The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is a combination that is heavily constrained by its graphics card in The Medium. The data shows a clear pattern where the GTX 1650, a card that sits at the 40th percentile of all GPUs, becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases. This pairing produces playable frame rates only at 1080p Low, and even then, it barely crosses the threshold for a smooth experience. For any other setting or resolution, the performance figures are below what most users would consider acceptable for a modern horror title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep and consistent performance drop as resolution scales up from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 44 FPS at 1920x1080 to 37 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of approximately 16%. Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 29 FPS, which is 34% lower than the 1080p result. This trend strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor; the GTX 1650 simply does not have the pixel throughput to maintain performance at higher resolutions.

The scaling behavior becomes even more pronounced at higher graphical presets. At Medium settings, the drop from 1080p (27 FPS) to 1440p (23 FPS) is a 15% decrease, and the subsequent drop to 4K (18 FPS) is another 22% reduction. For High settings, the pattern is similar but the absolute numbers are lower, with 20 FPS at 1080p, 16 FPS at 1440p, and 13 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is essentially unplayable at any resolution, with frame rates of 16 FPS at 1080p, 13 FPS at 1440p, and 10 FPS at 4K.

This scaling pattern is a textbook example of a GPU-bound scenario. The 6-core, 12-thread AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, which scores in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, is not the bottleneck here. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a much smaller performance delta between resolutions. Instead, the sharp FPS decline with every increase in pixel count demonstrates that the GTX 1650 is being pushed to its absolute limit, and its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 128-bit memory bus are insufficient for the demands of The Medium at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations, this specific pairing performs very poorly. The combo rank for The Medium is 2817 out of 2911 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 3% of all systems. This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's limitations. While the Ryzen 5 5600F is a capable processor with a Passmark single-thread score of 2872 and a multithread score of 19236, it is paired with a GPU that has a Passmark G3D score of just 7880. The GPU's performance is so low that it drags the entire system's gaming capability down, regardless of the CPU's strength.

The data suggests that this combo is severely unbalanced for a game like The Medium. The GPU's 40th percentile ranking means it performs worse than 60% of all GPUs on the market. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the Intel Arc A310, which scores 7550, and the AMD Radeon R7 350, which scores 7425. These are all entry-level or low-end graphics solutions. In contrast, the CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D, are much more modern and powerful parts. This mismatch in component tier is the primary reason for the extremely low combo rank, as the system's overall gaming performance is capped by its weakest link.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run The Medium at 1080p?*

A: Yes, but only at the Low settings preset. The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings is 44 FPS. At Medium settings, the average drops to 27 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for playability, and High and Ultra presets yield 20 FPS and 16 FPS respectively.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: Based on the data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution that offers a playable experience. At 2560x1440, even Low settings only produce an average of 37 FPS, while 3840x2160 at Low settings drops to 29 FPS. There is no scenario at higher resolutions where the frame rate is consistently smooth.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F the reason for the low frame rates?

A: No. The benchmark data indicates that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck. The Ryzen 5 5600F has 6 cores and 12 threads, and its Passmark benchmark scores are strong, including a single-thread score of 2872 and a data encryption score of 13839. The performance drop is almost entirely attributable to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, which has a relatively low Passmark G3D score of 7880.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its direct rivals?

A: The GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 7472. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A310, has an average score of 7550, which is 1% higher. The AMD Radeon HD 8850M scores 7447 (0.3% higher), and the Intel UHD Graphics 750 scores 7441 (0.4% higher). This shows the GTX 1650 is in the same performance class as these integrated and entry-level discrete solutions.

Q: What is the frame rate variance like at Medium settings?

A: At Medium settings, the measured data includes min and max FPS values. At 1920x1080, the frame rate ranges from 23 FPS to 31 FPS, with an average of 27 FPS. At 2560x1440, it ranges from 20 FPS to 26 FPS, averaging 23 FPS. At 3840x2160, the range is 15 FPS to 21 FPS, with an average of 18 FPS. This indicates that even within a single setting, performance is not stable.

Q: Does the GPU have enough video memory for this game?

A: The GTX 1650 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory. While the data does not directly measure memory usage, the severe performance penalties at higher resolutions, where texture memory demands increase, are consistent with a card that is running out of memory bandwidth and capacity. The 128.1 GB/s memory bandwidth is a limiting factor for a game like The Medium.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured FPS data is as follows:

At 3840x2160 (4K):

• Ultra: Average FPS is 10.
• High: Average FPS is 13.
• Medium: Average FPS is 18, with a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 21.
• Low: Average FPS is 29.

At 2560x1440 (1440p):

• Ultra: Average FPS is 13.
• High: Average FPS is 16.
• Medium: Average FPS is 23, with a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 26.
• Low: Average FPS is 37.

At 1920x1080 (1080p):

• Ultra: Average FPS is 16.
• High: Average FPS is 20.
• Medium: Average FPS is 27, with a minimum of 23 and a maximum of 31.
• Low: Average FPS is 44.

The data clearly shows a linear progression: for every preset, reducing the resolution increases the average frame rate. However, the only configuration that achieves an average above 30 FPS is 1080p Low. The 4K Ultra setting is the worst performer, with an average of just 10 FPS, which is a 77% decrease from the 1080p Low result. This breakdown confirms that the system is only viable for the lowest fidelity settings at the most common resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the recommendation is straightforward. The Low preset at 1920x1080 is the only configuration that provides a playable experience, with an average of 44 FPS. This should be the baseline for any user. While the frame rate is not high enough for competitive gaming, it is sufficient for a narrative-driven horror game where a stable, playable frame rate is more important than visual fidelity.

The Medium preset at 1080p is a compromise, but it is a poor one. The average of 27 FPS is below the standard 30 FPS target for console-like performance. The frame time variance, with a low of 23 FPS and a high of 31 FPS, would likely produce noticeable stuttering and an inconsistent feel during gameplay. It is not recommended over the Low preset.

All other settings and resolutions should be avoided. The High preset at 1080p (20 FPS), the Medium preset at 1440p (23 FPS), and the Low preset at 4K (29 FPS) all fail to provide a smooth experience. The Ultra preset is entirely unplayable, with frame rates in the low teens and single digits. For the best experience with this hardware, users should prioritize frame rate over graphical quality and stick to 1080p Low. The visual difference between Low and Medium in The Medium is not worth the significant performance cost.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It has a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz. This CPU is a strong performer in general benchmarks, with a Passmark single-thread score of 2872 and a multithread score of 19236. Its 32 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 memory are solid specifications for a modern gaming system.

However, in the context of The Medium with the GTX 1650, the CPU's role is diminished. The benchmark data shows that the system is overwhelmingly GPU-bound. The CPU's high percentile ranking (85th) and robust benchmark scores, such as 59339 in integer math and 34548 in floating-point math, do not translate to high frame rates in this game when paired with such a weak GPU. The processor is essentially waiting on the GPU to render each frame, and its performance headroom is wasted.

The fact that frame rates drop so dramatically with resolution scaling is further evidence that the CPU is not the limiting factor. If the Ryzen 5 5600F were the bottleneck, we would see similar frame rates at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, as the CPU's workload does not increase proportionally with resolution. Instead, the data shows a linear decline in FPS as resolution increases, which is the classic signature of a GPU bottleneck. In this pairing, the CPU is more than capable of feeding the GPU; the GTX 1650 is simply incapable of turning that data into frames quickly.