The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title, and this specific combination of an AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D processor with an AMD Radeon RX 570 graphics card produces a very clear performance ceiling. The data shows that the GPU is the primary constraint across all tested resolutions and settings, resulting in a gaming experience that is only playable under the most conservative configurations. The measured frame rates are consistently low, indicating that this pairing is best suited for older or less demanding titles, or for playing The Medium at its lowest graphical preset.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only viable path to a playable experience is the Low preset. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 44 FPS, which is the only configuration in the entire dataset that approaches standard playability thresholds. Moving up to Medium at the same resolution drops the average to 28 FPS, a significant 36% reduction in performance. This trade-off for slightly better visuals is not worthwhile, as the frame rate becomes noticeably less fluid.

The High and Ultra presets are not recommended for this hardware combination. At 1920x1080, the High preset yields an average of only 20 FPS, and Ultra drops to 16 FPS. These figures are too low for a smooth experience in a game that relies on atmospheric tension and timing. The step from Low to High at 1080p represents a performance loss of over half the frame rate, from 44 FPS down to 20 FPS, which is a steep price for the graphical improvements.

For users who cannot tolerate the visual compromises of the Low preset, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 offers a compromise, but the 28 FPS average is still below what most would consider comfortable. The measured minimum FPS for this setting is 23, which means there will be noticeable stuttering during intense scenes. Given the data, the Low preset is the only setting that provides a consistently playable frame rate, and even then, the 44 FPS average leaves little headroom for demanding areas.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the definitive bottleneck in this system for The Medium. The data illustrates this clearly: at 1920x1080, the frame rate drops from 44 FPS on Low to 16 FPS on Ultra, a performance cliff that is entirely attributable to the GPU's workload. The card's 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s, is insufficient for the game's higher-detail textures and effects at higher presets.

The GPU's core architecture, based on the Polaris 20 chip with a 14 nm process, is dated. Its base clock of 1168 MHz and boost clock of 1244 MHz, combined with 2048 shading units, delivers a raw compute performance of 5.095 TFLOPS. This is simply not enough horsepower to maintain high frame rates in a modern horror title like The Medium at high resolutions. The benchmark results confirm this, as its average benchmark score of 28766 places it in a performance tier where it is only 0.7% faster than the AMD Radeon R9 M295X and 1.2% faster than the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000.

When comparing resolutions, the GPU's limitations become even more apparent. Moving from 1080p to 1440p on the Low preset causes the average FPS to drop from 44 to 37. At 4K, the same Low preset yields an average of only 29 FPS. This scaling pattern shows that the RX 570 is being pushed to its absolute limits, and the frame rate degradation is a direct result of the GPU struggling to fill the increasing number of pixels.

CPU Role

In contrast to the GPU, the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D is more than capable of keeping up, though the data does not show it being fully utilized. The CPU's performance profile is strong, with an average benchmark score of 24709, placing it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X3D, which is only 0.1% faster, and the Intel Core i5-12450HX, which is 0.5% slower, indicating that this is a high-performing processor.

The Ryzen 7 5700X3D features 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 3 architecture. Its 96 MB of shared L3 cache is a significant asset, and its multi-threaded performance is robust, as shown by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22366. However, in The Medium, the CPU's potential is never the limiting factor. The frame rates are uniformly low across all settings, which is a hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario.

The CPU's role here is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, and it is doing so without becoming a bottleneck. The data shows that even the most demanding multi-core workloads are handled efficiently, but the game's performance is still capped by the GPU. The CPU's single-core performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3157, is also sufficient. The fact that changing the resolution from 1080p to 4K does not significantly alter the CPU's workload, while it drastically reduces the GPU's output, confirms that the processor is not the source of the performance issues.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 1080p?

A: Yes, but only on the Low preset. The measured average FPS for this configuration is 44 FPS. Higher presets result in average FPS below 30, which is generally not considered playable for a smooth experience.

Q: What is the best setting to use for a balance of quality and performance?

A: The data indicates that the Low preset is the only setting that provides a consistently playable frame rate. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 28 FPS, which is a significant drop from the Low preset's 44 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game with this hardware?

A: The benchmark results show that the AMD Radeon RX 570 is the primary bottleneck. Lowering the resolution from 1080p to 4K on the Low preset reduces the average FPS from 44 to 29, which is a clear sign of GPU limitation.

Q: How does this system compare to others in the database for this game?

A: This specific combination ranks 3557 out of 3724 total tested combos. This places it in the lower percentile of systems, indicating that it is not well-suited for this title at higher settings.

Q: Will lowering the resolution to 1440p help with performance?

A: Lowering the resolution from 1080p to 1440p does not improve performance. On the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 44 at 1080p to 37 at 1440p, showing that the system is already struggling at the lower resolution.

Q: Is the 4 GB of VRAM on the GPU a problem?

A: Yes, the 4 GB of GDDR5 memory is likely a limiting factor at higher settings and resolutions. The substantial performance drop when moving from Low to Medium settings suggests that the GPU is running out of memory bandwidth and capacity.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling across resolutions is a textbook example of a GPU-bound workload. At the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 44 at 1920x1080 to 37 at 2560x1440, a 16% decrease. This drop is modest compared to the jump to 4K, where the average FPS plummets to 29, a further 22% decrease from the 1440p result. This pattern shows that the RX 570 is being progressively overwhelmed as the pixel count increases.

The scaling is even more dramatic at higher settings. For the Medium preset, the average FPS goes from 28 at 1080p to 23 at 1440p, and finally to 18 at 4K. The High preset follows a similar trend, with averages of 20, 17, and 13 FPS across the three resolutions. The Ultra preset is the most punishing, starting at 16 FPS at 1080p and dropping to 10 FPS at 4K. The consistent gap between the Low and Ultra presets at every resolution reinforces that the GPU is the sole limiting factor.

The data suggests that there is no resolution at which this system can provide a high-refresh-rate experience. Even at 1080p with Low settings, the 44 FPS average is the maximum ceiling. The frame rate drops are not linear, with the transition from 1440p to 4K being particularly harsh. This indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute capacity are exhausted, and the game's renderer is unable to maintain fluid performance at higher pixel densities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table presents the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings combination from the dataset.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS |

| :--------- | :------- | :---------- |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 10 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 13 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 18 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 29 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 13 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 17 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 23 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 37 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 16 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 20 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 28 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 44 |

The data for the Medium preset also includes minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1920x1080, the frame rate ranges from a minimum of 23 FPS to a maximum of 32 FPS, with an average of 28 FPS. At 2560x1440, the range is between 20 FPS and 27 FPS, averaging 23 FPS. At 3840x2160, the range narrows to between 15 FPS and 21 FPS, with an average of 18 FPS. These figures show that even at the same preset, the frame pacing becomes less consistent as resolution increases, with the gap between minimum and average FPS growing.

In summary, the benchmark data paints a clear picture. The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D is a strong processor, but it is paired with a GPU that is not capable of delivering a smooth experience in The Medium. The only playable configuration is the Low preset at 1080p, and even then, the performance is marginal. For a better experience, a more powerful graphics card would be required, as the CPU has significant headroom to spare.