The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title with a dual-reality rendering mechanic, presents a unique stress test for the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination. The measured frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets reveal a system that is decisively GPU-bound at higher settings, with the 16 GB VRAM buffer proving ample for the game’s demands. The data indicates that this pairing is capable of delivering a smooth experience at 1440p, but 4K Ultra pushes the RTX 4080 to its limits, resulting in a playable yet not fully fluid frame rate.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K demonstrates a classic GPU-limited scenario, particularly at higher quality presets. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 124 at 1920x1080 to 117 at 2560x1440, a modest 5.6% decline, and then to 108 at 3840x2160, which is a 12.9% drop from the 1440p figure. This relatively gentle scaling at Low settings suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU adequately, and the GPU’s raw throughput is the primary factor as resolution increases.

However, the scaling becomes much steeper when the preset is raised to Ultra. The average FPS falls from 68 at 1080p to 57 at 1440p (a 16.2% reduction), and then plummets to 45 at 4K, which represents a 21.1% reduction from the 1440p result. This aggressive decline at Ultra settings indicates that the RTX 4080’s compute units are being saturated by the game’s high-resolution shaders and effects, making the GPU the definitive bottleneck. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is stark: 108 FPS versus 45 FPS, a 63 FPS difference that highlights the immense cost of the game’s visual fidelity at this resolution.

The Medium’s rendering of two simultaneous worlds is a likely culprit for this scaling behavior. The data shows that the GPU’s memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s is sufficient, but the pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s become limiting factors when the engine must render the environment twice for the dual-reality mechanic. The 1080p to 4K transition at Medium settings—from 104 FPS down to 79 FPS—confirms that even mid-range quality presets heavily tax the graphics processor, leaving the Ryzen 7 5700X3D’s 8 cores and 16 threads with little to do.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting a 60 FPS baseline, the data suggests that the Medium preset is the sweet spot at 1440p, delivering an average of 98 FPS with a minimum of 83 FPS. This ensures a consistent experience well above the refresh rate of standard monitors, and the 16 GB VRAM is not a concern at this configuration. At 4K, the Medium preset provides an average of 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 FPS, which is still comfortably playable on a 60 Hz display, but the High preset at 57 FPS is a riskier choice for those sensitive to frame pacing.

The High preset shows a significant performance cost over Medium, with a 19 FPS drop at 1440p (72 vs 98) and a 22 FPS drop at 4K (57 vs 79). This suggests that High introduces effects that are disproportionately expensive for the visual gain, possibly related to volumetric lighting or shadow quality. The Low preset, while achieving 117 FPS at 1440p and 108 FPS at 4K, is not recommended for a horror game where atmosphere is paramount, as it likely disables key visual features that contribute to the game’s mood.

Ultra settings are the most demanding, and the data shows that they are only viable at 1080p, where the 68 FPS average is acceptable for non-competitive play. At 1440p, the 57 FPS average is borderline, and at 4K, the 45 FPS average is a compromise that sacrifices the smoothness essential for the game’s cinematic presentation. The measured minimum FPS of 67 on Medium at 4K suggests that the engine has occasional dips, so a slight headroom is advisable; therefore, the Medium preset at 4K is the most balanced choice, offering a 79 FPS average that respects the game’s visual intent without compromising performance.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K with the High preset?

A: No, the measured average FPS for the High preset at 3840x2160 is 57 FPS, which falls slightly below the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at the same resolution achieves 79 FPS, making it the higher preset that clears this target.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields an average of 117 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields 57 FPS. This represents a 60 FPS difference, indicating that Ultra is 105% more demanding than Low at this resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 4080’s 16 GB VRAM affect performance in The Medium?

A: The data shows no indication of VRAM capacity being a limiting factor. The GPU’s memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s and the 16 GB GDDR6X buffer are sufficient to handle the game’s dual-world rendering, as frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings without any anomalous drops.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p with Low settings?

A: Benchmark results indicate a GPU-bound scenario. The average FPS of 124 at 1920x1080 Low is high, but the CPU’s 3DMark single-thread score of 804 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3157 suggest it can keep up; the limiting factor is the GPU’s ability to render frames, not the CPU’s processing of game logic.

Q: What is the best preset for a 144 Hz monitor at 1440p?

A: The Low preset at 2560x1440 delivers an average of 117 FPS, which is the only measured setting that approaches a 144 Hz refresh rate. The Medium preset at 98 FPS is below this target, so a 144 Hz display would not be fully utilized with higher settings.

Q: Does the Ultra preset offer a playable experience at 1080p?

