The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title that stresses both GPU and CPU depending on the settings and resolution chosen. The data for the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 shows a wide performance envelope, from a very playable 133.4 FPS at 1080p Low to a borderline 50.7 FPS at 4K Ultra. This combination of an 8-core Zen 3 processor and the flagship Ada Lovelace GPU ranks 102nd out of 1689 tested combos in this game, placing it in the top 6% of all configurations. The following sections break down how resolution scaling, settings presets, and the CPU's characteristics influence the final frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic, but the shape of that drop varies significantly by settings preset. At Low settings, the RTX 4090 is the clear limiting factor: performance falls from 133.4 FPS at 1080p to 129 FPS at 1440p, a modest 3.3% reduction. However, moving from 1440p to 4K Low reduces the average from 129 to 120.7 FPS, a further 6.4% decline. The total scaling from 1080p to 4K at Low is a 9.5% loss, indicating that the GPU is so fast that even at 4K Low it is not fully saturated, and the CPU is providing consistent frame delivery.

At Medium settings, the pattern shifts. The 1080p result is 110.8 FPS, dropping to 106.7 FPS at 1440p, and then falling harder to 85.8 FPS at 4K. The 1440p-to-4K transition shows a 19.6% performance hit, which is a much steeper decline than the 3.7% drop seen from 1080p to 1440p. This suggests that at Medium settings, the 4K resolution is beginning to overwhelm the GPU's shading and memory bandwidth, pushing the workload into a more GPU-bound territory.

High settings exhibit the most linear scaling curve. The 1080p average of 92.4 FPS drops to 82.8 FPS at 1440p, a 10.4% reduction, and then to 61.5 FPS at 4K, a further 25.7% decline. The total loss from 1080p to 4K at High is 33.4%, which is consistent with a game that is heavily reliant on pixel shading and texture fill rates. The RTX 4090's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are sufficient, but the 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is clearly being taxed at higher resolutions.

Ultra settings show the most severe scaling. The 1080p result is 77.3 FPS, which drops to 64.5 FPS at 1440p, a 16.6% loss. The 4K Ultra average of 50.7 FPS represents a 21.4% decline from 1440p and a total 34.4% loss from 1080p. This preset likely enables the most demanding volumetric lighting and shadow effects, which scale poorly with resolution. The data indicates that at 4K Ultra, the RTX 4090 is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU's 96 MB of L3 cache and 8 cores are not the limiting factor at that point.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 7 5800X3D and RTX 4090 achieves a rank of 102 out of 1689 tested combos for The Medium. This places the configuration in the 94th percentile, meaning it outperforms approximately 94% of all other CPU-GPU pairings tested in this game. The ranking reflects the synergy between the 5800X3D's strong multi-threaded performance and the RTX 4090's raw graphics power.

Comparing the CPU alone, the 5800X3D has an average benchmark score of 26574, which is nearly identical to the AMD EPYC 8024P (26555, deltaPct 0.1) and the Intel Core i9-11900K (26546, deltaPct 0.1). It also edges out the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 (26617, deltaPct -0.2) and the Intel Core i9-12900HK (26672, deltaPct -0.4) by a hair. This indicates that the CPU is not a weak link in this combo; its processing power is on par with these rivals, allowing the RTX 4090 to operate without a significant CPU-induced frame cap.

For the GPU, the RTX 4090's average benchmark score is 66473, which is slightly above the NVIDIA Tesla P40 (66127, deltaPct 0.5) and below the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (66733, deltaPct -0.4). The deltaPct values are all within 1.3% of each other, showing that the 4090's raw compute performance is consistent with these high-end cards. The fact that this combo ranks 102nd overall, despite the GPU being one of the fastest available, suggests that the game's engine has specific bottlenecks that prevent the RTX 4090 from fully stretching its legs at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For a smooth experience at 4K, the Medium preset is the best balance, delivering 85.8 FPS. This is a 39.8% improvement over the High preset's 61.5 FPS and a 69.2% improvement over Ultra's 50.7 FPS. The Low preset at 4K offers 120.7 FPS, but the visual quality drop is likely too severe for a horror game that relies on atmosphere and lighting. The Medium preset provides a substantial frame rate cushion over the 60 FPS threshold while retaining more visual fidelity than Low.

At 1440p, the High preset is the recommended choice, yielding 82.8 FPS. This is a comfortable margin above the 64.5 FPS of Ultra and only slightly below the 106.7 FPS of Medium. Since 1440p is less demanding than 4K, the High preset's additional visual effects are worth the performance cost. The 129 FPS at 1440p Low is excessive for most displays and leaves performance on the table.

