The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination delivers a playable experience in The Medium, but the headroom varies significantly by resolution. At 1920x1080, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold at High settings with an average of 66.9 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, Medium settings provide 81.6 FPS, while 3840x2160 requires Low settings to reach 100.2 FPS. The data indicates a capable pairing where the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions, particularly under Ultra presets.

FAQ

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1920x1080 for this combo?

A: High settings, which produce an average of 66.9 FPS. Ultra falls below the 60 FPS threshold at 56.0 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 2560x1440 at Medium settings?

A: Yes, the average FPS is 81.6, which is well above the 60 FPS playability threshold. Low settings run at 123.6 FPS, while High drops to 57.7 FPS.

Q: Is 4K (3840x2160) playable with this hardware?

A: Only at Low settings, which average 100.2 FPS. Medium achieves 59.8 FPS (just below 60), High averages 46.6 FPS, and Ultra averages 34.8 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 7 7700 has an average benchmark score of 40081, placing it within -0.6% to +0.1% of its nearest rivals: the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, Intel Core 5 221E, AMD Ryzen 9 270, and Intel Core i9-13905H.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested graphics cards?

A: The RTX 4070 sits at the 81st percentile, with an average benchmark score of 37648. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P4 and AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, both within 0.4% of its score.

Q: Does the combo rank high among tested CPU-GPU pairs for this game?

A: The combo ranks 799th out of 3724 tested combinations, placing it in the top 21.5% of all tested pairings for The Medium.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 799 out of 3724 tested combinations places this system comfortably above the median for The Medium. This percentile position reflects a pairing that can handle the game’s demanding dual-world rendering at most settings, but not at the highest presets across all resolutions. The ranking is largely driven by the GPU’s ability to maintain playable frame rates at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440, while the CPU’s strong multi-threaded performance ensures consistent frame delivery in scenes with heavy scripted sequences.

Breaking down the performance tiers, the system at 1920x1080 achieves 66.9 FPS on High, which is a solid result given that the Ultra preset falls to 56.0 FPS. The gap between Medium (90.9 FPS) and High (66.9 FPS) is substantial, indicating that the High preset imposes a significant load on the graphics pipeline. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 81.6 FPS is the sweet spot, while High drops to 57.7 FPS, just shy of the 60 FPS target. The 3840x2160 results show a sharper drop-off: Medium at 59.8 FPS is nearly playable, but only Low at 100.2 FPS provides comfortable headroom.

Compared to the overall combo distribution, this system’s rank suggests it outperforms roughly 78.5% of all tested pairings for this title. The data shows that while the hardware is capable of 4K gaming, it does so only at the lowest preset, which may not be acceptable for users seeking visual fidelity. The ranking also implies that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution; the GPU’s memory bandwidth and shading capabilities dictate the playable settings.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 becomes clearer when examining performance scaling across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the CPU’s role is more prominent, as lower resolution reduces GPU load. The transition from Low (148.8 FPS) to Medium (90.9 FPS) shows a 38.9% drop, while High (66.9 FPS) and Ultra (56.0 FPS) continue the trend. This pattern indicates that the GPU is still the primary driver of frame rate, but the CPU’s 8-core, 16-thread configuration provides sufficient headroom to avoid bottlenecks at these frame rates.

Moving to 2560x1440, the GPU’s influence grows. Low settings produce 123.6 FPS, which is a 17% reduction from the 1080p Low result. Medium at 81.6 FPS represents a 10.2% drop from 1080p Medium, while High at 57.7 FPS is a 13.8% drop. The scaling is not linear, suggesting that memory bandwidth and texture fill rates are becoming more critical. At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. Low settings at 100.2 FPS show a 19% reduction from 1440p Low, and Medium at 59.8 FPS is a 26.7% drop from 1440p Medium. High at 46.6 FPS and Ultra at 34.8 FPS indicate that the RTX 4070’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the highest presets at 4K.

The CPU’s synthetic benchmark scores, such as the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 18760 and single-core score of 1930, suggest it can handle the game’s AI and physics workloads without becoming a bottleneck. However, the measured FPS data shows that as resolution increases, the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens, confirming that the GPU is the dominant factor in this pairing for The Medium. At 1920x1080, the CPU’s performance allows the GPU to stretch its legs, but at 3840x2160, the GPU’s limits are exposed regardless of CPU capability.

