The Medium

FAQ

Q: What is the combo rank of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER in The Medium?

A: This combination ranks 137th out of 2911 tested combos in the database, placing it in the top 5% of all configurations measured for this title.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in overall benchmark performance?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus scores an average of 84003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (83807) and 1.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 4584PX (83090). It trails the AMD EPYC 7F72 (85072) by 1.3%.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking and how does it relate to the RTX 4080 non-SUPER?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER sits in the 86th percentile among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 54209, which is essentially tied with the RTX 4080 (54247), showing a negligible -0.1% delta.

Q: What are the best and worst average FPS results recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 190 at 1080p Low settings, while the lowest is 45 at 4K Ultra settings. At 4K Medium, the combo delivers 79 FPS average with a minimum of 67 and maximum of 90.

Q: Does this GPU have enough VRAM for The Medium at max settings?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER comes with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus with 736.3 GB/s bandwidth. Given the 4K Ultra result of 45 FPS, the VRAM capacity is sufficient, but the rendering load at that preset significantly impacts performance.

Q: What is the CPU's process node and how does it affect power characteristics?

A: The CPU is built on a 3 nm TSMC process with a 125 W TDP. It uses the Arrow Lake Refresh codename from the Core Ultra Series 2 generation, featuring 24 cores and 24 threads.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor built on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture using a 3 nm process. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz can boost up to 5.80 GHz, providing substantial single-thread headroom for The Medium's gameplay logic. The CPU's L3 cache is 36 MB shared, complemented by 192 KB L1 and 3 MB L2 per core, which helps with the game's asset streaming and scene transitions.

In multi-threaded workloads, this CPU scores 51731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7303 in single-core. The Passmark multi-thread score of 60860 and single-thread score of 4823 indicate strong performance across both lightly and heavily threaded tasks. The Medium, being a horror title with fixed-camera perspectives and dual-world rendering, benefits from the CPU's ability to manage background processes while maintaining consistent frame pacing.

The processor ranks in the 96th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84003. Compared to the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, it is only 0.2% faster in aggregate benchmarks — a marginal generational uplift. Against server-class parts like the AMD EPYC 4584PX (83090) and AMD EPYC 9135 (82980), the 290K Plus leads by 1.1% and 1.2% respectively, while the AMD EPYC 7F72 (85072) edges it out by 1.3%. These deltas are small, meaning the CPU is not the primary differentiator in this combo's gaming performance.

The CPU supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus and 115.2 GB/s memory bandwidth, which is adequate for feeding the GPU at high frame rates. It also includes integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU, though the discrete RTX 4080 SUPER handles all rendering duties in this benchmark. The 24 threads are all physical cores, so there is no hyper-threading overhead, which can be beneficial for latency-sensitive game code.

How This Combo Ranks

With a combo rank of 137 out of 2911 tested configurations, this pairing sits in the upper echelon of systems tested for The Medium. The top 5% placement indicates that the combination of the Ultra 9 290K Plus and RTX 4080 SUPER delivers near-flagship gaming performance, though it is not the absolute fastest setup in the database.

The CPU's 96th percentile ranking among all processors suggests that the 290K Plus is a top-tier part, but the GPU's 86th percentile placement means the graphics card is slightly less exceptional relative to its peers. This imbalance suggests the GPU is more likely to be the limiting factor in demanding scenes, especially at higher resolutions and settings.

Compared to the nearest rival combos, the delta in average GPU score between the RTX 4080 SUPER (54209) and the RTX 4080 (54247) is only -0.1%, so users upgrading from the non-SUPER variant would see negligible frame rate differences in most scenarios. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54828) and Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55698) score higher in synthetic benchmarks, but their real-world gaming performance in this title may differ due to driver optimizations and API support.

The rank of 137 out of 2911 means there are 136 faster combos, which likely include higher-end GPUs like the RTX 4090 or newer architectures. For a 2021 horror title, this level of performance is more than sufficient to push high refresh rate monitors at 1440p, and even 4K at medium settings is playable.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers strong results across all presets. Low settings yield an average of 190 FPS, Medium averages 119 FPS (minimum 101, maximum 137), High averages 85 FPS, and Ultra drops to 68 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 64% reduction in frame rate, indicating that the GPU becomes increasingly stressed as settings increase, while the CPU maintains headroom.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance degrades predictably. Low settings average 160 FPS, Medium averages 100 FPS (minimum 85, maximum 115), High averages 72 FPS, and Ultra averages 57 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings is approximately 16%, which is moderate and suggests the GPU is still capable of sustaining high frame rates at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the results show a steeper decline. Low settings average 126 FPS, Medium averages 79 FPS (minimum 67, maximum 90), High averages 56 FPS, and Ultra averages 45 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 45 FPS is borderline for smooth gameplay, while 4K Medium at 79 FPS is a much more comfortable experience. The gap between 1440p Ultra (57 FPS) and 4K Ultra (45 FPS) is 21%, highlighting the resolution's impact on the GPU.

