The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title that stresses both GPU and CPU depending on resolution and settings. For the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination, the measured data reveals a system that is well-balanced at 1080p and 1440p but clearly GPU-limited at 4K. This analysis breaks down the frame rates, settings scaling, and component roles based strictly on the measured results.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, confirming that the RTX 5060 is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 116 at 1920x1080 to 97 at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 16%, and then drops further to 76 at 3840x2160, which is about 34% lower than the 1440p result. This scaling pattern is typical for a GPU-bound scenario where pixel count increases faster than the renderer can compensate.

Moving to Medium settings, the averages are 72 FPS at 1080p, 61 FPS at 1440p, and 48 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 15% from 1080p to 1440p and 21% from 1440p to 4K. The 4K result of 48 FPS is playable but not smooth, and the minimum FPS of 41 at that resolution suggests occasional stutters during heavy scenes.

High settings show a more dramatic collapse. At 1080p the average is 52 FPS, dropping to 44 FPS at 1440p and then to 34 FPS at 4K. The jump from 1440p to 4K here is a 23% loss, indicating that the higher-quality textures and effects are disproportionately taxing the GPU's 8 GB of memory and 128-bit bus. Ultra settings are the most punishing, with averages of 41 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p, and 27 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is below 30 FPS, making it effectively unplayable for a smooth experience.

What this scaling tells you is that the Ryzen 5 7400F is not the limiting factor in most cases. The CPU has 6 cores and 12 threads with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, which is more than sufficient to feed the GPU at 1080p and 1440p. The data shows that the FPS drops are almost entirely attributable to the GPU's rendering load. At 1080p Low, the 116 FPS average indicates the CPU can push high frame rates, but the GPU cannot maintain those numbers as resolution increases.

GPU Role

The RTX 5060 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process and features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 2280 MHz with a boost of 2497 MHz, and it has 3840 shading units. These specifications directly explain the measured performance in The Medium.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is likely a key constraint at 4K with High or Ultra settings. The game's texture detail at those presets can exceed 8 GB, forcing the GPU to swap data through the 128-bit interface. This is evident in the severe FPS drops at 4K High (34 FPS) and 4K Ultra (27 FPS) compared to 4K Medium (48 FPS). The bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K the combination of higher pixel count and larger texture sets pushes the memory subsystem to its limits.

The GPU's clock speeds play a secondary role. The boost clock of 2497 MHz is modest compared to some rivals, but the architecture compensates with efficiency. In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5060 scores 20891 in Passmark G3D and 3628 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 860M (0.3% slower) and NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (0.3% slower), while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is 1.2% faster. These close margins suggest that the RTX 5060 is positioned as a mid-range card, and The Medium's results align with that positioning.

The measured FPS at 1080p Medium (72 FPS) and 1440p Medium (61 FPS) show that the GPU is well-suited for these resolutions. However, the 4K results are consistently below 60 FPS across all settings, indicating that this card is not designed for native 4K gaming in this title. The minimum FPS values for Medium settings are 61 at 1080p, 52 at 1440p, and 41 at 4K, which highlight the variance you can expect in demanding scenes.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best balance of visual quality and performance is achieved at Medium settings for 1440p and 1080p. At 1920x1080 Medium, the average FPS is 72 with a minimum of 61, which provides a smooth experience with decent visual fidelity. This is a 38% improvement over High settings (52 FPS) while only sacrificing some shadow and texture quality. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 38% of the frame rate (116 to 72 FPS), but the visual upgrade is substantial.

For 2560x1440, Medium is the recommended preset. The average of 61 FPS with a minimum of 52 is playable, and the drop from Low (97 FPS) to Medium (61 FPS) is significant but acceptable for the visual gains. High settings at 1440p drop to 44 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold that many players prefer for a horror game with slow pacing. Ultra at 1440p is not recommended, as the 35 FPS average makes the experience choppy.

At 3840x2160, the data suggests avoiding High and Ultra entirely. Medium at 48 FPS is the best playable option, but even that has a minimum of 41 FPS. Low at 4K yields 76 FPS, which is smooth but requires a significant visual compromise. For most players, 1440p Medium will provide the best overall experience, as it maintains frame rates above 50 FPS while retaining enough detail to appreciate the game's atmosphere.

