The Medium

The Medium is a fixed-camera horror title that can be surprisingly demanding, and the measured results for the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 show a system that is heavily skewed toward GPU-bound performance at higher resolutions. The data indicates a clear hierarchy: at 1080p, the combination delivers excellent frame rates across all settings, but the transition to 1440p and 4K reveals a steep performance curve that is almost entirely dictated by graphics load. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS rows, the roles of the CPU and GPU, and what the numbers imply for players seeking a specific experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a consistent and predictable drop in average frame rate as resolution increases, which is the classic signature of a GPU-limited configuration at higher pixel counts. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 173 FPS average; moving to 1440p Low drops that to 161 FPS, and at 4K Low the average falls to 127 FPS. That represents a 27% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. The scaling becomes far more aggressive at higher quality presets. With Medium settings, 1080p yields 120 FPS, 1440p yields 101 FPS, and 4K yields 79 FPS—a 34% drop from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the averages are 86 FPS at 1080p, 72 FPS at 1440p, and 57 FPS at 4K, a 34% decline. The Ultra preset shows the steepest curve: 68 FPS at 1080p, 57 FPS at 1440p, and 45 FPS at 4K, a 34% reduction as well.

What this pattern indicates is that the frame rate penalty for each step up in resolution is roughly proportional across presets, but the absolute cost grows with quality. The gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low is only 12 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K at Low is 34 FPS. At Ultra, the gaps are 11 FPS and 12 FPS respectively, showing that the higher preset saturates the GPU earlier. The limiting component is clearly the GPU, as the CPU is powerful enough to maintain high frame rates even at 1080p where the load on the processor is greatest. The fact that the 4K Ultra result falls to 45 FPS average—below the 60 FPS target—suggests that the RTX 4080, despite its high tier, cannot fully handle the combination of maximum quality and 2160p resolution in this title. The data shows no signs of CPU bottlenecking, as even at 1080p Low, the average frame rate of 173 FPS is well within the capabilities of a modern high-end processor.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 7000 series, built on the Zen 4 architecture with the Raphael codename. It has a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with a 32 MB shared L3 cache and 1 MB L2 cache per core. The CPU supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus and a bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s, and it operates on the AMD Socket AM5 platform. In synthetic benchmarks, the processor scores 15,236 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1,965 in single-core, while Geekbench results show 13,858 multi-core and 2,603 single-core. The 3DMark tests show a single-thread score of 1,060 and a max-thread score of 6,845. These numbers place the 7600X in the 79th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27,636.

The nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database include the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X with an average score of 27,578 and a delta of 0.2%, the Intel Core i5-12600K also at 27,578 with a 0.2% delta, the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE at 27,712 with a -0.3% delta, and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 at 27,535 with a 0.4% delta. These deltas are all within a fraction of a percent, meaning the 7600X is statistically tied with those processors in aggregate benchmark performance. For a game like The Medium, which is not typically considered CPU-intensive, this level of processing power is more than sufficient. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the combination reaches 173 FPS average, which is a strong indicator that the CPU is not limiting performance at lower resolutions. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a plateau in frame rates regardless of resolution or settings, but the data shows a clear decline as GPU load increases. The 6 cores and 12 threads are adequate for the game’s demands, and the high boost clock of 5.30 GHz helps maintain responsiveness in scenes with heavy scripting or AI. The L3 cache of 32 MB is shared across all cores, which can benefit workloads that use multiple threads, but The Medium’s engine appears to favor single-thread performance based on the CPU’s strong single-core scores.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a high-end graphics card based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, with the AD103 chip manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. The GPU has 9,728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units, along with 76 ray tracing cores and 304 tensor cores. The base clock is 2,205 MHz and the boost clock is 2,505 MHz, with a memory clock of 1,400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective). The card is rated for a TDP of 320 W and requires a 700 W power supply, with a triple-slot design and a 16-pin power connector. In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 4080 scores 6,567 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 214,739 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 263,779 in Geekbench Vulkan. The Passmark G3D score is 34,457, and the GPU compute score is 20,671. These results place the GPU in the 86th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54,247.

The nearest rivals for the RTX 4080 include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER with an average score of 54,209 and a delta of 0.1%, the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X at 54,828 with a delta of -1.1%, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB at 55,698 with a delta of -2.6%, and the AMD Radeon 8060S at 55,757 with a delta of -2.7%. These deltas show that the RTX 4080 is essentially on par with the 4080 SUPER, and slightly behind the AMD options in aggregate scores, though the differences are small. For The Medium, the GPU’s role is dominant, as evidenced by the resolution scaling. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 45, which is below the playable threshold for many users, while at 1080p Low it reaches 173 FPS. The 16 GB of VRAM is ample for this game, as the measured results do not indicate any memory-related stutters or frame drops, and the minimum FPS values for Medium settings at 4K are 67 FPS, which is well above the average for Ultra. The high memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s helps with texture streaming in a game that uses fixed camera angles and detailed environments. The boost clock of 2,505 MHz is typical for the 40-series, and the card’s thermal design allows it to sustain high clocks under load, though the data does not include clock behavior during gameplay.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1080p is the only resolution where every preset exceeds 60 FPS average, with Ultra at 68 FPS and High at 86 FPS. At 1440p, only Low, Medium, and High exceed 60 FPS, while Ultra drops to 57 FPS. At 4K, only Low and Medium exceed 60 FPS, with High at 57 FPS and Ultra at 45 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54,247, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54,209, a delta of 0.1%. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54,828, a delta of -1.1%, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55,698, a delta of -2.6%. The 4080 is effectively tied with the 4080 SUPER and slightly behind the AMD cards in aggregate scores.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at any resolution or setting?

