The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination presents a distinct profile for The Medium, a horror title that stresses both the CPU and GPU. The data indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the processor’s substantial core count ensures consistent frame delivery. The RX 7700, with its RDNA 3.0 architecture, provides a solid baseline for this game, but the demanding visuals of The Medium require careful settings adjustments to achieve smooth gameplay, particularly at 4K.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is the central component for rendering the fixed-camera angles and heavy post-processing effects of The Medium. Its specifications show a 16 GB GDDR6 memory pool on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. This capacity is ample for the game’s high-resolution textures, preventing stuttering or pop-in that can occur with lower VRAM buffers. The GPU’s boost clock reaches 2459 MHz, with a game clock of 2041 MHz, which directly translates to the fill rates observed in the benchmark data. The pixel rate is 236.1 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 393.4 GTexel/s, figures that dictate how quickly the card can process the game’s atmospheric effects and surface details.

The GPU’s performance in The Medium demonstrates a clear scaling curve with settings. The RX 7700 manages a 34 FPS average at 4K High settings, which is below the threshold for a smooth experience. This indicates that the card is working near its limits, as the game’s global illumination and shadow quality tax the RDNA 3.0 architecture. However, dropping to Low settings at 4K yields a 76 FPS average, showing that the card has significant headroom when the visual load is reduced. The data suggests that the GPU’s raw compute power, rated at 25.18 TFLOPS FP32, is sufficient for the game’s core engine, but the memory bandwidth becomes a limiting factor at ultra-high resolutions and detail levels. The benchmark scores reflect this, with a Passmark G3D score of 20974 placing it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a mid-range performer that can handle the game when settings are tuned appropriately.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested hardware combinations, this specific pairing of the Ryzen 9 5950X and the RX 7700 achieves a combo rank of 1307 out of 2911 total combinations. This places it in the top half of all tested systems, suggesting it is a competent, if not top-tier, configuration for The Medium. The rank of 1307 implies that while the CPU is a high-end part, the GPU holds the combo back from the top percentile. The RX 7700’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which scores an average of 16129, a delta of -1.7% compared to the RX 7700’s 15852 average. This means the RX 7700 is slightly slower than the RTX 3060 Ti in general compute, but its performance in The Medium is what matters here.

The combo rank is a result of the CPU’s high percentile ranking against all CPUs (91st percentile) combined with the GPU’s more modest 58th percentile ranking. This pairing creates a system where the CPU is rarely the limiting factor, allowing the GPU to be the sole determinant of frame rate in most scenarios. The data shows that the CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-13900F with a delta of 0.4%, have similar average scores, meaning the CPU is not introducing any unusual bottlenecks. Therefore, the combo’s overall position in the rankings is a direct reflection of the RX 7700’s capabilities in this specific title, which are strong at 1080p and 1440p but weaken at 4K.

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

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at how the system handles The Medium across different resolution and settings combinations. At 1920x1080, the system shows a wide range of performance. With Low settings, the average FPS is 115, which is exceptionally smooth and indicates the CPU and GPU are not stressed. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops to 72 FPS, with a minimum of 61 and a maximum of 83 FPS, showing a stable frame time. High settings yield a 51 FPS average, while Ultra settings bring the average down to 41 FPS. These numbers highlight that at 1080p, the game is mostly GPU-bound at higher settings, but the CPU’s power ensures that frame dips are minimal.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales predictably. Low settings produce a 97 FPS average, which is still very playable. Medium settings see a drop to 61 FPS, with a minimum of 51 and a maximum of 70 FPS, indicating consistent performance. High settings result in a 43 FPS average, and Ultra settings further reduce the average to 34 FPS. This resolution is the sweet spot for the RX 7700, as it can maintain playable frame rates at Medium settings without sacrificing too much visual fidelity. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 16-20% depending on the settings, which is expected given the increase in pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overwhelmed at higher settings. Low settings are the only playable option, yielding a 76 FPS average. Medium settings drop to a 48 FPS average, with a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 55 FPS, which is borderline for a horror game requiring precise timing. High settings reduce the average to 34 FPS, and Ultra settings bring it down to just 27 FPS. These figures show that 4K gaming is only viable with Low settings or possibly Medium if the player can tolerate frame drops. The data indicates that the RX 7700 is not a 4K-capable card for this title at high detail levels, as the memory bandwidth and compute unit count are insufficient to maintain a smooth experience.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware in The Medium?*

