The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER pairing in The Medium produces a dataset that clearly separates CPU and GPU responsibilities. The 12-core, 24-thread Zen 4 processor, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and boost up to 5.60 GHz, provides abundant computational headroom. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 43695 and single-core score of 6168 place it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, while its nearest rivals—the Intel Core Ultra 5 235, AMD Ryzen 9 5900XT, Intel Core i7-13850HX, and Intel Core i9-13980HX—are all within 0.8% of its average score. This indicates the 7900X is not a limiting factor in this game; its strength ensures that frame rate fluctuations across settings are driven by the graphics card.

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

The Ryzen 9 7900X’s specifications point to a processor that should never bottleneck a mid-range GPU in a horror title like The Medium. With 12 cores and 24 threads, it exceeds the threading demands of most games released around the game’s 2021 launch date. The 5 nm process and Zen 4 architecture deliver high instructions per clock, evidenced by the Geekbench single-core score of 2952 and PassMark single-thread score of 4238. These numbers suggest that even if The Medium relies on a few heavily loaded threads, the 7900X can sustain high throughput without stalling.

Benchmark results reinforce this view. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 10972 and max-thread score of 12536 show strong scaling, but the more telling metric is the single-thread score of 1093. In gaming scenarios, single-thread performance often dictates minimum frame rates, and this CPU’s nearest rivals—all within 0.8% in average benchmark score—confirm that the 7900X is not an outlier in either direction. The L3 cache of 64 MB shared across cores further aids in keeping game assets close to the execution units, reducing memory latency. However, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU’s role is passive: at 1080p Low, the system reaches 100.2 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra it drops to 36.8 FPS. This 63.4 FPS gap cannot be attributed to the processor, as its performance is constant across these settings. The CPU is effectively idle overhead, allowing the GPU to be the sole determinant of frame delivery.

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

The RTX 2070 SUPER is the clear performance arbiter in this configuration. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is adequate for 1080p and 1440p but becomes strained at 4K. The GPU’s base clock of 1605 MHz and boost clock of 1770 MHz, combined with 2560 shading units, yield a theoretical FP32 throughput of 9.062 TFLOPS. This places the card in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rivals—the NVIDIA RTX A400, GeForce GTX TITAN Z, RTX 4060 Mobile, and Radeon RX 5700—all within 2.5% of its average benchmark score of 22206.

The measured FPS data reveals the GPU’s limits. At 4K Ultra, the system produces 25.4 FPS, which is below playable thresholds, while 4K Low reaches 64.4 FPS. The 39.0 FPS difference between these two settings at the same resolution shows how heavily the GPU is taxed by visual effects. The 8 GB VRAM capacity becomes a concern at higher resolutions and settings, as The Medium’s texture and lighting demands can exceed this buffer, causing the GPU to swap data to system memory. This is evident in the steep drop from 4K Medium (40.7 FPS) to 4K High (28.7 FPS), a 12.0 FPS loss that likely reflects memory pressure rather than raw compute limits. The GPU’s 215 W TDP and dual-slot design are consistent with its mid-range positioning, but the data shows it is outclassed by the CPU’s performance headroom.

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

The resolution scaling pattern in The Medium clearly identifies the GPU as the bottleneck. From 1080p to 1440p at Low settings, average FPS drops from 100.2 to 82.6, a 17.6% reduction. From 1440p to 4K Low, it falls further to 64.4, a 22.0% reduction from 1440p. At Ultra settings, the same progression shows 36.8 FPS at 1080p, 28.3 FPS at 1440p, and 25.4 FPS at 4K—a cumulative 31.0% drop from 1080p to 4K. These reductions are proportionate to the increase in pixel count, which is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the limiter, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions, as the processor’s workload is independent of pixel count.

The data also shows that the GPU’s scaling efficiency varies by preset. At Medium settings, the drop from 1080p (64.8 FPS) to 1440p (56.1 FPS) is 13.4%, while the drop to 4K (40.7 FPS) is 37.2% from 1080p. This non-linear behavior suggests that at 4K, the GPU is not only processing more pixels but also encountering VRAM or bandwidth constraints that amplify the performance hit. At High settings, the 1080p to 4K drop is 40.1% (from 47.9 to 28.7 FPS), further confirming that higher presets disproportionately punish the GPU at higher resolutions. The CPU’s role in this scaling is negligible; its performance metrics are static, and the FPS curves are smooth and consistent with GPU-bound rendering.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combo in The Medium?*

A: The data shows that 1440p Medium (56.1 FPS) and 1080p High (47.9 FPS) are the most balanced options. At 4K, only Low settings (64.4 FPS) achieve playable frame rates, while Ultra at any resolution falls below 37 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 22206 is 0.5% lower than the RTX A400’s 22307, 0.9% higher than the GTX TITAN Z’s 22006, 2.3% lower than the RTX 4060 Mobile’s 22729, and 2.5% higher than the RX 5700’s 21670. These deltas indicate performance within a narrow band, so in-game FPS differences would be minimal.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 7900X overkill for this GPU?

