The Medium

The Medium presents a unique rendering challenge with its dual-world mechanic, and the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers a compelling, though not flawless, experience. The data indicates this combination is positioned in the upper echelon of tested systems, ranking 321st out of 1689 total combinations. This places it firmly in the top quintile, suggesting strong performance for a horror title that prioritizes atmosphere over raw frame rates.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X contributes 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture. This is a 7 nm processor from TSMC with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its 32 MB of shared L3 cache is substantial, and the 65 W TDP indicates an efficient design. In synthetic benchmarks, the chip shows strong multi-threaded scaling, scoring 9,500 in Cinebench R20 multi-core and 22,620 in Cinebench R23 multi-core. Its single-thread performance is equally robust, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3,193.

For a game like The Medium, which is not typically known for extreme CPU demands, this processor provides a solid foundation. The benchmark results show that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any tested setting. For instance, at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 143.1 FPS, which is a high enough value to indicate the CPU can feed the GPU effectively. The 3dmark_16_threads score of 6,858 and 3dmark_2_threads score of 1,821 further illustrate that both lightly and heavily threaded workloads are handled with ease. The data suggests that the Ryzen 7 5700X's capabilities are more than sufficient for the game's logical and physics computations, allowing the GPU to become the primary performance driver.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 321 out of 1,689 tested combinations places it in the top 19% of all systems. This is a strong showing, but the data reveals a nuanced picture when examining the performance at different quality settings. The GPU's synthetic scores are the primary driver of this ranking. The RTX 4070 SUPER achieves an average benchmark score of 42,576, which places it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rivals in synthetic tests are the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (with a deltaPct of -0.2) and the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (with a deltaPct of -0.3), indicating the 4070 SUPER is essentially tied with these professional and high-end consumer cards in raw compute power.

However, the in-game frame rates show that this synthetic strength does not always translate to a consistently smooth experience at the highest settings. The combo's rank is a holistic measure, but the data shows that at Ultra settings, frame rates dip below 60 FPS at all resolutions. This suggests that while the combo is powerful, it is not overkill for this specific title. The ranking reflects a system that can handle the game well, but the highest visual fidelity will require a performance trade-off.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo achieve a smooth 60 FPS experience at 2560x1440?

A: Yes, but not at the highest settings. The data shows an average of 60.6 FPS at High settings and 87.1 FPS at Medium settings. At Ultra settings, the average drops to 51.5 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target.

Q: What is the best resolution for this system to maintain over 100 FPS?

A: At 1920x1080, the system can achieve over 100 FPS on both Low (143.1 FPS) and Medium (102.9 FPS) settings. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset (134 FPS) breaks the 100 FPS barrier.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER compare to its nearest rival, the RTX A6000?

A: The benchmark data shows the RTX 4070 SUPER has an average score of 42,576, while the RTX A6000 has an average score of 42,653. The deltaPct is -0.2, meaning the RTX 4070 SUPER is essentially on par with the RTX A6000 in synthetic tests, trailing by a negligible 0.2%.

Q: Is the CPU a limiting factor for performance in The Medium?

A: No. The data indicates the CPU is not a bottleneck. At 1920x1080 Low settings, the system achieves 143.1 FPS, which is a high frame rate that would heavily tax a CPU. The Ryzen 7 5700X's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22,620 demonstrates ample processing headroom for this title.

Q: What is the difference in performance between Low and Ultra settings at 3840x2160?

A: The difference is substantial. At Low settings, the average frame rate is 108.3 FPS, which drops to 36.5 FPS at Ultra settings. This represents a performance reduction of approximately 66% when moving from the lowest to the highest visual quality.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-11900KF?

A: The average benchmark score for the Ryzen 7 5700X is 26,214, while the Intel Core i9-11900KF scores 26,196. The deltaPct is 0.1, indicating the AMD processor is 0.1% faster, making the two effectively identical in overall performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the performance scaling across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system is clearly capable of high refresh rate gaming. The Low preset achieves an average of 143.1 FPS, while Medium drops to 102.9 FPS. High settings yield a respectable 75.5 FPS, and the Ultra preset brings the average down to 57.9 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales predictably. The Low setting remains very playable at 134 FPS, and Medium provides a strong 87.1 FPS. High settings just barely hit the 60 FPS target with an average of 60.6 FPS, while Ultra falls below it at 51.5 FPS. This resolution presents a good balance for the hardware.

At 3840x2160, the demands of 4K become evident. The Low setting still manages a high average of 108.3 FPS, showing the raw power of the RTX 4070 SUPER. The Medium preset provides a playable 70.6 FPS. However, the High preset drops to 46.4 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 36.5 FPS. The data shows that for a consistent 60 FPS experience at 4K, users will need to dial settings down to Medium or lower.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the clear performance leader in this combo. Built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, it packs 7,168 shading units and 56 RT cores. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s, which is crucial for the high-resolution textures and dual-scene rendering in The Medium. The GPU's boost clock of 2475 MHz and FP32 compute of 35.48 TFLOPS are high figures that explain its strong synthetic performance.

The GPU's role is evident in the frame rate scaling. The difference between Low and Medium settings is significant, but the jump to Ultra is the most demanding. For example, at 2560x1440, the performance drop from High (60.6 FPS) to Ultra (51.5 FPS) is about 15%, while the drop from Medium (87.1 FPS) to High is about 30%. This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces effects that heavily tax the GPU's resources, likely related to advanced lighting and shadow rendering. The 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the raw horsepower behind these calculations, and the data shows it is sufficient for high-quality, but not maximum, settings at common resolutions. The GPU's 84th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms its high-end status, though the in-game numbers show that even this level of hardware has limits with The Medium's most demanding presets.