The Medium

The Medium presents a demanding dual-reality rendering workload, and the combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER demonstrates a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions. The measured data reveals a system that is firmly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s capabilities become more relevant at 1080p. This analysis breaks down the scaling behavior, the combo’s standing against other tested configurations, and provides actionable settings guidance based strictly on the collected FPS measurements.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 produces a significant and predictable drop in frame rates, highlighting the RTX 4080 SUPER as the primary bottleneck at higher pixel counts. At the High preset, the average FPS falls from 82.5 at 1080p to 73.5 at 1440p, representing a 10.9% reduction. Moving further to 4K, the average drops to 54.9 FPS, which is a 33.5% decrease from the 1080p result and a 25.3% decrease from the 1440p result. This pattern indicates that the GPU is being saturated as resolution increases, with the 5700X3D’s 8-core/16-thread configuration providing sufficient headroom to avoid becoming a limiting factor at these settings.

The scaling behavior is even more pronounced at the Ultra preset. The average FPS at 1080p is 69.0, which drops to 58.9 at 1440p (a 14.6% reduction) and further to 43.9 at 4K (a 36.4% reduction from 1080p). The consistent drop of roughly 15 FPS between each resolution step at Ultra suggests that the render workload scales almost linearly with pixel count, a classic sign of GPU-bound performance. Interestingly, the Low preset shows a different trend: 124.7 FPS at 1080p, 115.5 FPS at 1440p, and 109.7 FPS at 4K. The smaller percentage drops (7.4% from 1080p to 1440p, and 5.0% from 1440p to 4K) indicate that at Low settings, the CPU begins to play a more significant role, though the GPU still dominates the final output.

The Medium preset offers a middle ground, with scores of 102.6 FPS at 1080p, 96.1 FPS at 1440p, and 77.2 FPS at 4K. The 4K result represents a 24.8% drop from the 1440p score, which is a larger relative decline than seen at Low settings but smaller than at High or Ultra. This suggests that the Medium preset is where the balance between CPU and GPU load shifts most noticeably, with the GPU becoming more stressed at 4K while still not being fully saturated. Overall, the data shows that users targeting 4K will see the most significant performance penalty, while 1440p offers a more reasonable compromise between visual fidelity and frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

In the broader context of tested hardware combinations, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 258th out of 1689 combos for The Medium. This places the configuration in the top 15.3% of all tested systems, indicating strong overall performance. The percentile ranking of the CPU is 82, meaning it outperforms 82% of all tested processors in general benchmarks, while the GPU’s percentile is 88, outperforming 88% of all tested graphics cards. These individual scores suggest that the GPU is the stronger component in this pairing, which aligns with the resolution scaling analysis showing GPU-bound behavior.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in general benchmark scores provide context for its performance tier. The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D has an average benchmark score of 24673, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i7-1360P (score 24627) and 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X3D (score 24605). It also leads the Intel Core i5-11600 (score 24559) by 0.5%. However, it trails the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 (score 24811) by 0.6%. These narrow margins indicate that the 5700X3D sits in a highly competitive mid-to-high-end CPU tier, where differences in overall compute performance are minimal.

For the GPU, the RTX 4080 SUPER’s average benchmark score of 53610 puts it 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (score 53489) and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (score 53414). It also leads the AMD Radeon RX 7700S (score 52505) by 2.1% and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (score 52086) by 2.9%. This places the 4080 SUPER as a top-tier graphics solution, with its nearest competitors being older high-end cards or newer mid-range options. The combination of a top-12% GPU with a top-18% CPU results in a balanced system that ranks well, though the CPU’s slightly lower percentile suggests that it may be the limiting factor in CPU-intensive scenes.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain a 60 FPS average?

A: Based on the measured data, the 2560x1440 resolution at High settings yields an average of 73.5 FPS, which comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset (109.7 FPS) and Medium preset (77.2 FPS) achieve averages above 60 FPS, while High (54.9 FPS) and Ultra (43.9 FPS) fall below that threshold.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings?

