The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D delivers a high-refresh-rate experience in The Medium, though the data reveals a clear dependency on resolution and settings. Across the measured configurations, this combo demonstrates that the RTX 5090 D is the primary driver of performance, with the Ryzen 9 5900X providing ample headroom. The benchmark results indicate a system capable of smooth gameplay at 1080p and 1440p, with 4K requiring more careful settings management to maintain high frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is significant and highlights the GPU-bound nature of The Medium at higher resolutions. At Medium settings, the average FPS falls from 121 at 1920x1080 to 114 at 2560x1440, a modest 5.8% decrease. However, moving from 1440p to 3840x2160 sees a steeper decline, with the average FPS dropping to 95, representing a 16.7% reduction. This pattern suggests that while the GPU handles the jump to 1440p with relative ease, the transition to 4K places a substantially heavier load on the rendering pipeline.

The scaling is more pronounced at other settings. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 103 at 1080p to 87 at 1440p (15.5% decrease) and further to 68 at 4K (21.8% decrease from 1440p). The Low preset shows a similar trend: 145 FPS at 1080p, 137 at 1440p (5.5% decrease), and 126 at 4K (8.0% decrease). The Ultra preset exhibits the most dramatic scaling, with averages of 82 at 1080p, 69 at 1440p (15.9% decrease), and 54 at 4K (21.7% decrease from 1440p).

These figures indicate that the resolution scaling is not linear; the cost of each additional pixel is higher at 4K. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU may be the limiting factor in some scenarios, as the FPS differences between settings are compressed. At 4K, the GPU is unequivocally the bottleneck, as even the Low preset (126 FPS) cannot match the 1080p Ultra performance (82 FPS), demonstrating the exponential increase in pixel throughput required.

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. Its benchmark scores place it in the 87th percentile among all CPUs, with an average score of 41,376. In multi-threaded workloads, it achieves a Cinebench R23 score of 16,262, while single-thread performance reaches 1,527 in the same test. The processor’s 64 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support provide a solid foundation for gaming.

In The Medium, the CPU’s role appears secondary to the GPU, especially at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 1080p, the FPS differences between settings are smaller than at 4K, which hints at a potential CPU bottleneck at lower resolutions. For instance, the difference between Medium and High at 1080p is 18 FPS (121 vs. 103), while at 4K, the same comparison yields a 27 FPS difference (95 vs. 68). This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU may be limiting the GPU’s ability to fully stretch its legs, as the frame rates are closer together across settings.

The Ryzen 9 5900X’s nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks include the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H and Intel Core Ultra 7 356H, which score 41,263 and 41,215 respectively, placing them within 0.4% of the AMD chip. The Intel Core i7-14650HX scores 41,576, a 0.5% delta. These margins are negligible in real-world gaming, meaning the 5900X’s performance in The Medium is unlikely to be a differentiator compared to these close competitors. The CPU’s 12 cores and 24 threads may not be fully utilized by the game, but the strong single-thread score of 1,527 in Cinebench R23 ensures that the primary game thread is well-served.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a flagship GPU with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. Its architecture, Blackwell 2.0, features 21,760 shading units and 170 RT cores. The GPU’s boost clock is 2407 MHz, and it achieves a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14,326. Its average benchmark score of 77,712 places it in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs.

The data clearly shows that the RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this pairing. At 4K Medium settings, the GPU delivers 95 FPS, which is a strong result for a horror title with demanding visuals. The 32 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for The Medium at any resolution, as the game’s memory requirements are unlikely to approach this capacity. The GPU’s high memory bandwidth and pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s are crucial for maintaining frame rates at 4K.

The GPU’s nearest rivals in benchmark scores include the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, which score 78,940 and 79,605, respectively. The RTX 5090 D’s score is 1.6% lower than the RX 6850M XT and 2.4% lower than the Tesla P100. Despite these nominal benchmark differences, the RTX 5090 D’s architectural advantages, such as 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth, translate to strong performance in The Medium. The GPU’s 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power ensures that it is not a limiting factor in this game, as evidenced by the FPS scaling across resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 104th out of 2,911 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the top 3.6% of all configurations tested, which is a strong position given the diversity of hardware in the database. The high rank is attributable to the GPU’s exceptional performance, as the CPU’s 87th percentile standing is good but not elite.

