The Medium

FAQ

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

A: The Ryzen 7 9700F posts an average benchmark score of 69,996, placing it within a tight cluster of high-end CPUs. It is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, 0.7% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, and 0.9% ahead of the Intel Core i7-14700K, while sitting 0.2% behind the Intel Core i7-14700KF.

Q: What is the performance percentile ranking of the RTX 5070 Ti?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti holds an 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 49,957 places it 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64, 0.4% ahead of the Intel Arc A550M, but 2% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT and 3.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT.

Q: What is the best measured performance for this combo at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 180 FPS. The Medium preset delivers 113 FPS average with a minimum of 96 FPS and maximum of 130 FPS, while High and Ultra average 81 FPS and 64 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the frame rate scale when moving from 1080p to 4K on Medium settings?

A: On Medium settings, the average frame rate drops from 113 FPS at 1920x1080 to 95 FPS at 2560x1440, then further to 74 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 34.5% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Does this system achieve 60 FPS at 4K on any preset?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 with Low settings, the system averages 119 FPS, and with Medium settings it averages 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS. High settings drop to 53 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 42 FPS, both below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the combo’s overall ranking in this game?

A: The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti ranks 209th out of 2,911 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the top 7.2% of all configurations measured.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is an 8-core, 16-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using TSMC's 4 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support includes DDR5 with dual-channel configuration, offering 89.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth.

In synthetic workloads, the 9700F demonstrates strong single-threaded performance with a Passmark single-thread score of 4,691. Its multithread score of 36,470 and floating-point math score of 77,955 indicate substantial parallel processing capability. The processor also shows solid integer math performance at 120,788 and data encryption at 21,488. With a 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs, this processor sits comfortably in the upper echelon of desktop chips.

The nearest rivals to the 9700F show remarkably similar average scores, with deltas under 1%. This suggests that in CPU-bound scenarios within The Medium, the 9700F should perform nearly identically to the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, Intel Core i7-14700KF, AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, and Intel Core i7-14700K. The measured FPS data indicates that this system is not CPU-limited at any tested resolution, as frame rates scale consistently with GPU load changes.

The Medium is a horror title that typically relies on CPU for game logic, AI, and scene management. With 8 cores and 16 threads, the 9700F provides ample headroom for such workloads. The processor's 5.50 GHz boost clock ensures responsive single-threaded performance, which is often critical for maintaining minimum frame rates in horror games with unpredictable scripted events. The data shows that even at 1080p Low settings, where CPU load is proportionally highest, the system achieves 180 FPS average, indicating the processor is not a bottleneck.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process. It features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 896.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2295 MHz with a boost clock of 2452 MHz, and memory runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The card contains 8,960 shading units, 280 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs, along with 70 RT cores and 280 tensor cores.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5070 Ti achieves a Passmark G3D score of 32,974 and a GPU compute score of 20,203. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,604 reflects strong DirectX 12 performance. The card holds an 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49,957. The nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64, scores nearly identically at 50,001, while the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT is 2% ahead and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is 3.1% behind.

For The Medium, the GPU's 16 GB VRAM capacity is significant, as the game features dual-reality rendering that can stress memory usage. The 896.0 GB/s memory bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and high-resolution assets are handled efficiently. The RTX 5070 Ti's pixel rate of 235.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 686.6 GTexel/s provide the raw throughput needed for this game's visual effects.

