The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. It features a 32 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory through a dual-channel interface, yielding a memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s. In The Medium, a title known for its fixed-camera angles and heavy reliance on asynchronous loading between two simultaneous worlds, the CPU’s role is primarily to feed the Radeon RX 9070 with draw calls and maintain frame pacing. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 139.1 FPS, indicating that the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions when the GPU has less work to do. The processor’s 3DMark single-thread score of 974 and multi-thread score of 6379 suggest it has ample headroom for the game’s logic, though the horror genre’s occasional CPU-intensive AI routines are handled comfortably by the 12 threads. Compared to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 7500F posts an average benchmark score of 24993, which is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-11850H and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, while trailing the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X by 0.3% and the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F by 0.3%. These marginal deltas indicate that the 7500F sits in a tightly contested performance band, but its modern architecture ensures it does not limit the RX 9070 in this game’s measured scenarios.

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

The Ryzen 5 7500F’s 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for The Medium’s workload, which is not heavily threaded but does require consistent single-core performance for the game’s cinematic sequences. With a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, the processor delivers strong per-core throughput, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3218 and Geekbench single-core score of 2759. These figures explain why the 1080p Low preset achieves 139.1 FPS; at this setting, the GPU is underutilized, and the CPU’s clock speed becomes the primary driver of frame generation. The L3 cache of 32 MB helps reduce memory latency, which is beneficial in a game that streams assets between parallel worlds, though the 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth is a moderate figure for DDR5. The processor’s 65 W TDP indicates it operates within a power envelope that does not throttle during extended sessions, which is reflected in stable frame times across the measured data. When comparing to the nearest CPU rivals, the 7500F’s 0.1% lead over the Intel Core i7-11850H in average benchmark score suggests that in CPU-bound scenarios, the difference is negligible, but the 7500F’s higher boost clock gives it an edge in latency-sensitive tasks. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 1902 and 4-thread score of 3621 further confirm that the processor scales well with the limited thread usage typical of horror titles, ensuring that the RX 9070 is not starved of data at any resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this combo in The Medium?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 139.1 at 1920x1080 with Low settings, indicating that the CPU-GPU pair can exceed 120 FPS when graphical demands are minimized.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 7500F compare to its closest rival, the Intel Core i7-11850H, in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 7500F posts an average benchmark score of 24993, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-11850H’s average score of 24974, showing a marginal performance advantage.

Q: Does the RX 9070’s 16 GB of memory cause any frame rate differences across settings?

A: The data shows that at 3840x2160, the average FPS drops from 91.3 on Low to 31.8 on Ultra, indicating that memory capacity is not the limiting factor; rather, the GPU’s rendering load increases with settings, reducing frame rates accordingly.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested configurations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 565th out of 1689 tested combos, placing it in the upper third of all configurations for The Medium.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck at 1440p High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the average FPS is 53.1, which is lower than the 1080p High result of 60.8, suggesting that the GPU becomes more limiting as resolution increases, while the CPU maintains sufficient throughput.

Q: How does the RX 9070’s performance compare to the NVIDIA A2 in synthetic tests?

A: The RX 9070’s average benchmark score is 34780, which is 0.2% lower than the NVIDIA A2’s average score of 34866, indicating near-identical synthetic performance despite architectural differences.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution scaling that shifts the bottleneck from the CPU to the GPU as pixel count increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 139.1 FPS, but at 1440p Low, it drops to 119.5 FPS, a reduction of 19.6 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 91.3 FPS, a further drop of 28.2 FPS. This scaling indicates that the RX 9070 is the primary limiter at 4K even on Low settings, as the GPU’s fill rate and shading units are taxed by the 8.3 million pixels of 3840x2160. In contrast, the CPU’s role diminishes at higher resolutions; the 1080p to 1440p drop of 19.6 FPS on Low settings is modest compared to the 1440p to 4K drop of 28.2 FPS, suggesting that the GPU’s workload grows disproportionately with resolution. On Ultra settings, the trend is even more pronounced: 1080p Ultra runs at 48.3 FPS, 1440p Ultra at 41.3 FPS, and 4K Ultra at 31.8 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is notably below 60 FPS, confirming that the RX 9070, despite its 36.13 TFLOPS FP32 performance, cannot handle the game’s highest preset at 4K. The 644.6 GB/s memory bandwidth of the GPU provides sufficient data throughput, but the 3584 shading units are overwhelmed by the combination of high resolution and Ultra settings. The data indicates that the CPU’s 5.00 GHz boost clock and 6 cores are more than adequate for all tested resolutions, as the FPS drops align closely with the GPU’s pixel throughput capabilities rather than CPU limitations. This is further supported by the fact that at 1080p Low, the FPS of 139.1 is well below the CPU’s theoretical maximum, as indicated by its 3DMark max-thread score of 6379, meaning the GPU is still the limiting factor even at lower resolutions.

