The Medium

The Medium presents a demanding workload for the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination. Benchmark data reveals that the RX 9060 is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the Ryzen 7 5700 provides sufficient headroom at 1080p. The measured frame rates indicate that this pairing is best suited for 1080p gaming, with playable performance available at 1440p if settings are moderated. The data shows a clear trend: as resolution increases, frame rates drop significantly, confirming that the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory interface constrain performance in this title.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals the GPU-bound nature of The Medium at higher resolutions. At Medium settings, the average frame rate falls from 63 FPS at 1920x1080 to 53 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 10 FPS or roughly 16%. Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 42 FPS, which is exactly two-thirds of the 1080p result. This scaling pattern indicates that the RX 9060's compute and memory bandwidth are increasingly saturated as pixel count grows.

The Low preset shows a similar but less dramatic scaling curve. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 101 FPS average, which falls to 85 FPS at 1440p (a 16 FPS drop) and then to 67 FPS at 4K (an additional 18 FPS drop). This suggests that even at the lowest settings, the GPU is still the bottleneck at 4K, as the frame rate reduction between 1440p and 4K is nearly identical to the reduction between 1080p and 1440p. The CPU, an 8-core Zen 3 part with a 4.60 GHz boost clock, does not appear to be limiting performance at any tested resolution, as the frame rate declines track resolution increases rather than showing a flat ceiling.

High and Ultra presets show the most severe scaling. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 45 at 1080p to 38 at 1440p, and then to 30 at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with averages of 36 FPS at 1080p, 30 FPS at 1440p, and just 24 FPS at 4K. The fact that Ultra at 1080p (36 FPS) is only 12 FPS higher than Ultra at 4K (24 FPS) demonstrates that the RX 9060's rendering pipeline is overwhelmed by the combination of high-quality effects and high pixel counts. This is a GPU-limited scenario across all resolutions, with the 4K Ultra result being nearly unplayable.

The data suggests that the limiting component shifts between settings and resolutions. At 1080p Low and Medium, the system has enough GPU headroom to push past 60 FPS, indicating the CPU can feed the GPU adequately. However, at 1440p and above, the RX 9060's 8 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth become the bottleneck, as texture and shading demands outpace the memory subsystem. The steep drop between Medium and High settings (from 63 to 45 FPS at 1080p) further confirms that the GPU's shading units and ROPs are the constraining factor, not the CPU.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a Navi 44 chip, featuring 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory operates on a 128-bit bus, providing 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications directly influence the measured performance in The Medium. The GPU's boost clock of 2990 MHz and game clock of 2400 MHz indicate a high-frequency design, but the memory bandwidth appears to be the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

In The Medium, the RX 9060's VRAM capacity is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at Medium settings, as evidenced by the 63 and 53 FPS averages respectively. However, at 4K resolution, the 8 GB frame buffer likely becomes a constraint, particularly at High and Ultra presets where texture detail increases. The 4K High result of 30 FPS and Ultra result of 24 FPS suggest that the GPU is struggling with both memory capacity and bandwidth, as the 128-bit interface cannot keep up with the data demands of 4K rendering.

The GPU's compute performance, measured at 21.43 TFLOPS FP32, is adequate for DirectX 12 Ultimate workloads, which The Medium utilizes. The passmark G3D score of 17631 places the RX 9060 in the 59th percentile of all GPUs, indicating mid-range positioning. Compared to its nearest rivals, the RX 9060 is just 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti in average benchmark score, and 1% ahead of both the AMD Radeon R9 370X and AMD Radeon RX 7700. This competitive positioning explains why the card delivers playable frame rates at 1080p but struggles at 4K.

The GPU's ray tracing capabilities, provided by 28 RT cores, are not directly measured in this benchmark data, but the overall performance pattern suggests that the card prioritizes rasterization efficiency. The pixel rate of 191.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 334.9 GTexel/s are modest figures that align with the observed frame rates. At 1080p Medium, the card can produce 63 FPS, but doubling the resolution to 4K cuts that to 42 FPS, a 33% reduction that mirrors the pixel count increase from 2.07 million to 8.29 million pixels.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 and AMD Radeon RX 9060 ranks 1648 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium. This places the pairing in the 56th percentile of all tested configurations, indicating a below-average performance tier for this specific game. The rank reflects the GPU's mid-range standing, as the CPU is a relatively strong performer with a 78th percentile ranking among all CPUs.

The CPU's benchmark scores provide context for this ranking. The Ryzen 7 5700 achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20655 and a single-core score of 2916, placing it in the 78th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks include the Intel Xeon D-2752TER (0.1% higher average score), the AMD Ryzen 5 7640U (0.1% lower), and the AMD Ryzen 7 5825U (0.3% higher). These close margins indicate that the CPU is not a weak link in this combo.

The GPU, however, is ranked in the 59th percentile of all GPUs, which drags down the overall combo ranking. The RX 9060's nearest rivals are the RTX 3060 Ti (0.7% higher average score), R9 370X (1% lower), and RX 7700 (1% lower). The fact that the combo rank (1648 out of 2911) is lower than both the CPU and GPU individual percentiles suggests that The Medium is particularly demanding on the GPU, amplifying the RX 9060's mid-range limitations.

