The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title built on Unreal Engine, presents a unique challenge for the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system that is heavily constrained by the graphical workload, yet also show clear signs of CPU limitations at lower presets. The data indicates that this pairing excels at high-resolution gaming but requires careful settings management to achieve smooth performance, particularly at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 demonstrates a classic GPU-bound scenario, but with an interesting twist at the lower settings. At the High preset, performance drops from 85 FPS at 1080p to 72 FPS at 1440p and finally to 56 FPS at 4K. This represents a 34% reduction from 1080p to 4K, a scaling pattern that strongly suggests the RTX 4080 SUPER is the primary limiting factor as pixel count increases. The gap between 1440p and 4K is 16 FPS, while the gap between 1080p and 1440p is only 13 FPS, showing that the GPU's workload grows exponentially with resolution.

The Low preset tells a different story. At 1080p, the system achieves 117 FPS, which only drops to 111 FPS at 1440p and 102 FPS at 4K. The total decrease from 1080p to 4K is just 15 FPS, or 13%, which is remarkably small. This pattern reveals that at Low settings, the CPU becomes a more significant bottleneck, preventing the GPU from fully stretching its legs even at lower resolutions. The 117 FPS at 1080p appears to be near the practical ceiling for this CPU-GPU combination in this game, as the frame rate does not scale down proportionally with resolution.

The Medium preset provides the most complete data, with minimum and maximum frames recorded. At 1080p, the average is 98 FPS with a minimum of 83 FPS and maximum of 112 FPS. Moving to 1440p, the average drops to 92 FPS with a range of 78 to 106 FPS. At 4K, the average falls to 79 FPS with a range of 67 to 90 FPS. The spread between minimum and maximum frames remains consistent at around 29-30 FPS across all resolutions, indicating stable frame pacing regardless of pixel count.

The Ultra preset shows the most severe resolution scaling. At 1080p, the system manages 68 FPS, dropping to 57 FPS at 1440p and 45 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is particularly notable, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider the minimum for smooth gameplay. The scaling from 1080p to 4K represents a 34% performance loss, identical to the High preset's scaling, which confirms that the RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant constraint at these higher quality settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F brings six cores and twelve threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, running at a base clock of 3.00 GHz and boosting to 4.00 GHz. In PassMark benchmarks, the CPU achieves a multithread score of 19,236 and a single-thread score of 2,872, placing it in the 85th percentile against all CPUs. These scores indicate a capable mid-range processor that can handle modern gaming workloads, though it is not a top-tier part.

The nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks show how close the 5600F sits to other processors. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 scores 36,938 on average, essentially matching the 5600F's average of 36,945 with a delta of 0%. The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D scores 37,018, which is 0.2% higher, while the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 achieves 37,093, 0.4% higher. The Intel Core i9-12900T rounds out the group at 37,112, just 0.5% above the 5600F. These tiny deltas suggest that the 5600F performs on par with these rivals in general compute tasks.

In The Medium specifically, the CPU's role becomes apparent when examining the Low preset results. The fact that 1080p Low yields 117 FPS while 4K Low yields 102 FPS suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU enough data to maintain high frame rates even at lower resolutions. However, the relatively small difference between 1080p and 4K at Low settings (15 FPS) compared to the larger difference at High settings (29 FPS) indicates that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at higher quality presets.

The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth provide adequate memory throughput for a game like The Medium, which features fixed camera angles and pre-rendered backgrounds that can be more forgiving on cache performance than open-world titles. The 65W TDP and 7nm process node suggest efficient operation, allowing the CPU to maintain boost clocks during extended gaming sessions without thermal throttling.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combo in The Medium?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 at High settings provides a balanced experience with 72 FPS average, while 1920x1080 at High reaches 85 FPS. For maximum visual quality, 3840x2160 at Medium settings offers 79 FPS, which is playable, but Ultra at 4K drops to 45 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54,209 on average in PassMark, which is 0.1% lower than the standard RTX 4080 at 54,247. It sits 1.1% above the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X at 54,828 and 2.7% below the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB at 55,698.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5600F a bottleneck at 1080p in this game?

A: The evidence suggests partial CPU limitation at Low settings, where 1080p achieves 117 FPS versus 102 FPS at 4K. The 15 FPS difference indicates that the CPU caps performance somewhat at lower resolutions, but at higher presets like High and Ultra, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at 4K Medium settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the system averages 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 FPS and maximum of 90 FPS. The 23 FPS spread between minimum and maximum indicates reasonably consistent frame pacing, though the minimum falls below the average by 12 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for The Medium?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 448th out of 2,911 tested combos, placing it in the top 15.4% of all configurations tested for this game.

Q: Does the CPU's single-thread performance correlate with gaming results?

