The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT delivers a playable but demanding experience in The Medium, with frame rates that scale dramatically with both resolution and preset. The data shows a configuration that is firmly GPU-bound at higher settings, yet reveals surprising CPU headroom at lower presets, making it a versatile if not top-tier combo for this horror title.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, pointing directly at the Radeon RX 6750 XT as the primary bottleneck in this pairing. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 53.7 FPS at 1920x1080 to 42.9 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 20%. Pushing further to 3840x2160, the average drops to 33.3 FPS, which is a 38% decline from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU's rendering workload is the limiting factor, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames at these resolutions.

The pattern repeats across all presets, but the severity varies. At Low settings, the 1080p average of 117.8 FPS falls to 99.4 FPS at 1440p and then to 75.3 FPS at 4K. While the absolute drop is smaller in percentage terms (36% from 1080p to 4K), the fact that even Low settings cannot hold a steady 60 FPS at 4K reinforces that the RX 6750 XT's 12 GB frame buffer and compute throughput are being saturated. At Medium settings, the sequence is 71.9 FPS (1080p), 60.4 FPS (1440p), and 46.8 FPS (4K). The 4K Medium result is barely above the 30 FPS threshold, indicating that 4K gaming is only viable at the lowest preset.

Ultra settings exacerbate the scaling issue. The 1080p Ultra average is 41.8 FPS, which drops to 35.6 FPS at 1440p and collapses to 29 FPS at 4K. The delta between 1440p and 4K at Ultra is only 6.6 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is hitting a hard performance ceiling regardless of resolution when all features are enabled. Benchmark results indicate that for a consistent 60 FPS target, 1080p is the only resolution where Medium or High settings are achievable, while 1440p requires Medium settings to stay above 60 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X provides a formidable foundation for this game, with 12 cores and 24 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 4.80 GHz ensure that single-threaded performance is not a limiting factor in The Medium, which relies on a mix of CPU and GPU workloads for its fixed-camera horror sequences. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 33150 and single-core score of 4680 demonstrate substantial processing power, but the game's frame rates suggest that this power is rarely fully utilized.

At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 117.8 FPS, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. This indicates that the Ryzen 9 5900X can feed the GPU efficiently when graphical load is low, but even this scenario does not fully stress the CPU. The 3DMark max threads score of 10075 and the PassMark multithread score of 39002 confirm the CPU's capability, yet the game's engine appears to be more GPU-centric. The fact that the 1080p Low result is more than double the 1080p Ultra result (117.8 FPS vs 41.8 FPS) shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck in either case; the GPU's workload increases disproportionately with settings.

The CPU's 64 MB of L3 cache is ample for game data, and the dual-channel DDR4 memory bus with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth provides sufficient throughput. Notably, the CPU's percentile ranking of 90 versus all CPUs places it in the top decile, meaning it outperforms most processors in synthetic benchmarks. In The Medium, however, the CPU's role is supportive rather than dominant, as evidenced by the fact that even at 4K Ultra, the frame rate is limited by the GPU to 29 FPS, well below what the CPU could theoretically support.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global ranking for The Medium, this combination of the Ryzen 9 5900X and RX 6750 XT sits at rank 802 out of 1689 tested combos, placing it in the upper-middle tier of configurations. This ranking reflects a balanced but not exceptional pairing, where the GPU's mid-range performance (79th percentile versus all GPUs) and the CPU's high-end performance (90th percentile) create a system that handles 1080p and 1440p well but struggles at 4K with high presets.

The combo's position is influenced more by the GPU than the CPU. The RX 6750 XT's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, which has an average benchmark score of 35787 versus the RX 6750 XT's 35327, a delta of -1.3%. This close margin in synthetic tests does not translate to identical game performance, but it indicates that the GPU is competitive with last-generation high-end cards. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700, scores 39857 on average, which is 1% higher than the Ryzen 9 5900X's 39453, but this difference has minimal impact on The Medium's frame rates.

The rank of 802 out of 1689 means that a significant number of combos outperform this setup, but also that it beats a majority of tested configurations. For a game like The Medium, which is not particularly demanding compared to AAA shooters, this rank suggests that the combo is well-suited for 60 FPS gaming at 1080p and 1440p, but not for 4K enthusiasts.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 117.8 FPS (Low), 71.9 FPS (Medium), 53.7 FPS (High), and 41.8 FPS (Ultra). This resolution offers the most flexibility, with Low and Medium both exceeding the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. High settings are playable at 53.7 FPS, but Ultra falls below 45 FPS, which may cause noticeable stuttering in a horror game where atmosphere relies on smooth motion.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 99.4 FPS (Low), 60.4 FPS (Medium), 42.9 FPS (High), and 35.6 FPS (Ultra). The Medium preset is the only one that achieves a locked 60 FPS, while Low provides a substantial headroom for competitive play. High settings drop below 45 FPS, making them less ideal for a game that benefits from consistent frame pacing. Ultra settings at 1440p are barely playable at 35.6 FPS, which is below the 40 FPS threshold for acceptable motion fluidity.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 75.3 FPS (Low), 46.8 FPS (Medium), 33.3 FPS (High), and 29 FPS (Ultra). Only Low settings provide a comfortable experience above 60 FPS, while Medium is borderline playable at 46.8 FPS. High and Ultra presets fail to reach even 35 FPS, making 4K gaming a poor experience with this GPU. The data shows a clear pattern: for every preset, the frame rate drops by roughly 35-40% when moving from 1080p to 4K, confirming that the GPU is the sole limiting factor.

