The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title built around dual-reality rendering, presents a distinctive workload for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 pairing. The measured data shows this combo at the top of the database, ranking 1st out of 1,689 tested combinations. The benchmark results reveal a system where the sheer horsepower of the RTX 5090 is the primary driver of frame rates, though the CPU’s capabilities become increasingly relevant at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates demonstrate how the RTX 5090's dominance shifts as resolution climbs. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo produces 96.8 FPS, which rises to 85.7 FPS at 2560x1440 and drops to 67.4 FPS at 3840x2160. This progression shows a 30% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at High settings, indicating that while the GPU remains the bottleneck, the gap between resolutions is not as dramatic as one might expect from a less powerful card.

The pattern is consistent across settings. At Low, the 1080p result of 197.6 FPS falls to 185.8 FPS at 1440p and then to 146 FPS at 4K. This translates to a 26% drop from 1080p to 4K, suggesting that even at the least demanding preset, the RTX 5090 is not fully saturated at lower resolutions. The data indicates that at 1080p Low, the CPU begins to exert more influence, as the frame rate ceiling is constrained by the Ryzen 7 9700X’s ability to feed the GPU.

The most telling divergence appears in the Ultra preset. Here, the 1080p score of 80.3 FPS drops to 65.3 FPS at 1440p and further to 48.5 FPS at 4K. The 40% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is the largest of any settings tier, highlighting that the most demanding visual configuration places a heavier load on the GPU. This makes sense given the game’s dual-world rendering, which doubles the geometry and lighting calculations. The scaling from Medium to High also shows a clear step, with 4K results of 91.5 FPS and 67.4 FPS respectively, reinforcing that the GPU is the primary limiter in this configuration.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X brings 8 cores and 16 threads to the table, based on the Zen 5 architecture with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. Its benchmark profile shows a single-thread score of 1,280 in 3DMark and a multi-thread score of 9,771, placing it in the 89th percentile among all CPUs. This strong single-thread performance is crucial for The Medium, which relies on consistent frame pacing in its fixed-camera scenes.

The CPU’s role becomes evident when examining the 1080p Low result of 197.6 FPS. This is the highest frame rate measured in the entire dataset, yet it falls short of the 200 FPS threshold. The data suggests that at this resolution and setting, the CPU is approaching its limit, as the GPU is capable of far higher output. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 2,525 and 4-thread score of 4,869 indicate that the processor’s efficiency in lightly-threaded workloads is adequate for this title, which does not heavily utilize more than a few cores.

The Ryzen 7 9700X’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support help maintain data flow, but the game’s performance ceiling at lower resolutions is more likely tied to the CPU’s clock speed and IPC. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4,459 points reinforces that this is a high-frequency part. However, the measured data shows that even with this CPU, the 1080p Low result is 197.6 FPS, suggesting that the game engine itself has a frame rate ceiling or that the CPU is the limiting factor at this point. The 1440p Low result of 185.8 FPS and 4K Low result of 146 FPS show a clear GPU-driven scaling curve once the resolution increases, confirming that the CPU is only a constraint at the very lowest settings.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that at 4K High, the average frame rate is 67.4 FPS, which comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. For a more demanding visual experience, 4K Ultra drops to 48.5 FPS, so High is the recommended setting for 4K gaming.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9700X compare to its closest rival in CPU benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X has an average benchmark score of 36,029. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14500HX, scores 35,940, which is a 0.2% difference. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 is 0.6% behind, while the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is 0.4% ahead.

Q: What is the performance delta between the RTX 5090 and its closest rival?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 84,306. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the nearest competitor with a score of 84,241, a 0.1% difference. The AMD Radeon PRO W6600 is 1.3% behind, and the NVIDIA CMP 40HX is 1.6% ahead.

Q: Does the game scale well with settings from Low to Ultra?

A: Yes, the data indicates a wide range of performance. At 1080p, the frame rate goes from 197.6 FPS on Low to 80.3 FPS on Ultra, a 59% reduction. At 4K, the range is from 146 FPS on Low to 48.5 FPS on Ultra, a 67% reduction.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 the top GPU in this database?

A: The RTX 5090 ranks in the 94th percentile for all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 84,306 is higher than the GeForce RTX 5090 D (84,241) and the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 (83,209), but the NVIDIA CMP 40HX scores higher at 85,637.

Q: How does this CPU’s multi-threaded performance compare to its single-threaded performance?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X shows a 3DMark 16-thread score of 9,824 versus a 2-thread score of 2,525. This indicates strong scaling, but the single-thread score of 1,280 is comparatively high, which benefits games like The Medium.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves the top position in The Medium’s performance database, ranking 1st out of 1,689 tested combos. This is a definitive result, placing this pairing above all other CPU and GPU combinations tested for this title. The data shows that the RTX 5090’s 94th percentile GPU ranking and the Ryzen 7 9700X’s 89th percentile CPU ranking combine to produce the highest measured frame rates.

This rank is supported by the raw performance of each component. The RTX 5090’s 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 1.79 TB/s memory bandwidth provide the foundation for the high frame rates seen at 4K. The Ryzen 7 9700X’s 5.50 GHz boost clock ensures that the CPU does not become a bottleneck in most scenarios, as evidenced by the 1080p results. The benchmark data indicates that this combo is the definitive choice for maximizing performance in this game, with no other tested combination achieving higher average frame rates at any resolution or setting.

The gap to the second-place combo is not directly quantified in the data, but the rank of 1 implies that all other 1,688 combos have lower measured FPS. This is a significant margin, given the breadth of hardware tested. The score also confirms that the game is highly GPU-bound, as the top GPU in the database is paired with a high-end CPU to achieve this result.

Settings Recommendations

For players seeking the highest fidelity, the Ultra preset at 2560x1440 delivers 65.3 FPS, which is playable but requires a high-refresh-rate monitor to fully utilize. At 4K, the Ultra preset drops to 48.5 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and may feel less smooth. The data suggests that High settings at 4K, with 67.4 FPS, provide the best balance of visual quality and performance for this resolution.

The Medium preset offers a strong middle ground. At 1080p, it delivers 138.6 FPS, while at 1440p it reaches 116.8 FPS. At 4K, the Medium preset achieves 91.5 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target and allows for a responsive experience. This setting is likely the best choice for competitive or fast-paced segments, though the game’s horror genre benefits more from visual atmosphere than high frame rates.

The Low preset is the only option that pushes the CPU to its limits, with 197.6 FPS at 1080p. This is the maximum frame rate measured in the dataset, making it suitable for players with 200 Hz monitors. However, the visual sacrifice is substantial. The High preset at 1440p, with 85.7 FPS, is a better recommendation for most users, as it provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium with a modest frame rate penalty. The Ultra preset is best reserved for 1080p, where it hits 80.3 FPS, or for players who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate.