The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title that stresses both the GPU and CPU heavily, and the pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti produces a performance profile that is highly dependent on resolution and graphics settings. The measured data reveals a system that can deliver smooth frame rates at lower settings but struggles to maintain playable performance at 4K with higher quality presets. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results to show exactly where this combo excels and where its limitations lie.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and indicates that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as resolution increases. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 58 FPS at 1920x1080 to 49 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 9 FPS, and then further down to 38 FPS at 3840x2160. This 20 FPS drop between 1080p and 4K represents a 34% decrease in performance, which is a clear sign that the RTX 3070 Ti’s rendering capabilities are being taxed heavily by the higher pixel counts.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the average frame rate goes from 111 FPS at 1080p to 105 FPS at 1440p and then 85 FPS at 4K. The 26 FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings shows that even with reduced graphical load, the resolution increase still demands significantly more from the GPU. The Medium preset tells a similar story, with averages of 81 FPS at 1080p, 68 FPS at 1440p, and 53 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most punishing, dropping from 46 FPS at 1080p to 39 FPS at 1440p and finally 30 FPS at 4K.

These results indicate that the CPU is not the bottleneck at higher resolutions. The consistent frame rate reductions as resolution increases point to the GPU being the limiting component. At 1080p, the system can push above 100 FPS on Low settings, but at 4K, even Medium settings only yield 53 FPS, which is below the smooth 60 FPS threshold many players target. The data suggests that for 4K gaming, this combo is only viable on Low settings, where it achieves 85 FPS, or for those willing to accept lower frame rates on higher presets.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1575 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, with 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units. It also includes 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores, which are relevant for games like The Medium that use ray tracing and DLSS, though the measured FPS data does not specify whether these features were enabled.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a notable factor in this game’s performance. At 4K resolution with Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 30 FPS, which is likely influenced by the GPU reaching its memory capacity or bandwidth limits. The 608.3 GB/s bandwidth is substantial, but the combination of high resolution and heavy texture loads can strain the 8 GB buffer. The data shows that at 4K, the gap between Low (85 FPS) and Ultra (30 FPS) is a massive 55 FPS, indicating that the graphical settings have a profound impact on the GPU’s workload.

The RTX 3070 Ti’s benchmark scores place it in the 75th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29945. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile, which scores 29928 (a 0.1% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 6800, which scores 30095 (a -0.5% delta). This suggests that the RTX 3070 Ti performs on par with these competitors, but in The Medium specifically, the measured FPS shows that it is not sufficient for maxed-out 4K play. The GPU’s 21.75 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 339.8 GTexel/s texture rate are impressive on paper, but the game’s demands at higher resolutions expose its limitations.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is a Zen 2 architecture processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, running at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It has 32 MB of L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The CPU’s benchmark results show a Cinebench R15 multicore score of 2092 and a single-core score of 204, with a Geekbench multicore score of 8899 and a single-core score of 1593. It also has a Passmark multithread score of 22458 and a single-thread score of 2656, placing it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs.

In The Medium, the CPU’s role is less critical at higher resolutions, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling. At 1080p, the CPU has more influence, but the data shows that even at this resolution, the GPU is still the primary bottleneck. The Ryzen 7 3700X’s 8-core, 16-thread configuration provides ample processing power for the game’s logic and AI, and the boost clock of 4.40 GHz ensures solid single-threaded performance. The benchmark results indicate that this CPU is not holding back the RTX 3070 Ti significantly, as the frame rates are more heavily influenced by resolution and settings than by CPU workload.

The CPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, which has an average score of 34222 (a 0.1% delta), and the Intel Core i5-13450HX, which scores 34333 (a -0.2% delta). This suggests that the Ryzen 7 3700X is competitive with newer processors, but its age is evident in the fact that it launched in 2019. For a game like The Medium, which is not particularly CPU-intensive, the Ryzen 7 3700X provides enough headroom to avoid being a limiting factor, especially when compared to the GPU’s performance at higher resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured FPS, the sweet spot is 2560x1440 with Low settings, which achieves 105 FPS average. For a more balanced experience, 1920x1080 with Medium settings provides 81 FPS, while 4K is only playable on Low settings with 85 FPS.

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

A: Yes, but only on Low settings, where it averages 85 FPS. At Medium settings, the frame rate drops to 53 FPS, and at High it falls to 38 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth play.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 Ti compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 29945 is nearly identical to the RTX 5070 Mobile (29928) and the RTX 2080 Ti (29783). In The Medium, the measured FPS shows that the 3070 Ti performs adequately, but its 8 GB VRAM limits its ability to handle Ultra settings at high resolutions.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 3700X a bottleneck for the RTX 3070 Ti in this game?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. The frame rate drops are consistent with resolution increases, suggesting the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU’s 8-core, 16-thread design and 4.40 GHz boost clock provide sufficient performance for The Medium’s requirements.

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

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings average 111 FPS, while Ultra settings average 46 FPS, a difference of 65 FPS. This highlights the significant impact of graphical settings on performance.

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

A: The combo ranks 1455 out of 3724 tested combinations, placing it in the top 39% of all tested systems for The Medium.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti combo ranks 1455 out of 3724 tested combinations in The Medium, which places it in the 39th percentile of all systems tested. This is a mid-tier ranking, indicating that while the combo is capable, it is not among the top performers for this specific game. The ranking reflects the GPU’s limitations at higher resolutions, as the 8 GB VRAM and 21.75 TFLOPS of performance are not sufficient to push Ultra settings at 4K.

The rank is likely influenced by the fact that many other combos feature more powerful GPUs with larger memory buffers or newer architectures. The RTX 3070 Ti’s nearest rival, the RTX 5070 Mobile, scores nearly identically in benchmarks, suggesting that this combo is comparable to systems using that mobile GPU. However, the desktop RTX 3070 Ti’s performance in The Medium is capped by its memory capacity, which is a common issue in modern games that demand high-resolution textures.

In practical terms, this ranking means that the combo is suitable for 1080p and 1440p gaming with adjusted settings, but it will struggle to provide a premium experience at 4K. The data shows that the combo can achieve 58 FPS at 1080p High settings, which is playable, but players seeking higher frame rates will need to reduce settings. The ranking also indicates that the CPU is not a weak point, as the Ryzen 7 3700X’s performance is sufficient for this title, allowing the GPU to be the sole focus of optimization.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers the following average frame rates: Low settings average 111 FPS, Medium settings average 81 FPS with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS, High settings average 58 FPS, and Ultra settings average 46 FPS. The 1080p results show a clear progression, with Low settings providing the smoothest experience and Ultra settings dropping below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down: Low settings average 105 FPS, Medium settings average 68 FPS with a minimum of 58 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS, High settings average 49 FPS, and Ultra settings average 39 FPS. The 1440p results indicate that the GPU is beginning to feel the strain, with High and Ultra settings falling below 60 FPS, making Medium the highest playable preset for a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates drop significantly: Low settings average 85 FPS, Medium settings average 53 FPS with a minimum of 45 FPS and a maximum of 61 FPS, High settings average 38 FPS, and Ultra settings average 30 FPS. The 4K results show that only Low settings provide a playable frame rate above 60 FPS, while Medium settings hover around 53 FPS, which is borderline. High and Ultra settings are not recommended for 4K play, as they fall well below the 60 FPS target, and even the minimum frame rates for Medium (45 FPS) indicate potential stuttering in demanding scenes.