The Medium

The Medium presents a demanding test for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT pairing, with benchmark data revealing a configuration that is highly sensitive to both resolution and quality presets. The measured frames per second (FPS) across the twelve tested scenarios paint a clear picture of a system that can deliver smooth gameplay, but only when settings are carefully managed. This analysis will break down the optimal settings, the individual roles of the CPU and GPU, and how this specific combination stacks up against other tested hardware.

Settings Recommendations

The data indicates that the Low preset is the only setting that consistently provides a high-refresh-rate experience across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 108.3 FPS, which is a strong result for horror titles where smooth motion is crucial for immersion. However, the jump to the Medium preset at 1080p yields an average of 68.4 FPS, a significant drop that still remains playable but sacrifices the fluidity of the Low setting.

For users prioritizing visual fidelity, the High preset at 1080p is the most balanced choice, delivering an average of 51.2 FPS. This is a playable frame rate for a story-driven horror game, though it does not fully utilize high refresh rate displays. The Ultra preset is not recommended for this combo, as it produces an average of only 36.7 FPS at 1080p, which can feel sluggish and detract from the experience.

At 2560x1440, the situation becomes more constrained. The Low preset remains the only option for high performance, with an average of 90.3 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 58.0 FPS, which is acceptable but not ideal. High and Ultra presets at 1440p produce averages of 39.3 FPS and 32.1 FPS, respectively, making them difficult to recommend for consistent gameplay. The data suggests that for the best experience on this hardware, users should either prioritize smoothness with the Low preset or accept moderate frame rates with the Medium preset at 1440p, while 1080p with High settings offers the best compromise between visual quality and performance.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is the primary driver of the performance differences seen in the measured data. Its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides a substantial 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a critical resource for a game like The Medium that often uses high-resolution textures. The GPU's 2560 shading units and 40 ray accelerators are taxed heavily as settings increase, which explains the steep FPS penalties for moving from Low to Ultra.

The GPU's clock speeds—a base of 2321 MHz and a boost of 2581 MHz—are high, but the data shows they are not enough to overcome the computational load of the Ultra preset. The gap between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p is 71.6 FPS, which is a massive 66% reduction in performance. This indicates that the RX 6700 XT is the limiting factor when visual quality is pushed to its maximum. The GPU's performance percentile of 77 versus all GPUs suggests it is a capable mid-range part, but The Medium's demanding rendering techniques, likely including ray-traced effects given the 40 RT cores, place a heavy burden on it.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is severe and clearly demonstrates the GPU's limitations at higher pixel counts. At the Low preset, the average FPS falls from 108.3 at 1080p to 90.3 at 1440p and then to 70.8 at 4K. This is a 35% decrease from 1080p to 4K, showing that even at the lowest settings, the GPU is still heavily engaged.

The scaling is much more dramatic at higher quality presets. For the High preset, the average FPS drops from 51.2 at 1080p to 39.3 at 1440p and finally to 31.3 at 4K, a 39% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The Ultra preset shows the most extreme scaling, with the average FPS falling from 36.7 at 1080p to 32.1 at 1440p and then to 27.6 at 4K. This pattern confirms that the rendering resolution is a dominant factor, and the RX 6700 XT simply does not have the pixel throughput to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The data implies that 4K gaming on this combo is only viable with the Low preset, and even then, the 70.8 FPS average may not be stable enough for all users.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play The Medium with this CPU and GPU?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 provides the most consistent performance, with the Low preset achieving an average of 108.3 FPS and the High preset reaching 51.2 FPS. 2560x1440 is also viable, but only with the Low or Medium presets for playable frame rates.

Q: How does the Ultra preset perform at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset yields an average of just 36.7 FPS. This is a significant drop from the High preset's 51.2 FPS and is not recommended for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game's performance?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as performance drops dramatically with higher quality settings and resolutions. The CPU's high single-core performance is sufficient, but the RX 6700 XT's workload increases disproportionately with these changes.

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

A: 4K gaming is only possible with the Low preset, which produces an average of 70.8 FPS. The Medium, High, and Ultra presets at 4K all fail to reach 47.4 FPS, making them not suitable for a smooth experience.

Q: How does the RX 6700 XT compare to its closest rival in the data?

A: The data from the benchmark suite shows the RX 6700 XT is 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6800 in average benchmark score, and 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A5000. These are very small differences, suggesting the 6700 XT is a solid mid-range performer.

Q: What is the performance percentile of the Ryzen 7 9700X?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X has a percentile of 89 versus all CPUs, indicating it outperforms the vast majority of processors in general benchmarks. Its score is also very close to rivals like the Intel Core i5-14500HX, being only 0.2% higher.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, provides a robust foundation for The Medium. The CPU's architecture and high boost clock of 5.50 GHz are well-suited for the game's logic and single-threaded tasks. In the benchmark data, the CPU shows a strong 3DMark single-thread score of 1280, which is critical for maintaining consistent frame pacing. The data indicates the CPU is not the primary constraint, as the frame rate scales heavily with GPU-dependent settings.

However, the 8 cores are still important. The Medium is not a simple game, and background processes and game logic can use multiple threads. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 31588 demonstrates the CPU's ability to handle heavy workloads, ensuring it will not hold back the GPU in most scenarios. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking versus all CPUs means it has ample headroom, and the measured FPS differences between presets are more aligned with the GPU's capabilities than any CPU bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average FPS measured for each resolution and settings combination.

• 1920x1080: Low 108.3 FPS, Medium 68.4 FPS, High 51.2 FPS, Ultra 36.7 FPS.
• 2560x1440: Low 90.3 FPS, Medium 58.0 FPS, High 39.3 FPS, Ultra 32.1 FPS.
• 3840x2160: Low 70.8 FPS, Medium 47.4 FPS, High 31.3 FPS, Ultra 27.6 FPS.

The data reveals a clear hierarchy. The 1080p Low setting is the peak performance point. The 1440p Medium setting offers a balanced 58.0 FPS. The 4K High setting is the lowest playable point, at 31.3 FPS, but is borderline. The Ultra preset at any resolution is a punishing experience, with the 4K Ultra setting being nearly unplayable at 27.6 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT combination is ranked 960th out of 1689 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the lower-middle segment of the performance distribution, which is consistent with the measured FPS results. The rank indicates that while this is not a top-tier pairing, it is also not a weak one; it simply requires appropriate settings to achieve a playable experience.

The ranking is influenced by the GPU's performance percentile of 77, which is a mid-range score. The CPU's high percentile of 89 helps the overall standing, but the GPU's inability to handle high settings and high resolutions simultaneously is the defining factor. This combo sits in a space where it can deliver a smooth 1080p experience on High settings or a high-refresh 1440p experience on Low settings, but it cannot push the game's highest visual quality without sacrificing frame rate. The data suggests that users with this hardware should treat The Medium as a game to be optimized for smoothness rather than maximum fidelity.