The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 produces a mid-table result in The Medium, ranking 626th out of 1,689 tested combos. This places the pairing in the upper third of all configurations, but the data reveals a system where the CPU significantly constrains the GPU’s potential, particularly at lower resolutions. The measured frame rates show a clear hierarchy: the combo is playable at 1080p and 1440p on Medium settings, but falls short of smooth performance at 4K Ultra.

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture (Renoir codename) built on a 7 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The processor’s cache configuration includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 8 MB of shared L3 cache. The 4600G supports DDR4 memory with dual-channel bus and a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s.

Benchmark results for the 4600G show a single-thread score of 726 in 3dmark, which is modest for modern gaming. However, the multi-threaded performance is stronger: the Cinebench R23 multi-core score reaches 13,593, while the 3dmark max-threads score is 4,889. The CPU’s percentile versus all CPUs is 75, suggesting it outperforms three-quarters of processors in the database. Compared to its nearest rivals, the 4600G is statistically tied with the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5355GE (0% delta) and the Intel Core i5-12450H (0.1% faster), while the Intel Core i3-14100T is 0.8% faster and the Intel Core i3-13100F is 1% faster.

In The Medium, the 4600G’s 6-core/12-thread layout is adequate for the game’s threading model, but its single-thread performance appears to be a limiting factor. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (109.7 FPS) and 1080p Medium (85.5 FPS) are strong, yet the gap between these settings and the 4K results suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU is responsible for a larger share of the frame pacing. The 4600G’s integrated Radeon Vega 7 graphics is irrelevant here, as the discrete RX 9070 handles all rendering, but the CPU’s PCIe Gen 3 interface (20 lanes) could constrain data transfer to the GPU, though this is not directly measurable from the FPS data.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is the dominant component in this pairing. It features the Navi 48 chip on a 4 nm process with RDNA 4.0 architecture, equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s base clock is 1330 MHz, with a game clock of 2070 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz. Memory runs at 2518 MHz (20.1 Gbps effective). The RX 9070 has 3,584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, 128 ROPs, and 56 ray-tracing cores, yielding 36.13 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

The GPU’s benchmark scores are substantial: a Passmark G3D score of 25,381 and a 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,290. Its percentile versus all GPUs is 79, indicating it beats 79% of the database. Compared to rivals, the RX 9070 is within 0.8% of the NVIDIA A2, NVIDIA Quadro GV100, AMD Radeon HD 7970, and AMD Radeon PRO W6400—though these are unusual comparisons, as the A2 and Quadro GV100 are workstation parts, not gaming cards. The GPU alone is clearly capable of high frame rates in The Medium at 1080p, as evidenced by the 109.7 FPS at Low settings.

The RX 9070’s 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for The Medium, which is a horror game with fixed camera angles and moderate texture demands. The memory bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s ensures that even at Ultra settings, the GPU is not stalling on data fetch. The FPS drop from 1080p Low (109.7) to 1080p Ultra (49.4) is a 55% reduction, which is a typical scaling curve for a GPU-bound scenario at higher settings. However, the fact that the 1080p Ultra score (49.4) is lower than the 1440p Medium score (71.3) suggests that settings have a greater impact on frame rate than resolution alone—a sign that the GPU’s shading and pixel throughput, not just its memory subsystem, are being pushed.

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

The measured FPS data shows a consistent drop as resolution increases, but the magnitude varies by settings. At Low settings, the combo delivers 109.7 FPS at 1080p, 104.8 FPS at 1440p (a 4.5% drop), and 93.5 FPS at 4K (a 14.8% drop from 1080p). This mild scaling at Low settings indicates that at 1080p and 1440p, the CPU is the primary limiter—the RX 9070 has ample headroom, but the 4600G cannot feed it frames fast enough. At 4K Low, the GPU starts to become the bottleneck, but the frame rate remains high.

At Medium settings, the drop is steeper: 85.5 FPS at 1080p, 71.3 FPS at 1440p (a 16.6% drop), and 59.5 FPS at 4K (a 30.4% drop from 1080p). This is a more conventional GPU-limited scaling pattern, where the increased pixel count directly reduces throughput. At High settings, the frame rates are 64.3 FPS at 1080p, 53.6 FPS at 1440p (a 16.6% drop), and 41.8 FPS at 4K (a 35% drop from 1080p). The 4K High result of 41.8 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating the GPU is struggling with the combination of resolution and shading complexity.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling: 49.4 FPS at 1080p, 44.6 FPS at 1440p (a 9.7% drop), and 30.6 FPS at 4K (a 38.1% drop from 1080p). The small drop from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra (only 9.7%) compared to the large drop from 1440p to 4K (31.4%) suggests that at Ultra, the game becomes heavily GPU-bound even at 1080p, and the RX 9070’s ROPs and shading units are saturated. Overall, the data indicates that at lower settings, the Ryzen 5 4600G holds back the RX 9070, while at higher settings and resolutions, the GPU becomes the limiting component.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo ranks 626th out of 1,689 tested configurations, placing it in the 63rd percentile of all combos. This is a respectable position, but it underperforms what the RX 9070 alone would suggest—the GPU has a percentile of 79, while the CPU has a percentile of 75. The combination’s rank is dragged down by the CPU’s modest single-thread performance, which is critical for The Medium’s frame pacing at lower resolutions.

