The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT delivers a playable but demanding experience in The Medium, a horror title that clearly stresses the GPU more than the CPU across most settings. Benchmark data shows the combo ranks 1045th out of 2911 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle tier of systems for this specific game. The measured frame rates reveal a consistent pattern: the RX 7700 XT is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions and quality presets, while the 9700F’s strong single-thread performance keeps frame rates respectable at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all quality presets, confirming that the Radeon RX 7700 XT is the limiting factor in this configuration. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 126 FPS at 1920x1080 to 106 FPS at 2560x1440, then plunges to 83 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 34% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario where pixel count outpaces the shading power available.

At Medium settings, the same trend holds: 79 FPS at 1080p drops to 66 FPS at 1440p, and further to 52 FPS at 4K. The transition from 1440p to 4K costs 14 FPS, while the 1080p to 1440p step costs 13 FPS, showing a nearly linear scaling with pixel density. This indicates the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth—432.0 GB/s on a 192-bit bus—are being saturated as resolution increases, with no signs of CPU intervention.

The High preset shows a similar pattern but with lower absolute numbers: 56 FPS at 1080p, 47 FPS at 1440p, and 37 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with 45 FPS at 1080p, 38 FPS at 1440p, and just 30 FPS at 4K. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 53 FPS, which is a massive swing that highlights how dramatically settings impact the GPU workload. Notably, the 1080p-to-1440p drop at Ultra is only 7 FPS, while the 1440p-to-4K drop is 8 FPS—this suggests the GPU is already near its limit at 1440p Ultra, and the additional pixels at 4K push it below the playable threshold.

The data strongly suggests that resolution scaling is entirely GPU-limited. The Ryzen 7 9700F, with its 8 cores and 16 threads boosting to 5.50 GHz, does not show any frame rate ceiling at lower resolutions—the 126 FPS at 1080p Low is well above what a CPU bottleneck would allow. As resolution increases, the GPU’s raw compute (35.17 TFLOPS FP32) and 12 GB of GDDR6 memory become the deciding factors, with the 4K results falling below 60 FPS on every preset except Low.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 offers the best balance of image quality and performance. At Medium settings, the combo delivers 66 FPS average, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while 1080p reaches 79 FPS and 4K falls to 52 FPS. The 1440p result provides a significant visual upgrade over 1080p without the steep performance penalty seen at 4K.

*Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in The Medium?*

A: Only at Low settings, where it achieves 83 FPS average. At Medium, the frame rate drops to 52 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a horror game that benefits from smooth motion. High and Ultra presets at 4K produce 37 FPS and 30 FPS respectively, both of which are below the generally accepted 60 FPS target for comfortable play.

Q: How does the RX 7700 XT compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU scores 22547 in Passmark G3D, placing it in the 67th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile, scores 22435, which is 0.5% lower, while the RTX 4060 Mobile scores 22729, a 0.8% advantage. The RX 7700 XT is 1.5% faster than the RTX 2080 (22895) and 1.7% slower than the RX 5700 (22170), showing it sits in a tight competitive cluster.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9700F a strong CPU for this game?

A: Yes, the CPU’s Passmark single-thread score of 4691 is in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, and its multithread score of 36470 is substantial. In The Medium, the low frame rates at high resolutions are clearly GPU-bound, indicating the 9700F has ample headroom. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, scores 69875 in average benchmark, a 0.2% difference, confirming the 9700F is not a bottleneck.

Q: What is the minimum FPS for a stable experience?

A: The dataset only includes minimum FPS values for Medium settings. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 67 FPS, at 1440p it is 56 FPS, and at 4K it is 44 FPS. These figures suggest that 1440p Medium is the lowest resolution/setting combo where the minimum frame rate stays above 55 FPS, providing a consistent experience without severe dips.

Q: Does the CPU’s cache configuration matter for this game?

A: The 9700F has 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. While the fact pack does not provide game-specific cache utilization data, the CPU’s high single-thread score (4691) and 5.50 GHz boost clock indicate strong per-core performance, which is more relevant for The Medium’s rendering workload than raw cache size.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience on this hardware, Medium settings at 2560x1440 provide the optimal balance. The measured data shows 66 FPS average with a minimum of 56 FPS, which is smooth and responsive for a horror title that relies on atmosphere and timing. This is the only preset/resolution combination in the dataset that maintains a minimum frame rate above 55 FPS while delivering a resolution higher than 1080p.

At 1080p, Medium is also viable at 79 FPS average with a 67 FPS minimum, but the visual quality improvement from 1440p is worth the 13 FPS average drop. High settings at 1440p produce 47 FPS, which dips below the 60 FPS target and may feel sluggish during intense scenes. The Ultra preset should be avoided at all resolutions: it only reaches 45 FPS at 1080p, 38 FPS at 1440p, and 30 FPS at 4K, all of which are below the playable threshold for a game that benefits from smooth camera movement.

