The Medium

The data for The Medium on this AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti combination shows a clear performance pattern. The measured FPS results across three resolutions and four quality presets reveal a system that is heavily influenced by the graphics settings, with the CPU providing a stable foundation. The following analysis breaks down the measured rows to determine the optimal experience, the role of each component, and how this specific pairing ranks against other tested combinations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy for the best experience in The Medium. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers an average of 109.4 FPS, which is a significant improvement over the High preset's 79.4 FPS. This 30 FPS gap is substantial, and the Medium preset offers the best balance between visual fidelity and smooth gameplay for most users. While the Low preset reaches 125.6 FPS, the jump from Medium to Low is only 16.2 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns; the visual cost of dropping to Low is not worth the modest frame rate gain when Medium is already well above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset again stands out, achieving an average of 91.4 FPS. This is a commanding performance, keeping the experience highly fluid. The High preset at 65.6 FPS is playable, but the 25.8 FPS drop from Medium is noticeable. The Ultra preset at 50.9 FPS falls below the ideal threshold for smooth action, making it a less desirable choice for this resolution. For 1440p, Medium is the recommended setting, as it provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while maintaining a higher quality than Low (120.5 FPS).

At the demanding 3840x2160 resolution, the situation changes. The Medium preset produces an average of 69.9 FPS, which is the only setting at 4K that offers a consistently playable experience above 60 FPS. The High preset drops to 52.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to a stuttering 42.5 FPS. Therefore, for 4K, the Medium preset is the only sensible choice for a smooth experience, as the alternative is to accept lower frame rates at higher visual settings. The data suggests a consistent rule: the Medium preset is the performance sweet spot across all three tested resolutions, offering the largest FPS retention relative to the visual quality jump from Low.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the dominant component in this pairing. Its specifications include a 12 GB GDDR6X memory pool on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The GPU's boost clock of 2610 MHz and a base clock of 2310 MHz are the key drivers of its raw compute power. The benchmark results reflect this strength, with the GPU scoring an average of 44900 in its benchmarks and placing in the 85th percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU's role is most evident in the FPS scaling with resolution. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low (125.6 FPS) and Ultra (62.3 FPS) is 63.3 FPS, a 50% performance swing. This scaling is even more dramatic at 3840x2160, where the gap between Low (114.9 FPS) and Ultra (42.5 FPS) is 72.4 FPS. This indicates that the RTX 4070 Ti has ample headroom at lower resolutions, but the Ultra preset at 4K is an extreme load that pushes the GPU to its limits. The 12 GB of VRAM is likely a critical factor, as the higher presets at 4K would demand more memory for textures and effects. The data shows the GPU is the primary bottleneck when pushing for higher visual fidelity, especially at 4K.

The GPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals is also telling. It is 0.6% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile in average benchmark score, but it is 1.5% ahead of the Intel Arc A730M. The comparison shows the RTX 4070 Ti is a strong performer, though its end-of-life production status suggests it is a last-generation product. The measured FPS in The Medium confirms that its capabilities are well-matched to a high-refresh-rate 1440p experience or a smooth 4K experience at medium settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, running on the AMD Socket AM4 platform. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz, with a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. The processor has a 16 MB L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory. Its benchmark scores show a solid mid-range performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16429 and a single-core score of 2319. It sits in the 79th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20875.

In The Medium, the CPU's role appears to be supportive rather than a primary bottleneck. The measured FPS data shows that the frame rates are primarily dictated by the GPU's workload at different resolutions. For example, at 1920x1080 Low, the system reaches 125.6 FPS, which is a high frame rate that still does not seem to be limited by the CPU. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU, as there is no evidence of a CPU-imposed cap in the data. The single-thread performance, as indicated by a 3dmark_single_thread score of 836, is adequate for the game's logic and rendering calls.

The CPU's average benchmark score is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-12500, which has a deltaPct of -0.1%. This means the Ryzen 5 5500 is effectively tied with that processor in general compute tasks. However, the CPU's performance in this game is less about raw compute and more about maintaining a stable frame pacing. The data shows that as the resolution increases, the FPS drops consistently, which is a classic sign of the GPU becoming the limiting factor. The CPU is not the weak link here; it provides a stable platform for the RTX 4070 Ti to perform to its potential.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is ranked 292 out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium. This puts it in the top 17.3% of all tested systems, indicating a strong overall performance. The rank reflects the balance between the capable CPU and the high-end GPU, where the GPU's power boosts the combo's standing despite the CPU being a more mid-range component.

This ranking is a result of the GPU's high percentile (85th) compared to the CPU's 79th percentile. The GPU is pulling the combo up, allowing it to achieve high FPS numbers, particularly at 1440p and 1080p. The combo's position in the top 300 out of over 1600 systems suggests it is a formidable gaming machine for this title. It is not the absolute top-tier combination, but it is well above the median, offering an experience that is significantly better than the average tested system.

The data implies that the CPU is not holding the GPU back in this title. If the CPU were a major bottleneck, the combo's rank would likely be lower, closer to the CPU's percentile. Instead, the rank is much closer to the GPU's percentile, confirming that the RTX 4070 Ti is the primary driver of the system's performance in The Medium. The combo is a good example of a balanced pairing where a capable mid-range CPU complements a high-end GPU without causing significant performance loss.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 2560x1440?

A: Based on the measured data, the Medium preset is the best choice at 2560x1440, delivering an average of 91.4 FPS. This is significantly higher than the High preset's 65.6 FPS and keeps the experience well above 60 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in this title?

A: Yes, but only at the Medium preset, which achieves an average of 69.9 FPS at 3840x2160. The High preset drops to 52.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 42.5 FPS, making them less playable.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 Ti compare to the Intel Arc A730M?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti has a higher average benchmark score than the Intel Arc A730M, with a deltaPct of -1.5% relative to the Arc. This means the RTX 4070 Ti is 1.5% faster in that specific metric.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5500 a bottleneck for the RTX 4070 Ti?

A: The data suggests no. The combo ranks quite high at 292 out of 1689, and the FPS scaling with resolution indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor, not the CPU.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p on High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with the High preset, the system achieves an average of 79.4 FPS.

Q: Which resolution provides the highest average FPS overall?

A: The highest average FPS is achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset, which reaches 125.6 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact measured FPS values for each resolution and settings preset.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

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

| 3840x2160 | High | 52.8 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 114.9 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 69.9 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 42.5 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 65.6 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 120.5 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 91.4 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 50.9 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 79.4 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 125.6 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 109.4 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 62.3 |

The data reveals a clear pattern. At 1080p, the Medium preset is the most balanced, offering a high frame rate without the steep drop seen at Ultra. At 1440p, the same logic applies, with Medium being the only preset that stays comfortably above 90 FPS. At 4K, the performance delta between settings becomes more pronounced, with only Medium remaining above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset is consistently the most demanding, reducing the average FPS by a significant margin across all resolutions. The Low preset provides the highest raw frame rates but sacrifices visual quality. This breakdown shows a system that is versatile, but the Medium preset is the clear recommendation for a seamless experience.