The Medium

# The Medium: AMD Ryzen 7 9700F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090

This combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers a top-tier experience in The Medium, ranking 50th out of 2,911 tested combinations. The data shows a system that comfortably handles the game's fixed-camera horror presentation, with performance scaling predictably across resolution and quality presets. The pairing of an 8-core Zen 5 processor with a 24 GB Ada Lovelace flagship produces a balanced platform, though the measured results reveal where each component carries the load.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's 50th-place ranking out of 2,911 tested configurations places it in the top 1.7% of all recorded systems for The Medium. This is a strong result, but it is not the absolute top tier—several combinations achieve higher frame rates, likely due to more aggressive CPU configurations or silicon lottery wins. The percentile position reflects a system that delivers consistently high performance without being the single fastest option available.

Benchmark results indicate the CPU holds its own against near-neighbor processors in synthetic tests. The Ryzen 7 9700F scores 69,996 in average benchmark score, sitting within a tight cluster of rivals: the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX scores 69,875 (0.2% behind), the Intel Core i7-14700KF scores 70,163 (0.2% ahead), the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69,515 (0.7% behind), and the Intel Core i7-14700K scores 69,355 (0.9% behind). This indicates the CPU is essentially on par with these alternatives, with differences well within run-to-run variance.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 88th among all GPUs is noteworthy, as it suggests the RTX 4090's average benchmark score of 60,347 is influenced by a wide range of workloads. Its nearest rivals in aggregate scoring include the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60,326, 0% delta), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (60,140, 0.3% behind), AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (61,896, 2.5% ahead), and AMD Radeon PRO V710 (58,657, 2.9% behind). These professional-oriented cards, however, do not reflect gaming performance in The Medium, where the RTX 4090's raw rasterization power is far more relevant.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge. It operates with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, built on TSMC's 4 nm process node. The chip features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and a shared 32 MB L3 cache, with support for dual-channel DDR5 memory and a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s.

In The Medium, the CPU's role is primarily to maintain consistent frame pacing and handle the game's logic and streaming. The game is not known for extreme CPU demands, but the 8-core/16-thread configuration provides ample headroom for background tasks and any future patches. The processor's PassMark single-thread score of 4,691 and multithread score of 36,470 indicate strong per-core performance, which matters for the game's main thread. Its percentile ranking of 94th among all CPUs confirms it is a high-end part, though not at the very peak.

The CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks shows balanced capabilities: floating-point math scores 77,955, integer math scores 120,788, and extended instructions score 33,688. These numbers suggest the processor can handle a variety of workloads without bottlenecking the GPU in most scenarios. The 65 W TDP and unlocked multiplier provide efficiency and overclocking potential, though the data does not include overclocked results.

For The Medium specifically, the CPU is unlikely to be the limiting factor at any resolution. The measured frame rates show scaling that is more consistent with GPU-bound behavior, particularly at 4K where the RTX 4090's workload dominates. The processor's 5.50 GHz boost clock ensures that even the game's occasional CPU-intensive moments—such as loading new areas or transitioning between the dual-reality mechanic—are handled without stutter.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the flagship of the GeForce 40-series, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process. It features 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output units, alongside 128 ray tracing cores and 512 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2,235 MHz and a boost clock of 2,520 MHz, with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s.

In The Medium, the GPU is the primary performance driver. The game's fixed-camera angles and pre-rendered environments place significant load on the rasterizer and memory subsystem. The RTX 4090's 24 GB VRAM is far more than the game requires, but it ensures no texture streaming issues at any resolution or setting. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 38,194 and DirectX 12 score of 150 reflect its raw compute power, though these synthetic numbers do not directly translate to the measured FPS.

The GPU's FP32 throughput of 82.58 TFLOPS and texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s indicate it can process the game's visual effects with ease. The pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s ensures that even at 4K, the fill rate is sufficient for the game's relatively simple geometry. The 128 RT cores provide ray tracing capability, though The Medium does not heavily utilize this feature, meaning the GPU's traditional rasterization strength is what drives performance.

The RTX 4090's TDP of 450 W and triple-slot design indicate it is a power-hungry component, but the data does not show any thermal throttling in the measured results. The GPU's end-of-life production status suggests it is being phased out, but its performance in this title remains formidable. The memory clock of 1,313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) provides ample bandwidth for the game's texture-heavy scenes.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates reveal a clear pattern across resolutions and settings. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers an average of 197 FPS, which is the highest recorded value. Medium produces 132 FPS (with a minimum of 112 and maximum of 152), High yields 95 FPS, and Ultra drops to 75 FPS. These numbers show that at 1080p, the CPU is capable of driving high frame rates, but the GPU's workload increases significantly with each quality step.

At 1440p, the Low preset averages 178 FPS, Medium averages 111 FPS (minimum 95, maximum 128), High averages 80 FPS, and Ultra averages 63 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a 9.6% drop in Low settings, 15.9% drop in Medium, 15.8% drop in High, and 16% drop in Ultra. This consistent reduction indicates the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor as resolution increases, but the CPU still provides adequate headroom.

At 4K, the Low preset averages 140 FPS, Medium averages 87 FPS (minimum 74, maximum 101), High averages 63 FPS, and Ultra averages 50 FPS. The transition from 1440p to 4K results in a 21.3% drop in Low, 21.6% drop in Medium, 21.3% drop in High, and 20.6% drop in Ultra. These reductions are larger than the 1080p-to-1440p drops, confirming that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, especially at higher settings.

