The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title that stresses the GPU heavily, and the pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT produces a combination that is firmly GPU-limited at every resolution tested. The data shows a clear pattern: with 24 CPU cores and a 5.80 GHz boost clock, the processor is never the bottleneck; instead, the Radeon RX 7600 XT’s performance ceiling defines the experience, resulting in playable frame rates only at lower settings or lower resolutions, with 4K Ultra proving too taxing for smooth gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance drop as resolution increases, which is classic behavior for a system where the graphics card is the limiting component. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 96 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops that to 81 FPS, a reduction of roughly 15.6%. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls further to 64 FPS, which is another 21% decline from the 1440p figure. This scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames at all three resolutions.

The pattern intensifies at higher settings. At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 60 at 1080p to 51 at 1440p (a 15% drop) and then to 40 at 4K (a 21.6% drop from 1440p). For High settings, the sequence is 43 FPS at 1080p, 36 FPS at 1440p, and 28 FPS at 4K, with the 1440p to 4K transition again showing a steeper relative decline. Ultra settings are the most punishing: 34 FPS at 1080p, 29 FPS at 1440p, and just 23 FPS at 4K. The consistent pattern across all settings—where the gap between 1440p and 4K is larger than the gap between 1080p and 1440p—indicates that the GPU’s shading and memory bandwidth are being saturated as pixel count rises.

This resolution scaling behavior tells us that the limiting component is unequivocally the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect to see smaller differences between 1080p and 4K, as the processor’s workload does not scale proportionally with resolution. The fact that 4K Ultra yields only 23 FPS while 1080p Low yields 96 FPS—a 4.2x difference—demonstrates that the GPU is working at its absolute limit. The game’s fixed camera angles and pre-rendered backgrounds in The Medium still require real-time 3D rendering for characters and effects, and the RX 7600 XT’s 22.57 TFLOPS FP32 compute is insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K with maximum quality.

Furthermore, the frame time data available for Medium settings reinforces the GPU-bound conclusion. At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 51 and maximum is 69, giving a spread of 18 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the min is 43 and max is 58, a spread of 15 FPS. At 4K Medium, the min is 34 and max is 46, a spread of 12 FPS. As resolution increases, the variance narrows, which is typical when the GPU is consistently saturated—there is less fluctuation because every frame is hitting the same hardware wall. The CPU’s 24 threads and 36 MB of shared L3 cache are more than sufficient to keep the render pipeline full, so the frame rate is dictated purely by the GPU’s pixel throughput.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is the decisive factor in this combo’s performance in The Medium. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a crucial resource for a game that uses high-resolution textures and frequent scene transitions. The data shows that at 4K High, the average FPS is 28, which is below the 30 FPS threshold commonly considered playable. At 4K Medium, the average rises to 40 FPS, and at 4K Low, it jumps to 64 FPS. This dramatic improvement when lowering settings indicates that the GPU’s compute units—2048 shading units and 128 TMUs—are the primary constraint, not the memory subsystem.

The GPU’s boost clock of 2755 MHz and game clock of 2470 MHz are relatively high for a mid-range card, but they cannot compensate for the sheer workload of rendering at 3840x2160. The pixel rate of 176.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 352.6 GTexel/s sound capable on paper, but The Medium’s visual effects, including volumetric fog and dynamic lighting, demand more than this GPU can deliver at high resolutions. The 32 ray accelerators (RT cores) are present, but the game does not appear to leverage ray tracing heavily in the measured data; instead, the traditional rasterization load is what dominates.

The 16 GB VRAM is a notable asset, as it exceeds what many games require at 1080p and 1440p. Even at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS is just 23, the frame rate is not likely limited by memory capacity—the GPU’s processing power is the bottleneck. The GPU’s benchmark scores support this interpretation. Its passmark G3D score of 17132 places it in the 60th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, which scores 17208 (a 0.7% delta). This near-parity with a previous-generation high-end card explains why 1440p Medium delivers 51 FPS—a respectable result—but 4K Ultra falls to 23 FPS.

The GPU’s memory clock of 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) is fixed, and the 128-bit bus width limits bandwidth to 288.0 GB/s. For a game like The Medium, which uses fixed cameras but complex lighting, this bandwidth is sufficient at 1080p and 1440p but becomes a limiting factor at 4K when combined with high settings. Lowering settings from Ultra to Low at 4K produces a 2.8x improvement in FPS (23 to 64), which is a much larger gain than the 1.8x improvement seen at 1080p (34 to 96). This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so overburdened that reducing quality settings has an outsized impact, freeing up both compute units and memory bandwidth.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for The Medium, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT ranks 1827 out of 2911 combos. This places it in the lower-middle tier of all tested systems, which is expected given the GPU’s 60th percentile standing among all GPUs. The CPU, by contrast, is a high-end part with a 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs, meaning the combo’s rank is dragged down entirely by the graphics card.

The gap between the CPU and GPU performance tiers is stark. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, placing it just 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (avg score 83807) and 1.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4584PX (avg score 83090). Its nearest rivals also include the AMD EPYC 9135 (avg score 82980, 1.2% slower) and the AMD EPYC 7F72 (avg score 85072, 1.3% faster). This CPU is a top-tier processor for compute workloads, but in a game like The Medium, its 24 cores and 24 threads are largely idle while waiting for the GPU to finish rendering frames.

