The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 combination delivers a highly variable experience in The Medium, with performance swinging dramatically based on resolution and quality settings. The data shows a system capable of smooth 1080p play at medium settings, but one that struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K with ultra-quality presets. This analysis breaks down the measured results, contextualizes the hardware's role, and answers key questions about this specific pairing.

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its 65W TDP and 16 MB of L3 cache place it as a mainstream desktop part, and its benchmark scores reflect a solid mid-range standing: it achieves a 84th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27220. This places it in a tight cluster with rivals like the Intel Core i9-9900K (0.7% ahead) and the Intel Core i7-12700H (0.8% ahead), indicating the CPU is a known quantity in terms of raw compute.

In The Medium, a horror title that relies on fixed camera angles and pre-rendered transitions, the CPU's role is less about pushing extreme frame rates and more about maintaining consistent frame pacing. The measured data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 140.5 FPS, a figure that suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower graphical loads. However, the single-threaded performance (3dmark_single_thread score of 901) is modest compared to its multi-threaded capability (3dmark_max_threads score of 6617), which is typical for a game that may not fully utilize all 16 threads. The benchmark results indicate that the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output at lower settings, but the gap between 1080p Low (140.5 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (52.7 FPS) is a 62.5% drop, which is primarily driven by GPU load rather than CPU limitations. The data implies the Ryzen 7 5700 provides ample headroom for this title, as the frame rate scaling across settings points to the graphics card as the limiting factor.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is the dominant component in this pairing, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. Its boost clock of 2520 MHz and game clock of 2070 MHz are paired with 3584 shading units, allowing for substantial pixel throughput (322.6 GPixel/s). The GPU's overall benchmark position is at the 79th percentile, with an average score of 34780, and it sits within 1% of rivals like the NVIDIA Quadro GV100 (0.3% ahead) and AMD Radeon PRO W6400 (0.8% ahead), showing it is a competitive performer in synthetic tests.

In The Medium, the GPU's influence is unmistakable. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 34.4, which is a 63.1% reduction from the 4K Low score of 93.2. This dramatic scaling highlights the GPU's struggle with the game's high-resolution textures and effects. At 1080p, the RX 9070 shows its strength, delivering 140.5 FPS on Low settings, but this drops to 52.7 FPS on Ultra, a 62.5% decrease. The VRAM capacity is likely a non-issue given the 16 GB pool, but the data suggests that the GPU's compute power, not memory, is the constraining factor at higher quality presets. The 4K Medium score of 55.9 FPS versus the 4K High score of 42.7 FPS demonstrates that each settings tier adds significant render load, and the GPU's performance curve indicates it is optimized for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K requiring substantial compromises.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks 524th out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the 69th percentile of all tested systems. This rank is notable because it suggests that while the individual components are strong (CPU at 84th percentile, GPU at 79th percentile), the overall gaming performance is pulled down by the GPU's difficulty with the game's higher settings. The data implies that many other combos, likely with more powerful GPUs, achieve better results at 4K Ultra, where this combo manages only 34.4 FPS.

The ranking also reflects the balance between components. With a CPU that is only 0.7% behind the Intel Core i9-9900K in average benchmark score, the combo's 524th rank is not due to processor weakness. Instead, the benchmark results indicate that the RX 9070 is the bottleneck, particularly at resolutions above 1080p. This is a common finding in GPU-bound scenarios, and the combo's rank suggests it is a mid-to-upper tier performer that can handle most gaming workloads, but it is not optimized for maximum settings at high resolutions. The delta between the GPU's synthetic score and its in-game performance at 4K Ultra is a key insight: the card's theoretical capabilities do not translate into smooth 4K gameplay in this title.

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

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 60 FPS?

A: The data shows that 1080p Medium (88.8 FPS) and 1440p Low (121.7 FPS) are the only tested configurations that comfortably exceed 60 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average FPS drops to 71.5, which is still above 60, but 1440p High falls below at 54.9 FPS.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra compared to 1080p Low?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 34.4, which is a 75.5% reduction from the 1080p Low score of 140.5 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is severely stressed by the combination of high resolution and maximum settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's multi-threaded score (6617 in 3dmark_max_threads) is relatively strong, and the frame rate drops from 140.5 FPS at 1080p Low to 61 FPS at 1080p High, showing that GPU load drives performance changes.

Q: What settings should be used for a 4K experience?

A: For 4K, the Low preset yields 93.2 FPS, which is playable, while Medium drops to 55.9 FPS. The High preset at 42.7 FPS and Ultra at 34.4 FPS are below 60 FPS, making Low the only 4K option that maintains high frame rates.

