The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti combination delivers a distinct performance profile in The Medium, a horror title from January 2021. The measured data reveals a configuration that is capable at 1080p but becomes progressively strained as resolution increases, with settings choices playing a decisive role in playability. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and presets, interprets the CPU and GPU roles based on their specifications, and contextualizes the combo's standing within the broader benchmark database.

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Zen 4 architecture (codenamed Raphael) using TSMC's 5 nm process. It operates on the AMD Socket AM5 platform with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 83.2 GB/s of bandwidth provide a solid foundation for gaming workloads. Its benchmark scores indicate strong single-thread performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3218 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2759, which are crucial for games that rely on a few heavily loaded threads.

In The Medium, a game that renders fixed camera angles with dual-reality mechanics, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage the game's logic. The Ryzen 5 7500F's performance in synthetic tests, such as a 3DMark single-thread score of 974 and a Passmark single-thread score of 3841, suggests it is well-equipped to handle these tasks without becoming a bottleneck at lower resolutions. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 115 FPS, which is the highest measured average in the entire set. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU is not limiting the frame output at this resolution and preset combination.

However, the CPU's relative strength becomes less relevant as the GPU load increases. The processor's 3DMark multi-thread score of 6379 and Passmark multithread score of 26825 show it has ample headroom for multi-threaded workloads, but the game's performance scaling from 1080p to 4K suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting factor in most scenarios. The Ryzen 5 7500F ranks in the 82nd percentile among all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 24993 is nearly identical to rivals like the Intel Core i7-11850H (deltaPct 0.1) and the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (deltaPct -0.3). This indicates that the CPU delivers mid-to-high-end processing power, which is sufficient for this title's demands.

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

Choosing the right settings preset for The Medium depends heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, the measured data shows a clear hierarchy. The Low preset achieves 115 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth and well above the threshold for fast-paced gameplay. The Medium preset delivers 68.2 FPS, which is still very playable and offers a significant visual upgrade. The High preset drops to 51.4 FPS, which is acceptable for a horror game where atmosphere is more important than twitch reflexes. The Ultra preset, at 37.9 FPS, is below the ideal range for smooth motion and should be avoided unless visual fidelity is the absolute priority.

Moving to 1440p, the same pattern holds but with lower absolute numbers. The Low preset provides 92.6 FPS, which remains excellent. The Medium preset at 61.9 FPS is the sweet spot for this resolution, offering a good balance between visual quality and smoothness. The High preset at 45.6 FPS is playable but shows noticeable dips in frame pacing. The Ultra preset at 37 FPS is marginal and not recommended for a consistent experience.

At 4K, the situation becomes more challenging. The Low preset is the only one that provides a consistently playable frame rate, hitting 75.6 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 47.8 FPS, which is borderline, and the High preset at 32.8 FPS is below the standard for comfortable play. The Ultra preset at 23.8 FPS is effectively unplayable. Given this data, the recommended approach for the best experience is to use the Low preset at 4K for playable frame rates, the Medium or High preset at 1440p depending on preference for smoothness versus fidelity, and the High or Medium preset at 1080p for a balanced experience. The Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p for users who prioritize maximum visual detail over frame rate.

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

Examining the FPS scaling across resolutions reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 51.4 FPS at 1080p to 45.6 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of roughly 11%. The subsequent drop to 32.8 FPS at 4K represents a further 28% decrease from the 1440p figure. This pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases is a strong indicator that the GPU is the performance bottleneck.

The trend is even more pronounced at the Medium preset. The frame rate falls from 68.2 FPS at 1080p to 61.9 FPS at 1440p, a modest decline of about 9%. However, the jump to 4K results in 47.8 FPS, a significant 23% drop from the 1440p result. This suggests that at 4K, the RTX 3060 Ti's rendering capabilities are being stretched to their limit, and the CPU's contribution becomes less significant.