The RX 7600 XT’s average benchmark score of 17083 places it just 0.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (avg score 17037) and 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon HD 7970M (avg score 17019). It is 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 (avg score 17208) and 0.9% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla M4 (avg score 16932). This clustering of scores around 17000 indicates that the RX 7600 XT is a mid-range performer, and the game’s frame rates reflect that. A combo rank of 1827 out of 2911 means that roughly 62.8% of tested combinations perform better in The Medium, which is consistent with a GPU that is not designed for high-refresh 4K gaming.

The data shows that if the same CPU were paired with a faster GPU, the combo rank would improve dramatically, because the CPU is not the limiting factor in any of the measured scenarios. The 1080p Low result of 96 FPS suggests that the CPU could push well beyond 100 FPS if the GPU allowed it, but the RX 7600 XT caps the output.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings for this combo in The Medium?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 with Low settings delivers 96 FPS average, which is the highest frame rate recorded. For a balance of quality and performance, 2560x1440 with Medium settings provides 51 FPS average with a minimum of 43 FPS, which is playable. 3840x2160 is only viable at Low settings (64 FPS), as Medium drops to 40 FPS and High falls to 28 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this combo?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck at every resolution and setting tested. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has 24 cores and a 5.80 GHz boost clock, which is far more than The Medium requires. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K shows classic GPU-bound behavior, with performance dropping by 33% to 50% as resolution increases, depending on settings.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested combinations?

A: It ranks 1827 out of 2911 combos, placing it in the lower-middle tier. The CPU is in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, but the GPU is only in the 60th percentile, which pulls the overall rank down. The GPU’s nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, performs 0.7% better in synthetic benchmarks, and the game results are consistent with that margin.

Q: Can this combo achieve 60 FPS at 4K in The Medium?

A: No. The highest 4K result is 64 FPS at Low settings, but that is the only 4K result above 60 FPS. At Medium settings, 4K drops to 40 FPS, and at High it falls to 28 FPS. Ultra settings produce just 23 FPS. To maintain 60 FPS at 4K, the game would need to run at Low settings, which still barely exceeds 60 FPS.

Q: What is the impact of lowering settings from Ultra to Low?

A: The impact is substantial. At 1080p, the average FPS goes from 34 at Ultra to 96 at Low, a 182% improvement. At 1440p, it goes from 29 to 81, a 179% improvement. At 4K, it goes from 23 to 64, a 178% improvement. The relative gain is nearly identical across resolutions, confirming that the GPU’s workload is uniformly reduced.

Q: Does the 16 GB VRAM help at 4K Ultra?

A: The 16 GB VRAM is not the limiting factor at 4K Ultra. The average FPS of 23 at that setting is due to the GPU’s compute throughput, not memory capacity. The memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s and the 128-bit bus are sufficient for the game’s data, but the 2048 shading units cannot process the frame quickly enough.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best performance. Low settings produce an average of 96 FPS. Medium settings yield 60 FPS average, with a minimum of 51 FPS and a maximum of 69 FPS. High settings drop to 43 FPS average. Ultra settings fall to 34 FPS average. This resolution is the only one where all settings except Ultra remain above 40 FPS, making 1080p the recommended target for this GPU.

At 2560x1440, performance degrades noticeably. Low settings average 81 FPS, which is still smooth. Medium settings average 51 FPS, with a minimum of 43 FPS and a maximum of 58 FPS, providing a playable experience with some headroom. High settings average 36 FPS, which is borderline for a horror game that benefits from smooth motion. Ultra settings average 29 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS threshold for comfortable play.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overmatched. Low settings average 64 FPS, which is playable but requires significant visual compromises. Medium settings average 40 FPS, with a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 46 FPS, which is acceptable for a slow-paced horror game but not ideal. High settings average 28 FPS, which is choppy. Ultra settings average 23 FPS, which is the lowest result in the entire dataset.

The Medium settings data provides the only min/max values for each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the frame time variance is 18 FPS (51 to 69). At 1440p Medium, the variance is 15 FPS (43 to 58). At 4K Medium, the variance is 12 FPS (34 to 46). This tightening of the frame time range as resolution increases further confirms that the GPU is operating at maximum utilization, leaving little room for fluctuation.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a high-end desktop processor with 24 cores and 24 threads, based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture on a 3 nm process. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz, and it boosts to 5.80 GHz. This CPU is designed for heavy multithreaded workloads, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and Passmark multithread score of 60860. For a game like The Medium, which is not heavily multithreaded, this processor has enormous headroom.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (0.2% faster), AMD EPYC 4584PX (1.1% slower), AMD EPYC 9135 (1.2% slower), and AMD EPYC 7F72 (1.3% faster). These scores are within a narrow band, showing that the 290K Plus is at the top of the consumer desktop market. Its 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs means it outperforms 96% of processors in the database.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the average FPS is 96—not limited by the CPU. The processor’s single-thread performance, measured at 4823 in Passmark single-thread and 7303 in Cinebench R23 single-core, is more than adequate for the game’s main thread. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 24 threads ensure that any background tasks or asset streaming do not cause stutters.

The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s (dual-channel DDR5) is sufficient for the game’s data transfer needs. The PCIe Gen 5 interface with 20 lanes provides ample bandwidth for the GPU, which uses PCIe 4.0 x8. This means the GPU is not bandwidth-starved from the CPU side. The conclusion is unambiguous: the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus contributes zero bottleneck to The Medium’s performance, and all frame rate limitations are attributable to the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT. If a more powerful GPU were paired with this CPU, the combo’s rank of 1827 out of 2911 would improve substantially, as the processor has the capability to support frame rates well beyond what the current GPU can deliver.