The Medium

# The Medium with AMD Ryzen 7 7700 + AMD Radeon RX 570

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 570 produces a striking performance profile in The Medium, where the CPU is overwhelmingly capable but the GPU becomes the decisive bottleneck. The data shows this combo ranks 1,616th out of 1,689 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 5% of all configurations. This is a pairing defined by extreme imbalance: an eight-core Zen 4 processor that sits in the 91st percentile among all CPUs, paired with a Polaris-era graphics card from 2017 that now sits in the 74th percentile among GPUs. The measured frames per second tell a story of a system that can technically run the game but struggles to deliver smooth gameplay at any resolution above 1080p with medium or higher settings.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 brings substantial processing power to this pairing. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, running on the Zen 4 architecture with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The processor uses a 5 nm process node from TSMC, with 6,570 million transistors packed into a 71 mm² die. Its L3 cache totals 32 MB shared across all cores, while each core gets 64 KB of L1 and 1 MB of L2 cache. Memory support is DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and 83.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is notably higher than what older platforms could offer.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 7700 demonstrates clear strength. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score reaches 29,302 points, while single-core performance hits 4,136 points. The PassMark multithread score is 34,470, and the 3DMark max threads score reaches 8,479. These numbers place the CPU in the 91st percentile versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 40,468. The nearest rivals show how tightly clustered this processor is with other high-end parts: the AMD Ryzen 9 7940H scores 40,431 (just 0.1% behind), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 scores 40,262 (0.5% behind), and the Intel Core i9-13905H scores 40,712 (0.6% ahead). Only the Intel Core Ultra 5 235T shows a slightly larger gap at 39,995, which is 1.2% behind.

For The Medium specifically, this CPU is not the limiting factor. The game's frame rates at 1080p Low reach 46.4 FPS average, which suggests the processor can feed frames well above what the GPU can render at higher settings. The 7700's 16 threads and high boost clock are more than sufficient for a horror title that is not known for extreme CPU demands. The bottleneck clearly shifts to the graphics card, as evidenced by the dramatic FPS drops when settings increase.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves in The Medium?

A: The highest measured average is 46.4 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration that approaches playable frame rates, while all other settings and resolutions fall below 35 FPS.

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

A: The Ryzen 7 7700 has an average benchmark score of 40,468, which is 0.1% above the AMD Ryzen 9 7940H (40,431) and 0.5% above the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (40,262). It trails the Intel Core i9-13905H by 0.6% (40,712) and beats the Intel Core Ultra 5 235T by 1.2% (39,995).

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations in The Medium?

A: The combo ranks 1,616th out of 1,689 total combinations tested for this game, placing it near the bottom of the performance distribution.

Q: Does the GPU outperform or underperform its expected position?

A: The Radeon RX 570 holds a 74th percentile position among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 30,158. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, scores 30,109 (0.2% behind), while the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT scores 30,097 (0.2% behind). The NVIDIA Tesla M60 scores 29,969 (0.6% behind), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile scores 29,928 (0.8% behind).

Q: What is the impact of dropping from Ultra to Low settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Ultra settings yield 17.3 FPS average, while Low settings produce 46.4 FPS average. This represents an improvement of 29.1 FPS, or roughly 2.7 times the Ultra frame rate.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance compare to its multicore?

A: The CPU scores 4,136 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 29,302 in multicore, showing strong scaling across its 8 cores. Its 3DMark single-thread score is 1,049, while the 16-thread score reaches 8,484.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling pattern in The Medium reveals a system that is almost entirely GPU-bound. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 46.4 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 34.7 FPS, and at 4K Low it falls to 27.9 FPS. This scaling shows that even at the lowest settings, the RX 570 cannot maintain consistent frame rates as pixel count increases.

The gap between resolutions narrows at higher settings, which is a classic sign of GPU saturation. At Ultra settings, 1080p produces 17.3 FPS, 1440p produces 14.7 FPS, and 4K produces 12.2 FPS. The difference between 1080p and 4K at Ultra is only 5.1 FPS, whereas at Low the difference is 18.5 FPS. This suggests that at Ultra, the GPU is already fully utilized even at 1080p, so adding pixels has diminishing relative impact.

The data implies that the CPU would be capable of much higher frame rates if paired with a stronger GPU. The 7700's high boost clock and 16 threads are not being stressed by this workload, as evidenced by the fact that even at 1080p Low, the system only reaches 46.4 FPS — a figure that is likely limited by the GPU's rendering capabilities rather than CPU throughput. The RX 570's 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth may also contribute to the sharp performance degradation at higher resolutions, particularly with larger texture sets.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based strictly on the measured data, the only viable settings for this combo are 1080p with Low quality. This configuration yields 46.4 FPS average, which is the sole result above the 30 FPS threshold that could be considered marginally playable for a slow-paced horror game. Every other combination fails to reach even 35 FPS.

