The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title from 2021, presents an interesting case study for high-end hardware. The combination of AMD's Ryzen 7 9800X3D and NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5090 D is a top-tier pairing, and the measured frame rates across various resolutions and settings reveal how this specific game scales with such powerful components. This analysis breaks down the measured data, contextualizes the performance against other tested combos, and explores the roles of the CPU and GPU in delivering the final experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable progression as resolution increases, but the rate of that drop-off offers critical insight into where the bottleneck lies for this title. At 1080p with Medium settings, the combo achieves an average of 144 FPS. Moving to 1440p, the average drops to 122 FPS, and at 4K, it falls further to 95 FPS. This indicates a scaling pattern where the performance penalty is not linear but becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions.

This pattern is more dramatic when examining the Low settings preset. At 1080p, the system pushes an average of 185 FPS. At 1440p, that number only drops to 175 FPS, a mere 10 FPS difference. However, the jump to 4K brings a significant reduction to 153 FPS. The relatively small gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings suggests that at these lower resolutions, the CPU is the primary limiting factor, preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential. The larger drop at 4K indicates that the GPU is finally becoming the bottleneck, as the sheer number of pixels begins to tax the renderer.

The High settings preset tells a different story. Here, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p results in a 16 FPS drop (from 103 to 87 FPS), and the jump to 4K brings another 19 FPS drop (to 68 FPS). This more consistent decline across resolutions suggests that at High settings, the workload is more balanced, with both the CPU and GPU contributing to the frame rate limits. The data indicates that this game is not purely GPU-bound at lower resolutions, especially with a CPU as powerful as the 9800X3D.

The most demanding Ultra preset shows the steepest absolute drop. The system manages 82 FPS at 1080p, which seems modest compared to the other presets, signaling a heavy CPU dependency at this quality level. Dropping to 1440p yields 69 FPS, and 4K brings it down to 54 FPS. The fact that 4K Ultra is the only measured configuration to dip below 60 FPS average suggests that the combination of high resolution and maximum settings creates a stress test that even this flagship hardware cannot fully overcome without compromises.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for The Medium, this specific pairing of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D and RTX 5090 D holds a strong position. The `comboRankInGame` data places this combo at rank 15 out of 2,911 tested combos. This places it firmly in the top 0.5% of all tested systems, indicating that this is one of the most capable configurations for this game that has been measured.

The rank of 15 is notable because it is not the absolute top score. This suggests that there are a handful of other combinations that can achieve slightly higher frame rates, likely due to variations in memory configuration or other system-level factors that are not detailed here. However, the gap between this combo and the vast majority of the field is substantial. For the overwhelming majority of the 2,911 tested systems, this setup would be significantly faster.

This high rank is consistent with the raw component strength. The CPU's performance percentile of 87 and the GPU's percentile of 92 indicate that both are among the more powerful parts in their respective categories. When paired together, they form a system that is exceptionally well-suited for this title, delivering performance that only a very small fraction of other tested configurations can match. The data suggests that users with this hardware will not likely be frame-rate limited by the core components in most scenarios.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a desktop processor from the 9000 series, built on the Zen 5 architecture and codenamed Granite Ridge. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, a configuration that is typically more than sufficient for modern gaming workloads. Its base clock is 4.70 GHz, with a boost clock of 5.20 GHz, allowing for high single-threaded performance when needed. The processor also features a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is a key attribute for gaming.

The benchmark results for this CPU show a strong balance between single-threaded and multi-threaded performance. For example, it scores 2,080 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 23,230 in multi-core. In 3DMark, the single-thread score is 1,212, while the 16-thread score is 10,081. This data indicates that the processor is capable of handling both lightly-threaded tasks, which are common in game logic, and more heavily-threaded tasks, such as physics or asset streaming.

In The Medium, the CPU's role appears to be significant, particularly at lower resolutions. The fact that the FPS does not scale dramatically from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor. The game's fixed-camera angles and scripted sequences may rely heavily on a few main threads for rendering calls and game logic. The 9800X3D's strong single-core performance, evidenced by its 2,080 Cinebench R23 single-core score, is essential for ensuring these threads are processed quickly to feed the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across twelve distinct configurations. The following breakdown details the average frame rates, with minimum and maximum values where available.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, it achieves an average of 185 FPS. Medium settings reduce this to 144 FPS, with a minimum of 123 FPS and a maximum of 166 FPS. High settings bring the average down to 103 FPS. The Ultra preset results in an average of 82 FPS. This shows a clear progression where each step up in quality costs a significant number of frames.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. Low settings still provide a very high average of 175 FPS. Medium settings average 122 FPS, with a minimum of 103 FPS and a maximum of 140 FPS. High settings produce an average of 87 FPS, and Ultra settings drop further to 69 FPS. The 1440p Medium configuration is notable for its tight minimum-to-average gap, suggesting a stable experience.

