The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title built on Unreal Engine, presents a unique stress profile that combines heavy GPU load with specific CPU demands. This analysis examines the measured performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, using only the provided benchmark data to interpret how this combination handles the game’s dual-world rendering mechanic.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the Low settings preset, the average frame rate drops from 116 FPS at 1080p to 97 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 19 FPS. Moving to 4K, the average falls further to 76 FPS. This represents a 34.5% decrease from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that even at the lowest graphical fidelity, the rendering pipeline remains heavily dependent on the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth.

The pattern becomes more pronounced at higher settings. At the Medium preset, the average FPS decreases from 72 at 1080p to 61 at 1440p, then drops sharply to 48 at 4K. The frame time data for Medium settings shows a minimum of 61 FPS at 1080p, 52 FPS at 1440p, and 41 FPS at 4K, with corresponding maximums of 83, 70, and 55 FPS. This consistent spread suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting component, as the CPU’s role in frame pacing remains stable across resolutions.

The High preset exhibits the most severe scaling. Starting at 52 FPS on 1080p, it drops to 44 FPS at 1440p and reaches only 34 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset follows a similar trajectory, with averages of 41 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p, and 27 FPS at 4K. The gap between High and Ultra narrows at higher resolutions, from an 11 FPS difference at 1080p to a 7 FPS difference at 4K, suggesting that the additional graphical effects in Ultra become less impactful when pixel throughput is the bottleneck.

These results indicate that the RTX 5060, with its 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus providing 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, reaches its computational ceiling well before the Ryzen 7 9800X3D’s processing power becomes relevant. The CPU, with a boost clock of 5.20 GHz and 96 MB of shared L3 cache, demonstrates ample headroom even at 1080p Low where 116 FPS is achieved, but the GPU’s 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 119.9 GPixel/s pixel rate govern the scaling curve.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in The Medium?

A: The maximum measured average FPS is 116, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset. This is the only configuration in the measured data that exceeds 100 FPS average.

Q: How does the RTX 5060’s 8 GB VRAM affect performance at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 76 at Low to 27 at Ultra. The 44% reduction from Low to High (76 to 34 FPS) suggests that texture and shading demands at 4K stress the 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 8 GB capacity, though the data does not isolate VRAM capacity as the sole factor.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9800X3D a bottleneck for this game at any resolution?

A: The data indicates no CPU bottleneck. The processor’s 8-core, 16-thread configuration with a 5.20 GHz boost clock delivers 116 FPS at 1080p Low, and the FPS scaling pattern across resolutions is consistent with GPU-bound behavior. The CPU’s percentile ranking of 87 versus all CPUs further supports its capability.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Medium and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset produces an average of 61 FPS, while Ultra produces 35 FPS. This 26 FPS gap (42.6% reduction) is larger than the 22 FPS gap at 1080p, indicating that Ultra settings impose proportionally heavier GPU load at higher resolutions.

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

A: The combo ranks 1670 out of 3724 tested combinations, placing it in the 55th percentile of all tested systems for The Medium. This ranking reflects the balance between the high-end CPU and mid-range GPU.

Q: Does the game benefit more from the CPU’s 3D V-Cache or the GPU’s clock speed?

A: The measured data shows that increasing GPU load via resolution or settings consistently reduces FPS, while the CPU’s 96 MB L3 cache and 4.70 GHz base clock remain constant. The GPU’s boost clock of 2497 MHz and 299.6 GTexel/s texture rate are the more relevant factors in the observed performance envelope.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 achieves a rank of 1670 out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium. This places the system in the upper-middle tier of the benchmark database, with 44.8% of tested configurations performing better. The ranking is notable given that the CPU alone sits at the 87th percentile among all processors, while the GPU is at the 72nd percentile among all graphics cards.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in aggregate benchmark scores—the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS (0.4% higher), AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (0.7% lower), and AMD Ryzen 7 7700 (0.8% lower)—all fall within 1% of the 9800X3D’s average score of 39768. However, none of these processors would meaningfully change the game’s outcome, as the GPU’s nearest rivals—the AMD Radeon 860M (0.3% lower), NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (0.3% lower), and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (0.8% lower)—also cluster tightly around the RTX 5060’s average score of 26331.

The rank of 1670 suggests that The Medium’s performance is dominated by the GPU’s mid-range positioning. The RTX 5060’s 72nd percentile ranking among GPUs, combined with the 8 GB VRAM capacity, limits the combo to playable frame rates only at lower settings for 4K, while 1080p and 1440p offer more flexibility. The CPU’s strength does not boost the combo beyond what the GPU can deliver, as evidenced by the 27 FPS Ultra 4K result, which is comparable to what lower-tier CPUs would produce with the same GPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1920x1080, the Medium preset provides the best balance, with an average of 72 FPS and a minimum of 61 FPS ensuring consistent frame pacing. The High preset at 52 FPS is acceptable for slower-paced horror gameplay, but the 20 FPS drop from Medium to High suggests diminishing visual returns. The Low preset at 116 FPS is unnecessarily high for this genre, though it demonstrates the CPU’s capability.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset again emerges as the recommended choice, delivering 61 FPS average with a 52 FPS minimum. This maintains smooth playback while allowing for moderate graphical fidelity. The High preset at 44 FPS may cause noticeable stuttering in scenes with dual-world rendering, and the Ultra preset at 35 FPS falls below the typically desired 60 FPS threshold. The Low preset at 97 FPS is viable but sacrifices too much visual quality for the fixed-camera horror aesthetic.

