The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title, and the benchmark data for the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination reveals a system that is consistently bound by the graphics card. The measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and presets show a clear pattern: the GPU is the primary bottleneck at nearly every setting, with the CPU providing ample headroom. This analysis breaks down the performance scaling, the processor's role, and the optimal settings for this specific hardware pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 40.4 FPS at 1920x1080 to 35.5 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 4.9 FPS. The decline accelerates at 4K, where the average drops to 28.8 FPS. This shows that the rendering load is increasing faster than the GPU's ability to process it, confirming that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting factor.

The scaling pattern becomes even more pronounced when looking at the Low preset. Here, the system achieves 89.2 FPS at 1080p, a highly playable number. Moving to 1440p drops this to 77.7 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 57.4 FPS. The fact that the Low preset at 4K still manages a higher frame rate than the Ultra preset at 1080p (57.4 FPS vs. 33.5 FPS) highlights how much of the performance headroom is consumed by graphical fidelity rather than resolution alone.

The Ultra preset data reveals the true limits of this GPU. At 1080p, the average is 33.5 FPS, which dips to 24.5 FPS at 1440p and a near-unplayable 21 FPS at 4K. This indicates that the combination of high resolution and maximum settings is simply too much for the 2060 SUPER to handle in this title. The data suggests that the RTX 2060 SUPER has a performance ceiling around the 40 FPS mark at 1080p with High settings, and pushing beyond that requires a significant compromise in visual quality.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 is a Zen 3 architecture processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, operating at a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20655 and a single-core score of 2916, place it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs tested. This indicates a very capable processor that should not be a bottleneck for a mid-range GPU like the RTX 2060 SUPER.

The data supports this conclusion. When comparing the frame rates across different resolutions, the performance drop is almost entirely attributable to the GPU workload. For instance, at Low settings, the difference between 1080p (89.2 FPS) and 1440p (77.7 FPS) is 11.5 FPS. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar frame rates regardless of resolution, as the CPU's workload does not scale with resolution. Instead, the clear separation between resolutions proves the GPU is doing the heavy lifting.

The processor's headroom is evident when looking at its nearest rivals. The Ryzen 7 5700 achieves an average benchmark score of 27220, which is 0.7% higher than the Intel Core i9-9900K and 0.8% higher than the Intel Core i7-12700H. This performance level is more than sufficient to feed the RTX 2060 SUPER with data. In this specific game, the CPU's role is to maintain a stable frame delivery, and its 8-core, 16-thread configuration ensures that background tasks and game logic do not interfere with the GPU's rendering pipeline.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest measured average frame rate at 1920x1080 is 89.2 FPS, which is achieved with the Low settings preset.

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: At 3840x2160, the only preset that achieves an average above 30 FPS is Low, which yields 57.4 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 38.3 FPS, while High and Ultra fall to 28.8 FPS and 21 FPS, respectively.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to the RTX 2070 in this system's context?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 19774, which is 0.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070's score of 19680. This indicates they are very closely matched in overall GPU compute performance.

Q: Which resolution provides the best balance of visual quality and performance?

A: According to the data, 2560x1440 with Medium settings provides an average of 50.4 FPS, which is a solid balance. For a smoother experience, 1920x1080 with High settings yields 40.4 FPS.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 5700 a bottleneck for the RTX 2060 SUPER in this game?

A: No. The benchmark data shows that frame rates scale directly with resolution and settings, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's performance, which ranks in the 84th percentile, is sufficient to keep up.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 77.7 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 24.5 FPS. This represents a 53.2 FPS drop when switching to maximum graphical settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests that players should prioritize a stable frame rate over maximum visual fidelity with this hardware. For a smooth 60+ FPS experience, the Low preset is the only reliable option, achieving 89.2 FPS at 1080p and 77.7 FPS at 1440p. This preset will make the game look less detailed but ensures responsive gameplay.

For a better visual experience while maintaining playability, the Medium preset at 1080p is a strong choice, delivering an average of 56.8 FPS. This is close to the 60 FPS target and will look significantly better than Low. At 1440p, the Medium preset yields 50.4 FPS, which is still acceptable for a slower-paced horror title.

The High preset is viable only at 1080p, where it averages 40.4 FPS. This is a playable frame rate for a game of this genre, though not ideal for fast-paced action. The Ultra preset is not recommended, as it fails to reach 35 FPS at any resolution, with a low of 21 FPS at 4K. The data indicates that the best experience is found by compromising on shadow quality and reflections, which are often the most demanding settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for The Medium, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 1234 out of 1689 total combos. This places it in the lower portion of the ranking, which is consistent with the measured frame rates that show difficulty maintaining high FPS at higher settings.

This ranking is expected given the GPU's position in the market. The RTX 2060 SUPER sits in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, and its direct rival, the RTX 2070, has a nearly identical average benchmark score, with a delta of only 0.5%. The performance of this combo is therefore representative of a mid-range system from its era, capable of handling the game at reduced settings but not at maximum fidelity.

The CPU, however, is a stronger component. Ranking in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, the Ryzen 7 5700 is clearly not the reason for the low combo ranking. The data suggests that upgrading the graphics card would yield a significant improvement in frame rates, as the CPU has the headroom to support a more powerful GPU. The 1234 rank out of 1689 is a direct reflection of the GPU's limitations in this specific title, not the overall capability of the system.