The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT delivers a playable experience in The Medium only if you’re willing to compromise on resolution or settings. The data shows a system that is heavily GPU-limited at higher presets, but the CPU has enough headroom to push frame rates significantly when the graphical load is reduced. This combination lands at rank 1240 out of 1689 tested combos, placing it in the lower half of the database, which aligns with the measured frame rates that struggle to maintain smooth motion at demanding settings.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 89.1 at 1920x1080 to 62.2 at 3840x2160, a loss of 26.9 FPS (30%). At High settings, the drop is from 37.9 to 26.2 FPS, a 31% reduction. This pattern—a consistent ~30% penalty when moving from 1080p to 4K—indicates the Radeon RX 5700 XT is the limiting component. The Ryzen 7 5700, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is not the constraint here; if it were, the scaling would be more erratic.

The gap between 1440p and 4K is also telling. At Medium settings, 2560x1440 yields 45.9 FPS, while 3840x2160 drops to 40.1 FPS—only a 12.6% reduction. This smaller delta suggests that at 4K Medium, the GPU is already near its memory bandwidth ceiling, and the extra pixel count has diminishing returns. The RX 5700 XT’s 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for 1440p but becomes a limiting factor as resolution climbs, which is why the scaling is not linear.

At Ultra settings, the situation is grim. The average FPS at 1080p is 35.2, at 1440p it’s 30, and at 4K it falls to 22. This is a 37.5% drop from 1080p to 4K, steeper than at Low or High settings. The data indicates that Ultra presets push the GPU beyond its comfortable operating range, and the frame rate collapse at 4K Ultra (22 FPS) is unplayable by any standard. The CPU’s 3.70 GHz base and 4.60 GHz boost clocks are more than adequate to feed the GPU; the numbers show the GPU is the sole reason for the performance cliff.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 5700 XT is built on the RDNA 1.0 architecture with a 7 nm process and a 251 mm² die. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. In The Medium, this memory configuration appears to be the primary constraint at higher resolutions. The 22 FPS result at 4K Ultra suggests the GPU is not only compute-bound but also likely hitting memory capacity or bandwidth limits, as the game’s horror environments often feature dense textures and complex lighting.

Clock speeds are another factor. The GPU has a base clock of 1605 MHz, a game clock of 1755 MHz, and a boost clock of 1905 MHz. The measured FPS shows that at 1080p Low, the card produces 89.1 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra it drops to 35.2 FPS. This 60% reduction in performance from Low to Ultra is consistent with a GPU that is being pushed to its thermal and power limits (225 W TDP), where boost clocks may not be sustained. The 9.754 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is decent for older titles but is clearly insufficient for The Medium’s demanding rendering at high presets.

The GPU’s percentile rank is 68, meaning it outperforms 68% of all GPUs in the database. However, its nearest rivals tell a different story. The NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile scores 24763 (0.1% higher), the Intel Arc A350M scores 24647 (0.3% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile scores 24592 (0.6% lower). This clustering indicates the RX 5700 XT is squarely in mid-range territory. In The Medium, this translates to playable frame rates only at Low or Medium settings, with High and Ultra reserved for users who tolerate sub-30 FPS.

FAQ

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

A: Only at Low settings, where it averages 62.2 FPS. At Medium it drops to 40.1 FPS, and at High and Ultra it falls to 26.2 and 22 FPS respectively, which are not smooth experiences.

Q: What is the best resolution for this system?

A: 1920x1080 is the sweet spot. At Low settings it hits 89.1 FPS, and at Medium it maintains 56.2 FPS. 1440p is possible but requires Low settings (75.4 FPS) or Medium (45.9 FPS).

Q: Does the Ryzen 7 5700 bottleneck the RX 5700 XT?

A: No. The CPU’s 16 threads and 20,655 Cinebench R23 multi-core score are more than sufficient. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested systems?

A: It ranks 1240 out of 1689 combos, placing it in the 73rd percentile of tested systems. This is below average, reflecting the GPU’s mid-range status.

Q: Is the RX 5700 XT’s 8 GB VRAM enough for this game?

A: At 1080p and 1440p, yes. At 4K Ultra (22 FPS), the performance collapse suggests the VRAM or bandwidth is being overwhelmed, making 4K High and Ultra unplayable.

Q: What settings give a consistent 60+ FPS experience?

A: Only 1080p Low (89.1 FPS) and 1440p Low (75.4 FPS) achieve this. 1080p Medium (56.2 FPS) is close but does not reach 60 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the card delivers its best results. Low settings produce 89.1 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. Medium settings drop to 56.2 FPS, still playable but with some stutter potential. High settings yield 37.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 35.2 FPS—both are below the 60 FPS threshold and will feel sluggish in a horror title where timing matters.

At 2560x1440, the performance degrades predictably. Low settings hit 75.4 FPS, which is excellent for a 1440p panel. Medium settings average 45.9 FPS, a 39% drop from Low, indicating the GPU is starting to struggle with the higher pixel count. High settings produce 31.9 FPS, and Ultra averages exactly 30 FPS. These numbers suggest 1440p is only viable at Low settings for a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the RX 5700 XT is out of its depth. Low settings yield 62.2 FPS, which is surprisingly playable, but Medium drops to 40.1 FPS. High settings average 26.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 22 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium at 4K represents a 35.5% performance hit, highlighting the GPU’s inability to handle higher graphical loads at this resolution. The data clearly shows that 4K is only usable with the Low preset, and even then, the 62.2 FPS average leaves little headroom for demanding scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of 1689 tested combinations, this pairing ranks 1240th. This places it in the bottom 27% of all systems tested, which is a sobering statistic for a CPU that is quite capable. The Ryzen 7 5700 alone sits in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27220, nearly matching the Intel Core i9-9900K (27043, 0.7% higher) and the Intel Core i7-12700H (27006, 0.8% higher). The CPU is not the problem.

The GPU, however, ranks in the 68th percentile, and its average benchmark score of 24731 is within 1% of the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile (24763) and the Intel Arc A350M (24647). This mid-range GPU drags the combo down in The Medium, where the game’s specific rendering demands punish the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The 1240th rank out of 1689 is a direct reflection of the GPU’s limitations, not the CPU’s. If the system were paired with a stronger GPU, the same CPU would likely rank much higher, as its 16-thread performance is more than adequate for this title.

Settings Recommendations

For a 1080p display, the Medium preset is the best balance. At 56.2 FPS, it provides a stable experience without the visual degradation of Low settings. If you prioritize frame rate above all, Low at 89.1 FPS is the obvious choice, but the graphical compromise is significant. High (37.9 FPS) and Ultra (35.2 FPS) are not recommended, as the sub-40 FPS averages will feel choppy in a game that relies on atmosphere and tension.

For 1440p, Low settings are the only viable option for smooth gameplay, delivering 75.4 FPS. Medium drops to 45.9 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. The data shows that High (31.9 FPS) and Ultra (30 FPS) are essentially console-like frame rates that will feel unresponsive. Stick to Low or Medium if you own a 1440p monitor.

For 4K, the only recommendation is Low settings, which average 62.2 FPS. This is a surprising result, as the card manages to keep pace at the lowest preset. Medium (40.1 FPS) is borderline, but High (26.2 FPS) and Ultra (22 FPS) are unplayable. The Ultra preset at 4K is a worst-case scenario that should be avoided entirely. In summary, this combo is best used at 1080p Medium or 1440p Low, with 4K reserved for the Low preset only.