The Medium

The Medium presents a demanding workload that scales steeply with resolution, and the data for the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination reveals a system that is firmly GPU-limited at higher settings. At 1080p, the average frame rate drops from 111.9 FPS on Low to 59 FPS on Ultra, a significant 52.9 FPS swing that highlights the impact of graphical presets. Moving to 1440p, the same settings range yields between 104.9 FPS and 46.7 FPS, while at 4K the spread tightens to a demanding 96.6 FPS on Low down to 38.4 FPS on Ultra. The transition from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings results in a 20.6 FPS loss, demonstrating that the game's visual fidelity at maximum quality is a substantial burden on the graphics card.

The scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 5070 is the primary limiting component at 4K and at Ultra settings across all resolutions. When moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings, the frame rate drops from 72.9 FPS to 61.1 FPS, a 11.8 FPS reduction. However, the jump from 1440p to 4K at High settings is more severe, falling from 61.1 FPS to 47.3 FPS, a 13.8 FPS loss. This suggests that the GPU's compute and memory resources are being saturated as pixel count increases, with the CPU having ample headroom to feed the graphics card. At Low settings, the 1080p result of 111.9 FPS versus the 4K result of 96.6 FPS shows a smaller 15.3 FPS gap, implying that even at lower graphical loads, the resolution increase still taxes the GPU heavily.

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

The data clearly establishes that resolution scaling is the dominant factor in performance for this combination. At Medium settings, the average frame rate declines from 94.9 FPS at 1080p to 87.2 FPS at 1440p, a modest 7.7 FPS drop, but then falls more sharply to 64.5 FPS at 4K, an additional 22.7 FPS reduction. This non-linear scaling is typical of a GPU that is beginning to hit its memory bandwidth or pixel throughput limits. The RTX 5070's 192-bit memory bus and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth are being exercised heavily at 4K, where the pixel rate of 201.0 GPixel/s becomes a bottleneck.

The pattern across all settings shows that 1080p to 1440p scaling is relatively gentle, but 1440p to 4K is punishing. At Ultra settings, the drop from 46.7 FPS at 1440p to 38.4 FPS at 4K is a 8.3 FPS loss, which is proportionally significant given the already low frame rates. This indicates that for a smooth 60 FPS experience, the user must either lower the resolution or reduce the preset. The benchmark results suggest that the CPU, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is not the limiting factor at any resolution; the consistent scaling with resolution points directly to the GPU as the constraint. For 4K gaming, the High preset at 47.3 FPS and the Medium preset at 64.5 FPS are the only viable options, with Low being the only preset that approaches playable frame rates above 90 FPS.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, with its 12 GB of GDDR7 memory, plays a central role in determining The Medium's performance. The GPU's boost clock of 2512 MHz and base clock of 2325 MHz provide the raw compute power, with 30.87 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput available for shading. The game's results show that at 4K Ultra, the average frame rate of 38.4 FPS is well below the 60 FPS target, suggesting that the GPU's 80 ROPs and 192 TMUs are being saturated by the game's demanding effects. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is likely sufficient for this title, as the data does not show any anomalous stutters or frame time spikes that would indicate memory swapping.

The GPU's benchmark scores corroborate its mid-to-high-end positioning, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5077 and a Passmark G3D score of 29137. These synthetic results, combined with the game-specific data, indicate that the RTX 5070 is a capable card for 1440p gaming but struggles at 4K with maxed-out settings. The memory clock of 1750 MHz, which translates to 28 Gbps effective, provides the 672.0 GB/s bandwidth that is crucial for high-resolution textures. In The Medium, the difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K is 58.2 FPS, showcasing how much the GPU's shading units and memory subsystem are taxed by the game's visual complexity. The card's percentile rank of 83 among all GPUs places it above average, and its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090, shows a delta of 0.6% in average benchmark score, indicating similar overall performance.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best resolution for achieving 60 FPS with this hardware?

A: The data shows that 1440p with Medium settings achieves 87.2 FPS, and 1080p with High settings achieves 72.9 FPS. For 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS, with the closest being Low at 96.6 FPS and Medium at 64.5 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5070 has an average benchmark score of 41687, while its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090, scores 41441, a delta of 0.6%. The AMD Radeon Pro 5300 scores 41610, a delta of 0.2%.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 3700X a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the game runs at 111.9 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 59 FPS. The scaling is consistent with GPU limitations rather than CPU constraints.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the Low preset delivers 104.9 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers 46.7 FPS, a difference of 58.2 FPS.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM capacity cause any issues in this game?

