The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title from 2021, presents a unique performance profile when paired with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D. Benchmark data reveals a configuration where the GPU is rarely the limiting factor, with frame rates scaling predictably across resolutions and settings. The measured results indicate that this combination is heavily constrained by CPU performance at lower resolutions, while higher settings and resolutions shift the bottleneck toward the graphics card, though never overwhelmingly so.

Resolution Scaling

The performance delta between 1080p and 4K is moderate, indicating that the game does not place extreme stress on the GPU at higher resolutions, but the CPU still plays a significant role. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 103 FPS at 1920x1080 to 87 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 16 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160 yields a further decline to 68 FPS, representing a total drop of 35 FPS from the 1080p baseline. This equates to a 34% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, which is a substantial scaling penalty but not as severe as seen in GPU-bound titles.

When examining Medium settings, the scaling pattern shows a similar trend. The average frame rate at 1920x1080 is 117 FPS, which falls to 110 FPS at 2560x1440, and then to 95 FPS at 3840x2160. The drop from 1080p to 4K here is 22 FPS, or 19%, suggesting that lower settings reduce the GPU load, making the CPU bottleneck more apparent. Interestingly, the Low preset exhibits the least scaling, with frame rates of 140 FPS at 1080p, 132 FPS at 1440p, and 122 FPS at 4K. This 18 FPS difference (13%) between the lowest and highest resolutions indicates that at Low settings, the CPU is almost entirely the limiting factor, as the GPU has ample headroom to render even at 4K.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling, with frame rates of 82 FPS at 1080p, 69 FPS at 1440p, and 54 FPS at 4K. This 28 FPS drop (34%) from 1080p to 4K suggests that Ultra settings finally begin to stress the GPU more significantly, though the absolute numbers remain relatively high. The data implies that The Medium is not a particularly demanding title for the RTX 5090 D, and the resolution scaling is primarily influenced by the CPU's ability to feed the GPU rather than the GPU's raw rendering capabilities.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a formidable piece of hardware, featuring 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. Its memory clocks run at 1750 MHz, with an effective data rate of 28 Gbps. The GPU's boost clock is 2407 MHz, with a base clock of 2017 MHz. These specifications place the RTX 5090 D in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77712. In the context of The Medium, this hardware is largely underutilized, as evidenced by the high frame rates even at 4K resolution.

The GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, which scores 78940, and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, which scores 79605. The RTX 5090 D is 1.6% behind the RX 6850M XT and 2.4% behind the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB. However, these synthetic deltas do not translate to meaningful differences in this game, as the RTX 5090 D consistently delivers playable frame rates across all tested configurations.

At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate of 54 FPS is the only result that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that the GPU is finally being pushed to its limits. The VRAM capacity of 32 GB is far beyond what The Medium requires, and the memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s ensures that texture streaming and asset loading are never bottlenecks. The data indicates that the GPU's role in this configuration is to provide a safety margin, ensuring that frame rates remain high even when the CPU is the primary constraint.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Cezanne. It operates at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU features 16 MB of L3 cache and 512 KB of L2 cache per core. In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 5600GT scores 17272 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2438 in single-core, placing it in the 74th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 20733.

The CPU's performance in The Medium is the dominant factor in determining frame rates. At 1080p Low, the average frame rate of 140 FPS is likely near the game's engine limit, as the CPU struggles to process the game's logic and draw calls faster. The single-thread performance, with a Geekbench single-core score of 1843, is adequate for this title, but the 6-core/12-thread configuration may not be fully leveraged, as The Medium is not known for heavy multi-threading.

The nearest CPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the Intel Core i5-12490F, which scores 20802 and is only 0.3% faster, and the Intel Xeon 6325P, which scores 20821 and is 0.4% faster. These marginal differences suggest that the Ryzen 5 5600GT is competitive with other mid-range processors, but its performance in The Medium is more indicative of its single-core capabilities rather than its multi-core potential.

The CPU's boost clock of 4.60 GHz is crucial for maintaining high frame rates, as the game appears to be sensitive to raw clock speed. The data shows that the CPU is the limiting factor at all settings below Ultra, as evidenced by the relatively small frame rate differences between resolutions at Low and Medium settings. The RTX 5090 D is capable of far higher frame rates than what the CPU can deliver, making the processor the primary bottleneck in this configuration.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achievable with this CPU and GPU combination?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 140 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This represents the ceiling for this configuration, as the CPU limits performance before the GPU can be fully utilized.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5090 D scores 77712 on average, which is 1.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78940) and 2.4% lower than the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79605). It is 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76904).

