The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title that stresses both processor and graphics hardware, and this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 produces a wide spread of results depending on the resolution and quality preset selected. The data shows a system that can deliver smooth gameplay at lower resolutions, but which quickly becomes limited by the GPU as the pixel count rises. The measured frame rates reveal a clear hierarchy of performance that potential buyers should examine closely.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and tells a clear story about which component is the limiting factor. At Low settings, the system produces 106 FPS at 1920x1080, which falls to 89.5 FPS at 2560x1440, and then drops to 73 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 31% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, a relatively modest decline that suggests the CPU is still contributing meaningfully to the workload even at the highest resolution.

The scaling becomes more dramatic at higher quality presets. On Medium settings, the frame rate goes from 68.6 FPS at 1080p to 55.2 FPS at 1440p, and then down to 48.1 FPS at 4K. The High preset shows a similar pattern: 47.9 FPS at 1080p, 39.8 FPS at 1440p, and 31.4 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with 37 FPS at 1080p, 30.3 FPS at 1440p, and just 25.6 FPS at 4K.

The data indicates that the RTX 4060 is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, particularly at 4K where even Low settings cannot maintain a 60 FPS average. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 47.4 FPS, showing that the quality preset choice has an enormous impact on playability. The Ryzen 5 5500, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, appears to be sufficient for this title at lower resolutions, since the frame rates scale in a way that suggests the GPU is doing most of the heavy lifting when the resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Ryzen 5 5500 and RTX 4060 ranks 979th out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium. That places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, indicating that while it is far from the weakest setup, it is also nowhere near the top tier for this particular game. The rank suggests that many other combinations of CPUs and GPUs deliver higher average frame rates in this title.

The CPU itself sits in the 79th percentile when compared to all processors, with an average benchmark score of 20875. Its nearest rival is the Intel Core i5-12500, which scores 20897, a difference of just -0.1%. The Ryzen 5 5500 also trades blows with the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE and the AMD EPYC 7J13, both of which are within 0.1% of its score. The Intel Core i5-12600T is slightly ahead at 20917, a 0.2% margin. These tiny deltas show that the Ryzen 5 5500 is competitive with its direct peers in synthetic benchmarks.

For the GPU, the RTX 4060 ranks in the 66th percentile among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 23181. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, which scores 23321, putting the RTX 4060 behind by 0.6%. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti is also close at 23338, a 0.7% gap. The Intel Arc B580 trails by 0.7% with a score of 23021, and the AMD Radeon 760M is 0.8% behind at 22999. These figures show that the RTX 4060 is competitive with a range of other GPUs, though it is not a class leader.

The combination of a mid-tier CPU and a mid-tier GPU produces predictable results: the system is capable of handling The Medium, but it will not excel at high resolutions or ultra-quality settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings to use for different display resolutions. For 1080p gaming, the Medium preset at 68.6 FPS is the best balance of visual quality and smoothness. The High preset at 47.9 FPS is playable but not ideal for fast-paced sections, while the Low preset at 106 FPS is extremely smooth but sacrifices visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 37 FPS is not recommended for 1080p unless the player prioritizes graphics over frame rate.

At 1440p, the situation becomes more constrained. The Low preset delivers 89.5 FPS, which is excellent, but the Medium preset at 55.2 FPS is the highest quality setting that maintains a reasonably smooth experience. The High preset at 39.8 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 30.3 FPS is too slow for comfortable play. The data suggests that 1440p users should stick with Medium settings to keep the frame rate above 50 FPS.

For 4K resolution, the options are limited. The Low preset at 73 FPS is the only setting that approaches a smooth experience, though even this falls short of 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 48.1 FPS is playable for slower-paced horror sections, but the High preset at 31.4 FPS and the Ultra preset at 25.6 FPS are both too slow for reliable gameplay. Players targeting 4K will need to accept Low or Medium settings and may still encounter frame rate drops in demanding scenes.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance. The Low preset produces an average of 106 FPS, making it the only configuration in the entire test suite that exceeds the 100 FPS mark. The Medium preset follows at 68.6 FPS, which is a 35% reduction from Low. The High preset drops further to 47.9 FPS, a 55% reduction from Low, and the Ultra preset bottoms out at 37 FPS, a 65% reduction. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 69 FPS, showing the massive impact of quality settings on this hardware.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down across all presets. The Low preset averages 89.5 FPS, which is 16.5 FPS less than at 1080p. The Medium preset delivers 55.2 FPS, a 13.4 FPS drop from 1080p. The High preset produces 39.8 FPS, an 8.1 FPS reduction, and the Ultra preset falls to 30.3 FPS, a 6.7 FPS drop. The relative gaps between presets remain similar, though the absolute numbers are lower.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. The Low preset averages 73 FPS, which is the only 4K configuration above 60 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 48.1 FPS, the High preset falls to 31.4 FPS, and the Ultra preset manages just 25.6 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 47.4 FPS, indicating that even the lowest quality settings cannot overcome the GPU's limitations at this resolution. The RTX 4060's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus are clearly taxed by the demands of 4K rendering in this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play The Medium with this hardware?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Medium settings provides 68.6 FPS, which is the best combination of visual quality and smoothness. The Low preset at 106 FPS is the only configuration that exceeds 100 FPS, but the Medium preset offers a better balance.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in The Medium?

A: Barely. The Low preset at 3840x2160 averages 73 FPS, which is playable, but the Medium preset falls to 48.1 FPS and the High preset drops to 31.4 FPS. The Ultra preset at 25.6 FPS is not recommended for 4K play.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5500 compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500 scores 20875 on average, which is within 0.1% of the Intel Core i5-12500 at 20897 and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE at 20900. The AMD EPYC 7J13 scores 20845, and the Intel Core i5-12600T leads the group at 20917.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 89.5 FPS while the Ultra preset averages 30.3 FPS. This is a difference of 59.2 FPS, or a 66% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings.

Q: Is this combination ranked high among all tested combos in The Medium?

A: No. This combo ranks 979th out of 1689 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. The rank indicates that many other CPU and GPU pairings deliver higher average frame rates in this title.

Q: How does the RTX 4060's benchmark score compare to the AMD Radeon RX 6600M?

A: The RTX 4060 scores 23181 on average, while the AMD Radeon RX 6600M scores 23321. The RTX 4060 trails by 0.6%, a small but measurable gap in synthetic performance testing.