The Medium

# The Medium with AMD Ryzen 5 2600 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D produces a striking benchmark profile in The Medium, where the GPU's immense compute resources are consistently throttled by the older six-core processor. Across all tested resolutions and settings, the combo lands at rank 809 out of 2911 tested combinations, placing it in the upper third of all systems while revealing a significant CPU-bound ceiling that caps frame rates regardless of graphics load.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a telling pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 69 FPS at 1080p to 65 FPS at 1440p, then to 60 FPS at 4K — a total decline of just 9 FPS across the full resolution range. This shallow scaling curve indicates that the system is not GPU-limited at lower resolutions; if the RTX 5090 D were the primary constraint, the jump from 1080p to 4K would typically produce a far more dramatic FPS reduction given the fourfold pixel count increase.

The Low settings preset tells a similar story. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 94 FPS average, dropping to 88 FPS at 1440p and 82 FPS at 4K. Again, the 12 FPS spread from lowest to highest resolution suggests the CPU is the dominant bottleneck, as the GPU has ample headroom to render even at 4K with minimal settings. The RTX 5090 D's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are more than sufficient for any resolution this game can throw at them, so the frame rate deltas reflect processor limits rather than graphics memory or bandwidth constraints.

Medium settings show a slightly wider spread: 78 FPS at 1080p, 74 FPS at 1440p, and 68 FPS at 4K. The 10 FPS difference between 1080p and 4K here is still modest. Ultra settings produce the largest relative drop, from 63 FPS at 1080p to 60 FPS at 1440p and 54 FPS at 4K — a 9 FPS decline. Across every preset, the pattern is consistent: resolution scaling is compressed, with 4K performance sitting within 15% of 1080p performance in all cases. This is the signature of a CPU-bound configuration where the graphics card is waiting on the processor to feed it frames.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D brings extraordinary specifications to this pairing: a Blackwell 2.0 architecture chip with 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 ROPs. Its boost clock reaches 2407 MHz, and the memory subsystem consists of 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. These figures place the GPU in the 92nd percentile of all graphics cards tested, with an average benchmark score of 77,712 — putting it just 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and 1.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT in aggregate benchmarks.

In The Medium, the GPU's role is largely underutilized due to the CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the 94 FPS average is respectable but nowhere near the frame rates this GPU could theoretically produce in a balanced system. The RTX 5090 D's raw compute power — 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance — is effectively wasted at lower resolutions where the Ryzen 5 2600 cannot issue draw calls quickly enough. Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU should be working hardest, the 54 FPS average suggests the processor is still limiting performance, as a GPU of this caliber would typically push far higher frame rates in a 2021 horror title with fixed camera angles and moderate scene complexity.

The GPU's memory configuration deserves note. With 32 GB of GDDR7, there is no conceivable VRAM pressure in The Medium, which was designed for the previous console generation. The 512-bit memory bus and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth eliminate any possibility of memory bandwidth bottlenecks, further confirming that the observed frame rates are constrained by the CPU rather than any GPU-side limitation. The GPU's percentile ranking of 92 and its benchmark scores — 44,065 in Passmark G3D and 28,396 in GPU compute — indicate a component that is performing far below its potential in this specific game configuration.

FAQ

Q: Why does the frame rate barely change between 1080p and 4K?

A: The measured data shows only a 9 FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings (69 to 60 FPS). This compressed scaling curve indicates the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is the limiting component, as a GPU-bound system would show a much larger performance gap when pixel count quadruples.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 D being fully utilized in this combination?

A: No. Benchmark results indicate the GPU is bottlenecked by the CPU across all settings. At 1080p Low, the system produces 94 FPS, which is well below what this GPU's 104.8 TFLOPS compute capability and 32 GB GDDR7 memory could deliver in a balanced configuration.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems in The Medium?

A: The combination ranks 809th out of 2911 tested combos, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all systems. This is a strong position overall, but the rank underperforms what the GPU alone would suggest given its 92nd percentile standing among all graphics cards.

Q: Which settings preset provides the highest average frame rate?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 yields the highest measured average at 94 FPS. At 4K, Low still achieves 82 FPS, which is higher than any other preset at that resolution — Ultra only manages 54 FPS.

Q: Is the 6-core Ryzen 5 2600 sufficient for this game?

A: The data shows the CPU is the primary constraint. With 6 cores and 12 threads running at a 3.90 GHz boost clock, the processor's Passmark multithread score of 13,160 places it in the 75th percentile of all CPUs, but this is insufficient to feed the RTX 5090 D's enormous throughput in The Medium.

Q: Does the GPU's 32 GB VRAM provide any advantage in this game?

