The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 produces a distinctive performance curve in The Medium, one that shifts from a GPU-bound scenario at 4K to a more balanced workload at 1080p. The measured frames per second (FPS) data reveals how this combination scales across three resolutions and four quality presets, offering a clear picture of where the hardware's strengths and limitations lie in this 2021 horror title.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and consistent across all settings, indicating that the RTX 5090 is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 97 FPS at 1920x1080 to 82 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 15 FPS, and then to 64 FPS at 3840x2160, another 18 FPS drop. This pattern—where each resolution step costs roughly 15-20 FPS—suggests that the GPU's rendering workload scales predictably with pixel count, and the CPU is not imposing a hard ceiling at these settings.

At Low settings, the scaling story changes. The 1080p result is 145 FPS, which drops to 137 FPS at 1440p (a mere 8 FPS difference) and then to 127 FPS at 4K (another 10 FPS). The relatively small gap between 1440p and 4K at Low settings, combined with the fact that the 1080p result is not dramatically higher than the 1440p result, hints that the CPU's frame delivery capability is starting to matter. The Ryzen 9 5950X, with its 16 cores and 32 threads, is not the bottleneck, but the game's engine appears to have a practical ceiling around 145 FPS at this resolution.

The Ultra preset tells a different story. Here, the 1080p average is 77 FPS, dropping to 65 FPS at 1440p and 51 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is the lowest measured in the entire dataset, and the step from 1440p to 4K costs 14 FPS, which is proportional to the pixel increase. This confirms that Ultra settings place an enormous load on the GPU's shader units and memory subsystem, with the RTX 5090's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth being the only things keeping the frame rate above 50 FPS.

Looking at the Medium preset, which is the only one with min and max FPS data, the scaling is smoother. At 1080p, the average is 121 FPS with a minimum of 103 FPS; at 1440p, it falls to 114 FPS with a minimum of 97 FPS; and at 4K, it reaches 90 FPS with a minimum of 76 FPS. The min FPS values track the averages closely, suggesting that frame pacing is stable and there are no sudden hitches, even as the resolution increases.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the defining component in this setup, and its specifications explain why the 4K results are as strong as they are. The GPU operates with a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz, which are modest numbers for a card of this class, but the massive 32 GB GDDR7 memory pool and 512-bit bus width provide 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is critical for The Medium, a game known for its effortless transitions between two worlds, which can double the scene complexity and memory pressure.

The GPU's shading units number 21,760, paired with 680 texture mapping units and 176 raster output units. These raw compute resources—yielding 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance—are what allow the Ultra preset at 4K to maintain an average of 51 FPS. Without this level of shading power, the 51 FPS figure would likely be far lower, as the game's fixed camera angles and detailed environments require substantial pixel and texture throughput.

The RTX 5090's architecture, Blackwell 2.0 on a 5 nm process, includes 170 RT cores, which are relevant for the game's fixed lighting and reflections. However, the measured data does not show a disproportionate penalty for ray-traced effects, suggesting that the GPU's RT capabilities are sufficient to handle them without crippling the frame rate. The 176 ROPs are also important for the 4K output, as they handle the final pixel write operations; the 423.6 GPixel/s pixel rate ensures that the 3840x2160 framebuffer is filled efficiently.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its position. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 18,355, and the PassMark G3D score is 39,650, placing the RTX 5090 in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival in the benchmark database is the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, which has an average score of 79,605 against the RTX 5090's 79,842, a delta of only 0.3%. This indicates that while the RTX 5090 is a top-tier gaming card, its synthetic benchmark lead over certain workstation cards is narrow, though the gaming-specific features like 32 GB VRAM and dedicated RT cores are what matter for The Medium.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X provides the computational foundation for this combo, and its 16 cores and 32 threads are more than sufficient for The Medium's CPU demands. The processor runs at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and boosts to 4.90 GHz, with 64 MB of L3 cache to feed the cores. The 7 nm Zen 3 architecture, codename Vermeer, is a 2020 design, but its multi-threaded performance remains relevant. In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 26,017 points multi-core and 1,614 points single-core, while Geekbench returns 15,233 multi-core and 2,083 single-core.

These synthetic scores indicate that the CPU is not the bottleneck in the measured FPS data. The 1080p Low setting result of 145 FPS is likely near the engine's frame delivery limit, but the CPU's single-thread score of 944 in 3DMark and 3,470 in PassMark suggest it can handle the game's primary thread without issue. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 1,856 and 4-thread score of 3,595 show that even with a few active threads, the CPU delivers strong performance, which aligns with the game's modest multi-threading needs.

