The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and AMD Radeon RX 570 pairing delivers performance that is firmly anchored toward the bottom of the database for The Medium, with a combo rank of 1620 out of 1689 tested combinations. The data indicates that this system is fundamentally mismatched for the game’s demands, producing playable frame rates only at the lowest settings and resolution. This configuration is best suited for 1080p gaming with significant graphical compromises, as the measured scores uniformly fall below the thresholds for a smooth experience at higher presets.

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 brings six cores and twelve threads to the table, operating at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This is a Zen 3 architecture part built on TSMC’s 7 nm process, featuring a 32 MB shared L3 cache. With a 79th percentile ranking among all CPUs, the processor’s raw compute potential is respectable, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 18309 and single-core score of 2584. However, the measured frame rates in The Medium suggest the CPU is rarely the limiting factor.

Benchmark results indicate that the Ryzen 5 5600’s performance envelope is more than sufficient for the workloads this game presents. The 3DMark scores show strong scaling from 1737 in the 2-thread test to 5659 at max threads, confirming that the CPU can handle both lightly-threaded and fully-threaded scenarios without significant bottlenecks. The PassMark multi-thread score of 21541 and single-thread score of 3256 further support this view, placing the processor in a competitive position relative to its nearest rivals, including the Intel Xeon D-1746TER (0.6% faster) and the AMD EPYC 9554P (0.6% slower).

Despite this CPU capability, the frame rates in The Medium remain low across all settings, which points directly to the graphics subsystem as the primary constraint. The Ryzen 5 5600’s 12 threads are adequate for the game’s engine, and its single-core performance, which is critical for game logic, is strong enough to avoid stalling the frame pipeline. The data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would theoretically have the most headroom, the average FPS of 41.4 is modest, indicating that the processor is waiting on the GPU rather than being maxed out.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the clear bottleneck in this pairing. This Polaris 20 chip, built on GlobalFoundries’ 14 nm process, features 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a critical limitation for The Medium, a game that can exceed this capacity at higher settings. The GPU’s base clock of 1168 MHz and boost clock of 1244 MHz, combined with a 5.095 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, are simply insufficient for the game’s visual complexity.

The GPU’s 74th percentile ranking among all graphics cards masks its age and capability relative to modern titles. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 (0.2% faster) and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (0.2% faster), which are generational leaps ahead in features and efficiency. In The Medium, the RX 570’s 4 GB VRAM buffer is likely exceeded at 1440p and 4K resolutions, causing severe performance degradation. The measured data supports this: at 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 27.8, but dropping to Low yields 41.4 FPS, a gain of 13.6 FPS that indicates the GPU is wrestling with memory bandwidth and capacity.

The pixel rate of 39.81 GPixel/s and texture rate of 159.2 GTexel/s are the theoretical limits, but the actual frame rates fall far short due to the game’s rendering demands. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS collapses to 8.2, which is unplayable and confirms that the RX 570 cannot handle the resolution scaling required by The Medium. The GPU’s DirectX 12 (12_0) support is present, but the architectural limitations of GCN 4.0 are evident in this modern title.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The data strongly suggests that only the Low preset at 1080p provides a remotely viable experience for this combo. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 41.4, which is the highest measured value across all configurations. This is the only setting that approaches a playable threshold, though it still falls short of a smooth 60 FPS target. The Medium preset at the same resolution drops to 27.8 FPS, a 32.8% reduction, which would introduce noticeable stutter and input lag.

At 1440p, the Low preset yields 39.4 FPS, which is surprisingly close to the 1080p result, suggesting that the CPU is starting to play a larger role at this resolution. However, the High preset at 1440p plunges to 19.1 FPS, and Ultra drops to 11.3 FPS, making these settings impractical. At 4K, all presets are effectively unplayable, with even Low averaging only 31.6 FPS and Medium at 17.6 FPS.

Given these numbers, the recommended experience is 1080p with Low settings. This provides the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, though users should expect to compromise heavily on graphical quality. The High preset at 1080p (19.8 FPS) and Ultra (18.4 FPS) are nearly identical in performance, indicating a hard ceiling that cannot be overcome without reducing resolution. Users seeking a better visual experience would need to consider a more capable GPU, as the current hardware cannot sustain acceptable frame rates at higher presets.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and AMD Radeon RX 570 ranks 1620 out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the bottom 4.1% of all systems benchmarked. This rank is a damning indictment of the GPU’s capability, as the CPU alone would rank much higher based on its percentile standing. The data indicates that this pairing is outperformed by the vast majority of tested configurations, including many with older or lower-tier processors paired with more modern graphics cards.

