The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title from 2021, presents a unique load profile that stresses both the CPU and GPU. The data measured for the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti combination reveals a system that is exceptionally fast, yet the frame pacing across settings and resolutions tells a story of a game that becomes increasingly GPU-bound at higher visual quality. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to explain exactly how this hardware handles the game’s demands.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this system in The Medium?

A: The peak performance occurs at 1920x1080 with Low settings, where the system achieves an average of 159.9 FPS. This is the fastest measured result across all resolution and settings combinations.

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

A: The Ryzen 5 7500F’s average benchmark score of 24993 is statistically tied with its closest competitors. It is a mere 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-11850H and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, while being 0.3% behind both the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X and the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F.

Q: Does the GPU outperform or underperform its closest rivals in the database?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti, with an average score of 44900, sits slightly below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile by 0.6% and the Intel Arc A730M by 1.5%. Conversely, it holds a 1.6% advantage over the AMD Radeon Pro 580 and a 1.6% lead over the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT.

Q: What is the performance cost of moving from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops from 64.4 FPS at 1920x1080 to 42.9 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a substantial 33.4% reduction in performance when moving to the higher resolution.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the system best maintain a high refresh rate experience?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with Medium settings provides an average of 92 FPS, while 1920x1080 with Medium settings yields 111.1 FPS. For a 144Hz display, the 1080p Medium preset is the most appropriate, while 1440p Medium is suited for a 90Hz or 100Hz display.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck at 4K with High settings?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The frame rate of 54.2 FPS at 3840x2160 is far below the CPU’s capability, which is demonstrated by the much higher frame rates achieved at lower resolutions and settings where the CPU can feed the GPU more efficiently.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the dominant component in determining The Medium’s performance at higher fidelity settings. The GPU’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for the game’s textures at 4K. The card’s compute capabilities are substantial, with 7680 shading units and a boost clock of 2610 MHz, contributing to its 40.09 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The data shows that as settings increase from Low to Ultra, the frame rate drops, which is a direct result of the GPU working harder on more complex shaders and effects.

The impact of the GPU is most evident when looking at the scaling from 1440p to 4K. At Medium settings, the average frame rate falls from 92 FPS to 74.3 FPS, a 19.2% decline. However, at Ultra settings, the drop is from 51.1 FPS to 42.9 FPS, a 16.0% decline. This suggests that the penalty for resolution scaling is slightly less severe at the highest settings, but the absolute performance is still too low for a smooth experience. The GPU’s performance percentile of 85 places it in the top tier of all GPUs, and its benchmarks (e.g., a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5024) confirm it is a high-end part, yet The Medium’s Ultra preset remains a significant challenge.

Resolution Scaling

The measured data reveals a clear pattern: the performance cost of increasing resolution is significant, but it is not linear across all settings. The most dramatic scaling occurs when moving from 1440p to 4K at Low settings, where the average FPS drops from 148.1 to 118.8, a 19.8% reduction. This indicates that even at Low settings, where the GPU’s shading load is minimal, the increased pixel count at 4K still heavily taxes the ROPs and memory bandwidth.

The scaling at Medium settings is also notable. The transition from 1080p (111.1 FPS) to 1440p (92 FPS) represents a 17.2% drop, and then to 4K (74.3 FPS) is another 19.2% drop. This consistent decline suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at this preset. However, the pattern changes at Ultra. From 1080p (64.4 FPS) to 1440p (51.1 FPS) is a 20.7% drop, but from 1440p to 4K (42.9 FPS) the drop is 16.0%. This slightly smaller relative drop at the highest resolution could indicate that the game is beginning to hit other limits, such as memory capacity or PCIe bandwidth, but the overall trend firmly points to the GPU as the main bottleneck, not the CPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers excellent performance across the board. The Low preset yields an average of 159.9 FPS, which is exceptionally high. The Medium preset provides 111.1 FPS, and the High preset drops to 76.2 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, bringing the average down to 64.4 FPS. These numbers show a clear hierarchy where the game scales smoothly with settings, and even at Ultra, the frame rate remains playable.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance is still strong but begins to show the GPU’s strain. The Low preset averages 148.1 FPS, which is still very high. The Medium preset delivers 92 FPS, a solid result for high-refresh gaming. High settings produce an average of 67.2 FPS, while Ultra drops to 51.1 FPS. This resolution is a reasonable target for the RTX 4070 Ti if the user is willing to compromise on the highest settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s limits are clearly exposed. The Low preset manages 118.8 FPS, which is surprisingly high and shows the CPU is not a limiting factor. The Medium preset drops to 74.3 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for high refresh rates. High settings fall to 54.2 FPS, and Ultra dips to just 42.9 FPS. These last two numbers indicate that 4K gaming at the highest visual quality is not viable for a smooth experience with this hardware, though it remains above 30 FPS.

CPU Role

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 provides strong single-thread and multi-thread performance. Its synthetic benchmarks are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22799 and a single-core score of 3218. The CPU’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 83.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth ensure that it can feed the GPU with data quickly.

In The Medium, the CPU’s role is primarily to maintain a high enough frame rate so that the GPU is not starved. The data suggests that the Ryzen 5 7500F is more than capable of doing this. At 1080p with Low settings, the system hits 159.9 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s maximum frame generation limit for this game. The fact that performance scales down as resolution increases, even at Low settings (from 159.9 FPS at 1080p to 118.8 FPS at 4K), demonstrates that the CPU is not the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The CPU’s percentile rank of 82 places it above the vast majority of all processors, and its performance is effectively a tie with its nearest rivals, making it a non-factor in the performance bottlenecks observed.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the user’s target resolution and refresh rate. For a 1080p display with a 144Hz or higher refresh rate, the Medium preset is the best choice. It delivers 111.1 FPS, which is well above the 100 FPS threshold, while the High preset at 76.2 FPS would not fully utilize a 144Hz panel. The Low preset is unnecessary at this resolution, as Medium offers a significantly better visual experience with a still-excellent frame rate.

For 1440p users with a 144Hz monitor, the Medium preset is again the best option, providing 92 FPS. This is a reasonable compromise for high-refresh gaming. The High preset at 67.2 FPS is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. For users with a 60Hz display, the High preset at 67.2 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides the best visual quality while staying comfortably above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 51.1 FPS would require a VRR display to be tolerable.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. For a 60Hz display, the Medium preset at 74.3 FPS is the clear winner, offering a smooth experience with good visual fidelity. The High preset at 54.2 FPS is playable but will feel less fluid, and the Ultra preset at 42.9 FPS is best avoided unless visual fidelity is the absolute priority over smoothness. The Low preset at 118.8 FPS is an option for high-refresh 4K gaming, but the visual compromise is substantial. Overall, the data indicates that the Medium preset provides the best balance of frame rate and image quality across all resolutions.