The Medium

The Medium, a horror title built around fixed camera angles and a dual-reality mechanic, presents a unique load profile. The measured data for the AMD Ryzen 5 4600G with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti reveals a system that is heavily constrained by the graphics card at higher settings, but which unlocks significant performance headroom when visual fidelity is reduced. The benchmark results show a clear pattern: the RTX 3070 Ti is the dominant factor in determining frame rates, with the Ryzen 5 4600G providing sufficient support to avoid becoming a bottleneck in most scenarios.

Settings Recommendations

The measured frame rates indicate that the optimal experience depends heavily on the target resolution. At 3840x2160, the High preset delivers an average of 41.1 FPS, which is playable but not smooth. Dropping to Medium yields 54.5 FPS, a substantial improvement of 13.4 FPS over High. The Ultra preset at this resolution produces an average of 30.7 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable gameplay. For 4K, the data suggests that Medium is the best choice, as it balances visual quality with a frame rate that approaches 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the situation improves. The High preset achieves an average of 46.9 FPS, while Medium reaches 69.9 FPS. The Low preset produces 106 FPS, indicating that the GPU has ample headroom at this resolution. The Ultra preset, however, still struggles with an average of 36.8 FPS. For 1440p, the Medium preset is the recommended starting point, as it provides a smooth experience above 60 FPS. If the user prefers higher visual fidelity, High is viable, but the frame rate will dip below 50 FPS.

The 1920x1080 results show that the combination is well-suited for this resolution. The High preset achieves exactly 60.0 FPS, while Medium reaches 79.2 FPS and Low produces 114.1 FPS. The Ultra preset manages an average of 49.2 FPS, which is not ideal for fast-paced segments. For 1080p, the Medium preset offers the best balance, delivering a frame rate well above 60 FPS with better visual quality than Low. The data indicates that the High preset is also acceptable, but the Medium preset provides a more comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is the primary performance driver in this configuration. Its 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s, which is sufficient for the texture-heavy environments of The Medium. The GPU's boost clock of 1770 MHz, combined with its 6144 shading units, allows it to process the game's dual-reality rendering efficiently. The benchmark scores for the GPU, such as a Passmark G3D score of 23356 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 3478, confirm its position in the 74th percentile of all GPUs tested.

The GPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals is notable. The data shows the RTX 3070 Ti is 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME in average benchmark score, and 0.8% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6700. These are marginal differences, indicating that the 3070 Ti sits in a competitive performance tier. The measured FPS data, however, shows that the GPU's raw power is not always fully utilized. At 1080p Low, the frame rate reaches 114.1 FPS, which suggests the CPU is keeping up, but the GPU is still the limiting factor in most configurations.

The VRAM capacity of 8 GB is a critical consideration. The Medium's use of high-resolution textures and simultaneous rendering of two worlds can stress VRAM. The data does not show a direct VRAM usage metric, but the performance drop from Medium to High settings at 4K (54.5 to 41.1 FPS) suggests that the increased memory pressure and shader complexity are significant. The GPU's memory clock of 1188 MHz, listed as 19 Gbps effective, helps mitigate potential bottlenecks, but the 8 GB capacity may be a limiting factor at Ultra settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 60 FPS experience at 2560x1440?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 produces an average of 69.9 FPS, which is the only configuration at this resolution that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS while maintaining moderate visual fidelity. The High preset averages 46.9 FPS, which is below the target.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 Ti compare to the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 30849, which is 0.3% higher than the RX 590 GME's score of 30755. This indicates that the two GPUs perform nearly identically in aggregate synthetic tests, despite differences in architecture.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 4600G a bottleneck for the RTX 3070 Ti in this game?

A: The data does not show a CPU bottleneck at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the frame rate reaches 114.1 FPS, which is significantly higher than at 4K Low (85.4 FPS). This scaling suggests the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU's performance is sufficient to feed the GPU at lower resolutions.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset?

A: The Ultra preset at 4K yields an average of 30.7 FPS. This is the lowest measured frame rate in the dataset, indicating that the combination is not suitable for Ultra settings at this resolution.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: The combination of the Ryzen 5 4600G and RTX 3070 Ti ranks 682nd out of 1689 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the upper half of all configurations, but not in the top tier.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and High settings at 1920x1080?

A: At 1080p, the Low preset averages 114.1 FPS, while the High preset averages 60.0 FPS. This represents a 54.1 FPS difference, showing that the High preset imposes a significant load on the GPU, nearly halving the frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 4600G and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti achieves a rank of 682 out of 1689 tested combos for The Medium. This places the configuration in the 60th percentile of all tested systems. The rank indicates that while the GPU is a strong performer, the overall system is not at the top of the charts, likely due to the CPU's mid-range positioning. The Ryzen 5 4600G has an average benchmark score of 17489, which places it in the 75th percentile of all CPUs. However, its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5355GE and Intel Core i5-12450H, show that it is not a top-tier processor.

The GPU's percentile rank of 74 is similar to the CPU's, suggesting a balanced pairing. The RTX 3070 Ti's average benchmark score of 30849 puts it in a competitive position, but its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6700, which is 0.8% faster. This marginal difference means that in real-world gaming, the combination's rank is influenced by the game's specific engine requirements. The Medium's reliance on dual-reality rendering may favor certain GPU architectures, and the data shows that this combo performs adequately but not exceptionally, given its rank.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear trend of decreasing performance as resolution increases. At the Low preset, the frame rate drops from 114.1 FPS at 1080p to 106 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 8.1 FPS, and then to 85.4 FPS at 4K, a further reduction of 20.6 FPS. This scaling suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting factor, as the CPU's workload does not increase significantly with resolution. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 25.2%, which is substantial but not as severe as at higher settings.

At the High preset, the frame rate drops from 60.0 FPS at 1080p to 46.9 FPS at 1440p, a 21.8% reduction, and then to 41.1 FPS at 4K, a 31.5% reduction from 1080p. This steeper decline indicates that the High preset's increased shading and texture loads amplify the GPU's workload at higher resolutions. The Ultra preset shows the most significant scaling issues, with frame rates dropping from 49.2 FPS at 1080p to 36.8 FPS at 1440p (25.2% reduction) and then to 30.7 FPS at 4K (37.6% reduction). This pattern confirms that the GPU is the limiting component, as the performance degradation is directly proportional to the pixel count increase.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination delivers an average of 114.1 FPS on Low settings, 79.2 FPS on Medium, 60.0 FPS on High, and 49.2 FPS on Ultra. The spread between Low and Ultra is 64.9 FPS, indicating that the game's settings have a profound impact on performance. The Medium preset is the only one that provides a frame rate well above 60 FPS, while the High preset exactly hits the 60 FPS mark.

At 2560x1440, the measured averages are 106 FPS on Low, 69.9 FPS on Medium, 46.9 FPS on High, and 36.8 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset is the clear winner here, providing a smooth experience that is 23.1 FPS higher than High. The Low preset offers exceptional performance, but the visual quality trade-off may not be worth it for most users.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 85.4 FPS on Low, 54.5 FPS on Medium, 41.1 FPS on High, and 30.7 FPS on Ultra. The Low preset is the only one that achieves a frame rate above 60 FPS, while Medium provides a playable experience. The Ultra preset at 4K is not recommended, as the 30.7 FPS average falls below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The data across all resolutions shows a consistent pattern: the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, while the Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p.