The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT combination delivers a highly variable experience in The Medium, one that hinges almost entirely on the graphics preset and target resolution. With 12 cores and 24 threads from the Zen 5 architecture driving a 12 GB Radeon RX 7700 XT, the data reveals a system that can handle the horror title’s demanding dual-reality rendering, but only when settings are carefully managed. The measured frames per second show a clear narrative: this pairing is far more comfortable at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K pushes the GPU to its limits, demanding significant compromises in visual fidelity to maintain playable performance.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and telling, indicating that the Radeon RX 7700 XT is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 126 FPS at 1920x1080 to 106 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 20 FPS, and then plummets to 83 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 34% performance loss from 1080p to 4K, a pattern that points directly at pixel throughput as the bottleneck. The GPU’s 432.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 192-bit bus are being saturated as the render target expands, and the 12 GB VRAM buffer is likely filling with the game’s high-resolution textures.

Moving to Medium settings reveals a similar scaling curve, but with lower absolute numbers. The average FPS goes from 79 at 1080p to 66 at 1440p, then drops to 52 at 4K. The 4K figure here is particularly interesting because it is the only row in the entire dataset that includes both minimum and maximum FPS values: 44 and 60 respectively. This suggests that at 4K Medium, the system is experiencing notable frame time variance, with the minimum dipping well below the average, which could manifest as stutter during the game’s frequent scene transitions. The gap between 1440p and 4K at Medium (14 FPS) is smaller than the gap at Low (23 FPS), implying that the game’s engine is becoming more GPU-bound as settings increase, reducing the relative impact of resolution scaling.

At High and Ultra settings, the 4K resolution becomes nearly untenable. High settings yield just 37 FPS at 4K, while Ultra drops to 30 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at High (56 to 37 FPS) and Ultra (45 to 30 FPS) shows a consistent 30-33% reduction, which aligns with the pixel count increase from 2.1 million to 8.3 million. This linear scaling suggests the CPU is not a factor here; the Ryzen 9 9900X3D’s 128 MB of L3 cache and 5.50 GHz boost clock are more than sufficient to feed the GPU. The data indicates that the RX 7700 XT’s 35.17 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the ceiling, and the only way to break through it is to reduce the resolution or lower the preset.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience balances frame rate with visual quality at 1440p Medium, which delivers 66 FPS average with a minimum of 56 FPS. This preset provides a smooth, playable experience that stays above the 60 FPS threshold on average, while the minimum ensures it rarely dips below 55. For players prioritizing a locked 60 FPS, 1080p Medium is the safest bet, offering 79 FPS average with a minimum of 67 FPS, leaving headroom for demanding scenes. The 1080p Low preset, at 126 FPS average, is overkill for a slow-paced horror game and sacrifices too much visual fidelity for a frame rate the display likely cannot show.

At 4K, the choice is stark. Low settings at 83 FPS average is the only way to achieve a fluid experience at that resolution, but it comes at the cost of the game’s atmospheric lighting and shadow quality. Medium at 4K, with its 52 FPS average and 44 FPS minimum, is borderline playable but will feel inconsistent during intense sequences. High and Ultra at 4K are effectively unplayable, with average frame rates of 37 and 30 respectively, which fall below the standard for a game that relies on tension and timing. The data suggests that 1440p is the sweet spot for this combo, where Medium settings offer a 66 FPS average, and even High settings at 47 FPS remain acceptable for a genre that does not demand twitch reflexes.

The measured FPS data shows that the RX 7700 XT’s 96 ROPs and 216 TMUs are well-suited for 1440p rendering, but the 4K results indicate that the GPU’s 2544 MHz boost clock cannot compensate for the sheer number of pixels. For the best experience, users should target 1440p Medium or High, depending on their tolerance for frame rate dips. The 1080p Ultra preset, at 45 FPS average, is not recommended when 1080p Medium provides 79 FPS with only a minor visual downgrade, as the perceptual difference between Medium and Ultra at 1080p is often negligible on standard monitors.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT combination ranks 1045 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the 64th percentile of all systems. This rank reflects a mid-to-upper-tier standing, which is consistent with the measured FPS data showing strong 1080p and 1440p performance but weakness at 4K. The ranking suggests that while this combo is far from the top, it outperforms a significant majority of tested systems, likely due to the CPU’s exceptional single-thread performance and the GPU’s solid rasterization capabilities.

