The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti delivers a highly playable experience in The Medium, though the data reveals a clear performance ceiling at higher resolutions. This combination ranks in the 66th percentile of tested configurations for this title, indicating solid, mid-pack performance that excels at 1080p and 1440p but struggles to maintain fluid frame rates at 4K with maximum settings.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 are the sweet spots. At 1080p Medium, the combo achieves 81 FPS average, and at 1440p Medium it drops to 68 FPS average, both of which are comfortably playable.

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

A: Only with lowered settings. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 38, which is borderline. To get a smooth experience at 4K, you must drop to Low settings, where the average jumps to 85 FPS.

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

A: The CPU’s average benchmark score of 69,996 puts it in the 94th percentile. It is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, which scores 69,875, and is 0.2% slower than the Intel Core i7-14700KF, which scores 70,163.

Q: Where does the RTX 3070 Ti rank among all GPUs?

A: The GPU holds a 75th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29,945. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile, which scores 29,928, just 0.1% behind.

*Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo in The Medium?*

A: The minimum FPS is only recorded for the Medium settings preset. At 1920x1080, the min FPS is 69, at 2560x1440 it is 58, and at 3840x2160 it drops to 45 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor for this game?

A: The benchmark data indicates a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. The frame rate drops significantly from 1080p to 4K, while the Ryzen 7 9700F’s strong single-thread score of 4,691 and 94th percentile ranking suggest it is not the primary bottleneck.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is the central component determining visual fidelity and frame rates in The Medium. This Ampere-architecture GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s. For a game like The Medium, which relies on detailed textures and lighting to create its horror atmosphere, this memory configuration is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 8 GB capacity and bandwidth become stressed at 4K Ultra settings.

The GPU’s clock speeds are listed with a base of 1575 MHz and a boost of 1770 MHz. The data shows that this silicon is capable of driving the game effectively when settings are adjusted. At 2560x1440 with Low settings, the combination produces 109 FPS average, demonstrating that the GPU has ample raw throughput for less demanding configurations. However, the performance cliff between Medium and Ultra settings at 1440p is steep: 68 FPS average on Medium versus 39 FPS average on Ultra. This suggests that the jump to Ultra introduces rendering workloads—likely related to shadows, reflections, and volumetric effects—that heavily tax the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s limitations become clear. The High preset yields only 38 FPS average, and the Ultra preset drops to 30 FPS average, which is at the edge of playability. The Medium preset offers a 53 FPS average with a minimum of 45 FPS, showing that the RTX 3070 Ti can handle 4K only when using middle-of-the-road settings. The synthetic benchmark data supports this narrative; the GPU scores 23,356 in Passmark G3D and 3,478 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 75th percentile. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6800, scores slightly higher at 30,095, a 0.5% margin that is unlikely to change the in-game experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F provides the processing foundation for this configuration. Built on the Zen 5 architecture with a 4 nm process, this 8-core, 16-thread processor operates at a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support (89.6 GB/s bandwidth) ensure that the CPU can feed the GPU with data without creating a bottleneck in most gaming scenarios.

In The Medium, which is not known for extreme CPU demands, the Ryzen 7 9700F’s performance is more than adequate. The Passmark single-thread score of 4,691 indicates strong per-core performance, which is critical for game logic and frame pacing. The multi-thread score of 36,470 and the 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirm that this processor is a high-tier part. Its nearest rivals in the synthetic benchmarks are the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69,875 score, 0.2% slower) and the Intel Core i7-14700KF (70,163 score, 0.2% faster), showing that the 9700F sits at the top of the performance stack for its class.

The data from the game measurements suggests that the CPU is not the primary constraint. When comparing 1080p and 4K performance on the same settings, the frame rate drops are substantial—for example, High settings yield 58 FPS at 1080p versus 38 FPS at 4K—which is characteristic of a GPU-limited workload. The CPU’s 5.50 GHz boost clock and 8 high-performance cores are sufficient to maintain consistent frame delivery, as evidenced by the minimum FPS values on Medium settings (69 FPS at 1080p, 58 FPS at 1440p), which show no signs of CPU-induced stutter or drops.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data for this combo in The Medium covers three resolutions and four quality presets, providing a full picture of its capabilities.

At 1920x1080, the combination performs robustly. The Low preset delivers an average of 129 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings produce an average of 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay. High settings reduce the average to 58 FPS, while Ultra drops it to 46 FPS. This progression shows a linear scaling of performance cost as visual quality increases.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain playable but start to show the GPU’s workload. Low settings achieve 109 FPS average, which is still very smooth. Medium settings yield 68 FPS average, with a minimum of 58 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS, providing a solid experience for most players. High settings fall to 49 FPS average, and Ultra drops to 39 FPS average, indicating that 1440p Ultra is not ideal for this hardware.

At 3840x2160, the performance ceiling is clear. Low settings deliver an impressive 85 FPS average, proving that the hardware can handle 4K when textures and effects are minimized. Medium settings provide 53 FPS average, with a minimum of 45 FPS and a maximum of 61 FPS, which is playable but not flawless. High settings drop to 38 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 30 FPS average, making these presets unsuitable for a smooth experience. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K—a 32 FPS difference—highlights the significant cost of enabling higher-quality assets and lighting calculations.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested hardware combinations for The Medium, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti holds a rank of 978 out of 2,911 total configurations. This places it in the upper third of all tested setups, confirming that it is a capable mid-to-high-tier solution for this title.

The ranking reflects a balanced system where the GPU is the primary driver of gaming performance. The CPU’s 94th percentile score and the GPU’s 75th percentile score combine to create a configuration that outperforms many others but is not at the absolute top tier. The data indicates that this combo is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can consistently hit high frame rates, but it falls behind top-tier configurations when pushed to 4K Ultra, where those setups maintain higher averages.

When considering the rivals of each component, the performance is tightly clustered. The GPU’s nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6800, is 0.5% faster in synthetic benchmarks, which could translate to a few extra frames in game, but the difference is negligible. The CPU’s rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-14700KF, are within 0.2% in synthetic tests, meaning that the overall ranking is determined more by the GPU’s capabilities than the CPU’s. This ranking suggests that users looking to improve performance in The Medium would benefit more from a GPU upgrade than a CPU swap.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user’s resolution and performance target. For a smooth 60+ FPS experience, the Medium preset is the recommended choice across all resolutions, as it is the only preset that consistently provides playable frame rates.

At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 81 FPS average with a minimum of 69 FPS, offering a perfect balance of visual quality and performance. High settings at 58 FPS average are also viable for players who prioritize visuals over absolute smoothness, but the drop below 60 FPS may be noticeable. Ultra settings at 46 FPS average are not recommended for competitive or action-heavy sequences.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the clear winner, providing 68 FPS average and a minimum of 58 FPS, which is acceptable for most gaming experiences. High settings at 49 FPS average are playable but may exhibit frame pacing issues during intense scenes. Low settings at 109 FPS average are excellent for users with high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors who want maximum fluidity.

At 3840x2160, the choices are more limited. Medium settings at 53 FPS average represent the best compromise, offering a decent visual experience with playable frame rates. Low settings at 85 FPS average are recommended for players who prioritize performance above all else, as the visual fidelity loss is significant but the frame rate is much smoother. High and Ultra settings are not recommended due to their sub-40 FPS averages.

For the best overall experience, the Medium preset is the universal recommendation. It provides a stable frame rate with a minimum above 45 FPS in all resolutions, ensuring that the horror atmosphere of The Medium is maintained without technical hiccups. Players with 1080p monitors can comfortably use High settings, while 4K users should stick to Low or Medium.