The Medium

The Medium, a horror title built around simultaneous dual-reality rendering, places an unusual load on a system. The measured combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB produces a constrained experience, with results that clearly indicate the GPU as the primary bottleneck across all tested settings and resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data, explores the scaling behavior, and contextualizes the performance against other tested combos, all based strictly on the provided facts.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves at 1920x1080?

A: The highest average FPS recorded at 1920x1080 is 65, which is achieved with the Low settings preset. The Medium preset yields 40 FPS, High drops to 29 FPS, and Ultra falls to 23 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations for The Medium?

A: The combo ranks 3275 out of 3724 tested combinations, placing it in the lower percentile of systems evaluated for this game. This rank, derived from the comboRankInGame field, indicates that the majority of tested configurations deliver higher frame rates.

Q: At which resolution does the RTX 3050 4 GB manage to exceed 60 FPS?

A: The only measured configuration that exceeds 60 FPS is at 1920x1080 with Low settings, producing an average of 65 FPS. No other resolution or settings combination in the data reaches this threshold.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 54 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages only 19 FPS. This represents a drop of 35 FPS, or roughly 65% lower performance, when moving from the lowest to the highest quality preset.

Q: Does the CPU show any signs of being a limiting factor in this game?

A: The data does not indicate CPU limitation. The Ryzen 7 7700 has 8 cores and 16 threads, and the frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings changes in a manner that points to GPU-bound performance. The CPU's 87th percentile ranking among all CPUs contrasts sharply with the GPU's 50th percentile ranking, suggesting the graphics card is the constraining component.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values recorded for the Medium settings across all resolutions?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with min/max data. At 3840x2160, the min FPS is 23 and max is 31. At 2560x1440, the min is 29 and max is 39. At 1920x1080, the min is 34 and max is 46.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy for settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 65 FPS, which is the only configuration that hits a smooth, playable frame rate. The Medium preset drops to 40 FPS, which is still playable but represents a significant 25 FPS penalty for the visual upgrade. High and Ultra presets at this resolution fall to 29 and 23 FPS respectively, which are likely too choppy for a game that relies on atmospheric tension.

For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is the recommended choice. The data shows a 40 FPS average, which is a 25 FPS improvement over High and a 17 FPS improvement over Ultra, while still offering a better visual experience than Low. The min FPS of 34 at this setting ensures that frame drops are not catastrophic. The 40 FPS average is the most acceptable compromise between the 65 FPS of Low and the visual degradation of lower quality settings.

At 2560x1440, the situation becomes more restrictive. The Low preset averages 54 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS target but not quite there. Medium drops to 34 FPS, and High and Ultra fall to 24 and 19 FPS respectively. For a stable experience at this resolution, Low is the only viable option, though it still fails to reach a consistent 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, all settings are below playable thresholds, with Low averaging 43 FPS, Medium at 27 FPS, High at 19 FPS, and Ultra at 15 FPS. The data suggests that this combo is not suited for 4K gaming in The Medium, as even the lowest settings struggle to maintain a smooth frame rate.

The settings scaling shows diminishing returns for quality. The jump from Low to Medium costs 25 FPS at 1080p, while the jump from Medium to High costs 11 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 6 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is heavily taxed by the rendering workload, and the visual improvements from higher presets come at a steep performance cost. The recommendation is to use Medium at 1080p if visual quality is a priority, or Low at 1080p for the smoothest experience.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a steep performance drop as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound rendering. At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 40 at 1920x1080 to 34 at 2560x1440, a 15% decrease. Moving to 3840x2160, the average falls to 27 FPS, a further 21% decrease from 1440p. This scaling pattern shows that the RTX 3050 4 GB is the limiting factor, as the pixel count increase directly translates to lower frame rates.

Looking at the Low preset, the scaling is even more pronounced. At 1080p, the average is 65 FPS. At 1440p, it drops to 54 FPS, a 17% reduction. At 4K, it falls to 43 FPS, a 20% reduction from 1440p. The consistent decline across all settings confirms that the GPU is saturated, and the CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads are not the bottleneck. If the CPU were limiting, the frame rates would not drop so significantly with resolution changes.

