The Medium

The Medium is a demanding title, and the combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER produces a performance profile that is heavily dictated by resolution and graphics preset. Benchmark data shows this pairing ranks 2026th out of 2911 tested hardware combinations for this game, placing it in the lower half of the field. The measured frames per second reveal a system that can handle the game at lower resolutions and settings, but which struggles significantly at 4K with higher presets, indicating the GPU is the primary limiting factor in most scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking trend in the measured data is the dramatic impact of resolution on average frame rate. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 92 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low preset drops the average to 77 FPS, a reduction of 15 FPS. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average falls further to 61 FPS. This progression from 1080p to 4K at Low settings represents a 33.7% decrease in performance, demonstrating that even at the lowest graphical load, pixel count remains a significant factor.

The scaling pattern becomes more pronounced at higher presets. At Medium settings, the average frame rate drops from 57 FPS at 1080p to 48 FPS at 1440p, and then to 38 FPS at 4K. This is a cumulative 33.3% loss from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the figures are 41 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p, and 27 FPS at 4K, a total reduction of 34.1%. The Ultra preset shows the steepest absolute decline, falling from 33 FPS at 1080p to 27 FPS at 1440p and finally to 21 FPS at 4K, a 36.4% drop from the starting point.

These results indicate that The Medium's rendering load scales nearly linearly with resolution across all presets. The consistent percentage losses, regardless of quality setting, suggest that the bottleneck is uniform. The RTX 2060 SUPER, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, is being pushed harder as pixel count increases. The data does not show a sudden cliff or disproportionate drop at any single resolution, which would indicate a memory capacity issue. Instead, the steady decline points to raw pixel throughput and fillrate limits. The pixel rate of 105.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 224.4 GTexel/s are simply being consumed by the increasing number of pixels, making resolution the dominant variable in this configuration's performance equation.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is clearly the central component determining frame rates in The Medium. Its benchmark percentile of 62 among all GPUs places it in the upper-mid tier, but the game's demands quickly expose its limitations. The GPU's boost clock of 1650 MHz and base clock of 1470 MHz provide the computational foundation, but the 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is the more relevant metric for this game's workload. At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate collapses to 21 FPS, which is below the threshold for acceptable playability. Even at 1440p High, the average of 35 FPS falls short of smooth gameplay standards.

The VRAM configuration deserves scrutiny. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, the RTX 2060 SUPER has a moderate capacity that appears sufficient for this title at the tested settings. The fact that frame rates do not exhibit catastrophic drops at higher resolutions, but rather follow a predictable scaling curve, suggests that memory capacity is not being exhausted. If VRAM were the limiting factor, the 4K results would show disproportionately worse performance compared to 1440p, potentially with severe stuttering or crashes. The measured data shows a smooth, predictable decline, indicating that bandwidth and computational throughput are the constraints, not capacity. The 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth is being utilized, but the GPU's shading units, 2176 in total, and its 64 ROPs are the architectural elements that determine the final output.

Comparing the RTX 2060 SUPER to its nearest rivals in the benchmark database provides context. The AMD Radeon RX 460 has an average benchmark score of 18373, which is 1.5% higher than the RTX 2060 SUPER's 18093. The Intel Arc A770M scores 18383, 1.6% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile scores 18159, just 0.4% higher, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 scores 18189, 0.5% higher. These deltas are minimal, indicating that the RTX 2060 SUPER performs essentially on par with these competitors in general benchmarks. However, in The Medium specifically, the game's demands on the GPU's specific feature set, including its 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores, will determine actual performance. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Medium, the system averages 57 FPS, which is playable, but the GPU's 175 W TDP and dual-slot design suggest it is operating within its intended power envelope.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F provides a robust foundation for this gaming configuration. With 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, this processor offers substantial multi-threaded capability. Its PassMark multithread score of 36470 and single-thread score of 4691 place it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a high-performing processor. The base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz ensure that it can handle both lightly-threaded and heavily-threaded workloads effectively.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU. The measured frame rates show a clear pattern where resolution and graphics settings have the largest impact on performance. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 92 FPS, which is a frame rate where CPU limitations might begin to surface. However, the fact that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the bottleneck at higher resolutions is evident from the consistent frame rate drops as resolution increases. The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample fast memory for game logic and scene management.

