The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title built on Unreal Engine 4, presents an interesting stress profile for high-end hardware. With the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D, the measured frame rates reveal a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions but shows signs of CPU influence at 1080p. The data indicates that this combination delivers a playable experience across all tested presets, though the scaling behavior from 1080p to 4K provides clear insights into where the performance ceiling lies for this specific pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 shows a classic GPU-bound curve, but with some notable irregularities that hint at the game's engine characteristics. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 103 at 1080p to 87 at 1440p, a 15.5% reduction, and then falls further to 68 at 4K, representing a 22% drop from the 1440p figure. This steady decline indicates that the RTX 5090 D's rendering workload is scaling predictably with pixel count, though the 4K result suggests the GPU is still not fully saturated, as the drop from 1440p to 4K is proportionally smaller than the pixel count increase would suggest.

The Low settings preset tells a different story. At 1080p, the system achieves 146 FPS, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. Moving to 1440p drops this to 138 FPS, a modest 5.5% reduction, and 4K still maintains 128 FPS. The relatively small gap between 1080p and 4K at Low settings (146 vs 128 FPS, a 12.3% difference) suggests that the CPU is becoming a more significant factor at lower graphical loads. The Ryzen 5 7500X3D's 6 cores and 12 threads, running at a base clock of 4.00 GHz and boost of 4.50 GHz, appear to be the limiting factor in this scenario, as the GPU has enough headroom to render more frames but is constrained by the processor's throughput.

Medium settings present the most balanced scaling. The system hits 122 FPS at 1080p, 115 FPS at 1440p, and 95 FPS at 4K. The 4K result includes the only complete min/max data in the dataset (81 min, 110 max), indicating a frame time variance that suggests some scene complexity spikes. The drop from 1440p to 4K here is 17.4%, which is more substantial than the Low preset's 7.2% drop, confirming that the Medium preset is more GPU-intensive and allows the graphics card to become the primary bottleneck again.

Ultra settings show the steepest scaling curve. The system manages 82 FPS at 1080p, 69 FPS at 1440p, and only 54 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is the lowest measured average in the entire dataset, and the 34.1% reduction from 1080p to 4K clearly demonstrates that the Ultra preset pushes the RTX 5090 D to its limits in this title. The pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s are being taxed heavily at this resolution, and the game's fixed-camera perspective with its detailed environments creates significant rendering demands.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 7500X3D's specifications are central to understanding the 1080p performance ceiling. With 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 4 Raphael architecture, this processor offers a 96 MB shared L3 cache, which is a substantial resource for gaming workloads. The base clock of 4.00 GHz and boost clock of 4.50 GHz are moderate by modern standards, but the large cache helps compensate for the relatively modest clock speeds in latency-sensitive scenarios.

The PassMark benchmark data shows a single-thread score of 3494 and a multithread score of 25047. These figures place the CPU in the 89th percentile of all processors, indicating strong but not exceptional performance. The nearest rival comparisons show the 7500X3D is nearly identical to the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H (0.2% delta) and Intel Core i9-13950HX (0.5% delta), while being 0.7% behind the Intel Core i5-14600. This clustering suggests that the CPU's raw compute capability is well-matched to its peers, but the real differentiator is the 3D V-Cache design, which is not fully captured by synthetic benchmarks.

In The Medium specifically, the 1080p Low preset result of 146 FPS is telling. This is the only configuration where the system breaks past 140 FPS, and it does so despite the Low preset obviously reducing GPU workload. The fact that 1440p Low only drops to 138 FPS (a 5.5% reduction) while 1080p Ultra drops to 82 FPS (a 43.8% reduction from the Low result) indicates that the CPU is providing a stable foundation that allows the GPU to scale with resolution when graphical settings are low enough. However, the 4K Low result of 128 FPS versus the 1080p Low result of 146 FPS suggests that even at low settings, the GPU is still the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions.

The processor's memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s via dual-channel DDR5 support is adequate for feeding the RTX 5090 D's 1.79 TB/s of graphics memory bandwidth, but the gap between CPU and GPU memory throughput is significant. This imbalance becomes more apparent at lower resolutions where the CPU has to feed the GPU more frequently, which is why the 1080p results show the smallest absolute FPS advantage over 1440p at High settings (103 vs 87 FPS).

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination ranks 91st out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the top 3.1% of all configurations in the benchmark database. This is a strong result that reflects the high-end nature of both components, but it is not at the absolute top, indicating that there are hardware combinations that can extract more performance from this title.

