The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title built on Unreal Engine 4, presents an unusually demanding workload for even the most powerful hardware. In this analysis, the combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 produces a performance profile that is both impressively fast at lower resolutions and surprisingly constrained at the highest settings. The data reveals a system that can easily push past high-refresh-rate territory in most configurations, yet still struggles to maintain a flawless 60 FPS at 4K Ultra, highlighting the game's notorious rendering cost and the specific bottlenecks at play.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a rank of 119 out of 3,724 tested combinations in The Medium. This places the combo in the top 3.2% of all systems tested, a strong showing that confirms this pairing is at the upper echelon of gaming performance for this specific title. The percentile data for the individual components supports this: the CPU sits in the 83rd percentile against all tested CPUs, while the GPU is in the 92nd percentile against all tested GPUs. This suggests that while both are high-end, the graphics card is the more dominant factor in this game's overall scoring.

However, the ranking also tells a story of diminishing returns. While the RTX 5090 is a flagship product, its average benchmark score of 79,842 puts it in close competition with surprisingly different hardware. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (0.3% faster), the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (0.6% faster), and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (1.1% faster). This narrow delta in synthetic benchmarks suggests that raw compute potential is not the sole determinant of performance in The Medium. The game's engine appears to be sensitive to other factors, as the top-tier RTX 5090 is nearly matched by these alternatives in average score, despite its massive 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute.

On the CPU side, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, with its 96 MB of shared L3 cache, posts an average benchmark score of 33,079. This is effectively identical to its nearest rivals, the AMD Ryzen 7 8700G and Intel Core i7-13650HX, both with a deltaPct of 0, and just 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 6950H. This indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor in the combo's overall rank. The benchmark results show that the 7800X3D is a high-performing processor, but its specific advantage in cache-sensitive workloads does not translate into a significant lead in the aggregate average score used for the combo ranking. The game's performance is clearly driven by the GPU, and the CPU's role is to be sufficiently fast to avoid becoming a bottleneck.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of scaling as resolution increases, moving from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 97 FPS. At 1440p High, this drops to 82 FPS, and at 4K High, it falls further to 64 FPS. This represents a 34% drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings. This scaling suggests that the system is not entirely CPU-bound at 1080p, as a purely CPU-limited scenario would show a much smaller FPS difference between resolutions. The fact that FPS continues to decline as resolution climbs indicates that the GPU is becoming progressively more saturated.

The scaling becomes even more pronounced when moving to Ultra settings. The system achieves 77 FPS at 1080p Ultra, which drops to 65 FPS at 1440p Ultra, and then plummets to 51 FPS at 4K Ultra. The drop from 1440p to 4K at Ultra is a 21.5% decrease, while the drop from 1080p to 4K is 33.7%. This steep decline at the highest settings points directly to the GPU as the limiting component. The RTX 5090, despite its immense power, is being overwhelmed by the combination of high resolution and the most demanding preset, which includes the game's heavy volumetric effects and ray-traced elements.

This data indicates that the limiting component is resolution-dependent. At 1080p, the system has enough headroom to push high frame rates, but the gap between Low (157 FPS) and Ultra (77 FPS) settings is enormous, suggesting that while the CPU can handle the frame generation, the GPU workload increases dramatically with settings. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the primary constraint, as even dropping from Ultra to High only yields a 13 FPS improvement, and reaching 90 FPS requires dropping to Medium settings. The 4K Medium preset is the highest quality setting that can maintain an average above 60 FPS, which is the key takeaway for resolution scaling.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 plays a dominant role in this pairing's performance in The Medium. Its specifications are immense: 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s, and the card boasts 21,760 shading units. The base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz. Despite this, the game's demands at 4K Ultra prove to be too much for it to maintain a smooth 60 FPS, achieving an average of only 51 FPS. This suggests the game is heavily reliant on raw GPU throughput and memory bandwidth, and even the 1.79 TB/s on offer is not enough to prevent the frame rate from sagging at maximum settings.

The VRAM capacity of 32 GB is a significant asset for The Medium, a game known for its fluid loading of two simultaneous worlds. While the FACT PACK does not provide specific VRAM usage data, the sheer size of the memory allocation means that the game's large textures and dual-world rendering are unlikely to cause memory-related stuttering or texture pop-in. This high VRAM capacity is a clear advantage over cards with less memory, though its direct impact on the average FPS is not explicitly measured. The performance difference between settings presets highlights this: the jump from High (64 FPS) to Ultra (51 FPS) at 4K is a 20% performance hit, which is likely due to the increased visual complexity of Ultra.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark scores further contextualize its role. Its Passmark G3D score is 39,650, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 18,355. These scores are high, but the nearest rivals in the average benchmark score list—the Tesla P100 and RX 6850M XT—suggest that the game may not be perfectly optimized for the Blackwell 2.0 architecture. The 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is theoretically massive, but the game's engine may not be able to fully utilize the parallel processing power efficiently. The result is a GPU that is undeniably fast but still hits a performance ceiling in this specific title, making it the definitive limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and frame rate preference. For a 4K display, the Medium preset is the clear choice for a smooth experience, delivering an average of 90 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS. This is the only preset at 4K that consistently stays above the 60 FPS threshold, providing a comfortable margin and a much better experience than the High preset's 64 FPS average. While the Ultra preset offers more visual fidelity, its 51 FPS average is below the ideal for a smooth, responsive game, particularly in a horror title where frame pacing is critical.