The combo’s position relative to other tested systems suggests that the RX 570 is the primary drag on performance. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-11700F (0.9% faster in synthetic benchmarks), would not meaningfully change the outcome if paired with this GPU. The rank of 1620 is a reflection of the GPU’s inability to keep up with the game’s demands, and the data shows that even the lowest possible settings struggle to achieve playable frame rates at 1080p.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound system. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 41.4, which drops to 39.4 at 1440p Low (a 4.8% decrease) and then to 31.6 at 4K Low (a 23.7% decrease from 1080p). This relatively modest drop from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a sharper decline at 4K, indicates that the GPU is approaching its memory bandwidth limits at higher resolutions.

At Medium settings, the scaling is more severe: 27.8 FPS at 1080p, 21.4 FPS at 1440p (a 23.0% drop), and 17.6 FPS at 4K (a 36.7% drop from 1080p). This steeper curve suggests that the 4 GB VRAM buffer is being exhausted at 1440p and 4K, causing additional performance penalties beyond raw pixel throughput. The High preset shows a similar trend, with 19.8 FPS at 1080p falling to 19.1 FPS at 1440p and 15.0 FPS at 4K.

The Ultra preset demonstrates the most dramatic collapse, with 18.4 FPS at 1080p, 11.3 FPS at 1440p, and 8.2 FPS at 4K. This 55.4% drop from 1080p to 4K underscores that the RX 570 is entirely overwhelmed by the game’s highest quality settings. The resolution scaling data conclusively points to the GPU as the limiting component, as the CPU’s performance would not degrade this significantly with increased resolution. The RX 570’s 224.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is simply insufficient for the game’s texture and geometry loads at higher resolutions.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

*Q: What is the best average FPS this combo can achieve in The Medium?*

A: The highest measured average FPS is 41.4, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration that exceeds 40 FPS, and it remains below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU’s synthetic performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5600’s average benchmark score of 21765 is 0.6% higher than the Intel Xeon D-1746TER (21635) and 0.6% lower than the AMD EPYC 9554P (21899). It also trails the Intel Core i7-11700F (21957) by 0.9%.

Q: Is the 4 GB VRAM sufficient for 4K gaming in this title?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 8.2 (Ultra) to 31.6 (Low), with all presets except Low falling below 20 FPS. The data indicates the 4 GB buffer is a critical limitation at this resolution.

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

A: This pairing ranks 1620 out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the bottom 4.1% of all configurations benchmarked.

Q: How much does performance improve from Ultra to Low at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average FPS increases from 18.4 on Ultra to 41.4 on Low, a gain of 23.0 FPS or 125%. This is the largest performance uplift available from settings changes.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory bandwidth and how does it affect performance?

A: The RX 570 has 224.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth across a 256-bit bus. The measured FPS drops at 1440p and 4K suggest that this bandwidth is insufficient for the game’s demands, particularly at higher settings.

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

The complete measured FPS data for this combo in The Medium is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the average FPS varies significantly by preset. Low settings produce 41.4 FPS, Medium produces 27.8 FPS, High produces 19.8 FPS, and Ultra produces 18.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 13.6 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is only 1.4 FPS, indicating diminishing returns at the top end.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops across all presets. Low yields 39.4 FPS, Medium yields 21.4 FPS, High yields 19.1 FPS, and Ultra yields 11.3 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is modest at Low (2.0 FPS) but more pronounced at Medium (6.4 FPS) and Ultra (7.1 FPS).

At 3840x2160, performance becomes marginal. Low produces 31.6 FPS, Medium produces 17.6 FPS, High produces 15.0 FPS, and Ultra produces 8.2 FPS. The 4K Low result is the only one above 30 FPS, but it still represents a 23.7% reduction from the 1080p Low score. The Ultra preset at 4K is the worst measured result, at 8.2 FPS, which is 55.4% lower than the 1080p Ultra score. These numbers confirm that the RX 570 is the definitive bottleneck, with no settings combination yielding a consistently smooth experience above 1080p Low.