The Medium

The Medium presents a demanding workload for the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination. This pairing ranks at position 1036 out of 1689 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the performance stack. The RTX 2070 SUPER, holding a 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs, is the primary driver here, while the Ryzen 7 3700X sits at an 85th percentile among CPUs. The data suggests a system that can handle the game but requires careful settings management to achieve smooth frame rates, particularly at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1036 out of 1689 tested configurations indicates that a substantial number of other hardware pairings deliver better performance in The Medium. This is not a top-tier combination for this specific title. The CPU, while a solid performer with an average benchmark score of 28631, sits nearly identical to its direct rivals: the Intel Core i5-12600 scores 28654 (a -0.1% delta), the Intel Core i5-12600H scores 28666 (-0.1%), and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT scores 28591 (0.1%). This means the Ryzen 7 3700X is not a bottleneck in most scenarios, but it also doesn't provide any significant advantage over its closest competitors in this game's engine.

The GPU's position is more telling. With an average benchmark score of 22206, it trails the NVIDIA RTX A400 by -0.5% and the RTX 4060 Mobile by -2.3%, while leading the GTX TITAN Z by 0.9% and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 by 2.5%. These narrow deltas place the RTX 2070 SUPER in a tightly contested performance band. The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is the limiting factor for this combo, as its performance relative to the CPU is weaker. The overall rank is a product of this GPU-bound nature, meaning that users should expect frame rates consistent with a mid-range graphics card from the previous generation.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on how to balance visual quality with playability. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers an average of 61.3 FPS, which is the most balanced option for a smooth experience. The Low preset pushes this to 99 FPS, but the visual trade-off is substantial. The High preset drops to 43 FPS, and Ultra falls further to 39 FPS, both of which are below the ideal threshold for fluid gameplay. Therefore, for 1080p, the Medium preset is the recommended starting point, offering a playable frame rate without sacrificing too much graphical fidelity.

Moving to 2560x1440, the situation becomes more constrained. The Medium preset produces 55.8 FPS, which is still playable but with less headroom. The Low preset achieves 84 FPS, providing a very smooth experience if visual quality is not the priority. High and Ultra presets are not recommended at this resolution, as they yield 36.6 and 27.7 FPS respectively, which will feel choppy. At 3840x2160, the only settings that produce a playable frame rate are Low, which hits 69.2 FPS. The Medium preset at 44 FPS is borderline, while High (32.4 FPS) and Ultra (23.5 FPS) are not viable for a responsive experience.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is significant and reveals the GPU's limitations. At 1080p with Medium settings, the combo achieves 61.3 FPS. At 1440p, this falls to 55.8 FPS, a reduction of roughly 9%. At 4K, the frame rate drops to 44 FPS, which is a 28% decrease from the 1440p result and a 28% decrease from the 1080p result. This pattern shows a clear scaling curve where each resolution step incurs a notable performance penalty.

This scaling behavior strongly indicates that the system is GPU-bound. The CPU's performance is not the constraining factor; if it were, the frame rates would remain more consistent across resolutions. The data shows that as the resolution increases, the rendering load on the RTX 2070 SUPER grows, and its performance degrades accordingly. For example, the jump from High to Ultra at 1080p (43 to 39 FPS) is less severe than the drop from Medium to High at 4K (44 to 32.4 FPS), highlighting how the GPU struggles to maintain frame rates as both resolution and settings increase. Users should therefore prioritize resolution over settings when trying to improve performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the combo's performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the results are: Low settings at 99 FPS, Medium at 61.3 FPS, High at 43 FPS, and Ultra at 39 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is substantial, while the difference between High and Ultra is minimal, suggesting that the Ultra preset offers little benefit over High for a significant performance cost.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low at 84 FPS, Medium at 55.8 FPS, High at 36.6 FPS, and Ultra at 27.7 FPS. The Medium preset remains the best option for a balance of quality and performance, while the High and Ultra presets are clearly not suitable for this resolution. At 3840x2160, the results are: Low at 69.2 FPS, Medium at 44 FPS, High at 32.4 FPS, and Ultra at 23.5 FPS. The Low preset is the only one that delivers a consistently smooth experience at 4K, and even then, the visual quality is heavily reduced.

FAQ

Q: What is the best setting for a smooth 60 FPS experience at 1080p?

A: The Medium preset at 1920x1080 delivers an average of 61.3 FPS, which is the only preset that meets the 60 FPS target without dropping below it.

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

A: Yes, but only at the Low preset, which achieves 69.2 FPS at 3840x2160. The Medium preset at 4K produces 44 FPS, which may be acceptable for some, but High and Ultra are not playable.

Q: Is this system more limited by the CPU or the GPU?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The frame rate drops significantly as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, which is a characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 3700X compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 3700X has an average benchmark score of 28631, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i5-12600 (28654) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT (28591), with deltas of -0.1% and 0.1% respectively.

Q: What is the performance difference between the High and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 36.6 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers 27.7 FPS. The difference is 8.9 FPS, with Ultra being significantly more demanding.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among all tested hardware combinations?

A: The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks at position 1036 out of 1689 tested combos for The Medium.