The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 pairing delivers exceptional performance in The Medium, but the benchmark data reveals a clear narrative about where the bottlenecks lie. This combination sits in the 87th percentile of all 3,724 tested combos for this title, indicating that while it is not the absolute fastest possible configuration, it is firmly within the top tier of systems capable of running this horror title at high fidelity.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable but steep decline as resolution increases, which is the hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario at higher pixel counts. At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the combo produces 132 FPS, while at 2560x1440 the same preset drops to 111 FPS (a 15.9% reduction), and at 3840x2160 it falls further to 87 FPS (a 34.1% reduction from the 1080p figure). This scaling pattern is consistent with the RTX 4090’s 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth being pushed harder as pixel count rises.

The gap between Low and Ultra presets widens dramatically at 4K, which further confirms the GPU’s dominant role in determining frame rates at higher resolutions. At 3840x2160, the Low preset yields 140 FPS, but Ultra drops to 50 FPS—a 64.3% performance penalty. By contrast, at 1920x1080, the same preset swing only incurs a 59.5% drop (from 185 FPS to 75 FPS). This indicates that as resolution scales, the RTX 4090’s raw compute resources (82.58 TFLOPS FP32) become the limiting factor, rather than any CPU-side constraint.

Interestingly, the Medium preset at 1440p (111 FPS) outperforms the High preset at 1080p (95 FPS), suggesting that the game’s High settings introduce effects that are more demanding than a simple resolution jump. The data shows that the 9800X3D’s 8-core, 16-thread configuration with a 4.70 GHz base clock is more than sufficient to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, but the scaling curve indicates that The Medium becomes increasingly GPU-bound as resolution climbs.

GPU Role

The RTX 4090’s memory subsystem is a critical asset in The Medium, given the game’s use of dual-reality rendering that can stress VRAM capacity. With 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus delivering 1.01 TB/s, the card has ample headroom even at 4K Ultra, though the 50 FPS average at that preset suggests the GPU’s shading units (16,384) are the primary constraint rather than memory bandwidth. The boost clock of 2520 MHz helps maintain consistent throughput, but the data shows that the card’s 176 ROPs are tasked heavily at higher settings.

The measured FPS at 4K Medium (87 FPS) versus 4K High (63 FPS) reveals a 27.6% drop, which is a substantial penalty for what is likely a modest visual upgrade. This suggests that the High preset may enable ray-traced or volumetric effects that disproportionately tax the GPU’s RT cores (128) and Tensor cores (512). The Low preset at 4K (140 FPS) is more than double the Ultra figure (50 FPS), indicating that the game’s highest settings include features that are extremely demanding even for the flagship Ada Lovelace architecture.

The GPU’s 450 W TDP and PCIe 4.0 x16 interface are appropriate for this workload, though the passmark G3D score of 38,194 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 9,223 place it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals in the benchmark database (Intel Arc Pro A60, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48) show a deltaPct of 0% and 0.3% respectively, meaning the RTX 4090’s raw compute score is essentially tied with those professional cards, though its gaming-specific performance in The Medium is clearly superior given the measured frame rates.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D’s contribution to The Medium performance is most evident at lower resolutions where the GPU is less saturated. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 185 FPS, which is a strong indicator that the CPU’s 8 cores and 16 threads are sufficient to avoid becoming a bottleneck. The processor’s 3D V-Cache (96 MB shared L3) is particularly beneficial for games that rely on large data sets, and the benchmark results support this: the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23,230 and single-core score of 2,080 show balanced performance.

The 9800X3D’s boost clock of 5.20 GHz is a key factor in maintaining high minimum frame rates, as evidenced by the Medium preset at 1080p which has a min FPS of 112 against an average of 132. This indicates that the CPU can sustain consistent frame pacing even when the GPU is under load. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 10,081 and max-thread score of 10,067 show that the processor scales well with multi-threaded workloads, which is relevant for The Medium’s dual-world rendering that can utilize multiple threads.

However, the CPU’s percentile rank of 87 versus all CPUs and its average benchmark score of 39,768 place it slightly below the Ryzen 7 7700 (40,081, deltaPct -0.8%) in synthetic tests. This is curious given the 9800X3D’s gaming-focused design, but in The Medium specifically, the measured FPS data shows no evidence of CPU limitation. The 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth and DDR5 support are adequate for feeding the GPU’s 1.01 TB/s bandwidth, and the 4 nm process node with TSMC fabrication ensures efficient operation.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 87 out of 3,724 tested configurations places it in the top 2.3% of all systems benchmarked for The Medium. This is a strong showing, though not a perfect score, indicating that there are a handful of combinations that edge it out—likely those pairing the RTX 4090 with even higher-clocked CPUs or alternative memory configurations. The 87th percentile for the combo is slightly below the CPU’s own 87th percentile and the GPU’s 88th percentile, suggesting that the pairing is well-balanced but not optimally matched for this particular title.

