The Medium

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate for this combo at 1920x1080 with Medium settings?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 delivers an average of 72 FPS at 1920x1080 on Medium settings, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700F?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X has an average benchmark score of 53288, which is 0.6% lower than the Intel Core i7-14700F's score of 53620, placing the 7900X slightly behind in raw compute benchmarks.

Q: What is the GPU's VRAM capacity and memory type?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 comes with 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations for The Medium?

A: This specific combo ranks 1670 out of 3724 tested combinations, placing it in the middle of the tested field for this game.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 97 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages only 35 FPS, a difference of 62 FPS between the two extremes.

Q: What is the launch MSRP for the GPU?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 has a launch MSRP of 299 USD.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a GB206 chip fabricated on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It contains 21,900 million transistors on a die size of 181 mm². The GPU operates with a base clock of 2280 MHz and a boost clock of 2497 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The 8 GB GDDR7 memory configuration on a 128-bit bus yields a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, which becomes a relevant factor at higher resolutions.

The GPU's compute resources include 3840 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster operation units. It also features 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores, supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The pixel rate is 119.9 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 299.6 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 19.18 TFLOPS.

In The Medium, the GPU's role is dominant across all tested configurations. The data shows that at 1920x1080, the gap between Low and Ultra settings is substantial: Low averages 116 FPS while Ultra drops to 41 FPS. This 75 FPS spread indicates that the GPU is the primary driver of performance changes when settings are adjusted. The RTX 5060's percentile ranking of 72 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 26331, places it in a capable mid-range position for this title.

The GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks provide context for its performance ceiling. The AMD Radeon 860M scores 26401, a 0.3% difference from the RTX 5060, while the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 also scores 26421, again 0.3% different. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT scores 26011, which is 1.2% lower. These close benchmark scores suggest similar raw compute capabilities, yet in-game performance for The Medium will depend on driver optimization and the specific rendering demands of the horror title.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data across all three resolutions and four quality presets allows for a clear recommendation. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS, providing a smooth experience while maintaining visual quality above the Low preset's 116 FPS. The High preset at 1080p drops to 52 FPS, which is playable but less fluid, while Ultra at 41 FPS begins to approach the threshold where frame pacing becomes noticeable.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset again emerges as the balanced choice, averaging 61 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS. The Low preset at 1440p reaches 97 FPS, but this sacrifices too much visual fidelity for a game that relies on atmospheric horror. The High preset at 44 FPS and Ultra at 35 FPS both fall below the 60 FPS target, making them less suitable for consistent gameplay.

For 3840x2160, the situation becomes more constrained. The Medium preset averages 48 FPS with a minimum of 41 FPS and a maximum of 55 FPS, which is borderline playable but not ideal for a horror game where smooth camera movement matters. The Low preset at 76 FPS is the only configuration at 4K that exceeds 60 FPS, while High at 34 FPS and Ultra at 27 FPS are too demanding for this GPU.

The best experience per the measured rows is the Medium preset at 1920x1080, offering 72 FPS with a reasonable quality level. For users prioritizing frame rate over visuals, the Low preset at 1440p provides 97 FPS. The data indicates that Medium settings across all resolutions offer the most consistent balance between the GPU's capabilities and the game's requirements.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 achieves a combo rank of 1670 out of 3724 tested combinations for The Medium. This places the pairing in the 55th percentile of tested systems, meaning roughly 45% of all tested combos perform better in this specific title. The ranking reflects the mid-range positioning of the RTX 5060 when paired with a high-end CPU.

The CPU's individual percentile ranking of 91 among all processors indicates that the Ryzen 9 7900X is a top-tier component. Its average benchmark score of 53288 places it just 0.2% above the AMD EPYC 7313P at 53206, and 0.3% above the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 at 53469. The Intel Xeon 634 scores 52974, which is 0.6% below the 7900X, while the Intel Core i7-14700F at 53620 sits 0.6% higher.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 72 among all graphics cards is notably lower than the CPU's ranking. The RTX 5060's average benchmark score of 26331 is close to its nearest rivals, with the AMD Radeon 860M at 26401 (0.3% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 at 26421 (0.3% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary at 26553 (0.8% higher), and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT at 26011 (1.2% lower).

