The Medium

The Medium presents a uniquely demanding workload, and the pairing of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER produces a fascinating dataset. The benchmark results reveal a system where the GPU is the clear bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s substantial headroom never becomes the limiting factor. This analysis breaks down the measured frames per second (FPS) to understand how this combination behaves across the game’s presets and resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 shows a steep and consistent performance cliff, clearly identifying the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER as the primary constraint. At 1080p with Low settings, the system averages 92 FPS, which is a strong baseline. However, moving to 1440p drops that average to 77 FPS, a decline of 15 FPS, and at 4K the average falls to 61 FPS. This scaling pattern indicates that even at the lowest preset, the GPU is working progressively harder to fill the additional pixels, with performance dropping by roughly 34% from 1080p to 4K.

The situation becomes more pronounced when examining the High and Ultra presets. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 41 at 1080p to 35 at 1440p, and finally to 27 at 4K. The Ultra preset shows an even more dramatic collapse, with averages of 33 at 1080p, 27 at 1440p, and a nearly unplayable 21 at 4K. This data suggests that the game’s higher presets introduce effects that are disproportionately expensive at higher resolutions, likely related to the game’s fixed camera angles and volumetric lighting. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing, with the High preset losing 8 FPS and the Ultra preset losing 6 FPS, indicating that the 8 GB GDDR6 memory buffer on the GPU is also likely being saturated.

The data strongly implies that the RTX 2060 SUPER is not a 4K-capable card for this title. The only way to achieve a playable frame rate at 3840x2160 is to use the Low preset, which hits 61 FPS. Every other preset at 4K falls below 38 FPS, which is a significant compromise. The performance curve suggests that the game is heavily pixel-bound, and the GPU’s 256-bit memory bus and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient to maintain higher frame rates as pixel count increases. For a smoother experience, the data points to 1440p as the practical ceiling for this combo, where even the High preset can hold a 35 FPS average.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the clear performance limiter in this configuration. Its benchmark scores place it in the 62nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 18093. The data shows it is closely matched with rivals like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, which scores 18159, a mere 0.4% difference, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700, which is 0.5% ahead. This indicates that the GPU is a mid-range performer, and its capabilities are quickly exhausted by The Medium’s demanding visuals.

The GPU’s specifications explain the measured results. It operates with a base clock of 1470 MHz and a boost clock of 1650 MHz, which are modest by modern standards. More critically, it has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. In a game like The Medium, which features high-resolution textures and complex scenes, this memory configuration is likely a bottleneck at higher settings. The drop from 57 FPS at 1080p Medium to 38 FPS at 4K Medium is a direct consequence of the GPU struggling to manage the increased data load.

The GPU’s Turing architecture, with 2176 shading units and 34 RT cores, is capable of handling DirectX 12 Ultimate, but the raw compute power is limited. The FP32 performance of 7.181 TFLOPS is insufficient for the game’s demands at high resolutions and presets. The data shows that the GPU is most comfortable at 1080p, where it can deliver 92 FPS on Low and 57 FPS on Medium. However, the jump to Ultra at 1080p drops the average to 33 FPS, suggesting that the preset’s added effects, possibly including ray tracing or advanced shadow rendering, are too heavy for this card. The 175 W TDP and suggested 450 W PSU are consistent with a mid-range card, but they don't compensate for the performance ceiling.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience with this hardware, the benchmark data clearly points to the Medium preset as the optimal balance between visual quality and performance. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers an average of 57 FPS, with a minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 66 FPS. This is a playable frame rate that maintains smooth motion without dipping into the low 30s. The Low preset at 1080p is faster at 92 FPS, but the visual fidelity loss is substantial, and the Medium preset offers a more immersive experience for a 35 FPS cost.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is still the best choice, albeit with a lower average of 48 FPS. The minimum of 41 FPS is acceptable, but the maximum of 55 FPS shows some inconsistency. The High preset at 1440p drops to 35 FPS, which may be too choppy for a horror game that relies on atmosphere and smooth camera panning. The Ultra preset at 1440p is not recommended, as its 27 FPS average is below the threshold for a comfortable experience.

For 4K, the recommendation is to avoid anything above Low settings. The Low preset at 3840x2160 achieves 61 FPS, which is smooth and playable. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 38 FPS, and the High and Ultra presets fall to 27 and 21 FPS, respectively. The data suggests that this combo is not suited for 4K gaming on this title, and users should either stick to 1080p or 1440p with Medium settings or lower the resolution to 4K with Low settings. The Medium preset’s min and max FPS data, which is the only preset with complete min/max figures, shows it provides a stable frame pacing at 1080p, reinforcing its suitability.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware configurations, this specific combo’s performance in The Medium is surprisingly low. The data indicates a combo rank of 2606 out of 3724 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 30% of all results. This is a significant finding, given the CPU’s high performance, and it underscores the GPU’s limiting role. The Ryzen 9 5950X is a top-tier processor, but its power is wasted in this pairing for this game, as the GPU cannot keep up.