The deltaPct values for the CPU’s nearest rivals (AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS at 0.4%, AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 at -0.7%) show that the 9800X3D’s synthetic performance is within 1% of several other processors. Yet in The Medium, the 9800X3D’s gaming optimizations likely provide a real-world advantage that synthetic benchmarks don’t fully capture. The GPU’s nearest rivals (Intel Arc Pro A60 at 0%, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 at 0.3%) are not gaming-focused cards, which underscores that the RTX 4090 is in a class of its own for this workload.

When interpreting the rank, it’s important to note that the combo achieves 50 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is above the 30 FPS playability threshold but below the 60 FPS target many gamers prefer. The rank reflects that this system can handle the game’s most demanding settings at playable frame rates, but for competitive or high-refresh-rate play, lower settings are necessary.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo in The Medium?*

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 185 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next best is 175 FPS at 2560x1440 Low, followed by 140 FPS at 3840x2160 Low.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 50 FPS, which falls short of the 60 FPS threshold. To achieve 60+ FPS at 4K, you would need to drop to Medium settings, which yield 87 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4090’s 24 GB VRAM impact performance in this game?

A: The 24 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for The Medium at all tested settings. The performance drops between presets are primarily due to GPU compute load rather than memory capacity, as evidenced by the fact that even 4K Ultra with 50 FPS does not indicate memory throttling.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9800X3D a bottleneck in this game?

A: No. The data shows that at 1080p Low (185 FPS), the CPU is not limiting performance. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at the same settings (e.g., Low: 185 to 175 to 140 FPS) indicates the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases, not the CPU.

Q: What is the best resolution-to-settings ratio for a smooth experience?

A: For a consistent 60+ FPS experience, 2560x1440 High (80 FPS) or 3840x2160 Medium (87 FPS) are the best options. At 1080p, all settings except Ultra (75 FPS) exceed 90 FPS, with Medium at 132 FPS being the sweet spot.

Q: How does this combo compare to the average tested configuration?

A: This combo ranks 87th out of 3,724 tested, placing it in the top 2.3% of all systems. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 39,768 and GPU’s average of 60,347 are both well above the median, confirming this is a high-end pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 140 FPS average
• Medium: 87 FPS average (min 74, max 101)
• High: 63 FPS average
• Ultra: 50 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 175 FPS average
• Medium: 111 FPS average (min 95, max 128)
• High: 80 FPS average
• Ultra: 63 FPS average

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 185 FPS average
• Medium: 132 FPS average (min 112, max 152)
• High: 95 FPS average
• Ultra: 75 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern: Medium settings provide the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 4K, Medium (87 FPS) is 38% faster than High (63 FPS) and 74% faster than Ultra (50 FPS). At 1440p, Medium (111 FPS) offers a 39% improvement over High (80 FPS). At 1080p, the gap narrows but Medium (132 FPS) still provides a 39% uplift over High (95 FPS).

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset is the optimal choice for this combo across all resolutions. It delivers the highest frame rates while maintaining a reasonable visual fidelity: 132 FPS at 1080p, 111 FPS at 1440p, and 87 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset also has the most consistent frame pacing, with minimum FPS values (112 at 1080p, 95 at 1440p, 74 at 4K) that are within 16-17% of the average, indicating smooth performance without major stutters.

For players with high-refresh-rate 1080p or 1440p monitors, the Low preset is the only option that exceeds 175 FPS, which is beneficial for competitive play but sacrifices visual quality. The High preset is a middling choice—it provides better visuals than Medium but incurs a significant FPS penalty (95 FPS at 1080p, 80 FPS at 1440p, 63 FPS at 4K) that may not be worth the visual uplift given the game’s horror atmosphere. Ultra settings are only recommended for players who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate and are comfortable with 50-75 FPS, as the 4K Ultra figure of 50 FPS is below the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay.

The data suggests that the Medium preset is the “sweet spot” for this hardware combination, offering the best performance-to-quality ratio without exceeding the GPU’s capabilities. This holds true regardless of resolution, making it a universal recommendation for the RTX 4090 paired with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D in The Medium.