The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title from 2021, presents an interesting stress profile for the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti pairing. The measured data reveals a component that scales predictably with resolution but exhibits a sharp performance cliff at the highest settings, suggesting a complex interaction between the game’s rendering demands and the hardware’s capabilities. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and presets to identify where the bottleneck lies and what the numbers imply for gameplay.

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

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 reveals a consistent, though non-linear, performance drop across all settings. At the Low preset, the average FPS falls from 173.9 at 1080p to 150.1 at 1440p, a reduction of 23.8 FPS, and then descends further to 114.1 at 4K. This pattern indicates that at Low settings, the GPU is not the primary constraint at lower resolutions; the frame rates are high enough that CPU overhead or other system limits begin to surface. The 4K Low result, still above 110 FPS, shows the RTX 4070 Ti has ample headroom when visual effects are minimized.

Moving to the High preset, the scaling becomes more pronounced. The 1080p result of 75.5 FPS drops to 68.3 at 1440p (a 7.2 FPS decrease), but the jump to 4K brings a more substantial decline to 50.6 FPS, an 18.9% reduction from the 1440p figure. This steeper slope suggests that 4K High is beginning to saturate the GPU’s capabilities, though the frame rate remains playable. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling collapse: from 63.9 FPS at 1080p to 50.8 at 1440p, and then a severe fall to 38.9 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is a 39% drop from the 1080p Ultra score, indicating that the combination of high resolution and maximum settings places an overwhelming load on the graphics card.

These scaling patterns imply that the RTX 4070 Ti is the limiting component at 4K, particularly when settings are raised. At 1080p and 1440p with lower presets, the CPU’s 8 cores and 16 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU, but the data suggests the GPU’s 12 GB of VRAM and 192-bit memory bus become strained at 4K Ultra. The fact that the Low preset at 4K (114.1 FPS) is nearly three times faster than the Ultra preset at 4K (38.9 FPS) underscores that the game’s higher settings introduce effects that disproportionately tax the GPU, rather than the CPU.

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is a Zen 4 Raphael chip with 8 cores and 16 threads, base clock of 4.50 GHz, and boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores are strong: Cinebench R23 multicore reaches 30325, and single-core hits 4281. The data shows the CPU’s role in The Medium is to maintain a high enough frame ceiling that the GPU can operate without waiting. At 1080p Low, the 173.9 FPS average suggests the CPU can easily push frame rates well beyond typical display refresh rates, meaning it is not a bottleneck at lower settings.

The CPU’s percentile rank of 89 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 34313, places it just 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i5-13500 and 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core i7-12800HX. This tight grouping indicates that the 7700X is not uniquely suited for this title; any modern 8-core processor would likely yield similar results. The game’s fixed-camera perspective may limit CPU workload compared to open-world titles, as the data shows no scenario where the CPU holds back the GPU. For instance, at 4K Ultra, the 38.9 FPS result is clearly GPU-limited, as the CPU has ample single-thread performance (3dmark single-thread score of 1090) to handle the game’s logic.

The cache hierarchy—64 KB L1 per core, 1 MB L2 per core, and 32 MB shared L3—provides sufficient bandwidth for the game’s data needs. The 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth, paired with DDR5 support, ensures that memory latency does not become a factor in frame pacing. The benchmark results indicate the CPU is rarely the limiting factor; instead, the FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are almost entirely attributable to GPU load, as evidenced by the near-linear scaling of Low preset performance across resolutions.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the dominant component in this pairing, with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus delivering 504.2 GB/s bandwidth. Its boost clock of 2610 MHz and 7680 shading units provide substantial raw compute, reflected in a Passmark G3D score of 31624. The GPU’s percentile rank of 85 versus all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 44900, places it in the upper tier, though the data shows it is not immune to the demands of The Medium’s Ultra preset.

The measured FPS reveals that the GPU’s VRAM capacity is likely a critical factor. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 38.9, which is a 39% reduction from 1080p Ultra’s 63.9 FPS. This steep decline suggests that the game’s high-resolution textures and effects may be exceeding the 12 GB VRAM buffer, causing the card to rely on slower system memory or reducing effective bandwidth. The 4K Medium result of 73 FPS, compared to 4K High at 50.6 FPS, shows that even a single step down in settings provides a significant performance relief, further pointing to memory pressure as a limiting factor.

The GPU’s nearest rivals include the RTX 5090 Mobile, which scores 0.6% higher, and the Intel Arc A730M, which scores 1.5% higher. These comparisons are based on aggregate benchmarks, not in-game results, but they contextualize the 4070 Ti’s position. The data indicates that for The Medium, the GPU’s raw compute is sufficient for 1440p High (68.3 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (63.9 FPS), but the 4K Ultra scenario pushes the card beyond its comfort zone. The 40.09 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 626.4 GTexel/s texture rate are impressive on paper, yet the measured results show that the game’s specific rendering paths, potentially involving heavy use of the 60 RT cores, create a bottleneck that no amount of shader throughput can overcome at maximum settings.

