The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX combination delivers a wide performance envelope in The Medium, ranging from a highly playable 1080p experience to a demanding 4K Ultra scenario. The benchmark data shows a system where the GPU is the primary driver of frame rate changes across settings, while the CPU provides a stable foundation that rarely becomes the bottleneck.

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, running on the AMD Socket AM5 platform. It operates with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. This configuration is paired with a 32 MB shared L3 cache and 83.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth via dual-channel DDR5 support. In synthetic benchmarks, the processor achieves a multi-threaded score of 22,992 in Cinebench R23 and 6,503 in 3DMark’s max-thread test, while its single-thread score of 999 in 3DMark indicates strong per-core performance.

Within the measured FPS data for The Medium, the CPU’s role appears consistent across resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the system reaches 162.4 FPS, which is the highest recorded average in the dataset. This suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU efficiently even at lower graphical loads. The jump from 1080p Low to 1440p Low is a drop of 17.9 FPS (to 144.5 FPS), which is relatively modest compared to the GPU-driven drops seen at higher settings. The data implies that at Low settings, the CPU is still delivering headroom, as the frame rate remains well above 144 FPS at both 1080p and 1440p.

The processor’s average benchmark score of 26,617 places it in the 83rd percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (avgScore 26,574, deltaPct 0.2) and the Intel Core i9-12900HK (avgScore 26,672, deltaPct -0.2). This puts the Ryzen 5 7600 in a competitive position, essentially matching those parts within a 0.2% margin. In The Medium, this level of CPU performance means the processor is unlikely to be the limiting factor at any of the tested settings, as evidenced by the fact that even the most demanding 4K Ultra configuration (40.2 FPS) still maintains a playable frame rate without signs of CPU-induced stutter in the average data.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the dominant component in this pairing, featuring 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its RDNA 3.0 architecture runs at a boost clock of 2498 MHz, with a game clock of 2365 MHz. The GPU’s compute capabilities include 61.39 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 96 ray accelerators. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 31,238 in Passmark G3D and 192,597 in Geekbench Vulkan, placing it in the 85th percentile among all GPUs.

The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the primary driver of performance scaling in The Medium. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is stark: 113 FPS at Low versus 40.2 FPS at Ultra, a reduction of 72.8 FPS. This 64.4% drop from Low to Ultra indicates that the game’s higher presets impose a heavy load on the GPU’s shading and memory subsystems. The RX 7900 XTX’s nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (avgScore 44,195, deltaPct -0.4) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti (avgScore 44,900, deltaPct -2). The RX 7900 XTX’s average score of 44,019 trails the RTX 4070 Ti by 2%, yet in The Medium, its 24 GB VRAM buffer appears sufficient at all tested settings, as no min-FPS data suggests memory exhaustion.

The GPU’s memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s becomes particularly relevant at 4K resolutions. At 4K High, the system averages 53.4 FPS, while at 4K Medium it rises to 72.1 FPS. These figures, compared to the 1440p results (65.3 FPS High, 93 FPS Medium), show that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the key constraint at higher resolutions. The 24 GB VRAM capacity is ample for The Medium, which is a 2021 title, so the data indicates that the GPU’s compute and memory speed, rather than capacity, dictate the frame rates observed.

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

Analyzing the measured rows, the Medium preset at 1440p offers the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate. At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the system produces 93 FPS, which is comfortably above 60 FPS and provides headroom for smoother gameplay. The High preset at 1440p drops to 65.3 FPS, still playable but with less margin for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at 1440p falls to 54.2 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider optimal for a horror title where consistent motion is important.

At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 108.5 FPS, which is an excellent experience, but the 1440p Medium result of 93 FPS is close enough that the higher resolution is preferable for image clarity. The 4K Medium result of 72.1 FPS is also viable, but the 1440p Medium offers a higher frame rate with only a modest resolution penalty. For users with 4K displays, the Low preset at 113 FPS is the only way to achieve triple-digit frame rates, but the visual compromises may be significant. Therefore, the data supports 1440p Medium as the recommended preset, as it maximizes the balance between the GPU’s capabilities and the CPU’s stable performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded in the benchmark data?

A: The highest average frame rate is 162.4 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

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

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 has an average benchmark score of 26,617, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (26,574) and 0.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 8024P (26,555).

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 77.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 53.4 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 24.2 FPS.

Q: Which resolution and setting combination provides the most balanced experience?

A: The 2560x1440 Medium preset delivers 93 FPS, which is the highest frame rate above 60 FPS at a resolution higher than 1080p.

Q: Does the GPU outperform its nearest rival in overall score?

A: No, the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX (avgScore 44,019) trails the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (avgScore 44,195) by 0.4% and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti (avgScore 44,900) by 2%.

Q: What is the frame rate at 4K Ultra, and is it playable?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 40.2 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold but may be acceptable for a slow-paced horror game depending on user preference.

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

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear GPU-bound pattern. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 162.4 FPS at 1080p to 113 FPS at 4K, a decrease of 49.4 FPS (30.4%). This is a relatively mild drop, suggesting that at Low settings, the GPU still has significant headroom and the CPU is keeping pace. At Medium settings, the drop is more pronounced: 108.5 FPS at 1080p down to 72.1 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 36.4 FPS (33.5%). This steeper decline indicates that the GPU’s shading workload is increasing more rapidly than the CPU can compensate.

At High settings, the scaling continues: 77.6 FPS at 1080p falls to 65.3 FPS at 1440p and then to 53.4 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 4K drop is 24.2 FPS (31.2%). At Ultra settings, the drop is the largest in absolute terms: 61.1 FPS at 1080p down to 40.2 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 20.9 FPS (34.2%). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings—all falling between 30% and 34%—confirms that the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU’s performance, as measured by its synthetic scores and the fact that even at 1080p Low (162.4 FPS) it doesn’t appear to cap the frame rate, means that resolution scaling primarily affects the GPU’s pixel and texture throughput.

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

1920x1080: The lowest resolution tested shows the highest frame rates. Low settings produce 162.4 FPS average, which is the single best result in the entire dataset. Medium settings reduce the average to 108.5 FPS, High settings further reduce it to 77.6 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 61.1 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 101.3 FPS, highlighting the GPU’s sensitivity to preset changes.

2560x1440: At this resolution, the frame rates remain strong. Low settings deliver 144.5 FPS, which is only 17.9 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result. Medium settings produce 93 FPS, a drop of 15.5 FPS from 1080p Medium. High settings average 65.3 FPS, and Ultra settings average 54.2 FPS. The 1440p Ultra result is the only setting below 60 FPS at this resolution, and the overall pattern shows that 1440p Medium (93 FPS) is the sweet spot.

3840x2160: At 4K, the GPU’s workload becomes significantly heavier. Low settings still manage 113 FPS, which is a playable result. Medium settings drop to 72.1 FPS, High settings to 53.4 FPS, and Ultra settings to 40.2 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the lowest in the entire dataset, and the 4K High result is the only other configuration below 60 FPS. The data shows that 4K Low is the only preset that maintains a high refresh rate, while 4K Medium offers a balanced 72.1 FPS for those prioritizing resolution over maximum frame rate.