The Medium

The Medium is a fixed-camera horror game that stresses both CPU and GPU depending on the settings and resolution chosen. This analysis examines the pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, using measured frame rate data and synthetic benchmark scores to explain where the bottleneck lies and how the combo performs across the board.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average is 117 FPS, with a minimum of 99 FPS and a maximum of 134 FPS. This suggests a smooth experience at that preset.

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

A: The RTX 4080 scores 54,247 on average. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54,209, a delta of 0.1%. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% behind, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB trails by 2.6%.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among tested configurations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 359th out of 3,724 total tested combos, placing it in the top percentile of all pairings tested for The Medium.

Q: Does the CPU fall behind any specific rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600GT has an average benchmark score of 20,733. The Intel Core i5-12490F scores 20,802, which is 0.3% higher. The Intel Xeon 6325P and Intel Core Ultra 5 125U are 0.4% higher, and the AMD EPYC 7J13 is 0.5% higher.

Q: What is the largest FPS gap between Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, Low settings produce 122 FPS average, while Ultra drops to 45 FPS. That is a 77 FPS difference, showing a heavy GPU load at high presets.

Q: Is the CPU’s single-threaded performance competitive?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600GT scores 913 in 3dmark_single_thread and 2,438 in Cinebench R23 single-core. These numbers indicate a capable processor for lightly threaded tasks, though the data does not compare them to a specific rival.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Zen 3 architecture with the Cezanne codename. It runs at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boosts up to 4.60 GHz, with a 65W TDP. The chip uses the AMD Socket AM4 and supports DDR4 memory in dual-channel mode, providing 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth. Its 16 MB of L3 cache and 512 KB of L2 per core are typical for this generation. The processor was released in January 2024 and remains active in production.

In terms of synthetic performance, the 5600GT achieves a 3dmark_max_threads score of 5,554 and a 3dmark_16_threads score of 5,523. The single-thread score is 913, while the 2-thread and 4-thread scores are 1,794 and 3,446 respectively. Cinebench R23 multicore yields 17,272 points, and single-core yields 2,438. Geekbench multicore is 7,986, with single-core at 1,843. Passmark multithread score is 20,325, and single-thread is 3,348. The CPU’s percentile vs all CPUs is 74, meaning it outperforms a majority of processors in the database. Its average benchmark score is 20,733, which places it just 0.3% below the Intel Core i5-12490F (20,802) and 0.5% below the AMD EPYC 7J13 (20,845). These deltas are marginal, indicating that the 5600GT is essentially on par with those rivals in aggregate compute.

For The Medium, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic. At 1080p with Low settings, the measured 140 FPS average suggests the CPU is capable of driving high frame rates. The jump from Low to High at 1080p only reduces the average from 140 to 86 FPS, which is a 54 FPS drop. That large drop is likely due to increased GPU load, not CPU limitation, because the CPU’s multi-threaded scores (5,523 in 3dmark_16_threads) are respectable for a 6-core part. The 12 threads allow the game to use multiple cores for audio, physics, and streaming. The 5600GT’s 3.60 GHz base clock is modest, but the 4.60 GHz boost helps single-threaded tasks, which matters for fixed-camera scenes that may have a main thread bottleneck. The data does not show a scenario where the CPU caps performance, as even at 1080p Low the FPS exceeds 140, which is beyond typical monitor refresh rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a high-end graphics card based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, using the AD103 chip manufactured on a 5 nm process. It has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s base clock is 2,205 MHz, with a boost clock of 2,505 MHz, and memory runs at 22.4 Gbps effective. The card features 9,728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, along with 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores. Its pixel rate is 280.6 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 761.5 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 48.74 TFLOPS. The card has a 320W TDP, requires a 700W power supply, and uses a triple-slot cooler with a 16-pin connector. It was released in September 2022 and is now end-of-life.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 4080 scores 65,567 in 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12, 214,739 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 263,779 in Geekbench Vulkan. Passmark G3D score is 34,457, and GPU compute is 20,671. The GPU’s percentile vs all GPUs is 86, placing it above most other graphics cards. Its average benchmark score is 54,247, which is 0.1% higher than the RTX 4080 SUPER (54,209) and 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54,828). The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55,698, which is 2.6% higher, meaning the RTX 4080 is slightly behind that particular competitor in aggregate benchmarks. This is a notable data point: the RTX 4080 is not the absolute top scorer, but it is within a few percent of its closest peers.

