The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D pairs an 8-core, 16-thread Zen 3 configuration with a 96 MB shared L3 cache, a design that excels in keeping frequently accessed data close to the cores. The CPU’s 3.40 GHz base clock and 4.50 GHz boost clock define its peak frequency envelope, but the substantial cache is the more distinctive feature for gaming workloads. This chip sits in the 83rd percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 26,574, placing it within 0.2% of the AMD EPYC 8024P and Intel Core i9-11900K, and slightly behind the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 by 0.2%. For The Medium, a horror title that typically stresses both CPU and GPU depending on the scene, the 5800X3D’s strong multi-threaded throughput — evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24,063 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 11,061 — provides ample headroom to feed a high-end GPU without becoming the primary bottleneck at most settings.

The 5800X3D’s single-thread performance is also solid, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3,397 and a PassMark single-thread score of 3,234. These figures matter for game logic and frame pacing, but the CPU’s differentiator is its cache hierarchy. The 8-core, 16-thread layout ensures that background tasks and streaming data won’t starve the game’s main threads. In the context of The Medium, which relies on fixed camera angles and pre-rendered transitions, the CPU’s job is to maintain consistent frame delivery rather than brute-force complex physics. The data shows the 5800X3D is not the limiting factor in this combo; its performance class is overkill for the measured frame rates, as even the most demanding 4K Ultra preset only reaches 39 FPS, which is far below the CPU’s capability ceiling.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with 7,168 shading units, 56 RT cores, and 224 tensor cores. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for the high-resolution textures and volumetric effects seen in The Medium. The GPU’s boost clock of 2475 MHz and base clock of 1980 MHz allow it to sustain high throughput, while its 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 compute handles the game’s lighting and post-processing loads. The 4070 SUPER ranks in the 84th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 42,576, placing it 0.2% behind the NVIDIA RTX A6000 and 0.3% behind the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE, while leading the AMD Radeon Pro 580X by 1.4%.

In The Medium, the GPU’s role is decisive. At 4K Ultra, the combo delivers 39 FPS, indicating the card is fully saturated. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for this title, as the measured frame rates do not indicate any memory-related stutters or crashes. The RTX 4070 SUPER’s performance in synthetic tests — such as a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4,627 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 179,271 — confirms its DirectX 12 Ultimate feature set is well-suited for modern horror titles. The GPU’s 80 ROPs and 224 TMUs provide balanced pixel and texture throughput, which aligns with the measured results: the card scales predictably as resolution and settings increase, with no anomalous drops that would suggest architectural inefficiencies.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling across resolutions. At 1080p, the RTX 4070 SUPER is not fully taxed, as evidenced by the high frame rates: 137.9 FPS on Low, 102.6 FPS on Medium, 73.4 FPS on High, and 59.8 FPS on Ultra. This progression shows that even at 1080p Ultra, the GPU is still the primary driver, but the frame rates are high enough to suggest the CPU is keeping pace. Moving to 1440p, the FPS drops are consistent with increased pixel shading demands: 129.9 FPS on Low, 87.8 FPS on Medium, 63.5 FPS on High, and 52.4 FPS on Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra is only 7.4 FPS (from 59.8 to 52.4), indicating the GPU has headroom.

The most telling scaling occurs at 4K, where the GPU becomes the unequivocal bottleneck. At 4K Low, the combo still manages 107.5 FPS, but Medium drops to 69.4 FPS, High to 50.3 FPS, and Ultra to 39 FPS. Comparing 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops by 34.8% (from 59.8 to 39 FPS), which is a substantial reduction but not a catastrophic one. The data shows that the GPU’s VRAM bandwidth and compute units are the limiting factors at 4K, not the CPU. The CPU’s role is consistent across all resolutions, meaning the 5800X3D is not causing any additional frame loss as resolution increases. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at each preset is linear, with no sudden cliffs that would indicate a CPU bottleneck at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global database of tested hardware combinations for The Medium, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER holds a combo rank of 323 out of 1,689 tested combos. This places it in the top 19.1% of all configurations, which is a strong result given the game’s demanding visual features. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU’s high percentile (83rd) and the GPU’s high percentile (84th), but it also accounts for the specific game’s optimization. The fact that the combo ranks higher than the average of its individual components suggests the pairing is well-matched for The Medium’s workload.

Benchmark results indicate that this combo outperforms many systems with more expensive or newer components, due to the 5800X3D’s cache advantage and the 4070 SUPER’s efficient Ada Lovelace architecture. The rank of 323 out of 1,689 means there are 322 combos that deliver higher average FPS across all tested settings, but the gap is not enormous. The 4K Ultra result of 39 FPS is the weakest point, but this is a common limitation for most GPUs in this class. The combo’s strength lies in its 1440p High performance of 63.5 FPS, which is within the playable range for a horror game that prioritizes atmosphere over twitch reflexes. The data shows that this combination is competitive, but not top-tier, leaving room for higher-end GPUs to achieve better 4K results.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: The highest measured average is 137.9 FPS at 1080p with Low settings. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 59.8 FPS.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra performance compare to 1080p Ultra?

A: The 4K Ultra average is 39 FPS, which is 34.8% lower than the 1080p Ultra average of 59.8 FPS. This indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to bottleneck in this game?

A: The data shows the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K and Ultra settings, as frame rates drop significantly with resolution increases while the CPU’s performance remains constant.

Q: What is the best resolution/settings combo for smooth gameplay?

A: For a 60 FPS target, 1440p High (63.5 FPS) or 1440p Medium (87.8 FPS) are the best options. 4K High (50.3 FPS) is below 60 FPS, while 1080p Ultra (59.8 FPS) is just under.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER compare to its nearest rival in raw compute?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 42,576, which is 0.2% lower than the NVIDIA RTX A6000’s 42,653 and 0.3% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE’s 42,723.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM cause any issues in The Medium?

A: No, the measured FPS data shows no anomalies or crashes related to VRAM capacity. The 504.2 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for all tested settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience depends on the target display resolution. For 1080p displays, the High preset (73.4 FPS) offers a strong balance between visual fidelity and smoothness, while Ultra (59.8 FPS) is playable but not ideal for a horror game where consistent pacing matters. For 1440p, the Medium preset (87.8 FPS) is the best choice, providing high frame rates with only a moderate drop in visual quality compared to High (63.5 FPS). The 1440p Ultra preset (52.4 FPS) is viable for users who prioritize image quality over frame rate, as it remains above 50 FPS.

For 4K displays, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset (107.5 FPS) is the only one that delivers high frame rates, but it sacrifices most visual effects. The Medium preset (69.4 FPS) is the recommended compromise, offering a playable frame rate with reasonable detail. The High preset (50.3 FPS) is borderline, and Ultra (39 FPS) should be avoided for active gameplay due to its low frame rate. The data indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER’s 12 GB VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for Medium settings at 4K, but the GPU’s raw compute limits Ultra performance. For the best overall experience, 1440p Medium or High is the sweet spot, as it balances the GPU’s capabilities with the CPU’s headroom.