The Low preset shows a different scaling behavior. The frame rate goes from 115 FPS at 1080p to 92.6 FPS at 1440p (a 19% drop) and then to 75.6 FPS at 4K (an 18% drop). While the absolute FPS is higher, the percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, indicating that even with reduced graphical load, the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute resources are still the primary constraint. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on the RTX 3060 Ti, with its 256-bit bus and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, is sufficient for this game at these settings, but the raw processing power of the GA104 chip is not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K with higher presets. This data confirms that the GPU is the limiting component across all tested settings.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti ranks 869th out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium. This places the configuration in the middle of the pack, which is a reasonable result given the hardware's specifications. The 869th rank out of 1689 indicates that while this combo is not a top-tier performer, it is also not a low-end outlier. It sits comfortably in the median range, suggesting that many other combinations of CPUs and GPUs provide either slightly better or slightly worse performance in this specific title.

This mid-pack ranking aligns with the individual component performance. The CPU's 82nd percentile ranking among all CPUs is strong, but the GPU's 69th percentile ranking among all GPUs pulls the overall combo down. The GPU's average benchmark score of 25120 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon RX 6700M (deltaPct -0.2) and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 (deltaPct -0.5). This shows that the RTX 3060 Ti is a solidly mid-range performer, and when paired with a stronger CPU, the overall system ranking reflects the GPU's limitations in a demanding title like The Medium. The combo's position in the 869th spot out of 1689 suggests that users with this setup should expect performance that is typical for this class of hardware, with the CPU providing ample headroom for potential future GPU upgrades.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture with the GA104 chip, fabricated on Samsung's 8 nm process. It features 4864 shading units, 152 texture mapping units, and 80 raster operation units, along with 38 ray tracing cores and 152 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1410 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory is configured on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU's FP32 performance is rated at 16.20 TFLOPS, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate.

In The Medium, the GPU's role is paramount, as the game's visual effects and resolution scaling directly impact the measured FPS. The RTX 3060 Ti's memory configuration is adequate for the game's assets, but the 8 GB VRAM may be a limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings, potentially causing texture thrashing if the game requires more memory. In the measured data, the GPU's performance is clear: the Low preset at 4K produces 75.6 FPS, while the Ultra preset at the same resolution produces only 23.8 FPS. This massive spread of 51.8 FPS between the lowest and highest presets highlights the GPU's sensitivity to graphical workload.

The GPU's benchmark scores support its mid-range positioning. Its Passmark G3D score is 20349, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 2626. These numbers place it below more powerful cards but above entry-level options. In the context of The Medium, the RTX 3060 Ti is capable of delivering playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p with the right settings, but it struggles to maintain high performance at 4K with demanding presets. The GPU's 69th percentile ranking among all GPUs underscores that it is a competent but not exceptional performer, which is consistent with the observed results in this game.

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

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1080p, the results are as follows: Low settings produce an average of 115 FPS, Medium settings produce 68.2 FPS, High settings produce 51.4 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 37.9 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline, with the Ultra preset delivering only 33% of the frame rate of the Low preset.

At 1440p, the average FPS figures are 92.6 for Low, 61.9 for Medium, 45.6 for High, and 37 for Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows slightly compared to 1080p, with Ultra providing 40% of the Low preset's performance. This suggests that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor at this resolution, as the relative cost of each setting increases.

At 4K, the average FPS drops significantly: Low settings yield 75.6 FPS, Medium settings yield 47.8 FPS, High settings yield 32.8 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 23.8 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the lowest measured performance in the entire set, with a frame rate that is only 21% of the 1080p Low result. The data clearly shows that the RTX 3060 Ti is not designed for 4K gaming with high or ultra settings in The Medium. However, the Low preset at 4K remains playable, indicating that the GPU can handle the resolution if the graphical load is kept low. The overall dataset shows a consistent pattern of performance degradation with increased resolution and settings, which is expected for a mid-range GPU paired with a strong CPU.