The Medium preset at each resolution shows a consistent pattern: Medium settings provide a balanced experience with acceptable minimums (67 FPS at 4K, 85 FPS at 1440p, 101 FPS at 1080p). High and Ultra settings push the GPU harder, resulting in lower averages but still playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using a 5 nm process, featuring the AD103 chip with 45,900 million transistors. It operates at a base clock of 2295 MHz and boosts to 2550 MHz, with memory running at 1438 MHz (23 Gbps effective). The GPU has 10240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, along with 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores.

The 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is crucial for The Medium's high-resolution textures and dual-world rendering technique. At 4K Medium, the GPU sustains 79 FPS average, showing that the memory subsystem is not a bottleneck at this preset. The pixel rate of 285.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 816.0 GTexel/s indicate the GPU can handle the fill rate demands of the game's visual effects.

The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 34245 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6600 place it in the 86th percentile among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 54209 is nearly identical to the RTX 4080 (54247), with a mere -0.1% delta. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54828) and Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55698) score slightly higher synthetically, but the RTX 4080 SUPER's driver maturity and feature set (DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4) give it an edge in real-world gaming.

The GPU's TDP is 320 W with a suggested PSU of 700 W, and it connects via a single 16-pin power connector. It is a triple-slot card measuring 310 mm in length, which requires sufficient case clearance. The launch MSRP was 999 USD, positioning it as a high-end enthusiast part.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, Medium settings are the clear choice across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 119 FPS average with a minimum of 101 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. At 1440p, Medium averages 100 FPS with an 85 FPS minimum, which is ideal for high refresh rate monitors. At 4K, Medium averages 79 FPS with a 67 FPS minimum, providing a playable experience without the steep performance hit of High or Ultra.

High settings are viable at 1080p (85 FPS) and 1440p (72 FPS), but at 4K the average drops to 56 FPS, which may feel less fluid. Ultra settings are only recommended at 1080p (68 FPS), where the visual upgrade over Medium is noticeable but the frame rate remains acceptable. At 1440p Ultra (57 FPS) and 4K Ultra (45 FPS), the performance is marginal for a horror game that benefits from consistent frame pacing.

Low settings offer the highest frame rates (190 FPS at 1080p, 160 FPS at 1440p, 126 FPS at 4K) but sacrifice the atmospheric detail that defines The Medium's visual style. For most users, Medium provides the optimal compromise, especially considering the minimum frame rates remain above 60 FPS at 1440p and above 60 FPS at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals how the workload shifts between CPU and GPU. At Low settings, the drop from 190 FPS (1080p) to 160 FPS (1440p) to 126 FPS (4K) represents a 34% reduction from 1080p to 4K. This relatively modest decline indicates that the CPU is a significant contributor at low settings, where the GPU is not fully saturated.

At Medium settings, the progression is 119 FPS (1080p) to 100 FPS (1440p) to 79 FPS (4K), a 34% drop from 1080p to 4K. The consistent percentage decline suggests balanced scaling, with both CPU and GPU playing roles across resolutions.

High settings show a steeper drop: 85 FPS (1080p) to 72 FPS (1440p) to 56 FPS (4K), representing a 34% reduction from 1080p to 4K. Ultra settings display the most severe scaling: 68 FPS (1080p) to 57 FPS (1440p) to 45 FPS (4K), a 34% decrease. The uniformity of these percentages indicates that the rendering workload scales predictably with resolution, and the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at 4K, particularly at High and Ultra presets.

The fact that 4K Low (126 FPS) outperforms 1080p Ultra (68 FPS) by 85% demonstrates that settings have a more significant impact than resolution on this combo. The RTX 4080 SUPER's 16 GB VRAM and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to avoid memory-related stutters, but the GPU's raw compute limits 4K Ultra performance. The limiting component at 4K Ultra is clearly the GPU, as the CPU's 96th percentile ranking provides ample headroom even at lower resolutions.