The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination delivers a playable, though not exceptional, experience in The Medium. The data shows a pairing that is heavily constrained by the GPU, particularly at higher resolutions and settings, with the CPU providing sufficient headroom to avoid becoming the primary bottleneck. This combo ranks in the 1648th position out of 2911 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database, a position that reflects its performance ceiling in this specific horror title.

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, with a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. This configuration is more than adequate for the demands of The Medium, a game that does not appear to be exceptionally CPU-intensive based on the measured frame rates. The processor's performance profile, as indicated by its benchmarks, shows strong multi-threaded capabilities with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20851, yet its single-thread score of 2943 is relatively modest. This suggests that while the CPU can handle complex, multi-threaded workloads, its per-core performance is not a standout feature.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data. The benchmark results indicate that the processor is not the limiting factor in this pairing. For instance, at 1080p Low settings, the system achieves an average of 101 FPS. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect to see a performance ceiling that prevents the frame rate from scaling, regardless of how low the graphical settings are set. The fact that the frame rate increases significantly when moving from High to Low settings at the same resolution points to the GPU being the primary constraint. The CPU is likely capable of delivering even higher frame rates, but the GPU's rendering limits cap the output. The 8400F's 16 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth provide a solid foundation for game data streaming, ensuring that the GPU is kept supplied with instructions and textures without significant stutter or frame hitches. The processor's 65W TDP and 4 nm process node indicate an efficient design, but efficiency is not directly correlated with gaming performance in this analysis. The data suggests that the Ryzen 5 8400F is a capable partner that does not hold back the RX 9060 in this title, allowing the GPU's performance to be the deciding factor in the final frame rates.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the clear determinant of performance in this pairing. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, the card has a memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. This is a critical specification for The Medium, a game that is likely to be demanding on memory bandwidth due to its detailed environments and visual effects. The GPU's boost clock is rated at 2990 MHz, with a game clock of 2400 MHz, and its performance in synthetic benchmarks places it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 16014 is very close to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which has an average score of 16129, showing a delta of -0.7%. This indicates that the RX 9060 is a solid mid-range performer, but not a high-end solution.

The measured frame rates in The Medium directly reflect the GPU's workload. At 1080p Ultra, the system averages 36 FPS, which is a demanding setting that stresses the GPU's shading units and ROPs. The RX 9060 has 1792 shading units and 64 ROPs, which are tasked with rendering the game's visual effects. The move from Ultra to High at 1080p yields a 9 FPS increase, while dropping to Medium yields a further 18 FPS increase. This scaling behavior confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is likely a factor at 4K Ultra, where the system only manages an average of 24 FPS, as the card may be running out of memory or hitting the limits of its bandwidth. The GPU's RDNA 4.0 architecture and DirectX 12 Ultimate support are relevant for modern game features, but the raw performance data shows that the RX 9060 struggles to maintain high frame rates at the highest settings. The card's performance at 4K Low (67 FPS) versus 4K High (30 FPS) demonstrates a significant performance swing that is characteristic of a GPU that is heavily taxed by higher graphical fidelity settings.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The FPS scaling across resolutions paints a clear picture of a GPU-bound system. At Low settings, the average frame rates are 101 FPS at 1080p, 85 FPS at 1440p, and 67 FPS at 4K. This is a drop of 15.8% from 1080p to 1440p and a further 21.2% drop from 1440p to 4K. The decline is steady and predictable, indicating that the GPU's rendering capabilities are being progressively saturated as the pixel count increases. This is classic GPU-bound behavior. If the CPU were the limiter, we would expect to see a less pronounced drop when increasing the resolution, as the CPU's workload remains relatively constant while the GPU's workload increases.

The scaling at High settings is even more telling. The frame rates are 45 FPS at 1080p, 38 FPS at 1440p, and 30 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 15.6% and 21.1% respectively, which are very similar to the Low settings scaling. This consistency across different settings levels strongly suggests that the GPU is the sole limiting component. The CPU is able to keep up with the GPU at all resolutions, as the frame rate is always dictated by the GPU's ability to render the frame. The data reveals that The Medium is a title that scales resolution in a linear fashion, with no sudden drops that would indicate a CPU or memory bottleneck. The combination of the RX 9060's 8 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth is the limiting factor, as the system cannot maintain 60 FPS at 1440p High, let alone 4K. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is approximately 70% at Low settings, which is a substantial decrease that underscores the GPU's role as the performance gatekeeper in this configuration.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 ranks 1648th out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the 43rd percentile of all tested combinations, meaning that roughly 57% of the tested systems perform better. This is a middling rank that reflects the GPU's position in the performance hierarchy. The RX 9060's nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (delta of -0.7%), the AMD Radeon R9 370X (delta of 1%), and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 (delta of 1%). These are all cards that would likely produce similar frame rates in The Medium, and the combo's rank is consistent with this level of GPU performance.

