The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title built on Unreal Engine 4, presents a unique stress profile that combines heavy GPU load with specific CPU demands for its dual-reality rendering mechanic. This analysis examines the measured performance data for the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, placing the results in context against the broader benchmark database. The data indicates a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but where the processor’s architecture still plays a critical role in maintaining frame pacing at lower settings.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H is a 16-core, 16-thread mobile processor based on the Panther Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 3 nm process. Its base clock of 2.10 GHz and boost clock of 5.10 GHz provide a wide operating range, allowing it to scale from power-efficient low-load states to high-frequency bursts when the game demands it. The processor features a shared 18 MB L3 cache and 3 MB L2 per core, which is substantial for a mobile part and helps with the data locality required by the game’s streaming of two simultaneous world states.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU’s role is primarily about maintaining a stable frame delivery pipeline rather than being the primary bottleneck. At 1080p, where GPU load is lowest, the measured FPS shows the largest gap from the GPU’s theoretical ceiling, indicating that the X9 388H is processing game logic and draw calls fast enough to feed the RTX 5090. The processor’s Passmark single-thread score of 4280 and multi-thread score of 36811 place it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs, demonstrating strong per-core performance for the game’s main thread and sufficient multi-core headroom for background tasks.

The benchmark results show that the CPU’s 16 threads are well-utilized in this title, which uses multiple threads for audio, physics, and the dual-world rendering system. The processor’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 18911 suggests it can handle the sustained load of a long gaming session without thermal throttling becoming a major factor, though the 25 W TDP is a mobile-oriented figure that implies the system’s cooling solution must work efficiently to maintain boost clocks. Compared to its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database, the X9 388H’s average score of 44466 is within 0.5% of the Intel Core i5-13600 and AMD Ryzen AI Max 385, indicating that in CPU-bound scenarios, this processor performs on par with desktop and high-end mobile alternatives.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured data for this combo reveals a clear hierarchy in settings presets, with the Medium preset appearing to be the sweet spot for a playable experience across all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the system achieves an average of 98 FPS with a minimum of 84 FPS and maximum of 113 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold while maintaining visual fidelity that is significantly better than Low. The High preset at 1080p drops to 70 FPS average, which is still playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes.

At 1440p, the Medium preset delivers 83 FPS average with a 70 FPS minimum, which is an excellent balance for high-refresh-rate monitors. The High preset at this resolution falls to 59 FPS, which is just under the 60 FPS mark and could result in noticeable stutters if the frame time variance is high. For 4K, the Medium preset provides 65 FPS average with a 55 FPS minimum, which is the only preset at this resolution that approaches a consistent 60 FPS experience. The Ultra preset is not recommended for any resolution, as it only achieves 37 FPS at 4K, 47 FPS at 1440p, and 56 FPS at 1080p, all of which are below the smoothness threshold for a horror game that relies on atmosphere and camera movement.

The Low preset, while offering high frame rates (157 FPS at 1080p, 132 FPS at 1440p, 104 FPS at 4K), likely sacrifices too much visual detail for a game that depends heavily on environmental storytelling and lighting. The data suggests that Medium is the optimal choice for this hardware combination, providing the best balance between the measured frame rates and the visual quality required to experience the game’s intended atmosphere.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling pattern in the measured data clearly identifies the GPU as the primary limiting component in this configuration. Moving from 1080p to 1440p to 4K at the Medium preset shows a consistent and predictable decline: 98 FPS at 1080p, 83 FPS at 1440p, and 65 FPS at 4K. This represents a 15.3% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 21.7% drop from 1440p to 4K, which is a classic GPU-bound scaling curve where the load increases proportionally with pixel count.

The High preset shows a similar pattern but with a more pronounced drop at 4K: 70 FPS at 1080p, 59 FPS at 1440p, and 47 FPS at 4K. The 20.3% reduction from 1440p to 4K at High settings suggests that the game’s higher-quality textures and effects are placing additional strain on the GPU’s memory bandwidth and shading units. The RTX 5090’s 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus provides 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for this title, so the bottleneck is likely in the GPU’s compute throughput.

The Low preset demonstrates the most significant scaling, with 157 FPS at 1080p dropping to 132 FPS at 1440p and further to 104 FPS at 4K. The fact that even at Low settings, the 4K frame rate is only 66.2% of the 1080p rate indicates that the game’s dual-world rendering technique is computationally expensive at the pixel level, regardless of texture quality. The CPU is clearly not the bottleneck here, as the X9 388H’s performance remains constant across resolutions; the decline is entirely attributable to the GPU’s fill rate and pixel processing capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the benchmark database, this combination of the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a combo rank of 527 out of 2911 tested combinations in The Medium. This places the system in the top 18.1% of all tested hardware configurations, which is a strong result given the game’s demanding nature. The rank reflects the overall average performance across all measured settings and resolutions, weighted toward the higher settings that are more representative of real-world usage.

The rank is notable because it places this combo significantly higher than what the CPU’s individual percentile (88th) might suggest, indicating that the GPU’s 92nd percentile performance is the primary driver of the combo’s standing. The RTX 5090’s Passmark G3D score of 39650 is the dominant factor in determining the combo’s position, as the game is clearly GPU-bound in most scenarios. The CPU’s contribution is secondary, but its ability to maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions prevents it from dragging the combo rank down.