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5600GT a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 D in The Medium?

A: Yes, the data strongly indicates that the CPU is the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the frame rate is 140 FPS, and it only drops to 122 FPS at 4K Low, showing that the GPU has significant headroom that the CPU cannot fill.

Q: What is the best resolution for maintaining 60+ FPS with this configuration?

A: All tested resolutions and settings maintain an average frame rate above 60 FPS except for 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which averages 54 FPS. Even 4K High maintains 68 FPS, so 4K is viable for this combo.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance affect the game?

A: The Geekbench single-core score of 1843 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2438 suggest that the CPU has adequate single-thread performance, which is critical for The Medium's game logic. The high boost clock of 4.60 GHz helps maintain consistent frame rates.

Q: What is the frame time consistency at Medium settings across resolutions?

A: At Medium settings, the minimum and maximum frame rates are only recorded for one resolution each. At 1920x1080, the range is 99-134 FPS with an average of 117. At 2560x1440, the range is 94-127 FPS with an average of 110, and at 3840x2160, the range is 81-110 FPS with an average of 95.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 140 FPS, which is the highest recorded for this configuration. The Medium preset averages 117 FPS, with a minimum of 99 FPS and a maximum of 134 FPS. High settings reduce the average to 103 FPS, while Ultra drops further to 82 FPS. The differences between presets are significant, with a 58 FPS gap between Low and Ultra, indicating that the CPU is the primary limiter at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 132 FPS, which is only 8 FPS lower than at 1080p. The Medium preset averages 110 FPS, with a minimum of 94 FPS and a maximum of 127 FPS. High settings yield 87 FPS, and Ultra drops to 69 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is mild, suggesting that the GPU is beginning to take on more load but is still not the primary bottleneck.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 122 FPS, which is 18 FPS lower than at 1080p. The Medium preset averages 95 FPS, with a minimum of 81 FPS and a maximum of 110 FPS. High settings produce 68 FPS, and Ultra falls to 54 FPS, which is the only result below 60 FPS in the entire dataset. The 4K Ultra result indicates that this is the only configuration where the GPU is fully stressed.

Settings Recommendations

For players seeking the highest possible frame rates, the Low preset at 1920x1080 delivers 140 FPS, which is likely near the engine's limit. However, this comes at the cost of visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 1080p offers a balanced experience with 117 FPS and a minimum of 99 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay with better visuals than Low. The Medium preset at 2560x1440 provides 110 FPS with a minimum of 94 FPS, which is an excellent compromise for higher resolution.

For 4K gaming, the High preset is the recommended choice, as it maintains an average of 68 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 54 FPS, which may be acceptable for a horror game where slower pacing is common, but it risks frame drops below 60 FPS. The data shows that the Medium preset at 4K offers 95 FPS, but the visual quality difference between Medium and High is likely noticeable, making High the better choice for a premium experience.

Overall, the best experience per the measured rows is the High preset at 2560x1440, which delivers 87 FPS with no recorded minimum below 60 FPS. This configuration balances resolution and settings to take advantage of the GPU's capabilities while avoiding the CPU bottleneck that limits lower settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination ranks 121st out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the top 4.2% of all configurations. This high ranking is primarily due to the RTX 5090 D's exceptional performance, which compensates for the CPU's limitations. The rank indicates that this combo outperforms the vast majority of systems tested for this game, despite the CPU being a bottleneck.

The rank of 121 out of 2911 suggests that while the RTX 5090 D is a top-tier GPU, the Ryzen 5 5600GT holds the combo back from being ranked higher. Systems with more powerful CPUs, such as those with higher single-thread performance or more cores, would likely achieve higher rankings. However, the data shows that this combination still delivers excellent frame rates across all tested settings and resolutions, making it a viable choice for The Medium.

The combo's rank is particularly impressive given that the RTX 5090 D is paired with a mid-range CPU. The 92nd percentile GPU ranking and 74th percentile CPU ranking combine to produce a result that is much closer to the top of the GPU percentile list, indicating that the GPU is the dominant factor in the overall performance. The 121st rank out of 2911 combos demonstrates that this configuration is well above average for this game, and the measured frame rates confirm that it provides a smooth and responsive experience in most scenarios.