A: The measured data does not show any performance anomalies that would suggest VRAM limitations. The frame rates scale predictably with resolution and settings, indicating that the 12 GB capacity is sufficient for The Medium.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested configurations?

A: This combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 ranks 473rd out of 1689 tested combos for The Medium.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested hardware combinations for The Medium, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 holds the 473rd position out of 1689 total combos. This places it in the top 28% of all configurations tested, indicating a solid mid-to-high-tier performance level. The CPU's percentile rank of 85 among all CPUs and the GPU's percentile rank of 83 among all GPUs both contribute to this competitive standing. The ranking reflects the system's ability to handle the game's requirements, though it is not near the top of the list, which would be reserved for more powerful components.

The combination's performance is constrained by the GPU's capabilities at higher resolutions, as evidenced by the 4K Ultra result of 38.4 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. However, the system's strength lies in its balanced performance across a range of settings, making it a versatile option for gamers who prioritize frame rate over absolute visual fidelity. The rank of 473 suggests that there are many combinations that perform better, but also many that perform worse, and this setup offers a reasonable compromise between cost and capability. The data shows that for 1080p and 1440p gaming, this combo is well within the acceptable performance range, with only 4K Ultra pushing it to its limits.

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 2 architecture, provides a robust foundation for gaming. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz offer sufficient single-threaded performance for The Medium, as evidenced by the game's frame rates at lower resolutions where the CPU has more influence. The L3 cache of 32 MB helps reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for gaming workloads. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19087 and single-core score of 2694 indicate that it is a capable processor, though it is not the top performer in its class.

In the context of this game, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The benchmark results show that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 111.9 FPS, which is a respectable frame rate that suggests the CPU is not holding back the GPU. However, at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 38.4 FPS, a clear indication that the GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-12600, has an average benchmark score of 28654, which is only 0.1% different from the Ryzen 7 3700X's score of 28631. This shows that the CPU is well-matched with its peers, and its 16 threads provide ample parallelism for modern games. The data indicates that for The Medium, the CPU has sufficient headroom to support the RTX 5070 at all but the most CPU-intensive scenarios.

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

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across different configurations. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers an average of 111.9 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this combination. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 94.9 FPS, while the High preset drops to 72.9 FPS, and the Ultra preset is the most demanding at 59 FPS. These figures show a clear progression, with each increase in settings costing a significant number of frames.

Moving to 1440p, the Low preset achieves 104.9 FPS, which is only 7 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result, indicating that the GPU has enough headroom to handle the resolution increase at lower graphical loads. The Medium preset at 1440p delivers 87.2 FPS, while High and Ultra produce 61.1 FPS and 46.7 FPS, respectively. At 4K, the performance drops further, with Low achieving 96.6 FPS, Medium at 64.5 FPS, High at 47.3 FPS, and Ultra at 38.4 FPS. The 4K results are the most telling, as even the Low preset cannot maintain a locked 60 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls well below the playable threshold. Overall, the data shows that the RTX 5070 is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K requiring compromises in settings to achieve acceptable frame rates.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and whether the user prioritizes frame rate or visual quality. For 1080p, the High preset at 72.9 FPS offers a good balance, providing a solid frame rate while maintaining high visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 59 FPS is also viable for users who prefer maximum quality, though it sacrifices some smoothness. For competitive play, the Low preset at 111.9 FPS is the best choice, but for a single-player horror game like The Medium, the High preset is recommended for its blend of performance and immersion.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 87.2 FPS is the best option, as it delivers a smooth experience with decent visual quality. The High preset at 61.1 FPS is also playable, but the Medium preset provides a more comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The Low preset at 104.9 FPS is recommended for users who want to ensure maximum frame rates, while the Ultra preset at 46.7 FPS should be avoided due to its sub-60 FPS performance. For 4K, the Medium preset at 64.5 FPS is the only option that achieves a playable frame rate above 60 FPS, making it the clear recommendation. The Low preset at 96.6 FPS is also viable, but the Medium preset offers better visual quality without sacrificing too much performance. The High and Ultra presets at 47.3 FPS and 38.4 FPS, respectively, are not recommended for 4K, as they fail to provide a smooth experience. In summary, the data suggests that users should target Medium settings for 4K, High settings for 1440p, and High or Ultra for 1080p, depending on their preference for frame rate or visual fidelity.