The High preset shows a similar trend: 29 FPS at 1080p, 24 FPS at 1440p, and 19 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset goes from 23 FPS at 1080p to 19 FPS at 1440p and 15 FPS at 4K. The absolute FPS values are low across the board, but the relative drops are consistent, indicating that the GPU's memory bandwidth of 192.0 GB/s and its 4 GB VRAM capacity are insufficient for the higher resolution workloads. The 128-bit memory bus and the 12 Gbps effective memory speed are simply not enough to feed the rendering pipeline at higher pixel counts.

The resolution scaling data suggests that the game's dual-world rendering mechanic is exceptionally demanding on the GPU. The RTX 3050 4 GB, with its 2048 shading units and 16 RT cores, is overwhelmed by the workload. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are not linear but show an accelerating decline, which is typical of a GPU that is running out of memory bandwidth or raw compute power. The data strongly indicates that the limiting component is the GPU, not the CPU, as the Ryzen 7 7700's high single-thread and multi-thread scores are not reflected in any resolution-dependent performance anomaly.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame field places this configuration at 3275 out of 3724 tested combinations. This rank of 3275 means that only 449 tested combos perform worse, putting this setup in the bottom 12% of all tested systems for The Medium. This is a poor result, driven almost entirely by the GPU's limitations. The CPU, which ranks in the 87th percentile among all CPUs, is paired with a GPU that ranks in the 50th percentile among all GPUs, creating a significant performance imbalance.

The rank is a reflection of the measured FPS data. With a maximum average of 65 FPS at 1080p Low, and most settings falling below 40 FPS, this combo is not competitive with the majority of tested systems. The game's demanding nature, particularly at higher resolutions, exposes the GPU's weaknesses. The RTX 3050 4 GB's 4 GB VRAM and 192.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for a game that renders two perspectives simultaneously, leading to the low frame rates that contribute to the 3275 rank.

When compared to other tested combos, this setup is clearly in the lower tier. The rank of 3275 out of 3724 suggests that a typical gaming PC, even one from a few years prior, would likely outperform this configuration in The Medium. The data does not provide specific rival combo names or scores, but the percentile ranking is definitive. This is not a combo for high-refresh-rate or high-resolution gaming in this title. The CPU's strength does not translate into in-game performance because the GPU cannot keep up, and the overall rank reflects this bottleneck.

The rank also indicates that the system is not balanced for this workload. The Ryzen 7 7700 is a high-end desktop processor, but the RTX 3050 4 GB is an entry-level graphics card. The combination results in a system that is CPU-rich and GPU-poor, which is a poor match for a graphically intensive game like The Medium. The 3275 rank is a quantitative measure of this mismatch, showing that the system's overall capability is dragged down by the GPU.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 is a Zen 4 architecture processor with 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock is 3.80 GHz and its boost clock is 5.30 GHz. The CPU's benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 18760 and a single-core score of 1930. It also achieves a Geekbench multicore score of 15371 and a single-core score of 2525. These numbers place the CPU in the 87th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a powerful processor.

However, the measured FPS data for The Medium shows that the CPU's performance does not translate into high frame rates. The frame rates scale almost entirely with resolution and settings, which is a hallmark of GPU-bound performance. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would be more consistent across different resolutions, as the CPU workload would remain similar regardless of pixel count. Instead, we see a clear decline from 1080p to 4K, which points to the GPU being overwhelmed.

The CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient for a game like The Medium, which likely uses a limited number of threads. The high single-core performance, evidenced by the 1930 Cinebench R23 single-core score, ensures that the game's main thread can be processed quickly. The 32 MB of shared L3 cache and the 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth also contribute to a capable platform, but these factors are not the bottleneck. The data shows that the CPU is not holding back the system; the GPU is.

The CPU's boost clock of 5.30 GHz is a high frequency that should handle any CPU-bound tasks in the game. The 3dmark single-thread score of 1049 and the passmark single-thread score of 4063 further confirm the CPU's strength in lightly-threaded workloads. In this game, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and process game logic, and the Ryzen 7 7700 is well-equipped for this task. The low frame rates are not due to CPU stalls but rather the GPU's inability to render frames fast enough.