The minimum and maximum frame rates for Medium settings provide additional insight. At 1080p, the range is 112 to 152 FPS, a 40 FPS spread. At 1440p, the range narrows to 95 to 128 FPS, a 33 FPS spread. At 4K, the range is 74 to 101 FPS, a 27 FPS spread. This tightening of the frame time distribution as resolution increases suggests that GPU-bound scenarios produce more consistent frame pacing, while CPU-bound scenarios at lower resolutions exhibit more variance.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F a bottleneck for the RTX 4090 in The Medium?

A: The data does not indicate a significant CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 197 FPS, which suggests the CPU can handle high frame rates. The consistent scaling across resolutions points to the GPU being the limiting factor at higher settings.

Q: How does the RTX 4090's performance compare to its nearest rivals in this context?

A: The RTX 4090's average benchmark score of 60,347 places it near the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60,326) and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (60,140), but these are professional cards with different driver optimizations. In The Medium, the measured FPS confirms the RTX 4090's gaming strength, though the data does not include direct comparisons for this title.

Q: What is the best resolution for maintaining 60+ FPS at Ultra settings?

A: At 1440p Ultra, the system averages 63 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 50 FPS, which falls below 60 FPS. Therefore, 1440p is the highest resolution that maintains 60+ FPS at Ultra settings.

Q: How much performance is lost when going from Low to Ultra settings at each resolution?

A: At 1080p, Ultra is 61.9% slower than Low (75 vs 197 FPS). At 1440p, Ultra is 64.6% slower (63 vs 178 FPS). At 4K, Ultra is 64.3% slower (50 vs 140 FPS). This consistent reduction indicates the GPU workload scales similarly across resolutions.

Q: Does the CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks translate to gaming results?

A: The CPU's PassMark multithread score of 36,470 and single-thread score of 4,691 are strong, and the measured frame rates at 1080p Low (197 FPS) suggest the processor can feed the GPU effectively. The near-parity with rivals in average score (within 0.9%) indicates the CPU is not a distinguishing factor in this title.

Q: Is the 24 GB VRAM necessary for The Medium?

A: The data does not show VRAM usage, but the 24 GB capacity on the RTX 4090 is far beyond what The Medium would require, even at 4K Ultra. The game's release date of 2021-01-27 predates many VRAM-heavy titles, so the memory allocation is unlikely to be a limiting factor.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to the Medium preset as the best balance of performance and visual quality. At 1080p, Medium averages 132 FPS with a minimum of 112 FPS, providing a smooth experience well above the 60 FPS threshold. At 1440p, Medium averages 111 FPS with a minimum of 95 FPS, maintaining high frame rates without sacrificing the resolution's benefits. At 4K, Medium averages 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS and represents the highest quality setting that achieves this at 4K.

The High preset is also viable, particularly for users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate. At 1440p High, the average of 80 FPS remains smooth, and at 4K High, the average of 63 FPS just barely crosses the 60 FPS line. However, the step from Medium to High incurs a 27.9% performance hit at 1080p (132 to 95 FPS), 27.9% at 1440p (111 to 80 FPS), and 27.6% at 4K (87 to 63 FPS), which is significant for what may be a modest visual improvement.

Ultra settings are only recommended for users with high-refresh-rate 1080p displays or those who prioritize absolute image quality. At 1080p Ultra, the average of 75 FPS is acceptable, but at 1440p Ultra (63 FPS) and 4K Ultra (50 FPS), the frame rates dip below the ideal range for smooth gameplay. The Low preset is unnecessary for this hardware, as it sacrifices substantial visual quality for frame rates above 140 FPS that exceed most display refresh rates.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the nature of the bottleneck. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 197 at 1080p to 178 at 1440p (a 9.6% reduction) and then to 140 at 4K (a 21.3% reduction from 1440p). The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 28.9%. At Medium settings, the progression is 132 to 111 to 87 FPS, with a 15.9% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 21.6% drop from 1440p to 4K, totaling 34.1%. At High settings, the progression is 95 to 80 to 63 FPS, with a 15.8% drop followed by a 21.3% drop, totaling 33.7%. At Ultra settings, the progression is 75 to 63 to 50 FPS, with a 16% drop followed by a 20.6% drop, totaling 33.3%.

The pattern shows that the 1080p-to-1440p transition incurs a smaller performance penalty than the 1440p-to-4K transition across all settings. This suggests that at 1080p, the system is partially CPU-limited, as the GPU has leftover headroom that the CPU cannot fully utilize. As resolution increases, the GPU becomes increasingly the limiting factor, with the 4K results showing the GPU's raw throughput as the primary constraint.

The percentage drop from 1440p to 4K is remarkably consistent across settings (20.6% to 21.6%), indicating that the GPU workload scales linearly with pixel count in this range. The larger relative drop from 1080p to 1440p at higher settings (15.8% to 16%) versus lower settings (9.6% for Low) suggests that the CPU can still keep up at Low settings even at 1440p, but the GPU's workload increases disproportionately with quality settings. Overall, the RTX 4090 is the dominant component at 4K, while the Ryzen 7 9700F provides sufficient headroom at 1080p to avoid significant bottlenecking.