The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti combination in The Medium demonstrates a performance profile that is heavily dictated by resolution and graphics preset. The data shows a system where the GPU becomes the defining component at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s capability is exposed at lower settings. This analysis examines the measured frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets to interpret the scaling behavior, the role of the graphics card, and the optimal configuration for this hardware pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance erosion as resolution increases, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 150.9 FPS, but this drops to 124.5 FPS at 1440p and further to 99.1 FPS at 4K. This represents a reduction of 17.5% from 1080p to 1440p and an additional 20.4% from 1440p to 4K. The scaling suggests that even at the lowest quality preset, the RTX 3080 Ti’s rendering load increases substantially with pixel count, though the frame rates remain high enough to indicate headroom.

Moving to Medium settings, the same resolution progression yields 90.6 FPS at 1080p, 79.4 FPS at 1440p, and 64.4 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops here are softer: a 12.4% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, followed by an 18.9% reduction to 4K. This pattern indicates that as the preset becomes more demanding, the relative impact of resolution diminishes slightly because the GPU is already working harder on visual effects, making pixel count a smaller fraction of the total workload.

At High settings, the averages fall to 68.2 FPS at 1080p, 57 FPS at 1440p, and 42.6 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 16.4%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 25.3%. The steeper decline at 4K under High settings points to the RTX 3080 Ti nearing its limits, with the increased shader and texture complexity amplifying the cost of additional pixels. The 4K High result of 42.6 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that this setting is not suitable for smooth gameplay at that resolution.

Ultra settings show the most severe scaling, with 54.4 FPS at 1080p, 46.3 FPS at 1440p, and 33.4 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 14.9%, but the 1440p to 4K drop is 27.9%. This is the largest absolute decline in the dataset, confirming that Ultra settings at 4K are impractical for this combo, producing a result below 35 FPS. The data suggests that the limiting component shifts from the CPU at low resolutions to the GPU at higher resolutions, but the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck for all settings above Low at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is the dominant factor in these results, and its specifications explain the observed scaling. The card features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s. This high bandwidth is critical for The Medium, which uses fixed camera angles and detailed textures; the data shows that even at 4K Low, the combo maintains 99.1 FPS, suggesting that memory capacity is sufficient for the game’s requirements at lower presets, but the bandwidth is heavily taxed at higher settings.

The GPU’s boost clock is listed at 1665 MHz, with a base clock of 1365 MHz. These clocks, combined with 10240 shading units and 80 RT cores, drive the frame rates. The FP32 performance is rated at 34.10 TFLOPS, which is substantial, but the measured FPS at 4K Ultra (33.4 FPS) indicates that the game’s ray tracing and post-processing effects are extremely demanding. The RTX 3080 Ti’s 12 GB VRAM is likely a limiting factor at Ultra, as the game can exceed this allocation at 4K with maximum textures, causing performance to degrade to the 30s.

In comparison to its nearest rivals, the RTX 3080 Ti’s average benchmark score of 41224 places it just 0.5% behind the RTX 3090 (score 41441) and 1.1% behind the RTX 5070 (score 41687). This close grouping suggests that the RTX 3080 Ti should deliver performance within a few percentage points of those cards in most scenarios. However, the measured FPS in The Medium shows that at 4K High, the combo only achieves 42.6 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. This indicates that the game is particularly heavy on GPU resources, and the RTX 3080 Ti, while powerful, is not sufficient for high refresh rate 4K gaming in this title.

The GPU’s memory clock runs at 1188 MHz with 19 Gbps effective speed, which contributes to the 912.4 GB/s bandwidth. This is a key asset for The Medium, which features smooth camera transitions and high-resolution textures. The data shows that the GPU is the primary limiter at 1440p and 4K, as evidenced by the consistent FPS drops when moving from Low to Ultra at each resolution. For example, at 1440p, Low yields 124.5 FPS, but Ultra drops to 46.3 FPS, a 62.8% reduction. This wide gap confirms that the GPU’s compute and memory subsystems are the bottleneck, not the CPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: The data shows that 1440p with High settings achieves 57 FPS, which is close to but below 60 FPS. For a stable 60 FPS, 1440p Medium is the safest choice, delivering 79.4 FPS, while 1080p High reaches 68.2 FPS.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K compared to lower resolutions?