The CPU's benchmark scores against its nearest rivals are noteworthy. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX has an average score of 69875, which is 0.2% lower than the Ryzen 7 9700F's 69996. The Intel Core i7-14700KF scores 70163, which is 0.2% higher. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515, 0.7% lower, and the Intel Core i7-14700K scores 69355, 0.9% lower. These tiny deltas indicate that the Ryzen 7 9700F is performance-competitive with these high-end processors, and it is unlikely to be the limiting factor in The Medium. The CPU's 65 W TDP is notably lower than what would be expected from a high-performance desktop processor, and its support for DDR5 memory with 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth ensures that memory bandwidth is not a constraint. The data suggests that the CPU has ample headroom, and the GPU is the component that determines the final frame rate in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rate data provides a comprehensive view of this system's capabilities in The Medium. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the system delivers its best performance. With Low settings, the average frame rate is 92 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. At Medium settings, the average drops to 57 FPS, with a minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 66 FPS, indicating some frame pacing variance but still playable performance. High settings at 1080p yield an average of 41 FPS, which is borderline for a smooth experience. Ultra settings at 1080p produce an average of 33 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for fluid gameplay.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance degrades predictably. Low settings at 1440p produce an average of 77 FPS, which is still quite playable. Medium settings at 1440p average 48 FPS, with a range of 41 to 55 FPS. This is acceptable for slower-paced horror gameplay. High settings at 1440p average 35 FPS, which is on the edge of playability. Ultra settings at 1440p average 27 FPS, which is marginal and may result in noticeable judder during camera movement.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings at 4K average 61 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. Medium settings at 4K average 38 FPS, with a range of 32 to 43 FPS. This is at the lower boundary of acceptable performance for a horror game where atmosphere is key. High settings at 4K average 27 FPS, which is below playable standards. Ultra settings at 4K average 21 FPS, which is effectively unplayable for most users.

The data reveals a clear hierarchy: the system can handle 1080p and 1440p at lower settings with playable frame rates, but 4K requires sacrifices. The jump from Medium to High settings at any resolution costs approximately 10 FPS on average, while the jump from High to Ultra costs another 6-8 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is more substantial, with a 35-37 FPS drop at 1080p, a 29 FPS drop at 1440p, and a 23 FPS drop at 4K. This indicates that the Medium preset is where the game's visual features begin to significantly tax the GPU.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 with Medium settings provides 57 FPS average with a minimum of 49 FPS, which is the most balanced experience. 2560x1440 with Low settings at 77 FPS is also viable, but the visual quality is lower.

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

A: At 4K, only Low settings produce a playable average of 61 FPS. Medium settings at 4K drop to 38 FPS, and High settings fall to 27 FPS. Ultra settings at 4K are unplayable at 21 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The Ryzen 7 9700F ranks in the 94th percentile of all CPUs with a PassMark multithread score of 36470, while the RTX 2060 SUPER ranks in the 62nd percentile. The frame rate scaling with resolution confirms the GPU is the constraint.

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

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 18093. The AMD Radeon RX 460 scores 18373, which is 1.5% higher. The Intel Arc A770M scores 18383, 1.6% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile and AMD Radeon Pro 5700 are within 0.5% of its score.

Q: What settings should be avoided for smooth gameplay?

A: Ultra settings should be avoided at all resolutions. At 1080p, Ultra averages 33 FPS; at 1440p, it averages 27 FPS; at 4K, it averages 21 FPS. These are all below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: Does the game show signs of VRAM limitations with 8 GB of memory?

A: No. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent and predictable, dropping by roughly 33-36% across all presets. A VRAM capacity issue would cause a disproportionate drop at higher resolutions, which is not observed in the data.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal experience for this hardware combination depends on the user's priority between visual fidelity and smoothness. For a horror game like The Medium, maintaining a consistent frame rate is crucial for immersion, so the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is the strongest recommendation. The average of 57 FPS with a minimum of 49 FPS provides a stable experience that avoids the dips below 30 FPS that would break immersion. The 32 FPS minimum at 4K Medium would introduce noticeable stutter during scene transitions or fast camera movements.

For users with a 1440p monitor, the Low preset at 77 FPS is the recommended choice. While Low settings reduce visual quality, the higher frame rate ensures smooth camera panning and responsive gameplay. The Medium preset at 1440p, at 48 FPS average, is a viable alternative for those who prioritize visual details, but the 41 FPS minimum approaches the edge of acceptability. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p, with averages of 35 FPS and 27 FPS respectively, should be avoided due to their suboptimal frame pacing.

At 4K, the only playable option is Low settings, which yields 61 FPS average. This preset sacrifices most graphical enhancements but allows the game to run smoothly at the highest resolution. The Medium preset at 4K, at 38 FPS average, is borderline and only suitable for players who tolerate lower frame rates. High and Ultra presets at 4K are not recommended due to their 27 FPS and 21 FPS averages, which would make the game feel sluggish and detract from the horror experience.

The data clearly shows that the Medium preset is the turning point in this game's performance curve. The jump from Low to Medium costs approximately 35% of the frame rate at every resolution, indicating that this preset introduces significant rendering overhead. The jump from Medium to High costs roughly 20-25%, and from High to Ultra costs another 15-20%. Therefore, users should treat Medium as the ceiling for this GPU and adjust resolution based on their display's native resolution. For the best balance of visual quality and performance, 1080p Medium is the default recommendation, with 1440p Low as a reasonable alternative for higher-resolution displays. This pairing of the Ryzen 7 9700F with the RTX 2060 SUPER is a capable combination for The Medium, provided expectations are set appropriately for the resolution and preset levels.