The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and AMD Radeon RX 580 combination delivers playable frame rates in The Medium only at the lowest settings, and even then, it struggles to maintain smooth performance at higher resolutions. The data shows a system where the aging Polaris GPU is the definitive bottleneck, severely limiting a modern, high-end processor. This pairing ranks 1566th out of 1689 tested combos, placing it in the bottom percentile for this specific title.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p with Low settings, the system averages 47.7 FPS, which is the only configuration in the data set that approaches a playable experience. Moving to 1440p at the same Low settings, the average FPS drops to 40, a decrease of 7.7 frames. At 4K with Low settings, the average falls to 30.1 FPS, marking a substantial 17.6 FPS loss compared to 1080p.

The scaling pattern becomes more erratic at higher quality presets. At High settings, the average frame rate only shifts from 23.5 FPS at 1080p to 16.7 FPS at 1440p and 15.8 FPS at 4K. This relatively small difference between 1440p and 4K suggests that the GPU has already hit a performance ceiling. The frame rate is so low that the resolution increase has a diminishing impact. At Ultra settings, the situation is even more pronounced, with 1080p averaging 14.5 FPS, 1440p at 15.4 FPS, and 4K at 13.4 FPS. These figures are all within a 2 FPS window, indicating that the rendering pipeline is saturated and the GPU cannot cope with the game's demands regardless of resolution.

This pattern is classic evidence of a severe GPU bottleneck. The CPU has significant headroom, but the RX 580 cannot push frames faster. The data indicates that users seeking higher frame rates must sacrifice resolution and settings, as the GPU is the limiting component. The 1080p Low preset is the only viable path to a smooth experience, while any attempt to increase visual fidelity results in sub-30 FPS averages.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is built on the 14nm Polaris 20 chip with a GCN 4.0 architecture. Its memory configuration consists of 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1257 MHz and a boost clock of 1340 MHz. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 8813 in Passmark's G3D test and 1005 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. These scores place the GPU at the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13559.

In The Medium, the GPU's role is overwhelmingly dominant. The benchmark results show that the RX 580 is the primary constraint. The fact that 1080p Ultra yields 14.5 FPS and 1080p High yields 23.5 FPS—a difference of only 9 FPS—shows that the GPU is unable to handle the game's high-resolution textures and effects. The 8 GB VRAM is likely sufficient for the game's needs at these settings, but the raw compute power of the 6.175 TFLOPS FP32 pipeline is insufficient.

The GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (with a 0% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 (0.1% delta), and the AMD Radeon Pro 455 (1.1% delta). These are all cards from a similar era, confirming that the RX 580 is an older-generation part. The game's performance data reflects this, showing that the card is not capable of maintaining high frame rates even at 1080p. The 14 nm process node and end-of-life production status further underscore its age. The GPU's performance in The Medium is consistently below 30 FPS at all settings except for the 1080p Low preset, highlighting its limitations in a modern, demanding title.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is a modern, high-performance processor. It features 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. It has a 32 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus. Its synthetic performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 31588 and a single-core score of 4459. It scores 9824 in 3DMark with 16 threads and 1280 in the single-thread test. The CPU sits at the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 36029.

In this combination, the CPU's role is minimal. The benchmark results show that the CPU is nowhere near being a limiting factor. The GPU is the clear bottleneck, as evidenced by the significant drops in FPS when increasing resolution, while the CPU has ample headroom. With a Passmark multi-thread score of 37161 and a data encryption score of 21815, the CPU can handle complex workloads, but The Medium's performance is dictated by the graphics card.

The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-14500HX (0.2% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (0.6% delta), have similar average scores. However, this comparison is irrelevant for gaming in this instance. The 9700X's high clock speeds and core count provide more than enough processing power for the game's logic, but the frame rate is entirely dependent on the GPU's output. The data suggests that upgrading the CPU would yield no performance benefit in this specific configuration, as the RX 580 is the component that needs to be replaced to improve FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average frame rate achievable with this combo in The Medium?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 47.7 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is this system capable of running The Medium at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but performance is poor. At 4K with Low settings, the average FPS is 30.1. At High settings, it drops to 15.8 FPS, and at Ultra settings, it is only 13.4 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to the GPU in terms of synthetic benchmark scores?