A: Yes, the Ultra preset at 1920x1080 achieves an average of 68 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS threshold, making it a viable option for players who prioritize visual fidelity over high refresh rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 holds a rank of 543 out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium, placing it in the top 14.6% of all configurations. This is a strong showing, but the data suggests that the pairing is not optimized for this specific title. The CPU’s percentile of 77 versus all CPUs indicates it is a high-performing processor, yet its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X3D, has a nearly identical average benchmark score (24728 vs 24709, a delta of -0.1%). This implies that the 5700X3D’s extra cache and cores do not translate to a significant advantage in this game.

The GPU’s percentile of 86 versus all GPUs is higher, reflecting the RTX 4080’s raw power. However, its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores virtually the same (54209 vs 54247, a delta of 0.1%), which leads to the conclusion that the combo’s rank is primarily driven by the GPU’s performance ceiling. The rank of 543 out of 3724 suggests that many other combinations of high-end GPUs with faster CPUs (such as Intel or newer AMD parts) achieve better results in this specific title. The 5700X3D’s single-thread performance, evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 804, may be a limiting factor in a game that relies on fixed-camera angles and complex scripting, where single-core performance can be critical.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the primary driver of performance in The Medium, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling across resolutions. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for the game’s high-resolution textures and the dual-reality rendering that requires loading two scenes simultaneously. The GPU’s boost clock of 2505 MHz and base clock of 2205 MHz are high, but the data shows that the card’s compute capabilities are what matter most.

The RTX 4080’s 9728 shading units and 112 ROPs are heavily utilized at Ultra settings, where the 4K average FPS of 45 indicates a near-maximum load. The pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s are the specifications that correlate with the performance drop from Medium to High, suggesting that the game’s shader complexity increases disproportionately at the High preset. The GPU’s 76 RT cores are not directly tested here, but the game’s horror atmosphere may use ray tracing for shadows or reflections, which would further tax the GPU.

The fact that the RTX 4080 scores 34457 in Passmark G3D and has a percentile of 86 versus all GPUs confirms its position as a top-tier card. Yet, its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, has a higher average benchmark score (55698 vs 54247, delta of -2.6%), which is an anomaly that suggests the benchmark suite favors the AMD card in some compute tasks. For The Medium, the RTX 4080’s performance is consistent with its expected tier, and the data shows no VRAM or memory bandwidth bottlenecks, as the frame rates drop smoothly with increased resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo’s performance. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 124 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate for this pairing. The Medium preset averages 104 FPS with a minimum of 88 FPS and a maximum of 119 FPS, indicating a stable experience. The High preset drops to 86 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 68 FPS, showing a clear progression of cost for each quality tier.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 117 FPS, a minor reduction from 1080p, while the Medium preset averages 98 FPS with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 112 FPS. The High preset averages 72 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 57 FPS. The 1440p results show that the Medium preset is the most balanced, offering a high average with a tight minimum-maximum range.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 108 FPS, which is still highly playable, while the Medium preset averages 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 91 FPS. The High preset averages 57 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 45 FPS. The 4K results reveal that the RTX 4080 is powerful enough for 4K gaming, but the Ultra preset is too demanding for a consistent 60 FPS experience. The minimum FPS of 67 at Medium 4K is notable, as it suggests that the game can have occasional frame dips even at this setting.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D plays a secondary role in The Medium, as the game is clearly GPU-bound at most settings. The CPU’s 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 3 architecture with 96 MB of shared L3 cache, provide ample processing power for the game’s logic and scripting. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 6764 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22366 indicate that multi-threaded performance is strong, but the game does not appear to utilize this capability fully.

The CPU’s single-thread performance is more relevant, as evidenced by the 3DMark single-thread score of 804 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3157. These scores, while respectable, are not exceptional compared to newer CPUs, which may explain why the combo ranks at 543 out of 3724. The base clock of 3.00 GHz and boost clock of 4.10 GHz are modest for a high-end gaming CPU, but the 3D V-Cache technology (96 MB L3) helps mitigate latency in memory-sensitive workloads.

The data shows that at 1080p Low, the CPU is not a bottleneck, as the 124 FPS average suggests the GPU is still the limiting factor. However, at 1080p Ultra, the 68 FPS average is lower than the 1440p Low result of 117 FPS, which indicates that the GPU’s load is the primary constraint. The CPU’s nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX (a mobile chip), has a slightly higher average benchmark score (24822 vs 24709, delta of -0.5%), but the desktop 5700X3D’s dedicated L3 cache likely provides better gaming performance. For The Medium, the CPU role is to maintain a stable frame delivery, which it does adequately, but it does not boost the combo’s rank beyond what the GPU alone can achieve.