The rank suggests that many other GPU and CPU pairings deliver higher frame rates in The Medium. While the RTX 2060 SUPER is a capable card in other titles, its performance here is hampered by the game’s specific engine demands. The combo’s low rank is not a reflection of the CPU, which is performing admirably, but rather a verdict on the GPU’s inability to handle the game’s heavy graphical load. The data implies that a user with this CPU would benefit significantly from a more powerful GPU to move up the rankings.

This ranking also highlights a potential mismatch for the hardware. The Ryzen 9 5950X, with its 16 cores and 32 threads, is a workstation-class CPU, while the RTX 2060 SUPER is a mid-range gaming card. In a game like The Medium, which is not heavily multi-threaded, the CPU’s extra cores provide no benefit, and the GPU becomes the sole determinant of performance. The result is a combo that underperforms relative to its CPU’s potential, making it a poor pairing for this specific title.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is a powerhouse, but its role in The Medium is largely passive due to the GPU bottleneck. With 16 cores and 32 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, the CPU has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its benchmark scores are exceptional; for example, it scores 26017 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 1614 in single-core, placing it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. However, this performance is not fully utilized in this game.

The data shows that the CPU is never the limiting factor. At 1080p, where the GPU is least stressed, the frame rates are still moderate, indicating that the game is not CPU-bound. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-13900F, which scores 51730, and the Intel Core i7-14700, which scores 52301, show that the Ryzen is competitive, but none of this matters when the GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU’s 64 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel memory support are irrelevant to the FPS output in this scenario.

The CPU’s high multi-threaded performance, as seen in its Passmark multithread score of 45424, is unnecessary for The Medium, which likely uses only a few cores. The game’s performance is dictated by the GPU’s pixel-pushing ability. The data suggests that a less powerful CPU would produce identical results, confirming that the Ryzen 9 5950X is overkill for this pairing. The CPU’s 105 W TDP and active production status indicate it is a modern, high-end part, but its potential is squandered here.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo’s performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 92 FPS, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. The Medium preset follows with an average of 57 FPS, a minimum of 49 FPS, and a maximum of 66 FPS aid. The High preset drops to 41 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 33 FPS. This shows a clear linear degradation as settings increase.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. The Low preset averages 77 FPS, which is still very playable. The Medium preset averages 48 FPS, with a minimum of 41 FPS and a maximum of 55 FPS. The High preset averages 35 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 27 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 29 FPS, which is a significant step down, indicating that the Medium preset introduces a heavy graphical load.

At 3840x2160, the results are the most telling. The Low preset averages 61 FPS, which is the only playable option at this resolution. The Medium preset averages 38 FPS, with a minimum of 32 FPS and a maximum of 43 FPS. The High preset averages 27 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 21 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K is 23 FPS, highlighting the massive cost of enabling higher-quality textures and effects. The data shows that the combo is only viable for 4K gaming on the lowest settings, and for any other preset, users should drop to 1440p or 1080p.

FAQ

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

A: The data suggests 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. At this resolution, the Medium preset delivers a 48 FPS average, which is smoother than the 38 FPS at 4K and more detailed than the 57 FPS at 1080p, offering a good balance.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in The Medium?

A: Yes, but only with significant compromises. The benchmark results show that at 3840x2160, only the Low preset achieves a playable 61 FPS average. All other presets fall below 38 FPS, making them impractical for a smooth experience.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X the reason for the low frame rates?

A: No. The data indicates the CPU is not the bottleneck. The Ryzen 9 5950X has a high benchmark score of 51947 and sits in the 91st percentile, but the game’s performance is limited by the GPU, as shown by the steep FPS drops when increasing resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its rivals in this game?

A: The GPU’s benchmark data shows it is closely matched with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, which is only 0.4% faster, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700, which is 0.5% faster. This indicates it is a mid-range card, and its performance in The Medium reflects that.

Q: What is the impact of the Ultra preset on performance?

A: The Ultra preset is very demanding. At 1080p, it drops the average FPS from 57 on Medium to 33 on Ultra)Skip, and at 4K it falls to 21 FPS. This preset is not recommended for this hardware, as it produces a choppy experience.

Q: Does the GPU’s memory size affect the results?

A: Yes, likely. The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, which is a standard amount. The steep performance drops at 4K, especially when moving from Low to Medium settings, suggest that the memory buffer is being saturated, contributing to the lower frame rates.