The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D delivers a measured performance profile in The Medium that is defined by massive headroom at lower settings and a sharp ceiling at Ultra. Across all three tested resolutions, the Medium preset offers the most balanced frame pacing, while Ultra settings produce playable but comparatively modest averages. The data indicates a system that is heavily GPU-bound at 4K Ultra, but CPU-bound at 1080p Low, where the 191 FPS average suggests the Ryzen 5 9600X’s six cores are sufficient to feed the RTX 5090 D’s immense rendering throughput.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K with Medium settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the combo produces an average FPS of 95, with a minimum of 81 and a maximum of 110. This is the only resolution/settings combination in the measured data that includes both min and max FPS values, indicating a stable frame window.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D’s benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77712, which places it 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (score 76904) and 1.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (score 78940). It also trails the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (score 79396) by 2.1% and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (score 79605) by 2.4%.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested configurations in The Medium?

A: The Ryzen 5 9600X + RTX 5090 D combo ranks 11th out of 2911 tested combos in this game. This places it in the top 0.4% of all configurations, reflecting an exceptionally high level of performance.

Q: What are the CPU’s core and thread counts?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X has 6 cores and 12 threads. Its base clock is 3.90 GHz, and its boost clock reaches 5.40 GHz. This is a Zen 5 architecture part built on a 4 nm process node.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 5090 D have, and what is its memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 5090 D features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. The memory clock is 1750 MHz, which translates to 28 Gbps effective.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 191 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 82 FPS. This represents a 109 FPS drop when moving from Low to Ultra, or conversely, a 133% increase in average FPS when dropping from Ultra to Low.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the RTX 5090 D?

A: The launch MSRP is 2,299 USD. This is the only pricing information provided for the GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this pairing, and its massive memory subsystem is the primary driver of The Medium’s performance at high resolutions. The GPU has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory, a 512-bit bus width, and 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. This is a colossal amount of VRAM, far exceeding the demands of a horror title released in early 2021. In practice, this means that VRAM capacity will never be a limiting factor at any tested setting; the bottleneck shifts entirely to rendering throughput and shader work.

The GPU’s clock speeds are substantial, with a base of 2017 MHz and a boost of 2407 MHz. These clocks, combined with 21760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, give the RTX 5090 D a theoretical FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS. In the measured results, this raw power translates to a 68 FPS average at 4K High and a 54 FPS average at 4K Ultra. The drop from High to Ultra at 4K is 14 FPS, a 20.6% reduction, indicating that the Ultra preset introduces significant rendering overhead that even this GPU cannot fully absorb.

The RTX 5090 D’s benchmark performance puts it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77712. Interestingly, its nearest rivals include mobile and datacenter parts like the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and the NVIDIA Tesla P100, which are 1.1% and 2.1% away respectively. This suggests that the 5090 D’s raw compute scores are not dramatically higher than these other parts, but the in-game results tell a different story, as the 5090 D’s combination of 32 GB VRAM and high bandwidth allows it to sustain frame rates that those rivals likely cannot match at 4K.

The GPU’s memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s is particularly relevant for The Medium, which uses a fixed-camera perspective with heavily detailed environments and dual-world rendering mechanics. At 4K Medium, the 95 FPS average with a minimum of 81 FPS indicates that the memory subsystem is being fed adequately, but the Ultra settings at 4K (54 FPS) show that the additional effects and draw distances are taxing the GPU’s compute units more than its memory. The data suggests that the RTX 5090 D is over-provisioned for this game’s VRAM requirements but appropriately matched for its compute demands at Medium settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 9000 series, built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge). Its base clock is 3.90 GHz, and its boost clock reaches 5.40 GHz. With a TDP of 65W and a 32 MB shared L3 cache, this CPU is designed for high single-thread performance, which is evident in its benchmark scores: a single-thread 3DMark score of 1253 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2183.5. These scores place the CPU in the 81st percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29713.

