The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title that stresses both processor and graphics hardware, and the pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 produces a specific performance profile that varies significantly with resolution and quality settings. The measured data shows a system capable of smooth gameplay at lower resolutions, but one that requires careful settings management to maintain playable frame rates at higher resolutions like 4K.

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 Raphael architecture, built on a 5 nm process. It has a base clock of 4.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.50 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU features a large 96 MB shared L3 cache, which is a significant asset for gaming workloads that benefit from high-speed data access. Its PassMark single-thread score is 3494, and its multithread score is 25047, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. This indicates strong per-core performance, which is often critical for game logic and frame pacing.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle the game’s complex scripting and camera mechanics. The game is known for its dual-reality rendering, where two worlds are shown simultaneously, which can increase CPU load. The Ryzen 5 7500X3D’s high single-thread performance helps ensure that the game’s main thread does not become a bottleneck, allowing the GPU to work at its full potential. The processor’s average benchmark score of 44573 is essentially on par with its nearest rivals, with a 0.2% delta to the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H and a 0.5% delta to the Intel Core i9-13950HX, indicating that it performs competitively in general tasks. Its 0.6% advantage over the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 and its 0.7% deficit to the Intel Core i5-14600 further solidify its position as a high-end desktop part. For a game like The Medium, the CPU’s strong single-threaded capabilities are more relevant than its multithreaded throughput, as the title does not typically scale perfectly across many cores.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Ryzen 5 7500X3D and the Radeon RX 7700 achieves a rank of 1307 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium. This places the pairing in the 55th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms more than half of the configurations in the database but sits below the top tier of performance. This rank is a direct reflection of the GPU’s mid-range positioning, as the CPU is capable of much higher performance levels. The data indicates that the system is not a top-tier performer in this title, but it is far from a weak setup.

The rank suggests that there are many combinations of higher-end CPUs and GPUs that will deliver substantially higher frame rates, particularly at 1080p and 1440p. However, the percentile ranking also implies that this combo is a solid, middle-of-the-pack choice that can handle the game well with adjusted settings. The fact that the CPU is in the 89th percentile globally while the combo ranks in the 55th percentile for this game underscores that the GPU is the primary limiter in this configuration. This is a typical scenario for a balanced mid-range build, where the processor has headroom to support a future GPU upgrade. The measured frame rates, which will be detailed below, confirm that the system’s overall standing is dictated by the graphics card's performance at higher resolutions.

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

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which reveals the limiting component in this system. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 115 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 97 FPS, a reduction of 18 FPS or roughly 15.7%. At 4K Low, the frame rate falls to 76 FPS, a further drop of 21 FPS from 1440p, or about 21.6%. This scaling indicates that the GPU is beginning to hit its limits as pixel count increases, but the CPU is still able to keep up with the demand.

The pattern becomes more pronounced at higher quality settings. At Medium settings, the system delivers 72 FPS at 1080p, 61 FPS at 1440p, and 48 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 11 FPS (15.3%), and from 1440p to 4K is 13 FPS (21.3%). This shows a consistent trend where the GPU’s workload scales with resolution, and the frame rate decreases almost proportionally. At High settings, the numbers are 51 FPS at 1080p, 43 FPS at 1440p, and 34 FPS at 4K, with percentage drops of 15.7% and 20.9% respectively. The consistent percentage drops across all settings indicate that the GPU is the bottleneck, as the CPU’s performance is not causing any disproportionate stalls. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the frame rate to remain relatively flat as resolution increases, since the CPU workload is largely independent of resolution. The data clearly shows that the Radeon RX 7700 is the component that determines the playable resolution and settings, not the Ryzen 5 7500X3D.

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

The measured frame rates provide a comprehensive view of the system's capabilities in The Medium.

At 1920x1080, the system performs as follows:

• Low: 115 FPS average.
• Medium: 72 FPS average, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS.
• High: 51 FPS average.
• Ultra: 41 FPS average.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down:

• Low: 97 FPS average.
• Medium: 61 FPS average, with a minimum of 51 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS.
• High: 43 FPS average.
• Ultra: 34 FPS average.