A: The CPU has an average benchmark score of 36029 and sits at the 89th percentile, while the GPU has an average score of 13559 and sits at the 53rd percentile. This indicates a significant performance disparity.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 40 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 15.4 FPS. This is a difference of 24.6 FPS.

Q: Which component is the primary bottleneck in this system for The Medium?

A: The data indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 580 GPU is the primary bottleneck, as frame rates are consistently low across all resolutions and settings, while the CPU has ample performance headroom.

Q: What is the performance delta between this CPU and its nearest rival?

A: The CPU's nearest rival is the Intel Core i5-14500HX, which has a deltaPct of 0.2, meaning the 9700X is essentially tied with it in average benchmark score.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and AMD Radeon RX 580 ranks 1566th out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the bottom 7% of all configurations tested. The rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's limitations. While the CPU is a top-tier part, the pairing with an older, end-of-life GPU severely handicaps the system's gaming capabilities.

The rank of 1566 is a poor showing for a system with such a modern CPU. The data suggests that many other pairings, likely with more balanced components, achieve significantly better performance. The high rank of the CPU (89th percentile) does not translate to gaming success because the GPU (53rd percentile) cannot keep up. This pairing is an example of a significant bottleneck, where a powerful processor is wasted on a weak graphics card. For users looking to play The Medium, this combination is not recommended, as the performance is consistently sub-par, with only the absolute lowest settings providing a marginal level of playability. The 1566 rank out of 1689 combos is a clear verdict: this is an unbalanced system for this specific game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the measured average frame rates for this combination in The Medium across all tested settings and resolutions.

• 1920x1080 (1080p)
• Low: 47.7 FPS
• Medium: 33.8 FPS
• High: 23.5 FPS
• Ultra: 14.5 FPS
• 2560x1440 (1440p)
• Low: 40 FPS
• Medium: 24.9 FPS
• High: 16.7 FPS
• Ultra: 15.4 FPS
• 3840x2160 (4K)
• Low: 30.1 FPS
• Medium: 22.9 FPS
• High: 15.8 FPS
• Ultra: 13.4 FPS

The data shows a clear trend. The only configuration that breaks the 30 FPS barrier is the 1080p Low preset. At 1440p, the Low preset just barely hits 40 FPS, but every other option falls below 25 FPS. At 4K, even the Low preset is only at 30.1 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable play. The frame rates at High and Ultra settings are consistently in the teens, which is not a playable experience for a horror game that relies on atmosphere. The results confirm that the GPU is the limiting factor, as reducing resolution from 1080p to 4K only marginally changes the FPS at the higher quality presets, indicating that the GPU cannot render the frames fast enough to be affected by resolution scaling.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only sensible recommendation is to use the Low preset at 1080p. This is the only configuration that provides an average frame rate of 47.7 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS target and is the most playable experience available. All other settings at 1080p result in average frame rates below 34 FPS, which introduces noticeable stutter and lag in a game that requires precise timing for its horror elements.

At 1440p, the Low preset averages 40 FPS, which might be acceptable for some users who prioritize resolution over fluidity. However, the Medium preset at 1440p drops to 24.9 FPS, which is likely too low for a smooth experience. At 4K, no settings are recommended, as even the Low preset only achieves 30.1 FPS, which is the bare minimum for playability but still not ideal.

The data suggests that this system is not suited for high-fidelity gaming in The Medium. The GPU is simply too old to handle the game's demands. Users should stick to the Low preset at 1080p to get the best possible experience. Any attempt to increase the quality settings will result in a significant drop in frame rate, making the game feel sluggish. The Ultra preset is unplayable at every resolution, with average frame rates below 16 FPS. The recommendation is clear: 1080p Low is the only viable choice for this hardware combination.