The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT combination delivers a highly capable, if uneven, experience in The Medium, with performance varying dramatically based on the graphics preset selected. The data reveals a system where the 20 GB frame buffer provides ample headroom, but the GPU's compute load at higher settings creates a significant performance ceiling, particularly at 4K resolution.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play The Medium with this hardware?*

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. At Medium settings, this combo achieves an average of 85 FPS, which is 18 FPS higher than the 67 FPS average at 4K Medium, while still maintaining a smooth experience.

Q: How much of a performance drop is there from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings?

A: The frame rate drops by 34 FPS, from 101 FPS at 1920x1080 to 67 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 33.7% reduction in average FPS, indicating that the RX 7900 XT is the primary bottleneck as resolution increases.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9700F a bottleneck for the RX 7900 XT in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not the primary constraint. At 1080p Low, the system produces 161 FPS, and at 4K Low it produces 107 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p (from 161 to 57 FPS) shows the GPU workload is the dominant factor, not the CPU.

*Q: Can this system handle Ultra settings in The Medium?*

A: Yes, but only at 1080p with playable results. At 1920x1080 Ultra, the average FPS is 57. However, at 2560x1440 Ultra, this drops to 48 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 38 FPS, making the experience less fluid at higher resolutions.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9700F compare to its nearest rivals in general benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700F has an average benchmark score of 69996, which places it within 0.9% of the Intel Core i7-14700K (69355) and just 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875). It is also 0.7% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69515).

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combination?

A: The only measured minimum FPS values are for Medium settings. The lowest minimum recorded is 57 FPS at 3840x2160, while the highest minimum is 86 FPS at 1920x1080. No minimum data is available for other presets.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is the defining component in this configuration for The Medium. The GPU's 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus provides a substantial frame buffer, which is more than sufficient for the game's textures and assets, even at 4K resolution. This eliminates memory capacity as a likely source of stuttering or texture pop-in.

Clock speeds are a key indicator of the GPU's behavior under load. The card has a base clock of 1387 MHz and a boost clock of 2394 MHz, with a game clock of 2025 MHz. The relatively small gap between the game clock and the maximum boost clock suggests the card can sustain high frequencies during sustained gaming sessions, but the performance data shows that the GPU is still heavily taxed by the game's higher presets.

The data shows a clear correlation between GPU workload and frame rate. In the measured rows, the average FPS drops significantly as the settings increase from Low to Ultra. For instance, at 2560x1440, the average FPS falls from 136 on Low to 48 on Ultra. This demonstrates that The Medium is a graphically intensive title that scales its demands on the GPU's shading units, TMUs, and ROPs. The FP32 performance of 51.48 TFLOPS is substantial, but the game's engine appears to use it heavily at higher quality levels, leading to the observed frame rate drops. The 800.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is also a critical factor, as the game's data throughput requirements increase with resolution and detail settings. The benchmark results indicate that the GPU, not the CPU, is the limiting factor in this pairing.

Settings Recommendations

For the best overall experience, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation. It provides a significant performance uplift over High and Ultra while maintaining a playable frame rate across all tested resolutions.

• 1920x1080: Medium yields an average of 101 FPS with a minimum of 86 FPS, ensuring smooth, tear-free gameplay. The jump to High reduces performance to 72 FPS, a 29 FPS penalty for marginal visual gains.
• 2560x1440: This is the sweet spot for this combo. Medium produces an average of 85 FPS with a minimum of 72 FPS, which is well within the range for a fluid experience on high-refresh-rate monitors. High settings drop to 61 FPS, which is still playable but less consistent.
• 3840x2160: At 4K, Medium is the only preset that offers a consistently playable experience, averaging 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS. While it doesn't hit the 60 FPS average mark, it is far more stable than the alternatives.

The Low preset offers high frame rates (161 FPS at 1080p) but is not recommended as it significantly compromises visual quality in a horror title where atmosphere is key. The High and Ultra presets are for users who prioritize fidelity over frame rate, but the data shows they come with a steep performance cost, especially at 4K where Ultra averages just 38 FPS. Therefore, the Medium preset provides the most balanced performance-to-quality ratio.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is ranked 451 out of 2911 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the top 15.5% of all systems tested, indicating a high-performing setup.

This ranking is a strong result, but the performance data reveals a nuanced picture. The system's overall rank is boosted by its excellent performance at lower resolutions. At 1080p, it achieves frame rates well above the playable threshold on all presets, with even the lowest settings producing a very high 161 FPS. This suggests that for a large portion of the tested combinations, the CPU or GPU is a more significant constraint. The combo's ability to push past 100 FPS at 1080p Medium demonstrates that the Ryzen 7 9700F provides enough processing power to keep the RX 7900 XT well-fed at this resolution.

However, the rank is constrained by the system's performance at 4K with higher settings. The 38 FPS average at 4K Ultra shows a significant drop in capability, pulling the overall score down relative to configurations that might handle 4K more gracefully. The ranking of 451 implies that while many systems are slower, a significant number of other combos deliver better 4K performance. This is consistent with the analysis that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The system is a top-tier performer for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but its 4K Ultra performance is more moderate, which is reflected in its overall position within the database.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K is a clear indicator of a GPU-bound system. By examining the Medium preset, which has the most complete data, we can see the impact of resolution on the render workload.

• 1920x1080: 101 FPS average
• 2560x1440: 85 FPS average
• 3840x2160: 67 FPS average

The frame rate drops by 16 FPS when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 18 FPS when moving from 1440p to 4K. This is a consistent and predictable degradation pattern. The drop is not linear with the pixel count, but it clearly demonstrates that the RX 7900 XT's rendering capabilities are being saturated as the pixel count increases.

This behavior strongly suggests that the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is the limiting component in this pairing. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a much smaller difference between 1080p and 1440p, as the CPU workload would not increase significantly. Instead, the frame rate scales inversely with the resolution, which is the classic signature of a GPU that is running out of fillrate or shader processing power. The CPU, with its strong Passmark single-thread score of 4691, is capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions, but it is the GPU that determines the final output. The 20 GB frame buffer is not the issue, as the game does not appear to be memory-limited; the issue is the raw compute power required to render the game at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data is derived directly from the measured FPS table for this hardware combination.

1920x1080:

• Low: The average FPS is 161. This is the highest frame rate recorded for this system at any resolution or setting.
• Medium: The average FPS is 101, with a minimum of 86 and a maximum of 116. This shows a very stable performance window.
• High: The average FPS drops to 72. No minimum or maximum data is available.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 57, which is the lowest recorded at this resolution.

2560x1440:

• Low: The average FPS is 136. This is a 25 FPS drop from the 1080p Low result.
• Medium: The average FPS is 85, with a minimum of 72 and a maximum of 98. This remains a smooth experience.
• High: The average FPS is 61. This is a playable frame rate but shows a significant cost over Medium.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 48. This is the only preset at 1440p that falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

3840x2160:

• Low: The average FPS is 107. This is a surprisingly high result, showing the GPU's strength at lower settings even at 4K.
• Medium: The average FPS is 67, with a minimum of 57 and a maximum of 77. This is the most demanding setting that provides a mostly consistent experience at 4K.
• High: The average FPS is 48. This is a substantial drop from Medium, highlighting the cost of the High preset.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 38. This is the lowest frame rate recorded for this system and is not ideal for a smooth experience.

The data shows a clear hierarchy: Low is for maximum frame rates, Medium is the optimal balance, and High/Ultra are for visual fidelity at the cost of significant performance. The system is clearly capable of high refresh rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, users will need to compromise on settings to maintain playability.