At 3840x2160, the system is pushed to its limits:

• Low: 76 FPS average.
• Medium: 48 FPS average, with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 55 FPS.
• High: 34 FPS average.
• Ultra: 27 FPS average.

The data shows that the system is very capable at 1080p, where it can handle even Ultra settings at over 40 FPS. For a smoother experience, Medium or High settings are recommended for 60 FPS targets. At 1440p, Low settings provide the only option for a solid 60+ FPS experience, while Medium settings hover near 60 FPS. High and Ultra settings are playable but will not reach 60 FPS. At 4K, the system is best suited for Low settings to maintain a playable frame rate, as Medium settings dip into the 40s, and High and Ultra are not recommended for smooth gameplay. The minimum FPS values for Medium settings show that the system can experience dips, but they are not severe enough to cause major stuttering at lower resolutions.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is the key component in this system's gaming performance. It is based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture and the Navi 32 chip, built on a 5 nm process. The GPU has a base clock of 1900 MHz and a boost clock of 2459 MHz, with a game clock of 2041 MHz. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. This large VRAM allocation is advantageous for The Medium, which can be memory-intensive due to its high-resolution textures and dual-world rendering.

The GPU’s PassMark G3D score is 20974, and its average benchmark score is 15852, placing it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. This is a mid-range performance level, which is reflected in the measured frame rates. The GPU’s nearest rival is the AMD Radeon R9 370X, which has a score of 15862 and a delta of -0.1%, indicating they are statistically tied. It also performs within 1% of the AMD Radeon RX 9060 and within 1.7% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. These comparisons show that the RX 7700 is a competent 1080p and 1440p card but does not have the raw compute power to dominate at 4K.

In The Medium, the GPU’s role is to handle the rendering of the two simultaneous worlds, which is a significant graphical workload. The data shows that the RX 7700 can comfortably handle 1080p and 1440p gaming with appropriate settings, but its performance drops off sharply at 4K, particularly at higher quality presets. The 16 GB VRAM is unlikely to be a limiting factor in this title, as the game’s requirements are likely well within that capacity, even at 4K. The GPU’s compute capabilities, rather than its memory capacity, are what determine the frame rates seen in the measured data.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the best settings for this system depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate.

For a 1080p display, the system is well-suited for high refresh rate gaming. The Low preset at 115 FPS is ideal for competitive play or for maximizing frame rate on a high-refresh monitor. The Medium preset, with an average of 72 FPS and a minimum of 61 FPS, offers an excellent balance between visual quality and smoothness, ensuring that frame times stay consistently above 60 FPS. The High preset at 51 FPS is playable but sacrifices the smoothness of a 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset at 41 FPS is not recommended for a consistently smooth experience, but it is viable for users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate. For the best overall experience, the Medium preset is the clear winner at 1080p.

For a 1440p display, the situation is more nuanced. The Low preset at 97 FPS provides a very smooth experience, but it comes at the cost of visual detail. The Medium preset, with an average of 61 FPS, is right at the edge of the 60 FPS target; the minimum of 51 FPS indicates that there will be some dips, but the overall experience is acceptable. The High preset at 43 FPS and the Ultra preset at 34 FPS are both below the ideal 60 FPS threshold, making them less desirable for a fast-paced horror game where smooth camera movement is important. The Medium preset is the recommended choice for 1440p, as it provides a near-60 FPS average with only occasional dips.

For a 4K display, the system is not powerful enough for high-quality presets. The Low preset at 76 FPS is the only option that provides a consistently smooth experience, and it is highly recommended for playable performance. The Medium preset at 48 FPS is playable but may feel less fluid, especially during intense scenes. The High preset at 34 FPS and the Ultra preset at 27 FPS are not recommended for a positive experience, as they will likely result in noticeable stuttering and a lack of responsiveness. Therefore, at 4K, the Low preset is the only viable choice for a good experience, and users with 4K displays should consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for better visual quality.

In summary, the data suggests that the best experience is achieved by targeting a 60 FPS average. At 1080p, this is easily achievable with the Medium preset. At 1440p, the Medium preset is the closest match. At 4K, only the Low preset can sustain a frame rate above 60 FPS. Users should prioritize the Medium preset at 1080p and 1440p, and only resort to Low at 4K.