The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 delivers a fundamentally GPU-bound experience in The Medium, where the processor's substantial headroom is largely wasted by the graphics card's inability to keep pace. The data shows a combination that ranks 1650th out of 1689 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 2% of all configurations, which indicates that this pairing is severely mismatched for the game's demands.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 7000 series, built on the Zen 4 Raphael architecture using a 5 nm process. Its base clock of 4.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.30 GHz provide exceptional single-thread performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3406 and Geekbench single-core score of 2892. The processor's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and DDR5 memory support with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth further solidify its position as a high-end CPU, ranking in the 83rd percentile against all CPUs.

In The Medium, however, the CPU's capabilities are largely irrelevant to the measured results. The game is a horror title that relies heavily on fixed camera angles and pre-rendered environments, which typically places the burden on the GPU rather than the CPU. The Ryzen 5 7600X's multi-threaded performance, demonstrated by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24128 and Passmark multithread score of 28390, would be more than sufficient to handle any physics or AI calculations the game throws at it. The benchmark data confirms this: the FPS numbers are consistently low across all resolutions, regardless of the CPU's theoretical capacity.

The processor's average benchmark score of 26272 places it in a tight cluster with its nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U (avgScore 26262, deltaPct 0) and the AMD Ryzen 7 7735U (avgScore 26305, deltaPct -0.1). This consistency in synthetic benchmarks suggests that the CPU is performing exactly as expected, and the poor in-game results cannot be attributed to any processor deficiency. The Ryzen 5 7600X is simply waiting for a more capable GPU to feed.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the primary bottleneck in this configuration, and its limitations are starkly exposed by The Medium's measured performance. This Turing-architecture GPU, built on a 12 nm process, features 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus with 128.1 GB/s bandwidth. Its base clock of 1485 MHz and boost clock of 1665 MHz, combined with 896 shading units, yield a modest FP32 performance of 2.984 TFLOPS. The GPU ranks in the 43rd percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 8713.

The 4 GB VRAM capacity is particularly problematic for The Medium, a game known for its dual-reality rendering technique that can require substantial memory for textures and frame buffers. The data shows that the GTX 1650's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile (avgScore 8746, deltaPct -0.4) and the AMD Radeon 550X (avgScore 8749, deltaPct -0.4), but these comparisons don't capture the VRAM constraints that become critical in real gaming scenarios. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 7880 and DirectX 12 score of 35 indicate that it is a low-end part, even if its benchmark percentile suggests it sits above the absolute worst performers.

The GTX 1650's 4 GB memory is likely causing texture thrashing at higher settings, which explains why the FPS drops dramatically when moving from Low to Ultra presets. This is not a case of the GPU being slightly underpowered—it is fundamentally inadequate for The Medium's visual demands. The GPU's end-of-life production status and its predecessor relationship to the GeForce 20 series further underscore its age relative to the game's 2021 release.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K reveal a GPU that is overwhelmed at every resolution, with the scaling behavior confirming that the GTX 1650 is the limiting component. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 47 at 1920x1080 to 34.5 at 2560x1440 (a 26.6% drop) and then to 31.1 at 3840x2160 (a 33.8% drop from 1080p). This pattern shows that even at the lowest visual quality, the GPU cannot maintain playable frame rates at higher resolutions.

The situation worsens dramatically at higher settings. At Medium, the FPS drops from 26.2 at 1080p to 20.4 at 1440p, and then to 17.1 at 4K. High settings show a similar trend: 23 FPS at 1080p, 16.7 at 1440p, and 11.4 at 4K. Ultra settings are essentially unplayable at any resolution, with 14.6 FPS at 1080p, 10.3 at 1440p, and a crippling 9.6 at 4K.

The resolution scaling data indicates that the GPU is the sole bottleneck, as the CPU's performance does not degrade with resolution. The Ryzen 5 7600X would be able to handle any of these resolutions without breaking a sweat, but the GTX 1650's limited pixel rate (53.28 GPixel/s) and texture rate (93.24 GTexel/s) simply cannot keep up. The 4K High result of 11.4 FPS versus 47 FPS at 1080p Low demonstrates a 75.7% performance loss that is entirely attributable to the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth limitations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows clearly indicate that Low settings are the only viable option for this configuration, and even then, playability is marginal. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 47, which is the only result that approaches a playable threshold. The 1440p Low result of 34.5 FPS and 4K Low result of 31.1 FPS are technically playable but far from smooth, and they represent significant compromises in visual quality.

