The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers a playable but resolution-sensitive experience in The Medium, with the data showing a clear transition from CPU-bound performance at 1080p to GPU-bound performance at 4K. Across the measured presets, the system produces an average frame rate ranging from 25 FPS at 4K Ultra to 108 FPS at 1080p Low, placing this combo at rank 1999 out of 3724 tested configurations. The RTX 4060, with its 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus, proves to be the limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the 12-core Zen 5 processor provides ample headroom for the game's fixed-camera horror sequences.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, revealing the RTX 4060's bandwidth constraints. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 108 at 1920x1080 to 91 at 2560x1440, a decline of 17 FPS, and then to 72 at 3840x2160, another 19 FPS drop. This pattern indicates that even at the lowest graphical fidelity, the GPU's 272.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 128-bit interface become the primary bottleneck as pixel count increases. The delta between 1440p and 4K is nearly identical to the delta between 1080p and 1440p, suggesting a linear scaling curve that is characteristic of a GPU operating near its memory throughput ceiling.

At Medium settings, the scaling becomes more pronounced. The average FPS at 1080p is 68, dropping to 57 at 1440p and 45 at 4K. The minimum frame rates also degrade noticeably, from 58 at 1080p to 49 at 1440p and 38 at 4K, indicating that the GPU is struggling to maintain consistent frame pacing as resolution increases. The gap between 1440p and 4K at Medium settings is 12 FPS, while the gap between 1080p and 1440p is 11 FPS, reinforcing the linear degradation pattern.

High settings show the most severe resolution penalty. The system delivers 49 FPS at 1080p, 41 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is approximately 35%, which is larger than the 33% drop seen at Low settings. This suggests that the additional texture detail and shading complexity at High settings amplify the GPU's memory bandwidth limitations. At Ultra settings, the frame rates fall to 39 FPS at 1080p, 32 FPS at 1440p, and 25 FPS at 4K, with the 4K result being the lowest measured value in the entire dataset.

The scaling analysis indicates that the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus are the dominant factors at 1440p and above. The CPU, with its 24 threads and 64 MB of L3 cache, shows no signs of bottlenecking even at 1080p Low where the frame rate reaches 108 FPS. The game's fixed camera angles and pre-rendered backgrounds, typical of the horror genre, place less demand on the CPU's single-thread performance, allowing the Ryzen 9 9900X to remain well ahead of the GPU's capabilities at all resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: The data suggests 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all presets remain playable. At 1080p, even Ultra settings achieve 39 FPS, while 1440p Medium hits 57 FPS and 4K Medium drops to 45 FPS. For a consistently smooth experience, 1080p with Medium or High settings provides the best balance, with 68 FPS and 49 FPS respectively.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in The Medium?

A: Yes, but only at lower presets. The measured 4K results show 72 FPS at Low settings and 45 FPS at Medium settings, both playable. However, 4K High drops to 32 FPS and 4K Ultra falls to 25 FPS, which are below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The RTX 4060's 8 GB memory capacity is sufficient for 4K, but the 128-bit bus limits texture throughput.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 17639 places it at the 61st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon HD 7790 with a score of 17666, representing a negligible 0.2% performance difference. The AMD Radeon 780M and Radeon Pro 560 trail by 0.3% and 0.5% respectively, indicating that the RTX 4060 sits in a tightly clustered performance bracket.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 9900X overkill for this game?

A: The benchmark data indicates the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution. The 12-core processor scores 32172 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2253 in single-core, placing it at the 92nd percentile of all CPUs. In The Medium, the GPU becomes the bottleneck at 1440p and above, meaning the CPU's power is largely untapped by this title.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 57 FPS with minimums of 49 FPS and maximums of 66 FPS. This is a playable experience for most users, though the minimum frame rate suggests some stuttering may occur during the game's more demanding scenes. The 49 FPS minimum is close to the 45 FPS average at 4K Medium, indicating the GPU is working near its limits.

Q: How does the game's performance scale between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: The frame rate drops from 108 FPS at Low to 68 FPS at Medium, 49 FPS at High, and 39 FPS at Ultra. This represents a 64% reduction from Low to Ultra, with the largest single drop occurring between Low and Medium. The scaling is not linear, suggesting that Medium settings provide a significant visual improvement for a relatively modest frame rate cost.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the decisive component in this configuration, with its Ada Lovelace architecture and AD107 chip determining the game's performance ceiling. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz, with 3072 shading units and 96 texture mapping units. The 48 ROPs and 24 RT cores handle the game's fixed-camera rendering, but it is the memory subsystem that proves most consequential for The Medium.

The 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is the primary constraint at higher resolutions. The game's measured FPS data shows that reducing resolution from 4K to 1080p at the same settings yields substantial gains, with Low settings improving from 72 FPS to 108 FPS and Medium settings from 45 FPS to 68 FPS. This scaling behavior is directly attributable to the memory bandwidth limitation, as the GPU's compute capabilities (15.11 TFLOPS FP32) are sufficient for the game's visual effects.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark scores reflect its mid-range positioning. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2302 and the Passmark G3D score of 19545 place it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 95057 and Vulkan score of 48643 indicate strong compute performance, but the game's results suggest that memory bandwidth, not compute throughput, is the limiting factor. The RTX 4060's nearest rivals in the benchmark database are all AMD products with comparable average scores, differing by less than 1% in performance.

