The Medium

The Medium is a horror title that leans heavily on fixed camera angles and pre-rendered transitions, which creates a unique performance profile. For the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, the data shows a system that is consistently GPU-bound at higher resolutions but reveals unexpected CPU headroom at 1080p. The benchmark results indicate that this pairing delivers playable frame rates at Medium settings across all resolutions, though pushing to Ultra settings requires significant compromises.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable pattern as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the drop varies significantly depending on the quality preset. At Medium settings, the average frame rate falls from 60 FPS at 1920x1080 to 51 FPS at 2560x1440, representing a 15% reduction. Moving further up to 3840x2160, the average drops to 40 FPS, which is a 21.6% reduction from the 1440p result and a 33.3% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern is typical for a GPU-bound scenario where pixel count increases faster than the renderer can compensate.

The Low preset tells a different story. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 97 FPS, which drops to 81 FPS at 2560x1440 (a 16.5% decrease) and then to 64 FPS at 3840x2160 (a 21% decrease from 1440p). The fact that Low settings still show substantial drops when moving to 4K suggests that even with reduced shading complexity, the RTX 4060's memory bandwidth and pixel throughput become limiting factors. The 128-bit bus and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are the likely culprits here, as the fill rate demand at 3840x2160 exceeds what the GPU can sustain.

High settings exhibit the steepest relative decline. Starting at 43 FPS at 1080p, the average falls to 36 FPS at 1440p (a 16.3% drop) and then to 29 FPS at 4K (a 19.4% drop from 1440p). These numbers indicate that High settings place enough load on the GPU that resolution scaling becomes nearly linear with pixel count. The 4K High result of 29 FPS is borderline unplayable for a horror game where smooth camera movement matters for atmosphere.

Ultra settings are the most punishing. The system manages 34 FPS at 1080p, drops to 29 FPS at 1440p (a 14.7% decrease), and falls to 23 FPS at 4K (a 20.7% decrease from 1440p). None of these Ultra results reach the 60 FPS threshold, and even the 1080p figure is below what most players would consider smooth for this genre. The scaling pattern across all presets confirms that the RTX 4060 is the primary limiting component at every resolution tested, with the CPU rarely becoming a bottleneck.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the AD107 chip using a 5 nm TSMC process, with 18,900 million transistors packed into a 159 mm² die. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1830 MHz and boosts to 2460 MHz, which translates to a theoretical FP32 throughput of 15.11 TFLOPS. The memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications place the GPU in the 61st percentile of all GPUs in the benchmark database, with an average benchmark score of 17639.

The nearest rivals to the RTX 4060 in the database are mostly older or integrated solutions. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17666, which is 0.2% higher, while the AMD Radeon 780M integrated GPU scores 17588, sitting 0.3% below. The AMD Radeon Pro 560 and Pro 460 trail by 0.5% and 0.7% respectively. This clustering of scores around the 17500-17700 range indicates that the RTX 4060's raw compute performance is comparable to these older discrete and modern integrated parts, but the measured game FPS tells a more nuanced story.

In The Medium specifically, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for the game's asset streaming at all tested settings. The measured FPS data shows no signs of texture thrashing or stuttering that would indicate VRAM exhaustion. The 48 ROPs and 96 TMUs provide a pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s, which are the specifications that directly influence how quickly the game can fill the screen at higher resolutions. The 4K Medium result of 40 FPS, compared to the 1080p Medium result of 60 FPS, suggests that the pixel fill rate is the limiting factor rather than shader compute.

The boost clock of 2460 MHz is relatively high for a laptop GPU, and the data suggests the card sustains this frequency under load in The Medium. The Low preset results of 97 FPS at 1080p and 64 FPS at 4K indicate that the GPU can achieve respectable frame rates when shading complexity is reduced, but the transition from Low to Medium at 4K (64 to 40 FPS) represents a 37.5% performance penalty that cannot be overcome by clock speed alone.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a 24-core, 24-thread mobile processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm TSMC process. It features a base clock of 2.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a TDP of 55 W. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. The processor supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, providing 102.4 GB/s of memory bandwidth. These specifications place the CPU in the 94th percentile of all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 67469.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the database are all workstation or server parts. The Intel Xeon w5-3525 scores 67673, which is 0.3% higher, while the AMD EPYC 4484PX scores 67822, sitting 0.5% above. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5955WX trails slightly at 67868, which is 0.6% higher, and the Intel Xeon 6515P scores 67006, coming in 0.7% lower. This tight clustering indicates that the Ultra 9 275HX delivers compute performance on par with these much larger desktop workstation chips, despite being a mobile part.

For The Medium, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage the game's scripting and AI systems. The game is not known for being CPU-intensive, and the measured FPS data confirms this. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 97 FPS, which is well below the CPU's theoretical limit. The fact that the 1080p Ultra result of 34 FPS is only 65% of the 1080p Low result suggests that the GPU is the bottleneck even at lower resolutions where CPU overhead would typically be more visible.

