The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title, and the data for this combination of an AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 shows a system that is firmly constrained by its graphics card. The measured results indicate that while the CPU is more than capable, the GTX 1070 is the decisive factor in determining playability across all resolutions and settings. The data shows a clear pattern: this is a GPU-bound scenario where adjustments to visual fidelity and resolution are the only meaningful levers for performance.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is severe and tells a clear story about the limiting component. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 74 FPS at 1920x1080 to 65.4 FPS at 2560x1440, a decrease of roughly 11.6%. However, the jump to 3840x2160 brings a much steeper decline to 50 FPS, a 23.5% drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern indicates that the GTX 1070’s memory bandwidth and fillrate are being saturated as pixel count increases.

The situation is even more pronounced at higher quality presets. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 34.4 at 1080p to 25.6 at 1440p, and then plummets to just 23.1 at 4K. The Ultra preset shows a similar trajectory, starting at 25.9 FPS at 1080p and falling to 20.9 FPS at 1440p and 20.1 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 4K at Ultra is a 22.4% reduction, but the absolute numbers are so low that the relative change is less impactful than the overall lack of playability.

The data suggests that the game engine’s rendering load scales heavily with resolution, and the GTX 1070 does not have the raw throughput to maintain frame rates. The Ryzen 5 9600X is not the bottleneck here; its strong single-thread performance cannot compensate for the GPU’s limitations. The scaling pattern is consistent: every step up in resolution produces a significant hit to average FPS, confirming that the graphics card is the primary performance limiter across the board.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the only viable path to a smooth experience is to prioritize the Low preset. At 1920x1080, Low delivers an average of 74 FPS, which is the only configuration in the entire dataset that approaches a comfortable 60+ FPS target. The Medium preset at the same resolution falls to 45.2 FPS, which is a substantial 38.9% drop from Low, and while it is more visually appealing, it sacrifices the fluidity needed for a game that relies on atmosphere and timing.

For 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only option that remains playable, producing 65.4 FPS. Moving to Medium at this resolution yields 37.4 FPS, which is a 42.8% reduction and likely too choppy for a tense horror experience. At 4K, even Low settings drop to 50 FPS, which is borderline, but it is the only preset that exceeds 30 FPS at this resolution. The High and Ultra presets are effectively unplayable at every resolution, with averages ranging from 34.4 FPS down to 20.1 FPS.

The data clearly indicates that the “best” experience is achieved by using Low settings at 1080p or 1440p. The performance headroom is simply not there for Medium or higher. The GPU’s 8 GB of VRAM and its bandwidth are insufficient for the higher presets, which likely increase texture detail and shadow complexity. Users should accept the visual compromise to maintain a responsive frame rate, as the game’s horror elements rely more on pacing than on graphical fidelity.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is the defining component in this analysis. Its specifications—8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth—are adequate for 1080p gaming, but they are stretched thin by The Medium’s demands. The GPU’s base clock of 1506 MHz and boost clock of 1683 MHz, along with its 1920 shading units, provide a baseline of compute power. However, the benchmark results show that the card’s performance percentile is at 51, placing it squarely in the middle of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 12331 is only 0.7% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro K4200.

The VRAM capacity is a likely factor in the performance cliff between settings. The jump from Medium to High at 1080p results in a 23.9% drop in average FPS (from 45.2 to 34.4), suggesting that the High preset may be exceeding the card’s memory capacity or bandwidth limits. The GTX 1070’s memory clock of 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective) is relatively modest by modern standards, and the data shows that the card struggles to maintain frame rates as texture and shader complexity increase.

