The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title built on Unreal Engine 4, presents a unique stress profile for the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT combination. The measured data reveals a system that is heavily constrained by its graphics processor at higher resolutions, while the 24-core CPU provides a substantial headroom that only becomes apparent at lower settings. This analysis examines the measured FPS data to understand where this combo excels, where it struggles, and what the numbers imply about the underlying hardware balance.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is stark and reveals a system that transitions from CPU-bound to GPU-bound territory. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 126 FPS at 1920x1080 to 106 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 20 FPS, and then plummets to 83 FPS at 3840x2160. This scaling shows that even at Low settings, the resolution increase places a significant burden on the RX 7700 XT, with the 4K figure representing a 34% drop from the 1080p baseline. The data suggests that at 1080p Low, the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has enough processing power to feed the GPU efficiently, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor as pixel count rises.

At Medium settings, the pattern intensifies. The average FPS goes from 79 at 1080p to 66 at 1440p, and then to 52 at 4K. The 4K Medium result of 52 FPS, with a minimum of 44 and maximum of 60, indicates a playable but not fluid experience. The delta between 1440p and 4K is 14 FPS, which is a larger absolute drop than the 13 FPS drop seen between 1080p and 1440p. This non-linear scaling points to the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute capacity being progressively overwhelmed as the resolution increases.

High settings show an even more pronounced struggle at 4K. The average FPS at 1920x1080 is 56, dropping to 47 at 2560x1440, and further to 37 at 3840x2160. The 4K High result is below the 60 FPS threshold, and the gap between 1080p and 4K is 19 FPS. This indicates that the visual fidelity improvements from High settings are costly, and the RX 7700 XT's 12 GB of VRAM and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient to maintain a high frame rate at this resolution.

Ultra settings are the most demanding, with the average FPS starting at 45 at 1080p, dropping to 38 at 1440p, and finally to 30 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 30 FPS is the lowest in the entire dataset, and the scaling from 1440p to 4K is a 8 FPS drop. This suggests that at Ultra settings, the game's rendering features, likely including high-resolution shadows and reflections, are taxing the GPU's compute units heavily, regardless of the CPU's capability. The data implies that the limiting component at 4K is unequivocally the GPU, with the CPU's role diminishing as the resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks

In the broader context of all tested hardware combinations for The Medium, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT achieves a rank of 1392 out of 3724 combos. This places it in the 62nd percentile of all tested systems, indicating that it performs better than a majority of combinations but is far from the top tier. The rank suggests that while the CPU is a high-end desktop part, the GPU holds the combo back from achieving a higher placement in the rankings.

The CPU itself is a powerhouse, with a percentile rank of 96 against all CPUs and an average benchmark score of 84003. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, has an average score of 83807, a delta of 0.2%, making the 290K Plus effectively identical in raw compute power. This strong CPU performance is not fully utilized in The Medium, as the game's fixed-camera perspective and specific rendering demands are not particularly CPU-intensive. The GPU, with a percentile rank of 67 against all GPUs and an average score of 22549, is a mid-range performer. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile, scores 22435, a delta of 0.5%, showing that the RX 7700 XT is closely matched with that mobile part.

The combo rank of 1392 indicates that the system is not a high-end gaming rig for this title. The data implies that the bottleneck is the GPU, as the CPU's performance is vastly superior to what the game requires. A system with a lower-end CPU but a more powerful GPU would likely rank higher, as The Medium's performance is primarily determined by the graphics card's ability to process the game's visual effects. The 4K Ultra result of 30 FPS is a clear indicator that this combo is not designed for maximum settings at high resolutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 32 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process. It has 3456 shading units, 216 texture mapping units, and 96 raster operation pipelines. The GPU's clock speeds are notable, with a base clock of 1435 MHz, a game clock of 2171 MHz, and a boost clock of 2544 MHz. The memory is 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s. These specifications are crucial in understanding the measured FPS data.

The 12 GB VRAM is a significant factor at 4K resolutions. The Medium's High and Ultra presets likely use high-resolution textures that consume a large amount of video memory. While the data does not show a direct VRAM usage metric, the FPS drops at 4K suggest that the GPU is either hitting a memory bandwidth limit or running out of usable VRAM, which can cause stuttering or frame rate drops. The 432.0 GB/s bandwidth is moderate, and at 4K, the GPU must access more texture data, which can saturate this bandwidth.