The combination of a 91st-percentile CPU with a 72nd-percentile GPU results in a system where the graphics card is the limiting factor for The Medium. The combo rank of 1670/3724 reflects this imbalance, as the CPU has substantial headroom that the GPU cannot fully utilize in this graphics-intensive title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data across 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160 reveals how the system scales with resolution. At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 72 at 1080p to 61 at 1440p, a reduction of 11 FPS or approximately 15.3%. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the average drops further from 61 to 48 FPS, another 13 FPS reduction or 21.3%. The total drop from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings is 24 FPS, representing a 33.3% decrease.

For the Low preset, the scaling is more pronounced in absolute terms but similar in percentage. At 1080p, Low averages 116 FPS; at 1440p, it drops to 97 FPS (a 19 FPS or 16.4% reduction); and at 4K, it reaches 76 FPS (a 21 FPS or 21.6% reduction from 1440p). The total drop from 1080p to 4K on Low is 40 FPS or 34.5%.

The High preset shows a steeper decline. From 52 FPS at 1080p to 44 FPS at 1440p is an 8 FPS or 15.4% reduction. From 1440p to 4K, the drop is 10 FPS to 34 FPS, a 22.7% reduction. The total decrease from 1080p to 4K on High is 18 FPS or 34.6%. The Ultra preset follows a similar pattern: 41 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p (14.6% reduction), and 27 FPS at 4K (22.9% reduction from 1440p).

The consistent percentage drops of approximately 15% from 1080p to 1440p and 21-23% from 1440p to 4K indicate that the system scales predictably with resolution. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus become more strained as resolution increases, which explains the non-linear scaling. The limiting component is clearly the GPU, as the CPU's benchmark scores suggest it has ample headroom to feed the graphics card at all tested resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 116 FPS, representing the maximum performance available in this configuration. The Medium preset averages 72 FPS, with a documented minimum of 61 FPS and maximum of 83 FPS, providing a stable window for gameplay. The High preset averages 52 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 41 FPS, showing diminishing returns as quality increases.

At 2560x1440, performance scales down proportionally. The Low preset averages 97 FPS, still exceeding the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset averages 61 FPS, with a minimum of 52 FPS and maximum of 70 FPS, making it the only 1440p setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS. The High preset drops to 44 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 35 FPS, both falling below the smooth gameplay threshold.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become apparent. The Low preset averages 76 FPS, which is the only 4K configuration that remains playable. The Medium preset averages 48 FPS, with a minimum of 41 FPS and maximum of 55 FPS, indicating inconsistent performance during demanding scenes. The High preset averages 34 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 27 FPS, both struggling to maintain playable frame rates.

The complete data set shows that the Medium preset is the only quality level with measured minimum and maximum values across all three resolutions, indicating that this is the configuration where the system operates within its designed envelope. The Low preset at 1080p and 1440p provides the highest frame rates, while the Ultra preset at any resolution fails to reach 60 FPS, confirming that this GPU is not suited for maximum quality settings in The Medium.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor from the 7000 series, based on the Zen 4 architecture with the Raphael codename. It operates with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a TDP of 170 W. The CPU supports DDR5 memory on the dual-channel memory bus, providing a bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s, and connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 24 lanes.

The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 64 MB of shared L3 cache. This substantial cache configuration, combined with the high clock speeds, contributes to its strong benchmark performance. The 7900X scores 29300 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2016.5 in single-core, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 19267 and single-core score of 2617.

In The Medium, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling across resolutions. The CPU's percentile ranking of 91 among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 53288, places it well above the GPU's 72nd percentile. The 3DMark scores show strong multi-threaded performance: 10972 for 16 threads, 7798 for 8 threads, 4151 for 4 threads, and 2137 for 2 threads, with a single-thread score of 1093.

The Ryzen 9 7900X's nearest rival comparisons show it within a tight band of similar performers. The AMD EPYC 7313P scores 53206, just 0.2% lower, while the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 scores 53469, 0.3% higher. The Intel Xeon 634 scores 52974, 0.6% lower, and the Intel Core i7-14700F scores 53620, 0.6% higher. This clustering indicates that the 7900X is competitive with other high-end processors, though not the absolute fastest.

The CPU's strong single-thread performance, as indicated by the 3DMark single-thread score of 1093 and the PassMark single-thread score of 4238, ensures that it can handle the game's logic and physics without bottlenecking the GPU. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 116 FPS, suggesting the CPU can support high frame rates when the GPU is not the primary constraint. However, as resolution increases and the GPU becomes more strained, the CPU's headroom is not fully utilized, reinforcing that the RTX 5060 is the limiting component in this pairing for The Medium.