The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT pairing delivers a playable but demanding experience in The Medium, with performance heavily dictated by the GPU at higher resolutions. Benchmark data shows a clear hierarchy where the CPU's substantial thread count is largely untapped, while the graphics card's memory configuration and clock speeds become the decisive factors for frame rates.

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

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, running on the AMD Socket AM5 platform. Its base clock is 4.70 GHz with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, and it carries a 170 W TDP. The processor features a complex cache hierarchy, including 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a substantial 64 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration places the chip in the 91st percentile among all CPUs, indicating its high-end positioning.

Data from synthetic benchmarks shows the processor's scaling characteristics. In 3DMark, the single-thread score is 1093, which rises to 2137 for 2 threads, 4151 for 4 threads, 7798 for 8 threads, and peaks at 12536 for max threads. This pattern reveals a nearly linear scaling up to 8 threads, with diminishing returns beyond that point. Cinebench R23 results reinforce this, showing a multicore score of 29300 against a single-core score of 2016.5, and Geekbench lists a multicore score of 19267 with a single-core score of 2617.

For The Medium, the data suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 110 FPS, but at 4K with Ultra settings, it drops to 26 FPS. This massive frame rate collapse across resolutions points to the GPU being the primary bottleneck, not the processor. The 7900X's high core count and strong single-thread performance (as evidenced by the 4238 PassMark single-thread score) provide ample headroom for the game's logic and rendering threads.

The nearest rivals for the 7900X in terms of average benchmark score include the AMD EPYC 7313P (0.2% slower), Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (0.3% faster), Intel Xeon 634 (0.6% slower), and Intel Core i7-14700F (0.6% faster). These deltas are exceptionally small, all within 1% of each other. This indicates that for CPU-bound scenarios, the 7900X performs essentially identically to these alternatives. However, given that the measured FPS data shows the RX 6700 XT struggling at higher settings, the CPU's performance parity with these rivals is unlikely to translate into meaningful differences in The Medium's frame rates.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 22 chip, fabricated on a 7 nm process. It features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 2321 MHz, with a boost clock of 2581 MHz, and a game clock of 2424 MHz. The memory runs at 2000 MHz, which translates to 16 Gbps effective. This configuration gives the card a 72nd percentile ranking among all GPUs.

The GPU's raw compute capabilities are significant, with 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units. It also includes 40 ray tracing cores. The pixel rate is 165.2 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 413.0 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is listed at 13.21 TFLOPS. In DirectX 12 testing via PassMark, the card scores 77, while it achieves 19786 in the PassMark G3D test and 9336 in GPU compute.

The GPU's nearest rivals show a tight performance cluster. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile matches the RX 6700 XT exactly (0% delta), while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 is 0.5% faster, the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell is 1.1% slower, and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is 1.5% faster. This indicates the RX 6700 XT sits in a competitive but not dominant position. For a horror title like The Medium, which often uses fixed camera angles and pre-rendered elements, the GPU's 12 GB VRAM is likely sufficient for texture storage, but the memory bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s may become a constraint at higher resolutions.

The data strongly suggests the GPU is the performance limiter in this pairing. At 1080p Low, the system hits 110 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it collapses to 26 FPS. This 4.2x performance drop across a 4x resolution increase (from 2.07 million pixels to 8.29 million pixels) indicates the GPU is running out of compute or bandwidth headroom. The GPU's boost clock of 2581 MHz is high, but the rendering demands of The Medium at 4K clearly exceed what the card can deliver at playable settings.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured data provides clear guidance on which settings preset yields the best experience across different resolutions. The Medium preset consistently offers the best balance between visual quality and frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 69 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. At 2560x1440, it drops to 58 FPS, still within a playable range. At 3840x2160, it falls to 45 FPS, which is borderline but acceptable for a slower-paced horror game.

High settings are less favorable. At 1080p, High yields 49 FPS, which is a 20 FPS drop from Medium. At 1440p, it produces 41 FPS, and at 4K, it plummets to 32 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is substantial, suggesting that the High preset introduces significant rendering costs without a proportional visual benefit. Ultra settings are the worst performers, with 39 FPS at 1080p, 33 FPS at 1440p, and 26 FPS at 4K. These numbers indicate that Ultra is only viable at 1080p for users who prioritize image quality over frame rate consistency.

Low settings provide the highest frame rates, with 110 FPS at 1080p, 92 FPS at 1440p, and 73 FPS at 4K. However, the visual trade-off is severe, and for a horror game where atmosphere matters, this preset likely undermines the intended experience. The data implies that Medium is the sweet spot, offering frame rates that are 52% higher than High at 1080p (69 vs 49) and 40% higher at 1440p (58 vs 41). At 4K, Medium's 45 FPS is 40% higher than High's 32 FPS.

The Medium preset also shows the most consistent frame time data. At 1080p, it has a minimum of 58 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS, giving a range of 21 FPS. At 1440p, the range is 17 FPS (49 to 66), and at 4K, it is 13 FPS (39 to 52). This consistency is crucial for maintaining immersion in a horror game, where sudden frame hitches can break tension.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT ranks 1941 out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the 47.9th percentile, meaning it outperforms just under half of all tested systems. This mid-pack ranking is somewhat surprising given the strength of the individual components, but it reflects the GPU's limitations in this specific title.

