The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination delivers a playable but demanding experience in The Medium, a horror title from 2021. The data shows a clear pattern where the GPU is the primary constraint across most settings, with the CPU providing ample headroom. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across three resolutions and four quality presets, interpreting what the numbers mean for the overall system balance.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Zen 4 architecture (Raphael). It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, drawing a 65 W TDP. This desktop chip, released in early 2025, sits on the AMD Socket AM5 platform and supports DDR5 memory via a dual-channel interface. Its cache configuration includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 32 MB of L3 cache.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21765 and a single-core score of 3072. This places it in the 83rd percentile among all CPUs tested on the database. Compared to its nearest rivals, the data shows a tight cluster: it is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600T, 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360, while being 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H. These deltas are negligible, indicating that the 7400F performs essentially on par with these alternatives in general processing tasks.

For The Medium, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU. Looking at the measured FPS, the frame rates change substantially with resolution and settings, but the pattern does not suggest a CPU bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the system reaches 101 FPS average, which is the highest value recorded. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect this number to be capped at a lower value regardless of GPU load. Instead, the scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a drop from 101 to 36 FPS, which is a GPU-driven decline. The CPU's strong single-thread performance (R23 single-core 3072) and multi-thread capability (R23 multi-core 21765) provide sufficient headroom for the game's logic and rendering calls. The conclusion is that the 7400F is not the bottleneck; it delivers consistent frame pacing across all tested configurations.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture (Navi 44) using a 4 nm process. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The GPU clocks are listed with a base of 1700 MHz, a game clock of 2400 MHz, and a boost of 2990 MHz. It has 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, with 28 ray tracing cores. The compute capability is rated at 21.43 TFLOPS for FP32.

In terms of benchmark positioning, the RX 9060 sits in the 59th percentile among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 16014. The nearest rivals show a mixed comparison: it is 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, 1% ahead of the AMD Radeon R9 370X, 1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7700, and 2.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5500. This indicates that the RX 9060's raw compute performance is competitive with, but slightly below, the RTX 3060 Ti in this database's metrics.

The 8 GB VRAM is a critical factor for The Medium. The game's memory demands scale with resolution and settings. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 24, which is the lowest recorded. At 4K High, it rises to 30 FPS, and at 4K Medium it is 42 FPS. The jump to 4K Low yields 67 FPS, suggesting that reducing texture and geometry quality significantly alleviates pressure on the memory subsystem and the GPU cores. The 288.0 GB/s bandwidth and 8 GB capacity are sufficient for 1080p Medium (63 FPS) and 1440p Medium (53 FPS), but the Ultra preset at 1440p (30 FPS) and 4K (24 FPS) shows the GPU struggling. The data indicates that the GPU is the dominant factor in determining performance, especially at higher resolutions where the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth become limiting.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

Resolution scaling reveals a consistent pattern of GPU-bound performance. At Medium settings, the average FPS moves from 63 at 1080p to 53 at 1440p, and then to 42 at 4K. This is a drop of 15.9% from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 20.8% drop from 1440p to 4K. The total decline from 1080p to 4K is 33.3%. This scaling is typical for a GPU that is nearing its limits, as the increased pixel count directly impacts the rendering load.

At Low settings, the same pattern holds but with higher absolute numbers: 101 FPS at 1080p, 85 FPS at 1440p (a 15.8% drop), and 67 FPS at 4K (a 21.2% drop from 1440p). The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 33.7%. This nearly identical percentage drop across settings suggests that the GPU's compute units and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors, not the CPU. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the FPS to become more consistent across resolutions as the GPU load decreases.

For High settings, the numbers are 45 FPS at 1080p, 38 FPS at 1440p, and 30 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 15.6% and 21.1%, respectively. The Ultra preset shows the steepest decline in absolute terms: 36 FPS at 1080p, 30 FPS at 1440p, and 24 FPS at 4K. Here, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 16.7%, and from 1440p to 4K is 20%. This consistent 15-20% penalty per resolution step indicates a well-behaved scaling curve that is entirely attributable to the GPU's rendering capabilities. The CPU's performance is constant across these tests, so the FPS deltas are a direct measurement of the GPU's workload increase.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database's ranking of all tested CPU and GPU combinations for The Medium, this specific pairing of the Ryzen 5 7400F and Radeon RX 9060 holds a rank of 1648 out of 2911 total combos. This places it in the 56.6th percentile of all tested systems. This is a mid-pack position, which aligns with the GPU's 59th percentile ranking and the CPU's 83rd percentile ranking.

