The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is an 8-core, 16-thread desktop processor from the 9000 series, based on the Zen 5 architecture and codenamed Granite Ridge. It operates with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, and its 96 MB of shared L3 cache is substantial for a gaming-focused chip. In synthetic testing, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22807 and a single-core score of 2228, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 58386 is nearly identical to that of the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M, which scores 58323, a delta of just 0.1%. It also edges out the Intel Core i9-14900, which scores 58115, by 0.5%, while the Intel Xeon w5-2545 scores 58504, putting it 0.2% ahead of the Ryzen part. For a horror game like The Medium, the CPU’s role is typically to maintain consistent frame pacing and feed the GPU with draw calls, and the data indicates that this processor has ample headroom for that task; its high single-thread performance (PassMark single-thread score of 4704) and massive L3 cache are characteristics that generally benefit gaming workloads that rely on large, frequently accessed data sets. However, the measured FPS in this game shows that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck, as performance scales dramatically with resolution and settings changes that primarily affect the GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is built on the Ampere architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 1500 MHz with a boost clock of 1725 MHz. The GPU’s 5888 shading units are paired with 184 texture mapping units and 96 ROPs, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate. In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 3070 scores 22214 in PassMark G3D and 3162 in 3DMark Steel Nomad, placing it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 17208 is closely matched by the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, which scores 17083, a delta of 0.7%, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 scores 17037, a delta of 1.0%. The RTX 3070 is ahead of the AMD Radeon HD 7970M, which scores 17019, by 1.1%, but trails the NVIDIA Tesla K40c, which scores 17468, by 1.5%. In The Medium, the GPU is clearly the performance-limiting component. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor, as the game’s texture and geometry demands at higher settings and resolutions can strain this capacity. The data shows that FPS drops significantly as settings increase from Low to Ultra, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound rendering, where the graphics card’s rendering throughput and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints. The RTX 3070’s 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is substantial, but the game’s demands at 4K Ultra appear to exceed what this GPU can deliver, resulting in an average of 29 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the performance difference between the Ryzen 7 9850X3D and its nearest CPU rival, the Intel Core i9-14900?

A: In average benchmark scores, the Ryzen 7 9850X3D scores 58386, which is 0.5% higher than the Intel Core i9-14900's score of 58115. This indicates a negligible performance gap between the two processors in general compute tasks.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 17208, which is 0.7% higher than the RX 7600 XT's score of 17083. This suggests that the two GPUs perform at a very similar level on average.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 resolution with Medium settings, the measured average FPS is 77, with a minimum of 65 FPS and a maximum of 88 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance in The Medium?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting component. For example, at 1440p, the average FPS drops from 65 on Medium settings to 37 on Ultra settings, a change that is primarily driven by increased GPU load rather than CPU processing. The CPU has a high single-thread score of 4704, which suggests it is not the bottleneck.

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings, the measured average FPS is 29. This is the lowest average FPS recorded across all tested configurations.

Q: How much faster is 1080p Low compared to 4K Ultra?

A: The average FPS at 1080p Low is 123, while at 4K Ultra it is 29. This represents a performance difference where the 1080p Low setting delivers roughly four times the frame rate of 4K Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 1194 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium. This places the pairing in the upper half of all tested systems, indicating a solid but not top-tier performance level for this specific game. The rank of 1194 out of 2911 means that approximately 59% of tested combos perform better than this one, while 41% perform worse. Given that the CPU is a high-end, recently released processor with a 92nd percentile ranking among all CPUs, the overall combo rank is likely held back by the GPU. The RTX 3070, while a capable card, is in the 61st percentile of all GPUs, which suggests that it is the weaker link in this pairing. The combo’s position in the rankings reflects this imbalance; a stronger GPU paired with the same CPU would likely produce a significantly higher rank. The data shows that the CPU is not a limiting factor, as its synthetic scores are competitive with other high-end processors, but the GPU’s performance ceiling is what ultimately determines the system’s standing in this game’s benchmark database.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear trend of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 123 at 1080p to 104 at 1440p, and then to 81 at 4K. This is a 15.4% decrease from 1080p to 1440p and a 34.1% decrease from 1080p to 4K. The pattern is similar at Medium settings, where the average FPS is 77 at 1080p, 65 at 1440p, and 51 at 4K, representing a 15.6% drop and a 33.8% drop, respectively. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 55 at 1080p to 46 at 1440p and 36 at 4K, which is a 16.4% and 34.5% decrease, respectively. At Ultra settings, the average FPS goes from 44 at 1080p to 37 at 1440p and 29 at 4K, a 15.9% and 34.1% decrease. The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings is a strong indicator that the GPU is the limiting factor. As resolution increases, the number of pixels the GPU must render grows, and the RTX 3070’s rendering throughput is the primary constraint. The CPU’s performance remains relatively constant across these resolutions, as its workload does not scale with pixel count. This scaling pattern suggests that to improve performance, reducing the resolution or lowering the graphics settings is the most effective approach.

Measured FPS Breakdown

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

• 1920x1080 (1080p):
• Low: Average FPS 123.
• Medium: Average FPS 77, with a minimum of 65 and a maximum of 88.
• High: Average FPS 55.
• Ultra: Average FPS 44.
• 2560x1440 (1440p):
• Low: Average FPS 104.
• Medium: Average FPS 65, with a minimum of 55 and a maximum of 74.
• High: Average FPS 46.
• Ultra: Average FPS 37.
• 3840x2160 (4K):
• Low: Average FPS 81.
• Medium: Average FPS 51, with a minimum of 43 and a maximum of 58.
• High: Average FPS 36.
• Ultra: Average FPS 29.

The data shows a consistent step-down in performance as settings increase from Low to Ultra at every resolution. The gap between Low and Ultra is substantial; at 1080p, the average FPS drops from 123 to 44, a 64.2% reduction. At 1440p, the drop is from 104 to 37, a 64.4% reduction. At 4K, the drop is from 81 to 29, a 64.2% reduction. This uniform percentage drop across resolutions suggests that the graphics settings have a multiplicative effect on the GPU’s workload, independent of resolution. The minimum and maximum FPS figures for the Medium settings at each resolution provide a range of performance, indicating some variability in frame times, but the overall pattern is one of a stable, GPU-bound experience.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance for this combo in The Medium is the Medium settings preset. At 1080p, the Medium setting delivers an average FPS of 77, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, with a minimum of 65 FPS ensuring that most frame drops are unlikely to be noticeable. At 1440p, the Medium setting provides an average of 65 FPS, which is still playable, and the minimum of 55 FPS indicates that the experience will remain mostly smooth. At 4K, the Medium setting yields an average FPS of 51, which is below 60 but may be acceptable for a slower-paced horror game, though the minimum of 43 FPS could lead to some stutter. The High setting is a viable alternative for users prioritizing visual fidelity, as it produces an average of 55 FPS at 1080p and 46 FPS at 1440p, but it drops to 36 FPS at 4K, which is likely too low for a comfortable experience. The Ultra setting is not recommended, as it only achieves an average of 44 FPS at 1080p, 37 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K, all of which are below the standard for smooth gameplay. The Low setting offers the highest frame rates—123 FPS at 1080p, 104 FPS at 1440p, and 81 FPS at 4K—but it does so at the cost of significant visual detail. The data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot, providing a playable frame rate across all tested resolutions while maintaining a reasonable level of visual quality. For users with a 1080p or 1440p monitor, the Medium preset is the clear choice. For 4K users, the Medium preset is the only settings level that approaches a playable frame rate, though it falls short of the 60 FPS ideal.