At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 27.1 FPS, which represents a 19.3 FPS loss compared to Low. This is a substantial penalty for what is only a moderate increase in visual quality. High settings at 1080p produce 21.4 FPS, and Ultra produces 17.3 FPS. None of these are recommended if smooth gameplay is the priority.

For users willing to accept lower resolution, 1440p Low achieves 34.7 FPS, which is actually higher than 1080p Medium. This is an interesting data point: the resolution increase at Low settings provides better performance than a settings increase at 1080p. However, 34.7 FPS is still below the 40 FPS mark that many players would consider acceptable. At 4K, even Low settings only reach 27.9 FPS, making this resolution effectively unplayable in all configurations.

The data clearly indicates that Low settings at 1080p is the only sensible choice for this pairing. Any attempt to raise quality settings will result in frame rates below 30 FPS, which severely compromises the experience in a game that relies on atmospheric tension and smooth camera movement.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This configuration's rank of 1,616 out of 1,689 tested combos places it in the bottom 4.3% of all systems tested for The Medium. This is a remarkably low position for a CPU that ranks in the 91st percentile among all processors, which highlights the severe bottleneck created by the RX 570.

The rank reflects the overall gaming experience, not just component quality. While the Ryzen 7 7700 is a top-tier processor by synthetic benchmarks, the Radeon RX 570's age and limited VRAM drag the combined performance down dramatically. The GPU's 4 GB memory capacity is particularly problematic for a game like The Medium, which uses high-resolution textures and complex lighting effects.

When comparing to other combos, this system sits alongside configurations with much weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs. The ranking system weights the actual measured FPS in the game, which means any combo with a more balanced pairing would likely outperform this one. The 73 combos ranked below this system likely feature both weaker processors and weaker graphics cards, or possibly severe compatibility issues.

The percentile position of the GPU at 74th overall offers some context: the RX 570 is not a bottom-tier card, but it is clearly outclassed by modern mid-range options. The combination of a high-end 2023 CPU with a 2017 entry-level GPU creates an unusual profile that the ranking correctly identifies as suboptimal for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are as follows: Low settings produce 46.4 FPS, Medium produces 27.1 FPS, High produces 21.4 FPS, and Ultra produces 17.3 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent decline, with the largest single step being from Low to Medium at 19.3 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the values drop across all settings: Low reaches 34.7 FPS, Medium reaches 20.7 FPS, High reaches 17.2 FPS, and Ultra reaches 14.7 FPS. The relative drop from 1080p to 1440p is most pronounced at Low settings (11.7 FPS loss) and least pronounced at Ultra (2.6 FPS loss).

At 3840x2160, the results are uniformly poor: Low achieves 27.9 FPS, Medium achieves 17.6 FPS, High achieves 14.9 FPS, and Ultra achieves 12.2 FPS. Even the best 4K result falls short of 30 FPS, making this resolution impractical for any settings configuration.

The pattern across all resolutions shows that Low settings provide the only playable experience, and even then, only at 1080p. The gap between Low and Medium is consistently the largest among settings steps, suggesting that Medium introduces significant rendering costs that the RX 570 cannot handle. The data also shows diminishing returns as settings increase: the difference between High and Ultra is smaller than between Medium and High, indicating that Ultra may not be adding as much visual benefit relative to its performance cost.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is built on the Polaris 20 chip using GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It contains 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, with 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 render output units. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1168 MHz and a boost clock of 1244 MHz, with memory clocked at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective). The 4 GB of GDDR5 memory runs on a 256-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

The GPU's compute capabilities include 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and an equal 5.095 TFLOPS of FP16 (1:1 ratio). Its pixel rate is 39.81 GPixel/s and texture rate is 159.2 GTexel/s. The card supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3, which covers the API requirements of The Medium. The 150 W TDP and suggested 450 W PSU are modest by modern standards, but the card's age is evident in its 4 GB VRAM capacity.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RX 570 scores 880 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 44,915 in Geekbench Metal, 32,084 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 42,752 in Geekbench Vulkan. Its average benchmark score is 30,158, placing it in the 74th percentile among all GPUs. The nearest rivals show tight competition: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 scores 30,109 (0.2% behind), the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT scores 30,097 (0.2% behind), the NVIDIA Tesla M60 scores 29,969 (0.6% behind), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile scores 29,928 (0.8% behind).

The measured FPS data strongly suggests that the RX 570's 4 GB VRAM is a critical limitation in The Medium. The game likely exceeds this capacity at higher settings, causing texture streaming issues and memory thrashing that tank frame rates. The sharp performance cliff between Low and Medium settings at all resolutions points to VRAM overflow rather than raw compute limitations. Even at 1080p, the card cannot maintain 30 FPS at Medium settings, which would be unusual for a GPU of this compute capability if memory were not a constraint. The 224.0 GB/s bandwidth, while adequate for 2017-era games, is insufficient for the demands of this 2021 title at higher quality presets.