FAQ

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

A: Only at Low settings, where the average is 75.3 FPS. Medium settings drop to 46.8 FPS, and High and Ultra fall to 33.3 FPS and 29 FPS respectively, which are not considered playable for a smooth experience.

Q: What is the best resolution for a consistent 60 FPS experience?

A: At 1920x1080, both Low (117.8 FPS) and Medium (71.9 FPS) exceed 60 FPS. At 2560x1440, only Medium (60.4 FPS) achieves this target, while Low (99.4 FPS) is well above it.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its rivals in this game?

A: The Ryzen 9 5900X has an average benchmark score of 39453, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 4245P and 0.9% higher than the Intel Core i7-13700F. However, these differences are negligible for The Medium, as the game is GPU-bound.

Q: Is the GPU's 12 GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: The measured data shows no VRAM-related stutters or crashes, and the GPU's 12 GB GDDR6 memory with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth is ample for all tested settings. The bottleneck is compute performance, not memory capacity.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: The average frame rate drops from 117.8 FPS at Low to 41.8 FPS at Ultra, a reduction of 76 FPS or roughly 65%. This indicates that Ultra settings impose a heavy graphical load that the GPU cannot sustain.

Q: How does this combo rank against all tested configurations?

A: It ranks 802nd out of 1689 combos, placing it in the upper-middle tier. This is a respectable position, given that the GPU is in the 79th percentile and the CPU in the 90th percentile of their respective categories.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is the recommended choice, delivering 71.9 FPS on average. This provides a smooth experience while retaining some visual fidelity. If a higher frame rate is desired, the Low preset at 1080p offers 117.8 FPS, which is ideal for players who prioritize responsiveness over graphics. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the only option that stays above 60 FPS (60.4 FPS), making it the default recommendation for this resolution.

The High preset is not recommended for any resolution, as it fails to reach 60 FPS at 1080p (53.7 FPS) and drops to 42.9 FPS at 1440p. The Ultra preset is strictly for players with lower frame rate tolerances, as it averages 41.8 FPS at 1080p and 29 FPS at 4K. Benchmark results indicate that the visual difference between Medium and High is not worth the performance penalty, given that the frame rate drops by over 25% when moving from Medium to High at 1440p.

For 4K gaming, the Low preset at 75.3 FPS is the only viable option, but players should consider that the game's dark, atmospheric environments may not benefit much from higher settings at this resolution. The data suggests that Medium at 1080p offers the best overall experience, balancing frame rate and visual quality without pushing the GPU to its limits.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is the defining component in this combo, and its performance dictates the overall experience in The Medium. With a base clock of 2150 MHz, a game clock of 2495 MHz, and a boost clock of 2600 MHz, the GPU's RDNA 2.0 architecture delivers a FP32 throughput of 13.31 TFLOPS. This is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming but falls short at 4K with high presets. The GPU's 40 ray tracing cores are present, but the game's measured data does not indicate that ray tracing is a major factor, as the frame rates scale linearly with traditional rasterization settings.

The GPU's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than adequate for The Medium's texture-heavy scenes. The 64 ROPS and 160 TMUs ensure that pixel and texture throughput are not bottlenecks, as evidenced by the consistent frame times across resolutions. The GPU's percentile ranking of 79 versus all GPUs places it in the upper quarter of graphics cards, but its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, scores 1.3% higher on average. This close margin suggests that the RX 6750 XT is competitive with older high-end cards, but not with newer mid-range offerings.

The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 20700 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 2548 confirm its mid-range positioning. In The Medium, this translates to a GPU that excels at 1080p, handles 1440p with settings compromises, and struggles at 4K. The fact that the GPU's average benchmark score of 35327 is within 0.2% of the AMD Radeon RX 5600M's score (35264) is notable, as it indicates that the RX 6750 XT's performance is not significantly better than a lower-tier card in synthetic tests, though game performance may differ. Ultimately, the RX 6750 XT is the limiting factor in this combo, and players seeking higher frame rates at 4K would need a more powerful GPU.