The Medium

The Medium, a horror title built around fixed-camera perspectives and heavy atmospheric effects, presents a demanding workload that scales predictably with resolution. For the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, the measured results reveal a configuration that is firmly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strong single-thread performance keeps frame rates high at 1080p. The data shows a clear hierarchy where the visual preset choice matters more than any other single factor, with the gap between Low and Ultra settings widening dramatically as pixel count increases.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 produces a steep decline in average frame rates across all settings, indicating that the RX 9070 XT’s rendering pipeline is the primary constraint at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 150.1 at 1080p to 127 at 1440p, a reduction of 23.1 frames, and then falls to 96.8 at 4K, another 30.2-frame drop. This scaling pattern shows that even at the lowest graphical preset, the GPU’s pixel throughput becomes a bottleneck as the number of rendered pixels quadruples from 1080p to 4K.

At Medium settings, the frame rate falls from 94.9 at 1080p to 77.6 at 1440p, then to 60.1 at 4K. The percentage loss from 1080p to 4K here is roughly 36.7%, which is slightly less severe than the Low preset’s 35.5% drop, suggesting that the additional shading work at Medium does not disproportionately penalize the GPU. The High preset tells a different story: 67.3 FPS at 1080p drops to 54.2 at 1440p and then to 43.8 at 4K, a 34.9% cumulative reduction. The Ultra preset exhibits the most dramatic scaling, starting at 51.8 FPS at 1080p, falling to 45.9 at 1440p, and bottoming out at 35.4 at 4K, a 31.7% loss from the starting point.

The data indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this game. The 1080p Low result of 150.1 FPS is nearly triple the 4K Ultra result of 35.4 FPS, which would not occur if the Ryzen 5 7600X were holding back performance. Instead, the consistent downward trend across all presets points squarely at the Radeon RX 9070 XT’s fill rate and memory bandwidth being the decisive elements. The 4K High result of 43.8 FPS sits below the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered smooth, while 4K Medium at 60.1 FPS just crosses it, suggesting that users targeting 4K must accept Medium settings or lower for playable performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combination in The Medium?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 2560x1440 provides the most balanced experience, with Medium settings achieving 77.6 FPS and High settings reaching 54.2 FPS. At 1920x1080, all presets exceed 51.8 FPS, but the lower resolution does not fully utilize the GPU’s potential, as evidenced by the 150.1 FPS at Low.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1080p?

A: The Ultra preset averages 51.8 FPS, while High averages 67.3 FPS at 1920x1080, a difference of 15.5 FPS. This 23% performance gap suggests that Ultra settings introduce significant overhead without a proportional visual benefit, making High the more efficient choice.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 7600X strong enough for this game?

A: Yes, the CPU’s benchmark scores indicate ample headroom. The single-thread score of 1060 in 3dmark and 3406 in Cinebench R23, combined with a 4135 Passmark single-thread score, show that the 6-core, 12-thread processor can handle the game’s logic, as frame rates scale smoothly with GPU load.

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

A: At 3840x2160, Low averages 96.8 FPS while Ultra averages 35.4 FPS, a difference of 61.4 FPS. This means Low delivers nearly triple the frame rate of Ultra, highlighting the extreme cost of the highest preset at this resolution.

Q: Does the GPU’s 16 GB VRAM affect performance at 4K?

A: The measured data shows that the GPU maintains playable frame rates at 4K Low (96.8 FPS) and Medium (60.1 FPS), indicating that the 16 GB GDDR6 memory is sufficient for textures at these settings. The drop to 35.4 FPS at Ultra is more likely due to compute load than memory capacity.

Q: How does the RX 9070 XT rank among GPUs in the benchmark database?

A: The GPU has an average benchmark score of 39647 and sits in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro 575 with an average score of 39703, a delta of -0.1%, placing the RX 9070 XT in a tightly contested performance tier.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X, built on the Zen 4 architecture with a 5 nm process, provides the computational backbone for this configuration. Its 6 cores and 12 threads operate at a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, which is reflected in strong single-thread benchmark results. The 3dmark single-thread score of 1060 and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3406 demonstrate that the processor can deliver high per-core performance, which is critical for a game like The Medium that relies on consistent frame pacing.

