The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT combination delivers a playable but demanding experience in The Medium, with performance heavily dictated by the graphics preset chosen. The data shows that the sweet spot for this pairing is the Medium preset at 1080p and 1440p, where the frame rate remains fluid, while High and Ultra settings push the system toward a cinematic 30-60 FPS range. At 4K, the combo’s limits are exposed, with only the Low preset achieving a truly smooth frame rate.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This configuration provides substantial parallel processing headroom, which is relevant for The Medium given its dual-reality rendering mechanic that often requires simultaneous scene processing. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 19,087 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,694 points in single-core, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs tested.

The processor’s performance envelope is closely matched by its nearest rivals. The Intel Core i5-12600 and Intel Core i5-12600H both sit within 0.1% of the 3700X’s average benchmark score, showing that this chip remains competitive in its class. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT is 0.1% slower, while the AMD EPYC 7203P is 0.2% faster. These marginal deltas suggest that in CPU-bound scenarios, the 3700X will not be the primary bottleneck.

In the measured game data, the CPU’s influence is most apparent at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 110.9 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded across all tests. This indicates that the CPU can feed the GPU effectively when graphical load is minimized. However, at 1080p Ultra, the frame rate drops to 44 FPS, a decline that is far more attributable to the GPU’s rendering load than to CPU limitations. The data suggests that the 3700X provides a stable foundation, as frame rates scale predictably with GPU work rather than showing erratic CPU-induced stutters.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is the dominant component in this pairing, featuring 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s boost clock is 2544 MHz, with a game clock of 2171 MHz, and it is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with 3,456 shading units. This hardware positions the card in the 73rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 30,097.

The GPU’s nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, scores 30,109, a delta of 0%, indicating near-identical raw performance. The AMD Radeon RX 570 is 0.2% faster in average score, while the NVIDIA Tesla M60 is 0.4% slower and the RTX 5070 Mobile is 0.6% slower. These comparisons highlight that the RX 7700 XT is a solid mid-range performer, but its capabilities are finite when facing The Medium’s heavy visual effects.

The GPU’s VRAM capacity becomes a critical factor at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate collapses to 29 FPS, suggesting that the 12 GB buffer is being saturated by the game’s high-resolution textures and complex shaders. The transition from 1440p High (47.4 FPS) to 4K High (38.8 FPS) demonstrates a 18% performance loss, which is relatively modest, but the jump from 1440p Ultra (39.4 FPS) to 4K Ultra (29 FPS) shows a 26% drop, indicating that the Ultra preset is particularly punishing on the GPU’s memory subsystem and compute units.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling across resolutions. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 110.9 FPS at 1080p to 104.6 FPS at 1440p, a decline of just 5.7%, and then to 86.2 FPS at 4K, an additional 17.6% reduction. This relatively gentle curve at Low settings suggests that the GPU has enough headroom to handle the resolution increase without hitting a hard memory or compute ceiling.

At Medium settings, the scaling becomes steeper. The system delivers 80.5 FPS at 1080p, 65.8 FPS at 1440p, and 51.7 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 18.3%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 21.4%. This indicates that as visual complexity increases, the GPU becomes the primary limiter, with the CPU playing a secondary role.

The High preset shows a similar but more pronounced trend: 59 FPS at 1080p, 47.4 FPS at 1440p, and 38.8 FPS at 4K. The 19.7% loss from 1080p to 1440p and the 18.1% loss from 1440p to 4K suggest that the GPU is consistently strained. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with 44 FPS at 1080p, 39.4 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K. The 10.5% drop from 1080p to 1440p is the smallest in the dataset, implying that at Ultra, the GPU is already near its limits even at 1080p, and further resolution increases have diminishing relative impact.