The Verdict

Based on the measured frame rates, this system can run The Medium at all three tested resolutions, but the playable settings vary. At 1920x1080, High settings deliver 66.9 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium at 90.9 FPS and Low at 148.8 FPS also exceed the target, while Ultra at 56.0 FPS falls short. The verdict for 1080p is clear: the game is playable at High settings with a comfortable margin.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings provide 81.6 FPS, making this the best playable preset. Low at 123.6 FPS offers even more headroom, but Medium is the most demanding preset that stays above 60 FPS. High at 57.7 FPS and Ultra at 46.4 FPS are not playable. The verdict for 1440p is a qualified yes, with Medium settings recommended.

For 3840x2160, only Low settings at 100.2 FPS meet the playability threshold. Medium at 59.8 FPS is technically below 60 FPS, and High at 46.6 FPS and Ultra at 34.8 FPS are not viable. The verdict for 4K is a yes, but only at the lowest preset, which may compromise visual quality. Overall, the system is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K reserved for users who prioritize frame rate over graphical detail.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 7 7700’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, Intel Core 5 221E, AMD Ryzen 9 270, and Intel Core i9-13905H. The Ryzen AI 9 365 has an average score of 40048, which is 0.1% higher, indicating nearly identical performance. The Intel Core 5 221E scores 40144, a 0.2% advantage, while the AMD Ryzen 9 270 scores 40246, a 0.4% lead. The Intel Core i9-13905H scores 40313, a 0.6% lead. These differences are negligible in real-world gaming, so any of these CPUs would produce similar results in The Medium.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37628, 0.1% higher), the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507, 0.4% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (38135, 1.3% higher), and the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 (37157, 1.3% lower). The RTX 4070’s average score of 37648 places it in a tight cluster. The RTX 4080 Mobile is the only rival that offers a meaningful performance advantage, but its mobile form factor may have different thermal characteristics. The RX Vega 56 and Tesla P4 would perform similarly in The Medium, though the Tesla P4 is a data-center card. The Radeon PRO W6400 is slightly slower, which could result in lower frame rates at the same settings.

Users considering alternatives should note that the CPU rivals are all within 0.6% of the Ryzen 7 7700, so no meaningful performance difference exists for this game. The GPU alternatives are within 1.3%, which could translate to a few FPS in either direction, but the overall playability verdict would remain unchanged.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average of 66.9 FPS. This provides a good balance between visual quality and performance. Medium at 90.9 FPS and Low at 148.8 FPS are also playable, but High is the recommended choice for the best visual experience without dropping below the threshold.

At 2560x1440, the best playable setting is Medium, averaging 81.6 FPS. This preset delivers a significant visual improvement over Low while maintaining a comfortable frame rate. Low at 123.6 FPS is an option for users who prefer higher frame rates, but Medium is the sweet spot.

For 3840x2160, the only playable setting is Low, which averages 100.2 FPS. This is a stark compromise, as Medium at 59.8 FPS is just below the threshold. The data suggests that 4K gaming is possible but only with reduced graphical fidelity. Users with 4K displays should consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for a better balance of quality and performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 148.8 FPS on Low, 90.9 FPS on Medium, 66.9 FPS on High, and 56.0 FPS on Ultra. The progression shows a steady decline, with Ultra being the only preset below the 60 FPS threshold. The drop from Low to Medium is 57.9 FPS, while the drop from Medium to High is 24.0 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 10.9 FPS. This suggests diminishing returns as settings increase.

At 2560x1440, the results are 123.6 FPS on Low, 81.6 FPS on Medium, 57.7 FPS on High, and 46.4 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Medium and High is 23.9 FPS, which is similar to the 1080p gap, but the absolute frame rates are lower. High and Ultra both fail to reach 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system produces 100.2 FPS on Low, 59.8 FPS on Medium, 46.6 FPS on High, and 34.8 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Low to Medium is 40.4 FPS, which is the largest relative decrease across all resolutions. Medium is the only preset that comes close to the 60 FPS target, but it falls short by 0.2 FPS. High and Ultra show significant performance degradation, indicating that the RTX 4070 is overburdened at 4K with higher settings. The data shows no min or max FPS values, so only average frame rates are available for analysis.