The CPU’s percentile rank of 91 versus all CPUs indicates that the Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a top-tier processor, but the GPU’s percentile rank of 67 versus all GPUs shows it is merely average-to-good. This disparity explains the combo’s middle-of-the-pack ranking; the CPU is not the bottleneck, but the GPU holds the system back from higher placements. The nearest rivals for this combo in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (with a deltaPct of -1.5% versus the RX 7700 XT) and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (with a deltaPct of 1.7%). These comparisons show that the RX 7700 XT sits in a performance band with older high-end cards, which is expected given its 12 GB VRAM and 192-bit bus.

The combo’s rank of 1045 out of 2911 means it sits comfortably in the upper half of all systems, but the data implies that users with this pairing should not expect to max out the game at high resolutions. The ranking also reflects the game’s unique requirements; The Medium renders two worlds simultaneously, which stresses both the GPU’s compute and memory subsystems. The RX 7700 XT’s 35.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is adequate for this task at lower resolutions, but the 4K results show that the card is outclassed by systems with higher memory bandwidth or larger VRAM pools.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full measured FPS table reveals a consistent hierarchy: Low settings always deliver the highest frame rates, followed by Medium, High, and Ultra, regardless of resolution. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 126 (Low) down to 45 (Ultra), with Medium at 79 and High at 56. The 1080p Medium row includes a minimum of 67 and maximum of 91, indicating a tight frame time distribution that should feel smooth. The 1440p results show a similar pattern, with Low at 106 FPS, Medium at 66 (minimum 56, maximum 76), High at 47, and Ultra at 38. The 4K results are the most dramatic, with Low at 83 FPS, Medium at 52 (minimum 44, maximum 60), High at 37, and Ultra at 30.

The gap between Low and Ultra widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference is 81 FPS (126 to 45); at 1440p, it is 68 FPS (106 to 38); and at 4K, it is 53 FPS (83 to 30). This narrowing gap suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that even reducing settings cannot fully recover performance, indicating a hard hardware limit. The 4K Low preset at 83 FPS is surprisingly high, suggesting that the game’s Low preset dramatically reduces the rendering load, possibly by disabling certain post-processing effects or reducing texture resolution, which alleviates pressure on the 12 GB VRAM and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth.

The data also shows that the RX 7700 XT’s performance scales almost linearly with pixel count, which is typical for a GPU that is not bandwidth-constrained. The 1440p Medium average of 66 FPS is 83.5% of the 1080p Medium average of 79 FPS, which aligns with the pixel ratio of 3.7 million to 2.1 million (approximately 57% more pixels). The 4K Medium average of 52 FPS is 65.8% of the 1080p Medium figure, which is slightly better than the pixel ratio would suggest, indicating that the CPU’s 12 cores and 24 threads are helping to maintain frame pacing at higher resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 2560x1440 is the optimal resolution, as it delivers 66 FPS average on Medium settings with a minimum of 56 FPS. At 1920x1080, Medium offers 79 FPS average, but the visual upgrade at 1440p is substantial for a 13 FPS cost. The 3840x2160 resolution only achieves playable frame rates on Low settings (83 FPS) or borderline Medium (52 FPS average, 44 FPS minimum).

Q: How does the RX 7700 XT compare to its nearest rivals in GPU benchmarks?

A: The RX 7700 XT’s average benchmark score is 22549, placing it 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile (22435) and 1.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (22170). It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile by 0.8% (22729) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 by 1.5% (22895). This places it in a tight performance band with those cards.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 9900X3D a bottleneck at 4K with this GPU?

