The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 pairing in The Medium presents a study in asymmetric performance. The CPU is a high-end desktop part with a launch MSRP of $479, built on the Zen 5 architecture and Granite Ridge codename. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz. This processor sits in the 90th percentile among all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 37780. Its nearest rivals in synthetic testing include the Intel Xeon 6353P (0.1% slower), Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (0.1% slower), Intel Core i9-13900HK (0.6% slower), and Intel Core i5-13600KF (0.7% slower), indicating that the 9800X3D is essentially at parity with these chips in aggregate compute workloads. However, the GPU paired here is the RTX 4060, an end-of-life Ada Lovelace part with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's 66th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average score of 23181, places it in a fundamentally different performance tier than the CPU. This mismatch dictates the results in a title like The Medium, where the data indicates the RTX 4060 becomes the primary constraint at higher settings and resolutions.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D brings substantial compute resources to this pairing. Its 8 cores and 16 threads are complemented by a large 96 MB shared L3 cache, which is critical for gaming workloads that benefit from data locality. The CPU's single-threaded performance is strong, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4800 and a Geekbench single-core score of 3341. Multi-threaded results are equally robust, with Cinebench R23 multicore scoring 34004 and Passmark multithread scoring 40009. These figures suggest that the processor is unlikely to be the bottleneck in most gaming scenarios, especially in a title like The Medium that is not known for heavy CPU simulation logic.

Despite this CPU headroom, the measured FPS data in the FACT PACK shows that the system's performance is heavily dictated by the GPU. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D’s 3DMark scores, such as 10081 for 16 threads and 8252 for 8 threads, indicate a processor capable of feeding frames rapidly. Yet, the actual frame rates at 1080p Low (107.6 FPS) versus 4K Low (70.6 FPS) show a significant drop, reinforcing that the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU’s role here is to ensure that frame pacing remains stable and that minimum FPS does not crater, but the data does not show the CPU as a constraining factor given the RTX 4060’s performance envelope.

The core configuration matters for background tasks and DirectStorage decompression, but for The Medium specifically, the 9800X3D’s 8 cores are more than sufficient. The processor’s 120W TDP and 4 nm process node from TSMC, with 8,315 million transistors, mean it runs efficiently, but this efficiency does not translate into higher FPS when the GPU is saturated. In essence, the CPU provides a massive performance ceiling that the RTX 4060 cannot reach, making the combination CPU-rich and GPU-poor in practical gaming terms.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

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

A: The data shows the highest average FPS at 1920x1080 is achieved with Low settings, hitting 107.6 FPS. Medium settings yield 65.7 FPS, while High drops to 50.7 FPS. Ultra is the most demanding, averaging 39.7 FPS. For smooth 60 FPS gameplay, Medium settings are the highest preset that consistently stays above that threshold.

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

A: The Ryzen 7 9800X3D’s average benchmark score of 37780 is nearly identical to its closest competitor, the Intel Xeon 6353P (37811), with a negligible delta of -0.1%. It performs 0.6% slower than the Intel Core i9-13900HK and 0.7% slower than the Intel Core i5-13600KF. This places it within a tight performance band among top-tier desktop and mobile processors.

Q: Is the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM a problem for this game?

A: The FACT PACK does not list VRAM usage or specific texture-related issues. However, the GPU’s memory configuration (8 GB GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus) combined with the measured FPS drops at higher settings suggests that memory bandwidth and capacity could be limiting factors at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS falls to 24.0.

Q: What is the performance gap between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 High, the average FPS is 50.7. Moving to 3840x2160 High, the average FPS drops to 30.3. This represents a 40.2% decrease in frame rate when scaling resolution from 1080p to 4K, indicating strong GPU dependency.

Q: Does the CPU’s 96 MB L3 cache provide a measurable benefit in this game?

A: The FACT PACK includes the L3 cache size of 96 MB, but it does not provide specific benchmark data isolating cache impact on The Medium. The CPU’s overall performance is strong, but the measured FPS in this game is more closely tied to the RTX 4060’s output, so cache benefits are not directly observable in the provided data.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 965th out of 1689 tested combinations, placing it in the lower half of all systems tested for this game. This reflects the GPU’s mid-range status (66th percentile) dragging down the overall ranking despite the CPU’s top-tier position (90th percentile).

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling data clearly identifies the RTX 4060 as the performance bottleneck. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 107.6 at 1080p to 91.3 at 1440p, and further to 70.6 at 4K. This is a 34.4% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is substantial but not catastrophic for a low-quality preset. The scaling becomes more aggressive at higher quality presets. For Medium settings, the FPS goes from 65.7 at 1080p to 59.8 at 1440p, then to 47.0 at 4K, a 28.5% drop from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the drop is steeper: 50.7 FPS at 1080p falls to 41.9 at 1440p and 30.3 at 4K, representing a 40.2% decrease.

The most telling data comes from Ultra settings. Here, the RTX 4060 is overwhelmed, with FPS dropping from 39.7 at 1080p to 30.8 at 1440p, and then to a barely playable 24.0 at 4K. This 39.5% reduction from 1080p to 4K shows that the GPU’s compute and memory resources are exhausted. The scaling pattern—where higher settings cause larger percentage drops—suggests that the GPU’s shading units (3072), TMUs (96), and ROPs (48) are insufficient for the demands of the game at high resolution and quality. The CPU, with its robust cache and clock speeds, is not exhibiting any signs of limiting here; if it were, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions, which is not the case. The data conclusively points to the RTX 4060 as the component that determines playability at each resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the RTX 4060 delivers playable frame rates across most presets. Low settings average 107.6 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. Medium settings average 65.7 FPS, which is still smooth for a horror title. High settings drop to 50.7 FPS, which may introduce noticeable stutter in fast-paced scenes. Ultra settings average 39.7 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and will likely feel less fluid.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance hit is evident. Low settings average 91.3 FPS, which remains excellent. Medium settings average 59.8 FPS, just below the 60 FPS threshold. High settings average 41.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 30.8 FPS. At this resolution, only Low and Medium settings provide a consistently smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s limitations become severe. Low settings average 70.6 FPS, which is still respectable. Medium settings average 47.0 FPS, dipping into the 40s. High settings average 30.3 FPS, and Ultra averages 24.0 FPS, which is essentially a slideshow for a game that relies on atmosphere and timing. The data shows that 4K gaming is only viable with Low settings on this hardware.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D + RTX 4060 combination ranks 965th out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the 57th percentile of all systems, meaning roughly 57% of the tested configurations performed worse. The ranking is a direct reflection of the GPU’s mid-range standing, as the CPU’s synthetic performance would suggest a much higher placement if paired with a stronger graphics card. The RTX 4060’s 66th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 23181, is the primary driver of this middling result.

Compared to the GPU’s nearest rivals, the RTX 4060 trails the AMD Radeon RX 6600M by 0.6% and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti by 0.7%, while leading the Intel Arc B580 by 0.7% and the AMD Radeon 760M by 0.8%. These narrow margins indicate that the RTX 4060 is competitively positioned within its segment, but that segment is simply not high-end. The combo’s rank of 965 suggests that many systems with lower-tier CPUs but faster GPUs outperform this pairing in The Medium. For users seeking higher frame rates at 1440p or 4K, the data implies that a GPU upgrade would yield far more benefit than a CPU change, given the 9800X3D’s substantial headroom. The ranking is a clear signal that this combo is balanced toward CPU-heavy workloads, not GPU-intensive gaming at high resolutions.