The rank of 626 out of 1,689 means there are 1,063 combos that perform worse, but also 625 that perform better. The data implies that pairing the RX 9070 with a stronger CPU would yield significantly higher frame rates, particularly at 1080p and 1440p Low/Medium settings, where the current combo’s FPS does not scale well with the GPU’s capabilities. For context, the 4600G’s nearest rivals (Intel Core i3-14100T, i3-13100F) have similar average scores, so swapping to those CPUs would likely produce nearly identical results, but a higher-tier CPU would unlock the RX 9070’s full potential.

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

At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 109.7 FPS on Low, 85.5 FPS on Medium, 64.3 FPS on High, and 49.4 FPS on Ultra. This shows a steady progression where each settings tier reduces the frame rate by roughly 20-25%. The 1080p Low result is the highest of any resolution/settings pairing in this test, but the Ultra result of 49.4 FPS is below the 60 FPS target, suggesting that Ultra settings are not viable for a smooth experience at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the results are 104.8 FPS on Low, 71.3 FPS on Medium, 53.6 FPS on High, and 44.6 FPS on Ultra. The 1440p Medium result of 71.3 FPS is playable, while High and Ultra both fall below 60 FPS. Interestingly, the drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is minimal (109.7 to 104.8, a 4.5% loss), but the drop at High settings is more pronounced (64.3 to 53.6, a 16.6% loss), reinforcing that the GPU becomes more stressed as settings increase.

At 3840x2160, the combo delivers 93.5 FPS on Low, 59.5 FPS on Medium, 41.8 FPS on High, and 30.6 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Low result is surprisingly high, indicating the RX 9070’s raw compute can handle 4K at minimal settings. However, 4K Medium (59.5 FPS) is just below the 60 FPS mark, and 4K High (41.8 FPS) and 4K Ultra (30.6 FPS) are not playable for a smooth experience. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 67% reduction in frame rate (from 93.5 to 30.6), showing the dramatic impact of settings at high resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo if I want to stay above 60 FPS?

A: At 1080p, Medium settings (85.5 FPS) and Low settings (109.7 FPS) exceed 60 FPS. At 1440p, only Low (104.8 FPS) and Medium (71.3 FPS) stay above 60 FPS. At 4K, only Low (93.5 FPS) achieves this target.

Q: How does the CPU affect performance compared to the GPU?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo hits 109.7 FPS, but the GPU alone has a Passmark G3D score of 25,381, indicating it could push higher. The CPU’s single-thread score of 726 in 3dmark suggests it limits frame rates at low settings, as evidenced by the small FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p Low (109.7 to 104.8).

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this pairing?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings (93.5 FPS). At Medium, the frame rate drops to 59.5 FPS, and at High or Ultra it falls to 41.8 FPS and 30.6 FPS respectively, which are below playable thresholds.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested systems?

A: It ranks 626th out of 1,689 combos, placing it in the upper third of all configurations tested in The Medium.

Q: How does the RX 9070 compare to its closest rivals in GPU benchmarks?

A: The RX 9070’s average benchmark score (34,780) is within 0.8% of the NVIDIA A2, Quadro GV100, AMD Radeon HD 7970, and AMD Radeon PRO W6400, with deltas ranging from -0.2% to 0.8%.

Q: What settings should I avoid for a consistent 60 FPS experience?

A: Avoid Ultra settings at any resolution (49.4 FPS at 1080p, 44.6 FPS at 1440p, 30.6 FPS at 4K). Also avoid High settings at 1440p (53.6 FPS) and 4K (41.8 FPS).

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal balance of visual quality and performance is Medium settings at 1440p, which delivers 71.3 FPS. This provides a smooth experience while maintaining higher fidelity than Low. For players prioritizing a locked 60 FPS at 4K, Low settings are the only option (93.5 FPS), but this sacrifices significant visual detail. At 1080p, Medium (85.5 FPS) is the best choice, as High (64.3 FPS) is playable but offers diminishing returns, while Ultra (49.4 FPS) cannot maintain 60 FPS.

The data shows that High settings at 1080p (64.3 FPS) is the highest preset that stays above 60 FPS, making it a viable option for those who want better shadows and textures without a major FPS hit. However, the jump from Medium to High at 1080p costs 21.2 FPS (from 85.5 to 64.3), which is a 25% reduction. At 1440p, Medium is the clear winner, as High drops to 53.6 FPS. For 4K, the choice is binary: Low for playability or Medium for a cinematic 59.5 FPS that teeters on the edge of 60 FPS. Given the horror genre’s reliance on atmosphere, Medium at 1440p (71.3 FPS) offers the best blend of visual immersion and frame pacing, while 1080p Medium (85.5 FPS) is the safest recommendation for consistent performance.