The Medium

The Medium is a horror title that places deliberate, fixed-camera scenes and heavy atmospheric effects ahead of fast-paced action, and the measured frame rates for the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 reflect that workload profile. Across the twelve recorded runs, the combination shows a clear pattern: at 1080p the CPU and GPU together deliver high averages, but as resolution climbs to 4K, the GPU becomes the dominant constraint, with the frame rate dropping by more than half between the lowest and highest settings at each resolution. This analysis walks through the resolution scaling, the CPU and GPU roles, the exact measured FPS values, and how this pairing ranks among tested combos, using only the data provided.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a consistent and steep decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, which indicates that the RTX 3080’s rendering workload scales heavily with pixel count. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 64 FPS at 1080p to 54 FPS at 1440p, then to 42 FPS at 4K. That represents a 15.6% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 22.2% drop from 1440p to 4K, totaling a 34.4% reduction from the lowest to highest resolution. This steep scaling suggests that the GPU’s pixel throughput, not the CPU’s processing power, is the limiting factor when moving to higher resolutions.

At Low settings, the same pattern emerges but with higher absolute values: 142 FPS at 1080p, 121 FPS at 1440p, and 95 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are similar—14.8% from 1080p to 1440p and 21.5% from 1440p to 4K—which reinforces the idea that resolution scaling is primarily a GPU-bound phenomenon. The CPU, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, maintains sufficient headroom at all resolutions, as evidenced by the fact that even at 4K Low, the frame rate stays above 90 FPS, which is well above typical display refresh rates.

The Medium settings, which include min and max FPS values, provide additional insight into the scaling behavior. At 1080p Medium, the average is 90 FPS with a range of 76 to 103 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 75 FPS with a range of 64 to 87 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 59 FPS with a range of 50 to 68 FPS. The min FPS values scale proportionally with the averages, indicating that the frame time variance remains stable across resolutions. This stability suggests that the game’s fixed camera angles and pre-rendered backgrounds do not introduce sudden CPU-driven spikes, even when the GPU load increases.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic resolution impact: 51 FPS at 1080p, 43 FPS at 1440p, and 34 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is 33.3%, nearly identical to the High settings’ 34.4% reduction. This consistency across presets implies that the resolution scaling is independent of the graphics preset, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. The limiting component at 4K is clearly the RTX 3080’s ability to process the increased pixel count, not the Ryzen 7 5700X’s compute capability.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Medium settings for this combo?

A: The measured average is 90 FPS, with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 103 FPS, as recorded in the 1920x1080 Medium row.

Q: How much faster is Low settings compared to Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings achieve 121 FPS average, while Ultra achieves 43 FPS average. That means Low is approximately 2.8 times faster than Ultra, based on the measured values.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance at 4K?

A: The data indicates GPU limitation. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 95 at Low to 34 at Ultra, showing a strong dependency on GPU workload. The CPU’s 8 cores and 16 threads are sufficient to avoid bottlenecking, as frame rates remain high even at Low settings where CPU load is relatively higher.

Q: What is the best preset for a smooth 4K experience?

A: Among the 4K measurements, Low settings provide the only average above 60 FPS, at 95 FPS. Medium settings achieve 59 FPS, which is borderline for 60 Hz displays, while High and Ultra fall below 42 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 3080’s VRAM capacity affect The Medium’s performance?

A: The GPU has 10 GB of GDDR6X memory with a 320-bit bus and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth. The Medium’s fixed scenes and moderate texture demands appear to fit within this capacity, as no VRAM-related stutters are evident in the min FPS data; the 4K Medium range of 50 to 68 FPS shows no unusual dips.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 5700X a bottleneck at 1080p Low?

A: At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 142, which is high but not limited by the CPU’s single-thread performance. The CPU’s 3DMark single-thread score is 921, and its Cinebench R23 single-core score is 1499, indicating capable per-core performance. The data shows no evidence of CPU limitation, as the frame rate scales cleanly with GPU settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X is a Zen 3 architecture processor built on TSMC’s 7 nm process, with 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz and boost clock is 4.60 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. In the context of The Medium, these specifications translate into sufficient multi-threaded and single-threaded performance for the game’s workload, which primarily involves loading fixed scenes and running scripted events rather than complex physics or AI simulations.

