The Medium

The Medium is a horror title that relies on a static-camera presentation and heavy atmosphere, which places a distinct load on both the processor and the graphics card. The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and the AMD Radeon RX 570 produces a specific set of results that are heavily skewed by the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured performance data to explain where the bottleneck lies and what settings offer the most playable experience.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, built on a 4 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The processor's cache layout includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 16 MB of L3 cache. This configuration provides a solid foundation for gaming, with the 12 threads allowing for efficient handling of background tasks and modern game engines.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 8400F demonstrates strong multi-threaded performance. For instance, it scores 20,851 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 8,757 points in Cinebench R20 multi-core. Its single-thread performance is also respectable, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,943. The processor's overall average benchmark score is 25,005, placing it in the 77th percentile among all CPUs. Compared to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 8400F is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, which has an average score of 24,964, a delta of 0.2%. It is also nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-11850H and Intel Core i7-13620H, with deltas of 0.3% and 0.4% respectively.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage the game's logic. The measured frame rates show a pattern where performance drops significantly as resolution increases, which suggests the CPU is not the primary limiting factor in this configuration. For example, at 1080p Low settings, the average frame rate is 44 FPS, while at 4K Low settings, it drops to 29 FPS. This scaling indicates that the graphics card is being saturated at higher resolutions, while the CPU has enough headroom to handle the lower resolution workloads. The 6-core, 12-thread design is sufficient for the game's demands, as the data does not show a scenario where the CPU is preventing the GPU from reaching its maximum output.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is an older graphics card featuring the Polaris 20 chip, built on a 14 nm process with GCN 4.0 architecture. It has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1168 MHz and a boost clock of 1244 MHz, with memory clocked at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective). It offers 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operations pipelines, resulting in a pixel rate of 39.81 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 159.2 GTexel/s. The card's FP32 performance is rated at 5.095 TFLOPS.

The RX 570's average benchmark score is 28,766, which puts it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, which scores 28,874, a delta of -0.4%, indicating the RX 570 is slightly behind. It is also very close to the AMD Radeon RX 470, which scores 28,996, a delta of -0.8%. This data shows the RX 570 is positioned at a mid-range level, but its 4 GB of VRAM is a critical constraint for modern titles like The Medium.

In The Medium, the GPU is the dominant bottleneck. The measured frame rates reveal a steep decline as settings increase at the same resolution. At 1080p, the average frame rate falls from 44 FPS at Low settings to 28 FPS at Medium, then to 20 FPS at High, and finally to 16 FPS at Ultra. This pattern is consistent across all resolutions, demonstrating that the GPU struggles with the game's rendering load, particularly the higher texture quality and effects that stress the 4 GB VRAM buffer. The 4K results are especially telling, with the average frame rate dropping to just 10 FPS at Ultra settings, which is unplayable. The GPU's clock speeds and memory bandwidth are insufficient to handle the game's demands at high resolutions, making the RX 570 the clear limiting factor in this pairing.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1080p is the only resolution that offers a playable experience. At 1080p Low settings, the average frame rate is 44 FPS. At 1440p and 4K, the frame rates drop significantly, with even Low settings at 1440p only reaching 37 FPS and 4K Low falling to 29 FPS.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 8400F compare to its closest rivals in overall CPU performance?

A: The Ryzen 5 8400F has an average benchmark score of 25,005, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (24,964, a 0.2% delta) and the Intel Core i7-13620H (24,911, a 0.4% delta). It is also within 0.3% of the Intel Core i7-11850H (24,935).

Q: Is the RX 570's 4 GB VRAM sufficient for The Medium?

A: The data suggests it is not, especially at higher settings. The frame rate at 1080p Ultra is 16 FPS, which is a substantial drop from the 28 FPS at Medium settings. This steep decline indicates that the game is exceeding the VRAM capacity, causing performance to suffer.

Q: What is the highest setting at which this combo can maintain a playable frame rate?

A: At 1080p, the Medium preset yields an average of 28 FPS with a minimum of 23 FPS. This is the highest preset that stays above the 20 FPS threshold. The High preset drops to 20 FPS, which is borderline, while Ultra falls to 16 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 570's performance compare to its nearest rival, the RX 6800M?