The VRAM capacity of 8 GB is adequate for The Medium at 4K, as evidenced by the playable frame rates at Low and Medium settings. However, the 128-bit bus width restricts the amount of texture data that can be processed per clock cycle. The game's horror aesthetic relies heavily on detailed environments and volumetric lighting effects, which consume memory bandwidth at higher presets. The measured frame rates at Ultra settings, which fall to 25 FPS at 4K, indicate that the GPU cannot sustain the data throughput required for maximum quality.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 108 FPS, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield 68 FPS average with a minimum of 58 FPS and maximum of 78 FPS, providing a smooth experience with minimal frame pacing issues. High settings drop to 49 FPS average, still playable but approaching the threshold where motion smoothness begins to degrade. Ultra settings produce 39 FPS average, which is marginal for a game with slow-paced exploration but acceptable for cutscene-heavy sequences.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease predictably. Low settings maintain a respectable 91 FPS average, making this the recommended resolution for high-refresh-rate displays. Medium settings drop to 57 FPS average with minimums of 49 FPS and maximums of 66 FPS, which remains within the playable range for most users. High settings fall to 41 FPS average, while Ultra settings drop to 32 FPS average. The 1440p results show a consistent pattern where each preset tier costs approximately 15-20% of the frame rate compared to the next lower tier.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4060 struggles to maintain playable frame rates at higher presets. Low settings deliver 72 FPS average, which is surprisingly strong and indicates the game scales well at minimum quality. Medium settings produce 45 FPS average with a minimum of 38 FPS and maximum of 52 FPS, making this the highest preset that remains consistently playable at 4K. High settings drop to 32 FPS average, and Ultra settings fall to 25 FPS average, both of which are below the 30 FPS threshold commonly cited for minimum playability. The data shows that The Medium is not optimized for high-refresh-rate gaming at 4K with this GPU.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data indicates that Medium settings provide the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the system achieves 68 FPS average with a minimum of 58 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay throughout the game's exploration and puzzle-solving sequences. At 1440p Medium, the 57 FPS average with 49 FPS minimums remains playable, though the minimum frame rate approaches the threshold where occasional stutters may be noticeable. At 4K Medium, the 45 FPS average with 38 FPS minimums is the playable limit for this GPU.

For users prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity, Low settings offer the best experience. The 1080p Low result of 108 FPS is ideal for high-refresh-rate displays, while 1440p Low at 91 FPS and 4K Low at 72 FPS both provide smooth performance. The jump from Low to Medium settings costs approximately 40 FPS at 1080p, 34 FPS at 1440p, and 27 FPS at 4K, which is a significant trade-off for the visual improvements that Medium settings provide.

High settings are not recommended for any resolution. At 1080p High, the 49 FPS average is marginally playable, but the lack of minimum frame rate data suggests potential stuttering. At 1440p High, the 41 FPS average falls below the 45 FPS threshold that many players consider the minimum for a smooth experience. At 4K High, the 32 FPS average is below playable standards. Ultra settings should be avoided entirely, as the 39 FPS at 1080p, 32 FPS at 1440p, and 25 FPS at 4K results are all below acceptable levels for this genre.

The optimal configuration for this hardware combination is 1440p Medium, which provides a 57 FPS average with 49 FPS minimums. This setup balances the game's visual design, which relies on atmospheric lighting and detailed environments, with the GPU's memory bandwidth capabilities. For users with 1080p displays, Medium settings at 68 FPS offer the best experience, while 4K users should stick to Low settings at 72 FPS or Medium settings at 45 FPS if they can tolerate occasional frame drops.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X provides vastly more processing power than The Medium requires, with benchmark results showing no signs of CPU bottlenecking at any resolution or settings combination. The 12-core, 24-thread processor based on Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) operates at a base clock of 4.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with 80 KB of L1 cache and 1 MB of L2 cache per core, plus 64 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration delivers exceptional synthetic performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32172 and single-core score of 2253.

The CPU's synthetic benchmark results place it at the 92nd percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 57498. Its nearest rivals are all server-class processors, including the AMD EPYC 9015 (delta of -0.1%), AMD EPYC 7313 (delta of 0.2%), and Intel Core i9-14900 (delta of -1.1%). This positioning indicates that the 9900X offers desktop-class performance that exceeds the requirements of most games, including The Medium.

In the context of this game, the CPU's role is primarily to maintain consistent frame pacing and handle the game's fixed-camera logic. The Medium's horror genre typically involves limited on-screen action with fewer dynamic elements than action games, which reduces the demand on CPU single-thread performance. The 9900X's single-core score of 2253 in Cinebench R23 and 1286 in 3DMark single-thread tests provide ample headroom for the game's AI and scripting systems.

The measured FPS data confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor across all resolutions. At 1080p Low, where the CPU would be most likely to bottleneck, the system achieves 108 FPS, indicating no CPU constraint. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 12552 and 2-thread score of 2519 demonstrate that the processor scales effectively across different thread counts, but the game's performance is ultimately determined by the RTX 4060's memory bandwidth and fill rate. The 9900X's 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth and dual-channel DDR5 support ensure that the system memory is not a bottleneck, but the GPU's 272.0 GB/s bandwidth is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.