The CPU’s benchmark scores provide context for its capability. In Cinebench R23, it scores 13,184 in multicore and 1,499 in single-core. In Geekbench, it scores 10,779 multicore and 2,016 single-core. The 3DMark scores show scaling from 921 in single-thread to 6,858 in 16-thread tests, indicating that the CPU can leverage its 16 threads effectively. For The Medium, which is not heavily threaded, the single-thread performance is more relevant, and the 1,499 Cinebench R23 single-core score is adequate for maintaining frame rates above 60 FPS at most settings.

The CPU’s cache hierarchy includes 64 KB L1 per core, 512 KB L2 per core, and 32 MB shared L3. The 32 MB L3 is particularly useful for keeping game data close to the cores, reducing memory latency. The DDR4 memory support with dual-channel 51.2 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for this title, as the measured FPS does not show any memory-bandwidth-related drops. The CPU’s percentile rank of 79 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27,578, places it competitively against rivals like the Intel Core i5-12600K, which has the same average score (deltaPct 0%), and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800, which is 0.2% slower.

In The Medium’s measured data, the CPU’s role is not the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 142 FPS, which is near the upper range of what a 144 Hz display can show. Even at 4K Ultra, the 34 FPS average is entirely GPU-bound, as the CPU has ample headroom. The 8-core, 16-thread configuration ensures that background tasks and game logic do not interfere with frame pacing, as evidenced by the stable min FPS values at Medium settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a complete picture of performance. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the combo delivers 142 FPS on Low, 90 FPS on Medium (min 76, max 103), 64 FPS on High, and 51 FPS on Ultra. These values show a clear progression: dropping from Low to Ultra reduces average FPS by 64.1%, from 142 to 51. The Medium preset’s min FPS of 76 ensures that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate stays above typical 60 Hz refresh rates.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages decrease as expected. Low settings produce 121 FPS, Medium produces 75 FPS (min 64, max 87), High produces 54 FPS, and Ultra produces 43 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 64.5%, nearly identical to 1080p, indicating consistent scaling. The Medium preset’s min of 64 FPS is still above 60, making it a viable option for 1440p displays with VRR. High settings at 54 FPS may be playable but with occasional dips, while Ultra at 43 FPS is more suited for slower-paced horror scenes.

At 3840x2160, the highest resolution, the averages fall further. Low settings achieve 95 FPS, Medium achieves 59 FPS (min 50, max 68), High achieves 42 FPS, and Ultra achieves 34 FPS. The Medium preset’s average of 59 FPS is just below 60, which may cause visible stutter on fixed-refresh displays, but the min of 50 FPS suggests that most scenes stay within a tolerable range. Low settings at 95 FPS are the only preset that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS at 4K. High and Ultra settings at 42 and 34 FPS respectively are clearly GPU-bound, with the RTX 3080 struggling to maintain smooth motion at these pixel densities.

The data shows that the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions, with 90 FPS at 1080p, 75 FPS at 1440p, and 59 FPS at 4K. The min FPS values of 76, 64, and 50 respectively indicate that the game maintains reasonable frame times even in heavier scenes. For users prioritizing smoothness, Low settings at 4K (95 FPS) or Medium at 1440p (75 FPS) are the strongest measured options.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is built on the Ampere architecture, using Samsung’s 8 nm process with 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die. Its base clock is 1440 MHz and boost clock is 1710 MHz, with 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, providing 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications are critical for The Medium, which uses fixed-camera angles and pre-baked lighting but still demands significant pixel fill rate and texture bandwidth at higher resolutions.

The GPU’s benchmark scores show its general capability: in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 4,407, and in Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 33,620. The PassMark G3D score is 25,086, with a percentile rank of 68 among all GPUs. The nearest rivals include the NVIDIA P106-100 (0.3% lower average score), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 (0.3% lower), AMD Radeon RX 6600M (0.4% lower), and AMD Radeon R9 M290X (0.4% lower). This indicates the RTX 3080 sits in the upper-midrange tier, which aligns with its measured performance in The Medium.

In this game, the GPU’s 10 GB VRAM appears sufficient, as the 4K Medium settings show a min FPS of 50 and max of 68, with no evidence of texture thrashing. The 760.3 GB/s bandwidth is ample for the game’s asset streaming, which is likely modest given the fixed camera perspectives. The GPU’s 68 RT cores and 272 tensor cores are not heavily utilized in this title, as The Medium uses pre-rendered backgrounds rather than real-time ray tracing, but the raw rasterization power of 29.77 TFLOPS FP32 is what drives the measured frame rates.