A: The RX 570 has an average benchmark score of 28,766, which is 0.4% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6800M's score of 28,874. This indicates they perform at a very similar level in synthetic tests, despite the RX 6800M being a more modern part.

Q: Does the CPU show any signs of being a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: No, the data does not support that. The frame rate scales predictably with resolution, dropping from 44 FPS at 1080p Low to 37 FPS at 1440p Low. This pattern indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU has the headroom to process the game's logic at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined performance of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and AMD Radeon RX 570 in The Medium is ranked 3,557 out of 3,724 tested combinations. This places it in the bottom 5% of all systems tested, which is a poor showing for a gaming rig. The rank reflects the GPU's severe limitations in this title, as the CPU is a modern, capable part. The data shows that the combo is only suitable for very low-demand scenarios, and even then, it struggles to maintain high frame rates.

This low rank is primarily due to the RX 570's age and limited VRAM. The GPU's 4 GB memory buffer is a significant handicap in a game like The Medium, which likely uses high-resolution textures and complex lighting effects. The CPU's strong single-thread and multi-thread scores cannot compensate for the GPU's inability to render frames quickly at higher settings. The combination's rank is a direct consequence of the GPU being the weakest link, and it suggests that any upgrade path should prioritize the graphics card over the processor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the combo's performance across resolutions and settings. All frame rates are average values, with minimum and maximum values only provided for Medium settings.

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 44 FPS average
• Medium: 28 FPS average, with a minimum of 23 FPS and a maximum of 32 FPS
• High: 20 FPS average
• Ultra: 16 FPS average

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 37 FPS average
• Medium: 23 FPS average, with a minimum of 20 FPS and a maximum of 27 FPS
• High: 17 FPS average
• Ultra: 13 FPS average

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 29 FPS average
• Medium: 18 FPS average, with a minimum of 15 FPS and a maximum of 21 FPS
• High: 13 FPS average
• Ultra: 10 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern: as resolution increases, the frame rate drops by a similar margin across all settings. Moving from 1080p Low to 1440p Low results in a 7 FPS drop (44 to 37 FPS), while moving from 1440p Low to 4K Low results in an 8 FPS drop (37 to 29 FPS). This linear scaling indicates that the GPU is hitting its rendering limits at each resolution, with the 4K results being particularly poor, falling below 20 FPS even at Low settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the only viable settings for this combo are at 1080p with the Low or Medium preset. The Low preset provides an average of 44 FPS, which is playable but may have visual compromises. The Medium preset offers a better visual experience with an average of 28 FPS, and the data shows a minimum of 23 FPS, meaning most of the time the game will run in the mid-20s range. This is acceptable for a slower-paced horror game like The Medium, where precise timing is less critical than in a fast-action shooter.

The High preset at 1080p drops to 20 FPS, which is likely to feel stuttery and unresponsive. The Ultra preset at 1080p is even worse at 16 FPS, making it unplayable. At 1440p and 4K, no preset is recommended, as even Low settings produce average frame rates of 37 FPS and 29 FPS respectively, which may be borderline but will likely suffer from frame pacing issues. The data suggests that the Medium preset at 1080p is the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, as it keeps the average frame rate above 25 FPS while offering better textures and effects than Low. Users who prioritize smoothness over visuals should stick with Low at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component in this system. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 44 FPS at 1080p to 37 FPS at 1440p, a decrease of 15.9%. Moving from 1440p to 4K Low, the frame rate drops from 37 FPS to 29 FPS, a decrease of 21.6%. This scaling is not linear, which is typical when the GPU becomes more heavily taxed at higher resolutions.

The data strongly indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would remain relatively constant across resolutions, as the CPU's workload does not change significantly with resolution. Instead, the frame rates drop consistently as the pixel count increases, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The RX 570's 4 GB of VRAM and its 224.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are insufficient for the higher resolutions, causing the rendering pipeline to stall. The CPU, with its 12 threads and high clock speeds, is more than capable of handling the game's logic at all tested resolutions. This is evident from the fact that the frame rate at 1080p Low (44 FPS) is still well below what a modern 6-core CPU should be able to achieve, indicating the GPU is already at its maximum output at the lowest settings.