If you have a 1080p monitor, Medium is the sweet spot. The 72 FPS average is well above the 60 FPS target, and the minimum of 61 ensures consistency. High at 1080p is also viable at 52 FPS, but the extra visual fidelity is not worth the 28% frame rate loss compared to Medium. For 4K, only consider Low or Medium if you prioritize resolution over visual effects.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 60 FPS in 4K?

A: No. The measured data shows no 4K settings reach 60 FPS. The highest average is 76 FPS at Low, but Medium drops to 48 FPS, High to 34 FPS, and Ultra to 27 FPS. The RTX 5060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus are insufficient for 4K at higher presets.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 7400F holding back the RTX 5060 in this game?

A: The data indicates the CPU is not the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 116 FPS, which is a high frame rate that suggests the CPU can feed the GPU adequately. The FPS drops as resolution increases are consistent with GPU limitations, not CPU constraints.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 1440p monitor?

A: Medium is the recommended choice. It delivers an average of 61 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS. High drops to 44 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra is not viable at 35 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5060 scores 20891 in Passmark G3D. The AMD Radeon 860M is 0.3% slower, the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 is 0.3% slower, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is 1.2% faster. These are close margins, indicating similar performance levels.

Q: What is the minimum FPS at 1080p Medium?

A: The minimum FPS at 1920x1080 Medium is 61, with an average of 72 and a maximum of 83. This ensures a consistent experience without major stutters.

Q: Is Ultra settings playable at any resolution?

A: Ultra is only playable at 1080p, where it averages 41 FPS. At 1440p it drops to 35 FPS, and at 4K it is 27 FPS. The 41 FPS at 1080p is below the 60 FPS target, so it is not recommended for a smooth experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 7000 series, based on the Zen 4 architecture (Raphael) 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. The TDP is 65 W, and it supports DDR5 memory with dual-channel bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s. These specifications place it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32750.

In The Medium, the CPU's role is to manage game logic, AI, and draw calls. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (116 FPS) suggests that the 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at lower resolutions. The boost clock of 4.70 GHz provides strong single-thread performance, which is important for this genre where scripting and event triggers can be single-threaded.

Comparing to nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 7400F scores 32750 on average. The Intel Core i5-14600T is 0.1% faster (32707), the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H is 0.2% faster (32697), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H is 0.2% slower (32812), and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 is 0.3% faster (32662). These differences are negligible, meaning the CPU's performance in this game is on par with these alternatives.

In synthetic tests, the Cinebench R23 multicore score is 21765, and single-core is 3072. The Passmark multithread score is 25645, with a single-thread score of 3689. These numbers indicate a processor that can handle both multi-threaded workloads and single-threaded tasks effectively. For The Medium, the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution, as evidenced by the fact that FPS scales with GPU load as resolution increases.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete set of measured frame rates for The Medium with the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060:

1920x1080:

• Low: 116 FPS average
• Medium: 72 FPS average, 61 FPS minimum, 83 FPS maximum
• High: 52 FPS average
• Ultra: 41 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 97 FPS average
• Medium: 61 FPS average, 52 FPS minimum, 70 FPS maximum
• High: 44 FPS average
• Ultra: 35 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 76 FPS average
• Medium: 48 FPS average, 41 FPS minimum, 55 FPS maximum
• High: 34 FPS average
• Ultra: 27 FPS average

The data shows that Low settings are the only preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS at all resolutions, with 116 FPS at 1080p, 97 FPS at 1440p, and 76 FPS at 4K. Medium settings are above 60 FPS only at 1080p (72 FPS) and 1440p (61 FPS), while 4K Medium falls to 48 FPS. High settings never reach 60 FPS at any resolution, with the best result being 52 FPS at 1080p. Ultra settings are consistently below 45 FPS at all resolutions.

The minimum FPS values are only provided for Medium settings. At 1080p, the minimum is 61 FPS, which is close to the average of 72 FPS, indicating good frame time consistency. At 1440p, the minimum is 52 FPS against an average of 61 FPS, showing more variance. At 4K, the minimum is 41 FPS against an average of 48 FPS, which suggests noticeable drops during intense scenes.

The combination rank in game is 1270 out of 2911 possible combinations, placing this system in the upper-middle tier for The Medium. This rank reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU, with the CPU providing solid performance and the GPU being the limiting factor at higher resolutions. For a horror game that relies on atmosphere and pacing, the 1440p Medium setting at 61 FPS average offers the best experience, as it maintains smooth motion while preserving enough visual detail to keep the tension intact.