The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 in The Medium presents a classic case of a modern CPU being held back by an aging GPU. The GTX 1070, with its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory and Pascal architecture, is the primary constraint in this pairing. Benchmark results show that while the CPU has ample headroom, the GPU struggles to maintain playable frame rates at higher settings and resolutions, making settings adjustments crucial for a smooth experience.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in The Medium?*

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 72.7 FPS, which is the highest measured performance. At 2560x1440 with Low settings, it drops to 60.9 FPS. The 3840x2160 resolution is not viable for smooth gameplay, as even at Low settings it only manages 48.1 FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1070 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The GTX 1070 has an average benchmark score of 12331. It is 1.3% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M and 1.4% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER. It is 0.7% faster than the NVIDIA Quadro K4200. This places it in the 51st percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 7600 a strong performer for this game?

A: Yes, the CPU data indicates it is a robust processor. It scores 22992 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 3246 in single-core, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. Its performance is virtually identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, with a delta of only 0.2%.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between High and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the High preset yields an average of 37.1 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 25.4 FPS. This is a significant 11.7 FPS reduction for the visual uplift that Ultra provides, which may not be worth the performance cost on this hardware.

Q: How much faster is the Ryzen 5 7600 than the Intel Core i9-11900K?

A: The Ryzen 5 7600 has an average benchmark score of 26617, which is 0.3% higher than the Intel Core i9-11900K's score of 26546. This indicates they are very close in overall performance.

Q: Does the GTX 1070 have enough VRAM for this game?

A: The GTX 1070 comes with 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s. The data does not indicate any VRAM capacity issues at the measured settings, but the GPU's overall compute power is the limiting factor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is the definitive bottleneck in this system for The Medium. The benchmark scores show a GPU that is positioned in the 51st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 12331. Its nearest rivals, such as the GTX 1650 SUPER, are within a 1.4% performance delta, confirming it is a mid-range card by modern standards. The GPU's specifications—1920 shading units, 64 ROPs, and a 256-bit memory bus—are from the Pascal era and are now showing their age in this 2021 title.

The card's 8 GB of GDDR5 memory is adequate for the game's demands at the tested settings. However, the raw processing power, measured at 6.463 TFLOPS FP32, is what limits performance. The clock speeds are also notable; the boost clock of 1683 MHz is decent, but the card's architectural efficiency cannot keep pace with the game's rendering requirements. The data reflects this, as even at 1080p, the card fails to hit 60 FPS on Medium settings, achieving only 47.1 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is working near its limit, and the game's visual effects are heavily taxing the Pascal architecture's capabilities.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and expected trend: performance degrades as resolution increases, but the rate of degradation is telling. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 72.7 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at Low settings drops the average to 60.9 FPS, a 16.2% reduction. At 3840x2160 at Low settings, the average plummets to 48.1 FPS, a further 21% drop from 1440p. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the increased pixel count directly taxes the GPU's fill rate and shading power.

The scaling is even more pronounced at higher settings. For example, at High settings, the FPS drops from 37.1 at 1080p to 27.9 at 1440p, and then to 22.7 at 4K. The consistent drop across all resolutions confirms that the GTX 1070 is the primary limiting component. The CPU, with its high single-thread score of 3246 in Cinebench R23, is not the bottleneck; it has ample headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions. The data suggests that 1440p is the practical ceiling for this combo, and only at Low settings can it maintain a playable 60 FPS frame rate.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the only way to achieve a consistently smooth experience is to prioritize Low settings, particularly at higher resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 72.7 FPS, which is the only setting that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 47.1 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a horror game that benefits from a steady frame rate. High and Ultra presets at 1080p, at 37.1 and 25.4 FPS respectively, are too choppy for a smooth experience.

For users with a 2560x1440 monitor, the Low preset is the only viable option, providing 60.9 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p drops to 37.5 FPS, and High and Ultra presets fall below 30 FPS, making them unsuitable for gameplay. The 3840x2160 resolution is not recommended for this hardware. Even at Low settings, the average FPS is 48.1, which is below the standard for a smooth experience. The best practice is to use the Low preset at 1080p or 1440p to ensure the game remains responsive and fluid.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data is derived from the measured FPS rows for this specific hardware combination. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 72.7 FPS for Low, 47.1 FPS for Medium, 37.1 FPS for High, and 25.4 FPS for Ultra. At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are 60.9 FPS for Low, 37.5 FPS for Medium, 27.9 FPS for High, and 20.6 FPS for Ultra. At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are 48.1 FPS for Low, 33.7 FPS for Medium, 22.7 FPS for High, and 20.9 FPS for Ultra.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each step up in preset quality costs a significant number of frames. For instance, at 1440p, moving from Low to Medium costs 23.4 FPS, and moving from Medium to High costs another 9.6 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra at 1440p is only 7.3 FPS, showing diminishing returns at the highest settings. The overall combo rank in this game is 1427 out of 1689 tested combinations, which places this hardware configuration in the lower third of all tested systems for The Medium.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is a modern, high-performance processor that is not the limiting factor in this configuration. Its benchmark results are exceptional: a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22992 and a single-core score of 3246. This places the CPU in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, highlighting its strength. Its average benchmark score of 26617 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, which scores 26574. This parity indicates that the 7600 is a top-tier gaming CPU.

The CPU features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 5.10 GHz and a base clock of 3.80 GHz. This high clock speed is crucial for gaming, as The Medium's engine likely relies heavily on single-threaded performance. The data confirms this, as the CPU's single-thread performance is robust. While the GPU struggles at higher resolutions, the CPU is more than capable of handling the game's logic and physics. Even in the most demanding scenarios at 1080p with Low settings, where the GPU is less stressed, the CPU's performance is sufficient to deliver the 72.7 FPS result. The CPU is not the bottleneck; the GTX 1070 is.