The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 presents a fascinating case study in The Medium, a horror title known for its dual-reality rendering. The benchmark data reveals a configuration that is highly capable at mainstream resolutions but struggles under the immense load of 4K Ultra settings. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, exploring how the CPU and GPU each contribute to the final frame rates and what the numbers say about the system's overall balance.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a pronounced and predictable drop as resolution increases, but the rate of that drop reveals where the bottleneck lies. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average frame rate falls from 51 FPS to 43 FPS, a reduction of approximately 15.7%. However, the jump to 3840x2160 at High is far more punishing, with the average plummeting to 34 FPS, a further 20.9% decrease from the 1440p figure and a 33.3% drop from the 1080p baseline.

This scaling pattern strongly indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 7700 is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D has ample headroom to feed frames at 1080p, but as the pixel count skyrockets, the GPU's rendering workload becomes the dominant constraint. The delta between 1440p and 4K is significantly larger than between 1080p and 1440p, which is a classic sign of a GPU being pushed past its comfort zone.

The trend is consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the 1080p to 1440p drop is from 115 FPS to 97 FPS (a 15.6% decrease), while the 1440p to 4K drop is from 97 FPS to 76 FPS (a 21.6% decrease). This consistency confirms that resolution scaling is primarily a GPU-bound exercise. The data implies that for a smooth 4K experience, the graphics card, not the processor, would need to be upgraded. The 9800X3D is clearly not the constraining factor in this scenario, as its performance headroom is masked by the GPU's limits at these higher pixel densities.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700, built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, is the engine driving the visuals. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a substantial 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory capacity is a crucial asset for The Medium, which is notorious for rendering two simultaneous worlds. The data suggests that even at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS is only 27, the card is not running out of memory, but rather hitting its raw compute limits.

The GPU's clock speeds are notable: a base of 1900 MHz, a game clock of 2041 MHz, and a boost clock of 2459 MHz. The game clock is the typical sustained speed during gaming, and the fact that it sits well above the base clock indicates the card is boosting as expected. However, the benchmark results show that even with these clocks, the card's 25.18 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is insufficient for the most demanding settings at high resolutions. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2865 places this GPU in a specific performance tier, and the game's results align with that positioning.

In the context of this game, the GPU's role is overwhelmingly dominant. The difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K is stark: 76 FPS versus 27 FPS. This 49 FPS delta is almost entirely attributable to the GPU's workload. The card's 96 ROPs and 160 TMUs are tasked with filling pixels and applying textures, and the data shows that at 4K Ultra, these units are saturated. The GPU's 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15852, further contextualizes its mid-to-high-end performance class. While its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, the RX 7700's performance in this specific title is what matters most, and it is clearly the deciding factor in the measured FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a powerhouse, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture. Its substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache is a key feature for gaming, and its benchmark scores confirm its top-tier status. With a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23230 and a single-core score of 2080, the CPU has no trouble processing the game's logic, AI, and physics. The data implies that the 9800X3D is significantly overqualified for The Medium when paired with the RX 7700.

This conclusion is drawn from the FPS scaling patterns. At 1080p Low, the CPU can deliver 115 FPS. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect to see this number cap out regardless of resolution or settings. Instead, the FPS drops drastically as the GPU load increases (e.g., to 34 FPS at 4K High). This demonstrates that the CPU is waiting on the GPU, not the other way around. The 9800X3D's 87th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 39768, reinforces its position well above the performance level required by this title.

The CPU's high boost clock of 5.20 GHz and robust multi-threading capabilities ensure it can handle the game's demand for both single-thread and multi-threaded tasks. However, in this pairing, its role is to be a stable, high-performance foundation that never becomes the limiting factor. The data shows that the 9800X3D is essentially "coasting" in this scenario, providing a massive amount of headroom. This means users could potentially upgrade to a much more powerful GPU in the future without needing to change the processor, as the CPU would easily keep pace with the increased graphical demands.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the system's performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system is very capable. The Low preset yields an average of 115 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth. The Medium preset provides a solid 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS, ensuring a consistent experience. High settings drop the average to 51 FPS, and Ultra is a more demanding 41 FPS. This suggests that even at 1080p, the Ultra preset is quite taxing, but all presets are playable.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains respectable. The Low preset still achieves a high average of 97 FPS. Medium is the sweet spot for a high-refresh monitor, with an average of 61 FPS and a minimum of 51 FPS. High settings fall to 43 FPS, and the Ultra preset is noticeably more demanding at 34 FPS. At this resolution, the GPU begins to show its limitations on the higher presets, but Medium and Low offer a great experience.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly under significant stress. The Low preset is the only one that provides a consistently playable experience, with an average of 76 FPS. The Medium preset sees the average drop to 48 FPS, with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 55 FPS, which can be a bit choppy. High settings average just 34 FPS, and Ultra is a slideshow-like 27 FPS. The data clearly shows that for 4K gaming, users would need to stick to Low or Medium settings to maintain a playable frame rate.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play The Medium with this hardware?*

