The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a compelling, if nuanced, experience in The Medium. The benchmark data reveals a system that is clearly capable of high refresh rates at 1080p but which encounters a significant wall as resolution climbs. This analysis explores how the game's fixed-camera horror presentation interacts with this specific CPU-GPU combination, drawing on the measured FPS rows, component specifications, and relative performance rankings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a classic pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the drops reveals the primary bottleneck. At 1920x1080 (1080p), the combo is comfortably fast, producing an average of 145 FPS on Low settings. This high ceiling suggests that at this resolution, the system is not entirely GPU-bound, as the frame rates are high enough to leave headroom for the CPU to keep feeding the GPU with draw calls. However, the story changes dramatically at 4K. At 3840x2160 (4K) on Ultra settings, the average FPS plummets to 35, a drop of approximately 75.9% from the 1080p Low score. This is a massive decrease, indicating that the GPU's rendering workload is the dominant constraint at these higher resolutions.

The 1440p results sit predictably in between the two extremes. At 2560x1440, the High preset yields an average of 56 FPS, which is a 16.4% decrease compared to the 1080p High score of 67 FPS. Interestingly, the scaling from 1440p to 4K is more severe. For the High preset, the FPS drops from 56 to 44, a 21.4% reduction. This pattern suggests that while the GPU is the primary limiting factor at 4K, the CPU still has enough single-thread performance to prevent it from becoming the bottleneck at 1440p. The data implies that the RTX 4070's 12GB of VRAM and its memory bandwidth are sufficient for the game's textures, but the sheer number of pixels at 4K overwhelms the compute and shading units.

Examining the Medium preset at each resolution provides another angle. At 1080p Medium, the average is 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 and a maximum of 108. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 79 FPS (with a min of 67, max of 91), and at 4K, it falls to 62 FPS (min 53, max 71). The 4K Medium score is 66.7% of the 1080p Medium score, indicating a proportional decrease. The data indicates that the GPU's performance scaling is more linear than the CPU's, which is typical for a title that is not heavily threaded.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. In The Medium, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage the game's AI and physics, which are often bound to a few threads. The CPU's 64 MB of L3 cache is a significant asset, as it can hold a large portion of the game's working set, reducing memory latency. The data suggests this is not a CPU-bound title for this combination, as the CPU's multi-core performance is far beyond what the game demands at 1080p. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 9075 and the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16262 highlight the CPU's capability, but the game's performance scales more with resolution, which is GPU-dependent.

The Ryzen 9 5900X's single-core performance, measured at a 3DMark single-thread score of 941, is adequate for the game's logic. The 2-thread score of 1852 and 4-thread score of 3588 suggest that the CPU's first few cores are strong, which is good for game engines that primarily use a main thread. However, the data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor. For instance, the 1080p Low preset yields 145 FPS, but the 1080p High preset yields 67 FPS. This is a 51.7% reduction in FPS. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the FPS to be more consistent across settings, as the game logic would be the same. Instead, the large drop in FPS from Low to High indicates that the GPU is feeling the pressure of the increased shading and post-processing work at the higher settings.

The CPU's position in the broader benchmark landscape is solid. It sits in the 87th percentile of all CPUs, and its average benchmark score is 41376. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H, which scores 41263, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 356H, scoring 41215, both within a 0.4% delta. This shows that the Ryzen 9 5900X is competitive with a range of mobile and desktop chips. In The Medium, this CPU's performance is more than adequate; the game's frame rate is governed by the GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the primary driver of performance in The Medium for this system. The GPU, based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, features 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The GPU's boost clock is 2475 MHz. In The Medium, the GPU's workload scales heavily with resolution and settings. The data shows that the RTX 4070 is a capable 1440p card, but it is not a 4K card for this title at high presets.

Looking at the raw data, at 1080p Low, the RTX 4070 produces an average of 145 FPS. At 1080p High, this drops to 67 FPS. This 78 FPS difference highlights the impact of the "High" preset's graphics features. At 4K, the performance drops further. The 4K Low average is 99 FPS, the 4K Medium is 62 FPS, and the 4K High is 44 FPS. The 4K Ultra is the most demanding, at 35 FPS. The gap between 4K Low and 4K High is 64 FPS, which is a 64.6% reduction. This demonstrates how the GPU's compute and memory resources are taxed by the higher resolution.

