The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title built on Unreal Engine 4, presents a demanding workload that scales heavily with GPU capabilities. This analysis examines the measured performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D paired with the AMD Radeon RX 580, a combination that ranks 2654th out of 2911 tested combos in this specific game. The data reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound, where the RX 580's age and specifications become the primary determinant of playability across all resolutions and settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 49 FPS at 1080p to 41 FPS at 1440p, then further to 32 FPS at 4K. This represents a 35% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. The scaling pattern is consistent across all quality presets, but the absolute losses become more dramatic at higher settings due to the GPU reaching its limits.

Examining the Medium preset, which is the only preset with complete min/max data, the average FPS falls from 31 at 1080p to 26 at 1440p and finally to 20 at 4K. The min FPS values tell a more concerning story: 26 at 1080p, 22 at 1440p, and 17 at 4K. These minimums suggest that even at 1080p Medium, the experience can dip below smooth playability thresholds during intense scenes, a common trait of this horror game’s fixed-camera transitions and volumetric effects.

At High settings, the scaling is steeper in percentage terms. The RX 580 delivers 22 FPS at 1080p, 18 FPS at 1440p, and 14 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K here is 36%, which is slightly worse than the Low preset’s 35% reduction. This indicates that as the preset becomes more demanding, the GPU’s limited shading units and texture throughput become even more stressed, leading to larger relative performance losses at higher resolutions.

Ultra settings prove nearly unplayable at every resolution. The RX 580 manages only 17 FPS at 1080p, 15 FPS at 1440p, and 11 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is a 35% reduction, mirroring the other presets, but the absolute values are so low that resolution choice becomes almost irrelevant—the game is simply too heavy for this GPU at Ultra.

The resolution scaling data strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting component. The consistent percentage drops across presets, combined with the fact that even at 1080p Low the card only reaches 49 FPS average, point to a graphics card that cannot keep pace with the CPU’s capabilities. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is not the bottleneck here; the RX 580’s 2304 shading units and 32 ROPs are clearly saturated even at the lowest resolution tested.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is built on the Polaris 20 chip using the GCN 4.0 architecture, a design that dates back to its 2017 release. Its 14 nm process node and 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die give it a transistor density of 24.6M per mm². The GPU operates at a base clock of 1257 MHz with a boost clock of 1340 MHz, and its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory runs at 2000 MHz with an 8 Gbps effective rate across a 256-bit bus, yielding 256.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth.

In The Medium, these specifications translate to the performance figures seen in the measured data. The 8 GB VRAM is adequate for most scenes at 1080p and 1440p, but the game’s dual-world rendering mechanic—which often displays two simultaneous perspectives—can pressure memory capacity at higher resolutions. The 256-bit memory bus provides 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is moderate by modern standards but becomes a limiting factor when the game loads high-resolution textures.

The GPU’s compute capabilities include 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s, alongside a texture rate of 193.0 GTexel/s. These numbers explain why the card struggles at 4K: the pixel rate is insufficient to fill 8.3 million pixels per frame at acceptable speeds, especially with the game’s post-processing effects. The 32 ROPs are a particular bottleneck at high resolutions, as they handle final pixel output and are heavily taxed by anti-aliasing and resolution scaling.

The RX 580’s benchmark scores place it in the 53rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 12928. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER, scores 12986 with a deltaPct of -0.4%, meaning the RX 580 trails by 0.4%. This negligible performance gap confirms that the RX 580 is a mid-range card from its era, and The Medium’s demanding nature exposes its limitations. The GPU’s DirectX 12 support (12_0) is present, but the game’s use of modern rendering features likely doesn’t take full advantage of this older architecture’s capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 7 9850X3D and RX 580 ranks 2654th out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the bottom 9% of all systems tested. This poor ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU, as the CPU is a top-tier processor. The combo rank of 2654 with 2911 total combos means 257 other configurations performed worse, but the vast majority of systems—over 91%—delivered better frame rates in this game.

This ranking makes sense when considering the individual components. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D sits in the 92nd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 58386. Its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon w5-2545, scores 58504 with a deltaPct of -0.2%, meaning the Ryzen is 0.2% behind. This is a flagship-level processor designed for high-end gaming and productivity. In contrast, the RX 580’s 53rd percentile GPU ranking and average score of 12928 place it firmly in the mid-range of the GPU hierarchy.

