The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination delivers playable framerates at 1080p and 1440p in The Medium, but 4K Ultra is beyond its reach. The data reveals that the RTX 2070 SUPER is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the 12-core CPU provides ample headroom, ensuring consistent performance across all tested settings. The benchmark results place this combo in the lower 42nd percentile of all tested pairings, indicating a system that is capable but not competitive with high-end configurations for this horror title.

Resolution Scaling

The framerate progression from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates the escalating load on the GPU. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 101 at 1920x1080 to 85 at 2560x1440, a 16% reduction, and then further down to 67 at 3840x2160, a 21% drop from 1440p. This scaling pattern indicates that even at the lowest graphical preset, the resolution increase is directly taxing the rendering pipeline, with the GPU struggling to maintain the high throughput demanded by 4K.

Moving to Medium settings, the impact of resolution becomes more pronounced. The average FPS falls from 63 at 1080p to 53 at 1440p, and then down to 42 at 4K. This represents a 33% performance penalty when jumping from 1440p to 4K, a significant loss that suggests the GPU is nearing its memory bandwidth and processing limits. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium is recorded at 35, showing that the system can experience noticeable stutters during intense scenes.

At High settings, the trend continues but with a more severe drop. The average FPS is 45 at 1080p, which is already below the ideal 60 FPS target. At 1440p, this falls to 38, and at 4K, it reaches a marginal 30 FPS. The difference between 1080p and 1440p is a 16% loss, while the jump to 4K results in a 21% loss from 1440p. This indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU is more than capable of handling the game's logic at these frame rates.

Ultra settings present the most demanding scenario, with the average FPS dropping to 36 at 1080pional, 30 at 1440p, and a barely playable 24 at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is a 17% loss, and from 1440p to 4K is a 20% loss. The 4K Ultra result of 24 FPS is a clear sign that this combination is not suitable for maximum fidelity at that resolution. The data shows that the RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB of VRAM and its compute capabilities are overwhelmed by the combination of high resolution and high detail settings.

The scaling data suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution. The consistent performance drops that track with pixel count are the signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D, with its high single-thread performance, is able to feed the GPU adequately, but the RTX 2070 SUPER simply cannot keep up with the increasing pixel workload. For users targeting 4K, even Low settings at 67 FPS is the only viable option, while 1440p and 1080p offer more flexibility.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER's specifications directly correlate with the observed performance in The Medium. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is a critical factor at 4K resolution, where the game's textures and frame buffers can easily exceed the 8 GB capacity, leading to the significant framerate drops seen at higher settings.

The GPU's clock speeds are listed with a base of 1605 MHz and a boost of 1770 MHz. The boost clock is what typically sustains performance during gaming, and the data suggests that the card is running at or near this limit when under load. The 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs are responsible for the pixel processing throughput, and their limited number is evident in the Ultra settings results, which dip to 36 FPS at 1080p.

The RTX 2070 SUPER's FP32 performance is rated at 9.062 TFLOPS. This computational power is a primary driver for the game's rendering, and the benchmark results show that it is insufficient for maintaining high framerates at 4K with high detail. The card's 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are present for ray tracing and DLSS, but the data does not specify whether these features were enabled during the tests. The performance figures likely reflect traditional rasterization, which is the core workload for the game's fixed camera angles and pre-rendered backgrounds.

The GPU's transistor count is 13,600 million on a 12 nm process, according to the data. This places it in the Turing generation, and its average benchmark score of 20282 places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals, such as the Intel Arc B570 and Intel Arc A750, have average scores that are very close, with deltas of -1.3% and -1.5% respectivelyikuha. This indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER is a mid-range performer in the current landscape, and its performance in The Medium is consistent with that positioning.

The 4K Low result of 67 FPS versus the 4K Ultra result of 24 FPS shows a 64% performance swing, which is a massive range. This is likely due to the combination of VRAM capacity and shading unit load. The game at Low settings likely uses lower-resolution textures that fit within the 8 GB VRAM, while Ultra settings may exceed it, causing swapping and stuttering. The data shows that the GPU is the definitive limiting factor in this combination.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination ranks 2162 out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium. This places the pairing in the lower 58% of all configurations, indicating that it is an average-to-below-average performer for this specific game. While the CPU is a high-end part, the GPU's age and performance level drag down the overall ranking.

The CPU itself is a top-tier processor, with an average benchmark score of 54762 and a percentile ranking of 91 against all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, which has a delta of -0.6%, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K, with a delta of 1.3%. This shows that the Ryzen 9 9900X3D is in the same performance class as these newer Intel parts, but its advantage is nullified by the GPU pairing.

