The Medium

The Medium with an AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is a combination that heavily favors the CPU, leaving the GPU as the definitive bottleneck in almost every scenario. The measured data shows a system that can produce playable frame rates only at the lowest settings and resolution, with a steep performance cliff appearing as soon as graphical demands increase. This analysis breaks down the measured results to provide practical settings advice and a clear picture of what each component contributes.

Settings Recommendations

Given the GTX 1650's 4 GB VRAM and the game's demands, the measured data points to a single viable path for a smooth experience: 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration in the entire dataset that breaks the 30 FPS barrier, achieving an average of 44 FPS. While this is not a high-refresh-rate experience, it is the only setting that provides a consistently playable frame rate without dipping into the low 20s or teens.

Choosing Medium settings at 1920x1080 results in a significant performance hit, dropping the average to 27 FPS with measured minimums of 23 FPS and maximums of 31 FPS. This places the experience on the edge of playability, where framerate fluctuations are noticeable and can detract from the game's tense atmosphere. The 17 FPS difference between Low and Medium at 1080p (44 vs. 27 FPS) is substantial, indicating that the Medium preset introduces a heavy load that the GTX 1650 cannot sustain.

The data suggests that High and Ultra settings are not viable at any resolution. At 1920x1080, High yields only 20 FPS and Ultra drops to 16 FPS. These are not playable averages for a game that relies on smooth motion for its horror pacing. The recommendation is clear: if you are using this hardware combination, prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity. Start with Low at 1080p and only consider Medium if you can tolerate sub-30 FPS gameplay with occasional dips into the low 20s. There is no scenario in the measured data where High or Ultra settings provide a usable experience.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the primary limiting factor in this configuration. Its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 128-bit memory bus are the most likely culprits for the dramatic performance drop when moving from Low to Medium settings, as the game likely exceeds the VRAM capacity, forcing data swapping. The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its position. With an average benchmark score of 7472 and a percentile ranking of 40, it sits in the lower half of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the Intel UHD Graphics 750 (avg score 7441) and the AMD Radeon R7 350 (avg score 7425), which are both iGPU and low-end desktop parts, highlighting the GTX 1650's entry-level status.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 1485 MHz and a boost of 1665 MHz, are modest, and its 896 shading units are simply not enough to handle the rendering load of The Medium at higher presets. The performance delta between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p is stark: 44 FPS vs. 16 FPS. This 28 FPS drop is a direct consequence of the GPU being overwhelmed. The data indicates that the GPU is working at its absolute limit even at Low settings, as increasing the resolution to 1440p at Low settings drops the frame rate to 37 FPS, a 16% reduction from 1080p. This scaling pattern confirms that the GTX 1650 is the component that dictates the system's overall capability in this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for a playable experience?

A: The only measured configuration that provides an average frame rate above 30 FPS is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which achieves 44 FPS. All other combinations, including Medium at 1080p (27 FPS), fall below this threshold.

Q: Can I run the game at 4K with this hardware?

A: The data shows that 4K is not a viable option. Even at Low settings, the average frame rate at 3840x2160 is only 29 FPS. At Medium, High, and Ultra settings, the averages drop to 18, 13, and 10 FPS respectively, which are unplayable.

Q: How much of a performance hit is there from Low to Medium settings at 1080p?

A: The drop is significant. Switching from Low to Medium at 1920x1080 reduces the average frame rate from 44 FPS to 27 FPS, a decrease of 17 FPS. This suggests a major increase in graphical load that the GTX 1650's 4 GB VRAM and processing power cannot handle smoothly.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 9600X bottlenecking the GTX 1650?

A: No. The benchmark results indicate the opposite. The Ryzen 5 9600X has a strong average benchmark score of 29713 and is in the 81st percentile of all CPUs. In this pairing, the GPU is the definitive bottleneck, as evidenced by the massive frame rate drops when increasing graphical settings or resolution, which are tasks handled by the GPU.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 1440p on Low settings?

A: At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 44 FPS at 1920x1080 to 37 FPS at 2560x1440. This 7 FPS decrease shows that even at the lowest graphical preset, the GTX 1650 struggles to render at a higher resolution.

Q: Are the frame rate minimums stable on Medium settings?

A: The data shows that frame pacing is an issue on Medium. At 1080p, the average is 27 FPS but the minimum is 23 FPS and the maximum is 31 FPS. This 8 FPS variance between the minimum and maximum indicates noticeable stuttering and inconsistent performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a clear picture of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are as follows: Low settings average 44 FPS, Medium averages 27 FPS (with a minimum of 23 and a maximum of 31), High averages 20 FPS, and Ultra averages 16 FPS. This shows a steady decline as visual quality increases.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops across the board. Low settings average 37 FPS, Medium averages 23 FPS (with a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 26), High averages 16 FPS, and Ultra averages 13 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium narrows slightly here (14 FPS vs. 17 FPS at 1080p), but the overall frame rates are lower.

At 3840x2160, the results are largely unplayable. Low settings average 29 FPS, Medium averages 18 FPS (with a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 21), High averages 13 FPS, and Ultra averages 10 FPS. The data shows that even the lowest preset cannot maintain a consistent 30 FPS at this resolution, making 4K a non-starter for this hardware combination.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly identifies the GPU as the system's limiting factor. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 44 at 1080p, to 37 at 1440p, and finally to 29 at 4K. This represents a 34% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K (44 to 29 FPS). If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the frame rate to remain relatively stable as resolution increases, since the CPU workload does not scale with pixel count. Instead, the continuous, significant drop in FPS with each resolution increase is a classic sign of a GPU that is saturated with rendering work.

The scaling pattern intensifies at higher settings. At Medium, the average FPS drops from 27 at 1080p to 23 at 1440p and 18 at 4K. The absolute FPS numbers are lower, but the percentage drop is less pronounced than at Low, suggesting that the GPU is already so overwhelmed at 1080p Medium that the additional pixel load has a diminishing relative impact. This behavior reinforces the conclusion that the GTX 1650's 4 GB VRAM and processing power are exhausted well before the Ryzen 5 9600X's capabilities are even challenged. The data shows a system where visual fidelity and resolution are directly traded for frame rate, with the GPU dictating all terms.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X plays a supporting role in this configuration, providing more than enough processing power for The Medium. With 6 cores and 12 threads, a base clock of 3.90 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, the CPU's raw performance is not a limiting factor. Its benchmark scores are robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17528.5 and a single-core score of 2183.5. Its average benchmark score of 29713 places it in the 81st percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT (avg score 29879, -0.6% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (avg score 29955, -0.8% delta), indicating it is a high-performing upper-midrange part.

In the context of this game, the CPU is not the bottleneck. The evidence is in the resolution scaling. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would be similar across different resolutions because the CPU's workload (game logic, physics, AI) is largely independent of resolution. However, the data shows frame rates plummeting as resolution increases, which is the signature of a GPU bottleneck. The Ryzen 5 9600X is effectively idle, waiting for the GTX 1650 to finish rendering each frame. This pairing creates an unbalanced system where the CPU's potential is untapped, and the overall experience is strictly constrained by the GPU's limitations. Upgrading the GPU would yield a substantial performance increase, as the CPU has ample headroom to support a much more powerful graphics card.