The Medium

The Medium, a horror title released in 2021, stresses both CPU and GPU. This analysis examines the combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 7700, an 8-core 16-thread Zen 4 processor, with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, an Ampere-based GPU featuring 8 GB of GDDR6 memory. Measured frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets provide a clear picture of this combo's capabilities, and the data shows a pairing that delivers consistent performance across most configurations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured frame rates reveal a clear hierarchy among the four presets. At 1080p, Low averages 122 FPS, Medium 75.3 FPS, High 56.8 FPS, and Ultra 44.6 FPS. Moving to 1440p, the same order holds: Low 104 FPS, Medium 67.1 FPS, High 44.2 FPS, and Ultra 35.1 FPS. At 4K, Low still manages 84 FPS, Medium 53.4 FPS, High 33.5 FPS, and Ultra 26.4 FPS. These numbers indicate that Medium is the highest preset that maintains an average above 50 FPS at every resolution, and it is the only preset that stays above 60 FPS at both 1080p and 1440p. Ultra, while visually demanding, drops below 30 FPS at 4K, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay. Low offers high frame rates but likely sacrifices visual fidelity, as it is the lowest quality tier. Therefore, Medium is the recommended preset for a balanced experience across all tested resolutions, providing a substantial performance margin over High and Ultra while still delivering playable frame rates at 4K.

GPU Role

The RTX 3070's specifications directly influence its performance in The Medium. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 1500 MHz with a boost of 1725 MHz, and the GPU includes 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs. These hardware characteristics are reflected in its benchmark scores: the GPU achieves 22214 in Passmark G3D and 123479 in Geekbench OpenCL, placing it in the 72nd percentile among all GPUs. In the nearest rival comparison, the RTX 3070's average benchmark score of 28238 is 0.9% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT and 1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti, while trailing the AMD FirePro S7150 by 0.6% and the AMD Radeon R9 M295X by 1.1%. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for the tested settings, as the game runs at all presets without any indication of memory limitations. The memory bandwidth and boost clock are consistent with the observed frame rates, which show a GPU-bound workload at higher resolutions. The GPU's performance is adequate for the game's demands, though it becomes the limiting factor when resolution increases.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K demonstrates a consistent decline across all presets. For Medium, the average FPS goes from 75.3 at 1080p to 67.1 at 1440p and 53.4 at 4K. Low follows a similar pattern: 122, 104, and 84 FPS respectively. High drops from 56.8 to 44.2 to 33.5, and Ultra from 44.6 to 35.1 to 26.4. This uniform scaling indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU's performance is unlikely to be the limiting factor given its high multi-threaded scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core 29302) and strong single-thread results (Cinebench R23 single-core 4136). The consistent reduction in frame rates as resolution increases points to a GPU-bound scenario, where the RTX 3070's rendering capabilities determine the output. The data shows that the gap between 1080p and 1440p is smaller than the gap between 1440p and 4K for most presets, suggesting that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute resources are stretched further at higher pixel counts. This behavior is typical for a mid-range GPU paired with a capable CPU, and it confirms that the RTX 3070 is the component that limits performance in The Medium.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combos for The Medium, this configuration ranks 779th out of 1689. This places it in the upper half of all tested systems, outperforming 910 other combinations. The CPU itself holds the 91st percentile among all CPUs, and the GPU the 72nd percentile, but the combined rank is lower than the CPU's percentile, indicating that the game's performance is more dependent on the GPU. The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940H, which has an average benchmark score 0.1% lower, and the Intel Core i9-13905H, which is 0.6% higher. These small differences in CPU benchmarks do not translate into significant game performance variations, as the GPU remains the dominant factor. The combo's rank of 779 suggests that while the Ryzen 7 7700 is a strong processor, the RTX 3070's mid-range positioning holds the overall system back in this particular title. For users seeking higher frame rates, a more powerful GPU would be necessary, but the current pairing still delivers playable performance at Medium settings across all resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The average FPS is 75.3.

Q: What is the GPU's memory size and type?

A: The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory.

Q: What is the CPU's boost clock?

A: The boost clock is 5.30 GHz.

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

A: It ranks 779th out of 1689 tested combos.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the AMD Ryzen 7 7700?

A: The launch MSRP is $329.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070?

A: The launch MSRP is 499 USD.