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

The complete measured dataset for The Medium with this combo is as follows. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 173.9 FPS, Medium drops to 112.3 FPS, High further reduces to 75.5 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 63.9 FPS. This progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 63% reduction in performance, indicating that each settings tier adds significant GPU work.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 150.1 FPS, Medium delivers 92.1 FPS, High runs at 68.3 FPS, and Ultra produces 50.8 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 66%, slightly steeper than at 1080p, reflecting the increased pixel count. The 1440p High result of 68.3 FPS is notable because it is only 4.4 FPS lower than the 1080p High score, suggesting that at this settings level, the resolution increase is not the primary limiter.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 114.1 FPS, Medium runs at 73 FPS, High achieves 50.6 FPS, and Ultra falls to 38.9 FPS. The gap between 1440p and 4K is most pronounced at Ultra, where the 50.8 FPS at 1440p falls to 38.9 FPS at 4K, a 23% reduction. In contrast, the Low preset only drops from 150.1 to 114.1 over the same resolution change, a 24% reduction, but from a much higher starting point. These numbers show that the Ultra preset’s 4K performance is the only sub-40 FPS result in the entire dataset, making it the sole scenario where the combo fails to maintain smooth gameplay.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in The Medium?

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 offers the best balance, with High settings achieving 68.3 FPS and Medium reaching 92.1 FPS. The 4K results are playable at Medium (73 FPS) but drop below 40 FPS at Ultra.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any resolution?

A: The data shows no evidence of a CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 173.9 FPS, and even at 4K Ultra, the 38.9 FPS result is clearly GPU-limited, as the CPU’s single-thread score of 4281 in Cinebench R23 provides ample headroom.

Q: How significant is the settings impact at 4K?

A: The impact is severe. Moving from Low to Ultra at 4K reduces the average FPS from 114.1 to 38.9, a 75 FPS difference. The largest single drop occurs from High to Ultra, falling from 50.6 to 38.9 FPS.

Q: Is the 12 GB VRAM sufficient for The Medium?

A: The data suggests it is marginal at 4K Ultra, where the 38.9 FPS average indicates potential memory pressure. At High settings, the 50.6 FPS result is better, but the steep scaling from Medium to Ultra points to VRAM or bandwidth limitations.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 168 out of 1689 tested combinations for The Medium, placing it in the top 10% of tested systems.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti scores 0.6% lower than the RTX 5090 Mobile and 1.5% lower than the Intel Arc A730M in aggregate benchmarks, but it is 1.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 580 and 1.6% behind the Radeon Pro 5500 XT. These differences are minimal and do not translate to meaningful in-game performance gaps.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide clear guidance for optimal settings. For a 60 FPS target, the best option is 1440p High, which achieves 68.3 FPS, leaving a small margin. Alternatively, 4K Medium runs at 73 FPS, offering higher resolution with a moderate settings reduction. For a 120 FPS target, 1080p Medium delivers 112.3 FPS, while 1440p Low reaches 150.1 FPS, both exceeding the threshold. The Ultra preset is only playable at 1080p, where it hits 63.9 FPS, but the drop to 50.8 FPS at 1440p makes it a poor choice for that resolution.

The data indicates that the Medium preset provides the most consistent experience across resolutions: 112.3 FPS at 1080p, 92.1 at 1440p, and 73 at 4K. This preset avoids the sharp performance penalties seen at High and Ultra, likely by reducing memory-intensive effects. For players prioritizing smoothness over visual fidelity, Medium at 1440p is the recommended configuration, as it offers a high frame rate with a resolution that benefits from the GPU’s capabilities. At 4K, sticking to Medium is advisable, as the 73 FPS average is significantly better than High’s 50.6 FPS and Ultra’s 38.9 FPS, making it the only 4K preset that consistently stays above 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti combination ranks 168 out of 1689 tested combos for The Medium, placing it in the upper 10% of all systems. This ranking is driven primarily by the GPU’s strong 4K Low performance (114.1 FPS) and solid 1440p results, rather than the CPU, which is not a limiting factor in this title. The CPU’s aggregate benchmark score of 34313 places it among high-end desktop processors, but its nearest rivals—the Intel Core i5-13500 and Intel Core i7-12800HX—are within 0.5% of its performance, suggesting that the 7700X offers no unique advantage in this game.

The GPU’s rank of 85th percentile versus all GPUs, with an average score of 44900, is more relevant to the combo’s in-game standing. The RTX 4070 Ti’s nearest rivals in aggregate benchmarks are within 1.6% of its score, indicating that the combo’s rank of 168 is not due to a standout GPU, but rather the balanced pairing of a capable CPU and a high-end graphics card. The data shows that the combo excels at 1440p and 1080p, where it can push high frame rates, but the 4K Ultra result of 38.9 FPS is a weak point that likely prevents a higher rank. Compared to the 1689 tested combos, this system is well above average, but the Ultra preset at 4K reveals a limitation that more expensive GPUs, or those with larger VRAM buffers, would likely overcome.