In The Medium, the GPU’s 16 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for any settings, as the game’s textures are unlikely to exceed that capacity. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 45 FPS average, which is a heavy load. At 4K Medium, the average rises to 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 and maximum of 91. The difference between 4K Low (122 FPS) and 4K High (57 FPS) shows how dramatically settings affect the GPU. The RTX 4080’s high bandwidth (716.8 GB/s) and large shading unit count allow it to handle 4K resolution, but Ultra settings at 4K still push it below 60 FPS. The GPU’s boost clock of 2,505 MHz is high, and the 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute gives it headroom for modern effects. However, the data clearly shows that The Medium’s Ultra preset at 4K is demanding enough to challenge even this high-end card.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Ryzen 5 5600GT and RTX 4080 ranks 359th out of 3,724 tested combinations for The Medium. That places it in the top 9.6% of all tested pairs, which is a strong result. The rank reflects the combined capability of both components. Since the CPU’s average benchmark score (20,733) is only 0.3% behind the Intel Core i5-12490F, the processor is not a weak link in this pairing. The GPU’s average score (54,247) is within 0.1% of the RTX 4080 SUPER, meaning the graphics card is also at the top of its class. However, the combo rank is not number one, which suggests that higher-tier CPUs or GPUs (not listed in this data) achieve better frame rates.

The rank of 359 out of 3,724 means there are 358 combos that perform better. This could be due to CPUs with more cores or higher clocks, or GPUs with better synthetic scores. For example, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB has a higher average GPU score than the RTX 4080, so a pairing with that GPU might rank higher. Yet, the RTX 4080’s real-world performance in The Medium is strong, as shown by the measured FPS. At 1440p High, the combo achieves 72 FPS, and at 1080p Medium it hits 117 FPS. These numbers are playable and smooth. The combo’s rank indicates that for most users, this setup will deliver high frame rates, but enthusiasts seeking the absolute best will need to look at higher-ranked combos.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear trend as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1080p Low, the average is 140 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 132 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 122 FPS. That is an 18 FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, which is relatively small. This suggests that at Low settings, the CPU is the limiting factor, because the GPU has enough headroom to render the scene quickly, and the frame rate is capped by the CPU’s ability to process the game. The 5600GT’s single-thread score of 913 in 3dmark_single_thread is decent, but it is not high enough to push beyond 140 FPS.

At Medium settings, the drop is more pronounced. 1080p Medium averages 117 FPS, 1440p Medium averages 101 FPS, and 4K Medium averages 79 FPS. That is a 38 FPS drop from 1080p to 4K. The larger drop indicates the GPU is becoming more involved, as Medium settings increase the shading and texture load. At 4K Medium, the GPU’s 16 GB VRAM and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth are being utilized, but the 79 FPS average still shows good performance.

At High settings, the drop is even steeper. 1080p High averages 86 FPS, 1440p High averages 72 FPS, and 4K High averages 57 FPS. That is a 29 FPS drop from 1080p to 4K, but the absolute values are lower. At 4K High, the RTX 4080 is struggling to maintain 60 FPS, which suggests the GPU is now the primary bottleneck. The 57 FPS average is below the 60 FPS target for many monitors.

At Ultra settings, the drop is severe. 1080p Ultra averages 68 FPS, 1440p Ultra averages 57 FPS, and 4K Ultra averages 45 FPS. That is a 23 FPS drop from 1080p to 4K, and the 4K Ultra result is below 50 FPS. This confirms that at Ultra settings, the GPU is heavily loaded. The RTX 4080’s 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is not enough to handle 4K Ultra in this game at high frame rates. The resolution scaling data indicates that the CPU is the limiting factor at Low settings, while the GPU becomes the bottleneck as settings increase. This is typical for a demanding horror game with fixed camera angles, where the GPU must render complex lighting and shadows.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo’s performance across all resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 140 FPS. Medium settings drop to 117 FPS, with a minimum of 99 and maximum of 134. High settings average 86 FPS. Ultra settings average 68 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 72 FPS, showing that the GPU’s workload increases significantly with each preset. The 1080p results are all above 60 FPS, meaning the combo can handle any setting at this resolution with a smooth experience, though Ultra at 68 FPS is close to the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease as expected. Low settings average 132 FPS, which is still very high. Medium settings average 101 FPS, with a minimum of 86 and maximum of 116. High settings average 72 FPS. Ultra settings average 57 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 75 FPS, similar to 1080p. At 1440p, Ultra settings fall below 60 FPS, making it less ideal for high refresh rate monitors. However, High settings at 72 FPS are perfectly playable.

At 3840x2160, the highest resolution, the GPU is pushed hard. Low settings average 122 FPS, which is impressive for 4K. Medium settings average 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 and maximum of 91. High settings average 57 FPS, just below the 60 FPS target. Ultra settings average 45 FPS, which is not smooth for most users. The drop from Low to Ultra at 4K is 77 FPS, the largest absolute difference across all resolutions. This indicates that Ultra settings at 4K are too demanding for the RTX 4080 to maintain high frame rates. The minimum FPS data for Medium settings at 4K is 67, which is above 60, showing that Medium is a viable option for 4K gaming. The maximum FPS at 4K Medium is 91, meaning there are moments of high performance, but the average is limited.

The data shows that the combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming at High or Medium settings, while 4K is playable at Medium or Low settings. The 4K Ultra result of 45 FPS is the weakest point in the dataset. Overall, the measured FPS breakdown confirms that the RTX 4080 is a strong GPU, but The Medium’s Ultra preset is particularly demanding. The Ryzen 5 5600GT does not appear to bottleneck the GPU at any resolution, as the frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings.