The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title built on Unreal Engine 4, presents a unique challenge to hardware due to its dual-world rendering technique. The measured data for the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 shows a configuration that is capable of smooth gameplay, but the optimal settings are heavily dependent on the target resolution. The dataset reveals a clear performance hierarchy across the four tested presets and three resolutions, providing a comprehensive look at how this mobile CPU and GPU combo handles a demanding, atmospheric release.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data indicates that the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience for this hardware combination, particularly for users prioritizing frame rate consistency alongside visual fidelity. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers an average of 68 FPS with a minimum of 58 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS. This frame rate floor above 60 FPS ensures that the game’s deliberate pacing and camera movements remain fluid, which is critical for maintaining the tense atmosphere without stutter. Lowering the settings to Low at this resolution increases the average to 108 FPS, but the visual cost in a game that relies heavily on moody lighting and shadow detail is likely too high for the performance gain. Conversely, the High preset at 1080p drops the average to 49 FPS, which introduces visible judder in a title that is not a fast-paced shooter.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset continues to be the sensible choice, producing an average of 57 FPS with a minimum of 49 FPS. While this is technically below the 60 FPS threshold, the consistent minimum suggests that the experience remains stable. The High preset at this resolution averages 41 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a game that uses slow, deliberate camera pans to build suspense. The jump to 3840x2160 changes the calculus entirely. Here, the Medium preset averages 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS. While not a locked 60, the data shows that Medium is the only preset at 4K that provides a frame rate high enough to be considered playable without significant compromise. The Low preset at 4K does achieve 72 FPS, but utilizing it would negate the purpose of rendering at such a high resolution, as the asset quality and shadow resolution would be severely diminished.

For users with displays that support variable refresh rate, the Medium preset is the definitive recommendation across all three resolutions. It provides the highest frame rate that still maintains a reasonable level of graphical fidelity for this game’s specific art style. The measured minimums for the Medium preset show that the hardware does not experience catastrophic frame drops, which is often a concern in scenes that render two perspectives simultaneously. The data strongly suggests that the Ultra preset is not viable for this configuration, as it yields an average of 39 FPS at 1080p, 32 FPS at 1440p, and 25 FPS at 4K, all of which are too low for a smooth experience. Ultimately, Medium is the sweet spot, offering the best balance of frame rate and visual quality that the data supports.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the dominant component in this configuration for The Medium, as evidenced by the significant performance scaling across resolution changes. The GPU’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory is a crucial asset for this title, as the game’s signature feature of rendering two simultaneous worlds requires substantial memory bandwidth and capacity. The 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth is sufficient to feed the 5888 shading units without causing a bottleneck that would lead to severe hitches. The measured frame rates show that the GPU’s capability is the primary factor determining the experience, especially at higher resolutions where the rendering load increases exponentially.

The card’s boost clock of 2475 MHz is relatively high, and the data indicates that it maintains performance effectively in this scenario. The performance deltas in the GPU’s nearest rivals show it is closely matched with the NVIDIA Tesla P4, which is 0.1% higher, and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, which is 0.4% higher. It notably outperforms the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 by 1.3% and trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile by 1.3%. This positioning suggests that the RTX 4070 is a solid mid-to-high tier performer. In The Medium, the GPU’s ability to handle the complex shader work and the dual-viewport rendering is clear, as the frame rate drops by roughly 41% when moving from 1080p Medium (68 FPS) to 1440p Medium (57 FPS), and then by another 21% when moving to 4K Medium (45 FPS). This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the CPU has sufficient headroom to feed the graphics card.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined performance of the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 places this configuration at rank 1525 out of 2911 tested combos within The Medium’s benchmark database. This places the combo in the 52nd percentile, meaning it outperforms slightly more than half of all tested systems. While not a top-tier result, it is a respectable showing for a mobile platform. The ranking indicates that this is a capable mid-range gaming setup, but it is not designed for maximum settings at high resolutions. The data suggests that the combination is balanced, with neither component being a severe weak link, but the overall score is pulled down by the GPU’s inability to maintain high frame rates at the Ultra preset.

The combo’s rank is likely influenced by the fact that the CPU, while powerful, does not have the top-tier single-thread performance that some desktop processors offer, which can matter in certain game scenes. The CPU’s percentile vs all CPUs is 85, and its average benchmark score of 35670 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350, which scores 35719 and has a delta of -0.1%. The GPU’s percentile vs all GPUs is 81, with an average benchmark score of 37648. The 4070’s performance is closely matched with the Tesla P4 and RX Vega 56, but the data shows that in this specific game, the combo is placed in the lower half of the database. This suggests that while the individual components are solid, other combos with higher-end GPUs or better-optimized drivers achieve significantly better frame rates in The Medium.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo in The Medium?

