The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination delivers a versatile 1440p and high-refresh 1080p experience in The Medium, but 4K Ultra remains out of reach. This pairing leverages a 16-core Zen 3 processor with a 12 GB Ada Lovelace GPU to produce a wide FPS spread across presets, making settings selection the primary lever for performance.

FAQ

Q: What average frame rate can I expect at 2560x1440 with Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 91 FPS. This preset provides a smooth experience on high-refresh monitors.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this combo?

A: Yes, but only at reduced settings. At 3840x2160, the Low preset achieves 99 FPS average, while Medium drops to 62 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 35 FPS, which is not playable for most users.

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

A: The Ryzen 9 5950X has an average benchmark score of 51947, placing it 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i9-13900F (score 51730) and 0.2% behind the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX (score 52073).

Q: What is the GPU's standing relative to other tested cards?

A: The RTX 4070 holds a percentile rank of 81 against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37648. It is 0.4% faster than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 and 1.3% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile.

Q: Which resolution provides the highest frame rate headroom?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset reaches 145 FPS average, while Medium hits 93 FPS. This is the only resolution where the combo exceeds 120 FPS, making it suitable for competitive play.

Q: Does the 16-core CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: Benchmark data suggests no significant bottleneck. The CPU's multi-threaded score of 26017 in Cinebench R23 and the GPU's PassMark G3D score of 26927 indicate balanced performance, with the combo ranking in the 75th percentile (901 out of 3724) for this game.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It operates on the AMD Socket AM4 platform with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. The CPU's 64 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth) provide ample data throughput for The Medium's fixed-camera scenes.

In synthetic tests, the CPU demonstrates strong single-thread performance with a 3DMark single-thread score of 944 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2083. Multi-threaded workloads are handled efficiently, as shown by a 3DMark max-threads score of 11597 and a PassMark multi-thread score of 45424. The 7 nm process node from TSMC houses 8,300 million transistors across two 74 mm² dies, which contributes to its 105 W TDP.

For The Medium, which relies on dual-reality rendering (showing two worlds simultaneously), the CPU's thread count is beneficial. The PassMark physics score of 1878 and integer math score of 185520 suggest that the processor can handle the game's logic and camera-switching mechanics without becoming a bottleneck. The CPU's percentile rank of 91 against all CPUs places it in the top tier, though its nearest rivals show negligible performance deltas—the AMD EPYC 8124P is only 0.3% faster, and the Intel Core i7-14700 is 0.7% slower.

The 5950X's boost clock of 4.90 GHz is critical for maintaining consistent frame pacing, especially at lower resolutions where CPU overhead is more pronounced. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 145 FPS, which aligns with the CPU's strong single-core capabilities (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1614). The processor's 32 threads do not necessarily need to be fully utilized in this title, but the high core count ensures that background tasks and game engine threads do not interfere with rendering.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data reveals clear tiers for optimal playability. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 93 FPS average with a minimum of 79 FPS, providing a 60+ FPS experience with visual quality intact. The High preset drops to 67 FPS, which is still playable but closer to the edge of smoothness. For competitive or high-refresh play, the Low preset at 145 FPS average is the only option that maximizes frame rates, though it sacrifices visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the sweet spot. The 79 FPS average with a 67 FPS minimum ensures consistent performance on 1440p monitors with 60-144 Hz refresh rates. The High preset at 56 FPS is borderline for smooth play, while Ultra at 45 FPS is not recommended. The Low preset at 126 FPS is viable for players who prioritize frame rate over graphics, but the visual downgrade may be noticeable in a horror title that relies on atmosphere.

For 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset at 99 FPS is the only setting that provides a fully smooth 4K experience. Medium drops to 62 FPS, which is acceptable for slower-paced horror gameplay, but the 53 FPS minimum could cause stutter in intense scenes. High (44 FPS) and Ultra (35 FPS) are not recommended for sustained play. The data indicates that the Medium preset at 1440p offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with the 1080p Medium preset as a strong alternative for higher refresh rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The Ryzen 9 5950X + RTX 4070 combination ranks 901 out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the 75th percentile of all configurations. This rank reflects the GPU's mid-to-high-end positioning and the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance. The combo's percentile rank of 75 suggests that approximately 25% of tested systems achieve better performance, likely those with higher-tier GPUs like the RTX 4080 or 4090.

In GPU benchmarks, the RTX 4070's nearest rival is the NVIDIA Tesla P4, which scores 37628 (0.1% lower), and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 at 37507 (0.4% lower). The RTX 4080 Mobile scores 38135, which is 1.3% higher, indicating that desktop-class performance is only slightly behind mobile flagship parts. This ranking suggests that the combo is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming but will struggle with 4K Ultra presets.

The CPU's nearest rivals show minimal deltas, with the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX at 52073 (0.2% higher) being the closest competitor. This near-tie in synthetic benchmarks does not translate to significant in-game differences, as the 5950X's 16 cores and 4.90 GHz boost clock provide ample headroom for the game's engine. The combo's overall rank of 901 out of 3724 indicates that it sits in the upper quartile of systems, making it a solid choice for this title without being an extreme enthusiast setup.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD104 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 5,888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, along with 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores. The GPU's base clock is 1920 MHz, with a boost clock of 2475 MHz, and its memory operates at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) across a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s.

The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory is a critical factor in The Medium, as the game's dual-world rendering can consume significant VRAM. At 4K Ultra, the GPU's 35 FPS average suggests that memory bandwidth and capacity are stretched, though the 504.2 GB/s bandwidth should handle most scenarios. The GPU's pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 455.4 GTexel/s indicate that it can process high-resolution textures efficiently, but the 29.15 TFLOPS FP32 performance is the limiting factor at higher settings.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 4070 achieves a PassMark G3D score of 26927 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 174152. The GPU's percentile rank of 81 against all GPUs places it above average, but its nearest rivals show that it is not a top-tier card. The RTX 4080 Mobile's 1.3% higher score suggests that mobile variants can match desktop performance, highlighting the 4070's position as a mid-range 1440p solution.

The GPU's 200 W TDP and dual-slot design make it a manageable addition to most systems, with a suggested PSU of 550 W. The 16-pin power connector and PCIe 4.0 x16 interface ensure compatibility with modern motherboards. The GPU's support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6 means it can fully leverage The Medium's graphics features, including ray tracing and DLSS, though the measured FPS data does not specify whether these are enabled.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 145 FPS, providing a competitive edge. Medium averages 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 108 FPS, which is the recommended preset for most players. High drops to 67 FPS average, while Ultra falls to 53 FPS, making Ultra unsuitable for smooth gameplay at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales predictably. Low averages 126 FPS, still excellent for high-refresh monitors. Medium averages 79 FPS with a 67 FPS minimum and 91 FPS maximum, maintaining smoothness. High averages 56 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. Ultra averages 45 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for most users.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become apparent. Low averages 99 FPS, which is surprisingly high and suggests the game scales well with reduced settings. Medium averages 62 FPS with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS, offering a playable 4K experience with some dips. High averages 44 FPS, and Ultra averages 35 FPS, both falling below acceptable playability thresholds. The data shows a clear pattern: the Medium preset at 1080p and 1440p provides the best balance, while 4K requires Low settings for smooth performance. The 44 FPS at 4K High and 35 FPS at 4K Ultra indicate that the RTX 4070's 12 GB VRAM and 192-bit bus are not sufficient for maximum settings at this resolution.