The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER delivers a mid-pack experience in The Medium, ranking 1280th out of 1689 tested combos. This places the configuration in the lower third of the database, indicating that while the CPU is exceptionally strong, the GPU becomes the decisive bottleneck in this title. The combination is capable of playable frame rates, but only by making significant compromises on visual fidelity.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1280 out of 1689 tested combinations places it firmly in the lower-mid tier of the database. This is a notable underperformance relative to what the CPU alone suggests, as the Ryzen 7 7700X sits in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. The GPU, however, sits in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, creating a substantial imbalance. The data indicates that this pairing is heavily skewed toward processor-bound workloads, which is counterproductive for a graphically demanding title like The Medium. The 8-core, 16-thread Ryzen 7 7700X has ample headroom, but the RTX 2060 SUPER cannot translate that headroom into high frame rates at demanding settings. Consequently, the overall ranking reflects the GPU’s limitations more than the CPU’s capabilities.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting factor in this configuration. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming but becomes strained at higher resolutions. The GPU’s base clock of 1470 MHz and boost clock of 1650 MHz are modest by modern standards, and its 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is the ceiling for this combo. The data shows that the RTX 2060 SUPER’s average benchmark score of 19774 places it just 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070, which is its nearest rival. This marginal gap confirms that the GPU is operating at the lower end of its performance tier. In The Medium, this translates directly to the measured FPS: at 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 20.2 FPS, which is unplayable. The GPU’s 12 nm Turing architecture and 175 W TDP are simply not sufficient for this game’s demanding rendering workload at high settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling across resolutions reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 89.5 FPS, which drops to 75.7 FPS at 1440p Low and further to 61 FPS at 4K Low. This represents a 31.8% drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. The scaling is more dramatic at higher settings: at High, the frame rate falls from 40.1 FPS at 1080p to 34.4 FPS at 1440p and 26 FPS at 4K, a 35.2% drop. At Ultra, the decline is steeper, going from 30.3 FPS at 1080p to 25 FPS at 1440p and 20.2 FPS at 4K, a 33.3% reduction. These consistent percentage drops indicate that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the primary constraint. The CPU’s performance is not the issue, as the 7700X’s 3DMark max-thread score of 8852 shows it can handle the game’s logic without bottlenecking. The data clearly shows that lowering resolution provides diminishing returns as the GPU’s memory bandwidth and shading units become saturated.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the combo delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 89.5 FPS, which is smooth for most displays. Medium settings yield 59.6 FPS, which is acceptable for a horror title where atmosphere matters more than fast-paced action. High settings drop to 40.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 30.3 FPS. The latter two are playable but not ideal for a game that benefits from consistent motion clarity.

Moving to 1440p, the performance gap widens. Low settings average 75.7 FPS, maintaining playability. Medium settings drop to 45.8 FPS, which is borderline. High settings produce 34.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 25 FPS. At 4K, the results are mostly disappointing. Low settings manage 61 FPS, which is surprisingly playable. Medium settings drop to 40 FPS, High to 26 FPS, and Ultra to 20.2 FPS. The 4K Low result of 61 FPS is the only 4K configuration that approaches a comfortable experience, and it does so by significantly reducing visual quality.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of running The Medium at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it averages 61 FPS. At Medium, it drops to 40 FPS, and at High and Ultra, it falls to 26 FPS and 20.2 FPS, respectively.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: 1080p is the most consistent resolution. At Low settings, it achieves 89.5 FPS, and at Medium, it maintains 59.6 FPS, both of which are smooth experiences.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 19774, which is 0.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070’s score of 19680.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck this combo in The Medium?

A: No. The Ryzen 7 7700X’s 8 cores and 16 threads provide ample performance, as evidenced by its 89th percentile ranking. The GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: What settings should be avoided?

A: Ultra settings should be avoided at all resolutions. It produces 30.3 FPS at 1080p, 25 FPS at 1440p, and 20.2 FPS at 4K, all of which are below acceptable playability thresholds.

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at lower settings, but the data shows that the GPU’s overall performance, not just VRAM capacity, limits results at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The data suggests that the optimal experience for this combo is at 1080p with Medium settings, which yields 59.6 FPS. This provides a good balance between visual fidelity and smoothness. For players who prioritize frame rate, 1080p Low offers 89.5 FPS, which is excellent. At 1440p, Low settings are the only viable option, producing 75.7 FPS. Medium settings at 1440p drop to 45.8 FPS, which may be acceptable for a slower-paced horror game but is not ideal. The 4K resolution should only be considered with Low settings, which achieves 61 FPS. Higher settings at 4K produce unplayable results, with Ultra falling below 21 FPS. The conclusion is clear: this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, with 1440p possible only at the lowest settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is a high-end processor that is severely underutilized in this configuration. Its 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 4 architecture, provide a 5.40 GHz boost clock and a 4.50 GHz base clock. The CPU’s 3DMark single-thread score of 1090 and multi-thread score of 8852 indicate it can handle the game’s logic without issue. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30325 places it 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i5-13500 and 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core i7-12800HX, its nearest rivals. This performance headroom means the CPU is never the bottleneck in The Medium. Instead, the RTX 2060 SUPER’s 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth are the limiting factors. The data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the CPU is most likely to be stressed, the combination achieves 89.5 FPS, which is well below the CPU’s potential. The Ryzen 7 7700X’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory are wasted on this GPU pairing, as the game’s performance is consistently GPU-bound. This is a clear case where a less powerful CPU would yield nearly identical results, while a more powerful GPU would unlock the system’s true potential.