The Medium

The Medium is a game that punishes hardware with its fixed camera angles, heavy post-processing, and reliance on both CPU and GPU resources. In this analysis, we examine the pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT. The data reveals a combination that is heavily skewed by the graphics card, where a top-tier processor is left waiting on a mid-range GPU to catch up. The benchmark results show a clear picture of what this system can deliver, and where its limitations lie.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and can boost up to 5.80 GHz, giving it substantial headroom for demanding workloads. This processor is a powerhouse in synthetic benchmarks, scoring 51,731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7,303 in single-core tests. Its performance percentile of 96 against all CPUs places it firmly in the top tier of available processors, with an average benchmark score of 84,003.

The processor's nearest rivals in the database illustrate its standing. The Intel Core Ultra 9 285K scores 83,807, which is just 0.2% lower, making the 290K Plus effectively a peer of its predecessor. The AMD EPYC 4584PX and AMD EPYC 9135 are 1.1% and 1.2% slower, respectively, while the AMD EPYC 7F72 is 1.3% faster. These margins are minuscule, indicating that the 290K Plus is at the very top of the performance curve, yet these differences are largely irrelevant for gaming.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic. With 24 cores and 24 threads, the 290K Plus has an immense amount of parallel processing power. The data suggests this is not a bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 91 FPS, which is the highest average in the measured results. This indicates that even at lower resolutions where the GPU has less work, the CPU is capable of pushing frame rates high. The processor's single-thread performance, as evidenced by its 7,303 score in Cinebench R23, is also strong, ensuring that the game's main thread is well-served. The combination of high core count and high clock speeds means that the CPU is unlikely to be the limiting factor in this pairing.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The overall ranking for this specific combination in The Medium is 2,074 out of 2,911 tested combos. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the performance spectrum, which is a surprising result given the strength of the CPU. The ranking indicates that while the system is capable of playing the game, a significant number of other hardware pairings achieve higher average frame rates.

This rank is a direct consequence of the GPU choice. The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is a mid-range card, and its performance ceiling is what ultimately dictates the frame rates in this game. The data shows that even the most powerful CPU cannot compensate for a GPU that is struggling to render the game's scenes. The 2,074 rank suggests that users with this combo will have to make compromises on settings or resolution to achieve a smooth experience, while those with stronger GPUs will have a more straightforward time.

The disparity between the CPU's high percentile (96) and the combo's low rank (2074 out of 2911) highlights a classic bottleneck scenario. The processor is operating far below its potential, while the GPU is likely running at or near its maximum capacity. This is a common issue in PC building, but the data here makes it particularly clear. The combo rank is a holistic measure of the entire system's gaming performance, and in this case, it is dragged down by the graphics card.

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

The measured FPS data across resolutions paints a clear picture of the system's scaling behavior. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 91 FPS. Moving to 1440p, the frame rate drops to 77 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 60 FPS. This is a relatively gentle decline, suggesting that the GPU is still managing the workload at lower resolutions.

However, the scaling becomes more dramatic at higher settings. At Medium settings, the frame rates are 57 FPS at 1080p, 48 FPS at 1440p, and 38 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is 19 FPS, which is a 33% reduction. At High settings, the frames are 41, 34, and 27 FPS for 1080p, 1440p, and 4K respectively. This is a consistent pattern where the GPU is the primary driver of performance.

The most telling data point is at Ultra settings. Here, the system can only muster 32 FPS at 1080p, 27 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is a drop of 11 FPS, which is a 34% reduction. This indicates that the RX 6600 XT is being overwhelmed by the game's highest preset, even at 1080p. The GPU's 8 GB of VRAM and 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth are likely insufficient for the demands of Ultra settings.

The pattern of frame rate declines across resolutions points to the GPU as the definitive limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a plateau in frame rates as the resolution increases, because the CPU workload would remain constant. Instead, the frame rates continue to fall, indicating that the GPU is working progressively harder as the pixel count increases. This is a classic sign of a GPU-bound system.