The rank is particularly interesting given the GPU's specifications. The RTX 5090 D features 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, with a boost clock of 2407 MHz. These specs translate to a PassMark G3D score of 44065 and a 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs. However, the GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database are notably lower-end parts: the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (1.1% higher score), AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (1.6% lower), and two NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants (2.1% and 2.4% lower). This suggests that the synthetic benchmark scores do not fully represent the RTX 5090 D's real-world gaming performance, which is why the combo rank of 91 is respectable but not dominant.

The CPU's 96 MB L3 cache likely plays a significant role in the combo's ranking. The Medium's fixed-camera angles and detailed environments can benefit from cached asset data, and the 7500X3D's large cache helps maintain consistent frame delivery. The fact that this combo outperforms 97% of tested configurations while using a CPU that is only in the 89th percentile of all processors suggests that the cache configuration is providing a meaningful advantage in this specific game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset provides a clear picture of performance across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 146 FPS on Low, 122 FPS on Medium (with a min of 104 and max of 140), 103 FPS on High, and 82 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset's frame time range (104-140 FPS) shows a 34.6% variance, indicating that some scenes are significantly more demanding than others, likely due to the game's cinematic camera transitions.

Moving to 2560x1440, the results are 138 FPS on Low, 115 FPS on Medium (min 98, max 133), 87 FPS on High, and 69 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset's variance at 1440p (98-133 FPS, a 35.7% spread) is similar to 1080p, suggesting that the frame time spikes are consistent regardless of resolution. This points to a game engine limitation or specific scene complexity rather than a hardware bottleneck.

At 3840x2160, the system achieves 128 FPS on Low, 95 FPS on Medium (min 81, max 110), 68 FPS on High, and 54 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Medium result shows the largest absolute frame time range in the dataset (81-110 FPS, a 35.8% variance), which means that even at this high resolution, the game's most demanding scenes can cause noticeable frame rate fluctuations.

The Ultra preset at 4K produces the lowest average of 54 FPS, which is just above the 50 FPS threshold that many players consider the minimum for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 4K (68 FPS) provides a more comfortable margin, while Medium at 4K (95 FPS) offers a smooth experience with some headroom for frame time spikes.

FAQ

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K in The Medium?

A: Yes, at Medium and High settings. The 4K Medium result averages 95 FPS with a minimum of 81 FPS, while 4K High averages 68 FPS. However, 4K Ultra drops to 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best resolution for the highest frame rates?

A: 1080p Low delivers the highest average at 146 FPS. For a balance of visual quality and performance, 1440p Medium at 115 FPS or 1080p High at 103 FPS are strong options.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 D bottleneck the Ryzen 5 7500X3D in this game?

A: At 1080p Low, the CPU appears to be the limiting factor, as the frame rate does not scale as much with GPU workload reduction. At higher resolutions and settings, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck.

Q: How does this combo compare to other hardware combinations in the database?

A: It ranks 91st out of 2911 tested combos, placing it in the top 3.1% of all configurations. This indicates strong overall performance, though some combinations achieve higher frame rates.

Q: Is the 96 MB L3 cache on the CPU beneficial for this game?

A: The benchmark data suggests the combo performs well relative to the CPU's synthetic benchmark percentile, which may indicate that the large cache helps in The Medium's asset-heavy scenes.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with this setup?

A: Depending on settings, you can expect between 69 FPS (Ultra) and 138 FPS (Low). Medium settings provide 115 FPS with a minimum of 98 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience at 4K, the Medium preset is the clear choice. The 95 FPS average with an 81 FPS minimum ensures that the game remains playable even during the most demanding scenes, while the visual upgrade from Low is substantial. The High preset at 68 FPS is also viable for those who prioritize image quality over frame rate stability, but the 4K Medium result offers a better balance of smoothness and fidelity.

At 1440p, Medium settings provide an excellent experience with 115 FPS average and a 98 FPS minimum. This configuration delivers smooth gameplay with enough headroom for frame time spikes. The High preset at 87 FPS is also a strong option for users who want better visuals, and it stays comfortably above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 69 FPS is acceptable for users who prefer maximum quality, but the lower average frame rate makes it less ideal for fast-paced scenes.

For 1080p, the High preset at 103 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The Medium preset at 122 FPS provides a smoother experience for competitive play, while the Ultra preset at 82 FPS is only recommended for users who prioritize maximum graphical fidelity over frame rate. The Low preset at 146 FPS is unnecessary for most users, as the Medium and High presets already deliver frame rates well above typical display refresh rates.

Overall, the data suggests that the Medium preset at each resolution provides the most consistent experience, with frame rate averages that leave sufficient headroom for the game's occasional performance dips. The 4K Medium result is particularly notable, as it demonstrates that this high-end combination can handle the game's demanding visuals without sacrificing playability.