The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 580 is a combination that sits near the bottom of the performance hierarchy for The Medium. The measured data places this combo at rank 3394 out of 3724 tested combinations, putting it in the bottom percentile of systems capable of running the game. This is a configuration that struggles significantly at higher resolutions and quality settings, and the benchmark results consistently show a GPU-bound system where the RX 580 is the primary bottleneck.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware?

A: The only configuration that achieves a playable framerate is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which produces an average of 49 FPS. At Medium settings in 1920x1080, the average drops to 31 FPS, while High settings yield 22 FPS. The 1440p and 4K results are all below 41 FPS even on Low settings.

Q: How does the RX 580 compare to other GPUs in its performance class?

A: The RX 580 has an average benchmark score of 12928 and sits in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, which scores 12940, a negligible 0.1% difference. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is 0.4% ahead, while the AMD Radeon 740M is 0.5% behind.

Q: What is the CPU performance profile of the Ryzen 7 5800X?

A: The Ryzen 7 5800X has 8 cores and 16 threads with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Its average benchmark score is 29123, placing it in the 81st percentile of all CPUs. In Cinebench R23, it scores 15476 multi-core and 1574.5 single-core, while in Geekbench it scores 11036 multi-core and 2032 single-core.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The RX 580 has a 53rd percentile ranking versus the CPU's 81st percentile. The FPS drops precipitously as resolution increases — from 49 FPS at 1080p Low to 32 FPS at 4K Low — which is characteristic of a GPU bottleneck rather than a CPU limitation.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS values at 1080p Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 31, with a minimum of 26 FPS and a maximum of 35 FPS. This 9 FPS spread indicates some frame pacing inconsistency, but the minimum remains above the threshold for severe stuttering.

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

A: This specific CPU and GPU pairing ranks 3394 out of 3724 total combinations tested for The Medium. This places it in the bottom 9% of all systems, meaning roughly 91% of tested configurations deliver better performance.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is the dominant component in determining performance for The Medium. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its memory clock runs at 2000 MHz, which translates to 8 Gbps effective, while the core operates between a 1257 MHz base and 1340 MHz boost clock. The Polaris 20 chip uses the GCN 4.0 architecture on a 14 nm process, with 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 32 ROPs.

These specifications produce a theoretical peak of 6.175 TFLOPS for FP32 compute. The GPU's 53rd percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 12928, places it just below mainstream mid-range parts. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, scores 12940, a difference of just 0.1%, meaning the RX 580 is effectively performance-equivalent to that mobile part. The GTX 1660 SUPER sits 0.4% higher, while the integrated AMD Radeon 740M is 0.5% lower.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for the textures used in The Medium at 1080p, but the raw compute throughput is inadequate for the game's rendering demands. The benchmark results confirm this: at 4K Ultra, the average FPS collapses to 11, which is unplayable. The GPU's pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s and texture rate of 193.0 GTexel/s are simply too low for the game's high-resolution workloads. Even at 1080p, the GPU cannot maintain 60 FPS on any setting, with the best result being 49 FPS at Low.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 7 5800X and RX 580 ranks 3394 out of 3724 total tested combinations for The Medium. This places it in the bottom 9% of all systems tested, a position that reflects the GPU's limitations rather than the CPU's capabilities. The CPU alone ranks in the 81st percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 53rd percentile, creating a significant imbalance.

This ranking means that for the vast majority of tested systems, the experience of playing The Medium is markedly better. The combo sits near the bottom of the distribution, where only 330 combinations perform worse. The data suggests that this configuration is only suitable for low-resolution, low-settings gameplay. The performance gap between this combo and higher-ranked ones is substantial, as the FPS numbers demonstrate an inability to reach playable framerates at higher quality presets.

The imbalance is further highlighted by the CPU's benchmark scores. The Ryzen 7 5800X achieves a 3dmark_max_threads score of 7578 and a passmark_multithread score of 27732, numbers that indicate ample processing headroom. Yet the measured FPS in The Medium never exceeds 49, underscoring that the GPU is the constraining factor. The combo ranking reflects this combined performance, and the result is a system that barely meets minimum playability standards.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four quality settings, providing a complete picture of this combo's performance envelope. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings produce an average of 49 FPS, Medium produces 31 FPS with a minimum of 26 FPS and maximum of 35 FPS, High produces 22 FPS, and Ultra produces 17 FPS. This represents a drop of 18 FPS from Low to Medium, then a further drop of 9 FPS from Medium to High, and 5 FPS from High to Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the performance degrades further. Low settings yield 41 FPS, Medium yields 26 FPS with a minimum of 22 FPS and maximum of 30 FPS, High yields 18 FPS, and Ultra yields 15 FPS. The step from 1080p Low to 1440p Low costs 8 FPS, while the step from 1080p Medium to 1440p Medium costs 5 FPS. At High and Ultra, the losses are 4 FPS and 2 FPS respectively.