A: The PassMark single-thread score of 2,872 places the CPU in the 85th percentile overall, and the game results show that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 117 FPS, suggesting that the single-thread performance is adequate for The Medium's fixed-camera gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 117 FPS, which is the best result in the entire dataset. Medium settings average 98 FPS with a range of 83 to 112 FPS, offering a smooth experience. High settings drop to 85 FPS, while Ultra settings fall to 68 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra represents a 49 FPS drop, or 42% performance loss, which highlights the significant cost of the Ultra preset's enhancements.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show the expected decline. Low settings maintain 111 FPS, only 6 FPS below the 1080p result. Medium settings average 92 FPS with a range of 78 to 106 FPS, losing 6 FPS on average compared to 1080p. High settings achieve 72 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 57 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 54 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset has a substantial performance impact at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the system begins to struggle with higher presets. Low settings still manage 102 FPS, which is impressive for 4K. Medium settings average 79 FPS with a range of 67 to 90 FPS, providing a playable experience. High settings drop to 56 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings fall to 45 FPS, making the experience borderline unplayable for most users. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 57 FPS, reflecting the massive GPU workload at this resolution.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete minimum and maximum data across all resolutions. At 1080p, the 83 FPS minimum ensures consistent performance above 60 FPS. At 1440p, the 78 FPS minimum remains above the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K, the 67 FPS minimum is still above 60 FPS, making Medium the only preset that maintains minimum frame rates above 60 FPS at all tested resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with 10,240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units. The GPU boosts to 2550 MHz from a base clock of 2295 MHz, and its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory runs at 23 Gbps effective across a 256-bit bus, delivering 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is particularly important for The Medium, which features high-resolution textures and streaming environments.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 4080 SUPER achieves a PassMark G3D score of 34,245 and a GPU compute score of 19,822. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 219,065 and Vulkan score of 260,075 show strong compute performance. The GPU's 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs places it in the upper tier of available graphics cards, though not at the very top.

The nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks reveal the RTX 4080 SUPER's positioning. The standard RTX 4080 scores 54,247 on average, just 0.1% higher than the SUPER variant's 54,209. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54,828, 1.1% higher, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55,698, 2.7% higher, and the AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55,757, 2.8% higher. These small deltas indicate that the RTX 4080 SUPER is closely matched with several high-end GPUs.

The GPU's role in The Medium becomes clear when examining the scaling from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the 29 FPS drop from 1080p to 4K shows that the GPU is heavily taxed by increased pixel count. The Ultra preset shows a similar 23 FPS drop, while Medium shows a 19 FPS drop and Low shows a 15 FPS drop. This pattern confirms that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher settings, with the CPU becoming more relevant at lower settings where the GPU has spare capacity.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance for this combination. At 4K, Medium averages 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 FPS, which ensures consistent performance above the 60 FPS threshold. At 1440p, Medium achieves 92 FPS average with a 78 FPS minimum, providing headroom for demanding scenes. At 1080p, Medium reaches 98 FPS average with an 83 FPS minimum, making it the most versatile preset across all resolutions.

For users prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity, the Low preset is the optimal choice. It delivers 117 FPS at 1080p, 111 FPS at 1440p, and 102 FPS at 4K. This preset maintains frame rates well above 100 FPS even at 4K, which is exceptional for a horror game that may benefit from smooth motion during camera transitions. However, the visual trade-offs may be significant for a game that relies on atmospheric lighting and detailed environments.

The High preset offers a middle ground but falls short at 4K, where it averages 56 FPS. This drops below the 60 FPS target that many players prefer. At 1440p, High achieves 72 FPS, which is acceptable, and at 1080p it reaches 85 FPS. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it only achieves 68 FPS at 1080p and drops to 45 FPS at 4K. The performance cost of Ultra over High is substantial, with a 17 FPS difference at 1080p and an 11 FPS difference at 4K.

For the best overall experience, Medium at 4K or High at 1440p are the recommended configurations. The Medium preset at 4K provides the highest resolution with guaranteed minimum frame rates above 60 FPS. The High preset at 1440p offers improved visual settings with a 72 FPS average, which may be preferable for users who want higher quality shadows and textures without sacrificing resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 448th out of 2,911 tested combinations in The Medium, placing it in the top 15.4% of all configurations. This rank reflects the strong performance of the RTX 4080 SUPER, which compensates for the mid-range CPU's limitations. The combo outperforms the vast majority of tested systems, indicating that it is well-suited for this game.

The GPU's high percentile ranking of 86th among all GPUs is the primary driver of this strong combo position. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking is also respectable, but the combination of a high-end GPU with a mid-range CPU creates a system that excels in GPU-bound scenarios like The Medium at high resolutions. The data suggests that this combo is particularly effective at 1440p and 4K, where the GPU's capabilities are fully utilized.

The ranking also reflects the game's specific demands. The Medium's fixed-camera perspective and pre-rendered backgrounds may reduce CPU overhead compared to open-world titles, allowing the GPU to dominate performance. This explains why the combo ranks well despite the CPU being less powerful than the GPU. The system's 448th rank out of 2,911 places it in the upper echelon of tested configurations, making it a strong choice for players who prioritize high-resolution gaming in this title.