The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti delivers a mid-tier performance profile in The Medium, landing at rank 377 out of 1,689 tested combinations. This places the combo in the top 22% of all tested systems, a solid result that reflects the strengths of both components in this horror title. The ranking is particularly notable given that the CPU, while older, still holds an 85th percentile standing among all processors, and the GPU similarly sits at the 85th percentile among all graphics cards. In practical terms, this combo is positioned to handle the game’s demanding fixed-camera perspectives and layered rendering techniques without falling into the lower performance brackets.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 377 out of 1,689 tested configurations signals a strong but not elite standing. It outperforms roughly 78% of all tested systems, a figure that underscores the balance between the Ryzen 7 3700X and the RTX 4070 Ti. The CPU’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the Intel Core i5-12600, which scores 28,654 (a 0.1% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT, which scores 28,591 (a 0.1% delta in favor of the 3700X). These margins are negligible, meaning the 3700X’s processing power is effectively on par with those mid-range competitors for gaming workloads.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4070 Ti’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile, which scores 45,152 (a 0.6% delta), and the AMD Radeon Pro 580, scoring 44,195 (a 1.6% delta in favor of the 4070 Ti). The deltaPct values here are small, indicating that the 4070 Ti’s raw compute performance is competitive with mobile flagship GPUs and workstation-class cards, though its desktop-oriented design gives it a distinct advantage in sustained gaming sessions. In The Medium, this ranking translates into playable frame rates across most settings, but the data shows clear bottlenecks at higher resolutions and quality presets.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070 Ti brings 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is critical for The Medium, a game that uses dual-reality rendering where two worlds are often displayed simultaneously. The GPU’s base clock of 2310 MHz and boost clock of 2610 MHz provide ample headroom for the fixed-camera scenes and heavy post-processing effects typical of the horror genre.

At 4K Ultra, the GPU’s limits become apparent: the average frame rate drops to 38.5 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold most players target. The data suggests the GPU is the primary limiting factor at this extreme setting, as the CPU’s 8-core, 16-thread configuration with a 4.40 GHz boost clock is unlikely to bottleneck at these resolutions. However, at 1080p Low, the 4070 Ti’s raw power shines, hitting 110 FPS average, which indicates the GPU is fully utilized while the CPU keeps up without issue. The 285 W TDP and PCIe 4.0 x16 interface ensure the card can sustain these workloads, though the 600 W suggested PSU requirement is a practical consideration for system builders.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p Ultra, the combo averages 65.1 FPS. Moving to 1440p Ultra, the average drops to 54 FPS, a 17% decrease. At 4K Ultra, the average falls further to 38.5 FPS, a 41% drop from the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is the dominant bottleneck at higher resolutions, particularly with Ultra settings that tax the 12 GB VRAM and shader cores.

Conversely, at Low settings, resolution scaling is far less punishing. The 1080p Low average is 110 FPS, 1440p Low is 107.5 FPS (a 2.3% drop), and 4K Low is 100 FPS (a 9.1% drop from 1080p). This pattern suggests that at Low settings, the CPU and GPU are more balanced, with the 3700X’s 16 threads providing sufficient headroom to feed the 4070 Ti even at 4K. The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically with resolution: at 1080p, the difference is 44.9 FPS (110 vs 65.1), but at 4K, it grows to 61.5 FPS (100 vs 38.5). This demonstrates that Ultra settings impose a heavy load on the GPU’s memory subsystem and compute units, while Low settings shift the balance toward a more CPU-bound scenario.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings average 110 FPS, Medium drops to 91.7 FPS, High falls to 75.4 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 65.1 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is a 16.6% reduction, while the step from High to Ultra is 13.7%. These incremental drops indicate that each quality tier adds meaningful GPU work, but the 4070 Ti maintains playable performance throughout.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 107.5 FPS for Low, 85.7 FPS for Medium, 66.5 FPS for High, and 54 FPS for Ultra. The Medium to High drop is 22.4%, the largest single-tier reduction at this resolution, suggesting that High settings introduce demanding effects like volumetric lighting or shadow quality. The Ultra preset at 54 FPS is borderline for smooth gameplay, but it remains above the 30 FPS minimum typically considered acceptable for story-driven horror titles.

At 3840x2160, the data shows a clear ceiling. Low settings average 100 FPS, which is surprisingly high and indicates the game is well-optimized at lower presets. Medium averages 72.9 FPS, High drops to 52.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 38.5 FPS. The gap between Medium and High at 4K is 28.4%, and the gap between High and Ultra is 26.2%, showing that each successive preset taxes the GPU’s 80 ROPs and 240 TMUs heavily. At 4K Ultra, the 12 GB VRAM is likely saturated by the dual-world rendering, causing the frame rate to dip below the 40 FPS threshold that many players find acceptable.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1440p offers the best balance. At High settings, it averages 66.5 FPS, which is close to the 1080p High result of 75.4 FPS but with significantly more visual detail. The 1440p Medium preset at 85.7 FPS is also a strong choice for smooth gameplay.

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

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K Low, it averages 100 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it averages 72.9 FPS. However, 4K High (52.2 FPS) and 4K Ultra (38.5 FPS) fall below the 60 FPS threshold, so players seeking higher frame rates should stick to Medium or lower at 4K.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 3700X compare to its nearest rivals for this game?

A: The 3700X scores 28,631 in average benchmark tests, which is within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT (28,591) and within 0.1% of the Intel Core i5-12600 (28,654). These differences are negligible for gaming, meaning the CPU choice has minimal impact on The Medium’s frame rates.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 Ti a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: No. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 110 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 65.1 FPS. The GPU is clearly the limiting factor at Ultra settings, but the CPU’s 16 threads are sufficient to avoid bottlenecking even at lower presets.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at each resolution?

A: At 1080p, the difference is 44.9 FPS (110 vs 65.1). At 1440p, it is 53.5 FPS (107.5 vs 54). At 4K, it is 61.5 FPS (100 vs 38.5). The gap widens with resolution, confirming the GPU becomes more dominant as pixel count increases.

Q: Does this combo support ray tracing in The Medium?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti includes 60 RT cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, but the measured FPS data does not include ray tracing-enabled results. The frame rates listed are for standard rasterization settings only.

Settings Recommendations

For players prioritizing smooth gameplay, the 1080p Medium preset at 91.7 FPS offers an excellent experience, providing a 21.6% improvement over High (75.4 FPS) while still maintaining solid visual fidelity. At 1440p, Medium at 85.7 FPS is the recommended choice, as it stays well above 60 FPS while delivering sharper image quality than 1080p. For those with 4K displays, Low at 100 FPS is the only preset that exceeds 60 FPS, making it the practical option unless players accept lower frame rates for higher fidelity.

The Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p, where it averages 65.1 FPS, but the jump from High to Ultra at 1080p is only 10.3 FPS, making High the more efficient choice for visual quality per frame. At 1440p, Ultra’s 54 FPS is playable but not ideal for fast-paced sequences, while at 4K, Ultra’s 38.5 FPS is best avoided. The data clearly indicates that Medium or High settings at 1440p provide the best overall experience, balancing the GPU’s capabilities with the CPU’s headroom. For maximum frame rates, 1080p Low at 110 FPS is the ceiling, but most players will find 1440p Medium to be the sweet spot for this horror title.