The conclusion from the data is that the CPU has no negative impact on the game's performance. The Ryzen 7 7700 is a high-end processor that offers plenty of compute headroom. The measured FPS values are entirely within the GPU's performance envelope, and the CPU is effectively idle waiting for the GPU. The 87th percentile CPU ranking versus the 50th percentile GPU ranking is a stark illustration of the performance gap, and the CPU's capabilities are wasted in this configuration for The Medium.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of this combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 65 FPS, the only result above 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 40 FPS, with minimum and maximum values of 34 and 46 FPS respectively. The High preset averages 29 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 23 FPS. This shows a clear progression where each settings increase costs a significant amount of performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 54 FPS, a drop of 11 FPS from 1080p. The Medium preset averages 34 FPS, with min and max of 29 and 39 FPS. The High preset averages 24 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 19 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across all settings, with roughly a 15-20% reduction in frame rate. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 43 FPS, the Medium preset averages 27 FPS with min and max of 23 and 31 FPS, the High preset averages 19 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 15 FPS.

The data reveals that the Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data across all resolutions. At 1080p, the min of 34 and max of 46 show a 12 FPS variance. At 1440p, the min of 29 and max of 39 show a 10 FPS variance. At 4K, the min of 23 and max of 31 show an 8 FPS variance. This tightening of the frame time variance at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is becoming more consistently saturated, with less headroom for frame rate spikes.

The difference between Low and Ultra settings is substantial. At 1080p, the gap is 42 FPS (65 vs 23). At 1440p, the gap is 35 FPS (54 vs 19). At 4K, the gap is 28 FPS (43 vs 15). This shows that the GPU's performance ceiling is very low, and the settings presets have a massive impact on playability. The High and Ultra presets are effectively unplayable at any resolution above 1080p, and even at 1080p they produce frame rates below 30 FPS.

The overall picture is one of severe GPU limitation. The RTX 3050 4 GB cannot handle The Medium's rendering requirements at any resolution above 1080p with medium or higher settings. Even at 1080p, the High and Ultra presets are not viable for smooth gameplay. The only playable configurations are 1080p Low, which hits 65 FPS, and 1080p Medium, which hits 40 FPS. The data for other resolutions shows a system that is struggling to maintain basic frame rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB is the clear bottleneck in this configuration. The GPU has 2048 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Its base clock is 1545 MHz and its boost clock is 1740 MHz. The memory is 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 192.0 GB/s. The GPU's FP32 performance is 7.127 TFLOPS, and it has 16 RT cores and 64 tensor cores. These specifications place it in the 50th percentile of all GPUs, indicating mid-range performance.

The 4 GB VRAM is likely a major issue for The Medium. The game's dual-world rendering requires the GPU to hold two scenes in memory simultaneously, which can quickly exhaust 4 GB of VRAM. While the data does not provide direct VRAM usage, the performance drops at higher resolutions and settings suggest that memory capacity and bandwidth are limiting factors. The 192.0 GB/s bandwidth is low for a modern GPU, and the 128-bit bus restricts the data throughput needed for high-resolution textures.

The GPU's benchmark results are empty in the data, but the measured FPS values tell the story. At 1080p Low, the GPU manages 65 FPS, but this is likely due to the reduced texture quality and effects that lower VRAM usage. As settings increase, the GPU struggles. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 25 FPS, which is a massive penalty. This indicates that the Medium preset likely uses more VRAM and higher resolution textures, which the GPU cannot handle efficiently.

The RTX 3050 4 GB's architecture is Ampere, built on an 8 nm process from Samsung. It has a TDP of 90 W, which is low, but the performance is also low. The 7.127 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is insufficient for a demanding game like The Medium. The game's rendering of two worlds simultaneously effectively doubles the workload, and the GPU's compute power is not enough to maintain high frame rates.

The GPU's role in this combo is to be the limiting factor. The data shows that no matter how much CPU headroom is available, the GPU cannot deliver playable frame rates at higher settings. The 4 GB VRAM is a particular weakness, as it likely causes texture thrashing at 1440p and 4K. The 50th percentile ranking among GPUs confirms that this is not a high-performance part, and its pairing with a high-end CPU creates a system that is unbalanced for this specific game. The GPU is the reason the combo ranks 3275 out of 3724, as its performance ceiling is simply too low for The Medium.