The RTX 4070's memory configuration is worth investigating. The 12 GB of VRAM is a good amount for 1080p and 1440p for most games, but at 4K, textures and effects can use more memory. The data doesn't show a VRAM capacity issue, as the card never hits a memory limit that would cause a massive stutter or a crash. The performance scaling from 4K Medium to 4K High (a drop from 62 to 44 FPS) is consistent with a GPU that is becoming compute-bound, rather than memory-bound. The GPU's 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth seems sufficient for the game's texture streaming. The GPU's percentile ranking is 81st among all GPUs, and its average benchmark score is 37648. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Tesla P4, AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile, all within a 1.3% delta of the RTX 4070. This indicates that the RTX 4070 is a mid-to-high-end card in the current landscape.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3854 and the Passmark G3D score of 26927 further contextualize the GPU's raw power. In The Medium, the GPU is the component that holds the system back from achieving 4K 60 FPS at Ultra settings. The data clearly shows that the 4K Ultra preset is not playable at a consistent frame rate, with an average of 35 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combination depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p, the High preset is a great choice, delivering an average of 67 FPS. This is a smooth, playable experience. The Low preset offers 145 FPS, which is excellent for a high refresh rate monitor, but High is the better balance of visual quality and performance.

At 1440p, the data suggests that the Medium preset is the sweet spot. The Medium preset delivers an average of 79 FPS, which is well within the range of a 60Hz+ experience. The High preset at 1440p drops to 56 FPS, which is still playable but might feel less smooth during fast camera cuts, a common feature in horror games like The Medium. The Medium preset's minimum of 67 FPS ensures that the game will not drop below a playable threshold in the most intense moments.

At 4K, the data is less forgiving. The Medium preset produces an average of 62 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS target, but its minimum frame rate of 53 FPS means it will dip below 60 FPS. The High preset's 44 FPS is not ideal for a smooth title. The 4K Low preset offers 99 FPS, but the Low preset often disables important visual effects that contribute to the game's horror atmosphere. A preference, the Medium preset at 4K appears to be the best compromise, providing an average of 62 FPS, which is playable, with a minimum of 53 FPS. For a more consistent 60 FPS at 4K, lowering the resolution to 1440p and using the High preset would be the better option, as it provides a 56 FPS average and a more consistent frame pacing.

FAQ

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

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with the Medium preset is 93 FPS, with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 108 FPS.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 capable of 4K gaming in The Medium?

A: The data shows it is not capable of 4K gaming at Ultra settings, where it averages 35 FPS. At 4K Medium, it averages 62 FPS, which is closer to a playable 60 FPS but with a minimum of 53 FPS. The High preset at 4K averages 44 FPS, making it less than ideal for a smooth experience.

Q: Which preset provides the best balance of quality and performance at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 provides an average of 79 FPS, which is a good balance. The High preset at this resolution averages 56 FPS, which is lower but still playable.

Q: How much of a performance drop is there from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 67 FPS at 1080p to 44 FPS at 4K, a decrease of approximately 34.3%.

Q: What is the maximum FPS measured for this combo at any resolution?

A: The maximum FPS measured is 145 FPS at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

Q: How does this combo rank among other tested combos in The Medium?

A: This combination ranks 901st out of 3724 tested combos, placing it in the 24th percentile of all tested systems.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following are the exact measured FPS values for the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination in The Medium.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 145 FPS average.
• Medium: 93 FPS average, 79 FPS minimum, 108 FPS maximum.
• High: 67 FPS average.
• Ultra: 53 FPS average.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 126 FPS average.
• Medium: 79 FPS average, 67 FPS minimum, 91 FPS maximum.
• High: 56 FPS average.
• Ultra: 45 FPS average.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 99 FPS average.
• Medium: 62 FPS average, 53 FPS minimum, 71 FPS maximum.
• High: 44 FPS average.
• Ultra: 35 FPS average.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 901st out of 3724 tested combinations in The Medium. This places it in the 75.8th percentile of all systems tested. The data shows that this is a strong pairing that is held back by the GPU's performance in this specific title at the highest settings. The ranking indicates that while this combo is above average, there are many other systems that can deliver higher frame rates. This is likely due to the fact that the RTX 4070 is a capable GPU, but not a top-tier one, and the game's rendering demands can be heavy. The CPU's strong performance prevents it from being a bottleneck, but the GPU's 12 GB of VRAM and the 4K resolution are the limiting factors. The ranking suggests that for The Medium, a more powerful GPU would yield a more significant performance boost than a more powerful CPU. The data is clear: the RTX 4070 is the constraining component in this system for this specific title.