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

The measured data provides a detailed view of performance across all combinations of resolution and settings. We will break this down for clarity.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers the following average frame rates:

• Low: 91 FPS
• Medium: 57 FPS (min 49, max 66)
• High: 41 FPS
• Ultra: 32 FPS

The jump from Low to Medium is a 34 FPS drop, which is significant. The gap between Medium and High is 16 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 9 FPS. This shows that the cost of each graphical upgrade is substantial, but the relative cost decreases as the settings increase.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance is as follows:

• Low: 77 FPS
• Medium: 48 FPS (min 41, max 55)
• High: 34 FPS
• Ultra: 27 FPS

Compared to 1080p, we see a 14 FPS drop at Low, a 9 FPS drop at Medium, a 7 FPS drop at High, and a 5 FPS drop at Ultra. The absolute frame rates are lower, but the relative differences between settings are similar.

At 3840x2160, the results are:

• Low: 60 FPS
• Medium: 38 FPS (min 32, max 43)
• High: 27 FPS
• Ultra: 21 FPS

Here, the Low setting barely maintains a playable 60 FPS. Medium drops to 38 FPS, which is borderline for smooth gameplay. High and Ultra are firmly in the unplayable range for a game like The Medium, which relies on atmosphere and pacing. The min and max FPS values for Medium at 4K (32 to 43) show a 11 FPS variance, which can lead to noticeable stuttering in slower scenes.

The data shows that the system is most comfortable at 1080p, with a wide range of playable settings. At 1440p, users will need to stick to Low or Medium for a smooth experience. At 4K, only Low settings are viable.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is based on the RDNA 2.0 architecture and features the Navi 23 chip. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. The card has a base clock of 1968 MHz, a game clock of 2359 MHz, and a boost clock of 2589 MHz. Its performance percentile is 70, with an average benchmark score of 24,442.

The GPU's nearest rivals show it is a mid-pack performer. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 is 0.7% slower, while the Intel Arc A350M is 0.8% faster. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti is 0.8% slower, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER is 1.1% faster. These small deltas confirm that the RX 6600 XT sits in a specific performance tier, and it is not capable of competing with higher-end cards.

In The Medium, the GPU's 8 GB of VRAM is a critical factor. The game's high-resolution textures and complex shaders can easily fill this memory buffer. The frame rates at High and Ultra settings suggest that the card is running out of memory or compute resources, leading to the low scores. The 32 ray accelerators (RT Cores) are present, but the game's use of ray tracing is likely minimal, with the primary load falling on the standard shading units and TMUs.

The boost clock of 2589 MHz is high, but it does not translate into sufficient performance for this game. The 10.60 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is a theoretical measure, and the real-world results show that the card is struggling to maintain high frame rates at higher settings. The data indicates that the RX 6600 XT is the component that needs upgrading to improve performance in The Medium.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, the data points to specific choices.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 91 FPS, which is excellent, but the Medium preset at 57 FPS is also very playable. Given the game's horror atmosphere, the visual improvements at Medium are likely worth the 34 FPS drop. The High preset at 41 FPS is playable but may feel less fluid. The Ultra preset at 32 FPS is not recommended, as it dips below the threshold for comfortable gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset at 77 FPS is the only option that provides a consistently smooth experience. The Medium preset at 48 FPS is acceptable, but the min FPS of 41 suggests occasional stutters. The High and Ultra presets at 34 and 27 FPS respectively are not recommended for this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset at 60 FPS is the only viable option. The Medium preset at 38 FPS is below the 60 FPS target and will result in a noticeably less fluid experience. The High and Ultra presets are effectively unplayable at this resolution, with frame rates in the 20s.

The data suggests that the best experience is achieved by prioritizing a stable frame rate over visual fidelity. For most users, the Medium preset at 1080p offers the best balance of performance and visual quality. The Low preset at 1440p is a good alternative for those with higher-resolution monitors. At 4K, the Low preset is the only choice that maintains a playable frame rate. The key takeaway is that the RX 6600 XT is the limiting factor, and users should adjust settings downward to achieve their desired frame rate.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in The Medium?

A: The highest average FPS is 91, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Is this system capable of playing at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it achieves an average of 60 FPS. At Medium settings, the frame rate drops to 38 FPS, and at High and Ultra, it falls to 27 and 21 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is 0.2% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, and 1.1% faster than the AMD EPYC 4584PX.

Q: Which component is the bottleneck for this system in The Medium?

A: The benchmark data strongly indicates the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is the limiting component. The frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings, a classic sign of a GPU-bound system, while the CPU's high benchmark scores remain largely untapped.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium settings at 1080p?

A: The minimum FPS recorded for Medium settings at 1920x1080 is 49 FPS, with a maximum of 66 FPS.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 2,074 out of 2,911 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the performance spectrum.