The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination ranks 2,948th out of 3,724 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the lower half of all systems. This is a pairing that prioritizes 1080p playable framerates over high-resolution fidelity, with the data indicating a clear GPU-bound scenario at higher settings. The benchmark results show that while the combo can deliver smooth performance at lower presets, it struggles to maintain playable framerates at 4K Ultra, making it a system best suited for 1080p or modest 1440p gaming.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2,948 out of 3,724 tested combinations places it in the 21st percentile of all systems tested for The Medium. This is a low standing, indicating that a significant majority of other hardware pairings deliver better performance in this specific title. The position reflects the age and mid-range nature of both components, with the RTX 2060 being a previous-generation GPU and the Ryzen 7 3700X being a 2019 release. The data suggests that while the combo is not at the absolute bottom of performance, it is far from the top, making it a system for users who accept compromises in this game.

Benchmark results indicate that the CPU's average benchmark score is 34,260, placing it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, which is a respectable standing. However, the GPU's average benchmark score is 15,290, putting it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, which is a more middling result. This disparity suggests the GPU is the limiting factor in the pairing, especially in a visually demanding game like The Medium. The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 with a delta of 0.1%, the AMD EPYC 4244P with a delta of 0.1%, and the Intel Core i5-13450HX with a delta of -0.2%, showing the 3700X is still competitive in raw compute but not a standout performer.

For the GPU, its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 with a delta of 0%, the AMD Radeon 680M with a delta of 0.1%, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM with a delta of 0.6%. The fact that the RTX 2060 is closely matched with a GTX 580, a card from a much older generation, in average benchmark scores highlights its dated performance. The data shows that the combo's overall rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's inability to push high framerates at demanding settings, making it a system where the CPU's potential is largely untapped in this game.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of which settings presets offer the best experience for this combo. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 83 FPS, which is the highest framerate recorded for this resolution and provides a very smooth experience. The Medium preset at the same resolution produces an average of 52 FPS, with a minimum of 44 FPS and a maximum of 60 FPS, which is still playable but with noticeable dips during intense scenes. The High preset drops to 37 FPS average, and the Ultra preset falls to 30 FPS average, both of which are less ideal for a responsive gaming experience.

Based on this data, the recommended preset for the best balance of visual quality and performance is Medium at 1080p. While Low offers a significantly higher average framerate, the jump from Low to Medium is only a 29 FPS decrease, but it likely provides a substantial improvement in visual fidelity, which is crucial for a horror game like The Medium that relies on atmosphere. The 52 FPS average with a 44 FPS minimum is within a range where the game remains smooth enough for most players, and the maximum of 60 FPS shows the system can reach the target refresh rate of many monitors.

At 2560x1440, the situation becomes more challenging. The Low preset achieves an average of 70 FPS, which is good, but the Medium preset drops to 44 FPS with a minimum of 37 FPS, which is bordering on unplayable for a game that requires precision and immersion. The High preset is even worse with a 31 FPS average, and Ultra is at a 25 FPS average. Therefore, for 1440p, the Low preset is the only viable option for a consistently smooth experience, but it comes with a significant visual downgrade. For 4K, all presets are below the playable threshold, with the Low preset being the only one to break 55 FPS, but this is still not ideal for a demanding title.

The data suggests that this combo is best utilized at 1080p with the Medium preset, as it offers a playable framerate without sacrificing all visual details. Pushing to higher resolutions requires dropping to Low settings, which undermines the game's visual identity, while using higher presets at 1440p or 4K results in framerates that are too low for a smooth experience.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear and predictable pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At the Medium preset, the average framerate drops from 52 FPS at 1920x1080 to 44 FPS at 2560x1440, a decrease of 8 FPS, and then further down to 34 FPS at 3840x2160, another 10 FPS drop. This represents a total loss of 18 FPS, or about 35%, from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, with the drop from 1440p to 4K being more pronounced than the drop from 1080p to 1440p, indicating that the GPU is becoming increasingly stressed at higher pixel counts.

This behavior strongly indicates that the limiting component is the GPU. As resolution increases, the number of pixels the RTX 2060 must render grows exponentially, and its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth become a bottleneck. The CPU, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is unlikely to be the limiting factor at these resolutions, as its workload does not scale as dramatically with pixel count. The data for the Low preset reinforces this, with a drop from 83 FPS at 1080p to 70 FPS at 1440p, and then to 55 FPS at 4K, showing a similar pattern of GPU-bound scaling.

