The Medium

The Medium presents a demanding workload for the AMD Radeon RX 580, and pairing it with the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus creates a system where the GPU is decisively the limiting factor. This combination ranks 2654th out of 2911 tested combos in this game, placing it in the bottom tier of performance. The data shows a component mismatch that results in a playability ceiling defined entirely by the graphics card's capabilities, regardless of the CPU's substantial processing power.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a dramatic collapse in performance as resolution increases, a classic indicator of GPU-bound rendering. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 22 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops that to 18 FPS, and at 3840x2160 it falls to just 14 FPS. This scaling pattern—a loss of roughly 4 FPS per resolution step—shows that the rendering pipeline is saturated by the RX 580's pixel throughput limits rather than any CPU constraint.

The Low settings preset tells a more revealing story about where the bottleneck resides. At 1080p Low, the system hits 49 FPS, which is a substantial jump from the 22 FPS seen at High. At 1440p Low, it manages 41 FPS, and at 4K Low, it still produces 32 FPS. The fact that Low settings at 4K (32 FPS) outperform High settings at 1080p (22 FPS) is striking. It indicates that the GPU's raw compute and fillrate capabilities are being overwhelmed by the higher graphical fidelity demands, not by the resolution itself. The 4K Low result being nearly 50% faster than 1080p High suggests that the heavy shading and texture work in High settings is what cripples the RX 580, not the sheer number of pixels.

This resolution scaling analysis points to a clear conclusion: the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is not the constraint. A CPU-bound scenario would show relatively stable FPS across resolutions, with a more pronounced drop only at 1080p where the CPU has to feed frames faster. Instead, the data shows steady FPS erosion across all resolution steps, which is the signature of a GPU at its limits. The 24-core processor is likely idle much of the time, waiting on the RX 580 to finish rendering each frame.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 1080p with playable frame rates?

A: At 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS is 49, which is playable for most users. However, at Medium settings, it drops to 31 FPS, and at High settings, it falls to 22 FPS. Ultra settings at 1080p yield only 17 FPS, which is not a smooth experience.

Q: What is the highest resolution at which this combo can maintain 30+ FPS?

A: The only measured configuration that exceeds 30 FPS is 1080p Low (49 FPS). At 1440p Low, it drops to 41 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 32 FPS, which just crosses the 30 FPS threshold. No Medium, High, or Ultra setting at any resolution achieves 30 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 580's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RX 580 has an average benchmark score of 12928, which is 0.1% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile and 0.4% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER. It is 0.5% higher than the AMD Radeon 740M and 0.6% higher than the AMD FirePro W5100. These are very tight margins, indicating the RX 580 sits in a specific performance tier.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus a bottleneck in this game?

A: The benchmark data strongly suggests it is not. The CPU has a 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs, and its multi-core performance is substantial. The FPS scaling across resolutions follows a GPU-bound pattern, where lower resolutions and settings yield disproportionately higher frame rates, indicating the processor has headroom to spare.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a balance of visual quality and performance?

A: Based on the measured data, 1080p Low (49 FPS) is the only preset that offers smooth, high-refresh-rate playability. If visual fidelity is prioritized, 1440p Low (41 FPS) provides a higher resolution with still-playable frame rates, though the step up to 4K Low (32 FPS) pushes the system to the edge of acceptable performance.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested systems for this game?

A: The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 580 ranks 2654th out of 2911 tested combinations in The Medium. This places it in the bottom 9% of all systems tested, reflecting the GPU's age and performance tier relative to modern hardware.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, with 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core. This is an exceptionally powerful CPU, ranking in the 96th percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 84003.

In The Medium, the CPU's role appears minimal. The measured FPS data shows that performance scales almost entirely with GPU workload. For instance, dropping from High to Low settings at 1080p nearly doubles the frame rate from 22 to 49 FPS, a change that would not occur if the CPU were the limiting factor. A CPU-bound scenario would see similar FPS regardless of graphical settings, as the processor would be struggling to issue draw calls and manage game logic. The fact that settings changes produce massive FPS swings confirms the CPU is not the bottleneck.

The CPU's multi-core strength, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and Passmark multithread score of 60860, is largely untapped in this title. The Medium's horror genre and fixed-camera-style presentation may not demand extensive physics or AI simulation that would leverage 24 cores. The single-thread performance is also strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7303, which suggests it could handle game logic efficiently if needed. However, the data shows the GPU is saturated first, leaving the CPU with ample idle capacity. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is simply waiting for the RX 580 to catch up at every resolution and settings combination.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive picture of performance across all major resolutions and settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system produces 49 FPS on Low, 31 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 26 and maximum of 35), 22 FPS on High, and 17 FPS on Ultra. The step from Low to Medium represents a 37% drop in performance, while the step from Medium to High is a 29% drop, and High to Ultra is a 23% drop. This diminishing returns curve is typical of a GPU hitting its shading and texture processing limits.