The data suggests that this combo is well-balanced for The Medium, but not optimal. The 104th rank implies that there are 103 other combinations that perform better, likely featuring newer or higher-clocked CPUs. However, the delta between this combo and those above it is likely small, given the GPU’s capability. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-14650HX, would likely produce similar results when paired with the same GPU, as the 0.5% benchmark delta is within the margin of error for gaming tests.

The combo’s rank is more heavily influenced by the GPU’s 92nd percentile standing. The RTX 5090 D’s benchmark score of 77,712 is a significant contributor to the overall system performance. In a game like The Medium, which appears to be GPU-bound at higher resolutions, the GPU’s raw power is the primary determinant of the combo’s ranking.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 121 FPS, which is 18 FPS higher than High and 39 FPS higher than Ultra. The jump to 1440p sees the Medium preset maintain 114 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. At 4K, the Medium preset drops to 95 FPS, which remains playable and is 27 FPS higher than the High preset at the same resolution.

The Low preset provides the highest frame rates, with 145 FPS at 1080p, 137 FPS at 1440p, and 126 FPS at 4K. While this preset maximizes frame rates, it likely sacrifices significant visual fidelity in a horror game where atmosphere and lighting are critical. The Ultra preset, conversely, offers the highest visual quality but results in 82 FPS at 1080p, 69 FPS at 1440p, and 54 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra frame rate of 54 FPS is below the 60 FPS target, making it less desirable for a smooth experience.

The Medium preset stands out as the recommended choice because it maintains a minimum FPS of 81 at 4K, ensuring no significant frame drops. In contrast, the Ultra preset at 4K would likely see minimum FPS below 54, which could cause noticeable stuttering. The data supports the Medium preset as the optimal configuration for this combo, providing a high frame rate without compromising the visual experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 145 at Low settings to 82 at Ultra settings. The Medium preset achieves 121 FPS, with a minimum of 103 and a maximum of 139. The High preset delivers 103 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is 24 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 18 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 21 FPS. This indicates that the settings have a substantial impact on performance at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS ranges from 137 at Low to 69 at Ultra. The Medium preset achieves 114 FPS, with a minimum of 97 and a maximum of 131. The High preset delivers 87 FPS. The Low to Medium gap is 23 FPS, the Medium to High gap is 27 FPS, and the High to Ultra gap is 18 FPS. The scaling at 1440p is consistent with 1080p, though the absolute frame rates are lower.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 126 at Low to 54 at Ultra. The Medium preset achieves 95 FPS, with a minimum of 81 and a maximum of 110. The High preset delivers 68 FPS. The Low to Medium gap is 31 FPS, the Medium to High gap is 27 FPS, and the High to Ultra gap is 14 FPS. The 4K data shows that the Low preset is the only one that maintains an average above 120 FPS, while the Ultra preset falls below 60 FPS.

The 4K Medium preset’s minimum FPS of 81 is notably higher than the 1080p High preset’s average of 103, demonstrating the GPU’s capability at higher resolutions. The data shows a consistent pattern: each settings tier at a given resolution provides a predictable FPS delta, with the Medium preset offering the best compromise between the extremes of Low and Ultra.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K with the Medium preset?

A: The average FPS at 3840x2160 with the Medium preset is 95, with a minimum of 81 and a maximum of 110.

*Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations in The Medium?*

A: The combo ranks 104th out of 2,911 tested combos, placing it in the top 3.6% of all configurations.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 137 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 69 FPS, representing a 68 FPS difference.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU have a higher percentile ranking in their respective benchmarks?

A: The GPU has a higher percentile ranking, at 92nd among all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 87th percentile among all CPUs.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 1080p?

A: The minimum FPS for the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is 103, with a maximum of 139.

Q: Is the 4K Ultra preset playable with this combo?

A: The 4K Ultra preset achieves an average FPS of 54, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, indicating it may not provide a consistently smooth experience.