Q: How does the combo's rank compare to its component percentiles?

A: The combo ranks 524th out of 1689 (69th percentile), which is lower than the CPU's 84th percentile and the GPU's 79th percentile. This suggests that the pairing is not achieving its full potential in this specific game, likely due to the GPU's 4K limitations.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 1440p at High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the average FPS is 61, while at 1440p High, it drops to 54.9 FPS, a decrease of 10%. This shows a modest performance hit when moving from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings.

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

The resolution scaling in The Medium reveals a clear GPU-bound scenario. Moving from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, the FPS drops from 140.5 to 93.2, a 33.7% reduction. At Medium settings, the drop is from 88.8 FPS to 55.9 FPS, a 37.1% decrease. The High preset shows a similar trend: 61 FPS at 1080p drops to 42.7 FPS at 4K, a 30% reduction. The Ultra preset is the most punishing, with 52.7 FPS at 1080p falling to 34.4 FPS at 4K, a 34.8% decline.

These percentages are relatively consistent across settings, indicating that the GPU's rendering load scales predictably with pixel count. The data shows that the RX 9070 is capable of handling 1080p and 1440p with ease, but the jump to 4K introduces a significant performance penalty that cannot be mitigated by CPU performance. The fact that the 4K Medium score (55.9 FPS) is lower than the 1440p High score (54.9 FPS) but similar suggests that resolution has a larger impact than settings at these higher pixel counts. This points to the GPU's memory bandwidth (644.6 GB/s) and compute units being saturated at 4K, rather than any CPU limitation. The limiting component is unequivocally the GPU, as the CPU's 16 threads and 4.60 GHz boost clock are not the source of the frame rate drops.

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

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. For players targeting 60 FPS, the 1080p Medium preset delivers 88.8 FPS, offering a comfortable buffer above the threshold. At 1440p, the Medium preset at 71.5 FPS is also a strong choice, providing higher resolution without sacrificing smoothness. The Low presets at both 1080p (140.5 FPS) and 1440p (121.7 FPS) are the only options that approach or exceed 120 FPS, making them suitable for high refresh rate displays.

For 4K gaming, the Low preset at 93.2 FPS is the only measured setting that maintains a high frame rate, while Medium at 55.9 FPS is borderline playable but below 60. The High and Ultra presets at 4K (42.7 FPS and 34.4 FPS, respectively) are not recommended for smooth gameplay, as they fall below 45 FPS. The data suggests that the best experience is achieved by balancing resolution and settings: 1440p Medium offers a 71.5 FPS average, which is a 27.9% improvement over 1080p High's 61 FPS, while still maintaining a higher pixel count. Alternatively, 1080p High at 61 FPS provides the best visual quality at a standard 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset is consistently the worst performer across all resolutions, with the 4K Ultra score of 34.4 FPS being the lowest measured, indicating it should be avoided unless frame rate is not a priority.

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

The complete measured FPS dataset for The Medium is as follows:

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 140.5 FPS
• Medium: 88.8 FPS
• High: 61.0 FPS
• Ultra: 52.7 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 121.7 FPS
• Medium: 71.5 FPS
• High: 54.9 FPS
• Ultra: 41.0 FPS

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 93.2 FPS
• Medium: 55.9 FPS
• High: 42.7 FPS
• Ultra: 34.4 FPS

The data shows a consistent pattern: Low settings always provide the highest frame rates, with a 50.6% drop from Low to Medium at 1080p (140.5 to 88.8 FPS), a 41.2% drop at 1440p (121.7 to 71.5 FPS), and a 40.0% drop at 4K (93.2 to 55.9 FPS). The transition from Medium to High is less severe but still notable: 31.3% at 1080p (88.8 to 61 FPS), 23.2% at 1440p (71.5 to 54.9 FPS), and 23.6% at 4K (55.9 to 42.7 FPS). The High to Ultra step is the smallest: 13.6% at 1080p (61 to 52.7 FPS), 25.3% at 1440p (54.9 to 41 FPS), and 19.4% at 4K (42.7 to 34.4 FPS). These numbers illustrate that the GPU's performance scales non-linearly with settings, with the largest gains coming from dropping from Medium to Low. For players seeking maximum frame rates, the Low preset is the clear winner, while Medium offers a balance between visual fidelity and performance. The Ultra preset provides minimal additional benefit over High for a significant FPS cost, making it the least efficient choice across all resolutions.