The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER pairing delivers a playable experience in The Medium, but only when settings and resolution are carefully managed. The benchmark data shows this combination is severely constrained by the GPU at higher visual presets, while the CPU provides ample headroom even at lower resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured performance to identify where this combo excels and where it falls short.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X is a high-core-count desktop processor built on the Zen 3 architecture, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 4.60 GHz, combined with 32 MB of shared L3 cache, position it as a strong performer for modern games. In synthetic benchmarks, the chip scores 9,500 points in Cinebench R20 multi-core and 22,620 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, with a single-core score of 3,193 in R23. This places it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 26,214.

When compared to its nearest rivals, the 5700X shows a near-tie with the Intel Core i9-11900KF, which scores 26,196 (a delta of only 0.1%). It also trades blows with the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X, which scores 26,272 (a -0.2% delta). This indicates that the 5700X is not a bottleneck in The Medium, as its multi-threaded capabilities far exceed what a game released in this period typically demands. The data supports this: at 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 92.3 FPS, which is the highest measured result across all configurations. This high frame rate at a CPU-sensitive resolution suggests the processor is delivering frames without being the limiting factor.

The CPU's 16 threads are particularly relevant for The Medium, a horror title known for its dual-reality rendering mechanics. The benchmark results show that even at 1080p Ultra, the system produces 33.7 FPS, which is a GPU-bound scenario. The 5700X's strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2,148, ensures that game logic and scene management are handled efficiently, allowing the graphics card to be the primary determinant of frame rate. In essence, the CPU is a stable foundation that does not introduce stutter or frame-time issues in the measured data.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the clear performance limiter in this configuration. This Turing-architecture GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock of 1470 MHz and boost clock of 1650 MHz are modest by current standards, and its FP32 performance is rated at 7.181 TFLOPS. The GPU sits in the 63rd percentile of all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 19,774. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070, which scores 19,680 (a delta of 0.5%), showing the 2060 SUPER is essentially on par with that card in raw compute.

In The Medium, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM buffer is sufficient for the game's assets, but its raw shading power struggles with the title's demanding visual effects. The measured FPS shows a steep drop as settings increase. At 1080p, moving from Low (92.3 FPS) to Medium (55.3 FPS) to High (43.7 FPS) to Ultra (33.7 FPS) illustrates a consistent performance penalty of roughly 20-30 FPS per tier. This pattern is consistent across all resolutions, confirming that the RTX 2060 SUPER's compute units, not its memory capacity, are the bottleneck. The GPU's DirectX 12 benchmark score of 61 in PassMark is low, but its DirectX 11 score of 130 suggests better performance in legacy APIs, which may influence how the game's engine executes its rendering workload.

The data indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER is best suited for Low or Medium settings in this title. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 37 FPS, a significant loss that many users might find acceptable for improved visuals, but the jump to High costs another 11.6 FPS, pushing the frame rate below the 45 FPS threshold that many consider playable for a slow-paced horror game. The GPU's 14 Gbps effective memory speed and 256-bit bus are adequate, but they do not compensate for the limited number of shading units (2,176) and ray tracing cores (34), which are underutilized in this game's benchmark results.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-limited scenario. At Low settings, the combo delivers 92.3 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 75.7 FPS at 1440p (an 18% reduction), and further to 62.8 FPS at 4K (a 32% reduction from 1080p). This scaling is relatively gentle, suggesting that at Low settings, the game is less demanding on the GPU, allowing the CPU to maintain a higher baseline. However, the frame rate remains playable at all resolutions on Low, making it the only setting where 4K is viable.

At High settings, the degradation is steeper. The average FPS falls from 43.7 at 1080p to 31.8 at 1440p (a 27% drop) and then to 27.7 at 4K (a 37% drop from 1080p). This indicates that as visual complexity increases, the GPU's compute resources are saturated, and the resolution scaling has a compounding effect. The 4K High result of 27.7 FPS is well below the playable threshold, while 1440p High at 31.8 FPS is marginal at best. The pattern at Ultra is even more pronounced: 33.7 FPS at 1080p, 29.6 FPS at 1440p, and 23.5 FPS at 4K. The difference between 1080p and 4K at Ultra is only 10.2 FPS, highlighting that the GPU is already maxed out at 1080p, and further resolution increases yield diminishing returns.

