The Medium

The Medium, when paired with the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, delivers a playable experience across most settings, but the data reveals a clear ceiling at 4K Ultra. The combination ranks in the 85th percentile of tested configurations, and the measured framerates show a system that excels at 1440p and 1080p but requires settings compromises for native 4K.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 2560x1440 as the sweet spot. At Medium settings, it achieves 88 FPS average with a minimum of 75 FPS, providing a smooth experience. 1920x1080 is also excellent, with 104 FPS average at Medium, but 1440p offers more detail without sacrificing fluidity.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in The Medium?

A: Yes, but only with significant settings adjustments. At 3840x2160, the Medium preset delivers 69 FPS average (59 min, 79 max), which is playable. However, the High preset drops to 49 FPS, and Ultra falls to 39 FPS, making those presets less suitable for consistent 60 FPS gameplay.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus scores an average of 84,003 across benchmarks, placing it 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K. It also leads the AMD EPYC 4584PX by 1.1% and the AMD EPYC 9135 by 1.2%, while trailing the AMD EPYC 7F72 by 1.3%. It ranks in the 96th percentile of all CPUs.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration, and how does it affect performance?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. In The Medium, this memory configuration is sufficient for the Medium and High presets at 1440p, but the 4K Ultra preset (39 FPS) suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at that resolution.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 SUPER a strong performer relative to other GPUs?

A: The GPU ranks in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 43,223 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB, which is only 0.1% ahead, and the GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile, which is also 0.1% ahead. It trails the GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile by 1.0%.

Q: What is the frame pacing like at the Medium preset?

A: The measured data provides min and max FPS only for the Medium preset. At 1920x1080, the range is 88 to 120 FPS. At 2560x1440, it narrows to 75 to 101 FPS. At 3840x2160, the range is 59 to 79 FPS, showing a consistent spread that indicates stable performance without major stutters.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and RTX 4070 SUPER combination ranks 546th out of 3,724 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the top 15% of all configurations, a strong result that reflects the hardware's capabilities. The ranking is likely driven by the CPU's high performance percentile (96th) and the GPU's solid 83rd percentile standing. The system is clearly not a budget-oriented setup, but it also doesn't sit at the very top of the charts, where more powerful GPUs would be required for maximum 4K Ultra performance. The benchmark results indicate that this combo is well-balanced for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K being a secondary consideration that requires tuning. The large gap between the Low and Ultra presets at each resolution further reinforces that the GPU is the main constraint when pushing visual fidelity.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the primary driver of framerate in The Medium, as evidenced by the significant FPS drops when increasing settings. The GPU's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game's asset streaming at 1440p, but the 4K Ultra preset's 39 FPS average indicates a bandwidth or compute limitation. The GPU's boost clock of 2475 MHz and base clock of 1980 MHz are standard for the Ada Lovelace architecture, and the data shows that the card's 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The GPU's 56 RT cores and 224 tensor cores are present, but The Medium's horror presentation primarily relies on traditional rasterization, so these features do not provide a notable advantage in the measured results. The GPU's percentile ranking of 83rd is respectable, but its nearest rivals include older workstation cards like the Quadro M6000, which shows that the RTX 4070 SUPER is a mid-to-high-end performer rather than a top-tier enthusiast card. At 4K Medium, the GPU manages 69 FPS, which is a 41% drop from the 1440p Medium score of 88 FPS, highlighting how resolution scaling stresses the memory interface and shading units.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system is almost always overkill: the Low preset hits 167 FPS, Medium delivers 104 FPS (88 min, 120 max), High achieves 75 FPS, and Ultra still maintains 59 FPS. This resolution is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors, as even the Ultra preset remains playable. Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected: Low reaches 140 FPS, Medium is smooth at 88 FPS (75 min, 101 max), High drops to 63 FPS, and Ultra falls to 50 FPS. The 1440p Medium preset is the most balanced, offering a 75 FPS minimum that stays above common 60 Hz display refresh rates. At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to struggle with higher presets: Low is still playable at 110 FPS, but Medium drops to 69 FPS (59 min, 79 max), High falls to 49 FPS, and Ultra is below 60 FPS at 39 FPS. The data shows a consistent pattern: the Medium preset is the only one that provides a playable 4K experience, with the 59 FPS minimum barely touching the 60 FPS threshold. The differences between presets are substantial—for example, at 4K, the jump from Medium to High costs 20 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs another 10 FPS. This suggests that the game's Ultra preset includes effects that are disproportionately expensive on this GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. In The Medium, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU, and the data shows it is more than capable of doing so. The CPU's benchmark scores are exceptional: it achieves 51,731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7,303 in single-core, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, is only 0.2% behind in average score, indicating that this chip is at the top of the consumer desktop stack. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 115.2 GB/s bandwidth ensure that the GPU is never starved of data. In the measured FPS results, the CPU's influence is most apparent at 1080p Low, where the system hits 167 FPS—this is a CPU-bound scenario, and the high single-core score of 7,303 in Cinebench R23 helps maintain high minimum frame rates. The CPU's 24 threads are likely underutilized in The Medium, which is a GPU-heavy title, but the high boost clock ensures that the main game thread has ample headroom. The CPU's performance relative to its rivals is marginal, with a 1.1% lead over the AMD EPYC 4584PX, but this small delta does not translate into meaningful FPS differences in this game. The 125W TDP is modest for a 24-core chip, and the 3 nm process node from TSMC likely contributes to efficient power delivery, though this does not directly affect the measured FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo is at 2560x1440 with the Medium preset. This configuration delivers 88 FPS average with a 75 FPS minimum, ensuring smooth gameplay without compromising visual quality. The 1440p Medium preset is the best balance of fidelity and performance, as the High preset drops to 63 FPS, which introduces noticeable frame pacing issues on 60 Hz displays. For users with 1080p monitors, the 1920x1080 Medium preset is the recommended choice, providing 104 FPS average (88 min) with a wide range of headroom for dips. The High preset at 1080p (75 FPS) is also playable, but the Medium preset offers a more consistent experience. At 4K, the 3840x2160 Medium preset is the only viable option, with 69 FPS average and a 59 FPS minimum. The 4K High and Ultra presets should be avoided, as their sub-60 FPS averages will result in a stuttery experience in a horror game where smooth camera movement is critical. The Low presets are not recommended for any resolution, as they sacrifice too much visual detail—the game's atmosphere relies on shadows and lighting—for minimal performance gains. The data suggests that the Medium preset is the sweet spot for this hardware combination across all resolutions, offering a consistent 25-30% performance boost over High while maintaining acceptable image quality. The Ultra preset is only suitable for players who prioritize maximum graphical fidelity over framerate stability, and even then, only at 1080p where it hits 59 FPS.