The most telling indicator is the difference in FPS between the Low and Ultra presets at each resolution. At 1080p, the difference is 53 FPS (83 vs 30), at 1440p it is 45 FPS (70 vs 25), and at 4K it is 35 FPS (55 vs 20). This narrowing gap at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is so overwhelmed by the pixel count that it cannot take full advantage of the lower settings. The conclusion is that this combo is not suited for 4K gaming in The Medium, and even at 1440p, the GPU's limitations are clearly evident, making 1080p the intended resolution for this pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured FPS values show a wide range of performance across the four presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 83 FPS, which is the best result for this resolution and provides a highly responsive experience. The Medium preset averages 52 FPS, with a minimum of 44 FPS and a maximum of 60 FPS, offering a playable but less stable framerate. High settings average 37 FPS, while Ultra settings average 30 FPS, both of which are below the ideal threshold for a smooth game.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops across all presets. Low settings still provide a good experience with an average of 70 FPS. Medium settings see a significant drop to an average of 44 FPS, with a minimum of 37 FPS and a maximum of 50 FPS, which is a marginal experience. High settings average 31 FPS, and Ultra settings average 25 FPS, both of which are not suitable for consistent play.

At 3840x2160, the combo is clearly out of its depth. Low settings are the only playable option, averaging 55 FPS. Medium settings drop to an average of 34 FPS, with a minimum of 29 FPS and a maximum of 40 FPS, which is a stuttery experience. High settings average 25 FPS, and Ultra settings average 20 FPS, making them unplayable. The data shows that this combo's sweet spot is 1080p Medium, with 1080p Low being the peak performance, and any attempt to play at higher resolutions requires significant settings compromises.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 plays a central role in this combo's performance in The Medium. The GPU has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. In a game like The Medium, which likely uses high-resolution textures, this memory capacity and bandwidth are critical. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as performance scales heavily with resolution and settings, which directly impacts memory usage and fill rate.

The GPU's clock speeds are a base of 1365 MHz and a boost of 1680 MHz, with a memory clock of 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). These clocks are standard for the RTX 2060, but the data shows they are insufficient for high-end performance in this title. The GPU's 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs are tasked with rendering the game's fixed-camera scenes, and the results show that at higher presets, the GPU's compute and memory throughput are overwhelmed. The 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores are present but do not provide a meaningful advantage in this game without specific ray tracing features being enabled.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 15,290 places it in the 58th percentile, but its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 with a delta of 0% and the AMD Radeon 680M with a delta of 0.1%. This indicates that while the RTX 2060 is not a weak GPU in absolute terms, it is barely outperforming much older or integrated solutions in synthetic tests. In The Medium, this translates to a GPU that can handle 1080p gaming at medium settings but struggles to maintain framerates at higher resolutions or presets. The 6 GB VRAM is a likely constraint at 4K, where the Low preset's 55 FPS average suggests the GPU is rendering at a lower internal resolution or using aggressive texture compression to stay within memory limits.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings preset for this combo in The Medium?

A: The data shows that the best experience is at 1920x1080 with the Medium preset, which averages 52 FPS with a minimum of 44 FPS. This provides a playable framerate while offering better visual quality than the Low preset, which averages 83 FPS.

Q: Can this combo run The Medium at 4K resolution?

A: The benchmark results indicate that 4K is not viable for a good experience. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 55 FPS, but the Medium preset drops to 34 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages only 20 FPS, making these settings unplayable.

Q: How does the RTX 2060's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 2060's average benchmark score is 15,290, which is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580, which has a delta of 0%. It also slightly outperforms the AMD Radeon 680M by 0.1% and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM by 0.6%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data strongly suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. The average framerate drops significantly with increasing resolution, from 52 FPS at 1080p to 34 FPS at 4K on Medium settings, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU's 84th percentile standing indicates it is not the primary constraint.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded for the Medium preset?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum FPS is 44 and the maximum is 60. At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum is 37 and the maximum is 50. At 3840x2160 Medium, the minimum is 29 and the maximum is 40.

Q: How does the combo's rank compare to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 2,948th out of 3,724 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 21% of all systems. This indicates it performs worse than the vast majority of other hardware pairings tested for The Medium.