The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title from 2021, presents an interesting stress profile for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination. This pairing, ranked 2162nd out of 3724 tested combos for this specific game, shows clear performance boundaries that shift dramatically based on resolution and quality settings. The data reveals a system that can deliver smooth frame rates at lower resolutions but struggles to maintain playability at 4K, pointing directly to the graphics card as the primary constraint in most scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep and consistent penalty as resolution increases, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound workload. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 101 FPS at 1920x1080 to 85 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of approximately 16%. Moving further up to 3840x2160, the average falls to 67 FPS, meaning the jump from 1440p to 4K costs another 21% of performance. This scaling pattern is not linear; the gap between 1080p and 1440p is smaller than the gap between 1440p and 4K, suggesting the GPU’s pixel throughput capability is being taxed more heavily as the pixel count grows exponentially.

At Medium settings, the same trend emerges with slightly different magnitudes. The average FPS at 1080p is 63, dropping to 53 at 1440p (a 16% decrease) and then to 42 at 4K (a 21% decrease from 1440p). The 4K Medium result also includes a minimum FPS of 35 and maximum of 48, showing that the frame time variance becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions. This variance, combined with the average drops, indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER’s memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s and 8 GB of GDDR6 VRAM are becoming limiting factors when the render target expands.

The most telling observation comes from comparing the Low and Ultra presets at each resolution. At 1080p, Low yields 101 FPS while Ultra yields 36 FPS, a 64% performance penalty for the highest quality settings. At 4K, the gap narrows slightly: Low produces 67 FPS while Ultra produces 24 FPS, a 64% penalty as well. This consistent proportional drop across resolutions suggests that the game’s Ultra preset adds a fixed amount of shader and texture work that scales independently of resolution, but the absolute frame rates at 4K Ultra (24 FPS) are so low that the experience would be compromised regardless of the scaling behavior.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of 3724 tested CPU-GPU combinations for The Medium, this pairing sits at rank 2162, placing it in the lower third of all tested systems. This ranking is somewhat surprising given the individual components’ specifications: the Ryzen 7 9700X is a modern 8-core, 16-thread processor with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, and the RTX 2070 SUPER is a capable 2560-shader GPU. However, the game’s demanding nature at higher settings and resolutions appears to penalize this mid-range pairing more than the raw specs might suggest.

The CPU’s average benchmark score of 37943 places it in the 86th percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the Intel Core i9-14901E (37911, +0.1% delta) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (37904, +0.1% delta). This indicates the processor is performing at a high level relative to the broader CPU market. Conversely, the GPU’s average benchmark score of 20282 places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480, -1% delta) and the Intel Arc B570 (20556, -1.3% delta). The GPU’s lower percentile ranking relative to the CPU suggests an imbalance in this combo, where the graphics card is the weaker link in the chain.

The rank of 2162 out of 3724 means that approximately 42% of tested combos perform better in this game. This is a notable underperformance for a system with a top-tier CPU, reinforcing the idea that The Medium is heavily GPU-limited. The data implies that users with this combo would see significant improvements by either lowering resolution, reducing quality settings, or upgrading the graphics card, rather than investing in a faster processor.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X brings substantial processing power to this pairing, with 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture. Its base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz provide strong single-threaded performance, which is reflected in benchmark scores like the 3dmark_single_thread result of 1280 and the cinebench_r23_singlecore score of 2211. The CPU’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth ensure that game logic and asset streaming are unlikely to be bottlenecks.

For The Medium, which is a horror game with fixed camera angles and relatively static scenes, the CPU load is generally moderate. The data suggests that the processor is not the limiting factor in most measured scenarios. At 1080p Low, where the GPU has the least work to do, the system achieves 101 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s frame generation ceiling for this title. However, even at this resolution, the gap between Low and Medium settings (101 FPS to 63 FPS) indicates that the GPU is still the primary constraint, as the CPU should handle the additional draw calls and physics calculations without a 38% performance drop.

