The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination delivers a highly playable experience in The Medium, but the data reveals a clear performance ceiling dictated by the GPU at higher resolutions. The benchmark results show a system that excels at 1080p and 1440p, yet struggles to maintain fluid frame rates at 4K with maximum settings, making it a pairing best suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, underscoring the GPU-bound nature of The Medium at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 74.4 FPS at 1920x1080 to 61.7 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of approximately 17%. Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 48.5 FPS, representing a 35% decline from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the limiting component as resolution increases, with the CPU having ample headroom to feed frames at lower resolutions.

The scaling becomes more dramatic at the Ultra preset. The system achieves 56.6 FPS at 1080p, which is already borderline for smooth gameplay, but this falls to 47.9 FPS at 1440p and plummets to 41.4 FPS at 4K. The delta between 1080p and 4K at Ultra is 26.8%, showing that the GPU's rendering load grows faster than its ability to maintain performance. Conversely, at Low settings, the system scales from 166.3 FPS at 1080p to 139.7 FPS at 1440p and 110.6 FPS at 4K, demonstrating that even at the lowest preset, the 4K resolution imposes a significant penalty of 33.5% compared to 1080p.

These results suggest that players targeting 4K should expect to use Medium settings at best, where the 69.6 FPS average is just playable, or consider dropping to 1440p for a more comfortable margin. The scaling data confirms that this is not a CPU-bound scenario; the Ryzen 5 9600X's 6 cores and 12 threads are more than sufficient to avoid bottlenecking at any resolution tested.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the primary driver of performance in this pairing, and its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus with 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth is well-matched to The Medium's requirements. The GPU's boost clock of 2475 MHz, paired with a base clock of 1980 MHz, allows it to maintain high throughput across the tested configurations. The data shows that the GPU's 84th percentile ranking among all GPUs is reflected in its ability to deliver 74.4 FPS at High settings in 1080p, which is a solid result for a horror title with demanding visuals.

However, the GPU's limitations become apparent at Ultra settings. The 41.4 FPS average at 4K Ultra indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER is pushed to its limits, likely due to the combination of heavy shading, ray tracing effects, and high-resolution textures. The 12 GB VRAM capacity appears sufficient, as there is no evidence of a sudden performance cliff that would indicate memory overflow, but the raw compute power of the 7168 shading units is the constraining factor at this preset. The GPU's 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is substantial, yet it is not enough to maintain 60 FPS at 4K with the most demanding settings.

The RTX 4070 SUPER's performance relative to its nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (0.2% lower average score) and AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (0.3% lower), shows that it sits in a competitive mid-to-high tier. In practical terms, this means the GPU delivers a balanced experience, but users expecting 4K Ultra performance will be disappointed, as the data clearly indicates a need to moderate settings at that resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the Medium preset offers the best balance between visual fidelity and performance across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers 101.5 FPS, which is 36.5% higher than High (74.4 FPS) and 79.3% higher than Ultra (56.6 FPS). This makes Medium the clear choice for high-refresh-rate monitors at 1080p, as it provides a smooth experience without sacrificing too much detail. At 2560x1440, Medium achieves 85.8 FPS, which is a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold, while High drops to 61.7 FPS and Ultra falls to 47.9 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p is the recommended sweet spot for this combination.

For 4K gaming, the options are more constrained. Medium at 3840x2160 yields 69.6 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action, while High drops to 48.5 FPS and Ultra to 41.4 FPS. The Low preset at 4K produces 110.6 FPS, but the visual compromise is likely too severe for a horror game that relies on atmosphere. Therefore, the data suggests that 4K users should use Medium settings, while 1440p and 1080p users can comfortably use Medium or High depending on their refresh rate preference. The Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p, where it still falls short of 60 FPS, making it a poor choice for this pairing.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 270th out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the top 16% of all configurations. This ranking reflects a strong overall performance profile, but it is not at the very top tier, which is consistent with the measured frame rates that show good, but not exceptional, 4K performance. The rank suggests that while this combo is well-above average, there are many other pairings that deliver higher frame rates, particularly at 4K Ultra where this system struggles.

The CPU's 85th percentile ranking among all processors and the GPU's 84th percentile ranking indicate that both components are solidly above average, and their combination in this game produces a result that is slightly better than the average of their individual percentiles. This is likely because The Medium does not heavily stress the CPU, allowing the GPU to be the sole bottleneck. The rank of 270 out of 1689 confirms the balanced nature of this pairing, but it also highlights that users seeking top-tier 4K performance would need a more powerful GPU to climb higher in the rankings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X plays a supporting role in this game, as the benchmark data shows that its 6 cores and 12 threads are not the limiting factor. With a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, the CPU provides more than enough single-threaded performance, which is critical for game logic and draw calls. Its 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth ensure that the CPU can feed the GPU without creating a bottleneck.

The CPU's benchmark scores reinforce this assessment. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 25525 and single-core score of 3603 indicate strong performance, and its 3DMark single-thread score of 1253 shows excellent per-core capabilities. In The Medium, the CPU's role is to maintain consistent frame pacing, and the data shows that it does so effectively, as the frame rates scale predictably with resolution and settings without any signs of CPU-induced stuttering or frame drops. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-13490F, has an average score that is only 0.3% higher, confirming that the 9600X is competitive in its class. For this game, the CPU is a non-issue, and users should focus their tuning efforts on GPU settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. The Low preset averages 166.3 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth and suitable for competitive play. The Medium preset drops to 101.5 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS threshold, while High averages 74.4 FPS and Ultra falls to 56.6 FPS. The 1080p results show that this combo can handle high-refresh-rate displays at Medium or Low, but High and Ultra require a 60 Hz monitor to avoid screen tearing.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance degrades as expected. Low averages 139.7 FPS, which is still very high, while Medium achieves 85.8 FPS. High drops to 61.7 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target, and Ultra falls to 47.9 FPS, which is not ideal for smooth gameplay. The 1440p results indicate that Medium is the optimal choice for a 144 Hz monitor, while High is acceptable for 60 Hz displays.

At 3840x2160, the system's limitations become clear. Low averages 110.6 FPS, which is surprisingly high for 4K, but Medium drops to 69.6 FPS. High averages 48.5 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra falls to 41.4 FPS. The 4K results show that only Low and Medium are viable for playable frame rates, with Medium being the practical maximum for a smooth experience.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in The Medium?*

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with Medium settings delivers 85.8 FPS, which is the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 1920x1080, Medium achieves 101.5 FPS, but the higher resolution offers a better experience.

*Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K with 60 FPS?*

A: No. The highest 4K average is 110.6 FPS at Low settings, but Medium drops to 69.6 FPS, and High falls to 48.5 FPS. No preset reaches 60 FPS at 4K with acceptable visual quality.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 42576, which is 0.2% lower than the NVIDIA RTX A6000 and 0.3% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE, showing it is competitive with these cards.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in this game?

A: No. The Ryzen 5 9600X's 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, are sufficient to avoid bottlenecking. The frame rates scale with resolution and settings, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gaming?

A: Medium settings at 1920x1080 provide 101.5 FPS, which is significantly higher than High's 74.4 FPS and Ultra's 56.6 FPS, making it the recommended choice for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 270th out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the top 16% of all configurations tested.