed camera angles and pre-rendered environments, the CPU's role is less about raw frame rate generation and more about maintaining consistent frame pacing and handling game logic. The game's measured FPS at 1080p Low is 97 FPS, which is the highest average across all tested configurations. This suggests that at lower settings, the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU adequately. However, the gap between Low and Medium at 1080p (97 FPS vs 60 FPS) is substantial, indicating that the graphics settings have a more pronounced effect on performance than the CPU's capabilities. The Core Ultra 9 185H's strong multi-core scores, particularly its Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 17984.5, ensure that background tasks and streaming assets won't bottleneck the experience, but the data shows the game is primarily GPU-bound at higher settings.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, with a die size of 159 mm² and 18,900 million transistors. It features 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, along with 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz, with memory running at 2125 MHz (17 Gbps effective). It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The card's FP32 performance is rated at 15.11 TFLOPS, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

In the GPU benchmark hierarchy, the RTX 4060 sits in the 61st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17639. Its nearest rivals are surprisingly close: the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (17666, -0.2% delta), the AMD Radeon 780M (17588, +0.3%), the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17551, +0.5%), and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 (17509, +0.7%). These deltas are all under one percent, meaning the RTX 4060 is effectively in a dead heat with those older or integrated parts in aggregate benchmark terms, despite being a much more modern architecture.

The RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM is a critical factor in The Medium. The game is known for its dual-reality rendering, where two worlds are often displayed simultaneously, which can pressure memory capacity. At 4K Ultra, the measured average FPS drops to 23, and at 4K High it is 29 FPS. These low frame rates at 4K are likely influenced by both the GPU's compute limits and the 8 GB memory capacity being strained by high-resolution textures. The Passmark G3D score of 19545 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2302 provide context for the card's overall capability, but the game-specific measurements show that at 1440p and 4K, the GPU is the limiting factor, especially at higher presets.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern across resolutions. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 97 at 1080p to 81 at 1440p, then to 64 at 4K. That is a 16.5% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 21% drop from 1440p to 4K. At Medium settings, the averages are 60 FPS at 1080p, 51 FPS at 1440p, and 40 FPS at 4K — a 15% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 21.6% drop from 1440p to 4K. High settings yield 43 FPS at 1080p, 36 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K, representing a 16.3% and 19.4% drop respectively. Ultra settings show 34 FPS at 1080p, 29 FPS at 1440p, and 23 FPS at 4K, with drops of 14.7% and 20.7%.

The consistency of these percentage drops across settings — roughly 15-16% from 1080p to 1440p and 20-21% from 1440p to 4K — indicates that the RTX 4060 is the primary bottleneck. The resolution scaling is relatively uniform, suggesting that the GPU's rendering throughput, not the CPU or memory bandwidth, governs the frame rate. The CPU's performance is more than sufficient at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the 97 FPS result at 1080p Low, but as resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows proportionally.

The data also shows that the gap between Low and Medium settings is larger than the gap between Medium and High, or High and Ultra. At 1080p, Low yields 97 FPS while Medium drops to 60 FPS — a 38% reduction. In contrast, Medium to High drops 28% (60 to 43 FPS), and High to Ultra drops 21% (43 to 34 FPS). This suggests that the Medium preset introduces significant visual features that are computationally expensive, while the incremental cost of moving from Medium to Ultra is relatively smaller. The 4K data reinforces this: Low at 64 FPS vs Medium at 40 FPS is a 37.5% drop, while Medium to High (40 to 29 FPS) is a 27.5% drop, and High to Ultra (29 to 23 FPS) is a 20.7% drop.

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

Based strictly on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset at 1080p offers the best balance, delivering an average of 60 FPS with a minimum of 51 FPS and a maximum of 69 FPS. This is the only configuration at 1080p that achieves a 60 FPS average while maintaining a minimum above 50 FPS. The Low preset at 1080p is significantly faster at 97 FPS, but it likely sacrifices visual fidelity that the Medium preset restores. The High preset at 1080p drops to 43 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra falls to 34 FPS.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is again the most playable option, with an average of 51 FPS, a minimum of 43 FPS, and a maximum of 59 FPS. While not a locked 60 FPS, it is close enough for a horror game that doesn't demand twitch reflexes. The Low preset at 1440p runs at 81 FPS, but the visual downgrade may be too steep for a game that relies on atmospheric detail. High at 1440p delivers 36 FPS, which is playable but not smooth, and Ultra is at 29 FPS.

At 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option for playable frame rates, averaging 64 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K averages 40 FPS with a minimum of 34 FPS, which is playable but noticeably stuttery during intense scenes. High at 4K drops to 29 FPS, and Ultra is at 23 FPS, both of which are below acceptable thresholds for a smooth experience. Given the data, the recommended path is Medium at 1080p for the best balance of visual quality and performance, with Medium at 1440p as a solid alternative for users with higher-resolution displays who can tolerate slightly lower frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for a consistent 60 FPS experience?

A: The data shows that only 1080p Low (97 FPS) and 1080p Medium (60 FPS) achieve a 60 FPS average. Between the two, Medium is the recommended choice as it maintains a minimum of 51 FPS while providing higher visual fidelity.

Q: Can the RTX 4060 handle 4K gaming in The Medium?

A: At 4K, only the Low preset delivers a playable average of 64 FPS. Medium at 4K drops to 40 FPS, High to 29 FPS, and Ultra to 23 FPS. For a smooth 4K experience, Low settings are required, which may compromise visual quality.

Q: How does the Core Ultra 9 185H compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 9 185H has an average benchmark score of 35670, placing it within 0.7% of its closest rivals. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 is 0.1% slower, the Intel Core 7 250H is 0.2% slower, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 is 0.4% slower, and the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is 0.7% faster.

Q: Is the RTX 4060's performance close to any other GPUs in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4060 scores 17639 on average, with the AMD Radeon HD 7790 just 0.2% higher, the AMD Radeon 780M 0.3% lower, and both the AMD Radeon Pro 560 and Pro 460 within 0.7% of its score.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 51 FPS at 1440p Medium, with a minimum of 43 FPS and a maximum of 59 FPS. This is the most balanced 1440p option in the dataset.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any resolution?

A: Based on the FPS scaling, the GPU appears to be the primary bottleneck at all resolutions above 1080p Low. The uniform percentage drops in FPS as resolution increases indicate that the RTX 4060's rendering limits, not the CPU, govern performance.

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

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 97 FPS average
• Medium: 60 FPS average, 51 FPS minimum, 69 FPS maximum
• High: 43 FPS average
• Ultra: 34 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 81 FPS average
• Medium: 51 FPS average, 43 FPS minimum, 59 FPS maximum
• High: 36 FPS average
• Ultra: 29 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 64 FPS average
• Medium: 40 FPS average, 34 FPS minimum, 46 FPS maximum
• High: 29 FPS average
• Ultra: 23 FPS average

The data shows a clear hierarchy: Low presets are always the fastest, followed by Medium, High, and Ultra in descending order. The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, indicating it was the focus of detailed frame-time analysis. Across all resolutions, the jump from Low to Medium is the largest single-step performance hit, while the step from High to Ultra is the smallest. This pattern holds consistently at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, reinforcing the conclusion that the Medium preset introduces a significant rendering cost that is then incrementally increased by High and Ultra settings.

The combination rank for this hardware pairing is 1751 out of 2911 total combos in the game's database, placing it just above the median. This rank reflects the pairing's overall capability across all tested settings and resolutions, and it aligns with the measured data showing that 60 FPS is achievable only at 1080p Medium, while higher resolutions require compromises on settings to remain playable.