A: Based on the data, 1920x1080 offers the most consistent performance across all presets, with the Medium preset providing a 72 FPS average. The 2560x1440 resolution is also viable, but the Ultra preset drops to a 34 FPS average, which may not be ideal.

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

A: Yes, but with significant compromises. At 4K, the Low preset achieves a 76 FPS average, while the Medium preset drops to 48 FPS. The High and Ultra presets are not recommended for a smooth experience, as they average 34 and 27 FPS, respectively.

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

A: The data clearly indicates the AMD Radeon RX 7700 is the limiting factor. This is evident from the significant FPS drops as resolution increases, which is a GPU-bound workload. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D has ample performance headroom, as shown by the high frame rates at lower resolutions.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between the Low and Ultra presets?

A: The gap is substantial. At 1080p, the difference is 74 FPS (115 FPS on Low vs. 41 FPS on Ultra). At 1440p, the difference is 63 FPS (97 FPS vs. 34 FPS). At 4K, the difference is 49 FPS (76 FPS vs. 27 FPS).

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p on High settings?

A: The measured average FPS for the 2560x1440 High preset is 43 FPS. This is a playable but not perfectly smooth experience, and some users may prefer the Medium preset for a higher frame rate.

*Q: Is the 16 GB of VRAM on the RX 7700 sufficient for The Medium?*

A: The data suggests it is, as the GPU seems to hit its compute limits before memory capacity becomes an issue. The FPS drops are consistent with a raw performance bottleneck, not a memory allocation problem, even at the demanding 4K Ultra settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to a clear hierarchy for optimizing the experience. For users with a 1080p or 1440p display, the Medium preset offers the best balance. At 1080p, it delivers a 72 FPS average with a minimum of 61 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay. At 1440p, it provides a 61 FPS average, which is excellent for most monitors. This preset appears to be the sweet spot, providing a significant visual upgrade over Low while maintaining high frame rates.

For those with a 4K display, the Low preset is the only viable option for a consistently smooth experience, with a 76 FPS average. The jump to Medium at 4K results in a 48 FPS average, which is a noticeable drop in smoothness and may not be worth the visual fidelity gain for many players. The Low preset at 4K still delivers a playable and responsive frame rate.

The High and Ultra presets are challenging. At 1080p, High is playable at 51 FPS, but Ultra dips to 41 FPS. At 1440p, High is a borderline 43 FPS, and Ultra is a 34 FPS average. These presets are best suited for users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate and are gaming at 1080p. For the smoothest experience, Medium is the recommended preset, with Low being the fallback for 4K gaming.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand database of tested hardware combinations, this specific pairing holds a rank of 1307 out of 2911 combinations for The Medium. This places it in the 44.9th percentile of all tested combos, indicating it is a slightly below-average performer for this specific title. This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's performance ceiling, as the CPU is a top-tier part.

The ranking is particularly interesting when considering the individual components. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is ranked in the 87th percentile of all CPUs, while the RX 7700 is in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. The combination's rank is dragged down significantly by the GPU. This suggests that the pairing is unbalanced for this game, with the CPU's potential being severely underutilized. The combo's rank confirms the fact that in a GPU-bound title like The Medium, the graphics card is the sole arbiter of performance.

The data implies that this combination would be better suited for titles that are more CPU-intensive, or for users who plan on gaming at 1080p. For The Medium, the results show that the RX 7700 is the bottleneck. A more powerful GPU, such as one ranking higher in the database, would allow the 9800X3D's strength to shine, likely pushing this combo's rank significantly higher. As it stands, this pairing represents a case of a high-end CPU being paired with a mid-to-high-end GPU, resulting in a performance profile that is firmly limited by the latter.