For players prioritizing frame rate over resolution, Low settings at 1080p deliver 126 FPS, and even at 4K, Low achieves 83 FPS. However, the visual trade-offs in a horror game—where lighting and shadows set the mood—are substantial. The sweet spot is clearly 1440p Medium, which offers a 66 FPS average and a 56 FPS minimum, ensuring that the game remains fluid even in demanding sequences. This recommendation aligns with the GPU’s 12 GB memory capacity, which is sufficient for 1440p textures without exceeding the 192-bit bus’s bandwidth.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1045th out of 2911 tested combinations in The Medium, placing it in the 64th percentile of all systems tested. This is a solid mid-to-upper tier position, indicating that the hardware is well-suited for the game but not at the absolute top of the performance curve. The rank reflects a balance between the CPU’s high compute capability and the GPU’s mid-range standing—the RX 7700 XT is in the 67th percentile of all GPUs, while the Ryzen 7 9700F is in the 94th percentile of all CPUs.

Comparing to the nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks, the CPU’s average score of 69996 is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875) and 0.7% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69515). The Intel Core i7-14700KF scores 70163, a 0.2% advantage, and the i7-14700K scores 69355, a 0.9% deficit. These deltas are negligible, suggesting that the 9700F performs on par with top-tier chips from both AMD and Intel in general benchmarks.

For the GPU, the RX 7700 XT’s average score of 22549 is 0.5% higher than the RTX 5060 Mobile (22435) and 1.7% higher than the RX 5700 (22170). It trails the RTX 4060 Mobile by 0.8% (22729) and the RTX 2080 by 1.5% (22895). This places the GPU in a competitive band where no single rival has a decisive advantage, which explains why the combo’s in-game rank is solid but not exceptional.

The rank of 1045 out of 2911 means that roughly 64% of tested combinations outperform this setup, but the gap is likely small given the tight clustering of GPU rivals. The data suggests that players with this combo will experience smooth gameplay at 1080p and 1440p, but 4K performance is limited to Low settings for a consistently high frame rate.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is a Zen 5 architecture processor built on a 4 nm process, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock of 3.80 GHz boosts to 5.50 GHz, and it has a 65 W TDP, which is remarkably low for a desktop CPU with this performance level. The CPU supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus and 89.6 GB/s bandwidth, and it uses the AMD Socket AM5 platform with PCIe Gen 5 connectivity.

In The Medium, the CPU’s role is secondary to the GPU, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 126 FPS, which is a high enough frame rate to expose any CPU bottleneck. The fact that the frame rate scales nearly linearly with resolution—126 FPS at 1080p to 83 FPS at 4K—indicates that the 9700F is not limiting performance at any setting. The CPU’s Passmark single-thread score of 4691 and multithread score of 36470 are both strong, with the single-thread performance being particularly relevant for a game like The Medium that may rely on a few heavily-threaded tasks.

The L3 cache of 32 MB shared across 8 cores is adequate for gaming workloads, and the 5.50 GHz boost clock ensures rapid response to single-threaded tasks. The CPU’s 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms that it is a high-performance part, and its nearest rivals—the Ryzen 9 7940HX and Core i7-14700KF—differ by less than 0.2% in average score, showing that the 9700F is competitive with much higher-priced parts.

The 65 W TDP is notable because it means the CPU generates less heat and requires less cooling than higher-TDP rivals, but this does not impact in-game performance. For The Medium, the CPU’s 8 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient, as the game’s horror environments and scripted sequences do not appear to scale with core count beyond what the GPU can feed. The data shows no scenario where the CPU’s cores or clocks become a limiting factor, reinforcing that the RX 7700 XT is the sole determinant of frame rates in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The dataset provides average FPS for all resolutions and settings, with minimum and maximum values only for Medium presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 126 FPS average, while Medium achieves 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 and maximum of 91. High drops to 56 FPS, and Ultra is the lowest at 45 FPS. The 1080p results show a wide range from 45 to 126 FPS, giving players significant flexibility depending on their preference for visual fidelity or smoothness.

At 2560x1440, Low produces 106 FPS, Medium averages 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 and maximum of 76, High reaches 47 FPS, and Ultra falls to 38 FPS. The 1440p Medium result is the most balanced, with a 10 FPS gap between average and minimum, indicating stable performance. The jump from Low to Medium costs 40 FPS, while Medium to High costs 19 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 9 FPS, showing diminishing returns as settings increase.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates drop significantly: Low averages 83 FPS, Medium averages 52 FPS with a minimum of 44 and maximum of 60, High reaches 37 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 30 FPS. The 4K Medium minimum of 44 FPS is close to the 30 FPS Ultra average, highlighting how demanding 4K is on the RX 7700 XT. The difference between 1440p and 4K at Medium is 14 FPS (66 vs 52), while the difference at Low is 23 FPS (106 vs 83), showing that the GPU’s memory bandwidth becomes more critical as resolution increases.

The minimum FPS values for Medium settings are 67 FPS at 1080p, 56 FPS at 1440p, and 44 FPS at 4K. These figures suggest that the game maintains reasonable frame pacing even in demanding scenes, with the 1440p minimum of 56 FPS being the lowest acceptable threshold for smooth play. The maximum FPS values—91 at 1080p, 76 at 1440p, and 60 at 4K—indicate that the GPU can spike during less demanding moments, but the averages are more representative of the overall experience. For players targeting a consistent 60 FPS, 1440p Medium is the only resolution above 1080p that meets this criterion, while 4K requires Low settings to stay above 60 FPS.