The CPU's rank in the broader database is higher, at the 77th percentile of all CPUs, but this does not translate into a higher combo rank because the GPU holds the system back. The data shows that the combo rank is not an average of the individual component ranks, but rather a reflection of the weakest link. In this case, the GPU is the weak link. The 8400F's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (delta of 0.2%) and the Intel Core i7-13620H (delta of 0.4%), would likely yield a similar combo rank if paired with the same GPU. The combo's rank of 1648 suggests that while the CPU is a competent performer, the overall system is not optimized for high-end gaming in this title. The measured frame rates, which peak at 101 FPS at 1080p Low, are indicative of a system that is better suited for 1080p gaming at medium settings, rather than high-refresh-rate or high-resolution play. The rank is a clear signal that this is a mainstream configuration, not a high-performance one.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings for this combo in The Medium depend on the user's priority for visual fidelity versus frame rate smoothness. For a target of 60 FPS, which is the standard for smooth gameplay, the data shows that only the Low preset at 1080p (101 FPS) and 1440p (85 FPS) achieves this goal. At 4K, even Low settings only average 67 FPS, which is above 60 but still requires a compromise in visual quality. The Medium preset at 1080p yields an average of 63 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the highest quality setting that can maintain a playable frame rate at 1080p. However, the High preset at 1080p drops to 45 FPS, which may be acceptable for some but is not ideal for a smooth experience.

For users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, the High preset at 1080p (45 FPS) or 1440p (38 FPS) offers a better-looking image, but the frame rates are below the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset is not recommended, as it only achieves 36 FPS at 1080p and 24 FPS at 4K, which is a poor experience. The data indicates that the "sweet spot" for this combo is the Medium preset at 1080p, where the system delivers 63 FPS with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS. This provides a balanced experience with a good frame rate and decent visual quality. At 1440p, the Medium preset drops to 53 FPS, which is still playable but not as smooth. The Low preset is the only option for a stable 60+ FPS experience at 1440p. Given these results, the recommendation is to use the Medium preset at 1080p for the best balance, or the Low preset at 1440p if higher resolution is preferred. The data strongly suggests avoiding Ultra settings, as the performance penalty is not justified by the frame rates achieved.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The following is the exact measured FPS data for this combo in The Medium, broken down by resolution and settings.

At 1920x1080, the system achieves the following average frame rates:

• Low: 101 FPS
• Medium: 63 FPS (with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS)
• High: 45 FPS
• Ultra: 36 FPS

This shows a clear progression, with the Low preset being the only one that provides a high frame rate, and the Ultra preset being the most demanding. The Medium preset is the only one that provides a minimum frame rate above 50 FPS, indicating a relatively stable experience.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are:

• Low: 85 FPS
• Medium: 53 FPS (with a minimum of 45 FPS and a maximum of 61 FPS)
• High: 38 FPS
• Ultra: 30 FPS

The 1440p results show a significant drop from 1080p. The Low preset still maintains a high frame rate, but the Medium preset falls below the 60 FPS threshold. The High and Ultra presets are not recommended for smooth gameplay at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are:

• Low: 67 FPS
• Medium: 42 FPS (with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS)
• High: 30 FPS
• Ultra: 24 FPS

The 4K results are the most demanding, with only the Low preset achieving a playable frame rate. The Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 35, which can lead to noticeable stuttering. The High and Ultra presets are effectively unplayable, with average frame rates in the 24-30 FPS range.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the RX 9060 is capable of delivering high frame rates at 1080p Low, but the performance degrades rapidly as resolution and settings increase. The minimum FPS values for the Medium preset at all resolutions (53 at 1080p, 45 at 1440p, 35 at 4K) provide a reliable indicator of the system's stability. This breakdown confirms that the combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, with a viable option for 1440p at lower settings, and is not suitable for high-fidelity 4K gaming.