At 3840x2160, the results become largely unplayable. Low settings produce 32 FPS, Medium produces 20 FPS with a minimum of 17 FPS and maximum of 23 FPS, High produces 14 FPS, and Ultra produces 11 FPS. The 4K Low result of 32 FPS is the only 4K configuration that approaches playability, but it still falls below the 49 FPS achievable at 1080p Low. The data shows a consistent pattern: each resolution step up costs roughly 15-20% of the framerate, regardless of settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 1440p to 4K reveals clear evidence of a GPU bottleneck. Moving from 1080p Low (49 FPS) to 1440p Low (41 FPS) represents a 16.3% performance drop, while moving from 1440p Low to 4K Low (32 FPS) represents a 22% drop. At Medium settings, the progression is 31 FPS at 1080p to 26 FPS at 1440p to 20 FPS at 4K, with drops of 16.1% and 23.1% respectively.

These scaling factors indicate that the GPU is running out of pixel throughput as resolution increases. The RX 580's 256-bit memory bus and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated at higher resolutions, while the shading units cannot keep up with the increased pixel count. The fact that the FPS drops nearly linearly with pixel count — 2.25x more pixels from 1080p to 4K results in roughly 2.25x lower FPS at Low settings — confirms that the GPU is the limiting component.

If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions, since the CPU's workload is primarily resolution-independent. Instead, the data shows a consistent decline, with the 4K Ultra result of 11 FPS being exactly one-third of the 1080p Low result of 49 FPS. This pattern is textbook GPU-limited behavior, where the rendering pipeline is constrained by the graphics processor's fill rate and shader throughput.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X is a high-end desktop processor that is not being fully utilized in The Medium when paired with the RX 580. The CPU features 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, operating at a base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz. It is built on TSMC's 7 nm process with 4,150 million transistors on a 74 mm² die, and it supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s.

The CPU's benchmark scores demonstrate its capability. In Cinebench R23, it achieves 15476 multi-core and 1574.5 single-core. Its 3dmark scores range from 943 single-thread to 7586 max-threads. Passmark results show 27732 multi-thread and 3445 single-thread scores. With an average benchmark score of 29123 and an 81st percentile ranking, the 5800X is far more powerful than what The Medium requires at the framerates the RX 580 can deliver.

The nearest CPU rivals are the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H (0.1% ahead), Intel Xeon Phi 7210 (0.4% behind), Intel Core i5-13500HX (0.5% behind), and AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT (0.6% ahead). This places the 5800X in a competitive position among modern processors. However, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU's headroom is irrelevant in practice, as the GPU maxes out well before the CPU becomes a constraint. The 49 FPS ceiling at 1080p Low is far below what the 5800X could theoretically support.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only viable configuration for a smooth experience is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which delivers 49 FPS average. This is the only preset that approaches the 60 FPS target, though it does not reach it. For players who prioritize playability over visual fidelity, this is the recommended setup, as it provides the least compromised experience.

The Medium settings at 1080p produce 31 FPS with a minimum of 26 FPS. This is technically playable but will exhibit noticeable stuttering and reduced responsiveness. The frame time variance, from 26 to 35 FPS, indicates inconsistent performance that could be distracting in a horror game where atmosphere and timing matter. High settings at 1080p drop to 22 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable gameplay. Ultra settings at 1080p produce 17 FPS, which is effectively a slideshow.

At 1440p and 4K, the situation is worse. The best 1440p result is 41 FPS at Low, while the best 4K result is 32 FPS at Low. Both fall short of acceptable playability. The data suggests that players should avoid 1440p and 4K entirely with this combo, even at the lowest settings. The 4K Medium result of 20 FPS, with a minimum of 17 FPS, demonstrates that this GPU cannot handle the pixel count required for higher resolutions.

The recommendation is clear: use 1080p Low for the best experience. If visual quality is paramount, 1080p Medium at 31 FPS is the maximum acceptable compromise, but the 26 FPS minimum may cause frustration. All other settings and resolutions should be avoided, as they produce framerates that undermine the game's intended horror experience.