The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination delivers a solid, high-refresh-rate experience in The Medium, though it demands careful settings management at higher resolutions. Benchmark data places this pairing at rank 505 out of 2911 tested combos, placing it in the top 18% of all systems evaluated for this title. This percentile position reflects a balanced configuration where neither component becomes a consistent bottleneck, but the data reveals distinct performance ceilings depending on whether resolution or graphical fidelity is prioritized. The measured frames per second range from a highly playable 154 FPS at 1080p Low to a demanding 38 FPS at 4K Ultra, showing that the combo's headroom is substantial but not unlimited.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 505 out of 2911 tested configurations places it comfortably in the upper echelon of systems for The Medium. This ranking is not merely a reflection of peak performance but indicates consistent capability across the tested settings spectrum. When compared to the broader field, this system outperforms roughly 83% of all tested combinations, aligning closely with the CPU's own percentileVsAllCpus of 83 and the GPU's percentileVsAllGpus of 82. The symmetry between the component percentiles suggests a well-matched pairing where neither part is dramatically over- or under-powered relative to the other, resulting in predictable scaling across different in-game presets.

The data indicates that this combo is positioned to handle the game's default requirements easily, but it also has enough compute headroom to push beyond baseline settings at lower resolutions. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset achieves 57 FPS, which is above the threshold for smooth gameplay. The ranking suggests that the system sits just below the top-tier enthusiast configurations that might hold 60 FPS at 4K Ultra, but it outperforms the vast majority of systems that would struggle to maintain playable frame rates at 1440p with high details. The delta between the combo's performance and the highest-ranked systems is most pronounced at 4K Ultra, where the 38 FPS average indicates a firm limit, whereas at 1080p Low, the 154 FPS result demonstrates that the system is far from being maxed out.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, operating at a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. For a horror title like The Medium, which relies on atmospheric rendering and consistent frame pacing, the CPU's single-thread performance is often more critical than raw multi-core throughput. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3072 and multi-core score of 21765 indicate a strong balance, with the single-core result ensuring that the game's main simulation thread does not become a limiting factor. The CPU's L3 cache of 32 MB shared across the cores provides ample room for the game's level data and physics calculations, reducing potential stutter from cache misses.

In the measured results, the CPU's influence is most visible at 1080p where the GPU is less likely to be the primary constraint. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 154 FPS, a figure that suggests the CPU can feed the RTX 5070 with enough frames to saturate its rendering capacity at that preset. However, the jump from 1080p Low to 1080p High (154 to 72 FPS) is a 53% drop, which is substantial and points to a shift in bottleneck from the CPU at Low settings to the GPU at High settings. The CPU's 12 threads are sufficient for the game's multitasking, but the data shows that pushing the preset to Ultra at 1080p (57 FPS) still yields a playable experience, indicating that the processor is not holding back the system in a meaningful way at this resolution. The CPU's average benchmark score of 32750 places it slightly above the Intel Core i5-14600T by 0.1% and 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, showing that it is competitive with modern mid-range processors in synthetic tests, though the in-game results are what matter for this analysis.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play The Medium with this combo for a 60 FPS target?*

A: At 1440p with High settings, the combo achieves exactly 60 FPS on average. For a higher frame rate, 1440p Medium reaches 84 FPS, while 4K High only manages 47 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS target.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The data shows an average of 38 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is the most demanding configuration tested and results in a stutter-prone experience for a horror game where smooth motion is essential.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p Low settings?

A: The 154 FPS result at 1080p Low suggests the GPU is the primary constraint, as the CPU has enough headroom to push beyond this frame rate. The drop to 100 FPS at 1080p Medium indicates the GPU becomes more stressed as settings increase.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1440p and 4K at Medium settings?

A: At 1440p Medium, the average FPS is 84, while at 4K Medium it drops to 66 FPS. This represents an 18 FPS decrease, or approximately a 21% reduction in frame rate when moving to the higher resolution.

Q: Does the combo maintain a consistent frame rate at any tested setting?

A: The only preset with min and max FPS data is Medium across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the range is 85 to 115 FPS, at 1440p it is 71 to 97 FPS, and at 4K it is 56 to 76 FPS. This indicates a variance of around 30 FPS in all cases, which is relatively stable.

Q: How does the RTX 5070's performance in this game compare to its synthetic benchmark score?

A: The GPU's PassMark G3D score is 29137, placing it in the 82nd percentile. The in-game results at 1440p High (60 FPS) align with this mid-to-high tier positioning, but the 4K Ultra result of 38 FPS shows that the card's raw compute power is challenged by the game's highest settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the combo's capabilities across a matrix of resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates its peak performance. With Low settings, the average FPS is 154, which is the highest score recorded for this combo. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 100 FPS with a minimum of 85 and a maximum of 115 FPS. High settings yield 72 FPS, and Ultra brings the average down to 57 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p is a 63% reduction in frame rate, showing how heavily the game's visual features impact performance.

At 2560x1440, the performance steps down notably. Low settings maintain a high 135 FPS, which is still excellent for competitive play, but the gap between Low and Medium widens. Medium settings average 84 FPS with a range of 71 to 97 FPS. High settings hit exactly 60 FPS, which is the minimum for a smooth experience. Ultra settings dip to 48 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for a slow-paced horror game but still playable for some. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at each preset results in a frame rate drop of approximately 12-15%, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario.