The 24 cores and 24 threads provide ample headroom for background tasks and streaming, but the game's single-threaded performance is what matters most for frame pacing. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2204 and Geekbench single-core score of 2458 indicate strong per-thread performance. The Passmark single-thread score of 4713 further confirms that the CPU can handle the game's main thread without becoming a limiting factor. The data shows that even at 1080p Low with 97 FPS, the CPU is not the constraint, as the GPU is still delivering frames faster than the rendering pipeline can consume them.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1751 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium. This places the pairing in the 39.9th percentile of all tested combinations, meaning roughly 60% of tested systems deliver higher average frame rates in this game. The rank reflects the fact that the RTX 4060 is a mid-range GPU that sits in the 61st percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is a high-end mobile part in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. The mismatch between the two components' relative strengths is evident in the game's performance profile.

The combo rank of 1751 suggests that the GPU is holding back the overall system performance. A high-end CPU like the Ultra 9 275HX paired with a faster GPU would likely score much higher, while the same GPU paired with a slower CPU would likely score only slightly lower. The data supports this interpretation: the CPU's nearest rivals are all high-core-count workstation parts that would not meaningfully change game FPS, whereas the GPU's nearest rivals include integrated graphics that would dramatically reduce performance.

The 4K Medium result of 40 FPS with a minimum of 34 FPS and maximum of 46 FPS provides a useful reference point for the combo's overall capability. This is the only settings/resolution combination where min and max FPS are recorded, and the 12 FPS spread between min and max indicates moderate frame pacing variability. The 1080p Medium result of 60 FPS (min 51, max 69) shows a similar 18 FPS spread, suggesting that the game's fixed camera transitions cause occasional frame hitches regardless of resolution.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 1080p in The Medium?

A: At Medium settings, the system achieves exactly 60 FPS average at 1920x1080, with a minimum of 51 FPS and maximum of 69 FPS. At Low settings, it reaches 97 FPS, but at High settings it drops to 43 FPS, so 60 FPS is only achievable at Medium or lower.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gaming with this combo?

A: At 3840x2160, the Low preset delivers 64 FPS average, while Medium drops to 40 FPS. High and Ultra produce 29 FPS and 23 FPS respectively. For a playable experience at 4K, Low settings are the only option that stays above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in the database?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17666 (0.2% higher), the AMD Radeon 780M scores 17588 (0.3% lower), and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 and Pro 460 score 17551 and 17509 (0.5% and 0.7% lower respectively).

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX overkill for this game?

A: The CPU ranks in the 94th percentile of all CPUs with a score of 67469, while the GPU ranks in the 61st percentile. The measured FPS data shows the GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions, so the CPU's performance headroom is not fully utilized in The Medium.

Q: What are the min and max FPS for the Medium settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the system records a minimum of 43 FPS and a maximum of 59 FPS, with an average of 51 FPS. This is the only 1440p preset with min/max data available.

Q: How much performance is lost when going from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 43 at 1920x1080 to 36 at 2560x1440 and then to 29 at 3840x2160. The total reduction from 1080p to 4K is 14 FPS, representing a 32.6% decrease in average frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS dataset covers four quality presets across three resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 97 FPS average, Medium achieves 60 FPS with a minimum of 51 and maximum of 69, High achieves 43 FPS, and Ultra achieves 34 FPS. This represents a performance spread of 63 FPS between the most and least demanding presets at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the results shift downward. Low settings produce 81 FPS average, Medium produces 51 FPS with a minimum of 43 and maximum of 59, High produces 36 FPS, and Ultra produces 29 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 52 FPS, which is narrower than at 1080p due to the increased pixel load compressing the range.

At 3840x2160, the performance envelope tightens further. Low settings deliver 64 FPS average, Medium delivers 40 FPS with a minimum of 34 and maximum of 46, High delivers 29 FPS, and Ultra delivers 23 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is 41 FPS, indicating that the GPU's limits compress the performance differences between presets as resolution increases.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data at all three resolutions. The 1080p result of 60 FPS average (min 51, max 69) shows a 30% variation between minimum and maximum. The 1440p result of 51 FPS average (min 43, max 59) shows a 37.2% variation. The 4K result of 40 FPS average (min 34, max 46) shows a 35.3% variation. These min/max figures indicate that frame pacing is relatively consistent across resolutions, with the variation primarily driven by the game's camera transitions and scene complexity changes.

The Ultra preset shows the most severe performance degradation across resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 23 FPS is only 67.6% of the 1080p Ultra result of 34 FPS. The High preset shows a similar proportional decline, with the 4K result of 29 FPS representing 67.4% of the 1080p result of 43 FPS. Low settings show the least proportional decline, with the 4K result of 64 FPS representing 66% of the 1080p result of 97 FPS. These consistent proportional drops across presets reinforce the conclusion that the GPU's memory bandwidth and pixel throughput are the dominant performance constraints in The Medium for this hardware combination.