Compared to other combos in the database, this pairing sits in the lower half of tested configurations. The 4K Ultra result of 24 FPS average and the 1440p Ultra result of 30 FPS are indicative of a system that cannot handle maximum settings at higher resolutions. The combo's rank would likely improve significantly if the GPU were paired with a less demanding game, but The Medium's fixed-camera horror presentation with detailed environments stresses the GPU heavily.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured results show a clear progression across settings. Low preset delivers an average of 101 FPS, which is the highest frame rate achieved by this combo. Medium settings produce 63 FPS average, with a minimum of 53 FPS and maximum of 72 FPS, indicating smooth gameplay with occasional dips. High settings drop to 45 FPS average, while Ultra falls to 36 FPS average. These numbers suggest that 1080p Medium is the sweet spot for maintaining fluid motion, as the 63 FPS average exceeds the 60 FPS threshold typically desired for action games.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. Low preset achieves 85 FPS average, which is still playable but 16 FPS lower than 1080p Low. Medium settings produce 53 FPS average, with a minimum of 45 FPS and maximum of 61 FPS. This range means that some scenes will dip below 50 FPS, which may be noticeable in a horror game requiring quick reactions. High settings drop to 38 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 30 FPS average, both of which are below the ideal smoothness threshold.

At 3840x2160, the results become marginal. Low preset delivers 67 FPS average, which is the only 4K setting that maintains playable frame rates. Medium settings drop to 42 FPS average, with a minimum of 35 FPS and maximum of 48 FPS, indicating inconsistent performance. High settings produce 30 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 24 FPS average, both of which are below 30 FPS for extended periods, making gameplay feel stuttery and unresponsive.

The minimum and maximum frame rates for Medium settings provide insight into frame pacing. At 1080p, the 53-72 FPS range shows a 19 FPS spread, indicating some scene-to-scene variability. At 1440p, the range tightens to 45-61 FPS, a 16 FPS spread, while at 4K, the range is 35-48 FPS, a 13 FPS spread. This narrowing range at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU becomes more consistently bottlenecked, reducing the impact of scene complexity on frame times.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data clearly indicates that Medium settings offer the best balance of visual quality and performance for this combo. At 1080p Medium, the 63 FPS average with a 53 FPS minimum provides a smooth experience that maintains the horror game's atmospheric tension without sacrificing responsiveness. The 1080p Low preset at 101 FPS is smoother but may reduce visual fidelity below acceptable levels for a game like The Medium, which relies on detailed environments for its horror atmosphere.

For 1440p gaming, Medium settings are the highest playable option, with a 53 FPS average and 45 FPS minimum. This is acceptable for a slower-paced horror title, but the 45 FPS minimum suggests that intense scenes may cause noticeable stuttering. Users prioritizing frame rate over visuals could drop to Low settings for 85 FPS average, but this comes at a significant visual cost. High settings at 1440p (38 FPS) and Ultra (30 FPS) are not recommended, as the average frame rates fall below comfortable playability.

At 4K, only Low settings (67 FPS average) provide a playable experience. Medium settings at 42 FPS average may be tolerable for some users, but the 35 FPS minimum makes it risky for moments requiring quick reactions. High and Ultra at 4K (30 and 24 FPS respectively) are effectively unplayable, as the frame rates drop below the threshold for smooth motion perception. Users with 4K displays should either reduce resolution to 1440p or accept Low settings for this title.

The data reveals that the RX 9060's 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for Medium settings across all resolutions, but High and Ultra presets likely exceed the memory capacity at 4K. The 128-bit memory bus (288.0 GB/s bandwidth) becomes a bottleneck at higher settings, as texture streaming demands outpace the available bandwidth. For the best experience, Medium settings at 1080p or 1440p provide the optimal balance, with the understanding that 4K requires Low settings for acceptable performance.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Medium settings delivers the best balance, achieving 63 FPS average with a 53 FPS minimum. This provides smooth gameplay while maintaining visual fidelity. At 1440p, Medium settings (53 FPS average) are also viable, but 4K requires Low settings (67 FPS average) for playable performance.

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which produces 67 FPS average. Medium settings at 4K drop to 42 FPS average, while High and Ultra fall to 30 and 24 FPS respectively. These lower settings are not recommended for a smooth experience, as the 35 FPS minimum on Medium can cause noticeable stuttering.

Q: How does the RX 9060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 9060's average benchmark score is 16014, placing it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, scores 16129, making the RX 9060 0.7% slower. The AMD Radeon R9 370X and RX 7700 both score lower, with the RX 9060 1% ahead of each.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting component. The Ryzen 7 5700 has a 78th percentile CPU ranking, while the RX 9060 has a 59th percentile GPU ranking. Frame rates scale consistently with resolution, indicating GPU-bound performance. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20655 is sufficient to feed the GPU at all tested settings.

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

A: The Ryzen 7 5700 and RX 9060 combination ranks 1648 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the 56th percentile. This rank reflects the GPU's mid-range performance, as the CPU is comparatively stronger with a 78th percentile individual ranking.

Q: How does the 8 GB VRAM affect performance at higher resolutions?

A: The 8 GB GDDR6 memory with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth appears sufficient for Medium settings at all resolutions, but High and Ultra presets show steep performance drops. At 4K, High settings produce 30 FPS and Ultra produces 24 FPS, suggesting that the VRAM capacity and 128-bit bus cannot handle the increased texture and shading demands at maximum quality.