The mismatch between CPU and GPU performance is stark. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D’s 8 cores, 16 threads, and 96 MB of shared L3 cache provide ample processing headroom, but the RX 580 cannot translate that into high frame rates in a GPU-intensive title like The Medium. The data suggests that pairing a top-tier CPU with an entry-level-to-mid-range GPU from 2017 creates a system where the GPU is the clear performance ceiling. For this specific game, the combo’s low rank indicates that most other tested combinations—even those with weaker CPUs—likely outperform it because they pair better-balanced GPUs.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured FPS data, the only playable configuration for this combo is 1080p with Low settings, which delivers an average of 49 FPS. This is the sole preset-resolution combination that approaches standard playability thresholds, though even this may experience dips below 30 FPS in demanding scenes, as evidenced by the Medium preset’s min FPS of 26 at 1080p. The Low preset at 1440p delivers 41 FPS average, which is technically above 30 FPS but may feel inconsistent during the game’s most visually intense moments.

The Medium preset at 1080p yields 31 FPS average with a min of 26 and max of 35, which could be acceptable for players who prioritize visual fidelity over smoothness, but the minimum frame rate suggests occasional stutters. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 26 FPS with a min of 22, which is below the generally accepted threshold for playable performance. The 4K Medium preset, at 20 FPS average, is not viable.

High and Ultra presets are not recommended at any resolution. The High preset’s best result is 22 FPS at 1080p, and Ultra’s best is 17 FPS at 1080p—both well below playable levels. The data clearly indicates that this GPU cannot handle the game’s higher quality settings, regardless of resolution. The RX 580’s 8 GB VRAM and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the texture and shading demands of High and Ultra presets.

For the best experience per the measured rows, 1080p Low is the only reasonable choice, providing nearly double the frame rate of 1080p Medium (49 vs 31 FPS). Players seeking higher visual quality might consider 1440p Low (41 FPS) as a compromise, but the 1080p Low preset offers the highest average FPS and the most headroom above the minimum frame rate thresholds. The game’s horror atmosphere relies on smooth animation and camera movement, making frame rate consistency more important than resolution or effects.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system in The Medium?

A: The measured data shows that 1920x1080 with Low settings delivers the highest average FPS at 49, making it the only configuration that approaches smooth playability. The 1440p Low preset achieves 41 FPS average, but 1080p Low provides the best overall performance.

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K?

A: At 4K, the best result is 32 FPS average with Low settings, but this drops to 20 FPS at Medium, 14 FPS at High, and 11 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K has a min FPS of 17, indicating severe frame drops. 4K is not recommended for playable performance.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D ranks in the 92nd percentile among CPUs with a strong average benchmark score, while the RX 580 ranks in the 53rd percentile among GPUs. The FPS scaling across resolutions confirms the GPU limits performance.

Q: How does the RX 580 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 580 has an average benchmark score of 12928, with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER scoring 12986 (0.4% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile scoring 12940 (0.1% higher), and the AMD Radeon 740M scoring 12870 (0.5% lower). Performance is closely matched among these cards.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this system?

A: The only preset with min FPS data is Medium: 17 FPS at 4K, 22 FPS at 1440p, and 26 FPS at 1080p. These minimums indicate that even at 1080p Medium, the system can drop below smooth playability during intense scenes.

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM on the RX 580 sufficient for this game?

A: The measured data suggests that VRAM capacity is less of a factor than raw compute power. The RX 580’s 8 GB GDDR5 memory with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but the GPU’s 2304 shading units and 32 ROPs cannot maintain high frame rates regardless of VRAM capacity.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is a high-end desktop processor from the 9000 series, based on the Zen 5 architecture with the Granite Ridge codename. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The CPU’s cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is particularly beneficial for gaming workloads that exhibit high data locality.

In The Medium, the CPU’s role is minimal due to the game’s GPU-intensive nature. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D’s benchmark scores demonstrate its capability: it scores 3551 in Cinebench R15 multicore, 343 in singlecore, 22807 in Cinebench R23 multicore, and 2228 in singlecore. PassMark results include 41318 in multithread, 4704 in single thread, and 81998 in floating point math. These scores place the CPU in the 92nd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 58386.

