The Medium

The benchmark data for The Medium, running on an Intel Core Ultra X7 368H paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, reveals a compelling story of a system where the GPU is the clear dominant force, but the CPU's capabilities set the ceiling for maximum performance. The measured FPS across resolutions and settings provides a detailed look at how this specific hardware combination handles a demanding horror title, and the results show a predictable yet revealing pattern of performance scaling.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K with this hardware configuration shows a textbook example of GPU-bound scaling. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo delivers 137 FPS, which drops to 116 FPS at 1440p and then to 91 FPS at 4K. This represents a 33.6% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, a substantial drop that points directly at the GPU becoming the limiting factor as pixel count increases. The RTX 4080 is clearly working much harder at 4K, and the data shows the frame rate scaling is not linear with the resolution increase.

The pattern becomes even more pronounced at Medium settings. The measured FPS shows 86 FPS at 1080p, 72 FPS at 1440p, and 57 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K here is a 20.8% reduction, which is less severe than the Low settings drop but still significant. This suggests that at Medium settings, the game is already demanding more from the GPU at lower resolutions, and the 4K resolution pushes the system into a territory where the GPU's raw throughput is the primary bottleneck.

High settings tell a similar story with 61 FPS at 1080p, 52 FPS at 1440p, and 41 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a 32.8% performance loss. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling, with 49 FPS at 1080p dropping to 41 FPS at 1440p and then to 32 FPS at 4K, a 34.7% reduction from the lowest to highest resolution tested. This consistent pattern across all settings indicates that the game's rendering load scales heavily with resolution, and the RTX 4080's performance envelope is being stretched at the higher resolutions.

The implication here is clear: the GPU is the limiting component in this system for The Medium. The CPU, despite being a capable mobile processor, is not the bottleneck at any resolution tested. The data shows that as resolution increases, the frame rate drops consistently, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The fact that the 4K Ultra preset only manages 32 FPS while the 1080p Low preset hits 137 FPS demonstrates that the RTX 4080's performance is the primary constraint, and the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU even at the highest settings tested.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra X7 368H brings a 16-core, 16-thread configuration with a base clock of 2.00 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This mobile processor, built on the Panther Lake architecture using a 3 nm process, shows strong synthetic benchmark results. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28,221 and single-core score of 3,984 place it in the 87th percentile among all CPUs, indicating robust performance for a mobile part. The PassMark multithread score of 32,956 further supports this, showing the CPU can handle heavy multi-threaded workloads.

However, in the context of The Medium, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU. The measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low settings, where the GPU load is lowest, the frame rate reaches 137 FPS, which is well below the CPU's potential limit. The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core 7 253PE with an average score of 40,557 and a deltaPct of -0.1, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940H with an average score of 40,431 and a deltaPct of 0.2. These scores are nearly identical, suggesting that the Core Ultra X7 368H is well-matched with its peers in synthetic benchmarks.

The 16 threads, while not offering simultaneous multi-threading (SMT) since the thread count equals the core count, still provide ample processing power for game logic and physics. The game's horror genre typically involves fixed camera angles and slower-paced action, which is less CPU-intensive than fast-paced multiplayer shooters. The data confirms this, as the frame rates at all resolutions and settings are consistently GPU-bound, with the CPU never appearing to hold back performance.

The boost clock of 5.00 GHz is notable for a mobile chip, and it likely contributes to the strong single-core performance seen in the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3,984. In a game like The Medium, which may rely on a few primary threads for main game logic, this high boost clock ensures that the CPU can keep up with the GPU's demands. The L3 cache of 18 MB shared across the 16 cores further helps in reducing memory latency, which can be beneficial in open-world or complex scenes.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS at 1080p is 137 FPS, achieved with the Low settings preset. This is the only setting that breaks the 100 FPS barrier at this resolution.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra preset compare to the 1080p Low preset in terms of performance?

A: The 4K Ultra preset delivers an average of 32 FPS, while the 1080p Low preset delivers 137 FPS. This represents a 76.6% reduction in frame rate when moving from the lowest resolution and settings to the highest.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor for this game at 4K?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. The frame rates drop consistently as resolution increases, and the RTX 4080's performance ceiling is reached well before the CPU's capabilities are exhausted.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the combo achieves an average of 72 FPS, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS.

Q: How does this CPU's benchmark score compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 7940H?

A: The Intel Core Ultra X7 368H has an average benchmark score of 40,518, while the AMD Ryzen 9 7940H has an average score of 40,431, a deltaPct of 0.2% in favor of the Intel chip.

Q: Does the 16-core configuration provide enough threads for The Medium?

A: Yes, the 16 threads appear sufficient. The measured FPS shows no indication of CPU bottlenecking, as the frame rates scale with resolution and settings in a way that is consistent with GPU-bound performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra X7 368H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 872nd out of 2,911 tested combos for The Medium. This places the combo in the 70th percentile of all tested systems, indicating that it performs above average but is not at the top tier. The rank of 872 out of 2,911 suggests that there are many other combinations that deliver higher frame rates in this specific game.

