The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination delivers a wide spread of performance in The Medium, ranging from a highly playable 120 FPS average at 1080p Medium to a demanding 45 FPS average at 4K Ultra. The data shows that this pairing is capable of high refresh rates at lower resolutions but becomes firmly GPU-bound at higher visual fidelity, making it a versatile but resolution-sensitive setup for this horror title.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear picture of how each preset impacts performance. The Medium’s Medium preset is the standout choice for this combination, as it is the only settings level across all three tested resolutions that includes both minimum and maximum FPS values in the data. At 4K, the Medium preset yields an average of 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 91 FPS, indicating a stable frame delivery that avoids the dramatic dips seen elsewhere. This makes Medium the only preset where the data confirms a consistent frame pacing window, positioning it as the most reliable option for a smooth experience.

For users prioritizing frame rate over visual detail, the Low preset is the clear performance leader. At 1080p, Low produces an average of 154 FPS, while at 1440p it reaches 145 FPS, and even at 4K it maintains a strong 127 FPS average. These figures suggest that Low is the optimal choice for high-refresh-rate displays, particularly at 1080p and 1440p, where the frame rates exceed what most monitors can display. The High preset offers a middle ground, delivering 86 FPS at 1080p, 72 FPS at 1440p, and 57 FPS at 4K, making it suitable for 60 Hz displays at lower resolutions but less ideal at 4K where it hovers near the 60 FPS threshold.

The Ultra preset should be avoided for competitive or high-refresh gameplay, as the data shows it is the most demanding option. At 1080p, Ultra produces 68 FPS, at 1440p it drops to 57 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 45 FPS. These numbers indicate that Ultra is only viable for players who prioritize maximum visual quality over frame rate stability, and even then, only at 1080p where the average stays above 60 FPS. The recommendation is to use Medium as the default preset, with Low reserved for high-refresh scenarios and Ultra for those who accept lower frame rates for fidelity.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset to use with this CPU and GPU combination for a 1440p display?

A: The Medium preset is the recommended choice for 1440p, as it delivers an average of 101 FPS with a minimum of 86 FPS and a maximum of 116 FPS. This provides a smooth experience that is well above the 60 FPS threshold, while the Low preset offers even higher performance at 145 FPS for competitive play.

Q: Does this combination achieve 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only on the Medium and Low presets. At 4K, the Medium preset averages 79 FPS, and the Low preset averages 127 FPS. The High preset averages 57 FPS, which is just below 60 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 45 FPS, which is significantly below the target.

Q: How does the CPU’s performance compare to its nearest rivals in general benchmarks?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F has an average benchmark score of 32750, placing it 0.1% above the Intel Core i5-14600T and 0.2% above the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H. It is 0.2% below the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H and 0.3% above the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360, indicating that it is tightly clustered with these competing processors.

Q: What is the GPU’s performance rank relative to other tested graphics cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER. It is 1.1% below the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X, 2.6% below the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, and 2.7% below the AMD Radeon 8060S, showing that it is competitive but not the top performer in this group.

Q: Are the minimum FPS figures available for all presets?

A: No, the data only includes minimum and maximum FPS values for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p, the Medium preset has a minimum of 102 FPS and a maximum of 138 FPS; at 1440p, it is 86 FPS and 116 FPS; and at 4K, it is 67 FPS and 91 FPS. The Low, High, and Ultra presets only have average FPS values.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations for The Medium?

A: This combination ranks 283rd out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the top 7.6% of all tested configurations, indicating that it is a high-performing setup for this game, though not at the absolute top tier.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data across the three resolutions reveals a clear pattern of how this combination scales with increasing pixel count. At the Low preset, the frame rates are 154 FPS at 1080p, 145 FPS at 1440p, and 127 FPS at 4K. This represents a 5.8% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 17.5% drop from 1080p to 4K, showing that the GPU has enough headroom at this settings level to absorb the resolution increase with relatively modest performance losses.

The Medium preset shows a more pronounced scaling curve. At 1080p, it averages 120 FPS, which drops to 101 FPS at 1440p (a 15.8% decrease) and further to 79 FPS at 4K (a 34.2% decrease from 1080p). This steeper decline suggests that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor as resolution increases, with the 4K figure demonstrating a substantial performance cost for the higher pixel count.

The High preset exhibits the most significant resolution sensitivity. It starts at 86 FPS at 1080p, falls to 72 FPS at 1440p (a 16.3% decrease), and then drops to 57 FPS at 4K (a 33.7% decrease from 1080p). The Ultra preset follows a similar trend, with 68 FPS at 1080p, 57 FPS at 1440p, and 45 FPS at 4K, representing a 33.8% drop from 1080p to 4K. This pattern indicates that the RTX 4080’s 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for lower resolutions, but at 4K, the demand on the GPU’s compute and memory resources becomes the dominant factor, causing frame rates to scale down more aggressively with each preset step.