The CPU’s nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M with a score of 58323 (0.1% higher), the Intel Xeon w5-2545 at 58504 (0.2% higher), the Intel Core i9-14900 at 58115 (0.5% lower), and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 at 58826 (0.7% higher). These deltas are all within 1%, indicating that the Ryzen 7 9850X3D is competitive with the best processors available.

However, in The Medium, the CPU’s power is largely untapped. The game’s fixed-camera perspectives and relatively simple AI and physics workloads do not stress the 8-core, 16-thread configuration. The measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU has the least work, the system only achieves 49 FPS average—far below what the CPU could support if paired with a more capable GPU. The 96 MB L3 cache and 5.60 GHz boost clock are wasted headroom in this configuration.

The CPU’s memory support for DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and 89.6 GB/s bandwidth is also not a limiting factor, as the game’s data throughput requirements are modest. The 4 nm process node and TSMC fabrication ensure efficient operation, but this efficiency doesn’t translate to higher frame rates when the GPU is the bottleneck. The data suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield massive performance gains in this game, while any CPU upgrade would produce negligible improvements.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS dataset for this combo in The Medium is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the system achieves 49 FPS average on Low settings, 31 FPS average on Medium (with min 26 and max 35), 22 FPS average on High, and 17 FPS average on Ultra. The spread from Low to Ultra is 32 FPS, showing that the GPU’s performance varies significantly with quality settings. The Medium preset’s min FPS of 26 is notable, as it suggests that even this mid-range setting can cause frame drops below 30 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the results are 41 FPS average on Low, 26 FPS average on Medium (with min 22 and max 30), 18 FPS average on High, and 15 FPS average on Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is 8 FPS (49 to 41), while at Medium it is 5 FPS (31 to 26). This non-linear scaling indicates that the GPU’s memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s becomes more strained at higher resolutions, but the relative impact is smaller at lower presets.

At 3840x2160, the system delivers 32 FPS average on Low, 20 FPS average on Medium (with min 17 and max 23), 14 FPS average on High, and 11 FPS average on Ultra. The 4K Low result of 32 FPS is surprisingly high compared to the 1440p High result of 18 FPS, demonstrating that lowering settings has a larger impact than reducing resolution. The 4K Medium min FPS of 17 is the lowest recorded value in the entire dataset, highlighting the GPU’s inability to maintain consistent frame delivery at this resolution.

Comparing presets across resolutions, the Low preset shows the smallest absolute drops: 49 to 41 to 32 FPS from 1080p to 1440p to 4K. The Medium preset follows a similar pattern: 31 to 26 to 20 FPS. High settings drop from 22 to 18 to 14 FPS, and Ultra drops from 17 to 15 to 11 FPS. The percentage drops from 1080p to 4K are remarkably consistent across presets (35-36%), confirming that the GPU’s rendering pipeline scales uniformly with pixel count.

The data reveals that the RX 580’s performance in The Medium is characterized by severe limitations at higher quality settings. At every resolution, the difference between Low and Ultra is substantial—32 FPS at 1080p, 26 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K. This suggests that the GPU’s shading units and texture units are the primary bottlenecks, as these are heavily utilized by the game’s lighting and material effects. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient, but the 193.0 GTexel/s texture rate and 42.88 GPixel/s pixel rate are inadequate for the game’s demands at high settings.

The min FPS values, only available for Medium settings, show a consistent pattern: 26 at 1080p, 22 at 1440p, and 17 at 4K. These minimums are 16%, 15%, and 15% below their respective averages, indicating that the game’s frame time variance is relatively stable across resolutions. However, the absolute minimums are all below the 30 FPS threshold that many players consider the minimum for playable performance, meaning the Medium preset is only marginally viable at 1080p.

In summary, the measured FPS breakdown confirms that this combo is best suited for 1080p Low, with 49 FPS average being the only result that comfortably exceeds playability standards. All other configurations fall short, with the RX 580’s age and mid-range positioning in 2017 proving insufficient for a 2021 horror game that demands modern GPU capabilities.