The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title built around atmospheric tension, presents a unique challenge for the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti pairing. The benchmark data reveals a system that is highly capable at mainstream resolutions but struggles to maintain smooth frame rates at the extreme end of the spectrum. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, examining how the CPU and GPU each influence the final output and what settings provide the most balanced experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and steep decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, which is typical for a graphically demanding title. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 58 FPS at 1080p to 49 FPS at 1440p, a loss of 9 FPS. Moving further up to 4K, the average plummets to 38 FPS, representing a significant 20 FPS drop from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern indicates that the rendering load is heavily impacting the GPU as pixel count increases.

The Low preset demonstrates the most dramatic scaling, with average FPS falling from 129 at 1080p to 109 at 1440p, and then down to 85 at 4K. Even at the lowest settings, the 4K resolution proves to be a substantial burden, resulting in a 44 FPS difference compared to 1080p. This suggests that the game's rendering engine is particularly sensitive to resolution, regardless of the graphical fidelity settings.

The Ultra preset shows the least headroom, with averages of 46 FPS at 1080p, 39 FPS at 1440p, and a near-unplayable 30 FPS at 4K. The progression from High to Ultra at 4K, dropping from 38 to 30 FPS, highlights that the additional visual effects in the Ultra preset are too costly for this GPU at that resolution. The data implies that the RTX 3070 Ti is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions, as the frame rate drops are disproportionately large when compared to the CPU's capabilities.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is a high-end desktop processor based on the Zen 5 architecture. Its base clock of 4.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz provide substantial single-threaded performance, which is often critical for game logic and frame pacing. The processor's 96 MB of shared L3 cache is a notable feature that can help reduce memory latency and improve performance in scenarios with large datasets.

The CPU's benchmark scores reinforce its strength. It achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22807 and a single-core score of 2228, placing it in the 92nd percentile against all CPUs. In Passmark tests, its single-thread score of 4704 and multithread score of 41318 indicate robust processing power. The nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the Intel Core i9-14900, which is 0.5% faster, and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M, which is 0.1% faster, showing the 9850X3D is a top-tier performer.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU does not appear to be the bottleneck. The frame rate differences between the resolutions are substantial, which would not be the case if the CPU were limiting performance. Even at 1080p with the Low preset, where the GPU has less work to do, the average FPS of 129 suggests the CPU is feeding the GPU sufficient data. The processor's high boost clock and large cache likely ensure that it can handle the game's streaming and logic requirements without causing significant frame drops, allowing the focus to shift entirely to the GPU's rendering capabilities.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is an Ampere-architecture GPU with 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s. It features 6144 shading units and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, which translates to a FP32 performance of 21.75 TFLOPS. The GPU's percentile ranking is 75th against all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 29945 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile, which is 0.1% faster, and the AMD Radeon RX 6800, which is 0.5% faster.

The GPU's role in The Medium is clearly dominant. The measured FPS data shows that the RTX 3070 Ti is the limiting factor, especially at higher resolutions. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a potential concern for a game that aims for high visual fidelity. While the card can handle 1080p and 1440p with relative ease, the performance collapse at 4K on the High and Ultra presets suggests that either the memory capacity or the raw compute power is insufficient for the extreme demands of 4K rendering.

The data shows that the GPU's performance scales predictably with the graphics preset. At 1440p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 70 FPS (109 vs 39), which is a massive range. This indicates that the game's settings have a profound impact on the GPU load. The RTX 3070 Ti's 8 GB of memory might be a limiting factor at 4K with High or Ultra settings, as the game could be exceeding the available VRAM, leading to lower average FPS. The 38 FPS average at 4K High and 30 FPS at 4K Ultra point to a GPU that is fundamentally overburdened at this resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal balance between visual quality and smooth performance is found at the Medium preset. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset yields an average of 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS. This provides a fluid experience that is well above the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset still maintains a respectable average of 68 FPS, with a minimum of 58 FPS, making it a viable option for high-refresh-rate monitors.

The High preset is a less ideal choice. It drops the average FPS to 58 at 1080p and 49 at 1440p. While these are playable, they are significantly lower than the Medium preset and leave less headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset is only recommended for users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, as it produces averages of 46 FPS at 1080p and 39 FPS at 1440p, which can feel inconsistent.

For 4K, the data suggests that the Low preset is the only acceptable option, producing an average of 85 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K averages 53 FPS, which is borderline, while the High and Ultra presets fall to 38 and 30 FPS respectively, which are not suitable for a smooth horror experience. Therefore, the Medium preset at 1080p or 1440p offers the best balance, but users targeting 4K should stick to the Low preset to ensure playable frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is ranked 978th out of 2911 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all possible configurations. Given the CPU's high percentile ranking (92nd) and the GPU's more moderate ranking (75th), the overall combo ranking suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing.

The rank of 978 implies that there are many other combinations that perform better in this specific game. This is likely due to the fact that the RTX 3070 Ti, while capable, is outclassed by newer and more powerful GPUs that can handle the game's demanding 4K presets. The CPU is clearly not the bottleneck, as its performance is near the top of the charts, but the overall combo score is dragged down by the GPU's limitations.

This ranking indicates that users with this specific setup should not expect top-tier performance in The Medium. While the combo is more than adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, it falls short of the performance levels achieved by systems with more powerful graphics cards. The data suggests that if a user were to upgrade any component, the GPU would yield the most significant performance gains.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but only if you use the Low preset, which achieves an average of 85 FPS. The Medium preset averages 53 FPS, while High and Ultra average 38 FPS and 30 FPS respectively, which are not ideal for a smooth experience.

Q: What is the best quality preset to use at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset is recommended, as it provides an average of 68 FPS with a minimum of 58 FPS. This offers a good balance of visual quality and performance. The High preset averages 49 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 39 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck in this system for this game?

A: The benchmark data indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor. The frame rates drop significantly as resolution increases, which is a characteristic of GPU-bound scenarios. The CPU's performance is in the 92nd percentile, suggesting it is not holding the system back.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 Ti compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 29945. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile, which is 0.1% faster, and the AMD Radeon RX 6800, which is 0.5% faster. The AMD Radeon RX 6700 is 1.6% slower.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 129 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 46 FPS. This represents a difference of 83 FPS, showing the massive impact of graphical settings on performance.

Q: Does the system provide a consistent frame rate at the Medium preset?

A: The data shows some variance. At 1080p Medium, the average is 81 FPS with a range of 69 to 93 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 68 FPS with a range of 58 to 78 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 53 FPS with a range of 45 to 61 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings combination.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|---|---|---|---|---|

| 3840x2160 | High | 38 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 85 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 53 | 45 | 61 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 30 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 49 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 109 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 68 | 58 | 78 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 39 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 58 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 129 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 81 | 69 | 93 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 46 | - | - |

The data shows a clear hierarchy. The Low preset offers the highest frame rates across all resolutions, with the Medium preset providing a significant drop in performance but with more visual detail. The High and Ultra presets are the most demanding, with the Ultra preset at 4K delivering the lowest average of 30 FPS. The minimum and maximum FPS values for the Medium preset show that the frame time is not entirely stable, but the variance is acceptable for a horror game that doesn't require split-second reactions.