At 1080p, the High preset at 92.4 FPS is the sweet spot. It is significantly faster than the Ultra preset's 77.3 FPS, which is a 19.5% penalty for marginal visual gains. The Medium preset at 110.8 FPS is also viable for high-refresh-rate monitors, but the data shows that the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and frame rate for this resolution. The Low preset at 133.4 FPS is only useful for competitive play, which is not the target audience for a horror game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates are as follows: Low is 133.4 FPS, Medium is 110.8 FPS, High is 92.4 FPS, and Ultra is 77.3 FPS. The difference between Medium and High is 18.4 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 15.1 FPS. This shows a consistent degradation as settings increase, with the Ultra preset costing nearly as much performance over High as High costs over Medium.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 129 FPS for Low, 106.7 FPS for Medium, 82.8 FPS for High, and 64.5 FPS for Ultra. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is mild for Low (a 3.3% drop) but becomes more pronounced for Ultra (a 16.6% drop). This reinforces the idea that the Ultra preset introduces effects that are particularly sensitive to pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 120.7 FPS for Low, 85.8 FPS for Medium, 61.5 FPS for High, and 50.7 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K is 24.3 FPS faster than High, and High is 10.8 FPS faster than Ultra. The jump from Medium to High at 4K is a 28.3% performance loss, which is the largest single-preset drop in the entire dataset. This suggests that the High preset enables a specific rendering feature that is extremely costly at 4K resolution.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 60 FPS is achievable at 4K High (61.5 FPS) and 4K Medium (85.8 FPS). At 1440p, all presets except Ultra (64.5 FPS) exceed 80 FPS, and at 1080p, even the Ultra preset reaches 77.3 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 7 5800X3D has an average benchmark score of 26574. This is 0.1% above the AMD EPYC 8024P and Intel Core i9-11900K, 0.2% above the AMD Ryzen 5 7600, and 0.4% above the Intel Core i9-12900HK.

Q: Is the RTX 4090 the bottleneck at 1080p Low?

A: No. The 1080p Low result of 133.4 FPS is only 3.3% higher than the 1440p Low result of 129 FPS, indicating the GPU is not fully utilized. The CPU is likely providing the frame rate ceiling at this resolution and settings.

Q: What is the performance cost of Ultra vs Medium at 4K?

A: At 4K, the Ultra preset averages 50.7 FPS, while Medium averages 85.8 FPS. This represents a 40.9% performance reduction when moving from Medium to Ultra.

Q: How does the GPU's compute performance compare to the Tesla P40?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 66473, which is 0.5% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P40's average score of 66127.

Q: What is the CPU's L3 cache size and core count?

A: The Ryzen 7 5800X3D features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a shared 96 MB L3 cache. This large cache is part of the "X3D" branding and helps with gaming workloads.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 5800X3D is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It operates at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.50 GHz, with a TDP of 105 W. Its distinguishing feature is the 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is significantly larger than typical desktop CPUs. This cache size is designed to reduce memory latency, which is crucial for gaming where data is frequently reused.

In The Medium, the CPU's role becomes apparent when examining the 1080p and 1440p Low results. The frame rates of 133.4 FPS and 129 FPS are close, suggesting the CPU is keeping up with the GPU's output. The 5800X3D's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24063 and single-core score of 3397 indicate strong overall throughput. Its 3DMark 16-thread score of 7299 and 8-thread score of 5906 show that it scales well with thread count, which is relevant for a game that may use multiple cores for physics and AI.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 26574 places it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, meaning it outperforms 83% of all processors tested. The nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are the EPYC 8024P (26555) and Core i9-11900K (26546), both within 0.1% of the 5800X3D's score. This confirms that the CPU is not an outlier in processing power; rather, it is a well-balanced mid-range-to-high-end part that pairs effectively with the RTX 4090 without creating a bottleneck in most scenarios.

The 5800X3D's memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s (dual-channel DDR4) is lower than the RTX 4090's 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth, but this is expected since the CPU and GPU have different memory architectures. The CPU's 7 nm process node and 8,850 million transistors contribute to its efficiency, though the data does not show a direct correlation between these specs and in-game FPS. Instead, the 3DMark and Cinebench results provide the evidence that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough draw calls and geometry data to sustain the frame rates shown in the measured FPS table.