The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a playable, though constrained, experience in The Medium, with performance that scales predictably across resolution and quality presets. This combination ranks 2162nd out of 3724 tested combos for this title, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. The data indicates a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the 12-core CPU provides ample headroom that never becomes the primary bottleneck in the measured scenarios.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer, built on TSMC's 7 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz, with a 105 W TDP. This CPU sits in the 87th percentile of all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 41376. Its nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H, which scores 41263 (0.3% lower), and the Intel Core i7-14650HX, which scores 41576 (0.5% higher), indicating the 5900X is competitively positioned among modern desktop and mobile chips.

For The Medium, the CPU's role is largely supportive. The game's measured FPS data shows that at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 101 FPS average, which drops to 45 FPS at High settings. This pattern suggests that even at lower resolutions where CPU load is proportionally higher, the 5900X's 12 cores and 24 threads are not the limiting factor. The processor's multi-threaded capability, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16262, far exceeds what a title like The Medium requires. The game's horror genre typically emphasizes atmospheric rendering over complex physics simulations, meaning the 5900X's headroom remains largely untapped.

The single-thread performance is also strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1527 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2083. This is relevant because game logic and frame pacing often depend on single-thread efficiency. However, the measured FPS deltas between Low and High settings at the same resolution (e.g., from 101 FPS to 45 FPS at 1080p) are far larger than any CPU-side variation could produce. This confirms that the GPU is the dominant performance determinant. The CPU's 64 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are more than adequate for feeding the GPU in this scenario. In summary, the 5900X provides a stable, high-performance foundation, but its contribution to the final frame rate in The Medium is secondary to the graphics card.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture, using the TU104 chip manufactured on a 12 nm process. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 1605 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz, and the memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). This card sits in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20282. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480, 1% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, 1.2% higher), and the Intel Arc B570 (20556, 1.3% higher), showing it is closely matched with those products.

In The Medium, the RTX 2070 SUPER is the clear bottleneck. The data shows that at 3840x2160 (4K), the average FPS ranges from 24 at Ultra settings to 67 at Low settings. This wide spread is characteristic of a GPU that is being pushed to its limits by pixel count and texture complexity. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for the game's requirements at these settings, as no out-of-memory crashes or severe stutters are indicated in the measured data; the minimum FPS values, where available (e.g., 35 FPS at 4K Medium), are not disproportionately low, suggesting stable memory usage.

The GPU's 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs are the key architectural specs that determine its rasterization throughput. The measured FPS at 1440p High (38 FPS) versus 1080p High (45 FPS) shows a 15.6% drop, which aligns with the increased pixel count. At 4K High (30 FPS), the GPU is clearly at its limit, as the frame rate falls below the 30 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for playable action. The RTX 2070 SUPER's 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are present, but The Medium's measured results do not indicate a scenario where ray tracing is enabled, as the FPS values are consistent with traditional rasterization workloads. The GPU's 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is the raw compute resource that the game's shaders utilize, and the data shows it is insufficient for smooth 4K Ultra gameplay, capping at 24 FPS.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling across resolutions. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 101 at 1920x1080 to 85 at 2560x1440, a 15.8% decrease, and further to 67 at 3840x2160, a 21.2% decrease from 1440p. This scaling is nearly linear with pixel count, which is the signature of a system where the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors. The CPU's performance is invariant to resolution, so the consistent FPS drops prove that the RTX 2070 SUPER is the component that cannot keep up with increasing resolution.

At Medium settings, the same trend holds: 63 FPS at 1080p, 53 FPS at 1440p, and 42 FPS at 4K. The deltas are 15.9% and 20.8%, respectively, mirroring the Low settings pattern. At High settings, the FPS drops from 45 at 1080p to 38 at 1440p (15.6% decrease) and then to 30 at 4K (21.1% decrease). Finally, at Ultra settings, the FPS drops from 36 at 1080p to 30 at 1440p (16.7% decrease) and then to 24 at 4K (20% decrease). The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings is a strong indicator that the performance ceiling is set by the GPU.

