The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER delivers a playable but inconsistent experience in The Medium, heavily dependent on resolution and settings. The data shows the combo ranks 1265th out of 1689 tested configurations, placing it in the lower 25th percentile overall. This pairing is clearly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, yet the CPU’s strong multi-threaded performance ensures that even at 1080p Low, the system achieves a smooth 90.1 FPS average, proving the processor is not the bottleneck.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 provides the only fully playable frame rates across all settings. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 90.1, and at 1080p Medium it drops to 58.2, both above the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, only Low settings (74.6 FPS) remain fluid, while 3840x2160 struggles even at Low (59 FPS).

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in raw performance?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 19774, placing it 0.5% ahead of the RTX 2070 (19680) and 0.3% ahead of the GTX TITAN (19706). Its percentile ranking versus all GPUs is 63, meaning it outperforms roughly two-thirds of tested graphics cards.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 7800X3D a limiting factor in this game?

A: No. The CPU’s benchmark scores are exceptionally high, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29149 and a single-core score of 4115. Its percentile versus all CPUs is 87, and it edges out the Intel Core i7-12700F by 0.1% in average score (31580 vs 31543). The frame rate drops at higher resolutions point directly at the GPU.

Q: What is the expected performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: The data reveals a massive gap. At 1920x1080, Low settings produce 90.1 FPS, High produces 40.7 FPS, and Ultra drops to 34.2 FPS. That means moving from Low to Ultra cuts performance by approximately 62%, showing the heavy cost of the game’s visual effects on the RTX 2060 SUPER.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM capacity affect performance at 4K?

A: The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 256-bit bus and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. At 3840x2160, even Medium settings only reach 35.6 FPS, and High falls to 25.5 FPS. These numbers suggest the memory bandwidth is insufficient for 4K workloads, confirming the GPU is the primary bottleneck.

Q: How does this combo rank against all tested configurations in The Medium?

A: The combination ranks 1265th out of 1689 total combos. This places it in the lower portion of the field, indicating that while the CPU is top-tier, the GPU’s age and specifications hold back the overall experience in this specific title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the decisive component in this pairing. Its Turing architecture, built on a 12 nm process, includes 2176 shading units, 136 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The card operates with a base clock of 1470 MHz and a boost clock of 1650 MHz, which is modest by modern standards. Its FP32 performance is rated at 7.181 TFLOPS, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6.

The GPU’s memory subsystem is critical for The Medium’s performance. It carries 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The measured FPS data shows that at 3840x2160, the card cannot sustain playable frame rates: High yields 25.5 FPS, Medium 35.6 FPS, and Ultra only 19.9 FPS. Even at 2560x1440, High settings average just 31.5 FPS. The pattern is clear: the RTX 2060 SUPER’s memory bandwidth and raw compute power are insufficient for high-resolution rendering in this horror title.

At 1080p, the GPU shows its limits more gracefully. Low settings deliver 90.1 FPS, Medium 58.2 FPS, but High drops to 40.7 FPS and Ultra to 34.2 FPS. This suggests the RTX 2060 SUPER can handle the game’s load only when texture quality and effects are reduced. The GPU’s percentile rank of 63 and its position near the RTX 2070 (0.5% faster) and GTX TITAN (0.3% slower) confirm it is a mid-to-upper tier card from its generation, but it lacks the headroom for modern titles at high presets.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep decline as resolution increases, which is the signature of a GPU-bound system. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 90.1 FPS at 1920x1080 to 74.6 FPS at 2560x1440, a 17.2% reduction. Moving to 3840x2160, the same Low preset yields 59 FPS, a 34.5% drop from 1080p.

This scaling pattern is consistent across all settings. At High, the average FPS falls from 40.7 at 1080p to 31.5 at 1440p, and then to 25.5 at 4K. The Ultra preset follows suit: 34.2 FPS at 1080p, 29.4 at 1440p, and 19.9 at 4K. The consistent degradation indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting component, as the Ryzen 7 7800X3D’s compute power remains constant regardless of resolution.

