The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title built on Unreal Engine 4, presents a demanding workload that shifts dramatically between resolutions when paired with the AMD Ryzen 5 4600G and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080. The measured data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions but becomes increasingly reliant on the CPU’s capabilities as the pixel count drops. This analysis breaks down the performance characteristics of this specific combination, offering a clear picture of what the benchmark results indicate for playability across different settings and resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K with this hardware configuration is steep and clearly illustrates where the bottleneck lies. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 111 FPS. Moving up to 2560x1440 at Low settings, the average only drops to 105 FPS, a modest decline of approximately 5.4%. However, the jump to 3840x2160 at Low settings yields an average of 95 FPS, which is a more significant 9.5% reduction from the 1440p figure. This pattern indicates that at Low settings, the CPU and GPU are relatively balanced, with the GPU still managing the increased pixel workload without becoming overwhelmed.

The scaling curve changes character entirely when the graphical preset is increased to High. At 1920x1080 High, the average FPS is 64. At 2560x1440 High, it drops to 54 FPS (a 15.6% decrease), and at 3840x2160 High, it plummets to 42 FPS (a 22.2% decrease from 1440p). This accelerating performance loss is a classic sign of the GPU becoming the primary limiting factor. The RTX 3080’s 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 320-bit bus are being saturated by the higher resolution textures and effects, causing frame rates to fall at a faster rate than the resolution increase alone would suggest.

The most extreme example of this GPU-bound behavior is seen at the Ultra preset. The system manages 51 FPS at 1080p, but this falls to 43 FPS at 1440p (a 15.7% drop) and then to just 34 FPS at 4K (a 20.9% drop). The data shows a clear trend: the performance penalty for each step up in resolution grows as the settings increase. At Low, the total penalty from 1080p to 4K is roughly 14.4%. At High, that same resolution jump carries a 34.4% penalty, and at Ultra, it is a 33.3% penalty. This substantial scaling difference suggests that while the CPU pairing is capable of feeding frames at lower resolutions, the RTX 3080 is the clear limiting component when pushing higher fidelity visuals at 4K.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture, running on the AMD Socket AM4 platform. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 4.20 GHz are moderate figures, and its benchmark scores reflect a mid-range standing. In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 13593 points in multi-core and 1919 points in single-core tests. These scores place the processor in the 71st percentile against all CPUs, indicating it is a capable, but not top-tier, performer.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU’s raw power. The fact that frame rates at Low settings remain relatively high (over 95 FPS at 4K) suggests the 4600G has enough single-thread performance to keep the game engine’s logic running without starving the GPU at lower graphical loads. However, the game’s performance is not entirely independent of the CPU. At 1080p with Low settings, the average of 111 FPS is the highest score in the entire dataset, which suggests that the CPU is managing to provide a high enough frame rate to avoid becoming a bottleneck at that resolution.

Yet, the impact of the CPU becomes more apparent when observing the scaling at 1440p and 1080p with higher presets. The difference between 1080p High (64 FPS) and 1440p High (54 FPS) is a 10 FPS drop, which is a larger absolute drop than the 6 FPS difference between 1440p High and 4K High. This indicates that while the GPU is the primary limiter at 4K, the CPU’s ability to prepare frames is also being challenged at lower resolutions where the GPU can render faster. The processor's average benchmark score of 17507 and its proximity to rivals like the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5355GE (which is only 0.1% faster) and the Intel Core 7 150U (0.6% faster) confirm it is a solid mainstream chip, but it lacks the headroom of higher-end CPUs to fully unlock the RTX 3080’s potential at 1080p.

The data suggests a balanced pairing for high-refresh 1080p gaming on lower presets, but the CPU’s 3DMark 2-thread score of 1430 and single-thread score of 726 indicate that it is not a specialist in the lightly-threaded workloads that some game engines rely on. In a title like The Medium, which uses fixed camera angles and likely has significant draw-call overhead, the 4600G’s performance is adequate but does not boost the system’s capabilities beyond what the GPU dictates at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance for this combo is found at the Medium preset. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers an average of 90 FPS, with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 103 FPS. This is a playable, smooth experience that avoids the high-end fidelity of Ultra (51 FPS) and the low visual quality of Low (111 FPS). The 90 FPS average at Medium provides a significant improvement over the 64 FPS at High, making it the clear choice for a responsive experience on a standard 60Hz or higher refresh rate monitor.

