The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT delivers a playable but demanding experience in The Medium, with performance heavily dependent on resolution and preset selection. The benchmark data shows a combination that ranks in the 28th percentile of tested configurations, indicating that while it handles 1080p and 1440p well at lower settings, it struggles to maintain smooth frame rates at higher presets and 4K resolution.

FAQ

*Q: What is the overall rank of this CPU and GPU combo in The Medium?*

A: The combination ranks 2669 out of 3724 tested combos, placing it in the lower 28% of all configurations tested for this game.

Q: At which resolution and settings does this combo achieve the highest average FPS?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 91, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average FPS is 21, recorded at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus.

Q: What is the boost clock of the CPU?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT has a boost clock of 4.80 GHz.

Q: Does the combo provide a smooth 60 FPS experience at 1440p?

A: Only with Low settings, where it averages 77 FPS. At Medium settings, the average drops to 48 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark data places this specific CPU-GPU pairing at rank 2669 out of 3724 total combos tested in The Medium. This position, which corresponds to roughly the 28th percentile of all configurations, indicates that this hardware combination is adequate but not exceptional for this title. The ranking reflects the significant performance variance across the tested settings; the combo can deliver excellent frame rates at low presets but falls short of the standards set by higher-tier configurations when demanding graphical options are enabled.

When examining the ranking, it is important to consider the individual components' standings in their respective markets. The CPU sits at the 81st percentile among all processors, showing strong overall computational capability. The GPU, however, is at the 70th percentile among all graphics cards, which is a more modest position. The disparity between these two percentiles suggests that the graphics card is more likely to be the limiting factor in graphically intensive scenarios, a conclusion supported by the measured FPS data across different resolutions and settings.

The combo's rank is largely dictated by the GPU's performance ceiling. At 1080p and 1440p with lower settings, the hardware shows it can push high frame counts, but the frame rate drops sharply as the graphical load increases. This pattern is consistent with a system where the CPU has ample headroom, but the GPU's rendering capabilities are quickly saturated by the game's demands at higher presets, pulling the overall rank down relative to combinations with more powerful graphics solutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is the primary driver of frame rate in The Medium, as indicated by the performance scaling across settings. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 256.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are sufficient for the game's textures at 1080p, but the data suggests they become a bottleneck at higher resolutions. The RDNA 2.0 architecture, built on a 7 nm process, provides a base clock of 1968 MHz and a boost clock of 2589 MHz, with a game clock of 2359 MHz.

The GPU's raw compute capabilities, including 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs, are reflected in the measured FPS. At 1080p Medium, the combo averages 57 FPS, but moving to High settings drops this to 41 FPS, and Ultra falls to 32 FPS. This shows a clear performance penalty per tier of visual fidelity. The GPU's pixel rate of 165.7 GPixel/s and texture rate of 331.4 GTexel/s are the theoretical limits that these scores approach as settings increase.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity becomes a notable factor at 4K resolution. At 3840x2160, the difference between Low and Medium settings is stark, with averages of 60 FPS and 38 FPS respectively. This 22 FPS drop suggests that the memory bandwidth and capacity are heavily taxed at this resolution, limiting the GPU's ability to maintain performance as texture and buffer requirements increase. The GPU's average benchmark score of 24442 and its 70th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirm its mid-range positioning, which aligns with the observed performance in this horror title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience for this combo is achieved by prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity. At 1080p, the Medium preset offers a balanced experience with an average of 57 FPS, which is smooth enough for the game's slower, atmospheric pacing. The High preset is playable at 41 FPS, but the drop to below 60 FPS is noticeable. The Low preset, averaging 91 FPS, is the only setting at this resolution that provides a significant frame rate cushion.

For 1440p, the choices become more constrained. The Low preset delivers a solid 77 FPS, making it the clear recommendation for a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 48 FPS is borderline playable but may feel less fluid during camera transitions. High and Ultra settings at 34 FPS and 27 FPS respectively are not recommended for consistent gameplay, as the frame rate dips below the threshold for comfortable play in a game that relies on tension and timing.

At 4K, this combo is not viable for high-fidelity gaming. The Low preset averages 60 FPS, which is exactly at the playable threshold, but any increase in settings results in sub-30 FPS performance. The data shows that Medium at 4K averages 38 FPS, while High and Ultra drop to 27 FPS and 21 FPS. For users who must play at this resolution, Low settings are the only practical option, and even then, the experience may not be consistent.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 91 FPS (Low), 57 FPS (Medium), 41 FPS (High), and 32 FPS (Ultra). The Medium preset shows a minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 66 FPS, indicating some frame time variance but generally stable performance.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop to 77 FPS (Low), 48 FPS (Medium), 34 FPS (High), and 27 FPS (Ultra). The Medium preset's range of 41 to 55 FPS shows that while the average is playable, there are moments where the frame rate dips closer to the lower bound, which could be noticeable during intense scenes.

At 3840x2160, the performance ceiling is significantly lower. The Low preset averages 60 FPS, but Medium drops to 38 FPS with a range of 32 to 43 FPS. High and Ultra settings average 27 FPS and 21 FPS, respectively. This scaling demonstrates that the GPU's capabilities are exhausted beyond 1440p Medium, with the 4K resolution requiring a drastic reduction in graphical fidelity to maintain any semblance of playability.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT, with its 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, provides ample processing power for The Medium. The CPU's base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 4.80 GHz, along with 32 MB of shared L3 cache, ensure that the game's logic and AI systems are handled without becoming a bottleneck. The benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23794 and a single-core score of 3359, indicate strong performance that exceeds the demands of most current games.

The CPU's role in this combo is to feed the GPU with data efficiently. The benchmark results show that the CPU is not the limiting factor, as the FPS scales predictably with GPU load. For instance, at 1080p, the difference between Low and Medium settings is 34 FPS, and between Medium and High is 16 FPS. This scaling is consistent with GPU-bound behavior, where the CPU has sufficient headroom to handle the increased draw calls and physics calculations without impacting the frame rate.

The CPU's 81st percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 29879, places it well above the GPU's 70th percentile ranking. This disparity confirms that the CPU is the stronger component in this pairing. In a game like The Medium, which features fixed camera angles and scripted sequences, the CPU's single-thread performance is particularly relevant, and the data shows it handles these tasks with ease, leaving the GPU as the primary determinant of overall performance.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the nature of the bottleneck in this system. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 91 at 1080p to 77 at 1440p, a 15% decrease, and then to 60 at 4K, a 22% further decrease. This gradual decline suggests that at low graphical fidelity, the GPU is still managing the workload, but the increasing pixel count is beginning to strain its resources.

At Medium settings, the scaling is more pronounced. The average FPS falls from 57 at 1080p to 48 at 1440p (a 16% drop) and then to 38 at 4K (a 21% drop). The High settings show a similar pattern, with averages of 41 FPS at 1080p, 34 FPS at 1440p, and 27 FPS at 4K. This consistent proportional decrease across settings indicates that the GPU is the limiting component, as the CPU's performance is not affected by resolution changes.

The most telling data point is the 4K performance. At 4K Low, the combo achieves 60 FPS, but at 4K Medium, it drops to 38 FPS. This 37% performance hit from a single preset increase at the same resolution highlights the GPU's memory bandwidth and processing limitations. The 8 GB VRAM and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the high-resolution textures and effects at Medium settings, causing a significant frame rate penalty. The data clearly shows that the GPU is the bottleneck, as the CPU's capabilities remain constant while the FPS scales with the graphical load.