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

For a balance of visual fidelity and smooth gameplay, the Medium preset at 1440p is the most reasonable choice, as it delivers 73.7 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for most displays while maintaining higher quality than Low. At 1080p, the Medium preset achieves 91.1 FPS, offering a significant frame rate advantage over High’s 60.8 FPS and Ultra’s 48.3 FPS, making it the best option for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Low preset at any resolution provides the highest FPS—139.1 at 1080p, 119.5 at 1440p, and 91.3 at 4K—but sacrifices visual quality, which is not ideal for a horror game that relies on atmospheric detail. The High preset at 1080p yields 60.8 FPS, which is playable but leaves little headroom for frame drops, while at 1440p High, the 53.1 FPS average is below 60, indicating a less consistent experience. The Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p with 48.3 FPS, but this is below the 50 FPS mark and may result in noticeable stutter during intense scenes. At 4K, only the Low preset is recommended, as it achieves 91.3 FPS, while Medium drops to 55.5 FPS, High to 39.8 FPS, and Ultra to 31.8 FPS, all of which are below the 60 FPS target. The data suggests that for most users, the Medium preset at 1440p offers the best compromise, as it provides a 73.7 FPS average, which is 38.6% higher than High at the same resolution, while still delivering improved shadows and textures over Low. For 4K users, the Low preset is the only option that maintains playable frame rates, as the 91.3 FPS result is more than double the Ultra preset’s 31.8 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks 565th out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the 33rd percentile of all configurations. This ranking is notable given that the CPU has a percentileVsAllCpus of 82 and the GPU has a percentileVsAllGpus of 79, meaning that both components individually outperform the majority of their peers. However, the combo’s rank of 565 suggests that in this specific game, other factors such as memory configuration or driver optimization may play a role, as the synthetic benchmarks would predict a higher ranking. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-11850H with a deltaPct of 0.1, perform nearly identically in synthetic tests, but the combo’s in-game rank indicates that the RX 9070’s performance is more variable. The GPU’s nearest rival, the NVIDIA A2, has a deltaPct of -0.2, meaning the RX 9070 is slightly slower in average benchmark score, yet the combo still achieves a respectable rank. Among the 1689 combos, a rank of 565 means that 1124 configurations are slower, which is a strong result for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU. The data shows that the combo outperforms the majority of systems, but it falls short of the top 500, likely due to the RX 9070’s 79th percentile GPU score not being enough to overcome the performance of higher-tier GPUs in the game’s benchmark suite. The rank also indicates that the Ryzen 5 7500F’s 82nd percentile CPU score is not the limiting factor, as the combo’s position is more influenced by the GPU’s relative performance. Overall, the 565th rank out of 1689 is a solid showing, placing the system in the upper half of all tested configurations, with the potential for improvement if the game’s engine were more optimized for RDNA 4.0 architecture.

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

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers the following average FPS across settings: Low at 139.1, Medium at 91.1, High at 60.8, and Ultra at 48.3. The drop from Low to Medium is 48.0 FPS, indicating that the Medium preset introduces significant graphical effects that impact the GPU. The High preset further reduces FPS to 60.8, which is 30.3 FPS lower than Medium, and Ultra brings it down to 48.3, a 12.5 FPS decrease from High. At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are: Low at 119.5, Medium at 73.7, High at 53.1, and Ultra at 41.3. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1440p shows a total drop of 78.2 FPS, with the largest single step being from Low to Medium at 45.8 FPS. At 3840x2160, the results are: Low at 91.3, Medium at 55.5, High at 39.8, and Ultra at 31.8. The 4K Low setting is the only configuration that exceeds 60 FPS, while Medium drops to 55.5, High to 39.8, and Ultra to 31.8. The resolution scaling from 1080p to 1440p on Low settings reduces FPS by 19.6, from 139.1 to 119.5, while the 1440p to 4K transition on Low reduces FPS by 28.2, from 119.5 to 91.3. On Ultra settings, the 1080p to 1440p drop is 7.0 FPS, from 48.3 to 41.3, and the 1440p to 4K drop is 9.5 FPS, from 41.3 to 31.8. These numbers show that the GPU’s performance scales predictably with resolution, with the 4K Ultra result of 31.8 FPS being the lowest measured value, indicating that the RX 9070 is not suitable for the game’s highest preset at 4K. The data also shows that the Medium preset at 1080p (91.1 FPS) is only 0.2 FPS lower than the 4K Low setting (91.3 FPS), highlighting the GPU’s sensitivity to resolution over settings.