For 3840x2160, the data suggests that only the Low preset (76 FPS average) provides a consistently smooth experience. The Medium preset at 48 FPS with a 41 FPS minimum may be tolerable for some players, but the frame rate dips into territory where input latency becomes noticeable. The High preset at 34 FPS and Ultra at 27 FPS are not recommended for active gameplay, though they could serve for screenshot purposes. The GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for high-fidelity 4K in this title.

The Ultra preset should be avoided at all resolutions except for static scenes, as it consistently reduces FPS by 30-40% compared to High while providing marginal visual improvements. The Medium preset offers the most consistent experience across all three resolutions, with frame rates that remain within 24 FPS of each other from 1080p to 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured results show a clear progression across presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 116 FPS. The Medium preset produces 72 FPS average, with a minimum of 61 FPS and maximum of 83 FPS. The High preset drops to 52 FPS average. The Ultra preset yields 41 FPS average. The 75 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution demonstrates the GPU’s sensitivity to graphical complexity, with each preset step reducing performance by roughly 20-25%.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern emerges with lower absolute values. Low settings average 97 FPS. Medium settings average 61 FPS, with a minimum of 52 FPS and maximum of 70 FPS. High settings produce 44 FPS average. Ultra settings achieve 35 FPS average. The difference between Low and Ultra is 62 FPS, and the Medium preset’s frame time range of 18 FPS (52-70) indicates stable performance without major hitches.

At 3840x2160, the results become marginal for smooth gameplay. Low settings average 76 FPS. Medium settings average 48 FPS, with a minimum of 41 FPS and maximum of 55 FPS. High settings drop to 34 FPS average. Ultra settings produce 27 FPS average. The Medium preset’s frame time range of 14 FPS (41-55) is the tightest of any resolution, suggesting that the GPU is consistently near its limit rather than spiking intermittently.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, indicating that these runs were monitored for frame pacing. The absence of this data for other presets does not imply their absence of variation, but the available numbers show that Medium maintains a consistent frame delivery relative to its average at each resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, with 8 cores and 16 threads, provides substantial processing headroom for The Medium. Its base clock of 4.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.20 GHz, combined with 96 MB of shared L3 cache, ensure that the game’s CPU-bound tasks—such as AI pathfinding and fixed-camera scene management—are never the limiting factor. The processor’s benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23230 and single-core score of 2080, place it well above the demands of this title.

The CPU’s 87th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 39768, shows that it outperforms the vast majority of processors in the database. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 7700, scores 40081 (0.8% higher), while the Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS scores 39603 (0.4% lower). These differences are negligible for gaming, as The Medium’s performance at 1080p Low (116 FPS) demonstrates that the CPU can feed the GPU far beyond what the RTX 5060 can render.

The 3D V-Cache technology, which provides the 96 MB L3 cache, is particularly beneficial for games that frequently access large datasets. However, The Medium’s measured FPS scaling shows that even with this cache advantage, the GPU’s limits are reached first. The CPU’s 16 threads handle the game’s dual-world rendering mechanic, which requires simultaneous scene processing, without exhibiting any frame rate drops attributable to CPU contention.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is the determining component in this combo’s performance. Its 8 GB of GDDR7 memory, connected via a 128-bit bus providing 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, is the most likely constraint at higher resolutions and settings. The GPU’s base clock of 2280 MHz and boost clock of 2497 MHz, delivering 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, represent a mid-range capability that aligns with the measured results.

The GPU’s 72nd percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 26331, places it slightly above the midpoint of tested graphics cards. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 860M (0.3% lower), NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (0.3% lower), and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT (1.2% higher). These close margins indicate that the RTX 5060 is positioned in a crowded performance band, and The Medium’s results reflect this competitive positioning.

The 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores support DirectX 12 Ultimate, but The Medium’s measured performance suggests that ray tracing and DLSS features are not substantially altering the frame rates in the tested presets. The pixel rate of 119.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 299.6 GTexel/s are the key specifications governing the resolution scaling observed. At 4K Ultra, the 27 FPS average indicates that the GPU is completely saturated, while at 1080p Low, the 116 FPS shows that the GPU can handle less demanding loads with ease.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for 1080p and most 1440p scenarios, but the significant drop from Medium to High at 4K (48 to 34 FPS) suggests that memory capacity or bandwidth becomes a limiting factor as texture sizes increase. The GPU’s 145 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate a power-efficient part, but efficiency does not compensate for the raw throughput needed to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra in this title.