The Medium

The Medium presents a demanding workload for this pairing of an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060. The benchmark results show a system consistently bound by the graphics card, with CPU headroom that never becomes a limiting factor across the tested resolution and settings matrix. The data indicates a playable experience only at lower presets, while higher settings push the GPU to its architectural limits.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals a purely GPU-limited scenario. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 83.1 at 1920x1080 to 72.8 at 2560x1440, then plummets to 53.0 at 3840x2160. This represents a 36% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K at the lowest preset, a scaling pattern characteristic of a graphics card operating near its memory bandwidth and shading unit capacity.

The High preset tells a similar story with a narrower absolute range. The average FPS at 1920x1080 is 35.9, dropping to 31.2 at 2560x1440 and further to 25.3 at 3840x2160. The 4K result is only 70% of the 1080p figure, indicating that pixel throughput becomes the dominant constraint. The RTX 2060's 6 GB GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth appears insufficient for the higher resolution's texture and buffer demands.

Medium settings show the most pronounced resolution sensitivity. The average FPS at 1080p is 53.2, which drops to 43.2 at 1440p and then collapses to 31.9 at 4K. This 40% decline from 1080p to 4K suggests that the Medium preset's additional shading work disproportionately taxes the GPU's 1920 shading units. The Ultra preset, meanwhile, delivers only 30.9 FPS at 1080p and falls to 18.4 at 4K, a 40% drop that makes the highest settings untenable at any resolution.

The data points to the RTX 2060 as the definitive bottleneck. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is not the constraint here. The scaling pattern—where FPS drops consistently as resolution increases regardless of preset—confirms that the GPU's fill rate and memory subsystem are the limiting components, not the CPU's processing capability.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D provides ample computational headroom for this title. Its 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture, operate at a base clock of 4.70 GHz and boost up to 5.20 GHz. The CPU's 96 MB of shared L3 cache is a notable asset for game logic and scene traversal, though the measured FPS data shows no evidence of CPU-induced frame pacing issues.

Synthetic benchmarks position this processor well above the GPU's needs. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 34004 and single-core score of 4800 indicate strong per-thread performance. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 10081 and 2-thread score of 2394 show that even lightly threaded workloads see substantial throughput. The CPU's percentile ranking of 90 among all tested processors reinforces its high-end positioning.

In The Medium, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics data. The fact that FPS scales almost linearly with resolution changes—rather than remaining flat or showing CPU-related stutters—demonstrates that the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is never starved for work. The passmark multithread score of 40009 and passmark single-thread score of 4430 suggest that even the game's most complex scenes would not create a CPU bottleneck.

The processor's nearest rivals in aggregate benchmarks include the Intel Xeon 6353P with a score of 37811, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 at 37831, and the Intel Core i9-13900HK at 38020. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D's average benchmark score of 37780 places it within a 0.7% margin of these competitors, confirming that its performance tier is consistent with other high-end desktop and mobile parts. For this game, however, the GPU's 58th percentile ranking among all graphics cards is the more relevant metric.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average FPS of 83.1, which is the only configuration in the entire matrix that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p produces 53.2 FPS, a playable but not smooth experience for a horror title where pacing matters. High at 1080p drops to 35.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 30.9 FPS.

For 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only viable option, yielding 72.8 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p produces 43.2 FPS, which may be acceptable for slower-paced exploration but risks noticeable judder during action sequences. The High preset at 1440p is marginal at 31.2 FPS, and Ultra at 27.3 FPS is not recommended.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. Low settings produce 53.0 FPS, which is playable but requires a tolerance for reduced visual fidelity. Medium at 4K drops to 31.9 FPS, and High falls to 25.3 FPS. Ultra at 4K is effectively unplayable at 18.4 FPS.

The optimal experience balances visual quality against frame rate. The Low preset at 1440p offers the best combination of resolution and smoothness, with 72.8 FPS providing headroom above the 60 FPS threshold. For 1080p users, Low at 83.1 FPS is the clear choice for responsiveness, while Medium at 53.2 FPS serves those prioritizing visual detail over frame rate. The data shows that the Medium preset at any resolution offers a reasonable middle ground, but the High and Ultra presets are best avoided given the RTX 2060's performance profile.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 1389 out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium. This places the pairing in the bottom 18% of all tested configurations, a reflection of the GPU's modest capabilities relative to the CPU's high-end status.

The ranking disparity between the two components is stark. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D sits in the 90th percentile among CPUs, while the RTX 2060 sits in the 58th percentile among GPUs. The combo's low rank is driven entirely by the graphics card's performance ceiling. The CPU's computational strength—evidenced by its average benchmark score of 37780—does little to boost the frame rates in this GPU-bound title.

The GPU's nearest rivals in aggregate benchmarks include the AMD Radeon RX 7600S with a score of 15996, the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M at 16351, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 also at 16351. The RTX 2060's average benchmark score of 16074 places it within a 1.8% margin of these parts. This clustering suggests that swapping the GPU for a similarly priced or positioned alternative would not meaningfully change the ranking in The Medium.

The 1689 total combos tested include configurations with both weaker and stronger GPUs paired with various CPUs. The rank of 1389 indicates that a substantial majority of tested systems outperform this pairing in this game. This is not a reflection of the CPU's capability but rather a consequence of pairing a top-tier processor with a mid-range graphics card that was launched in 2019 and is now marked as end-of-life.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it achieves an average FPS of 53.0. Medium settings drop to 31.9 FPS, High to 25.3 FPS, and Ultra to 18.4 FPS, making those presets impractical at 3840x2160.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D bottlenecking the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060?

A: No. The data shows consistent FPS scaling with resolution changes, indicating the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads with a boost clock of 5.20 GHz provide more than enough throughput for this title.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gaming?

A: The Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at 83.1, which is the only preset at 1080p that exceeds 60 FPS. Medium achieves 53.2 FPS, High reaches 35.9 FPS, and Ultra produces 30.9 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 16074, which is 0.5% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7600S at 15996 and 1.8% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 at 15786. It trails the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and Pro 5700, both at 16351, by 1.7%.

Q: Why does this combo rank so low among tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1389 out of 1689 in The Medium because the GPU is the limiting factor. The RTX 2060's 58th percentile ranking among GPUs constrains performance, while the CPU's 90th percentile ranking cannot compensate for the graphics card's throughput limits.

Q: Is the Ultra preset ever playable with this hardware?

A: No. The Ultra preset delivers an average FPS of 30.9 at 1080p, 27.3 at 1440p, and 18.4 at 4K. None of these results approach the 60 FPS threshold typically desired for smooth gameplay, and all fall below the 30 FPS minimum for acceptable playability.