The GPU’s compute capabilities, measured at 6.463 TFLOPS for FP32, are clearly insufficient for the game’s higher presets. The measured FPS numbers confirm that the GTX 1070 is the bottleneck, as the CPU is not the limiting factor. The card’s nearest rivals include the GTX 1650 SUPER, which scores 1.4% higher on average, highlighting that the GTX 1070 is at the edge of its performance class. In practical terms, this GPU can handle the game only at its lowest settings, and even then, 4K resolution pushes it to the limit.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full range of settings produces a wide spread of results. Low settings achieve an average of 74 FPS, which is the highest recorded figure for this combination. Medium settings drop to 45.2 FPS, a 38.9% reduction. High settings yield 34.4 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 25.9 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 65%, underscoring the heavy cost of the higher presets.

At 2560x1440, the pattern continues but with lower absolute numbers. Low settings average 65.4 FPS, which is still playable. Medium settings average 37.4 FPS, a 42.8% drop from Low. High settings produce 25.6 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 20.9 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is an 11.6% reduction, but at Ultra settings, the reduction is 19.3%.

At 3840x2160, the results are largely unusable. Low settings average 50 FPS, which is the only preset above 30 FPS. Medium settings drop to 31.1 FPS, High settings to 23.1 FPS, and Ultra settings to 20.1 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K at Low settings is 23.5%, while at Ultra settings, it is only 3.8%, indicating that the card is already so saturated at 1440p Ultra that the additional pixel count has diminishing returns. Across all resolutions, the data shows that Low is the only setting that provides a playable experience, and even then, 4K is borderline.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Low settings is the optimal configuration, delivering an average of 74 FPS. At 2560x1440 with Low settings, the average drops to 65.4 FPS, which is still acceptable, but 3840x2160 at Low settings falls to 50 FPS, making it less ideal.

Q: Can this system handle Ultra settings in The Medium?

A: No. The best Ultra result is 25.9 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 20.9 FPS at 1440p and 20.1 FPS at 4K. These frame rates are far below a playable threshold.

Q: How much of a performance hit does 4K take compared to 1080p?

A: At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 74 at 1080p to 50 at 4K, a 32.4% reduction. At High settings, the drop is from 34.4 to 23.1 FPS, a 32.8% reduction.

Q: Is the GTX 1070 a bottleneck in this system?

A: Yes. The measured FPS scaling indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor. The Ryzen 5 9600X is a high-performing processor, but the GTX 1070’s average benchmark score of 12331 and its 51st percentile ranking show it cannot keep up with the game’s demands.

Q: What is the difference between Medium and Low settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, Low settings average 74 FPS, while Medium settings average 45.2 FPS. This represents a 38.9% performance loss for moving up one preset tier.

Q: Is 8 GB of VRAM enough for The Medium?

A: The data suggests it is not sufficient for higher presets. The significant frame rate drops between Medium and High at all resolutions indicate that the 8 GB VRAM and its 256.3 GB/s bandwidth are likely being overwhelmed by increased texture and geometry loads.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a powerful processor that is not the limiting factor in this configuration. With 6 cores and 12 threads, a base clock of 3.90 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, it provides ample computational power. Its benchmark scores are strong, including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 25525 and a single-core score of 3603. The CPU’s percentile ranking of 85 places it well above the average, and its average benchmark score of 28246 is only 0.3% higher than the Intel Core i5-13490F, its nearest rival.

In The Medium, the CPU’s role is to handle game logic and physics, but the measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck. The Ryzen 5 9600X’s high single-thread performance, evidenced by its Geekbench single-core score of 3363, ensures that it can feed the GTX 1070 without stalling. The CPU’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth further reduce any potential data delivery bottlenecks.

However, the CPU’s capabilities are largely wasted in this pairing. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 74 FPS, but this is still limited by the GPU. The CPU’s strong performance does not translate into higher frame rates because the GTX 1070 cannot render frames fast enough. The data indicates that even at lower resolutions, the GPU is the primary constraint. The Ryzen 5 9600X’s 65W TDP and efficient 4nm process also mean it runs cool and stable, but the overall system performance is capped by the graphics card’s 150W TDP and its end-of-life production status. In summary, the CPU is a capable partner, but it is waiting on the GPU to catch up.