For users with a 2560x1440 display, the Medium preset remains the recommended choice. The average of 75 FPS, with a minimum of 64 FPS, is still comfortably within the territory of smooth gameplay. The High preset at 1440p drops to 54 FPS, which, while playable, is noticeably less fluid and may introduce stutter in more demanding scenes. The Low preset at 1440p offers a high 105 FPS average, but this comes at a significant cost to visual quality, which is often undesirable in a horror game that relies on atmosphere and detail.

At 3840x2160, the choices become more constrained. The Ultra preset is not viable, averaging only 34 FPS. The High preset, at 42 FPS, is borderline, but the Medium preset provides a more playable 59 FPS average, with a minimum of 50 FPS. This makes Medium at 4K the only setting that offers a consistent experience above the 60 FPS threshold, albeit not by a large margin. The data suggests that for this game, the Medium preset is the "sweet spot" for this hardware combination across all resolutions, offering a significant performance uplift over High and Ultra while retaining a reasonable level of graphical detail. The Low preset, while delivering the highest frame rates (95+ FPS at 4K), is best reserved for competitive play or systems where maximum FPS is prioritized over visual immersion.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand database of tested combinations for The Medium, the pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 4600G and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 secures a rank of 1217 out of 3724 tested combos. This places it in the top third of all systems, a respectable position that reflects the strength of the RTX 3080. The RTX 3080 itself is a formidable piece of hardware, ranking in the 68th percentile against all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 23172. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, are only 0.4% different in average score, which shows that in general compute tasks, the 3080 is a strong, though not unique, performer.

However, the CPU's standing tempers the overall rank. The Ryzen 5 4600G is in the 71st percentile among CPUs, which is good, but it is not a top-tier processor. The combo's rank of 1217 out of 3724 suggests that while the GPU can push high frame rates in some scenarios, the CPU prevents the system from achieving the top-tier results that would be seen with a more powerful processor. For example, the CPU’s nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 3 8300GE, scores 0.6% higher on average, indicating that the 4600G is not a performance outlier.

The data shows that the combo ranks higher than the median, which is a positive sign. The high rank is almost entirely attributable to the GPU's ability to handle 4K resolutions with playable frame rates at Medium settings. If the system were paired with a higher-end CPU, the rank would likely be higher due to improved 1080p performance. As it stands, the combo confirms the RTX 3080's raw power, but it also highlights the importance of a balanced system. The 4600G, while competent, does not fully unlock the potential of the 3080 in CPU-limited scenarios, preventing this combo from breaking into the top 1000.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in The Medium?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 111 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Is this system capable of 4K gaming in The Medium?

A: Yes, but it requires settings adjustments. At 4K with the Medium preset, the system averages 59 FPS, which is playable. The High preset averages 42 FPS, and Ultra drops to 34 FPS, making those presets less ideal for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival in performance?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G has an average benchmark score of 17507. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5355GE, has an average score of 17482, making the 4600G 0.1% faster. Another rival, the AMD Ryzen 3 8300GE, is 0.6% faster with a score of 17614.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 1440p?

A: The minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is 64 FPS, with a maximum of 87 FPS and an average of 75 FPS.

Q: What does the combo's rank of 1217 out of 3724 signify?

A: It means that this specific CPU and GPU combination performs better than the majority of other tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the top third. This is a strong result, driven largely by the RTX 3080's high performance.

Q: Is the performance at 1080p with High settings smooth?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 64 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS threshold, which is generally considered smooth, but it is not as high as the Medium preset's 90 FPS average.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average FPS measurements for the AMD Ryzen 5 4600G and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination across all tested settings and resolutions in The Medium.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS |

|:--- |:--- |:--- |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 34 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 42 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 59 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 95 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 43 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 54 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 75 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 105 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 51 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 64 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 90 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 111 |

For the Medium preset, additional frame time data is available. At 3840x2160, the minimum FPS is 50 and the maximum is 68. At 2560x1440, the minimum is 64 and the maximum is 87. At 1920x1080, the minimum is 76 and the maximum is 103. These figures provide a clearer picture of frame pacing consistency, showing that the Medium preset maintains a relatively stable experience, particularly at 1080p and 1440p.