The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title, and the pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER creates an interesting bottleneck dynamic. This combination ranks 567th out of 1689 tested combos, placing it in the upper third of all configurations. The data shows a system where the GPU is clearly capable of high frame rates, but the older Zen-based CPU holds back performance in specific scenarios. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to show exactly where this combo excels and where it struggles.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is not uniform across all settings, which reveals how the workload shifts between components. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 94.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 81.7 FPS at 3840x2160, a decline of roughly 13.6%. This relatively small drop indicates that at Low settings, even at 1080p, the CPU is already a limiting factor, preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential. The RTX 4080 SUPER is capable of far more than 94.6 FPS in less demanding scenes, but the Ryzen 5 2600 cannot feed it data fast enough.

The scaling pattern changes dramatically as settings increase. At Ultra settings, the frame rate drops from 65.2 FPS at 1080p to 45.4 FPS at 4K, a 30.4% reduction. This steeper decline shows that at higher quality presets, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. The increased pixel count and shading work at 4K Ultra load the RTX 4080 SUPER heavily, and the frame rate falls accordingly. At Medium settings, the drop is from 77 FPS at 1080p to 70.3 FPS at 4K, a modest 8.7% decline, which sits between the two extremes.

The most telling data point is the difference between Low and Ultra at the same resolution. At 1080p, the gap is 29.4 FPS (94.6 vs 65.2), while at 4K, the gap widens to 36.3 FPS (81.7 vs 45.4). This widening gap confirms that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions. When the CPU is the bottleneck, as it is at Low settings, the GPU has headroom to spare. When the GPU is fully utilized at Ultra settings, the resolution scaling becomes more pronounced. For this combo, 1440p represents a sweet spot where the balance between CPU and GPU load is most favorable, with High settings delivering 65.7 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 2000 series, built on the Zen architecture with a 12 nm process. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 3.90 GHz are modest by modern standards. The CPU's benchmark results reflect its age: it scores 1127 in Cinebench R15 multi-core and 159 in single-core, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11186 and single-core score of 1579. These numbers place the CPU in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, which is respectable but far from top-tier.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the Intel Core i5-1345U (average score 19691, -0.4% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (average score 19508, +0.6% delta). The Ryzen 5 2600's average benchmark score is 19616, which is remarkably close to these mobile-oriented chips. This suggests that while the CPU is not a high-end part, it is not a complete liability either. In The Medium, the CPU's role becomes apparent when comparing Low and High settings at the same resolution.

At 1080p, the difference between Low (94.6 FPS) and High (68.1 FPS) is 26.5 FPS. This gap is primarily due to increased draw calls and physics calculations that burden the CPU at higher settings. The CPU's 16 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support help, but the older Zen architecture cannot keep pace with the GPU's demands. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo is CPU-limited, as the GPU would likely be able to push well past 100 FPS if given the chance. The 12 threads do provide some benefit for the game's multi-threaded rendering, but the per-core performance is the limiting factor.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution. At 3840x2160, Medium settings deliver 70.3 FPS, which is playable, while High drops to 54.1 FPS and Ultra falls to 45.4 FPS. The jump from Medium to High at 4K is a 15.8% performance loss, which is significant. Low settings at 4K provide 81.7 FPS, but the visual quality trade-off is substantial. For a horror game that relies on atmosphere and lighting, Medium settings at 4K offer the best balance of visual fidelity and smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the situation improves. High settings deliver 65.7 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra manages 59 FPS. Medium settings provide 71.7 FPS, offering a comfortable margin. The data suggests that 1440p High is the sweet spot for this combo, as it provides a solid frame rate without needing to sacrifice too many visual effects. The 1440p Ultra setting at 59 FPS is very close to 60 FPS, so players with adaptive sync displays could consider it.

At 1920x1080, even Ultra settings achieve 65.2 FPS, and High reaches 68.1 FPS. Low and Medium provide 94.6 and 77 FPS respectively. The CPU bottleneck is most evident here, as the frame rates do not scale as dramatically as the resolution drops. For 1080p users, High settings are recommended, as the difference between High and Ultra is only 2.9 FPS, while Low looks noticeably worse. The RTX 4080 SUPER is overkill for 1080p in this title, but the CPU prevents it from showing its true strength.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 567th out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the 66th percentile of all configurations, which is a solid result given the CPU's age. The rank reflects the imbalance between the two components: the GPU is a top-tier part (88th percentile of all GPUs), while the CPU is more mid-range (77th percentile). The combo rank sits between these two figures, suggesting that the CPU is holding the system back from reaching the GPU's potential.

The GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (average score 53489, +0.2% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 7700S (average score 52505, +2.1% delta). The RTX 4080 SUPER's average benchmark score of 53610 puts it slightly ahead of the RX 6900 XT but behind the RX 5070 Ti (52086, -2.9% delta). In The Medium, the GPU's raw power is evident at 4K, where it manages 45.4 FPS at Ultra settings. However, the CPU's limitations cap performance at lower resolutions. If this combo were paired with a stronger CPU, the rank would likely improve significantly, as the GPU has clear headroom at 1080p and even 1440p.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 60 FPS at 4K in The Medium?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest settings that achieve 60 FPS or more is Low at 81.7 FPS. Medium delivers 70.3 FPS, High drops to 54.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 45.4 FPS. None of the High or Ultra presets at 4K reach the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: The data indicates that 2560x1440 is the most balanced resolution. At 1440p, High settings deliver 65.7 FPS and Ultra achieves 59 FPS. This resolution avoids the severe CPU bottleneck seen at 1080p while keeping the GPU load manageable compared to 4K.

Q: How much of a frame rate difference is there between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the difference between Low (94.6 FPS) and Ultra (65.2 FPS) is 29.4 FPS. This is the largest absolute gap between any two settings at the same resolution, showing that the CPU has a significant impact on performance at 1080p.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the RTX 4080 SUPER in this game?

A: Yes, particularly at 1080p and at lower settings. The fact that Low settings at 1080p only reach 94.6 FPS suggests the CPU is limiting the GPU. At 4K, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, as evidenced by the larger FPS drop from High to Ultra.

Q: What is the frame rate at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average frame rate is 71.7 FPS. This is a smooth experience that sits between the 4K Medium (70.3 FPS) and 1080p Medium (77 FPS) results.

Q: How does this combo compare to other systems in the database?

A: This combo ranks 567th out of 1689 total combos tested in The Medium. This places it in the top third of all systems, though the CPU's age prevents it from being a top-100 performer.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table lists all measured average frame rates for this combo, organized by resolution and settings.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|---|---|---|

| 3840x2160 | Low | 81.7 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 70.3 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 54.1 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 45.4 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 91.1 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 71.7 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 65.7 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 59.0 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 94.6 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 77.0 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 68.1 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 65.2 |

The data shows a consistent pattern: Low settings always provide the highest frame rate, followed by Medium, High, and Ultra. At every resolution, the gap between High and Ultra is smaller than the gap between Medium and High. For example, at 1440p, the Medium-to-High drop is 6.0 FPS (71.7 to 65.7), while the High-to-Ultra drop is 6.7 FPS (65.7 to 59.0). At 4K, the Medium-to-High drop is 16.2 FPS (70.3 to 54.1), which is the largest single-setting drop in the entire dataset. This suggests that the High preset at 4K introduces a particularly heavy rendering cost that the GPU struggles to handle. The maximum frame rate across all tests is 94.6 FPS at 1080p Low, and the minimum is 45.4 FPS at 4K Ultra.