The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti combination ranks 644th out of 1,689 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database. This ranking reflects a pairing where the CPU is dramatically overqualified for the task while the GPU becomes the decisive factor, a conclusion supported by the measured frame rates across all settings and resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The 644th position out of 1,689 combos represents a solid, if not spectacular, standing for this hardware pairing in The Medium. The data indicates that this configuration is positioned ahead of the median but far from the top performers, a result that aligns directly with the GPU’s capabilities rather than the CPU’s. The RTX 3070 Ti’s average benchmark score of 30,849 places it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, while the Ryzen 7 9800X3D sits in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. This disparity is key: the combo’s rank is effectively capped by the graphics card. In a horror title like The Medium, which relies heavily on visual atmosphere and fixed-camera angles, the GPU’s role in determining overall performance is paramount. The CPU, with an average benchmark score of 37,780, is never the bottleneck; its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon 6353P, scores 37,811, a delta of just -0.1%, showing how close the top-tier processors are. The ranking data confirms that this is a GPU-limited scenario, where upgrading the processor would yield no measurable gain in this specific game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is the primary driver of performance in The Medium, and its 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus is a critical specification. The memory bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s is substantial, but the 8 GB capacity is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The GPU’s base clock is 1575 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz, and it features 6,144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 96 raster operation pipelines. For a game like The Medium, which presents detailed environments and complex lighting, the 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores are present but not heavily utilized, as the measured data shows no ray tracing-specific benchmarks. The GPU’s FP32 performance of 21.75 TFLOPS provides ample raw compute power, yet the frame rates tell the real story. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 30.3 FPS, a figure that drops below playable thresholds. The GPU’s 74th percentile ranking and its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6700, which scores 31,112 (a delta of -0.8%), suggest that the RTX 3070 Ti is competent but not exceptional. In The Medium, the GPU’s memory capacity and bandwidth directly influence how well it handles the game’s high-resolution textures and shader complexity, with the 8 GB frame buffer becoming a constraint as resolution increases.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K, with the GPU becoming increasingly stressed at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 127.6 FPS, which drops to 84.9 FPS at 4K Low—a reduction of 33.5%. This pattern is consistent across all settings, but the severity increases with graphical fidelity. For example, at Medium settings, the frame rate falls from 82.1 FPS at 1080p to 55.1 FPS at 4K, a 32.9% drop. The gap widens at High settings: 57.9 FPS at 1080p versus 39 FPS at 4K, a 32.6% decline. The most dramatic scaling occurs at Ultra settings, where 1080p yields 47.3 FPS, but 4K plummets to 30.3 FPS, a 35.9% reduction. This scaling behavior indicates that the limiting component is unequivocally the GPU. The CPU’s performance headroom is evident—at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 127.6 FPS, a figure that would be impossible if the processor were a bottleneck. As resolution increases, the GPU’s pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth are taxed, and the 8 GB VRAM capacity becomes a wall at 4K Ultra. The data shows that 1440p is a more balanced resolution, with High settings yielding 52.1 FPS, which is a compromise between the 1080p performance and 4K’s demands.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in The Medium?

A: The data shows 1440p is the optimal balance, with High settings yielding 52.1 FPS and Low settings achieving 111.1 FPS, both offering playable experiences without the severe drop seen at 4K.

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

A: The Ryzen 7 9800X3D has an average benchmark score of 37,780, which is effectively tied with the Intel Xeon 6353P at 37,811 (delta -0.1%) and the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 at 37,831 (delta -0.1%), showing negligible performance differences.

Q: Is the RTX 3070 Ti’s 8 GB VRAM sufficient for 4K gaming in this title?

A: No, the data indicates it is not. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces only 30.3 FPS, and even at 4K High it manages 39 FPS, suggesting the VRAM capacity and bandwidth are insufficient for smooth 4K gameplay.

Q: What is the GPU’s percentile ranking among all tested GPUs?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti ranks in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 30,849, placing it above the mid-range but below high-end cards.

Q: How much faster is the combo at 1080p Low compared to 4K Ultra?

A: The difference is significant: 127.6 FPS at 1080p Low versus 30.3 FPS at 4K Ultra, representing a 76.3% reduction in frame rate when moving to the highest resolution and settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which preset offers the best experience for this combination. At 1080p, Medium settings deliver 82.1 FPS, which is smooth and visually acceptable, while High settings produce 57.9 FPS, still playable but with a noticeable drop. The sweet spot is 1440p Medium, which yields 66.1 FPS—this provides a balance of resolution and frame rate that suits the GPU’s capabilities. At 4K, no setting is truly playable; even Low settings achieve only 84.9 FPS, but the visual quality is compromised. The data suggests that 1440p High at 52.1 FPS is the best high-fidelity option, as it maintains a playable frame rate while leveraging the GPU’s strengths. For players prioritizing smoothness over visuals, 1080p Low at 127.6 FPS is the clear choice, but the analysis indicates that 1440p Medium offers the most balanced experience, avoiding the 4K Ultra trap of 30.3 FPS and the 1080p Low compromise of reduced visual detail. The RTX 3070 Ti’s 8 GB VRAM is the deciding factor; staying at 1440p or lower avoids the memory pressure that cripples 4K performance.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D plays a supporting role in this combo, with its 8 cores and 16 threads providing ample processing power. The CPU’s base clock is 4.70 GHz with a boost clock of 5.20 GHz, and it features 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is beneficial for gaming workloads. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a multi-thread score of 34,004 in Cinebench R23 and a single-thread score of 4,800, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. Its performance is essentially indistinguishable from its nearest rivals, with the Intel Core i9-13900HK scoring 38,020 (delta -0.6%) and the Intel Core i5-13600KF scoring 38,028 (delta -0.7%). In The Medium, the CPU’s role is largely to feed the GPU with data, and the measured FPS at 1080p Low (127.6 FPS) demonstrates that the processor is not a limiting factor. Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is heavily taxed, the CPU’s performance headroom is evident; the frame rate is dictated by the RTX 3070 Ti’s rendering capabilities, not the processor’s compute power. The CPU’s 120 W TDP and Zen 5 architecture ensure consistent performance, but the data confirms that in this title, the GPU is the sole determinant of the combo’s ranking.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 127.6 FPS on Low, 82.1 FPS on Medium, 57.9 FPS on High, and 47.3 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 2560x1440, the figures are 111.1 FPS on Low, 66.1 FPS on Medium, 52.1 FPS on High, and 39.6 FPS on Ultra. At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly: 84.9 FPS on Low, 55.1 FPS on Medium, 39 FPS on High, and 30.3 FPS on Ultra. The pattern is consistent: each increase in resolution reduces frame rates by roughly 30-35%, and each increase in settings tier reduces performance by a similar margin. For instance, at 1080p, moving from Low to Medium costs 45.5 FPS (127.6 to 82.1), while moving from Medium to High costs 24.2 FPS (82.1 to 57.9). At 4K, the Low-to-Medium transition costs 29.8 FPS (84.9 to 55.1), and the High-to-Ultra transition costs 8.7 FPS (39 to 30.3). These numbers indicate that the GPU’s performance ceiling is reached at 4K Ultra, where the 30.3 FPS result is below the 30 FPS threshold often considered the minimum for playability. The data shows that the RTX 3070 Ti, with its 8 GB VRAM and 608.3 GB/s bandwidth, is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p, where it can maintain frame rates above 60 FPS on Medium settings or above 50 FPS on High settings.