At 3840x2160, the combo's limits become clear. Low settings still manage an average of 106 FPS, showing that the RTX 5070 has substantial raw power. Medium settings drop to 66 FPS with a 56 to 76 FPS range, which is the only 4K preset with min/max data. High settings fall to 47 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 38 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only configuration where the system dips below 40 FPS, indicating that this setting is reserved for systems with more GPU headroom. The progression from 4K Low to 4K Ultra represents a 64% performance loss, slightly steeper than at 1080p, which suggests the GPU is being pushed harder at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling data reveals how the system's frame rate responds to increasing pixel counts, which in turn highlights the primary bottleneck. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings, the average FPS drops from 72 to 60, a 17% reduction. At Medium settings, the drop is from 100 to 84 FPS, a 16% decrease. At Low settings, the drop is from 154 to 135 FPS, a 12% decrease. These consistent reductions of 12-17% indicate that the GPU is the limiting factor, as CPU-bound scenarios would show minimal change when resolution increases.

The transition from 1440p to 4K shows a steeper decline. At High settings, the FPS drops from 60 to 47, a 22% reduction. At Medium, it drops from 84 to 66, a 21% decrease. At Low, it goes from 135 to 106, a 21% reduction. This acceleration in frame rate loss at 4K strongly suggests that the GPU's memory bandwidth and shading units are being saturated. The RTX 5070 has 12 GB of GDDR7 memory and a 192-bit bus with a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s, which is substantial, but the 4K resolution demands more from the rendering pipeline.

The data indicates that the CPU is not the primary constraint at any tested resolution. If the Ryzen 5 7400F were the bottleneck, we would expect the FPS to remain flat across resolutions at a given setting. Instead, we see a clear and consistent decline as resolution increases, which is the signature of a GPU-limited scenario. The only potential exception is at 1080p Low, where the 154 FPS result could be approaching the CPU's limit for frame generation, but the lack of a higher resolution comparison at Low settings (e.g., 720p) prevents a definitive conclusion. Overall, the scaling pattern points to the RTX 5070 as the component that determines the system's ceiling in The Medium.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear hierarchy for optimizing the gameplay experience in The Medium. For users with a 1080p display, the Medium preset at 100 FPS average is the sweet spot. It offers a significant frame rate advantage over High (72 FPS) while maintaining a visual quality that is suitable for the game's atmospheric horror. The 85 FPS minimum ensures that there are no major drops during intense scenes. For those prioritizing smoothness over visuals, the Low preset at 154 FPS is the best choice, but the visual downgrade may detract from the game's eerie atmosphere.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 84 FPS is again the recommended option. It provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold, with a minimum of 71 FPS that keeps the experience stutter-free. The High preset at exactly 60 FPS is acceptable, but any minor fluctuation could push it below the target, making Medium the safer choice. The Ultra preset at 48 FPS is not recommended for this resolution, as the visual improvement is unlikely to justify the 36 FPS drop from Medium.

For 4K displays, the options are more constrained. The Low preset at 106 FPS is surprisingly strong and offers the only truly smooth 4K experience. However, Low settings may sacrifice too much detail for a horror game that relies on shadows and textures. The Medium preset at 66 FPS is the best balance, as it stays above 60 FPS on average and its 56 FPS minimum is playable. The High preset at 47 FPS and Ultra at 38 FPS are not ideal for this title, as the frame pacing could suffer. The recommendation is to use Medium settings for 4K, accepting the minor visual compromises for a stable frame rate.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is the primary driver of performance in The Medium, as evidenced by the resolution scaling analysis. The GPU features 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units, which provide the raw compute power for the game's rendering. Its boost clock of 2512 MHz and base clock of 2325 MHz are relatively high, allowing for rapid shader execution. The 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus delivers a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s, which is crucial for loading the large textures and geometry that The Medium uses to create its oppressive atmosphere.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark scores place it in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs, with a PassMark G3D score of 29137. The in-game results align with this positioning, showing that the card can handle 1080p and 1440p with ease but struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K with maxed-out settings. The 4K Medium result of 66 FPS is the most telling, as it demonstrates that the GPU has enough headroom for one step below the highest preset. The 4K Ultra result of 38 FPS shows that the card's 30.87 TFLOPS FP32 performance is not sufficient for the most demanding configuration.

The GPU's memory configuration is a key factor. At 4K Ultra, the game likely requires more than 12 GB of VRAM for the highest quality assets, which could contribute to the lower frame rate. The 192-bit bus width, while adequate for 1080p and 1440p, becomes a limiting factor at 4K where the bandwidth demands are higher. The RTX 5070's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks, such as the AMD Radeon Pro 580 with a deltaPct of 0.1 and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 with a deltaPct of 0.8, are workstation cards that would likely perform differently in gaming workloads, but the data confirms that the RTX 5070 is a strong performer for this title. Ultimately, the GPU is the component that dictates the system's performance envelope, and its 12 GB frame buffer and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth set the boundaries for what is achievable at each resolution and preset combination.