The measured FPS data shows that GPU load is the primary scaling factor across resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, the system drops to 42 FPS average, while at 1080p Low it reaches 180 FPS. This wide range indicates the GPU is the limiting component at higher settings and resolutions, with the CPU providing sufficient performance throughout.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest performance. Low settings produce an average of 180 FPS. Medium settings yield 113 FPS average, with a minimum of 96 FPS and maximum of 130 FPS. High settings average 81 FPS, while Ultra drops to 64 FPS average. These numbers show that even at the most demanding 1080p preset, the system maintains playable frame rates above 60 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance scales down proportionally. Low settings average 152 FPS, a 15.6% reduction from 1080p. Medium settings average 95 FPS with a minimum of 81 FPS and maximum of 109 FPS. High settings produce 68 FPS average, and Ultra drops to 54 FPS. At 1440p, the Ultra preset falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making it less suitable for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. Low settings still deliver a strong 119 FPS average. Medium settings average 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS and maximum of 86 FPS, maintaining playability. High settings drop to 53 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 42 FPS. The 4K Medium preset is the only 4K option that consistently stays above 60 FPS, with its minimum of 63 FPS providing a safety margin.

The Medium preset at each resolution provides the most balanced experience. At 1080p, the Medium preset's 96 FPS minimum ensures smooth gameplay even during intense scenes. At 1440p, the 81 FPS minimum keeps the experience fluid. At 4K, the 63 FPS minimum is just above the 60 FPS target, though it is the closest margin of any resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals how the system balances CPU and GPU loads. On Low settings, the average FPS drops from 180 at 1080p to 152 at 1440p (a 15.6% decrease), then to 119 at 4K (a 33.9% decrease from 1080p). This relatively modest scaling on Low settings suggests the CPU maintains sufficient performance headroom even at lower GPU loads.

On Medium settings, the scaling is more pronounced. From 113 FPS at 1080p, the average drops to 95 FPS at 1440p (a 15.9% decrease), then to 74 FPS at 4K (a 34.5% decrease from 1080p). The minimum FPS follows a similar pattern: 96 at 1080p, 81 at 1440p, and 63 at 4K. This consistent proportional scaling indicates GPU-bound performance at Medium settings.

High settings show even steeper scaling. The average FPS drops from 81 at 1080p to 68 at 1440p (a 16.0% decrease), then to 53 at 4K (a 34.6% decrease from 1080p). Ultra settings follow suit: 64 at 1080p, 54 at 1440p, and 42 at 4K, representing a 34.4% reduction from 1080p to 4K.

The consistent percentage drops across settings suggest that resolution scaling is uniform and GPU-bound. The 4K resolution imposes roughly a one-third performance penalty compared to 1080p, regardless of quality preset. This pattern indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth and processing power are the limiting factors at higher resolutions, while the CPU's 8-core, 16-thread configuration provides ample support without bottlenecking.

Settings Recommendations

The data clearly identifies Medium as the optimal preset for this system. At 1080p Medium, the system averages 113 FPS with a minimum of 96 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. The 96 FPS minimum ensures that even the most demanding scenes in The Medium's horror sequences remain fluid. This preset offers a significant visual improvement over Low settings while maintaining high frame rates.

At 1440p, Medium remains the best choice. The 95 FPS average and 81 FPS minimum keep gameplay smooth, while High settings drop to 68 FPS average and Ultra falls to 54 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p provides the best balance between visual quality and performance, as the 81 FPS minimum still exceeds the 60 FPS target with room to spare.

For 4K gaming, Medium is the only preset that consistently maintains 60 FPS or above. The 74 FPS average and 63 FPS minimum provide a narrow but sufficient margin over the 60 FPS threshold. High settings at 4K drop to 53 FPS average, which may cause noticeable stuttering in a horror game where smooth motion is essential for atmosphere. Ultra settings at 42 FPS would likely detract from the experience.

Low settings are not recommended for most users, as they sacrifice too much visual quality for marginal performance gains. At 1080p Low, the 180 FPS average is excessive for most displays, and at 4K Low, the 119 FPS average still exceeds the Medium preset's performance while providing inferior visuals.

The Medium preset at each resolution represents the sweet spot for this hardware combination. It delivers frame rates that are 76.7% higher than High at 1080p, 39.7% higher at 1440p, and 39.6% higher at 4K, while providing better visual fidelity than Low. The minimum FPS values at Medium settings—96, 81, and 63 at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K respectively—all remain above the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring a consistently smooth experience across all resolutions.