The GPU's raw compute performance, measured at 35.17 TFLOPS for FP32, is sufficient for 1080p gaming but is challenged at higher resolutions. The 4K Medium result of 52 FPS, with a minimum of 44 FPS, indicates that the GPU is working hard but cannot maintain a consistent frame rate. The 4K High result of 37 FPS is below the playable threshold for many users, and the 4K Ultra result of 30 FPS is a slideshow-like experience. The data implies that the RX 7700 XT is a capable 1440p card, but its performance at 4K is limited by its memory subsystem and compute unit count.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play The Medium with this combo?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 at Medium settings yields an average FPS of 66, which is a good balance between visual quality and performance. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset achieves 79 FPS, providing a smoother experience. For a consistent 60 FPS, 1440p Medium is the highest resolution that reaches that threshold.

Q: Is the CPU holding back the GPU in this game?

A: No, the data indicates the opposite. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has 24 cores and 24 threads, with an average benchmark score of 84003, placing it in the 96th percentile. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a significant drop, which is a characteristic of a GPU bottleneck, not a CPU bottleneck.

Q: How does the RX 7700 XT compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 7700 XT has an average benchmark score of 22549. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile, scores 22435, which is 0.5% lower. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 scores 22170, which is 1.7% lower. This shows the RX 7700 XT is a mid-range performer, closely matched with a mobile RTX 5060.

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, but with a poor experience. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 30 FPS. This is below the standard for a smooth gaming experience and suggests the GPU is overwhelmed by the game's highest preset.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 126 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 45 FPS. This is a difference of 81 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset is nearly three times more demanding than Low.

Q: Does the CPU's high core count benefit this game?

A: The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has 24 cores and 24 threads, and its high single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7303) helps in games that are not heavily multi-threaded. However, the data shows that The Medium's performance is more limited by the GPU, so the CPU's core count provides headroom but is not the primary driver of FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a clear picture of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 126 FPS, which is the highest in the entire dataset. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 and a maximum of 91, indicating a stable frame rate. The High preset drops to 56 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 45 FPS, showing a significant performance cost for the highest visual quality.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset still provides a high average of 106 FPS, making it a viable option for high refresh rate monitors. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 66 FPS, with a minimum of 56 and a maximum of 76, which is a playable experience. The High preset at 1440p averages 47 FPS, dropping below the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 38 FPS, which is a challenging experience for fast-paced gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. The Low preset averages 83 FPS, which is surprising and indicates that even at 4K, the Low preset is playable. The Medium preset at 4K averages 52 FPS, with a minimum of 44 and a maximum of 60, showing that it can occasionally hit 60 FPS but often dips lower. The High preset at 4K averages 37 FPS, which is below the playable threshold for many. The Ultra preset at 4K averages 30 FPS, which is the lowest measured result and indicates a very heavy load on the GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a high-end desktop processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, built on a 3 nm process with a codename of Arrow Lake Refresh. It features 24 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. The CPU has a large L3 cache of 36 MB shared, and its memory support includes DDR5 with a dual-channel bus. Its average benchmark score of 84003 places it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, and it is 0.2% faster than its nearest rival, the Core Ultra 9 285K.

In The Medium, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and the rendering thread. The measured FPS data suggests that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this title. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 126 FPS, which is a high frame rate that likely saturates the GPU's output. The CPU's high single-core performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7303, is sufficient to feed the GPU at all tested settings and resolutions.

The 24 cores and 24 threads are not fully utilized by The Medium, which is not a heavily multi-threaded game. The data implies that a lower-core-count CPU would likely perform similarly, as the game's bottleneck is the GPU. The CPU's performance headroom is evident in the 4K Low result of 83 FPS, which is still a high frame rate for 4K, indicating that the GPU is the primary limiter. The CPU's high bandwidth memory support (115.2 GB/s) and PCIe Gen 5 interface provide a solid foundation, but these features do not translate to higher FPS in this specific game.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience with this combo, the data suggests prioritizing a balance between visual quality and frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it provides an average of 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 FPS, ensuring a smooth and consistent experience. The High preset at 1080p drops to 56 FPS, which is still playable but not as fluid. For players who value high frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p offers 126 FPS, but the visual downgrade may be significant.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the optimal choice, delivering an average of 66 FPS. This resolution offers a sharper image than 1080p while maintaining a playable frame rate. The Low preset at 1440p averages 106 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play, but the Medium preset provides a better visual experience without a major performance hit. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p are not recommended, as they drop below 60 FPS and 40 FPS respectively.

At 3840x2160, the data indicates that this combo is not ideal for high settings. The Low preset at 4K averages 83 FPS, which is a playable experience, but the visual quality is significantly reduced. The Medium preset at 4K averages 52 FPS, which is borderline playable, but the minimum of 44 FPS suggests potential stutter. The High and Ultra presets at 4K are not recommended due to their low average FPS of 37 and 30, respectively. The best experience at 4K is the Low preset, which offers a playable frame rate, or the Medium preset for those who can tolerate occasional dips below 60 FPS.