The Medium

The Medium presents an interesting case study for the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination. The benchmark data reveals a system that is clearly capable of running the game smoothly at most settings, yet the performance scaling across resolutions and presets tells a nuanced story about where the bottlenecks lie and how the hardware is being utilized. This analysis will break down the measured FPS data to understand the relationship between the CPU, GPU, and the game's demands.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a distinct pattern as resolution increases, which is a classic indicator of GPU-bound performance. At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the combo achieves an average of 104 FPS. Moving up to 2560x1440, the average drops to 88 FPS, a 15% decrease. The jump to 3840x2160 sees a further decline to 69 FPS, which is a 22% drop from the 1440p figure and a 34% drop from 1080p. This scaling is not linear, and the increasing performance penalty at higher resolutions points directly at the GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER as the primary limiting factor.

This is further confirmed when examining the Ultra preset. The frame rate falls from 59 FPS at 1080p to 50 FPS at 1440p, and then plummets to 39 FPS at 4K. The 11 FPS difference between 1080p and 1440p, followed by another 11 FPS difference between 1440p and 4K, shows the GPU struggling to maintain a playable frame rate as the pixel count increases. The data implies that at 4K Ultra, the RTX 4070 SUPER is simply overwhelmed by the rendering load of The Medium.

Conversely, the Low preset demonstrates the opposite trend. At 1080p Low, the system hits 138 FPS. At 1440p, it only drops to 130 FPS, and even at 4K, it maintains a robust 110 FPS. The relatively small performance hit from 1080p to 4K at Low settings (a 20% drop) suggests that the CPU is able to keep up with the game's logic, and the GPU has ample headroom. This indicates that while the GPU is the limiting factor at high resolutions, the Ryzen 7 5700 provides a solid foundation that doesn't bottleneck the frame rate until the GPU is fully saturated.

The data suggests that for this title, the sweet spot for high refresh rate gaming is at 1080p, while 1440p is the practical ceiling for high-quality visuals. The 4K resolution is only viable for those willing to compromise heavily on visual fidelity, as the Ultra preset's 39 FPS average is not a smooth experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture. Its benchmark scores, such as the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20655 and single-core score of 2916, indicate a strong performer for gaming. In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role appears to be more about maintaining a stable frame rate than pushing it higher. The evidence for this is the relatively small difference in FPS between the 1080p and 1440p results across all settings, which suggests the CPU is not the primary constraint.

However, the CPU's performance ceiling becomes visible when looking at the 1080p Low preset. With a 138 FPS average, the system is pushing a high number of frames, but this is likely near the limit of what the CPU can feed to the GPU in this game. While the RTX 4070 SUPER could theoretically render more frames at this low-resolution and low-detail setting, the Ryzen 7 5700's ability to process the game's draw calls and physics calculations becomes the limiting factor. This is a common scenario for powerful GPUs at lower resolutions.

The processor's 3.70 GHz base and 4.60 GHz boost clocks are sufficient for the game's demands, and its 16 MB of L3 cache likely helps with data access. The benchmark results show that the CPU holds up well, keeping the GPU well-fed at higher resolutions where the GPU is the bottleneck. The data implies that while the Ryzen 7 5700 is not a top-tier enthusiast chip, it is a well-balanced partner for the RTX 4070 SUPER in this title, ensuring that the GPU's performance is not significantly hindered by CPU limitations.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 63 FPS.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware combination?

A: At 4K with Medium settings, the combo achieves 69 FPS. However, at Ultra settings, the average drops to 39 FPS, which may not be considered smooth. At Low settings, it can reach 110 FPS.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 5700's multi-threaded performance compare to its rivals?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score is 25517. Its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon D-2752TER, has an average score of 25530, making the Ryzen 7 5700 0.1% slower. It is 0.1% slower than the AMD Ryzen 5 6600H (score 25550) and 0.3% faster than the AMD Ryzen 7 5825U (score 25446).

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1920x1080?

A: At 1080p, the Low preset averages 138 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 59 FPS. This represents a 79 FPS difference between the lowest and highest quality presets.

Q: Does the combo have a high average FPS at 4K?

A: The average FPS at 4K varies significantly by preset. The highest average is 110 FPS at Low, and the lowest is 39 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset averages 69 FPS.