A: No measurable advantage appears in the data. The Medium's requirements are modest, and even at 4K Ultra, the frame rate is limited to 54 FPS by the CPU. The 32 GB memory capacity and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are far beyond what this game can utilize.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest performance across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 94 FPS, followed by Medium at 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 and maximum of 90. High settings yield 69 FPS average, while Ultra drops to 63 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 31 FPS, reflecting the increased graphical workload but still constrained by the CPU ceiling.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decline modestly. Low settings average 88 FPS, Medium averages 74 FPS with a range of 63 to 85, High averages 65 FPS, and Ultra averages 60 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 28 FPS, slightly narrower than at 1080p. The Medium preset's minimum of 63 FPS at 1440p is notable, as it indicates the system can maintain playable frame rates even during demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the performance envelope tightens further. Low settings still achieve 82 FPS average, Medium drops to 68 FPS with a minimum of 58 and maximum of 78, High averages 60 FPS, and Ultra averages 54 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra spread narrows to 28 FPS — identical to 1440p. The 4K Medium minimum of 58 FPS shows that even at maximum resolution, the system rarely dips below 60 FPS except under Ultra settings, where the average itself falls to 54 FPS.

The complete dataset reveals that no preset at any resolution produces a sub-50 FPS average, and only 4K Ultra falls below a 60 FPS average. The system is consistently playable, though the GPU's potential is clearly untapped.

How This Combo Ranks

With a combo rank of 809 out of 2911 tested combinations, this system sits in the upper third of all configurations tested in The Medium. This ranking reflects the combined performance of the Ryzen 5 2600 and RTX 5090 D, but the individual components tell a more nuanced story. The GPU alone ranks in the 92nd percentile of all graphics cards, while the CPU ranks in the 75th percentile of all processors. The combo's overall percentile — approximately 72nd — is lower than both individual rankings, confirming that the pairing is inefficient.

The nearest rival CPUs to the Ryzen 5 2600 in aggregate benchmark scores include the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V at 21,440 (0.2% ahead), the Intel Core i9-11900H at 21,367 (0.5% ahead), and the Intel Xeon D-1746TER at 21,635 (0.7% behind). The AMD EPYC 9454 trails by 1.2% at 21,223. These rivals are all within a narrow 2% band, indicating the Ryzen 5 2600 is positioned in a crowded mid-range performance tier. Meanwhile, the RTX 5090 D's nearest GPU rivals — the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT at 76,904 (1.1% ahead) and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT at 78,940 (1.6% behind) — show that the GPU belongs to a performance class far above the CPU's tier. This mismatch explains why the combo rank underperforms the GPU's individual standing.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At every resolution, the Low preset delivers the highest average frame rate, with 94 FPS at 1080p, 88 FPS at 1440p, and 82 FPS at 4K. However, Low settings sacrifice visual quality in a game where atmospheric horror benefits from graphical fidelity. The Medium preset offers the best balance: at 1080p it achieves 78 FPS, at 1440p 74 FPS, and at 4K 68 FPS — all comfortably above 60 FPS thresholds.

For players targeting 60 FPS as a baseline, Medium settings at 4K are the safest choice, with a minimum measured FPS of 58 and an average of 68. High settings at 4K drop to a 60 FPS average with no minimum data available, making Medium the more reliable option. At 1440p, High settings average 65 FPS, which is playable, but Medium's 74 FPS with a 63 FPS minimum provides better consistency. At 1080p, Ultra settings average 63 FPS, which is acceptable, but Medium's 78 FPS average with a 66 FPS minimum offers a superior experience for minimal visual compromise.

The data suggests that Medium is the recommended preset across all resolutions. It provides the largest margin above 60 FPS while maintaining the visual enhancements over Low. Ultra settings should be avoided at 4K, where the 54 FPS average falls below the 60 FPS target, and even at 1080p, the 63 FPS average offers less headroom than Medium's 78 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 is 3.40 GHz with a boost clock of 3.90 GHz, and it features 16 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU's benchmark results show a Passmark multithread score of 13,160, a single-thread score of 2,239, and a Cinebench R15 multicore score of 1,248. These figures place it in the 75th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21,484.

In The Medium, the CPU's role is the dominant constraint on performance. The game's measured frame rates — capped around 94 FPS even at 1080p Low — suggest that the Ryzen 5 2600 cannot sustain higher frame rates regardless of GPU capability. The processor's 16 MB L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 46.9 GB/s bandwidth are modest by modern standards, and the PCIe Gen 3 interface with 16 lanes further limits data transfer speeds to the GPU compared to the RTX 5090 D's PCIe 5.0 capability.

The nearest CPU rivals illustrate the performance tier: the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V scores 21,440 (0.2% higher), the Intel Core i9-11900H scores 21,367 (0.5% higher), and the AMD EPYC 9454 scores 21,223 (1.2% lower). These marginal differences mean that swapping the Ryzen 5 2600 for any of these rivals would not meaningfully change the CPU bottleneck in The Medium. The processor's 75th percentile ranking is respectable for general workloads, but in a GPU-heavy title like this, it becomes the limiting factor that prevents the RTX 5090 D from demonstrating its true capabilities. The 6-core configuration at 3.90 GHz boost is sufficient for playable performance — every measured preset exceeds 54 FPS — but the ceiling imposed by this CPU means the system's ranking of 809 out of 2911 undersells the GPU's potential.