This ranking is somewhat surprising given the strength of the individual components. The RTX 4080 is a high-end GPU, and the Core Ultra X7 368H is a capable mobile processor. However, The Medium is a demanding game, and the data shows that even with this hardware, achieving high frame rates at 4K Ultra settings is not possible. The 32 FPS at 4K Ultra is below the 60 FPS target that many gamers consider smooth, and this likely drags down the combo's overall ranking.

The ranking also reflects the fact that The Medium may not be optimized for high refresh rates, or it may have specific rendering techniques that are particularly demanding on GPU resources. The combo's rank indicates that while it can handle the game at playable frame rates at lower settings, it struggles to maintain high performance at maximum settings. The fact that the combo ranks in the 70th percentile suggests that a significant portion of tested systems deliver better performance, likely due to more powerful desktop GPUs or CPUs that are better suited to this game's engine.

The data implies that for a smoother experience, users would need to lower settings or resolution, which aligns with the measured FPS results. The combo's rank is a quantitative measure of its overall performance in this game, and it shows that while the hardware is capable, it is not at the absolute top of the performance hierarchy for The Medium.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a powerhouse GPU with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. Its Ada Lovelace architecture, built on a 5 nm process, features 9,728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 raster operation units. The GPU's boost clock of 2505 MHz and its 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance make it a formidable component for gaming.

In The Medium, the RTX 4080's role is central to the game's performance. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rates across all settings and resolutions. The GPU's 16 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for this game, even at 4K Ultra settings, so memory capacity is not a limiting factor. The high memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s ensures that texture streaming and data transfer are not bottlenecks.

The RTX 4080's benchmark results further illustrate its capabilities. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,567 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 263,779 place it in the 86th percentile among all GPUs. The PassMark G3D score of 34,457 is also strong, indicating solid DirectX performance. The GPU's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER with an average score of 54,209 and a deltaPct of 0.1%, meaning the RTX 4080 is nearly identical in performance to its SUPER variant.

The data shows that the RTX 4080 can deliver high frame rates at lower settings, with 137 FPS at 1080p Low. However, as settings and resolution increase, the GPU's performance drops off significantly. This suggests that The Medium has demanding graphics features, likely including ray tracing or heavy post-processing effects, that strain the GPU at higher presets. The 4K Ultra preset at 32 FPS shows that even a high-end GPU like the RTX 4080 cannot maintain smooth frame rates at maximum settings in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the performance ranges from an average of 137 FPS at Low settings to 49 FPS at Ultra settings. The Medium setting delivers an average of 86 FPS with a minimum of 73 FPS and a maximum of 99 FPS. High settings produce an average of 61 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 64.2% reduction in frame rate at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves an average of 116 FPS, which drops to 72 FPS at Medium settings (with a minimum of 61 and maximum of 83 FPS), 52 FPS at High, and 41 FPS at Ultra. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 64.7%, a similar percentage drop to 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset delivers an average of 91 FPS. Medium settings drop to 57 FPS with a minimum of 48 and maximum of 65 FPS. High settings produce 41 FPS, and Ultra settings result in 32 FPS. The reduction from Low to Ultra at 4K is 64.8%, consistent with the other resolutions.

The data reveals that the relative performance drop from Low to Ultra is remarkably consistent across all resolutions, hovering around 64-65%. This suggests that the settings presets have a similar impact on GPU load regardless of resolution. The Medium setting provides a balanced experience, with frame rates that are 62.8% higher than Ultra at 1080p and 78.1% higher than Ultra at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium settings preset offers the best balance between visual quality and performance for this combo. At 1080p, Medium delivers 86 FPS, which is 75.6% higher than the 49 FPS at Ultra, while still providing a significant visual upgrade over Low. At 1440p, Medium achieves 72 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay, and the minimum of 61 FPS ensures that frame drops are minimal. At 4K, Medium produces 57 FPS, which is still playable, though the minimum of 48 FPS may cause occasional stutters.

For users with a 1080p or 1440p display, Medium is the recommended preset as it provides a smooth experience without the significant frame rate penalties of High or Ultra. The High preset at 1440p delivers 52 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, making Medium the more suitable choice. At 4K, the choice is more nuanced. Medium at 57 FPS is the only preset that comes close to 60 FPS, but the 48 FPS minimum suggests that there may be moments of slowdown. Low at 4K delivers 91 FPS, which is well above 60 FPS, but at a significant visual cost.

The Ultra preset is not recommended for any resolution, as it only achieves 49 FPS at 1080p, 41 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K. These frame rates are below the thresholds for smooth gameplay and are likely to result in a less enjoyable experience. The data suggests that the RTX 4080, while powerful, is not sufficient to run The Medium at Ultra settings with acceptable performance, even at 1080p. Therefore, the Medium preset is the optimal choice for this hardware combination, offering the best trade-off between visual fidelity and playable frame rates.