This behavior also rules out any CPU limitation. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the FPS to remain relatively flat as resolution increases, since the CPU workload would be similar. Instead, the FPS drops proportionally with pixel count, which is the expected behavior for a GPU-bound system. The Ryzen 9 5900X, with its 24 threads and high boost clock, has more than enough capacity to handle the game's draw calls and game logic at all tested resolutions. Therefore, anyone using this combo should expect that lowering resolution will provide a direct and predictable FPS boost, but the GPU will always be the wall.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and the user's preference for smoothness over visual fidelity. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers an average of 63 FPS with a minimum of 54 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS. This is the sweet spot for 1080p, as it provides a frame rate that is above the 60 FPS threshold for most displays while maintaining a reasonable balance between quality and performance. The High preset at 1080p drops to 45 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced scenes, while Ultra at 36 FPS is borderline. Low at 101 FPS is unnecessary unless extreme refresh rates are the goal.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset yields an average of 53 FPS, with a minimum of 45 FPS and a maximum of 61 FPS. This is a solid choice for 1440p, as it stays above 45 FPS even in the worst-case scenarios, providing a fluid experience for most players. The High preset at 38 FPS is acceptable for slower, atmospheric sections of the game, but it may feel choppy during transitions. Low at 85 FPS is viable for competitive play, but it sacrifices too much visual quality for a horror title where atmosphere matters. Ultra at 30 FPS is only suitable for players who prioritize graphics over smoothness.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more challenging. The Medium preset averages 42 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS. This is the only preset at 4K that maintains an average above 30 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 4K displays. The Low preset at 67 FPS is smooth, but it undermines the visual intent of the game. The High preset at 30 FPS is exactly at the minimum threshold, and Ultra at 24 FPS is too slow for a playable experience. Therefore, the data suggests that Medium is the best compromise across all resolutions, offering the highest FPS that remains visibly stable without dipping into unplayable territory.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 2162nd out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the 42nd percentile of all tested systems, meaning that roughly 58% of the combos in the database perform better than this one. The ranking reflects the GPU's age and position in the market; the RTX 2070 SUPER is an end-of-life product, and its performance in this title is overshadowed by newer mid-range and high-end cards.

The CPU's individual percentile of 87 is much higher than the GPU's percentile of 65, which further emphasizes that the graphics card is the limiting factor in this pairing. The combo's rank is largely determined by the GPU's performance, as the CPU is more than capable of supporting faster graphics cards. The nearest GPU rivals, such as the Intel Arc B570 (which scores 20556, 1.3% higher), would likely push this combo's rank slightly higher if paired with the same CPU. The data shows that this combo is not competitive with systems that use modern high-end GPUs, but it is also far from the bottom of the pile. It occupies a middle ground where it can handle 1080p and 1440p gaming well, but struggles at 4K with high settings. The 3724 total combos include many weaker CPUs and GPUs, so this rank is not a sign of obsolescence, but rather a reflection of the RTX 2070 SUPER's mid-range status in 2021 and beyond.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The following table summarizes all measured FPS data for this combo in The Medium. All values are averages unless otherwise specified.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 101 FPS average
• Medium: 63 FPS average, 54 FPS minimum, 72 FPS maximum
• High: 45 FPS average
• Ultra: 36 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 85 FPS average
• Medium: 53 FPS average, 45 FPS minimum, 61 FPS maximum
• High: 38 FPS average
• Ultra: 30 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 67 FPS average
• Medium: 42 FPS average, 35 FPS minimum, 48 FPS maximum
• High: 30 FPS average
• Ultra: 24 FPS average

The data shows that the only settings with reported minimum and maximum FPS are the Medium presets at each resolution. This suggests that the Medium preset experiences more frame-time variance than the other settings, likely due to dynamic scene complexity. The minimum FPS values at Medium are 54 at 1080p, 45 at 1440p, and 35 at 4K, which are all within 15% of the average, indicating that the frame pacing is stable. The maximum values (72, 61, and 48) show that there is headroom in less demanding scenes. For the Low, High, and Ultra presets, no min/max data is available, so only the averages should be used for planning. At 4K Ultra, the 24 FPS average is the lowest measured value in the entire dataset, confirming that this setting is not viable for this hardware.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play The Medium with this hardware?

A: The measured data shows that 1920x1080 with Medium settings yields 63 FPS average, which is the highest FPS above 60 at a playable quality. At 2560x1440, Medium drops to 53 FPS, which is still smooth, while 3840x2160 Medium averages 42 FPS. The choice depends on display capability, but 1080p Medium offers the most consistent frame rate.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system for The Medium?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck. The FPS drops almost exactly in proportion to the increase in pixel count from 1080p to 4K, which is a clear sign of GPU limitation. The Ryzen 9 5900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, has more than enough performance to feed the RTX 2070 SUPER.

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

A: Yes, but only at Low or Medium settings. At 4K Low, it averages 67 FPS, while at 4K Medium it averages 42 FPS. At 4K High, the average drops to 30 FPS, which is marginal, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 24 FPS, which is not recommended.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 20282. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, 1.2% higher) and the Intel Arc B570 (20556, 1.3% higher). These rival cards would likely produce slightly higher FPS in The Medium, but the difference is small.

Q: What is the difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings average 85 FPS, while Ultra settings average 30 FPS. This is a 183% increase in performance from Ultra to Low, showing that the game's quality presets have a massive impact on the GPU load.

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM on the RTX 2070 SUPER enough for The Medium?

A: Yes, the measured data does not indicate any VRAM-related issues. The minimum FPS values at Medium settings (45 FPS at 1440p, 35 FPS at 4K) are not unusually low, suggesting that the 8 GB capacity is sufficient for the game's textures and buffers at the tested settings.