The data clearly indicates that the RX 7700 XT is the limiting component in this combo. The CPU’s performance remains consistent, as evidenced by the high frame rates at Low settings, but the GPU’s rendering capacity dictates the overall experience.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1440p with Medium settings provides the best balance, yielding 65.8 FPS. At 1080p Medium, the frame rate rises to 80.5 FPS, but 1440p offers a sharper image while maintaining a smooth experience.

*Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in The Medium?*

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it achieves 86.2 FPS. At Medium, the frame rate drops to 51.7 FPS, and at High, it falls to 38.8 FPS. Ultra is not playable at 4K, with an average of 29 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 7 3700X scores 19,087 in Cinebench R23 multi-core. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-12600, has an average score within 0.1% of the 3700X, showing near-identical performance. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT is 0.1% slower, while the AMD EPYC 7203P is 0.2% faster.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: The difference is substantial. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 110.9 FPS, while at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 44 FPS. This represents a 60.3% reduction in performance when switching from the lowest to the highest preset.

Q: Is the GPU comparable to any NVIDIA cards?

A: The RX 7700 XT’s average benchmark score is 30,097, which is exactly matched by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 at 30,109 (a 0% delta). The RTX 5070 Mobile is 0.6% slower, indicating that the RX 7700 XT is competitively positioned.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any point?

A: The data suggests no. At 1080p Low, the system hits 110.9 FPS, which is the highest recorded, indicating the CPU can drive the GPU effectively. The performance drops at higher settings align with GPU load, not CPU limitations.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the system delivers 110.9 FPS on Low, 80.5 FPS on Medium, 59 FPS on High, and 44 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show a clear linear degradation as settings increase, with Medium offering a 27.4% reduction from Low, High a 46.8% reduction, and Ultra a 60.3% reduction.

At 2560x1440, the results are 104.6 FPS on Low, 65.8 FPS on Medium, 47.4 FPS on High, and 39.4 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Medium widens to 37.1%, while High drops 54.7% from Low, and Ultra drops 62.3%.

At 3840x2160, the system manages 86.2 FPS on Low, 51.7 FPS on Medium, 38.8 FPS on High, and 29 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset offers a 40% reduction from Low, High a 55% reduction, and Ultra a 66.4% reduction. These figures illustrate that the GPU’s performance degrades more steeply at higher resolutions, confirming its role as the limiting factor.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The Medium preset is the clear recommendation for this combo across all resolutions. At 1080p, it delivers 80.5 FPS, which is smooth for a horror title that benefits from consistent frame pacing. At 1440p, Medium achieves 65.8 FPS, still comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for most displays. Even at 4K, Medium provides 51.7 FPS, which is playable if the user prioritizes visual fidelity over a locked 60 FPS.

High settings are viable only at 1080p, where the system hits 59 FPS. At 1440p, High drops to 47.4 FPS, which may be acceptable for a slower-paced horror game, but it introduces a noticeable compromise. At 4K, High is not recommended due to the 38.8 FPS average.

Low settings are only necessary for 4K gaming, where the 86.2 FPS result is the sole option for a fully fluid experience. Ultra settings are not recommended at any resolution, as the 4K average of 29 FPS is below the threshold for smooth gameplay, and even at 1080p, the 44 FPS result indicates that the GPU is overwhelmed.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT ranks 754th out of 1,689 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the 44.6th percentile, meaning it outperforms roughly 44% of all tested systems. This ranking reflects the GPU’s mid-range position, as the RX 7700 XT scores in the 73rd percentile of all GPUs, but the overall combo is dragged down by the demands of the game.

The rank suggests that while this system is capable of playing The Medium, it is not a top-tier configuration. The data shows that the GPU is the primary constraint, as the CPU’s performance is competitive with its nearest rivals. Users seeking higher frame rates at 4K or Ultra settings would need a more powerful GPU, as the current setup is best suited for Medium settings at 1080p or 1440p. The 754th position out of 1,689 indicates that there is significant headroom in the benchmark database for more capable combinations, but for the target resolution of 1080p, this combo provides a satisfactory experience.