The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title, and the combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT produces a dataset that clearly illustrates the shifting balance between CPU and GPU load. The measured frames per second across three resolutions and four quality presets reveal a component pairing that is consistently capable, yet one where the graphics card becomes the primary constraint as resolution increases. The data shows a system that can deliver high refresh rates at 1080p but settles into a more traditional 4K experience, making the choice of settings and resolution a critical factor for the final gameplay experience.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, pointing directly to the GPU as the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At the High preset, the average frame rate falls from 67 FPS at 1920x1080 to 56 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 11 FPS, and then further down to 44 FPS at 3840x2160. This pattern is even more pronounced at the Low preset, where the system delivers 149 FPS at 1080p, drops to 126 FPS at 1440p, and ultimately lands at 99 FPS at 4K.

The scaling behavior indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is the dominant factor in these results. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough to suggest the CPU is feeding the GPU adequately, but as the pixel count increases, the GPU's workload expands dramatically. The transition from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing; for instance, at Medium settings, the average FPS falls from 79 to 62, a 21.5% decrease, while the jump from 1080p to 1440p at the same setting is a 15.1% drop from 93 to 79 FPS. This non-linear decline is typical of a GPU-bound scenario where the additional pixels at 4K overwhelm the rendering pipeline.

Notably, the gap between Low and High settings widens at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between the Low and High presets is 82 FPS (149 vs. 67), but at 4K, this gap narrows to 55 FPS (99 vs. 44). This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is able to push very high frame rates, but the GPU's fill rate and shading capacity become the bottleneck as resolution climbs. The data indicates that for a smooth 60 FPS experience, the 1440p resolution with Medium settings is the practical ceiling for this pairing, as the 4K Medium result of 62 FPS is close to the threshold but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is the workhorse here, and its specifications explain the frame rate limits observed in the data. With 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, the card provides a memory bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s, which is ample for The Medium's asset streaming at 4K. The GPU's boost clock of 2970 MHz and game clock of 2400 MHz are high, yet the measured results show that even this configuration cannot maintain 60 FPS at 4K with High or Ultra settings.

The card's architecture, RDNA 4.0, includes 4096 shading units and 64 ray tracing cores, but the benchmark results suggest that raw throughput is the limiting factor for this title. The pixel rate of 380.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 760.3 GTexel/s are substantial, but they are insufficient for the combined load of resolution and effects at the highest presets. The data confirms this: at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 35, which is unplayable for most users. Even at High settings, the 44 FPS average is below the 60 FPS target, indicating that the GPU is saturated.

Interestingly, the GPU's synthetic benchmarks place it in a modest position. Its Passmark G3D score is 26795, and its average benchmark score is 13543, with a percentile rank of 55 against all GPUs. The nearest rivals in the synthetic data are older or lower-tier cards like the AMD Radeon HD 7770M and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, which have average scores within 1% of the RX 9070 XT. This is a stark contrast to its real-world gaming results, suggesting that The Medium’s specific rendering paths are well-optimized for this hardware, or that the synthetic tests do not capture the GPU's full potential in this scenario. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 7260 is a more reliable indicator of modern gaming performance, and it aligns with the observed 4K capabilities.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X provides the computational foundation for this pairing, and its eight cores and 16 threads are clearly sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the GPU in The Medium. The CPU's boost clock of 5.50 GHz and base clock of 3.80 GHz, combined with 32 MB of shared L3 cache, deliver strong single-threaded and multi-threaded performance. The benchmark data shows a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20485 and a single-core score of 2211, which are robust figures for a desktop processor.

In the context of this game, the CPU's role is to handle the game's logic, physics, and scene management. The data suggests that the Ryzen 7 9700X is not a limiting factor at any resolution, as the frame rates scale consistently with GPU load. At 1080p with Low settings, the CPU pushes the frame rate to 149 FPS, which is a high ceiling that indicates the processor can handle the game's demands without breaking a sweat. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 9824 and the single-thread score of 1280 further confirm that the CPU has ample headroom for gaming workloads.