Compared to other combos in the database, this system outperforms the majority of tested configurations, which include many desktop systems with older GPUs. The fact that this is a mobile CPU paired with a flagship desktop GPU suggests that the combo rank is more reflective of the GPU’s capabilities than the CPU’s, and that users with this configuration will experience performance that is competitive with high-end desktop builds.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this configuration, and its specifications directly explain the measured performance in The Medium. The GPU features 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 ROPs, providing immense raw compute power for the game’s rendering workload. Its boost clock of 2407 MHz and base clock of 2017 MHz are high for a GPU of this size, and the 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance ensures that pixel shading is rarely a bottleneck.

The 32 GB of GDDR7 memory is particularly relevant for this game, as The Medium uses a dual-world rendering technique that requires loading and maintaining two complete scene representations in memory simultaneously. The 1.79 TB/s memory bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and geometry data can be fed to the GPU without stalling, which is evident in the minimum FPS values recorded at Medium settings (84 FPS at 1080p, 70 FPS at 1440p, 55 FPS at 4K). These minimums are relatively close to the averages, indicating consistent frame delivery without major memory-related hitches.

The GPU’s 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79842, places it in the top tier of graphics hardware. Its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 and AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, though the RTX 5090’s architecture is significantly more advanced, supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6. The GPU’s ray tracing capabilities (170 RT cores) and tensor cores (680) are not heavily utilized in this game, which primarily uses traditional rasterization, but they ensure future-proofing for other titles.

The measured FPS data shows that the RTX 5090 is the limiting factor at 4K Ultra settings, where it can only achieve 37 FPS. This is not a reflection of the GPU’s weakness but rather the extreme demands of the Ultra preset, which likely enables features like volumetric lighting and high-quality shadows that stress even the most powerful GPUs. At more reasonable settings, the GPU’s performance is exceptional, with the 4K Medium result of 65 FPS being a strong indicator of its capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The complete measured FPS dataset for this combo is as follows, presented by resolution and then by settings preset.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 157 FPS average
• Medium: 98 FPS average, 84 FPS minimum, 113 FPS maximum
• High: 70 FPS average
• Ultra: 56 FPS average

At 1080p, the system exhibits the classic GPU-bound behavior where the CPU has enough headroom to push frame rates to their highest levels. The Low preset achieves 157 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any display technology. The Medium preset’s 98 FPS average with a tight 84-113 FPS range indicates stable performance, while the High preset at 70 FPS and Ultra at 56 FPS show the increasing GPU load.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 132 FPS average
• Medium: 83 FPS average, 70 FPS minimum, 95 FPS maximum
• High: 59 FPS average
• Ultra: 47 FPS average

The 1440p results show a clear step down from 1080p, with the Low preset losing 25 FPS (a 15.9% drop), Medium losing 15 FPS (a 15.3% drop), and High losing 11 FPS (a 15.7% drop). The Ultra preset at 47 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay at this resolution. The Medium preset’s minimum of 70 FPS is still well above the playable range, making it the recommended choice for 1440p.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 104 FPS average
• Medium: 65 FPS average, 55 FPS minimum, 75 FPS maximum
• High: 47 FPS average
• Ultra: 37 FPS average

At 4K, the GPU’s workload becomes the dominant factor. The Low preset still achieves a playable 104 FPS, which is impressive for a flagship GPU. The Medium preset’s 65 FPS average is borderline for a 60 Hz display, but the 55 FPS minimum suggests occasional dips that could be noticeable. The High preset at 47 FPS and Ultra at 37 FPS are not recommended for a consistent experience, as they fall well below the smoothness threshold.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 provides 83 FPS average with a 70 FPS minimum and 95 FPS maximum, making it the optimal balance between visual quality and smooth performance. The High preset at 59 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold and not recommended.

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, at 4K with the Medium preset, the combo achieves 65 FPS average with a 55 FPS minimum. The Low preset reaches 104 FPS at 4K, but the High and Ultra presets are not recommended as they drop to 47 FPS and 37 FPS respectively.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H has an average benchmark score of 44466, which is 0.3% higher than the Intel Core i9-13950HX (44342) and 0.5% higher than the Intel Core i5-13600 (44240). It trails the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D by 0.2% (44573).

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the main bottleneck in this game?

A: The data clearly shows the GPU as the limiting factor. The FPS drops consistently as resolution increases (from 98 FPS at 1080p Medium to 65 FPS at 4K Medium), while the CPU’s performance remains constant. The GPU’s 92nd percentile ranking and the game’s pixel-heavy rendering workload confirm this.

Q: What is the combo’s ranking compared to all other tested configurations in The Medium?

A: This combo ranks 527th out of 2911 tested combinations, placing it in the top 18.1% of all systems in the database. This is a strong result, driven primarily by the RTX 5090’s high performance.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have and is it sufficient for this game?

A: The RTX 5090 has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus with 1.79 TB/s bandwidth. This is more than sufficient for The Medium’s dual-world rendering technique, as evidenced by the stable minimum FPS values at Medium settings across all resolutions.