The CPU’s benchmark results show strong multi-threaded capabilities, with a cinebench_r23_multicore score of 20485 and a passmark_multithread score of 37161. These numbers suggest that the 9700X can handle any background tasks or streaming workloads while gaming without impacting frame rates. The 65 W TDP also indicates efficient power delivery, which could help maintain consistent boost clocks during extended gaming sessions. In this game, the CPU’s role appears to be one of enabler rather than limiter, providing enough headroom for the GPU to reach its full potential at each resolution and settings combination.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four quality settings. At 1920x1080, the system achieves its highest frame rates: 101 FPS at Low, 63 FPS at Medium, 45 FPS at High, and 36 FPS at Ultra. The Medium setting includes a minimum of 54 FPS and maximum of 72 FPS, indicating a relatively stable frame time distribution. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline, with each quality tier costing roughly 25-30% performance, which is typical for games that scale shader complexity and texture resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop noticeably: 85 FPS at Low, 53 FPS at Medium, 38 FPS at High, and 30 FPS at Ultra. The Medium setting at this resolution shows a minimum of 45 FPS and maximum of 61 FPS, which is a wider spread than at 1080p, suggesting increased frame time variability. The High preset at 1440p produces 38 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while Ultra at 30 FPS is borderline playable at best. These numbers indicate that 1440p is only viable for Low or Medium settings if the user prioritizes frame rate over visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s limitations become starkly apparent. Low settings produce 67 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 42 FPS with a minimum of 35 and maximum of 48. High settings yield only 30 FPS, and Ultra falls to 24 FPS, which is below the standard for smooth motion. The 4K Low result of 67 FPS is interesting because it shows the GPU can handle the pixel count if the shader and texture loads are reduced. However, the gap between Low and Medium at 4K (67 FPS to 42 FPS) is a 37% drop, which is larger than the corresponding gap at 1080p (101 FPS to 63 FPS, a 38% drop) and 1440p (85 FPS to 53 FPS, a 38% drop). This consistency suggests that the Medium preset’s additional effects are resolution-independent, but the absolute frame rates at 4K make even Medium settings questionable for a smooth experience.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the clear bottleneck in this pairing, as evidenced by the resolution scaling and the combo’s overall rank. The GPU features 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units, with a boost clock of 1770 MHz. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming but becomes strained at 4K, particularly with high-resolution textures.

The GPU’s benchmark results show a passmark_g3d score of 18169 and a 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 1651, placing it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc B570 (20556, -1.3% delta) and the Intel Arc A750 (20582, -1.5% delta), which are newer architectures but similar in overall performance. The RTX 2070 SUPER’s 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 40 RT cores provide adequate raw power for The Medium, which does not heavily utilize ray tracing, but the game’s fixed camera angles and detailed environments still demand significant pixel shading work.

The data shows that the GPU’s performance ceiling in this game is around 101 FPS at 1080p Low, which is likely the maximum frame rate the hardware can produce regardless of CPU capabilities. At 4K Ultra, the 24 FPS result indicates that the GPU is overwhelmed by the combination of high resolution and maximum quality settings. The VRAM capacity of 8 GB is also a potential concern at 4K with Ultra textures, as the game may need to swap assets from system memory, causing stutters. However, the measured minimum FPS values at Medium settings (35 FPS at 4K, 45 FPS at 1440p, 54 FPS at 1080p) suggest that memory pressure is manageable at lower quality presets, where texture sizes are reduced.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60+ FPS?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 101 FPS average, which is well above 60 FPS. At 2560x1440 with Low settings, it drops to 85 FPS, still above 60 FPS. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, it falls to 67 FPS, which is still playable but close to the threshold.

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

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it produces 67 FPS average. At Medium settings, the average drops to 42 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS, which may be acceptable for some players but is not consistently smooth. High and Ultra settings at 4K produce 30 FPS and 24 FPS respectively, which are below playable thresholds.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X has an average benchmark score of 37943, placing it 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i9-14901E (37911) and 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (37904). It is 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core 5 211E (37829) and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 (37804).

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

A: At 2560x1440, High settings produce 38 FPS average, while Ultra settings produce 30 FPS average. This is a difference of 8 FPS, or approximately 21% lower performance for the Ultra preset.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The resolution scaling shows significant FPS drops as resolution increases, and the GPU’s percentile ranking (65th) is much lower than the CPU’s (86th). At 1080p Low, the system reaches 101 FPS, but this drops to 24 FPS at 4K Ultra, a 76% reduction that is characteristic of GPU-bound workloads.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at Medium settings across resolutions?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum FPS is 54. At 2560x1440 Medium, it is 45. At 3840x2160 Medium, it is 35. These values show a consistent decrease in minimum frame rates as resolution increases, indicating growing frame time instability.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user’s resolution and performance priorities. For 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers the best balance, delivering 63 FPS average with a minimum of 54 FPS, which ensures smooth gameplay with good visual fidelity. The High preset at 45 FPS is playable but falls below the 60 FPS threshold, while Ultra at 36 FPS may introduce noticeable stutter in fast-paced scenes. Low at 101 FPS is ideal for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors, but the visual quality is significantly reduced.

For 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only option that consistently exceeds 60 FPS, producing 85 FPS average. The Medium preset at 53 FPS is borderline playable, with a minimum of 45 FPS that may cause occasional dips below smooth motion. High at 38 FPS and Ultra at 30 FPS are not recommended for a satisfactory experience, as they fall below the 40 FPS threshold where most players perceive choppiness. Users with 1440p monitors should either stick to Low settings or consider reducing the resolution to 1080p for higher quality presets.

For 3840x2160, the Low preset at 67 FPS is the only playable option, and even then, the average frame rate is close to the 60 FPS target. Medium at 42 FPS is playable for slower-paced horror games, but the minimum of 35 FPS could be problematic during scenes with heavy effects. High and Ultra at 30 FPS and 24 FPS respectively are not recommended, as they fall below the minimum threshold for playable frame rates. The data suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming, with 4K reserved for Low settings or users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate stability.