The Medium

The Medium, a horror title released on 2021-01-27, presents a demanding workload for the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination. The measured data shows a system that can handle low settings at high frame rates but struggles at ultra settings and 4K resolution. This analysis breaks down the CPU and GPU contributions, resolution scaling, and the combo's overall ranking.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on Zen 3 architecture, built on a 7 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz, with 32 MB of L3 cache. Its benchmark scores include a Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 23794 and a single-core result of 3359, placing it in the 86th percentile of all CPUs. The nearest rivals are within 0.3% in average benchmark score: the Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE (29740, +0.1%), the Ryzen 7 6800HS (29856, -0.3%), the Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 (29682, +0.3%), and the Ryzen 7 7840H (29868, -0.3%). In The Medium, the CPU's strong single-thread performance is evident at low settings: at 1080p Low, the average FPS is 92.2, which is the highest measured across all settings. This suggests that the CPU is not a limiting factor at lower resolutions and settings. However, as settings increase, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, as seen in the FPS drops. The 8-core, 16-thread configuration provides ample headroom for the game's logic, and the high single-thread score (Cinebench R23 single 3359) ensures that frame pacing remains consistent even when the GPU is under load.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1470 MHz and boost clock is 1650 MHz, with memory clock at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). It has 2176 shading units, 34 RT cores, and 272 tensor cores. Its Passmark G3D score is 16462, placing it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals are within 1.3%: the GTX TITAN (19706, +0.3%), the RTX 2070 (19680, +0.5%), the Quadro K5200 (19623, +0.8%), and the Tesla K40m (19519, +1.3%). In The Medium, the GPU's performance is the primary constraint at higher settings. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 21.3, which is below playable thresholds. Even at 1080p Ultra, the average is 29.5 FPS, indicating that the GPU is heavily taxed. The 8 GB VRAM and 448 GB/s bandwidth are likely sufficient for the game's textures, but the raw compute power is insufficient for ultra settings. The RTX 2060 SUPER's 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores are present, but the game's demands at high settings overwhelm the GPU's throughput, as reflected in the low FPS numbers.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of scaling. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 92.2 at 1080p to 74.4 at 1440p and 57.9 at 4K. This is a reduction of 17.8 FPS from 1080p to 1440p and 16.5 FPS from 1440p to 4K. The relatively even drops suggest that the GPU is still able to handle the increased pixel count, but the CPU is not the limiting factor. At High settings, the averages are 42.5, 35.5, and 27.7 for 1080p, 1440p, and 4K respectively. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 7.0 FPS, and from 1440p to 4K is 7.8 FPS. At Medium settings, the averages are 56.5, 47.6, and 37.7, with drops of 8.9 and 9.9 FPS. At Ultra settings, the averages are 29.5, 28.6, and 21.3. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is only 0.9 FPS, while the drop to 4K is 7.3 FPS. This indicates that at Ultra, the GPU is already saturated at 1080p, so increasing resolution to 1440p has minimal impact, but the jump to 4K overwhelms the GPU. Overall, the scaling shows that the GPU is the limiting component across all settings, with the CPU providing sufficient headroom. The pattern is consistent: higher settings compress the FPS range, and the gap between 1080p and 4K widens as settings increase, confirming that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the primary bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

In The Medium, this combination of AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 1244th out of 1689 tested combos. This places it in the lower quartile of systems. The CPU alone is in the 86th percentile, and the GPU is in the 63rd percentile, but the combo rank is much lower, indicating that the game is particularly demanding on the GPU. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (21.3) and even 1080p Ultra (29.5) are low, which explains the poor ranking. The system is better suited to low or medium settings at 1080p, where it achieves 92.2 and 56.5 FPS respectively. The rank of 1244 out of 1689 means that 1243 other combinations deliver higher average frame rates in this title, and only 445 are worse. This places the combo in the 26th percentile of tested systems, a significant drop from the CPU's 86th percentile and the GPU's 63rd percentile, underscoring the game's heavy reliance on GPU compute.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p Medium?

A: The average FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 47.6.

Q: How does the CPU's average benchmark score compare to the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS?

A: The Ryzen 7 5800XT has an average benchmark score of 29774, which is 0.3% lower than the Ryzen 7 6800HS's 29856.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s.

Q: What is the combo's rank in The Medium?

A: The combo ranks 1244th out of 1689 tested combinations.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the CPU?

A: The launch MSRP of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT is $249.

Q: What is the boost clock of the GPU?

A: The boost clock of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is 1650 MHz.

Measured FPS Breakdown

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 27.7 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 57.9 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 37.7 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 21.3 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 35.5 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 74.4 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 47.6 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 28.6 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 42.5 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 92.2 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 56.5 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 29.5 |