A: The highest average frame rate is 108 FPS, recorded at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset.

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K with the High preset?

A: The data shows that at 3840x2160 with the High preset, the system averages 32 FPS. This is below the generally accepted threshold for smooth gameplay and is not recommended.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival in terms of synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H has an average benchmark score of 35670, which is 0.1% lower than the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350's score of 35719, making them effectively equivalent in performance.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 2560x1440?

A: The minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is 49 FPS, with an average of 57 FPS and a maximum of 66 FPS.

Q: Is the GPU more powerful than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56?

A: Based on the average benchmark scores, the RTX 4070 has an average score of 37648, which is 0.4% higher than the RX Vega 56's 37507, indicating a marginal performance advantage.

Q: What are the core and thread counts for the CPU in this combo?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H features 16 cores and 22 threads.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K for this combo clearly illustrates the GPU-bound nature of The Medium. At the Medium preset, the average frame rate starts at 68 FPS at 1920x1080. When the resolution is increased to 2560x1440, the average frame rate drops to 57 FPS, a decrease of 16%. Moving to 3840x2160 yields an average of 45 FPS, a further 21% drop from the 1440p result. This shows a steady and significant decline in performance as the pixel count increases, which is the expected behavior for a graphics-intensive title. The scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 4070 is the limiting factor, as its rendering throughput cannot keep pace with the increasing resolution demands.

The same trend is visible at other settings. At the Low preset, the system achieves 108 FPS at 1080p, 91 FPS at 1440p, and 72 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 15.7%, and from 1440p to 4K is 20.9%, which is nearly identical to the scaling observed at the Medium preset. This consistency strongly suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU (Intel Core Ultra 9 185H) is capable of delivering the necessary frame data without becoming a constraint. The fact that the frame rate scales linearly with the number of pixels confirms that the workload is being handled by the graphics card's shader and ROP units. The lack of a plateau in the frame rates at lower resolutions indicates that the CPU has sufficient headroom to feed the GPU even at 1080p.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H plays a supporting role in this configuration, providing enough processing power to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 4070. With 16 cores and 22 threads based on the Meteor Lake architecture, the CPU has substantial multi-threaded capability, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17984.5. However, in this game, the single-thread performance is often more critical for game logic and draw call submission. The CPU’s single-core score of 1810.5 in Cinebench R23 and 3697 in Passmark indicate that it is a competent performer, but it does not have the dominant single-thread lead that some desktop CPUs possess. The data from the measured FPS suggests that this is sufficient, as the frame rates are consistently limited by the GPU.

The CPU’s base clock of 3.90 GHz and boost clock of 5.10 GHz provide a good range for handling varying workloads. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache is ample for game data. The fact that the combo is ranked at 1525 out of 2911 suggests that while the CPU is good, it is not the differentiator in this pairing. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X, have a similar average benchmark score (35909 vs 35670, a -0.7% delta), showing that the Core Ultra 9 185H is in a competitive performance tier. In The Medium, the CPU is not the limiting factor; the resolution scaling tests prove this. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would see a smaller frame rate difference between 1440p and 4K, as the GPU would be waiting on the CPU. Instead, the significant drops at higher resolutions confirm that the RTX 4070 is the component that determines the final frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS dataset for this combo provides a detailed view of its performance envelope. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: the Low preset delivers an average of 108 FPS. The Medium preset averages 68 FPS, with a minimum of 58 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS. The High preset averages 49 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 39 FPS. This shows a clear hierarchy, with the Medium preset being the only one that maintains an average above 60 FPS while still providing a reasonable visual upgrade over Low.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. The Low preset averages 91 FPS. The Medium preset averages 57 FPS, with a minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 66 FPS. The High preset averages 41 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 32 FPS. The data indicates that 1440p is the practical limit for this GPU, as even the High preset falls below the 60 FPS target.

At 3840x2160, the performance is significantly limited. The Low preset averages 72 FPS, making it the only playable option for high refresh rates. The Medium preset averages 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS. The High preset averages 32 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 25 FPS. The 4K Medium result, with its minimums in the high 30s, is the only preset at this resolution that could be considered for a cinematic experience on a VRR display. The Ultra preset is clearly unplayable, confirming that this combo is not suited for maximum settings at 4K.