The Medium

The Medium presents a unique technical challenge, rendering two simultaneous worlds that double the scene complexity. The AMD Ryzen 7 5700G and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination delivers a playable experience, but the data reveals a system that is heavily constrained by graphics settings and resolution. The measured frame rates show a clear hierarchy where the GPU’s capabilities are the primary determinant of performance, while the CPU’s 8-core, 16-thread design provides a stable foundation. This analysis interprets the measured FPS data to understand the balance between these two components.

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700G is a Zen 3 architecture processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, running on the AMD Socket AM4 platform. Its base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 4.60 GHz, combined with a 16 MB L3 cache, position it as a capable mid-range desktop part. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 20,755 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,930 in single-core, which places it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. This processing power ensures that the CPU is not the bottleneck in The Medium, even with the game’s dual-reality rendering.

The game’s reliance on CPU resources appears to be moderate. At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 123.3 FPS, which is a high frame rate that suggests the CPU can easily feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. However, the frame rate drops precipitously as resolution and settings increase, indicating that the CPU’s role becomes less critical relative to the GPU. For instance, at 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 29.4, a 76% drop from the 1080p Low result. This pattern implies that the Ryzen 7 5700G’s 8-core/16-thread configuration is more than sufficient for this title, as the performance ceiling is defined by the graphics card.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 7 5700G scores 25,626 on average, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U (25,706) and slightly ahead of the Intel Xeon D-2752TER (25,532). This indicates that the processor’s computational throughput is on par with other modern chips, ensuring that it does not introduce any unusual frame pacing issues. The benchmark results suggest that for The Medium, the CPU’s high multi-threaded score (20,755 in Cinebench R23) is more than adequate for the game’s demands, leaving the GPU as the sole performance limiter.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is built on the Ampere architecture with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its boost clock of 1725 MHz and 5888 shading units deliver a raw compute capability of 20.31 TFLOPS, which is substantial for a 30-series card. In the PassMark G3D benchmark, it scores 22,214, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. This hardware profile is directly responsible for the FPS variations seen in the measured data.

The GPU’s 8 GB VRAM is a critical factor at higher resolutions and settings. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 29.4, which is below the playable threshold of 30 FPS, suggesting that the card is overwhelmed by the combination of high resolution and demanding settings. In contrast, at 1080p Low, the same GPU achieves 123.3 FPS, demonstrating that the RTX 3070 has ample headroom when the workload is reduced. The 8 GB frame buffer likely becomes a constraint when rendering the dual worlds at 4K, as the texture data may exceed the available VRAM, causing performance to plummet.

The RTX 3070’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, which scores 27,985, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti, which scores 27,956. The RTX 3070’s average score of 28,238 is 0.9% higher than the RX 6600 XT, indicating a slight performance advantage. This suggests that within this class, the RTX 3070 is a strong contender, but the measured FPS in The Medium shows that even this level of performance is insufficient for 4K Ultra. The GPU’s role is clear: it drives the frame rate, and the data indicates that it is the primary bottleneck at higher settings, while the CPU sits idle waiting for the GPU to finish rendering.

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

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of which settings offer the best experience. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 123.3 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth and well above the 60 FPS target for most displays. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 76.5 FPS, which is still very playable and offers a better visual quality. The High preset drops to 55.7 FPS, which is borderline but acceptable for a horror game that benefits from atmosphere over speed. The Ultra preset at 1080p falls to 47.2 FPS, which may feel slightly less responsive but remains playable.

At 1440p, the situation changes. The Low preset achieves 105.9 FPS, which is excellent, while Medium drops to 64 FPS, which is still smooth. The High preset at 1440p yields 48.5 FPS, which is playable but noticeably less fluid, and Ultra falls to 37.5 FPS, which is on the edge of playability. For 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option, producing 82.9 FPS. Medium at 4K drops to 49.5 FPS, which is playable but not ideal, while High and Ultra are below 40 FPS, making them less suitable for a consistent experience.

The data suggests that the best experience is achieved by selecting the Low preset at 4K, or the Medium preset at 1440p, as these balance visual fidelity with smooth frame rates. The High preset is a middle ground at 1080p, but the jump from High to Ultra provides diminishing returns, as the FPS drops by 8.5 FPS at 1080p and 11 FPS at 1440p. For a horror game where immersion is key, the Medium preset at 1440p offers the most consistent 64 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target, making it the recommended choice for most players.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700G and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination ranks 756th out of 1,689 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the 44.8th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning that it outperforms roughly 55% of all combos but falls behind the top-tier systems. This ranking is somewhat surprising given the RTX 3070’s strong performance in synthetic benchmarks, but it reflects the game’s heavy GPU demands at higher settings.