The data indicates that the combo's overall performance is dragged down by the GPU's limitations. The CPU is a high performer (83rd percentile), but the GPU's 59th percentile score means that the system's frame rates in The Medium will be closer to other mid-range GPU pairings than to high-end configurations. The combo rank of 1648 suggests that many other systems with faster GPUs will outperform this one in this specific title, even if their CPUs are weaker. This is expected for a game that is visually demanding and scales heavily with GPU power. The implication is that for users prioritizing The Medium performance, the GPU is the component to upgrade first, as the CPU has substantial headroom.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based strictly on the measured FPS rows, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and playability. At 1080p Medium, the system achieves an average of 63 FPS with a minimum of 53 and a maximum of 72. This provides a smooth experience with a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 53 FPS (min 45, max 61), which is still playable but requires some tolerance for occasional dips below 60. At 4K Medium, the average is 42 FPS (min 35, max 48), which is borderline for a horror title that may benefit from smoother motion.

The Low preset is the only option that consistently exceeds 60 FPS across all resolutions: 101 FPS at 1080p, 85 FPS at 1440p, and 67 FPS at 4K. This is the choice for players who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity. The High preset offers a middle ground, with 45 FPS at 1080p, 38 FPS at 1440p, and 30 FPS at 4K, but these numbers are not ideal for a game that relies on atmosphere and smooth camera movement. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, yielding 36 FPS at 1080p, 30 FPS at 1440p, and 24 FPS at 4K, which falls below the playable threshold for most users.

Therefore, the data suggests that Medium is the recommended preset for a balanced experience. If the target is 60 FPS, then 1080p Medium is the only viable option. For 1440p, Medium is acceptable but will not hold 60 FPS consistently. For 4K, Low is the only preset that provides a playable frame rate above 60 FPS. The High and Ultra presets are not recommended for this GPU, as they produce average FPS figures that are below 60 at all resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for 60 FPS?

A: The only configuration that achieves an average FPS above 60 is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which yields 101 FPS. At Medium settings, 1080p produces 63 FPS, which also exceeds 60 FPS. No 1440p or 4K preset reaches 60 FPS average.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 7400F has an average benchmark score of 32750. It is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600T (score 32707), 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H (score 32697), and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 (score 32662). It is 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H (score 32812).

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

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The FPS scales consistently with resolution changes, dropping by roughly 15-20% per step up, which is characteristic of GPU-bound performance. The CPU's strong benchmark scores (83rd percentile) and the fact that even at 4K Low the system reaches 67 FPS suggest it is not holding the system back.

Q: What is the average FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 53, with a minimum of 45 and a maximum of 61.

Q: How does the RX 9060's performance compare to the RTX 3060 Ti?

A: In the database's average benchmark score, the RX 9060 scores 16014, which is 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's score of 16129.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank for this game?

A: The combination of the Ryzen 5 7400F and Radeon RX 9060 ranks 1648 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured data provides a complete picture of performance across all tested configurations. Below is the exact breakdown.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: Average 101 FPS
• Medium: Average 63 FPS (min 53, max 72)
• High: Average 45 FPS
• Ultra: Average 36 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: Average 85 FPS
• Medium: Average 53 FPS (min 45, max 61)
• High: Average 38 FPS
• Ultra: Average 30 FPS

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: Average 67 FPS
• Medium: Average 42 FPS (min 35, max 48)
• High: Average 30 FPS
• Ultra: Average 24 FPS

The data shows a clear hierarchy. The 1080p Low setting is the only configuration that provides a high refresh rate experience. The 4K Ultra setting is the most demanding, producing a 24 FPS average that is not suitable for smooth gameplay. The min and max FPS figures are only provided for the Medium preset, indicating that this is the setting where the database recorded frame time variance. The performance gaps between settings are substantial, with Low to Ultra at 1080p representing a 65 FPS difference. This underscores the GPU's sensitivity to graphical fidelity in The Medium.