In The Medium, the CPU’s role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the combo produces a 191 FPS average, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. This is only 9 FPS higher than the 1080p Low average of 181 FPS at 1440p, suggesting that the CPU is beginning to limit performance at 1080p, as the GPU has more headroom than the CPU can feed. The 1080p Low result is 181 FPS at 1440p and 153 FPS at 4K Low, showing a 38 FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at the same settings, which indicates that the GPU’s rendering load starts to dominate even at Low settings.

Comparing the CPU’s benchmark performance to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 9600X is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE (score 29656) and 0.5% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H (score 29868). It also trails the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT (score 29879) by 0.6% and the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (score 29955) by 0.8%. These are minimal differences, meaning the 9600X is not a performance outlier among its peers, but its 6-core/12-thread configuration is sufficient for The Medium’s threading model, which appears to scale well up to this core count.

The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s (DDR5, dual-channel) is ample for the game’s data streaming needs. At 4K Medium, the 95 FPS average with an 81 FPS minimum suggests that the CPU is not causing frame drops, as the min FPS is 85% of the average. However, at 1080p Ultra (82 FPS average), the CPU is likely providing enough instruction throughput to keep the GPU busy, but the GPU’s rendering workload is the limiting factor. The data indicates that the Ryzen 5 9600X is a capable partner for the RTX 5090 D, but it does not boost the combo beyond what the GPU can achieve on its own at high resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 11th out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium. This is an exceptional rank, placing the configuration in the top 11 configurations out of nearly three thousand. The rank reflects the GPU’s enormous performance headroom, as the 5090 D is in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 81st percentile of all CPUs. The combination of a top-tier GPU with a mid-to-high-tier CPU yields a result that is near the very top of the database.

The rank of 11 suggests that there are 10 other combos that outperform this one, likely featuring even higher-end CPUs (such as those with more cores or higher boost clocks) paired with the same or similar GPUs. However, the 9600X’s 5.40 GHz boost clock and 12 threads are evidently enough to not drastically hinder the 5090 D, as the combo still achieves over 190 FPS at 1080p Low. The deltaPct values for the CPU’s nearest rivals range from -0.8% to 0.2%, indicating that swapping the 9600X for a similarly-scored CPU would change the combo rank by only a few positions at most.

The GPU’s nearest rivals, interestingly, include the Tesla P100 datacenter cards, which are not gaming-oriented parts. This suggests that the 5090 D’s benchmark score is high, but the in-game performance is what truly sets it apart, as the 5090 D’s 32 GB VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are unmatched by those rivals. In the context of The Medium, the combo’s rank of 11 confirms the GPU’s ability to brute-force high resolutions, while the CPU’s single-thread performance ensures that frame times remain consistent, as evidenced by the 4K Medium min FPS of 81.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra), yielding twelve distinct data points. Each point provides an average FPS, and only the Medium settings across all resolutions include min and max FPS values.