The combo’s rank suggests that while the RTX 3070 is a capable card, it is not in the top echelon for this specific title. The data reveals that the system is not CPU-limited, as the Ryzen 7 5700G’s 83rd percentile CPU score is higher than the GPU’s 72nd percentile score. This implies that the GPU is the limiting factor, and the combination’s rank is largely determined by the RTX 3070’s ability to handle the game’s dual-world rendering. The 756th rank indicates that there are many combos with faster GPUs that achieve higher frame rates, particularly at 4K Ultra where the RTX 3070 struggles.

The combination’s position in the middle of the pack is consistent with the measured FPS, which shows that the system can achieve high frame rates at lower settings but falls behind at higher ones. The data implies that for a 60 FPS experience at 1440p, this combo is adequate, but for 4K gaming, it is not sufficient. The rank serves as a reminder that the RTX 3070, while a solid mid-range card, is not a top-tier performer in The Medium, and users should temper their expectations for ultra-high-resolution gaming.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this combo in The Medium?

A: The highest average FPS is 123.3, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 29.4, while the CPU’s 8-core/16-thread design is more than capable, as indicated by its 83rd percentile ranking.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 28,238, which is 0.9% higher than the RX 6600 XT’s score of 27,985.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p High and 1080p Ultra?

A: At 1080p High, the average FPS is 55.7, while at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 47.2, a difference of 8.5 FPS.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the combo achieve a 64 FPS average?

A: The combo achieves a 64 FPS average at 2560x1440 with the Medium preset.

Q: What is the combo’s overall rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 756th out of 1,689 tested combos, placing it in the 44.8th percentile.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a consistent pattern across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields 123.3 FPS, which is the highest in the entire dataset. The Medium preset produces 76.5 FPS, High yields 55.7 FPS, and Ultra drops to 47.2 FPS. This shows a clear linear progression where each step up in settings reduces the frame rate by approximately 20-30%.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 105.9 FPS, which is still very high. The Medium preset delivers 64 FPS, High yields 48.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 37.5 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 41.9 FPS, which is a significant reduction, indicating that the Medium preset introduces a substantial increase in GPU workload. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p are within 11 FPS of each other, suggesting that the Ultra preset does not add much visual benefit relative to its performance cost.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only one that maintains a high frame rate, achieving 82.9 FPS. This is a remarkable result, showing that the RTX 3070 can still perform well at 4K when settings are reduced. Medium drops to 49.5 FPS, High to 36.2 FPS, and Ultra to 29.4 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only measured result below 30 FPS, which is a critical threshold for playability. The data shows that the 4K Ultra setting is simply too demanding for this GPU, and users should avoid it if they want a smooth experience.

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

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU’s dominance in this system. At the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 123.3 at 1080p to 105.9 at 1440p and 82.9 at 4K. This is a 33% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is relatively modest and indicates that the GPU has enough headroom to handle the increased pixel count. However, at the Medium preset, the drop is more pronounced: 76.5 FPS at 1080p to 64 FPS at 1440p and 49.5 FPS at 4K, a 35% reduction. The High preset shows a similar pattern, with 55.7 FPS at 1080p, 48.5 FPS at 1440p, and 36.2 FPS at 4K, a 35% drop.

The Ultra preset exhibits the steepest scaling, with 47.2 FPS at 1080p, 37.5 FPS at 1440p, and 29.4 FPS at 4K, a 38% reduction. This steeper decline at Ultra settings suggests that the GPU is hitting a memory bandwidth or compute limit, as the additional resolution and settings require more VRAM and processing power. The fact that the FPS drops are consistent across all presets indicates that the GPU is the limiting component, not the CPU. The Ryzen 7 5700G’s performance remains constant, but the RTX 3070’s frame rate scales directly with the pixel load.

This scaling behavior implies that the RTX 3070’s 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 8 GB VRAM are the primary constraints. The drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is only 33%, which is less than the theoretical 4x increase in pixels, suggesting that the GPU is not fully saturated at lower settings. However, at Ultra settings, the 38% drop is closer to the expected scaling, indicating that the GPU is working at its maximum capacity. The data strongly suggests that users should prioritize lowering settings over lowering resolution, as the GPU has more reserves to handle resolution scaling than it does setting scaling.