The CPU’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth via dual-channel DDR5 support help reduce latency in scene transitions. Multi-threaded scores, such as the Cinebench R23 multicore result of 24128 and the Passmark multithread score of 28390, indicate that the 12 threads are capable of handling background tasks without starving the game’s main thread. The 3dmark 16-thread score of 6879 and max-thread score of 6845 are nearly identical, confirming that the CPU scales efficiently up to its full thread count.

In the context of The Medium’s measured FPS, the CPU’s role is largely supportive. At 1080p Low, the 150.1 FPS result is high enough that any CPU bottleneck would manifest as inconsistent frame times, but the data shows smooth average performance. The CPU’s percentile rank of 83 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 26272, places it well above the median. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U, scores 26262 with a 0% delta, while the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X scores 26214 with a 0.2% delta, confirming that the 7600X is competitive with higher-tier mobile and desktop parts in synthetic tests.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RX 9070 XT delivers a wide spread of results. The Low preset achieves 150.1 FPS, which is more than double the Ultra preset’s 51.8 FPS. Medium settings produce 94.9 FPS, while High settings drop to 67.3 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 55.2 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 27.6 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 15.5 FPS. This pattern shows diminishing returns as settings increase, with Low being the only preset that comfortably exceeds 144 Hz refresh rates.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same hierarchy persists but with a compressed range. Low averages 127 FPS, Medium 77.6 FPS, High 54.2 FPS, and Ultra 45.9 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is 49.4 FPS, while the difference between High and Ultra is only 8.3 FPS. This suggests that the Ultra preset at 1440p is not significantly more demanding than High, but both fall below the 60 FPS threshold, making them marginal choices for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the results show the GPU’s limits. Low averages 96.8 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS, but Medium drops to 60.1 FPS, High to 43.8 FPS, and Ultra to 35.4 FPS. The Low-to-Medium gap is 36.7 FPS, while the Medium-to-High gap is 16.3 FPS, and the High-to-Ultra gap is 8.4 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 35.4 FPS is the lowest measured value across all resolutions and settings, indicating that this preset combination is not viable for a smooth experience.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, based on the RDNA 4.0 architecture and fabricated on a 4 nm process, is the dominant factor in The Medium’s performance. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for the game’s high-resolution textures. The GPU’s boost clock of 2970 MHz and game clock of 2400 MHz, with a base clock of 1660 MHz, allow for sustained high throughput under load.

The GPU’s benchmark results place it in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 39647. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 575, scores 39703 with a delta of -0.1%, while the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile scores 39568 with a delta of 0.2%. The 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 7260 and the Geekbench Vulkan score of 184026 indicate strong modern API performance, while the Passmark G3D score of 26795 confirms its DirectX capabilities.

In The Medium, the GPU’s 64 RT cores and 4096 shading units are heavily utilized, particularly at higher presets. The FP32 performance of 48.66 TFLOPS and the texture rate of 760.3 GTexel/s explain why the Ultra preset at 4K drops to 35.4 FPS, as the increased lighting and shadow work overwhelms the compute units. The pixel rate of 380.2 GPixel/s, combined with 128 ROPs, determines the fill rate limits observed at 4K, where the frame rate drops by 61.4% from Low to Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

For a balanced experience at 1920x1080, the High preset is the optimal choice, delivering 67.3 FPS while maintaining visual fidelity above Medium’s 94.9 FPS. The Ultra preset at 51.8 FPS is playable but offers diminishing returns over High, and the 15.5 FPS difference is not worth the extra load. Low at 150.1 FPS is excessive for most displays and sacrifices too much visual quality.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings at 77.6 FPS provide the best combination of smoothness and detail. High at 54.2 FPS is below the 60 FPS target, while Ultra at 45.9 FPS is too slow for a horror game that benefits from fluid camera movement. Low at 127 FPS is viable for competitive play but misses the atmospheric effects that define The Medium’s aesthetic.

For 3840x2160, the only viable preset is Medium at 60.1 FPS, which just hits the 60 FPS threshold. Low at 96.8 FPS is smoother but sacrifices significant visual quality, while High at 43.8 FPS and Ultra at 35.4 FPS are not recommended due to inconsistent frame pacing. Users with 4K displays should prioritize Medium settings to maintain a playable experience, accepting a 36.7 FPS drop from Low to Medium in exchange for better textures and lighting. The data consistently shows that Ultra is never worth the performance cost, with the largest gap at 4K where it trails Medium by 24.7 FPS.