A: The CPU’s 93rd percentile ranking and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 43695 far exceed the demands of The Medium. The FPS data shows no CPU-related limitations, as frame rates scale entirely with GPU settings and resolution. This suggests the processor has significant headroom for future GPU upgrades.

Q: Why does 4K Ultra produce such low FPS (25.4) when the GPU is not entry-level?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for 4K Ultra workloads in this game. The high preset’s 28.7 FPS and Ultra’s 25.4 FPS at 4K indicate that the card is exceeding its memory capacity and compute limits, unlike at 1080p where it manages 36.8 FPS at Ultra.

Q: What settings should be avoided entirely?

A: Ultra settings at 1440p (28.3 FPS) and 4K (25.4 FPS) are below 30 FPS, making them unsuitable for smooth gameplay. High at 4K (28.7 FPS) is similarly problematic, while Medium at 4K (40.7 FPS) is borderline but playable.

Q: How does the game’s resolution scaling affect the choice between CPU and GPU upgrades?

A: Since FPS drops are directly tied to resolution and preset changes, the GPU is the limiting component. Upgrading the CPU would yield no measurable benefit, as the 7900X already outperforms its rivals by less than 1%. A GPU upgrade would be required to improve 4K performance.

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

At 1920x1080, the system delivers 100.2 FPS on Low, 64.8 FPS on Medium, 47.9 FPS on High, and 36.8 FPS on Ultra. The 1080p Low result is the highest frame rate in the entire dataset, indicating that the GPU can fully stretch its legs when pixel count is low. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 63.4 FPS swing, with each preset tier costing roughly 16-17 FPS on average.

At 2560x1440, performance drops to 82.6 FPS on Low, 56.1 FPS on Medium, 37.3 FPS on High, and 28.3 FPS on Ultra. The 1440p Medium result (56.1 FPS) is the most balanced, offering a 40% improvement over High (37.3 FPS) while maintaining visual fidelity. The drop from Low to Ultra here is 54.3 FPS, slightly less severe than at 1080p but still substantial.

At 3840x2160, the system manages 64.4 FPS on Low, 40.7 FPS on Medium, 28.7 FPS on High, and 25.4 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Low result is surprisingly strong, nearly matching 1440p High (37.3 FPS) and exceeding 1080p High (47.9 FPS) is false—it is lower than 1080p High but higher than 1440p Ultra (28.3 FPS). The gap between 4K Medium (40.7 FPS) and 4K High (28.7 FPS) is 12.0 FPS, the largest single-step drop in the dataset, highlighting the VRAM strain at this resolution.

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

For a smooth 60 FPS experience, the only viable options are 1080p Low (100.2 FPS) and 1440p Low (82.6 FPS). At 1080p Medium, the 64.8 FPS average is above 60, but 1440p Medium (56.1 FPS) falls short. Players prioritizing frame rate should choose 1080p Low for the highest headroom, while those wanting better visuals can select 1440p Low, which still exceeds 80 FPS.

For a 30-60 FPS target, the data supports 1080p High (47.9 FPS), 1080p Ultra (36.8 FPS), 1440p Medium (56.1 FPS), 1440p High (37.3 FPS), and 4K Low (64.4 FPS). Among these, 4K Low offers the best resolution advantage while staying above 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 4K displays. At 1440p, Medium provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, as High (37.3 FPS) and Ultra (28.3 FPS) dip below the 40 FPS threshold.

For a minimum 30 FPS target, 4K Medium (40.7 FPS) is the highest preset usable at 4K, while 1440p Ultra (28.3 FPS) and 4K High (28.7 FPS) fall just short. The optimal configuration across all resolutions is 1440p Medium, which delivers 56.1 FPS—a 40% improvement over 1440p High (37.3 FPS) with only a moderate reduction in visual detail. For the best overall experience, 1080p High (47.9 FPS) offers a stable frame rate with high fidelity, while 4K Low (64.4 FPS) is the sole 4K option that maintains playable performance without compromising resolution.