Q: What is the GPU's single-threaded performance relative to its rivals?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 43223. It is 0.1% slower than the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB, 0.1% slower than the GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile, and 1% slower than the GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations for The Medium, this particular pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER holds a notable position. The data places this combo at rank 670 out of 3724 tested combos. This places it in the top 18% of all systems tested, which is a strong showing. This rank suggests that the combination is well above average for running this game, delivering a performance level that would be satisfactory for most players.

This ranking reflects the balance of the two components. The Ryzen 7 5700, with its 8-core configuration, provides enough processing power to avoid being a significant bottleneck, while the RTX 4070 SUPER provides the graphical muscle needed for high-fidelity rendering. The fact that it sits in the 82nd percentile (calculated from its rank) of all tested combos indicates that this system is more capable than the vast majority of others in the database. While it is not a top-tier, extreme-performance setup, its rank confirms it as a high-performing and reliable choice for playing The Medium at high settings and resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the clear driver of visual performance in this pairing. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory, with a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s, is a significant asset for a game like The Medium, which likely uses high-resolution textures. The GPU's 7168 shading units and 56 RT cores are responsible for the heavy lifting in rendering the game's environments and effects. The benchmark data shows that the GPU's performance is the deciding factor in the frame rate at all but the most CPU-limited scenarios.

The GPU's clock speeds of 1980 MHz base and 2475 MHz boost provide the raw speed needed for high FPS. However, the data shows that the RTX 4070 SUPER's performance is heavily dependent on the settings preset. The massive difference between the Low preset (138 FPS at 1080p) and the Ultra preset (59 FPS at 1080p) highlights the significant increase in GPU workload that comes with higher quality settings. This is a clear sign that the GPU is being pushed to its limits at the highest settings.

The data implies that the RTX 4070 SUPER is a very capable card for 1080p and 1440p gaming in The Medium. At 4K, it can handle Medium settings well but struggles to maintain high frame rates at the Ultra preset. The 39 FPS average at 4K Ultra is indicative of a GPU that is working at maximum capacity. The GPU's performance, as measured by its 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs, confirms its high-end status, but the game's demanding Ultra settings can still bring it to its knees.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the average FPS measurements for this combo:

1920x1080:

• Low: 138 FPS average.
• Medium: 104 FPS average, with a minimum of 88 FPS and a maximum of 120 FPS.
• High: 75 FPS average.
• Ultra: 59 FPS average.

2560x1440:

• Low: 130 FPS average.
• Medium: 88 FPS average, with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 101 FPS.
• High: 63 FPS average.
• Ultra: 50 FPS average.

3840x2160:

• Low: 110 FPS average.
• Medium: 69 FPS average, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS.
• High: 49 FPS average.
• Ultra: 39 FPS average.

The data shows a clear and consistent pattern. At every resolution, the Low preset is the most performant, and the Ultra preset is the least. The Medium preset offers a middle ground, with frame rates that are generally playable. The High preset sits between Medium and Ultra in performance. The results demonstrate a linear progression in performance cost as you move up the settings presets, which is expected for a GPU-bound game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings for this hardware depend heavily on the user's target resolution and frame rate preference.

For players with a 1080p display, the High preset, with an average of 75 FPS, offers an excellent balance of visual quality and performance. It provides a significant jump in fidelity over the Medium preset's 104 FPS, while still maintaining a frame rate that is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset's 59 FPS is playable but may not feel as smooth, so High is the recommended choice for a better experience.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation. With an average of 88 FPS, it offers a smooth and responsive experience. The High preset drops to 63 FPS, which is still acceptable for many, but the Medium preset provides a safer margin for maintaining a high frame rate, especially in more demanding scenes. The Ultra preset's 50 FPS average is at the edge of playability for some and is best avoided if a steady 60+ FPS is desired.

For 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the only viable option for a consistent experience, with its 69 FPS average. The High preset averages 49 FPS, which is not ideal for a smooth experience. The Low preset can hit 110 FPS, but the visual compromise is significant. Therefore, Medium is the best compromise between visual fidelity and performance at 4K. In summary, the data suggests that the Medium preset is the safest and most versatile choice, providing excellent frame rates at all resolutions, while High at 1080p is the best choice for those prioritizing visual quality without sacrificing smoothness.