The Medium

# How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D lands at rank 4 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium. This places the configuration in the top 0.14% of all systems tested, a position that reflects the combined strength of both components. The data shows this combo sits just behind three other configurations, but the margin is narrow given the sheer number of tested systems. For a horror title that relies on atmosphere and steady frame pacing, ranking this high means the hardware is not the bottleneck in any practical sense. The 9850X3D, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, delivers strong single-thread performance that matters for the game's logic, while the RTX 5090 D provides the raw rasterization power needed to push high resolutions. In the context of the full database, this is a top-tier pairing that should handle The Medium without compromise. However, the measured FPS data reveals that even this elite combo faces challenges at the most demanding settings, so the rank alone does not tell the whole story—the settings and resolution choices will determine the actual experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in The Medium?

A: The highest recorded average is 198 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next best is 187 FPS at 2560x1440 with Low settings, showing that the Low preset scales well across resolutions.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS in the measured data?

A: The lowest is 54 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is the only sub-60 average in the entire dataset, indicating that 4K Ultra pushes the combo to its limits.

Q: Does the Medium settings preset offer a balanced option?

A: Yes, the Medium preset provides the only rows with min and max FPS values. At 1920x1080, it averages 144 FPS with a min of 123 and max of 166. At 2560x1440, it averages 122 FPS with a min of 103 and max of 140. At 3840x2160, it averages 95 FPS with a min of 81 and max of 110.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D has an average benchmark score of 58386. The Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M scores 58323, a delta of 0.1% (slower). The Intel Core i9-14900 scores 58115, a delta of 0.5% (slower). The Intel Xeon w5-2545 scores 58504, a delta of -0.2% (faster). The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 scores 58826, a delta of -0.7% (faster).

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77712. The AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT scores 76904, a delta of 1.1% (slower). The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78940, a delta of -1.6% (faster). The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79396, a delta of -2.1% (faster). The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79605, a delta of -2.4% (faster).

Q: What are the CPU's core and clock specifications?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D has 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock is 4.70 GHz and its boost clock is 5.60 GHz. The L3 cache is 96 MB shared, which is substantial for gaming workloads.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is built on the Zen 5 architecture with the Granite Ridge codename, manufactured on a 4 nm process by TSMC. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The large 96 MB shared L3 cache is a defining feature, designed to reduce memory latency in gaming scenarios. In The Medium, a game that involves fixed camera angles and dense environmental storytelling, the CPU's role is to maintain consistent frame times during scene transitions and character interactions. The benchmark results for this CPU show a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22807 and a single-core score of 2228, which puts it in the 92nd percentile among all CPUs tested. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-14900, scores 58115 in average benchmark score, which is 0.5% lower than the 9850X3D's 58386. The data suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor in The Medium, as even the most demanding GPU-bound scenarios at 4K Ultra still yield playable frame rates. The 16 threads handle background tasks and game logic efficiently, while the boost clock of 5.60 GHz ensures responsive single-thread performance. The CPU's memory support includes DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s, which complements the GPU's high-bandwidth memory. For a game like The Medium, which was released in 2021, the CPU's capabilities far exceed the requirements, meaning the bottleneck shifts entirely to the GPU at higher settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a complete picture of performance scaling. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 198 FPS, making it the fastest configuration tested. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 144 FPS with a minimum of 123 and maximum of 166, which is a solid range for high-refresh monitors. The High preset at 1080p drops to 103 FPS average, while the Ultra preset falls to 82 FPS average. At 2560x1440, the Low preset maintains 187 FPS average, showing minimal loss from 1080p. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 122 FPS with a minimum of 103 and maximum of 140, which remains smooth for most displays. The High preset at 1440p averages 87 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 69 FPS average. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 153 FPS, which is still excellent for 4K gaming. The Medium preset at 4K averages 95 FPS with a minimum of 81 and maximum of 110, providing a stable experience. The High preset at 4K averages 68 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 54 FPS average, which is the only result below the 60 FPS threshold. The data indicates that the combo excels at 1080p and 1440p across all presets, while 4K requires dropping to Medium or Low for high refresh rates. The min FPS values for the Medium preset show that frame pacing is consistent: at 1080p the min is 123, at 1440p it is 103, and at 4K it is 81. This consistency suggests the hardware handles the game's loading and transition points without major hitches.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals the scaling behavior of this combo. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 198 at 1080p to 187 at 1440p (a 5.6% drop) and then to 153 at 4K (a 22.7% drop from 1080p). This relatively mild degradation indicates that at Low settings, the CPU and GPU are both capable of maintaining high throughput, and the workload scales predictably with pixel count. At Medium settings, the averages go from 144 at 1080p to 122 at 1440p (a 15.3% drop) and then to 95 at 4K (a 34.0% drop from 1080p). The larger drop at Medium settings suggests the GPU is becoming more stressed as texture quality and shading complexity increase. At High settings, the averages go from 103 at 1080p to 87 at 1440p (a 15.5% drop) and then to 68 at 4K (a 34.0% drop from 1080p). The percentage drops are nearly identical to Medium, indicating that the GPU load scales similarly between these two presets. At Ultra settings, the averages go from 82 at 1080p to 69 at 1440p (a 15.9% drop) and then to 54 at 4K (a 34.1% drop from 1080p). The consistent 34% drop from 1080p to 4K across Medium, High, and Ultra settings points to a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. The CPU's performance ceiling is not reached, as evidenced by the relatively small FPS penalty at Low settings (22.7% drop from 1080p to 4K). This suggests that the RTX 5090 D's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are the primary drivers of 4K performance, and the 9850X3D's 96 MB L3 cache helps maintain frame pacing but does not become the limiting factor. The data reveals that for 4K gaming, users should expect a significant performance hit when moving from Low to Medium, but the Medium preset still offers a playable 95 FPS average.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset offers the best balance between visual quality and performance. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 144 FPS average with a minimum of 123 FPS, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay on standard 144Hz monitors. The High preset at 1080p drops to 103 FPS average, which is still acceptable but loses the frame pacing benefits seen in the Medium preset's min/max data. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 122 FPS with a minimum of 103 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh 1440p displays. The High preset at 1440p falls to 87 FPS, which is playable but requires a VRR display to avoid tearing. At 3840x2160, the Medium preset averages 95 FPS with a minimum of 81 FPS, which is excellent for 4K gaming on a 60Hz or 120Hz display. The High preset at 4K averages 68 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset, while visually the most impressive, only reaches 54 FPS average at 4K, which is below the 60 FPS standard and may feel stuttery in a slow-paced horror game. The Low preset, while achieving the highest FPS at all resolutions, sacrifices too much visual fidelity for a game that relies on atmosphere and shadow detail. The data strongly suggests that the Medium preset is the sweet spot: it is the only preset with recorded min and max FPS values, indicating the test methodology captured stable performance across the entire scene. For users with 1080p or 1440p monitors, the Medium preset provides headroom for background tasks or streaming. For 4K users, the Medium preset's 95 FPS average with an 81 FPS minimum ensures that even the most intense moments in The Medium remain fluid. The Ultra preset should be avoided at 4K unless the user prioritizes visuals over frame rate, but the 54 FPS average risks breaking immersion. In summary, the Medium preset is the recommended choice for this combo across all resolutions, as it consistently delivers the best balance of frame rate and visual quality without dipping below 60 FPS at any point.