The data suggests that at 1080p and 1440p, the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU effectively, as evidenced by the high frame rates on the Low preset. However, at 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, and the performance gap between presets narrows in relative terms, as the GPU is now the primary constraint. This is a typical pattern for a high-end CPU paired with a high-end GPU, where the balance shifts from CPU-bound at low resolutions to GPU-bound at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a full range of settings performance. The Low preset delivers the highest average at 154 FPS, followed by Medium at 120 FPS with a minimum of 102 FPS and a maximum of 138 FPS. High averages 86 FPS, and Ultra drops to 68 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the combination has ample headroom, with even the Ultra preset maintaining a frame rate above 60 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. Low remains the top performer at 145 FPS, while Medium averages 101 FPS with a minimum of 86 FPS and a maximum of 116 FPS. High produces 72 FPS, and Ultra falls to 57 FPS. The 1440p resolution still offers playable frame rates on all presets, though Ultra drops below the 60 FPS threshold, making Medium the most balanced option for this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the demands of 4K become evident. Low still manages a strong 127 FPS average, while Medium averages 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 91 FPS. High averages 57 FPS, and Ultra averages 45 FPS. This breakdown shows that 4K gaming is only viable on the Low and Medium presets for this combination, as the High and Ultra presets fall below the generally accepted 60 FPS standard.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete data across all resolutions, allowing for a detailed look at frame consistency. At 1080p, the spread between minimum and maximum is 36 FPS, at 1440p it is 30 FPS, and at 4K it is 24 FPS. This narrowing spread at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU’s workload becomes more consistent, but the absolute frame rates also decrease, meaning the experience is smoother in relative terms but lower in absolute performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The data places this combination at rank 283 out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium. This ranking puts it in the top 7.6% of all configurations tested for this game, which indicates a strong overall performance level. The high rank is consistent with the measured FPS figures, which show that the combination can handle the game’s demands well at most settings and resolutions.

The rank of 283 suggests that while this is a high-performing setup, there are 282 other combinations that achieve better results in The Medium. These likely include configurations with more powerful GPUs or CPUs that are better optimized for this specific game’s engine. However, the relative position within the top percentile confirms that this combo is far above average and suitable for a premium gaming experience.

In the context of the nearest rival components, the RTX 4080 is closely matched with the RTX 4080 SUPER, which has an average score that is 0.1% lower. This indicates that the performance difference between these two GPUs is negligible, and the ranking in The Medium would likely be very similar. The CPU’s position among its rivals is also tight, with a 0.3% difference between the highest and lowest performing rivals, suggesting that CPU choice has minimal impact on the overall ranking for this game.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, built on a 5 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, with 32 MB of shared L3 cache. These specifications provide adequate processing power for The Medium, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU is more likely to be a limiting factor.

In general benchmarks, the 7400F achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 21765 and a single-core score of 3072. The single-core performance is particularly relevant for gaming, as many game engines rely heavily on single-threaded performance. The PassMark single-thread score of 3689 supports this, indicating strong per-core capabilities that help maintain high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p.

The data shows that at the Low preset, the frame rates at 1080p (154 FPS) and 1440p (145 FPS) are close, suggesting that the CPU is capable of driving the GPU to these levels. However, at 4K, the frame rate drops to 127 FPS, which is more likely due to GPU limitations than CPU constraints. The CPU’s 12 threads and 6 cores are sufficient for The Medium’s workload, as evidenced by the high frame rates achieved, and there is no indication of CPU bottlenecking in the measured data.

The CPU’s 83rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32750, places it in a competitive position. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-14600T and Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, have very similar average scores, confirming that the 7400F is a well-balanced processor for gaming tasks. The 65 W TDP and 5 nm process node contribute to efficient operation, but the primary takeaway is that this CPU provides enough processing power to avoid becoming a bottleneck in The Medium at typical gaming resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a high-end graphics card based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 716.8 GB/s of memory bandwidth. Its base clock is 2205 MHz with a boost clock of 2505 MHz, and it has 9728 shading units. These specifications make it a formidable GPU for The Medium, which is a visually demanding horror title.

The GPU’s 16 GB of VRAM is a notable asset for this game, as it allows for high-resolution textures and complex scenes without running into memory limitations. The measured FPS data supports this, as the GPU maintains playable frame rates even at 4K on the Medium preset, which likely utilizes a substantial amount of VRAM. The 716.8 GB/s bandwidth is also sufficient to feed the GPU’s compute units at all tested resolutions.

In terms of raw compute, the RTX 4080 achieves a PassMark G3D score of 34457 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6567. The GPU’s 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247, indicates strong overall performance. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, has an average score that is 0.1% lower, showing that the two cards are nearly identical in performance, which is reflected in their similar gaming capabilities.

The GPU’s role in The Medium is clearly dominant, especially at higher resolutions. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a significant drop on all presets, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. The data indicates that at 4K, the GPU is the primary limiting factor, as the CPU’s performance is sufficient to keep up, but the GPU’s rendering workload increases substantially with pixel count. The RTX 4080’s 16 GB VRAM and high bandwidth are crucial for maintaining stability at 4K, and the measured frame rates confirm that it handles the game well up to the Medium preset.