A: Based on the data, 2560x1440 with Medium settings is the optimal balance, producing a 61 FPS average with a minimum of 51 FPS. At 1920x1080, Medium settings also work well with a 72 FPS average, while 4K is only playable at Low settings (76 FPS average).

Q: How does the RX 7700 compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 3060 Ti, in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 7700 has an average benchmark score of 15852, while the RTX 3060 Ti scores 16129. This shows a delta of -1.7%, meaning the RX 7700 is slightly slower in general compute tests.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 5950X a bottleneck for the RX 7700 in this game?

A: The data suggests no. The CPU has an average benchmark score of 51947 and ranks in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-13900F, has a delta of 0.4%, indicating the CPU is not a limiting factor.

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

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings produce a 115 FPS average, while Ultra settings produce a 41 FPS average. This is a difference of 74 FPS, showing a significant performance cost for the highest visual quality.

*Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K with High settings?*

A: Technically, yes, but the average FPS is just 34, which is below the standard for smooth gameplay. The minimum FPS is not listed, but the average suggests frequent stutters and a sub-optimal experience.

Q: How does the GPU’s memory size affect performance in this game?

A: The 16 GB VRAM pool is more than sufficient for The Medium, as the game does not appear to be limited by memory capacity. The performance drops at 4K are more likely due to the GPU’s compute power and bandwidth, not VRAM exhaustion, as even High settings with 34 FPS do not show signs of texture thrashing.

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

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 72 at 1080p to 61 at 1440p and then to 48 at 4K. This represents a 33% decrease from 1080p to 4K. For High settings, the drop is from 51 FPS at 1080p to 43 FPS at 1440p and 34 FPS at 4K, a 33% reduction overall. The consistent percentage drop across settings indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU’s performance is not changing with resolution. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would remain similar regardless of resolution, which is not the case here.

The scaling pattern also shows the impact of the GPU’s memory bandwidth. The RX 7700 has a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s, which is decent but not exceptional for 4K workloads. As the resolution increases, the demand on the memory bus grows, and the card struggles to keep up with the pixel throughput required. The data shows that the card is more efficient at 1440p, where the drop from High to Ultra is 9 FPS (43 to 34), similar to the 10 FPS drop at 1080p (51 to 41). This suggests that the card’s compute units are the main constraint at lower resolutions, while at 4K, the memory bandwidth becomes the limiting factor. The result is that players must make a significant compromise at 4K, choosing between Low settings for playability or Medium settings for acceptable performance with occasional dips.

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

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. This is a high-end desktop CPU with a 105 W TDP, and its benchmarks show exceptional multi-threaded performance. For instance, its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 26017, and its Passmark multithread score is 45424. These figures indicate that the CPU has far more processing power than The Medium requires, as the game is not known for heavy CPU usage. The 64 MB of L3 cache further helps with game logic and streaming, but the primary benefit of this CPU is ensuring that frame rates are not CPU-limited.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle the game’s physics and AI. The data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution, as the FPS scaling is consistent with GPU load. The CPU’s nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the Intel Core i9-13900F with a delta of 0.4%, and the Intel Core i7-14700 with a delta of -0.7%. This means the 5950X is essentially in the same performance class as these modern processors, providing no disadvantage in this game. The high single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1614, is also crucial for the game’s main thread, ensuring that the frame pacing remains stable. The result is that the combo’s performance in The Medium is almost entirely dictated by the RX 7700, with the 5950X providing a robust foundation that never holds the system back.