The Medium

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti delivers a robust, high-refresh-rate experience in The Medium, though the most demanding settings will challenge even this formidable pairing. The data indicates a clear hierarchy where the Low preset unlocks exceptional frame rates, while Ultra remains a visually intensive option that requires compromise.

Settings Recommendations

For players prioritizing smooth, responsive gameplay, the Low preset is the standout choice. At 1920x1080, this configuration produces an average of 175 FPS, which is 65 frames higher than the Medium preset (110 FPS) and 113 frames higher than High (79 FPS). The gap widens even further at 2560x1440, where Low achieves 148 FPS compared to Medium’s 92 FPS and High’s 66 FPS. Even at 3840x2160, Low maintains a playable 116 FPS, demonstrating that this preset is the only one capable of consistently exceeding 100 FPS across all tested resolutions.

The Medium preset serves as the balanced middle ground. It delivers 110 FPS at 1080p, 92 FPS at 1440p, and 73 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is notable because it includes recorded minimum and maximum values of 62 FPS and 83 FPS respectively, suggesting some frame-time variance but overall stable performance. For users with high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors, Medium is the sweet spot, offering a significant visual upgrade over Low while still maintaining frame rates above 90 FPS.

The High preset offers a more demanding experience with diminishing returns. At 1080p, it produces 79 FPS, which is 31 FPS lower than Medium. The drop becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions: 66 FPS at 1440p and just 52 FPS at 4K. While still technically playable, the High preset at 4K sits uncomfortably close to the 60 FPS threshold, making it a less attractive option for those seeking consistent smoothness.

The Ultra preset is the most visually ambitious but comes with substantial performance costs. It yields 62 FPS at 1080p, 52 FPS at 1440p, and only 41 FPS at 4K. These numbers indicate that Ultra is best reserved for users with 1080p displays who prioritize image quality over frame rate, as the 4K result falls below the standard of smooth gameplay. Benchmark results clearly favor the Low preset for competitive or high-refresh-rate play, with Medium serving as the recommended compromise for visual fidelity and performance.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Low settings produces the highest average frame rate at 175 FPS. For a balanced experience, 2560x1440 with Medium settings maintains 92 FPS, which is suitable for most displays. The 4K resolution is only viable at Low settings (116 FPS) or Medium settings (73 FPS).

Q: How does the Low preset compare to Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 175 FPS, while Ultra produces 62 FPS. This represents a difference of 113 FPS, indicating that Low is nearly three times faster than Ultra in this scenario. The performance gap highlights the significant computational cost of Ultra settings.

*Q: Is the RTX 4070 Ti sufficient for 4K gaming in The Medium?*

A: The measured results show that at 3840x2160, the Low preset delivers 116 FPS, Medium delivers 73 FPS, and High delivers 52 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 41 FPS. This indicates that 4K is playable but requires Low or Medium settings to maintain smooth frame rates.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the system produces an average of 92 FPS, with recorded minimum and maximum values of 79 FPS and 106 FPS respectively. This suggests consistent performance with occasional dips, but overall a stable experience for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: How significant is the performance drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 79 FPS at 1920x1080 to 66 FPS at 2560x1440, and further to 52 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 34% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Q: Does the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus bottleneck the RTX 4070 Ti?

A: The CPU’s strong benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303, suggest it is highly capable. The measured FPS scaling across resolutions indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, while the CPU maintains sufficient headroom at lower resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.80 GHz provide substantial single-thread performance, as evidenced by a Passmark single-thread score of 4823. The CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities are equally impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a Passmark multithread score of 60860.

In The Medium, the CPU’s role is primarily to feed the GPU with sufficient data. The benchmark results show that at 1080p, where CPU overhead is typically more pronounced, frame rates scale from 175 FPS at Low to 62 FPS at Ultra. This scaling pattern indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck in these scenarios, as the frame rate is clearly dictated by the graphics settings rather than processor limits. The CPU’s high single-core performance, reflected in its Cinebench R20 single-core score of 3067, ensures that game logic and physics calculations are handled efficiently.

The data suggests that the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is overqualified for this game, as even the most demanding settings at low resolutions do not reveal any processor-induced frame rate ceilings. The 24 cores and 24 threads, while excessive for gaming, provide ample headroom for background tasks and future titles. The CPU’s percentile ranking of 96 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84003, places it in the top tier of processors, further confirming that it is not the limiting component in this configuration.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti ranks 269th out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the top 9.2% of all configurations, indicating that it offers above-average performance for this title. The top 269 ranking reflects the strength of both components, though it is not at the very apex of performance, which would be reserved for higher-tier GPUs.

The GPU’s individual performance provides context for this ranking. The RTX 4070 Ti holds a percentile ranking of 84 against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 44795. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile, which scores 45152 (0.8% higher), and the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT, which scores 45384 (1.3% higher). These close margins indicate that the RTX 4070 Ti is competitive with slightly faster mobile and workstation parts, though it lags behind the RTX A6000 by 1.6%.

The CPU’s ranking further supports the combo’s position. With a percentile of 96 and an average score of 84003, the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus sits just 0.2% above the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which scores 83807. This tight competition suggests that the CPU is not a differentiator in the ranking, but its high placement ensures the combo remains competitive. The 269th rank out of 2911 combos is a strong result, indicating that this system will handle The Medium with ease at most settings, though it will not top leaderboards against systems with more powerful GPUs.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At the Low preset, average frame rates drop from 175 FPS at 1920x1080 to 148 FPS at 2560x1440 (a 15% decrease), and further to 116 FPS at 3840x2160 (a 34% decrease from 1080p). This scaling indicates that the GPU is increasingly stressed at higher resolutions, but the Low preset’s reduced graphical demands allow the system to maintain high frame rates across all resolutions.

The Medium preset exhibits a similar trend, with 110 FPS at 1080p, 92 FPS at 1440p, and 73 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is 34%, nearly identical to the Low preset, suggesting that the relative impact of resolution is consistent regardless of settings. However, the absolute frame rates at 4K (73 FPS) remain playable, indicating that the combination can handle this resolution with moderate settings.

The High and Ultra presets show more pronounced degradation. High settings drop from 79 FPS at 1080p to 66 FPS at 1440p and 52 FPS at 4K, representing a 34% reduction from 1080p to 4K. Ultra settings drop from 62 FPS at 1080p to 52 FPS at 1440p and 41 FPS at 4K, a 34% reduction as well. This consistent 34% scaling across all presets strongly suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting component, as the CPU’s performance is sufficient to maintain frame rates at lower resolutions, but the increasing pixel count overwhelms the RTX 4070 Ti’s rendering capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. The Low preset achieves an average of 175 FPS, the highest recorded value in the entire dataset. Medium follows at 110 FPS, with a minimum of 93 FPS and a maximum of 126 FPS, indicating some variance but overall smooth performance. High settings produce 79 FPS, while Ultra drops to 62 FPS. This resolution is clearly the strongest for this configuration, with even Ultra maintaining a playable frame rate.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows the expected reduction. Low settings deliver 148 FPS, while Medium achieves 92 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 106 FPS. High settings produce 66 FPS, and Ultra drops to 52 FPS. The Medium preset at this resolution offers the best balance, with frame rates comfortably above 90 FPS while providing more visual detail than Low.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles with higher settings. Low settings still deliver a respectable 116 FPS, while Medium achieves 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS. High settings drop to 52 FPS, and Ultra falls to 41 FPS. The data indicates that 4K gaming requires Low or Medium settings for a smooth experience, as High and Ultra will exhibit noticeable frame rate drops below the 60 FPS threshold.