A: The data suggests no CPU bottleneck, as the average FPS at 1080p Low is 173 FPS, which is high enough to indicate that the GPU is the limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, frame rates would remain flat across resolutions, but the measured results show a consistent decline from 1080p to 4K at every preset.

Q: What is the minimum FPS for Medium settings at each resolution?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 102 and the maximum is 138. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 86 and the maximum is 116. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 67 and the maximum is 91. These are the only settings rows that include minimum and maximum values in the measured data.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 7600X rank among all CPUs?

A: The Ryzen 5 7600X is in the 79th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27,636. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X, has a score of 27,578 with a delta of 0.2%, and the Intel Core i5-12600K has the same score and delta.

Q: Can this combo achieve 60 FPS at 4K in The Medium?

A: At 4K with Medium settings, the average FPS is 79, which exceeds 60. At 4K High, the average is 57, which is below 60. At 4K Ultra, the average is 45. Therefore, 60 FPS at 4K is only achievable with Medium settings or lower in this measured data.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear picture of which preset offers the best experience at each resolution. At 1080p, all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—produce average frame rates above 60 FPS, with Low at 173, Medium at 120, High at 86, and Ultra at 68. The Ultra preset at 1080p is the lowest of the group but still maintains a playable average, making it the best choice for maximum visual quality without sacrificing frame rate. At 1440p, the situation changes: Low averages 161 FPS, Medium averages 101 FPS, High averages 72 FPS, and Ultra averages 57 FPS. Since Ultra falls below the 60 FPS threshold, High is the recommended preset at 1440p if the goal is to stay above 60 FPS, as it provides a comfortable 72 FPS average with only a modest reduction in quality compared to Ultra. At 4K, the options are more limited: Low averages 127 FPS, Medium averages 79 FPS, High averages 57 FPS, and Ultra averages 45 FPS. Medium is the only preset that exceeds 60 FPS while offering better fidelity than Low, so it is the recommended choice for 4K. The minimum FPS values for Medium settings are also reassuring: 67 FPS at 4K, 86 FPS at 1440p, and 102 FPS at 1080p, indicating that the frame rate does not dip below playable levels during demanding scenes. For players who prioritize smoothness over visuals, dropping to Low at 4K yields 127 FPS average, which is far above the refresh rate of most displays. The Ultra preset is best reserved for 1080p, where it still delivers 68 FPS average, or for players who accept lower frame rates at higher resolutions. Overall, the data suggests that High at 1440p and Medium at 4K provide the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, while 1080p Ultra is the highest quality setting that remains fluid.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo is organized by resolution and settings, with average FPS values for all rows and minimum/maximum values only for Medium settings. At 1920x1080, the average FPS is 173 for Low, 120 for Medium, 86 for High, and 68 for Ultra. The Medium row at 1080p has a minimum of 102 FPS and a maximum of 138 FPS. At 2560x1440, the average FPS is 161 for Low, 101 for Medium, 72 for High, and 57 for Ultra. The Medium row at 1440p has a minimum of 86 FPS and a maximum of 116 FPS. At 3840x2160, the average FPS is 127 for Low, 79 for Medium, 57 for High, and 45 for Ultra. The Medium row at 4K has a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 91 FPS. These numbers show a consistent pattern: each increase in resolution reduces the average FPS by a significant margin, and each increase in settings from Low to Ultra reduces the average FPS at a given resolution. The Low preset at 4K (127 FPS) is higher than the Medium preset at 1080p (120 FPS), which highlights how much impact settings have compared to resolution. The Ultra preset at 1440p (57 FPS) is nearly identical to the High preset at 4K (57 FPS), suggesting that the GPU reaches a similar performance ceiling when the total pixel count and shading complexity are comparable. The Medium settings rows are the only ones with min/max data, and they show that the frame rate range is tight: at 1080p, the spread is 36 FPS (102 to 138); at 1440p, the spread is 30 FPS (86 to 116); and at 4K, the spread is 24 FPS (67 to 91). This indicates that the game’s frame pacing is stable at Medium settings, with no severe dips. The lack of min/max data for other presets means we cannot assess their frame time consistency, but the average FPS values are sufficient for ranking performance. The data confirms that the combo is capable of high refresh rate gaming at 1080p with any preset, and at 1440p with Low through High, while 4K requires Medium or Low for smooth frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 236th out of 3,724 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the top 6.3% of all configurations. This rank reflects the strong performance of both components, though the game’s engine appears to favor the GPU more heavily, as the CPU’s 79th percentile standing among all processors is lower than the GPU’s 86th percentile among all GPUs. The high rank is driven primarily by the RTX 4080’s ability to maintain playable frame rates at 1440p and 4K, as well as the CPU’s sufficient single-thread performance for the game’s logic. Compared to other combos in the database, this system is well above the median, and the measured FPS data supports that position: at 1080p, the average frame rates are consistently high across all presets, and even at 4K, the combo achieves 79 FPS on Medium settings, which is a respectable result for a horror title with complex fixed-camera scenes. The rank of 236 out of 3,724 also indicates that there are 235 combos with higher performance, likely featuring more powerful GPUs such as the RTX 4090 or newer generations, but within the context of the RTX 4080’s tier, this system is positioned in the upper echelon. The nearest GPU rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, has a negligible benchmark delta of 0.1%, so combos with that card would likely rank within a few positions of this one. The CPU rivals, such as the Ryzen 7 5700X and Core i5-12600K, have deltas of 0.2%, which means swapping the CPU would not significantly alter the ranking. Overall, the data shows that this combo is a strong performer in The Medium, capable of delivering smooth gameplay at most settings, with the only notable weakness being 4K Ultra where the average FPS drops to 45.