The CPU's synthetic performance places it in the 86th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37943. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-14901E and AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, have average scores within 0.1% to 0.3% of the Ryzen 7 9700X. This indicates that the processor is well-matched to its peers, and its performance in The Medium is likely representative of its class. The 65 W TDP and 4 nm process node also suggest efficient operation, but the data shows that the CPU's raw compute power is not the primary driver of the frame rates observed; that role belongs to the GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 7 9700X and the RX 9070 XT ranks 857th out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the top 23% of all tested configurations, which is a respectable position for a modern mid-to-high-end pairing. The rank reflects the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, and it indicates that this combo outperforms the majority of systems in the database.

However, the rank is not exceptional, and this is likely due to the GPU's performance ceiling at 4K. While the combo delivers strong 1080p and 1440p results, its 4K performance is limited, with average FPS ranging from 35 at Ultra to 99 at Low. This means that users with 4K displays will not get a consistently smooth experience at the highest settings, which pulls the overall rank down. In contrast, users targeting 1440p or 1080p will find this combo to be very capable, as the data shows it can easily exceed 60 FPS at Medium and High settings at those resolutions.

The rank also suggests that the CPU is not holding the GPU back. If the CPU were a bottleneck, the rank would likely be lower, as the combo would underperform relative to its component capabilities. Instead, the data shows that the frame rates are consistent with the GPU's synthetic scores and the CPU's strong performance, indicating a balanced pairing. For a user building a system for The Medium, this combo offers a solid foundation, but the expectation should be set for 1440p gaming rather than 4K ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

A detailed look at the measured FPS reveals the exact performance envelope of this combo. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 149 FPS at Low settings, 93 FPS at Medium, 67 FPS at High, and 53 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 107 FPS, indicating good frame pacing. The High preset does not have min or max data, but the average of 67 FPS is smooth.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops to 126 at Low, 79 at Medium, 56 at High, and 45 at Ultra. The Medium preset here shows a min of 67 FPS and a max of 90 FPS, which is a playable range, though the average of 79 FPS is below the 1080p Medium result. At High settings, the 56 FPS average is borderline for a 60 Hz display, and at Ultra, the 45 FPS average will be noticeable for its lack of smoothness.

At 3840x2160, the results are more constrained. The Low preset delivers 99 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 62 FPS with a min of 53 FPS and a max of 71 FPS. This is the only 4K setting with min/max data, and it shows that even at Medium, there are dips below 60 FPS. High settings yield 44 FPS, and Ultra drops to 35 FPS, both of which are not ideal for a smooth experience. The data clearly shows that 4K is only viable at Low or Medium settings, and even then, the user must accept some frame rate variability.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience for this combo depends on the target resolution. For 1080p users, the High preset at 67 FPS is a solid choice, as it provides a good balance of visual quality and performance. However, the Ultra preset at 53 FPS is close to the 60 FPS threshold and may be preferable for users who prioritize image quality over a perfectly locked frame rate. The Medium preset at 93 FPS is the best for high refresh rate monitors, as it offers a significant FPS boost with only a modest visual compromise.

For 1440p users, the Medium preset at 79 FPS is the recommended setting, as it delivers a smooth experience with a min of 67 FPS that rarely dips below 60. The High preset at 56 FPS is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action, and the Ultra preset at 45 FPS is best avoided unless the user is willing to accept a less fluid experience. The Low preset at 126 FPS is an option for competitive play, but the visual downgrade is substantial.

For 4K users, the data suggests that the Medium preset at 62 FPS is the only viable option for a near-60 FPS experience, though the min of 53 FPS indicates occasional dips. The Low preset at 99 FPS is the safest choice for consistent performance, but it sacrifices visual fidelity. The High and Ultra presets at 44 FPS and 35 FPS, respectively, are not recommended for a playable experience. In summary, the sweet spot for this combo is 1440p with Medium settings, offering the best balance of visual quality and frame rate, while 4K users should stick to Low or Medium and accept the compromises.