The data strongly suggests that 1080p is the intended resolution for this combo. At 1440p, only Low settings achieve a frame rate above 60 FPS (74.6), while Medium falls to 50.4. At 4K, no setting reaches 60 FPS, and only Low manages to stay above 30 FPS (59). The resolution scaling analysis points to a system that is optimized for 1080p gaming, with 1440p viable only at reduced quality and 4K being impractical for smooth play.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. Low settings average 90.1 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. Medium settings drop to 58.2 FPS, still acceptable for most players. High settings yield 40.7 FPS, and Ultra produces 34.2 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 31.9 FPS, indicating a significant performance cost for moderate visual upgrades.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates decline noticeably. Low settings average 74.6 FPS, maintaining playability. Medium settings fall to 50.4 FPS, which is marginal for fast-paced action. High settings average 31.5 FPS, and Ultra drops to 29.4 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is 24.2 FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra is only 2.1 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns at the highest preset.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. Low settings average 59 FPS, just below the 60 FPS target. Medium settings fall to 35.6 FPS, High to 25.5 FPS, and Ultra to 19.9 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Low settings shows a 15.6 FPS drop, while at Ultra the drop is 9.5 FPS. This data confirms that the RTX 2060 SUPER cannot handle 4K rendering in The Medium, regardless of settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo is 1080p Low settings, which delivers 90.1 FPS average. This provides a significant performance buffer and ensures smooth gameplay throughout. For players seeking better visual fidelity, 1080p Medium at 58.2 FPS is the next viable option, though it is just below the 60 FPS threshold and may exhibit occasional dips.

At 1440p, Low settings (74.6 FPS) is the only recommended preset, as Medium (50.4 FPS) and above drop below comfortable playability. The data shows that High settings at 1440p (31.5 FPS) are not suitable for a horror game requiring precise timing and atmospheric immersion. At 4K, no settings are recommended, as even Low (59 FPS) is borderline and Medium (35.6 FPS) is unplayable.

The Ultra preset is consistently poor across all resolutions, with the best result being 34.2 FPS at 1080p. The performance cost of Ultra over High is minimal (6.5 FPS at 1080p) but does not justify the visual gains given the low absolute frame rates. For this hardware, the data points to a clear trade-off: prioritize frame rate over visual quality to maintain a playable experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is a high-end processor based on the Zen 4 architecture (codenamed Raphael) built on a 5 nm process. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The CPU has a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is a key differentiator for gaming workloads. Its memory support includes DDR5 with a dual-channel bus, providing 83.2 GB/s of bandwidth.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 7800X3D excels: Cinebench R23 multi-core scores 29149 and single-core scores 4115, while Geekbench multi-core reaches 15101 and single-core 2725. Its average benchmark score is 31580, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-12700F (31543) and 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 5980HX (31495). The CPU’s percentile versus all CPUs is 87, indicating it outperforms 87% of tested processors.

In The Medium, the CPU’s role is clearly subordinate to the GPU. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 90.1 FPS, which is a strong result that leverages the CPU’s high single-thread performance. However, as resolution increases, the frame rates drop in a pattern that correlates with GPU load, not CPU capability. The data shows no evidence of CPU bottlenecking, as even at 4K Low (59 FPS), the CPU has ample headroom to feed the GPU. The 7800X3D’s 16 threads and high boost clock ensure that the game’s AI and physics calculations do not impede frame delivery.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 1265th out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the bottom 25% of all configurations, which is a surprising result given the CPU’s top-tier status. The ranking highlights the GPU’s limitations as the primary factor dragging down overall performance.

This rank is particularly telling when compared to the individual component percentiles. The CPU sits at the 87th percentile versus all CPUs, while the GPU is at the 63rd percentile versus all GPUs. The combo’s rank in the game is significantly lower than either component’s individual standing, suggesting that The Medium is an unusually demanding title for the GPU. The RTX 2060 SUPER’s nearest rivals include the RTX 2070 (0.5% faster) and GTX TITAN (0.3% faster), neither of which would likely push this combo into a higher tier.

The data indicates that for this game, the CPU is effectively wasted potential. The 7800X3D can deliver frame rates far beyond what the RTX 2060 SUPER can render, especially at higher resolutions. The rank of 1265 out of 1689 confirms that players with this combo should expect a below-average experience in The Medium, with the GPU being the definitive bottleneck. Upgrading the GPU would yield substantial improvements, while the CPU would remain a solid foundation for future upgrades.