At 1440p, the High preset is the recommended starting point, as it achieves an average of 82 FPS. This provides a good balance between visual quality and performance. However, those with high-refresh-rate monitors can easily step up to the Medium preset, which posts an impressive 114 FPS average, or even the Low preset at 149 FPS for maximum smoothness. The Ultra preset at 1440p (65 FPS) is playable but not ideal for high-refresh displays. For 1080p users, the system is powerful enough to handle the High preset at 97 FPS, but the Medium preset at 131 FPS and Low at 157 FPS are better suited for taking full advantage of 144Hz or higher monitors. The Ultra preset at 1080p (77 FPS) is a viable option for those prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate.

In summary, the data suggests a "Medium at 4K, High at 1440p, and High/Medium at 1080p" approach. The Medium preset provides a remarkable 40% performance boost over High at 4K, making it the most efficient choice for a high-resolution experience. The game's rendering engine has a steep cost curve for the Ultra preset, and the performance gains from High to Ultra are not worth the significant FPS loss on this hardware. The sweet spot for this combo is to avoid the Ultra preset entirely unless the user is willing to accept sub-60 FPS gameplay, and instead leverage the High or Medium presets to achieve a high and stable frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following breakdown details the exact average FPS measured for the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination in The Medium.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Ultra: 77 FPS average. This is the most demanding preset, and while it is playable, it does not take full advantage of high-refresh-rate displays.
• High: 97 FPS average. A solid choice for 1080p gaming, offering a smooth experience on most monitors.
• Medium: 131 FPS average, with a minimum of 112 FPS and a maximum of 151 FPS. This is a sweet spot for high-refresh gaming, providing a very fluid experience.
• Low: 157 FPS average. This is the maximum performance preset, ideal for competitive or esports-style play where frame rate is the top priority.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Ultra: 65 FPS average. This is on the edge of playability for a 60Hz monitor but not suitable for higher refresh rates.
• High: 82 FPS average. A good balance for a 144Hz monitor, providing a smooth and detailed picture.
• Medium: 114 FPS average, with a minimum of 97 FPS and a maximum of 131 FPS. This preset offers excellent performance, well-suited for 144Hz displays.
• Low: 149 FPS average. This is a very high frame rate, suitable for the fastest 1440p monitors.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Ultra: 51 FPS average. This is below the 60 FPS target and will result in noticeable stutter and a less responsive feel in a horror game.
• High: 64 FPS average. This just meets the 60 FPS threshold but has no headroom, and any intense scene could cause dips below it.
• Medium: 90 FPS average, with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 103 FPS. This is the recommended preset for 4K, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS and a smooth experience.
• Low: 137 FPS average. This is an exceptionally high frame rate for 4K, demonstrating the raw power of the GPU when visual settings are reduced.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best preset for 4K gaming with this CPU and GPU combo in The Medium?*

A: Based on the measured data, the Medium preset is the best choice for 4K. It delivers an average of 90 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience. The High preset (64 FPS) is close to the 60 FPS target but lacks headroom, while Ultra (51 FPS) falls below the ideal threshold.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck at 1080p resolution?

A: The data suggests the GPU is still the primary limiting factor, even at 1080p. While the CPU is powerful, the frame rate difference between Low (157 FPS) and Ultra (77 FPS) settings at 1080p is vast, indicating that the GPU's workload changes dramatically with settings. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain more constant across different settings.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 97 FPS at 1080p High to 64 FPS at 4K High, a decrease of 33 FPS or approximately 34%. This significant drop confirms that the GPU is being heavily taxed as the resolution increases.

*Q: Can this system achieve a stable 60 FPS at 4K Ultra in The Medium?*

A: No, the measured data shows an average of 51 FPS at 4K Ultra. This is below the 60 FPS target, and there is no minimum FPS data provided, but the average indicates that the game will not run at a consistent 60 FPS on this setting.

Q: How does the RTX 5090's performance compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 79,842. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, is 0.3% faster, while the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT is 1.1% faster. This indicates that in this specific game's context, the raw compute advantage of the RTX 5090 does not translate to a dominant lead over these other cards.

*Q: Is the 32 GB of VRAM on the RTX 5090 a factor in its performance in The Medium?*

A: While the FACT PACK does not specify VRAM usage, the 32 GB capacity is a large pool of memory. It is likely sufficient to handle the game's high-resolution textures and dual-world rendering without issue, preventing any memory-related performance dips. However, the average FPS data shows that the GPU's processing power, not memory capacity, is the primary constraint at high settings.