The rank suggests that many other CPU-GPU pairings deliver better performance in The Medium. Given that the CPU is in the 91st percentile and the GPU is in the 72nd percentile, the combination's mid-pack rank indicates that the GPU is dragging down the overall result. Systems with weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs likely rank higher because The Medium appears to be GPU-bound based on the FPS scaling data.

The gap between the combo's rank and the individual component percentiles is telling. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the combo to rank closer to the CPU's 91st percentile. Instead, the 47.9th percentile rank is much closer to the GPU's 72nd percentile, adjusted downward for the demanding nature of the game. This confirms that the RX 6700 XT is the limiting factor in this pairing, and users seeking higher rankings would need to upgrade the GPU rather than the CPU.

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

The FPS scaling across resolutions is a textbook example of GPU-bound performance. At Medium settings, the system achieves 69 FPS at 1080p, 58 FPS at 1440p, and 45 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 15.9%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 22.4%. If the CPU were the limiting factor, these drops would be much smaller, as the CPU's workload would remain relatively constant while the GPU's pixel-pushing duties increase.

The Low preset shows a similar pattern: 110 FPS at 1080p, 92 FPS at 1440p, and 73 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 16.4% and 20.7% respectively. Even at Low settings, where the GPU's workload is reduced, the frame rate still scales heavily with resolution, indicating that the GPU is still the bottleneck. The CPU's 24 threads and high clock speeds are sufficient to feed the GPU even at 1080p Low, where 110 FPS is achieved.

The High preset reinforces this conclusion. From 1080p (49 FPS) to 1440p (41 FPS) is a 16.3% drop, and from 1440p to 4K (32 FPS) is a 22.0% drop. These consistent scaling patterns across all presets suggest that the RX 6700 XT's rendering capabilities, including its 384.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 13.21 TFLOPS FP32 performance, are the primary determinants of frame rates.

The fact that 4K Ultra (26 FPS) is less than half of 1080p Low (110 FPS) is particularly telling. This 76.4% reduction in performance across a 4x resolution increase shows that the GPU is severely strained at high resolutions. The data indicates that for this combo, 1440p is the practical ceiling for a smooth experience, and even then, only at Medium settings or below.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1920x1080 with Medium settings (69 FPS) offers the best balance. At 2560x1440, Medium settings (58 FPS) remain playable, but 3840x2160 Medium (45 FPS) is borderline.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this pairing?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are substantial at all settings (e.g., 110 to 73 FPS at Low), while the CPU's 12 cores and 24 threads show strong synthetic benchmark scores (29300 in Cinebench R23 multicore).

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: It ranks 1941 out of 3724 combos, placing it in the 47.9th percentile. This is significantly lower than the CPU's 91st percentile and the GPU's 72nd percentile, indicating the GPU limits overall performance.

Q: What is the frame rate consistency like at Medium settings?

A: The Medium preset shows tight frame time ranges. At 1080p, the min is 58 FPS and max is 79 FPS. At 1440p, it is 49 to 66 FPS. At 4K, it is 39 to 52 FPS.

Q: Should I avoid Ultra settings entirely?

A: The data suggests yes. Ultra settings produce 39 FPS at 1080p, 33 FPS at 1440p, and 26 FPS at 4K. These are below 40 FPS at all resolutions, which is not ideal for a smooth experience.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM cause issues?

A: The data does not show VRAM capacity errors, but the 384.0 GB/s bandwidth is likely a factor in the steep FPS drops at 4K, where memory throughput demands increase significantly.

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

The complete measured FPS data for this combo is as follows:

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 110 FPS average
• Medium: 69 FPS average, 58 FPS minimum, 79 FPS maximum
• High: 49 FPS average
• Ultra: 39 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 92 FPS average
• Medium: 58 FPS average, 49 FPS minimum, 66 FPS maximum
• High: 41 FPS average
• Ultra: 33 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 73 FPS average
• Medium: 45 FPS average, 39 FPS minimum, 52 FPS maximum
• High: 32 FPS average
• Ultra: 26 FPS average

The data shows that only the Low and Medium presets at 1080p break the 60 FPS threshold, with 110 FPS and 69 FPS respectively. At 1440p, only Low (92 FPS) and Medium (58 FPS) are above or near 60 FPS. At 4K, only Low (73 FPS) exceeds 60 FPS, while Medium (45 FPS) is the only other preset above 30 FPS. The Ultra preset never exceeds 39 FPS at any resolution, and at 4K it falls to 26 FPS, which is sub-30 and likely to feel stuttery.

The minimum FPS data is only available for the Medium preset. At 1080p, the minimum of 58 FPS is close to the average of 69 FPS, indicating good frame pacing. At 1440p, the minimum of 49 FPS is 15.5% below the average of 58 FPS. At 4K, the minimum of 39 FPS is 13.3% below the average of 45 FPS. These relatively small deviations suggest that the Medium preset provides a stable experience without major frame time spikes, which is important for maintaining the game's horror atmosphere.