This scaling behavior is indicative of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU is not the limiting factor because the FPS drop is proportional to the pixel count increase, which is a hallmark of pixel-bound rendering. The data also shows that Medium settings provide a middle ground: 55.3 FPS at 1080p, 51.1 FPS at 1440p, and 36.0 FPS at 4K. The 1440p Medium result is the sweet spot for this combo, offering a playable frame rate with a reasonable resolution compromise.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution. For 1080p, the High preset at 43.7 FPS is the best balance of visual fidelity and playability. The game is a slow-paced horror title, so 40+ FPS is acceptable for most users, and the jump from Medium to High provides a noticeable improvement in shadow quality and texture detail. For users who prioritize smoothness, the Medium preset at 55.3 FPS is the safer choice, as it maintains a higher frame rate for camera panning and exploration.

For 1440p, the Medium preset at 51.1 FPS is the recommended choice. The High preset at 31.8 FPS dips below the comfortable threshold, while Low at 75.7 FPS sacrifices too much visual quality. The Medium preset offers a playable experience without the stutter that can occur at lower frame rates in horror games. For 4K, only the Low preset at 62.8 FPS is viable. The Medium preset at 36.0 FPS is technically above 30 FPS, but it may feel sluggish for some users. The data indicates that the Low preset is the only one that provides a smooth 4K experience, though it severely compromises the game's atmosphere.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution. Even at 1080p, it only achieves 33.7 FPS, which is below the 40 FPS threshold that most users find acceptable for a game with significant environmental detail. The performance cost of Ultra is not justified by the visual gains, as the measured FPS drops by 10 FPS compared to High at 1080p. The data suggests that High is the maximum preset this GPU can handle with playable frame rates, and only at 1080p.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run The Medium at 4K?*

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it achieves an average of 62.8 FPS. At Medium settings, 4K performance drops to 36.0 FPS, and at High or Ultra, it falls to 27.7 and 23.5 FPS respectively, which are not playable.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU pairing?

A: The data shows that 1440p with Medium settings provides the best balance, delivering 51.1 FPS. This is a playable frame rate with a higher resolution than 1080p, and the visual quality is acceptable.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 5700X compare to its nearest rival?

A: The 5700X scores 26,214 on average, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i9-11900KF (26,196) and 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X (26,272). This shows the CPU is competitive with top-tier processors.

Q: Is the RTX 2060 SUPER a bottleneck in this game?

A: Yes, the benchmark data indicates that the GPU is the limiting component. This is evidenced by the FPS dropping proportionally with resolution increases, while the CPU's high single-thread score (2,148 in Geekbench) suggests it has headroom.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1080p High is 43.7. This is a playable frame rate for a horror game, though it is not as smooth as the 55.3 FPS achieved at Medium settings.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 1,157 out of 1,689 tested combinations in The Medium, placing it in the lower third of all systems. This ranking reflects the GPU's limitations on higher presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The data provides a clear picture of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 92.3 FPS on Low, 55.3 FPS on Medium, 43.7 FPS on High, and 33.7 FPS on Ultra. These figures show a linear degradation as settings increase, with a total drop of 58.6 FPS from Low to Ultra. At 2560x1440, the results are 75.7 FPS on Low, 51.1 FPS on Medium, 31.8 FPS on High, and 29.6 FPS on Ultra. The gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 2.2 FPS, indicating that Ultra provides no benefit over High at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the performance is significantly lower: 62.8 FPS on Low, 36.0 FPS on Medium, 27.7 FPS on High, and 23.5 FPS on Ultra. The Low preset is the only one that maintains a smooth frame rate, while the Ultra preset is nearly unplayable. Across all resolutions, the Medium preset offers the most consistent performance, with FPS ranging from 36.0 at 4K to 55.3 at 1080p. The High preset shows the steepest drop when moving from 1440p to 4K (a loss of 4.1 FPS), while Low shows the gentlest scaling, losing only 12.9 FPS from 1080p to 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

This pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 1,157 out of 1,689 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the 68th percentile of all systems, meaning it performs better than roughly 68% of tested configurations but is outclassed by the top third. The ranking reflects the GPU's age and its inability to handle high or ultra settings at modern resolutions. The CPU's 83rd percentile ranking among all processors suggests that if paired with a more powerful GPU, this system could achieve a much higher rank in the game's benchmark database.

The combo's performance is consistent with its component rankings: the CPU is a strong performer, but the GPU holds the system back. In the context of The Medium, which is a visually demanding title, this results in a system that is best suited for 1080p gaming or 1440p with reduced settings. The data shows that the RTX 2060 SUPER, while comparable to an RTX 2070 in synthetic benchmarks (0.5% delta), does not have enough raw horsepower to maintain high frame rates in this specific game. This ranking serves as a clear indicator that users should target Medium settings at 1440p or High settings at 1080p for the best experience.