Medium settings at 1080p yield 26.2 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for a playable experience. High settings at 1080p drop to 23 FPS, and Ultra settings plummet to 14.6 FPS. The data suggests that players should prioritize Low settings at 1080p if they want the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. At higher resolutions, even Low settings become borderline, with 1440p and 4K both hovering around the low 30s FPS.

The recommendation is unambiguous: this combo should be run at 1080p with Low settings. The 47 FPS average is the only result that provides a comfortable margin above the playability threshold, and it still represents a significant visual compromise. The gap between Low and Medium at 1080p (47 vs 26.2 FPS, a 44.3% performance hit) suggests that the game's medium preset introduces effects or textures that the GTX 1650 cannot handle efficiently.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination ranks 1650th out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the bottom 2.3% of all configurations. This ranking is a damning indictment of the pairing's suitability for this specific game. The rank is particularly telling because the Ryzen 5 7600X is a high-end CPU that ranks in the 83rd percentile, while the GTX 1650 ranks in only the 43rd percentile. The massive gap between the two components' relative standings is reflected in the overall combo rank, which is dragged down almost entirely by the GPU.

This combo rank of 1650 out of 1689 means that only 39 combos perform worse in The Medium. The data indicates that this is a case where a powerful CPU is paired with an entry-level GPU, resulting in a configuration that cannot deliver a playable experience at any resolution above 1080p Low. The rank would likely be significantly higher with a more balanced GPU pairing, as the CPU's performance is more than adequate for the game's demands.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X strong enough for The Medium?

A: Yes, the CPU is more than sufficient. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24128 and single-core score of 3406 place it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, and the game's measured FPS is consistently low regardless of resolution, indicating the GPU is the bottleneck.

Q: Can the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 run The Medium at 4K?

A: Only at Low settings, where it achieves 31.1 FPS. At Medium, High, and Ultra settings, the 4K results are 17.1, 11.4, and 9.6 FPS respectively, all of which are unplayable.

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo?

A: The only playable option is Low settings at 1920x1080, which yields 47 FPS. Every other preset and resolution combination falls below 35 FPS, with most results well below the 30 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: It ranks 1650th out of 1689 combos, placing it in the bottom 2.3% of all tested configurations in The Medium.

Q: Is the 4 GB VRAM on the GTX 1650 sufficient for this game?

A: The measured data suggests it is not, as performance drops dramatically when moving from Low to Medium settings, likely due to VRAM pressure. The 4 GB GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus provides only 128.1 GB/s bandwidth, which is insufficient for higher presets.

Q: Does the CPU's performance vary between different resolutions?

A: No, the CPU's synthetic benchmarks (Cinebench R23 multi-core 24128, Geekbench multi-core 12905) are resolution-independent. The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are entirely attributable to the GPU's limitations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are as follows: Low settings achieve 47 FPS, Medium settings drop to 26.2 FPS, High settings fall to 23 FPS, and Ultra settings plummet to 14.6 FPS. The 1080p results show a clear pattern where each preset level reduces performance by roughly 40-45%, with the gap between Low and Medium being the most pronounced at 44.3%.

At 2560x1440, the results are significantly worse: Low settings achieve 34.5 FPS, Medium drops to 20.4 FPS, High falls to 16.7 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 10.3 FPS. The 1440p Low result is the only one that approaches playability, and it represents a 26.6% drop from the 1080p Low result.

At 3840x2160, the situation is dire: Low settings achieve 31.1 FPS, Medium drops to 17.1 FPS, High falls to 11.4 FPS, and Ultra hits a mere 9.6 FPS. The 4K results show that even the lowest preset cannot maintain a smooth experience, with the Ultra setting producing a single-digit frame rate that is entirely unplayable.

The data across all resolutions and settings shows a consistent pattern: the GTX 1650 is overwhelmed by The Medium's visual demands, and the Ryzen 5 7600X's considerable processing power is left untapped. The only configuration that provides a playable experience is 1080p with Low settings, and even that result of 47 FPS is far from ideal for a game that would benefit from higher frame rates for smooth camera transitions and atmospheric effects.