The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti pairing delivers a playable, though not flawless, experience in The Medium, with performance heavily dictated by resolution and graphics preset. The data indicates a system that is well-balanced for 1080p gaming but which struggles to maintain smooth frame rates at higher resolutions, particularly when demanding settings are enabled. This analysis breaks down the measured performance metrics to provide a clear picture of what users can expect from this configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a significant performance drop as resolution increases, a clear indicator that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the primary limiting factor at higher pixel counts. At the High preset, the average frame rate falls from 50 FPS at 1920x1080 to 42 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 8 FPS. Scaling up to 3840x2160 yields a further decline to 33 FPS, representing a total drop of 17 FPS from the 1080p baseline. This trajectory shows the GPU's rendering throughput being increasingly taxed by the larger number of pixels.

The pattern is consistent across all quality settings. With the Low preset, performance scales from 113 FPS at 1080p down to 95 FPS at 1440p and finally 74 FPS at 4K. While the absolute frame rates are higher, the percentage drop between 1440p and 4K is substantial, reinforcing that the GPU is the bottleneck. The Medium preset tells the same story, with averages of 70 FPS at 1080p, 59 FPS at 1440p, and 47 FPS at 4K, with the minimum FPS at 4K dipping to 40.

The most demanding Ultra preset shows the steepest decline, moving from 40 FPS at 1080p to 34 FPS at 1440p and finally 26 FPS at 4K. This makes the game nearly unplayable at 4K Ultra, as the frame rate falls below 30 FPS. The data strongly suggests that the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, is not the primary constraint in this scenario; the consistent FPS drop with resolution points directly to the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth being saturated.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 offers the best balance between visual quality and performance for this combination. It achieves an average of 70 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and the minimum FPS of 60 ensures that frame pacing remains consistent without significant stutter. This is the only preset at 1080p that provides both a high average and a solid minimum FPS.

For users with a 1440p monitor, the Medium preset remains the most viable option, delivering an average of 59 FPS with a minimum of 50. While not as fluid as the 1080p result, it is still playable and a significant improvement over the High preset's 42 FPS average. The High preset at 1440p is playable but may feel less responsive during intense scenes. At 4K, no preset achieves a 60 FPS average; the Low preset is the only one that breaks the 60 FPS threshold with an average of 74 FPS, making it the only recommended setting for 4K play.

Selecting the Ultra preset is not advisable at any resolution. At 1080p it yields 40 FPS, at 1440p it drops to 34 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 26 FPS. These frame rates are below the standard for a smooth experience. The data suggests that Medium is the optimal choice for a stable experience, with Low serving as a fallback for higher resolutions or when prioritizing frame rate above all else.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is a modern 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. Its benchmark scores are strong, with a Passmark single-thread score of 4691 and a multithread score of 36470, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. This level of processing power is more than sufficient to feed the RTX 3060 Ti in most gaming scenarios.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU. The resolution scaling data shows that frame rates are heavily dependent on pixel count, which is a GPU-bound task. The CPU's high single-thread performance, evidenced by its Passmark score, ensures that game logic and draw calls are processed efficiently, preventing a CPU bottleneck at lower resolutions. However, the data does not show a scenario where the CPU holds back performance, as the FPS drops are directly proportional to the increase in resolution.

The 8-core, 16-thread configuration is well-suited for modern games that can utilize multiple threads. The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth provide ample data throughput for the game's assets. The benchmark results indicate a processor that is not a limiting factor, as its average benchmark score of 69996 is nearly identical to rivals like the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875) and Intel Core i7-14700KF (70163), with deltas of 0.2% and -0.2% respectively. This parity suggests that the 9700F provides a consistent, high-performance foundation for the RTX 3060 Ti.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has a combo rank of 1415 out of 2911 tested combinations in The Medium. This places it in the middle of the pack, indicating that while it is not a top-tier performer, it is far from the bottom. The rank reflects a balanced pairing where neither component is severely mismatched for the other.

This mid-pack ranking is consistent with the GPU's individual standing. The RTX 3060 Ti sits in the 59th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 16129. Its nearest rivals in raw GPU compute are the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (16014, 0.7% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (16351, -1.4% delta), showing that the 3060 Ti is competitive with its direct peers. The combo rank suggests that the CPU is not dragging the GPU down, and the GPU is not so weak that it creates a major system imbalance.

The rank of 1415 out of 2911 also implies that a significant number of other system configurations can achieve higher frame rates in this game. However, it is important to note that this rank includes a wide variety of hardware, including much more powerful GPUs. For a system with a mid-range graphics card, this ranking is expected. The data indicates that the pairing is coherent, with the CPU's high performance allowing the GPU to be the deciding factor in overall game performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the definitive performance bottleneck in this system for The Medium. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, it provides a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1410 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz, and it features 4864 shading units, 152 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs. These specifications are from the Ampere architecture, built on an 8 nm process.

The GPU's 8 GB of VRAM is a critical factor at higher resolutions. The measured FPS data shows a sharp drop at 4K, particularly on higher presets. For example, at 4K High, the average FPS is 33, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 26. This suggests that the game is not only taxing the GPU's compute cores but also potentially exceeding the available VRAM, leading to significant performance degradation. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is also a limiting factor at 4K, as the GPU struggles to feed the large amount of data required for high-resolution textures.

The GPU's benchmark scores reflect its mid-range positioning. It achieves a Passmark G3D score of 20349 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 78927. Its performance is closely matched with rivals such as the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (16361, -1.4% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (16014, 0.7% delta). The data shows that the RTX 3060 Ti is capable of delivering playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p on medium settings, but it is not powerful enough to handle 4K with high visual fidelity. The GPU is the component that determines the system's performance ceiling in this game, and its limitations at 4K are clearly visible in the measured results.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this hardware?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 113 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

*Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K resolution smoothly?*

A: No, the data shows that at 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 26 on Ultra to 74 on Low. Only the Low preset achieves an average above 60 FPS, while the Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 40, indicating it is not consistently smooth.

Q: Which graphics preset is recommended for a 1440p monitor?

A: The Medium preset is the most balanced choice at 2560x1440, providing an average of 59 FPS and a minimum of 50 FPS. The High preset is also playable but has a lower average of 42 FPS.

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F compare to its direct rivals in CPU benchmarks?

A: Its average benchmark score of 69996 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875, 0.2% delta) and the Intel Core i7-14700KF (70163, -0.2% delta), showing they are statistically equivalent in performance.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 60, with a maximum of 81 and an average of 70.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The FPS drops significantly as resolution increases (e.g., from 50 FPS at 1080p High to 33 FPS at 4K High), which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck, while the CPU's high benchmark scores indicate it has sufficient headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average FPS measurements for each resolution and settings preset, as provided in the data. Minimum and maximum FPS are only available for the Medium preset.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS | Minimum FPS | Maximum FPS |

| :--------- | :------- | :---------- | :---------- | :---------- |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 113 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 70 | 60 | 81 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 50 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 40 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 95 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 59 | 50 | 68 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 42 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 34 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 74 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 47 | 40 | 54 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 33 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 26 | - | - |

The data shows a clear and consistent hierarchy: lower resolutions and lower settings yield higher frame rates. The Medium preset provides the most complete data set, including minimum and maximum values, which are crucial for understanding frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the system maintains a minimum of 60 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience. At 1440p Medium, the minimum drops to 50 FPS, which is still acceptable for most players. At 4K Medium, the minimum of 40 FPS indicates potential for noticeable stutter in demanding scenes. The Ultra preset is consistently the most demanding, with average FPS in the 26-40 range across all resolutions, making it unsuitable for a smooth experience on this hardware.