A: At 4K, the average FPS ranges from 99.1 on Low to 33.4 on Ultra. The High preset yields 42.6 FPS, which is not playable for most users. The 4K Medium result of 64.4 FPS is the only preset above 60 FPS at that resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the primary limiting factor at all resolutions above 1080p Low. The FPS drops from 124.5 at 1440p Low to 99.1 at 4K Low indicate GPU scaling, while the CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU at lower settings, as seen by the 150.9 FPS at 1080p Low.

Q: What is the difference in performance between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the Low preset averages 150.9 FPS, while Ultra drops to 54.4 FPS. This is a 64% reduction in frame rate, showing that the Ultra preset’s effects, including ray tracing, heavily tax the GPU even at the lowest resolution.

Q: How does this combo rank relative to other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 402 out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the top 23.8% of all configurations. This indicates a strong pairing that outperforms the majority of systems tested.

Q: Should I use High or Medium settings at 1440p for the best balance?

A: Medium at 1440p provides 79.4 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. High at 1440p drops to 57 FPS, which may cause noticeable stutter on 60 Hz displays. The data supports Medium as the better choice for consistent smoothness.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo holds a rank of 402 out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium, which places it in the upper quartile of systems. This ranking is strong, but it also reveals that there are 401 other configurations that achieve higher average frame rates in this specific title. The RTX 3080 Ti’s position relative to its rivals helps contextualize this: it is 0.5% behind the RTX 3090 and 1.1% behind the RTX 5070 in average benchmark score, so the ranking gap likely stems from these small differences in GPU compute power.

The CPU, AMD Ryzen 5 8400F, has an average benchmark score of 25064 and ranks in the 82nd percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X with a score of 25057, a delta of 0%, meaning the 8400F is essentially tied with that older chip. The Ryzen 5 7500F scores 24993, which is 0.3% lower, showing that the 8400F is competitive within its segment. However, the game’s performance is clearly GPU-bound, as evidenced by the FPS scaling across resolutions, so the CPU’s rank is less influential than the GPU’s.

In practical terms, the combo’s rank of 402 means it sits above the median but not at the top tier. The data shows that the RTX 3080 Ti is capable of delivering high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but it struggles at 4K with high presets. This suggests that the ranking is dragged down by the 4K Ultra results, which are below 35 FPS. If the user is targeting 1080p or 1440p, the combo’s effective performance is much better than the overall rank implies, as those resolutions yield playable frame rates across all settings.

The percentileVsAllGpus field of 83 indicates that the RTX 3080 Ti outperforms 83% of all GPUs tested, which is a strong position. This aligns with the combo’s top-quarter ranking in the game. The data does not show any CPU bottleneck at 1080p Low, where the 150.9 FPS result is likely near the CPU’s maximum frame delivery, but the GPU still has headroom to push higher if the CPU were faster.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and the user’s preference for frame rate versus visual fidelity. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 90.6 FPS, which is a strong balance of smoothness and quality. The High preset at 1080p achieves 68.2 FPS, still above 60 FPS, making it viable for users who prioritize visual detail. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 54.4 FPS, which is borderline for 60 Hz displays, so Medium or High is recommended for consistent performance.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is the clear best choice, yielding 79.4 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS target and provides a good balance between detail and smoothness. The High preset at 1440p produces 57 FPS, which is just below 60 FPS and may exhibit occasional drops. For users with a 144 Hz monitor, 1440p Low offers 124.5 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play, but Medium is the recommended sweet spot for most users.

At 4K, the options are limited. The Medium preset achieves 64.4 FPS, which is the only preset above 60 FPS at this resolution. The High preset drops to 42.6 FPS, and Ultra falls to 33.4 FPS, both of which are not recommended for a playable experience. Low at 4K yields 99.1 FPS, which is surprisingly high, but the visual quality compromise may be too severe for a horror game where atmosphere matters. The data strongly suggests that 4K Medium is the only viable preset for this combo, and even then, users should expect occasional frame drops in demanding scenes.

The overall recommendation is to use Medium settings at any resolution. At 1080p, it provides 90.6 FPS, at 1440p it reaches 79.4 FPS, and at 4K it maintains 64.4 FPS. This preset offers the best performance-per-visual-quality ratio, as evidenced by the consistent FPS above 60 across all three resolutions. High settings are only suitable for 1080p, where the 68.2 FPS result is acceptable, but the drop to 57 FPS at 1440p and 42.6 FPS at 4K makes it a poor choice for higher resolutions. Ultra should be avoided entirely, as it fails to reach 60 FPS even at 1080p.