The Medium

# 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 from the 7000 series, built on the Zen 4 architecture (codename Raphael) using TSMC's 5 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU's cache configuration includes 64 KB L1 per core, 1 MB L2 per core, and 32 MB shared L3. This processor sits at the 83rd percentile among all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 26617.

In The Medium, the CPU's role is best understood through the measured FPS scaling across resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 150.7 FPS, while at 4K with Low settings it reaches 102.2 FPS — a relatively modest drop that suggests the CPU is keeping pace with the GPU workload at lower settings. The 3DMark multi-threaded scores reflect solid parallel performance: 6499 for 16 threads and 6503 for max threads, while single-thread performance is 999 in 3DMark. These scores indicate the Ryzen 5 7600 has enough headroom for this horror title's demands, which typically rely more on GPU throughput than CPU compute.

The nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database are close: the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D scores 26574 (0.2% lower), the Intel Core i9-12900HK scores 26672 (0.2% higher), and the AMD EPYC 8024P scores 26555 (0.2% lower). This grouping shows the Ryzen 5 7600 is competitively positioned — its performance envelope is essentially interchangeable with these alternatives in synthetic workloads, meaning the game's results are more influenced by the GPU and settings than by CPU choice within this tier.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings across resolutions. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 93.5 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. High settings at 1080p produce 69.3 FPS, still comfortable. Ultra at 1080p drops to 52.5 FPS, which may be acceptable for some players but falls short of a locked 60 FPS experience. The data indicates that Medium at 1080p is the sweet spot: it provides a 35% improvement over High in FPS (93.5 vs 69.3) while maintaining visual quality that is likely sufficient for this horror game's atmospheric presentation.

At 1440p, Medium settings yield 77.9 FPS, which is excellent for this resolution. High settings at 1440p produce 53.3 FPS, dipping below the 60 FPS threshold. The recommendation shifts: for 1440p, Medium is the preferred preset, as it offers a 46% FPS advantage over High (77.9 vs 53.3) and remains above 60 FPS. Ultra at 1440p is not recommended, as it falls to 43.1 FPS.

For 4K, the situation is more constrained. Medium settings achieve 60.4 FPS, which is exactly at the playable threshold. Low settings at 4K produce 102.2 FPS, but this sacrifices visual fidelity. High and Ultra at 4K are not viable for smooth play, with 44.2 FPS and 35.3 FPS respectively. The data supports Medium at 4K as the best balance, offering a 37% improvement over High (60.4 vs 44.2) while keeping the experience playable.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component. At Low settings, the progression is 150.7 FPS at 1080p, 128 FPS at 1440p, and 102.2 FPS at 4K. This represents a 32% drop from 1080p to 4K, which is relatively modest and suggests that at Low settings, the GPU is not the sole bottleneck — the CPU contributes meaningfully to the frame rate ceiling.

At Medium settings, the drop is more pronounced: 93.5 FPS at 1080p, 77.9 FPS at 1440p, and 60.4 FPS at 4K. This is a 35% reduction from 1080p to 4K, indicating the GPU begins to exert more influence as settings increase. At High settings, the pattern continues: 69.3 FPS at 1080p, 53.3 FPS at 1440p, and 44.2 FPS at 4K — a 36% drop. At Ultra, the numbers are 52.5 FPS at 1080p, 43.1 FPS at 1440p, and 35.3 FPS at 4K, a 33% reduction.

The consistency of these percentage drops across settings (ranging from 32% to 36%) suggests that the RTX 4070 is the primary scaling factor as resolution increases. The CPU's impact is most visible at Low settings, where the 1080p frame rate of 150.7 FPS indicates the processor can drive high frame rates when the GPU is not heavily loaded. As resolution climbs, the GPU's workload grows proportionally, and the frame rate declines in a predictable manner.

FAQ

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

A: At 1440p with Medium settings, the combo achieves 77.9 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold while maintaining reasonable visual quality. At 4K with Medium settings, it hits 60.4 FPS, which is borderline playable.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 7600 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 7600 scores 26617 on average, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (26574) and 0.2% lower than the Intel Core i9-12900HK (26672). It is 0.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 8024P (26555).

