The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT and AMD Radeon RX 580 combination ranks 1572nd out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the bottom 7% of all systems. This is a pairing that struggles fundamentally with this title, and the measured FPS data confirms that it is not suitable for smooth gameplay at any of the tested settings or resolutions. The best-case scenario is a 46.3 FPS average at 1080p with Low settings, which is the only configuration that approaches playability, while every other tested configuration falls below 39 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1572 out of 1689 tested combinations places it firmly in the lower tier of systems for The Medium. This positioning is consistent with the hardware’s individual performance profiles: the CPU sits at the 78th percentile among all processors, but the GPU is at the 53rd percentile among all graphics cards. The data suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as its below-average standing is more pronounced than the CPU’s. Benchmark results indicate that this pairing produces average FPS figures that are largely inadequate for a game of this genre, where atmosphere and timing are critical. The rank reflects a system that will require significant compromises in visual fidelity and resolution to function at all, and even then, it will not deliver a consistently smooth experience. This is not a combination for high-refresh monitors or maxed-out settings; it is a pairing that demands the lowest presets to achieve anything resembling playable frame rates.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its 16 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support are standard for its generation. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 17,272 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,438 in single-core, figures that place it 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X in average benchmark score. However, relative to the Intel Core i7-10700, it is effectively tied with a deltaPct of 0, and it is 0.3% behind the Intel Core i5-12490F. For The Medium, this level of CPU performance is not the limiting factor. The measured FPS data shows that frame rates are consistently low across all settings, but the pattern of performance drops more steeply with increased graphical load than with resolution changes, which points to the graphics card being the constraint. The CPU’s 12 threads and 4.60 GHz boost clock are more than sufficient to feed the RX 580, and it is unlikely that a faster processor would yield meaningful FPS gains in this specific pairing.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its limitations are clearly exposed by The Medium. It comes with 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1257 MHz with a boost clock of 1340 MHz, and it has 2304 shading units. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 13,559 places it 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 and 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 455, but it is 1.1% behind the NVIDIA P106-090. In practical terms, this GPU is positioned at the 53rd percentile, meaning half of all tested graphics cards outperform it. The 8 GB VRAM is a positive for modern games, but the Polaris 20 chip’s raw compute power is insufficient for The Medium’s demands. The data shows that at 1080p High settings, the average FPS is 25.1, which indicates that the GPU is struggling with the game’s rendering load. The gap between Low and High settings at the same resolution is substantial, further confirming that the GPU’s shading and texture throughput is the primary bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of this combo’s capabilities across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 46.3 on Low to 17.3 on Ultra, with Medium at 29.2 and High at 25.1. Moving to 2560x1440, the averages drop to 38.8 on Low, 25.4 on Medium, 17.7 on High, and 12.5 on Ultra. At 3840x2160, the results are 34.9 on Low, 17.8 on Medium, 16.1 on High, and 13.7 on Ultra. The only configuration that achieves an average above 30 FPS is 1080p Low. The 1440p Low setting comes close at 38.8 FPS, but it is still below the 40 FPS mark. Every other tested configuration falls below 30 FPS, with several dipping into the low teens. The data indicates that this system cannot maintain a stable frame rate for a horror game that relies on tension and timing. The minimum and maximum FPS are not provided, but the averages alone are enough to conclude that this is a sub-optimal experience.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is significant but not uniform across settings. At Low settings, the drop from 1080p (46.3 FPS) to 1440p (38.8 FPS) is a 16% reduction, and the drop to 4K (34.9 FPS) is a 25% reduction from the 1080p figure. At Medium settings, the drop is steeper: from 29.2 FPS at 1080p to 25.4 FPS at 1440p (a 13% drop) and then to 17.8 FPS at 4K (a 39% drop from 1080p). For High settings, the scaling is more erratic: 25.1 FPS at 1080p, 17.7 FPS at 1440p (a 29% drop), and 16.1 FPS at 4K (a 36% drop from 1080p). This pattern shows that the GPU is the limiting component, as the frame rate drops disproportionately when the pixel count increases. The CPU’s performance remains constant, but the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are overwhelmed. The fact that the Low setting at 4K (34.9 FPS) is higher than the High setting at 1080p (25.1 FPS) underscores that the graphical processing load is the primary factor, not the resolution alone.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the only viable option for a playable experience is to use the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 46.3 FPS, which is the highest average across all tests. This is the only configuration that approaches a smooth 60 FPS target, though it still falls short. At 1440p Low, the average drops to 38.8 FPS, which may be acceptable for some players but is not ideal for a game that requires quick reactions. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 29.2 FPS, which is borderline, but the Low preset offers a more consistent experience. The High and Ultra presets should be avoided entirely, as they produce average FPS figures in the low 20s or teens at 1080p, and below 20 FPS at higher resolutions. For the best experience per the measured rows, players should select Low settings at 1080p. If a higher resolution is a priority, then 1440p Low is the only other option that stays above 30 FPS, but it is a compromise that sacrifices frame rate for pixel count.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average FPS is 46.3, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is this combo capable of playing at 4K resolution?

A: The data shows that 4K performance is poor. The best 4K result is 34.9 FPS on Low settings, but Medium and High settings produce 17.8 and 16.1 FPS respectively, and Ultra drops to 13.7 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT has an average benchmark score of 20,740, which is 0% different from the Intel Core i7-10700, 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, and 0.3% behind the Intel Core i5-12490F.

Q: What is the GPU’s standing relative to other graphics cards?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 580 is at the 53rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13,559. It is 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 and 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 455, but 1.1% behind the NVIDIA P106-090.

Q: Which setting provides the highest FPS at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves the highest average FPS at 38.8. The Medium preset is next at 25.4, followed by High at 17.7 and Ultra at 12.5.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The average FPS drops significantly when graphical settings are increased at a fixed resolution, while the CPU’s synthetic benchmark scores are relatively strong, suggesting it is not the bottleneck.