At 3840x2160, the demands of the resolution are clear. Low settings still allow for an average of 153 FPS, which is impressive for 4K. Medium settings average 95 FPS, with a minimum of 81 FPS and a maximum of 110 FPS. High settings result in an average of 68 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, yielding an average of 54 FPS. This is the only configuration measured that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that 4K Ultra is a significant challenge for this hardware.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play at for a high refresh rate experience?

A: For an experience above 144 FPS, 1080p with Low settings is the only configuration to reach that mark, averaging 185 FPS. At 1440p, Low settings average 175 FPS, which is also excellent for high refresh rate displays. For a 4K experience, Low settings still manage a very playable 153 FPS average.

Q: How does the CPU affect performance in The Medium?

A: Benchmark results indicate the CPU is a limiting factor at lower resolutions. The small FPS difference between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings (185 FPS vs. 175 FPS) suggests the CPU is holding the system back before the GPU becomes the bottleneck at 4K.

Q: Is 4K Ultra settings a viable option with this hardware?

A: The data shows that 4K Ultra settings result in an average of 54 FPS. While playable, this falls below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider the standard for a smooth experience. For a more consistent frame rate, the Medium preset at 4K provides a significantly higher average of 95 FPS.

Q: Which settings preset offers the most stable performance?

A: The Medium settings preset at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K provides the only configurations with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values. The 1440p Medium preset shows a minimum of 103 FPS, a maximum of 140 FPS, and an average of 122 FPS, indicating a stable and consistent frame time.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other systems tested?

A: This specific combination of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D and RTX 5090 D ranks 15th out of 2,911 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the top percentile of all tested systems, indicating it is among the fastest configurations for this game.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded for this setup?

A: The lowest average FPS recorded is 54 at 4K Ultra. The highest average FPS recorded is 185 at 1080p Low. The only configurations with explicit min/max data are the Medium presets: at 1080p, the min was 123 and max was 166; at 1440p, the min was 103 and max was 140; at 4K, the min was 81 and max was 110.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings preset depends entirely on the target resolution and refresh rate. For users with a 1080p display, the Medium preset is a strong recommendation. It provides an average of 144 FPS, which is ideal for high refresh rate monitors, and the recorded minimum of 123 FPS ensures that the experience remains smooth even in demanding scenes. While Low settings offer a higher average, the visual fidelity gain from Medium is likely worth the frame rate trade-off.

For 1440p displays, the Medium preset again offers the best balance. An average of 122 FPS is excellent, and the minimum of 103 FPS keeps the frame rate well above the 60 FPS threshold. This allows for a high-refresh-rate experience without sacrificing the visual quality that Medium settings provide. The High preset at 1440p averages 87 FPS, which is still very good, but the additional stability of the Medium preset makes it more appealing.

At 4K, the recommendation is more nuanced. For those who prioritize frame rate, the Low preset offers a very high 153 FPS average, but this comes with significant visual compromises. The Medium preset provides a much better visual experience while still maintaining a solid 95 FPS average, with a minimum of 81 FPS. This makes 4K Medium the sweet spot for a high-quality, high-performance experience. The High preset at 68 FPS is also viable, but the Ultra preset, with its 54 FPS average, is likely too demanding for most users who prefer a smoother experience.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a flagship graphics card from the GeForce 50-series, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB202 chip. It has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a massive 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth. This is a significant asset for high-resolution gaming, as it allows for quick loading of high-resolution textures. The GPU also features a boost clock of 2407 MHz and a high core count, leading to a raw compute performance of 104.8 TFLOPS.

The GPU's role in The Medium becomes more apparent as resolution increases. At 1080p and 1440p with lower settings, the CPU is often the bottleneck, as indicated by the relatively small FPS differences. However, at 4K, the GPU's workload becomes the primary constraint. The significant drop in FPS from 1440p to 4K, particularly at High and Ultra settings, demonstrates the immense pixel-pushing demand that 4K resolution places on the renderer.

The RTX 5090 D's 32 GB of VRAM ensures that it will not be a limiting factor for texture memory in this game, even at 4K Ultra. Its high bandwidth and compute capabilities allow it to handle the game's rendering techniques efficiently. The benchmark results show it is a top performer, and its 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs is reflected in the high frame rates observed at 4K. The data suggests that this GPU is a key enabler for the high performance seen in The Medium, particularly when the resolution is high enough to shift the bottleneck away from the CPU.