At 1080p, the RTX 3080 delivers 142 FPS on Low, which is near its peak output for this game. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 34 FPS, indicating that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the limiting factor. The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a consistent 60-65% reduction in FPS, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario where settings increase shader complexity and texture detail. The GPU’s 96 ROPs and 272 TMUs handle the pixel and texture fill rates, but at 4K, the sheer number of pixels (8.3 million) overwhelms the GPU’s ability to maintain high frame rates on Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the best balance between visual quality and performance across all three resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 90 FPS average with a min of 76, which is smooth on any display and leaves headroom for VRR. At 1440p, Medium drops to 75 FPS average with a min of 64, still comfortably above 60 FPS for most monitors. At 4K, Medium achieves 59 FPS average with a min of 50, which is borderline for 60 Hz displays but may be acceptable for slower-paced horror gameplay where frame drops are less noticeable.

For users with high-refresh-rate 1080p displays, Low settings at 142 FPS are the best option, as they provide the highest frame rate measured, which is ideal for competitive or fast-paced scenes. However, The Medium is a horror game with deliberate pacing, so the visual fidelity of Medium or High may be preferable. High settings at 1080p yield 64 FPS, which is still smooth, but the jump from High to Ultra (51 FPS) does not provide enough visual benefit to justify the 20.3% performance loss.

At 1440p, Medium is the clear recommendation, as it maintains 75 FPS average and 64 FPS minimum. High settings at 54 FPS may cause noticeable stutter in scenes with heavy particle effects, while Ultra at 43 FPS is too low for consistent smoothness. At 4K, Low settings at 95 FPS are the only option that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. Medium at 59 FPS is close to 60 but may dip below on occasion, as shown by the 50 FPS minimum. High and Ultra at 42 and 34 FPS respectively are not recommended for 4K due to low averages and likely frame pacing issues.

The data suggests that users should prioritize the Medium preset for 1080p and 1440p, and use Low settings for 4K if they require smooth frame rates. For those who prefer visual quality over smoothness, Medium at 4K is the only viable preset above 30 FPS, but the 50 FPS minimum indicates that the experience will be inconsistent. The RTX 3080’s 10 GB VRAM does not seem to be a limiting factor at any preset, as the frame times remain stable within each row.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination ranks 1,041 out of 3,724 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the top 28% of all pairings. This rank reflects the GPU’s mid-to-high-tier performance and the CPU’s solid multi-threaded capability. The combo’s position is influenced by the game’s GPU-bound nature, which means that the RTX 3080’s 68th percentile rank among GPUs is more impactful than the CPU’s 79th percentile rank among CPUs.

Compared to other combos, this pairing is likely competitive with systems using similar-tier GPUs and CPUs. The RTX 3080’s nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA P106-100 and AMD Radeon RX 6600M, have average scores that are 0.3-0.4% lower, indicating that the GPU is slightly above those parts in general benchmarks. The CPU’s nearest rivals, including the Intel Core i5-12600K (0% delta) and AMD Ryzen 5 7600X (0.2% faster), show that the Ryzen 7 5700X is well-matched with contemporary mid-range processors.

In the context of The Medium, the combo’s rank of 1,041 out of 3,724 means that a significant number of tested systems outperform it, likely those with higher-end GPUs like the RTX 3080 Ti or RTX 3090, or newer architectures with better rasterization performance. However, the rank also indicates that the combo outperforms the majority of tested configurations, which is consistent with the measured FPS data showing 4K Medium at 59 FPS and 1440p Medium at 75 FPS. For a game that is heavily GPU-bound, the RTX 3080’s 10 GB VRAM and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth provide enough headroom to avoid major bottlenecks, while the Ryzen 7 5700X’s 8 cores and 16 threads ensure that the CPU never becomes a limiting factor.

The percentile ranks support this interpretation: the CPU’s 79th percentile and GPU’s 68th percentile suggest a balanced pairing, with the GPU being the more constrained component. In The Medium, this means that users can expect consistent performance at 1080p and 1440p, with playable but not ideal performance at 4K on higher settings. The combo’s rank of 1,041 is a reasonable outcome for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU from the previous generation, and the measured data confirms that this pairing delivers a smooth experience for most use cases.