A: At the High preset, the average FPS drops from 82.5 at 1920x1080 to 54.9 at 3840x2160, a reduction of 33.5%. At the Ultra preset, the drop is from 69.0 to 43.9, a 36.4% reduction. The Low preset shows the smallest loss, with a 12.0% decrease from 124.7 to 109.7 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU limit performance at any tested resolution?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary limiter at higher resolutions. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 109.7, which is still high, indicating the CPU can feed the GPU adequately. The smallest FPS difference between 1080p and 4K occurs at Low settings (from 124.7 to 109.7), suggesting that CPU limitations would only become apparent if the GPU were capable of even higher frame rates.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested combinations?

A: This combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 258th out of 1689 tested combinations for The Medium, placing it in the top 15.3% of all configurations.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves an average of 115.5 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 58.9 FPS. This represents a 49.0% reduction in average frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 SUPER significantly faster than its nearest rival in general benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 53610, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (53489) and 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (53414). It is 2.1% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 7700S (52505) and 2.9% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (52086).

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. For 4K gaming, the Medium preset provides the best balance, delivering an average of 77.2 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS threshold and represents a 40.6% improvement over the High preset’s 54.9 FPS. The Low preset offers even higher performance at 109.7 FPS, but the visual quality trade-off is substantial. Users prioritizing smooth gameplay at 4K should select Medium, as it provides a playable frame rate without the significant visual degradation of Low settings. The Ultra preset is not recommended at 4K, as the 43.9 FPS average falls below the standard for smooth gameplay.

At 1440p, the High preset is the recommended choice, achieving an average of 73.5 FPS. This provides a good balance between visual quality and performance. The Medium preset (96.1 FPS) offers a smoother experience but with reduced graphical fidelity, while the Ultra preset (58.9 FPS) is playable but may exhibit occasional dips below 60 FPS. For users with high refresh rate monitors, the Low preset at 115.5 FPS is an option, but it sacrifices significant visual detail. The 1440p High preset is the sweet spot, offering a 24.8% improvement over Ultra while maintaining a frame rate that is 19.8% higher.

For 1080p gaming, the Ultra preset is viable, achieving an average of 69.0 FPS. This allows users to experience the full visual quality of The Medium at a playable frame rate. The High preset (82.5 FPS) provides a 19.6% performance boost over Ultra with a modest reduction in quality, making it suitable for users who prefer higher frame rates. The Medium preset (102.6 FPS) and Low preset (124.7 FPS) are options for competitive play or high refresh rate displays, but they do not take full advantage of the RTX 4080 SUPER’s capabilities. At 1080p, the system is likely CPU-bound at lower settings, as evidenced by the smaller FPS gains between Medium and Low compared to the gains between High and Medium.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured average FPS values for The Medium with the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is as follows:

At 3840x2160 resolution, the Low preset delivers an average of 109.7 FPS. The Medium preset provides an average of 77.2 FPS, which is 29.6% lower than Low. The High preset achieves 54.9 FPS, representing a 49.9% reduction from Low and a 28.9% reduction from Medium. The Ultra preset delivers 43.9 FPS, which is 60.0% lower than Low and 20.0% lower than High.

At 2560x1440 resolution, the Low preset averages 115.5 FPS. The Medium preset reaches 96.1 FPS, a 16.8% decrease from Low. The High preset averages 73.5 FPS, which is 36.4% lower than Low and 23.5% lower than Medium. The Ultra preset delivers 58.9 FPS, a 49.0% reduction from Low and a 19.9% reduction from High.

At 1920x1080 resolution, the Low preset provides an average of 124.7 FPS. The Medium preset achieves 102.6 FPS, a 17.7% decrease from Low. The High preset averages 82.5 FPS, which is 33.8% lower than Low and 19.6% lower than Medium. The Ultra preset delivers 69.0 FPS, a 44.7% reduction from Low and a 16.4% reduction from High.

Comparing across resolutions, the 4K Ultra result of 43.9 FPS is the lowest measured score, while the 1080p Low result of 124.7 FPS is the highest. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at the same preset consistently shows a 30-36% reduction in FPS for High and Ultra, while Low and Medium show smaller reductions of 12.0% and 24.8%, respectively. This data confirms that the RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant factor in determining performance, with the 5700X3D providing adequate support across all tested configurations.