The GPU, in contrast, has a percentile ranking of 65 against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20282. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, and the Intel Arc B570, all with deltas within -1.5%. This confirms that the RTX 2070 SUPER is a mid-range GPU, and when paired with a top-tier CPU, the system's overall performance is heavily skewed by the GPU's limitations.

The combo rank of 2162 suggests that many other pairings, likely those with more balanced CPU and GPU selections or more modern GPUs, achieve better performance in The Medium. The data implies that users with this specific combination would see significant gains by upgrading the GPU, as the CPU is not the constraining factor. The rank is a direct reflection of the measured FPS data, which shows the GPU struggling at high resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system achieves an average of 101 FPS on Low, 63 FPS on Medium, 45 FPS on High, and 36 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting shows a minimum FPS of 54 and a maximum of 72, indicating some frame pacing variability but generally smooth gameplay. The 1080p results are the most playable, with only Ultra dropping below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the performance degrades as expected. The average FPS is 85 on Low, 53 on Medium, 38 on High, and 30 on Ultra. The Medium setting has a minimum of 45 and a maximum of 61, showing that even at this resolution, the game can be playable with some settings compromises. High and Ultra settings at 1440p are not suitable for a smooth experience, with averages below 40 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system is clearly overmatched. The average FPS is 67 on Low, 42 on Medium, 30 on High, and 24 on Ultra. The Medium setting shows a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 48, which is a wide variance that could lead to noticeable hitches. The 4K results are only playable at Low settings, and even then, the 67 FPS average is not stable enough for a competitive or high-refresh-rate experience.

The data shows a clear pattern: for every settings level, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 15-20%, and the drop from 1440p to 4K is roughly 20-25%. This indicates that the GPU is scaling predictably with resolution, but its absolute performance headroom is limited. The 1080p Low result of 101 FPS is the only instance where the system approaches high-refresh-rate territory, while all other configurations are firmly in the 30-60 FPS range or below.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 60 FPS?

A: The data shows that 60 FPS is only achievable at 1920x1080 with Low settings, where the average is 101 FPS. At Medium settings, the average is 63 FPS, which is also above 60. No 1440p or 4K setting reaches a 60 FPS average.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D a bottleneck for the RTX 2070 SUPER?

A: No, the data indicates the CPU is not the limiting factor. The CPU has a high average benchmark score of 54762 and a 91st percentile ranking, while the GPU's performance is the primary constraint, as seen in the significant FPS drops at higher resolutions.

Q: How does the GPU's memory capacity affect 4K performance?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory. The performance drop from 4K Medium (42 FPS) to 4K High (30 FPS) and 4K Ultra (24 FPS) suggests that the game's high-resolution textures may exceed this capacity, causing performance degradation.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 2162 out of 3724 total tested combinations for The Medium, placing it in the lower 58% of all configurations.

Q: Which is more important for this game, CPU or GPU?

A: The GPU is more important. The data shows that the GPU's performance scales are the primary determinant of FPS, as the system is consistently GPU-bound. The CPU has ample headroom, as evidenced by its high benchmark scores.

Q: Is this system suitable for playing The Medium at 4K?

A: Only at Low settings, where it achieves an average of 67 FPS. At Medium settings, the average drops to 42 FPS, and at High and Ultra it falls to 30 and 24 FPS respectively, which are not ideal for a smooth experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge). It has a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. This high core count and clock speed provide substantial compute headroom for gaming, and the data confirms that the CPU is not a limiting factor in The Medium.

The CPU's benchmark scores illustrate its strength. It achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 47737 and a single-core score of 6739. In 3DMark, it scores 13795 with max threads and 1269 with a single thread. These scores place it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54762. The nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, has a very similar average score, with a delta of only -0.6%.

The CPU's large 128 MB L3 cache is a key feature for gaming, as it can hold more frequently accessed data, reducing latency. The data shows that this cache, combined with the high boost clock, allows the CPU to feed the GPU with data fast enough to avoid bottlenecking. The fact that the FPS scales so predictably with resolution changes, without any sudden drops that would indicate CPU stalls, points to a healthy CPU-GPU balance.

The 12 cores and 24 threads are more than sufficient for The Medium, which is a game that does not heavily utilize multi-threading. The CPU's single-thread performance, as evidenced by the Geekbench single-core score of 3041, is what matters most for this title. The system's ability to maintain 101 FPS at 1080p Low confirms the CPU's efficiency, as the GPU is still the one hitting its limits.

The CPU is a high-end part with a TDP of 120 W and a launch MSRP of $599. It supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. In this pairing, the CPU is vastly overqualified for the GPU, meaning that any performance issues in The Medium can be directly attributed to the RTX 2070 SUPER, not the processor. The data unequivocally shows a GPU-bound scenario across all tested settings and resolutions.