A: No, the CPU is not the limiting factor. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D has a percentile rank of 91 versus all CPUs and scores 47737 in Cinebench R23 multicore. The 4K FPS drops are consistent with pixel count increases, indicating the GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU’s 5.50 GHz boost clock and 128 MB L3 cache provide ample headroom.

Q: What is the combo’s overall ranking among tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 1045 out of 2911 tested combinations in The Medium, placing it in the 64th percentile. This mid-tier ranking reflects strong CPU performance (91st percentile) but only average GPU performance (67th percentile), making the GPU the primary constraint on the system’s overall standing.

Q: Can this system achieve a stable 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: At Medium settings, the average is 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 FPS, so it comes close but can dip below 60 in demanding scenes. At Low settings, the average is 106 FPS, so a stable 60 FPS is easily achievable. High settings at 47 FPS average do not provide enough headroom for a consistent 60 FPS experience.

Q: How does the game’s performance scale with settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 126 (Low) to 45 (Ultra). Medium delivers 79 FPS (minimum 67, maximum 91), which is the best balance of performance and visual quality. High settings drop to 56 FPS, while Ultra falls to 45 FPS, making Ultra unsuitable for smooth gameplay despite the CPU’s high single-thread score of 6739 in Cinebench R23.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge, built on a 4 nm TSMC process. With a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, this CPU provides exceptional single-thread performance, scoring 6739 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 3041 in Geekbench single-core. These scores place it in the 91st percentile versus all CPUs, indicating it is among the fastest processors available. In The Medium, this CPU power translates to consistent frame pacing, as evidenced by the tight minimum FPS values on Medium settings (67 at 1080p, 56 at 1440p, 44 at 4K).

The CPU’s 128 MB of L3 cache is particularly relevant for this game, as The Medium frequently loads and unloads assets when switching between the two realities. The large cache reduces memory latency and helps maintain consistent frame times, which is critical for a horror game where stutter can break immersion. The 24 threads also assist with the game’s background streaming and AI calculations, ensuring that the GPU is never starved of data. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D’s PassMark multithread score of 56154 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 47737 show that it has ample headroom for any CPU-bound scenarios, but the measured FPS data shows that the game is heavily GPU-bound at all resolutions and settings.

The CPU’s memory support for DDR5 with dual-channel configuration provides 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for this game, as the bottleneck clearly lies elsewhere. The processor’s 4 nm process node and 16,630 million transistors contribute to its efficiency, but the 120 W TDP means it can sustain high boost clocks under load. The 3DMark scores, including 13795 for max threads and 1269 for single thread, further confirm that this CPU excels at both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads, making it an ideal partner for a mid-range GPU like the RX 7700 XT, as it will never hold the graphics card back.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 32 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm TSMC process. It features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has 3456 shading units, 216 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units, with a boost clock of 2544 MHz and a game clock of 2171 MHz. These specifications result in 35.17 TFLOPS of FP32 compute performance, which is the key metric for rasterization-heavy games like The Medium. The GPU’s average benchmark score is 22549, placing it in the 67th percentile versus all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 and the AMD Radeon RX 5700.

In The Medium, the GPU is the definitive bottleneck, as shown by the FPS scaling across resolutions. The 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at all settings, but at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 30 FPS, indicating that the memory bandwidth and compute units are overwhelmed. The GPU’s 96 ROPs are responsible for pixel fill rate, and at 4K, the 244.2 GPixel/s pixel rate is insufficient to maintain high frame rates with advanced lighting effects. The 54 ray tracing cores are present, but the game’s implementation likely relies more on traditional rasterization, which uses the 35.17 TFLOPS of FP32 compute.

The RX 7700 XT’s memory clock of 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) provides the 432.0 GB/s bandwidth, which is a limiting factor at 4K, where the game’s dual-world rendering requires constant texture streaming. The GPU’s performance at 1440p Medium (66 FPS) shows that it has enough headroom for this resolution, but the 4K results demonstrate that users will need to rely on upscaling technologies or lower settings to achieve playable frame rates. The GPU’s 245 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate it is a power-hungry card, but the performance per watt is acceptable given the frame rates achieved at 1080p and 1440p.