The Ryzen 9 5950X's percentile ranking of 91 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 51,947, places it in the upper echelon of processors. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX, has an average score of 52,073, a delta of -0.2%, meaning the 5950X is essentially tied with a much newer mobile part. The Core i9-13900F is 0.4% behind, and the Core i7-14700 is 0.7% ahead, confirming that the 5950X remains competitive in raw compute despite its age.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role is to maintain consistent frame delivery across all settings. The measured data shows that at 4K Medium, the minimum FPS is 76, which is 84% of the average 90 FPS, indicating no severe CPU-induced frame drops. At 1440p Medium, the minimum of 97 FPS is 85% of the 114 FPS average, and at 1080p Medium, the minimum of 103 FPS is 85% of the 121 FPS average. These consistent ratios suggest the CPU is providing stable frame pacing without any single-core limitations becoming apparent.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a clear progression across settings. Low delivers 145 FPS average, Medium brings 121 FPS (min 103, max 139), High reduces to 97 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 77 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 24 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 20 FPS, indicating that the quality presets have diminishing returns in terms of visual fidelity versus frame rate cost.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 137 FPS for Low, 114 FPS for Medium (min 97, max 131), 82 FPS for High, and 65 FPS for Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 8 FPS for Low, 7 FPS for Medium, 15 FPS for High, and 12 FPS for Ultra. The larger absolute drops at High and Ultra reinforce that these presets are more sensitive to pixel count, likely due to increased texture sampling and post-processing effects.

At 3840x2160, the results are 127 FPS for Low, 90 FPS for Medium (min 76, max 103), 64 FPS for High, and 51 FPS for Ultra. The 4K Low result of 127 FPS is still highly playable, and even 4K Ultra at 51 FPS is borderline for a cinematic horror title. The Medium preset at 4K, with its 90 FPS average and 76 FPS minimum, appears to be the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate displays, as it maintains a solid frame rate while offering better visual quality than Low.

The only preset with full min/max data is Medium across all resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 103 to 139 FPS, a spread of 36 FPS; at 1440p, the range is 97 to 131 FPS, also a 36 FPS spread; and at 4K, the range is 76 to 103 FPS, a 27 FPS spread. The tighter range at 4K suggests that the GPU is more consistently saturated at higher resolutions, reducing the variance that can come from CPU-side frame delivery variations.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in The Medium?*

A: The highest average FPS is 145, measured at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

*Q: Can this combo run The Medium at 4K with a stable frame rate?*

A: Yes, at 4K Medium, the average FPS is 90 with a minimum of 76, which is stable. At 4K High, the average is 64 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it drops to 51 FPS.

Q: How much does the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 97 at 1080p to 64 at 4K, a loss of 33 FPS, or roughly 34%.

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

A: The Low preset averages 137 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 65 FPS, a difference of 72 FPS or approximately 52% lower performance.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck, especially at 4K, since frame rates scale consistently with resolution. The CPU's 1080p Low result of 145 FPS suggests it is not heavily limiting, as the frame rate does not jump significantly higher at lower resolutions.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values for Medium settings across all resolutions?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 103 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 97 FPS; and at 4K Medium, it is 76 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to Medium as the optimal preset for this hardware combination, particularly for users targeting high refresh rates. At 1080p Medium, the 121 FPS average with a 103 FPS minimum ensures smooth gameplay on a 120 Hz or 144 Hz monitor, and the visual upgrade over Low is substantial. At 1440p Medium, the 114 FPS average and 97 FPS minimum remain excellent for competitive or immersive play, and the 4K Medium result of 90 FPS average with 76 FPS minimum is the only 4K preset that consistently stays above 60 FPS.

High settings are a viable alternative for those prioritizing image quality over frame rate, as the 1080p High result of 97 FPS and 1440p High result of 82 FPS are still playable. However, the 4K High average of 64 FPS is below the 70 FPS threshold that many consider ideal for smooth motion, making it less attractive. Ultra settings, with 77 FPS at 1080p, 65 FPS at 1440p, and 51 FPS at 4K, are only recommended for users with VRR displays or those who prioritize absolute visual fidelity over all else, as the 51 FPS 4K result is borderline for a slow-paced horror game.

The Low preset, while delivering the highest frame rates (145 FPS at 1080p, 137 FPS at 1440p, 127 FPS at 4K), sacrifices too much visual detail for a game that relies on atmosphere and environmental storytelling. The Medium preset provides a balanced experience, and the min FPS data confirms it avoids the severe frame dips that could be present in more demanding settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 167th out of 3,724 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the top 4.5% of all configurations. This high ranking is driven primarily by the GPU's overwhelming performance, as the RTX 5090's 32 GB of VRAM and 104.8 TFLOPS of compute power allow it to handle the game's most demanding scenes at 4K, while the CPU ensures no frame delivery bottlenecks occur.

The combo's rank of 167 out of 3,724 means there are 166 other combinations that achieve higher average FPS in this title. Given that the RTX 5090 is one of the most powerful consumer GPUs available, those higher-ranked combos likely feature even more capable CPUs, though the data shows the 5950X's CPU performance is within 0.7% of the Intel Core i7-14700 and 0.4% of the Core i9-13900F, meaning the gap in CPU capability is minimal. The GPU's percentile rank of 92 and the CPU's percentile rank of 91 both align with the combo's top-tier placement, confirming that this pairing is well-matched for The Medium, even if the game's release date of 2021-01-27 predates both components by several years.