The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination delivers a highly capable 4K experience in The Medium, though the data reveals a clear performance ceiling at the highest preset. This pairing of a 12-core Zen 3 processor with an Ada Lovelace flagship GPU produces a smooth 1440p experience and playable 4K results, but the Ultra preset demands compromises. The measured frame rates show a system that is firmly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, with the CPU's substantial 24-thread headroom leaving it rarely the limiting factor.

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

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X brings 12 cores and 24 threads to the table, built on the Zen 3 architecture with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. This processor sits in the 90th percentile among all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 39453. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 4245P, which scores marginally higher by 0.2%, and the Intel Core i7-13700, which leads by 1% — differences that are effectively negligible in real-world gaming.

For a title like The Medium, which relies on fixed camera angles and heavily scripted scenes, the CPU's single-thread performance matters more than its raw multi-core muscle. The 5900X delivers a 3dmark single-thread score of 941 and a Cinebench R23 single-core result of 4680, figures that place it comfortably ahead of older architectures. The 64 MB of L3 cache helps maintain consistent frame pacing in the game's dual-reality sequences, where two worlds render simultaneously.

The multi-threaded capabilities are not wasted, however. The game's loading transitions and environmental streaming benefit from the 24 threads, with a 3dmark max-threads score of 10075 and a Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 33150. At 1080p Low settings, the combo reaches 146.3 FPS, indicating that the CPU is not a bottleneck even when the GPU is under less pressure. As resolution increases, the GPU becomes the dominant factor, with the CPU's role diminishing — a classic sign of a well-balanced pairing where the processor provides ample headroom.

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

The measured FPS data shows a clear hierarchy across presets, and the optimal choice depends heavily on your target resolution. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 118.5 FPS, which is a significant jump from the Ultra setting's 68.5 FPS. The High preset sits at 84.3 FPS, making Medium the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors at this resolution. The Low preset achieves 146.3 FPS, but the visual downgrade in a horror game with atmospheric lighting is rarely worth the extra frames.

At 1440p, the Medium preset produces 98.8 FPS, which is the best balance of visual fidelity and smoothness. High drops to 69.6 FPS, while Ultra falls to 57.7 FPS — still playable but approaching the threshold where frame pacing becomes noticeable. For 4K gaming, the Medium preset's 80.5 FPS is the standout choice, offering a substantial improvement over High's 54.3 FPS and Ultra's 47.8 FPS. The Low preset at 4K hits 125.9 FPS, but it strips away too much of the game's visual identity.

The data suggests that Medium is the recommended preset across all resolutions. It provides a 46% improvement over Ultra at 4K and a 73% improvement over Ultra at 1080p, while retaining enough graphical detail to preserve the game's oppressive atmosphere. If you prioritize visual quality over frame rate, High is acceptable at 1440p, but the jump to Ultra yields diminishing returns.

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

The FPS scaling across resolutions reveals a system that becomes progressively more GPU-limited as pixel count increases. At Ultra settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 15.8% (68.5 to 57.7 FPS), and the further drop to 4K is 17.2% (57.7 to 47.8 FPS). This consistent degradation indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER is the primary constraint, with its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth being taxed by higher resolutions.

The Medium preset shows a similar pattern but with more headroom. From 1080p's 118.5 FPS, the fall to 1440p is 16.6% (98.8 FPS), and to 4K it drops another 18.5% (80.5 FPS). These percentages are remarkably consistent, suggesting that the GPU's compute resources scale predictably with pixel count. The Low preset behaves differently: 146.3 FPS at 1080p falls to 139.4 FPS at 1440p (a 4.7% drop) and then to 125.9 FPS at 4K (a 9.7% drop). This flatter curve implies that at Low settings, the CPU begins to play a larger role, particularly at 1080p where the 5900X's single-thread performance is more relevant.

The RTX 4080 SUPER's 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 80 RT cores handle the game's fixed-camera rendering efficiently, but the data shows that 4K Ultra is simply too demanding. The 47.8 FPS average at 4K Ultra is below the 60 FPS threshold that most players target, while the Medium preset's 80.5 FPS provides comfortable margin. This scaling behavior confirms that the GPU is the limiting component at 4K, with the CPU's 24 threads providing ample headroom.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 125th out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the top 7.4% of all configurations tested, which is a strong showing given the game's demanding nature. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's 90th percentile standing and the GPU's 88th percentile performance.

The GPU's nearest rivals provide context for this ranking. The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT scores 0.2% higher on average, while the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M is 0.4% ahead. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti trails by 2.9%. These small deltas indicate that the RTX 4080 SUPER is competitive with other high-end cards, and the 5900X's performance is similarly well-matched. The combo's rank of 125 suggests that there are 124 configurations that deliver higher average FPS in this title, but many of those likely feature newer, higher-end GPUs or CPUs with more aggressive boost clocks.

For a horror game that emphasizes atmosphere over twitch gameplay, the 125th rank is more than adequate. The measured FPS at Medium settings across all resolutions shows that this combo can handle the game smoothly, and the rank reflects the overall capability of the pairing. The 5900X's 12 cores and the RTX 4080 SUPER's 10240 shading units work in concert to deliver a consistent experience.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run The Medium at 4K 60 FPS?

A: At Medium settings, the average FPS at 4K is 80.5, which is above 60. However, at High settings it drops to 54.3 FPS, and at Ultra it falls to 47.8 FPS. To maintain 60 FPS at 4K, the Medium preset is required.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Medium preset delivers 98.8 FPS at 1440p, which is the highest setting that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. High drops to 69.6 FPS, while Ultra falls to 57.7 FPS.

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

A: The Ryzen 9 5900X scores 39453 on average, which is 0.2% below the AMD EPYC 4245P and 1% below the Intel Core i7-13700. It outperforms the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8845HS by 0.7%.

Q: Is the GPU the bottleneck at 4K?

A: Yes. The FPS drop from 1440p to 4K at Medium settings is 18.5%, and at Ultra it is 17.2%. The consistent scaling indicates the RTX 4080 SUPER is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the frame rate at 1080p Ultra?

A: The average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings is 68.5. This is below the Medium preset's 118.5 FPS, showing that Ultra demands a significant performance cost.

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

A: It ranks 125th out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the top 7.4% of all configurations.

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

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are as follows: Low settings achieve 146.3 FPS, Medium settings deliver 118.5 FPS, High settings produce 84.3 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 68.5 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 77.8 FPS, showing a significant performance range across presets.

Moving to 2560x1440, the results show: Low settings reach 139.4 FPS, Medium settings hit 98.8 FPS, High settings manage 69.6 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 57.7 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 81.7 FPS, with the Medium preset providing the best balance at nearly 100 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the data reveals: Low settings achieve 125.9 FPS, Medium settings deliver 80.5 FPS, High settings produce 54.3 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 47.8 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 78.1 FPS, with Medium being the only preset that maintains a playable frame rate above 60 FPS.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset consistently offers the best performance-to-quality ratio. At 4K, it delivers 80.5 FPS, which is 32.7% faster than High and 68.4% faster than Ultra. At 1440p, Medium's 98.8 FPS represents a 42% improvement over High and a 71% improvement over Ultra. The data shows that the RTX 4080 SUPER's 16 GB of memory and the 5900X's 24 threads are best utilized at Medium settings, where the game's visual effects are rendered without excessive strain on the GPU's 10240 shading units.