Q: Can this combo handle Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: Ultra at 1080p produces 52.5 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. For a smoother experience, Medium at 1080p yields 93.5 FPS, and High yields 69.3 FPS.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 4K?

A: Low at 4K produces 102.2 FPS, while Ultra at 4K produces 35.3 FPS. This is a significant 66% reduction, indicating that Ultra settings are not suitable for 4K play.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU more important for this game's performance?

A: The resolution scaling data shows consistent FPS drops across settings, indicating the GPU is the primary limiting factor. At Low settings, the 1080p frame rate of 150.7 FPS suggests the CPU can handle high frame rates when the GPU is not stressed.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture (chip AD104) using a 5 nm process at TSMC, with 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. It features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 1920 MHz with a boost clock of 2475 MHz, and memory operates at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). It has 5888 shading units, 184 TMUs, 64 ROPs, 46 RT cores, and 184 tensor cores. The pixel rate is 158.4 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 455.4 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 29.15 TFLOPS. The TDP is 200 W, with a suggested PSU of 550 W.

In The Medium, the RTX 4070's performance is directly tied to its memory bandwidth and compute capacity. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces 35.3 FPS, while at 4K Low it reaches 102.2 FPS — the settings scaling demonstrates the GPU's workload sensitivity. The GPU's average benchmark score is 37283, placing it at the 81st percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database are the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507, 0.6% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A (38008, 1.9% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (38135, 2.2% higher). The AMD Radeon RX 5300M scores 36371, which is 2.5% lower.

The 12 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for this game's demands at the tested settings, as no VRAM-related stuttering is indicated in the measured FPS data. The GPU's 504.2 GB/s bandwidth supports high-resolution textures without bottlenecking, as evidenced by the smooth scaling from 1080p to 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the measured average FPS values are: Low 150.7, Medium 93.5, High 69.3, and Ultra 52.5. The progression from Low to Ultra represents a 65% reduction in frame rate, with the largest single drop occurring between Medium and High (24.2 FPS) and between Low and Medium (57.2 FPS).

At 1440p, the values are: Low 128, Medium 77.9, High 53.3, and Ultra 43.1. The drop from Low to Ultra is 66%, consistent with the 1080p scaling. The Medium to High transition at 1440p shows a 24.6 FPS decrease, while High to Ultra shows a 10.2 FPS decrease.

At 4K, the values are: Low 102.2, Medium 60.4, High 44.2, and Ultra 35.3. The Low to Ultra reduction is 65%, matching the other resolutions. The Medium to High drop is 16.2 FPS, and High to Ultra is 8.9 FPS.

The data shows that the gap between Low and Medium settings is the largest at every resolution (57.2 FPS at 1080p, 50.1 FPS at 1440p, 41.8 FPS at 4K), suggesting that Medium settings unlock the GPU's full potential without the overhead of higher-quality effects. The diminishing returns from Medium to Ultra are clear: at 4K, the difference between Medium and Ultra is 25.1 FPS, while at 1080p it is 41 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 404 out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the top 24% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the combo's strong overall performance, particularly at 1080p and 1440p where it exceeds 60 FPS at Medium settings and above.

The rank is influenced by the CPU's position at the 83rd percentile and the GPU's at the 81st percentile. The combo's performance in this game is consistent with these synthetic benchmark positions — it delivers competitive frame rates without being an outlier. The 404th rank out of 1689 means there are 403 combos that perform better, but there are 1285 combos that perform worse, indicating this is a solid mid-to-upper tier configuration.

The data suggests that this combo is well-balanced for The Medium: the CPU's 6-core/12-thread configuration with 32 MB L3 cache provides adequate processing power, while the GPU's 12 GB VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth handle the game's visual demands. The ranking reflects this balance, as the combo does not appear to be bottlenecked by either component in the tested scenarios. For players seeking a smooth experience, the measured FPS data supports using Medium settings at any resolution, with 1440p Medium offering the best combination of visual quality and performance at 77.9 FPS.