At 2560x1440, the pattern continues but with lower absolute numbers. Low settings deliver 41 FPS, Medium drops to 26 FPS (min 22, max 30), High falls to 18 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 15 FPS. The relative drops between settings are similar to 1080p, but the starting point is lower. The jump from Low to Medium at 1440p is a 37% reduction, matching the 1080p pattern, which suggests the GPU's compute units are consistently the limiting resource.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings yield 32 FPS, Medium drops to 20 FPS (min 17, max 23), High falls to 14 FPS, and Ultra delivers a mere 11 FPS. The 4K Low result is notable because it is higher than 1440p High and only slightly lower than 1080p High, reinforcing that the RX 580's texture and shading units are the primary constraint, not memory bandwidth or pixel fillrate. The 4K Medium result of 20 FPS is exactly 50% of the 4K Low result, indicating a linear scaling of workload with settings complexity.

The minimum and maximum FPS data for Medium settings shows a tight variance of approximately 7-8 FPS across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the range is 26-35 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 22-30 FPS; and at 4K Medium, it is 17-23 FPS. This consistent variance suggests stable frame pacing, with no severe stutters or hitches, despite the low average frame rates. The game appears to run consistently at these low performance levels rather than experiencing occasional drops, which could be a result of the fixed camera angles in this horror title.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is a 2017-era graphics card based on the Polaris 20 chip, using the GCN 4.0 architecture on a 14 nm process. It has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1257 MHz with a boost clock of 1340 MHz, and its memory runs at 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective). It offers 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs, with a texture rate of 193.0 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s.

In The Medium, the RX 580's age and specifications are clearly exposed. The game's heavy use of volumetric fog, dynamic lighting, and high-resolution textures overwhelms the GCN 4.0 architecture. The 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is insufficient for modern horror titles that push complex shader workloads. The 8 GB of VRAM is adequate for capacity, but the 256 GB/s bandwidth becomes a limiting factor at higher resolutions where larger texture sets are loaded.

The GPU's benchmark performance places it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 12928. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (0.1% faster), which suggests the RX 580's desktop performance is comparable to a mobile mid-range GPU from several generations later. The GTX 1660 SUPER is only 0.4% faster, reinforcing that this card is firmly in the entry-level performance tier by modern standards.

The measured FPS data shows the RX 580's compute ceiling is reached even at 1080p High (22 FPS). The card's 32 ROPs are likely the bottleneck for pixel fillrate, especially at 4K where the pixel count quadruples. However, the relatively better performance at 4K Low (32 FPS) compared to 1080p High (22 FPS) indicates that the shading complexity in High settings is more punishing than the increased pixel count. This suggests the GCN architecture's shader efficiency is the primary weakness, not its memory subsystem or ROP throughput.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimizing playability. If the goal is a smooth, responsive experience, 1080p Low is the only viable option, delivering 49 FPS. This is the only preset that approaches the 60 FPS target, and it does so with a significant margin over the next best option. The Low preset likely disables many of the computationally expensive effects that cripple the RX 580, such as advanced shadows and reflections.

For users who prioritize resolution over settings, 1440p Low at 41 FPS offers a compelling middle ground. The higher pixel density improves image clarity, and the frame rate remains above 40 FPS, which is acceptable for a slow-paced horror game. The step to 4K Low at 32 FPS is tempting for those with 4K displays, but it sits right at the edge of playability. The minimum FPS data for Medium settings suggests that frame drops could push 4K Low below 30 FPS in demanding scenes, making it risky.

Medium settings are not recommended at any resolution. The FPS drops to 31 at 1080p, 26 at 1440p, and 20 at 4K, which are all below the 30 FPS threshold that most players consider the minimum for playable performance. High and Ultra settings are effectively unplayable, with the best case being 22 FPS at 1080p High and the worst being 11 FPS at 4K Ultra. The data suggests that the RX 580 simply lacks the compute and texture processing power to handle these presets, regardless of resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 580 ranks 2654th out of 2911 tested combinations in The Medium. This places it in the bottom 9% of all systems tested, a position that is almost entirely attributable to the GPU. The CPU's 96th percentile ranking among all processors is irrelevant when the graphics card holds back the entire system.

This ranking reflects the fundamental imbalance of this pairing. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a flagship-class CPU with exceptional multi-core and single-core performance, designed to feed the most powerful GPUs available. The RX 580, by contrast, is an end-of-life product from 2017 that sits in the 53rd percentile of GPUs. The 2654th rank out of 2911 combos indicates that most other tested systems, even those with older or weaker CPUs, outperform this combination in this game because they likely pair those CPUs with stronger GPUs.

The benchmark results suggest that this combo is severely CPU-overkill and GPU-underpowered for The Medium. The data shows that upgrading the GPU would yield massive performance gains, while upgrading the CPU would yield almost none. For this specific title, the system's ranking is a direct consequence of the RX 580's inability to handle the game's graphical demands, and the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus's considerable processing power goes largely unused.