The Medium

The Medium, a 2021 horror title, presents a demanding workload that clearly separates CPU and GPU capabilities. This analysis examines the AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, using measured frame rate data to determine where the bottleneck lies and how the combination performs across different settings and resolutions. The data indicates a system where the GPU’s immense power is often constrained by the processor, leading to interesting scaling dynamics.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a significant shift in system behavior as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the gap between Low and Ultra settings is relatively narrow, with the Low preset achieving 137.5 FPS and Ultra reaching 74.2 FPS. This 63.3 FPS difference suggests that at this resolution, the CPU is a limiting factor, preventing the RTX 4090 from fully stretching its legs. The 1080p numbers are largely consistent across settings, hovering in the high 90s to mid-130s, which indicates a processor-bound scenario where the GPU has headroom to spare.

Moving to 2560x1440, the scaling becomes more pronounced. The Low preset delivers 134.9 FPS, nearly matching the 1080p result, but the Ultra preset drops to 60.5 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 74.4 FPS, wider than at 1080p. This suggests the GPU is beginning to take on more work, though the High preset’s 80.6 FPS still shows a notable drop from Low, hinting that the CPU is still influencing performance at these settings.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. The Low preset still manages 123.7 FPS, but the High preset falls to 65.7 FPS, and Ultra plummets to 51.8 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a massive 71.9 FPS drop. This behavior indicates that at 4K, the RTX 4090 becomes the primary limiting component, with its rendering workload scaling directly with resolution. The data shows that the CPU’s influence wanes as resolution climbs, and the GPU’s pixel-pushing capabilities take over.

The pattern is clear: at 1080p, the Ryzen 5 5600GT is the bottleneck, capping frame rates. At 1440p, the balance shifts, and at 4K, the RTX 4090 is fully utilized, with frame rates scaling predictably with settings. This means users targeting high refresh rates at 1080p will see limited gains from the GPU’s power, while 4K users will experience the full impact of the RTX 4090’s rendering capabilities.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience based on the measured rows, the Medium preset offers a compelling balance. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers 114.7 FPS, which is a significant jump over High’s 97.3 FPS and Ultra’s 74.2 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is only 22.8 FPS, but Medium provides a substantial visual quality increase over Low for a modest performance cost.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset achieves 111.5 FPS, which is remarkably close to the 1080p Medium result. This suggests that the Medium settings at 1440p are not overly demanding on the GPU, and the CPU is still providing a solid foundation. The High preset at 1440p drops to 80.6 FPS, which may be acceptable for some, but Medium offers a smoother experience with a 30.9 FPS advantage over High.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the sweet spot for playable performance. It delivers 85.8 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold, while High dips to 65.7 FPS and Ultra falls to 51.8 FPS. The Low preset at 4K hits 123.7 FPS, but the visual fidelity loss is likely too severe for a horror game that relies on atmosphere. Therefore, the data suggests Medium is the optimal choice across all resolutions, providing a high frame rate without sacrificing too much visual detail.

For users who prioritize visual quality above all else, the High preset is viable at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, it starts to approach the edge of playability. Ultra is only recommended for 1080p, where it still reaches 74.2 FPS, but at higher resolutions, it becomes a slideshow. The measured data consistently points to Medium as the best balance of performance and quality.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 85th out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the top 5% of all tested configurations, which is a strong showing. The rank reflects the overall capability of the system, but it is important to note that the CPU is a mid-range part from 2024, while the GPU is a top-tier component from 2022.

The CPU itself has an average benchmark score of 20740, placing it in the 78th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-10700 with a deltaPct of 0, meaning they perform essentially identically. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is 0.3% faster, and the Intel Core i5-12490F is 0.3% slower. This indicates the Ryzen 5 5600GT is a solid performer for its class, but it is not a high-end processor.

The GPU, on the other hand, has an average benchmark score of 66473, placing it in the 91st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are professional cards like the NVIDIA Tesla T4 and Tesla P40, which are 0.4% faster and 0.5% slower, respectively. This shows the RTX 4090 is a dominant gaming GPU, but its performance in synthetic benchmarks is comparable to workstation cards.

The rank of 85th out of 1689 indicates that while the GPU is exceptional, the CPU holds the combo back from the absolute top tier. Combos with faster CPUs would likely score higher, as the Ryzen 5 5600GT can limit the GPU in CPU-bound scenarios. The data suggests that this is a high-performing combo, but not the absolute best, due to the processor’s mid-range positioning.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 137.5 FPS, Medium hits 114.7 FPS, High reaches 97.3 FPS, and Ultra drops to 74.2 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 63.3 FPS reduction, which is a 46% drop in performance. This indicates that the CPU is the limiting factor, as the GPU should be able to handle these settings with ease.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 134.9 FPS, which is only 2.6 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result. This suggests that the CPU is still providing a similar level of performance, and the GPU is managing the increased resolution without much penalty. The Medium preset at 1440p achieves 111.5 FPS, which is a 3.2 FPS drop from 1080p Medium. High drops to 80.6 FPS, a 16.7 FPS reduction from 1080p, and Ultra falls to 60.5 FPS, a 13.7 FPS drop.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset still manages 123.7 FPS, but this is a 13.8 FPS drop from 1080p Low. Medium at 4K achieves 85.8 FPS, which is a 28.9 FPS drop from 1080p Medium. High falls to 65.7 FPS, a 31.6 FPS drop, and Ultra drops to 51.8 FPS, a 22.4 FPS reduction. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is most pronounced at Medium and High settings, with drops of 25% and 32% respectively. The Low preset shows a smaller 10% drop, and Ultra shows a 30% drop.

The data reveals that at Low settings, the CPU is the primary bottleneck, as frame rates remain high across all resolutions. At Medium and High, the GPU becomes more involved, and the 4K resolution significantly impacts performance. At Ultra, the GPU is heavily taxed, and the frame rates reflect the demanding workload. The 1080p results are consistently high, but the 4K results show a clear GPU bottleneck.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a massive GPU with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 384-bit memory bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. Its base clock is 2235 MHz, with a boost clock of 2520 MHz. The card has 16384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, along with 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores. This hardware is designed for extreme performance, and its FP32 compute power is 82.58 TFLOPS.

In The Medium, the GPU’s role is clearly defined by the resolution scaling. At 1080p, the GPU is underutilized, as the CPU limits frame rates. The measured data shows that even at Low settings, the frame rate is 137.5 FPS, which suggests the GPU is not the limiting factor. The GPU’s massive memory and bandwidth are not fully utilized at this resolution.

At 4K, the GPU’s capabilities become evident. The Low preset achieves 123.7 FPS, which reflects the GPU’s raw power. However, the Ultra preset drops to 51.8 FPS, indicating that the GPU is being pushed to its limits. The 24 GB of VRAM is likely sufficient for all settings, as the game does not appear to be memory-constrained. The boost clock of 2520 MHz ensures high performance, but the game’s engine seems to be the limiting factor at Ultra settings.

The GPU’s benchmark scores confirm its high-end positioning. Its PassMark G3D score is 38194, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad score is 9223. These scores place it in the 91st percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals are professional cards, which suggests that the RTX 4090 is at the top of the consumer GPU hierarchy. However, the measured FPS in The Medium shows that even this powerful GPU can be brought to its knees by the Ultra preset at 4K, highlighting the game’s demanding nature. The GPU’s role is to provide high frame rates at 1440p and 4K, but it is dependent on the CPU not bottlenecking it at lower resolutions.