At 1920x1080, the performance scales as follows: Low averages 191 FPS, Medium averages 144 FPS (min 123, max 166), High averages 103 FPS, and Ultra averages 82 FPS. The progression from Low to Medium is a 47 FPS drop (24.6%), from Medium to High is a 41 FPS drop (28.5%), and from High to Ultra is a 21 FPS drop (20.4%). This shows that the Medium to High transition is the most costly, likely due to increased shadow resolution and texture filtering. The 1080p Medium frame window of 123-166 FPS is wide, indicating some variance, but the average of 144 FPS is smooth.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 181 FPS, Medium at 122 FPS (min 103, max 140), High at 87 FPS, and Ultra at 69 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 59 FPS (32.6%), which is steeper than at 1080p, showing that resolution scaling affects the Medium preset more severely. The Medium to High drop is 35 FPS (28.7%), and High to Ultra is 18 FPS (20.7%). The 1440p Medium min FPS of 103 is notably higher than the 1080p High average of 103 FPS, suggesting that 1440p Medium is a viable alternative to 1080p High for similar frame rates with better image quality.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 153 FPS, Medium at 95 FPS (min 81, max 110), High at 68 FPS, and Ultra at 54 FPS. The Low to Medium drop is 58 FPS (37.9%), the Medium to High drop is 27 FPS (28.4%), and High to Ultra is 14 FPS (20.6%). The 4K Medium min FPS of 81 is the lowest minimum recorded across all Medium settings, but it is still above 60 FPS, ensuring a playable experience. The 4K Ultra average of 54 FPS is the only sub-60 FPS average in the entire dataset, indicating that Ultra at 4K is the only setting that strains the RTX 5090 D to the point of dropping below the standard 60 FPS threshold.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: the Low preset provides 153-191 FPS depending on resolution, Medium provides 95-144 FPS, High provides 68-103 FPS, and Ultra provides 54-82 FPS. The performance deltas between settings are roughly proportional across resolutions, with the Medium to High transition being the most expensive in relative terms. The min FPS values for Medium settings (81 at 4K, 103 at 1440p, 123 at 1080p) show that the combo maintains a solid frame floor even at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset is the clear sweet spot for this combo across all three resolutions. At 4K, Medium delivers a 95 FPS average with a minimum of 81 FPS, which provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while still offering enhanced visual quality over Low. The 4K Medium min FPS is 81, which is 35% higher than the 4K Ultra average of 54 FPS, meaning that Medium not only looks better than Low but also ensures that frame drops are minimal.

At 1440p, Medium averages 122 FPS with a min of 103 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors (up to 120 Hz). The 1440p Medium min FPS of 103 is higher than the 1080p High average of 103 FPS, so users can drop to 1440p Medium to get the same frame rate as 1080p High but with much higher resolution. For 1080p, Medium averages 144 FPS with a min of 123 FPS, which is suitable for 144 Hz displays. The 1080p Medium min FPS of 123 is 50% higher than the 1080p High average of 82 FPS, showing that Medium provides a far more stable experience than Ultra.

The High preset is a viable option for those prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate, but the data shows diminishing returns. At 4K High, the average is 68 FPS, which is 39% lower than Medium’s 95 FPS. At 1440p High, the average is 87 FPS, and at 1080p High, it is 103 FPS. These are playable, but the jump from Medium to High costs roughly 28-30% of average FPS, while the visual difference is often less noticeable in a slower-paced horror game like The Medium.

The Ultra preset is not recommended for this combo, as it is the only setting that produces sub-60 FPS averages (54 FPS at 4K). Even at 1080p, Ultra averages 82 FPS, which is lower than the 4K Medium average of 95 FPS. This indicates that Ultra’s additional effects (likely including ray-traced elements or higher draw distances) disproportionately tax the GPU. Given that Medium provides a 95 FPS average at 4K and Ultra provides only 54 FPS, the 76% performance uplift from Ultra to Medium is a far better trade-off than the marginal visual gains.

For the best experience, the data strongly suggests using Medium settings at any resolution. If a user has a 4K display, Medium offers 95 FPS with a min of 81 FPS, which is smooth and well above the 60 FPS threshold. For 1440p, Medium’s 122 FPS average (min 103) is ideal for 120 Hz panels. For 1080p, Medium’s 144 FPS (min 123) is excellent for 144 Hz monitors. The Low preset can be used to push frame rates above 180 FPS at 1080p and 1440p, but the visual quality loss is substantial, and the Medium preset’s min FPS values are already high enough to prevent noticeable stuttering.

In summary, the measured rows indicate that Medium is the optimal preset for this hardware combination, offering a balanced blend of visual fidelity and performance across all tested resolutions. The Low preset is only recommended for maximum frame rates at 1080p or 1440p, while High and Ultra are best avoided unless a user prioritizes image quality over frame rate stability. The 4K Medium result of 95 FPS (min 81) is the standout data point, proving that this combo can handle 4K gaming with high visual quality without sacrificing smoothness.