The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination delivers a compelling 4K experience in The Medium, but the data reveals a clear performance hierarchy dependent on resolution and settings. At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 45 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a smooth horror experience. The benchmark results indicate that this pairing is heavily balanced, with the RTX 4080 providing substantial raw power while the 9900X3D ensures the CPU is never a bottleneck, even at lower resolutions where frame rates soar past 190 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable yet significant drop in performance as resolution increases, a classic sign of a GPU-bound workload at higher pixel counts. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces an average of 191 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 161 FPS, a 15.7% decrease. At 4K Low, the average falls to 127 FPS, representing a further 21.1% decrease from the 1440p figure and a total 33.5% drop from the 1080p baseline.

This scaling pattern changes dramatically when we look at higher settings. With High settings, the frame rate drops from 86 FPS at 1080p to 72 FPS at 1440p (a 16.3% reduction) and then to 57 FPS at 4K (a 20.8% reduction from 1440p). The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling, starting at 68 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 57 FPS at 1440p, and finally reaching 45 FPS at 4K. The consistent percentage drops across resolutions indicate that the rendering load scales linearly with pixel count, which is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario. The RTX 4080's 16 GB of VRAM is sufficient to handle the texture and geometry demands at 4K, as the frame rate declines are steady rather than collapsing, suggesting the memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s is adequate for this title.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this game. At 1080p Low, where CPU overhead is most likely to surface, the system still achieves 191 FPS. This high frame rate indicates that the Ryzen 9 9900X3D's single-thread performance, evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 1269, is more than capable of feeding the GPU. The real bottleneck at higher resolutions is the GPU's shading and rasterization workload, as the RTX 4080's FP32 performance of 48.74 TFLOPS is taxed more heavily as pixel count increases.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play The Medium with this hardware for a 60 FPS target?*

A: For a consistent 60 FPS experience, the 1440p High preset is the most suitable option, delivering an average of 72 FPS. At 4K, only the Medium preset, with an average of 79 FPS, surpasses the 60 FPS target, while the High preset at 4K averages 57 FPS, which is below that threshold.

Q: How does the CPU's core count affect performance in this game?

A: With 12 cores and 24 threads, the Ryzen 9 9900X3D provides ample parallelism. The benchmark results show that even at 1080p Low, where CPU load can be highest, the system maintains 191 FPS, indicating that the game does not fully utilize all 24 threads but benefits from the high single-core boost clock of 5.50 GHz.

*Q: Is the RTX 4080 sufficient for 4K gaming in The Medium?*

A: Yes, the RTX 4080 is capable of 4K gaming, but settings must be managed. The data shows it can run the Medium preset at 4K with an average of 79 FPS, which is excellent. However, the Ultra preset at 4K drops the average to 45 FPS, indicating that the most demanding settings are too heavy for a smooth experience at this resolution.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the difference is substantial. The Low preset averages 191 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 68 FPS. This represents a 64.4% reduction in average frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest settings, showing a significant increase in GPU load.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 173rd out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the 95.4th percentile, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of other system configurations tested for this game.

Q: Are the minimum FPS values consistent with the average FPS?

A: The data includes minimum FPS values only for the Medium preset. At 1080p Medium, the average is 120 FPS with a minimum of 102 FPS, showing a 15% drop. At 1440p Medium, the average is 101 FPS with a minimum of 86 FPS (a 14.9% drop). At 4K Medium, the average is 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 FPS (a 15.2% drop). This consistent 15% dip suggests stable frame pacing without severe stutters.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark data places this AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 configuration at rank 173 out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium. This is a strong result, placing the system in the top 5% of all tested configurations. The high ranking is a direct consequence of the balanced performance of both components. The CPU's 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs and the GPU's 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicate that neither component is a weak link, and they work together to produce high frame rates across all tested resolutions.

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Ryzen 9 9900X3D has an average benchmark score of 54762, which is 0.6% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF and 1.3% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K. This close grouping suggests that the CPU is not the primary differentiator in performance for this game. Similarly, the RTX 4080's average benchmark score of 54247 is nearly identical to the RTX 4080 SUPER, which is only 0.1% faster. This indicates that the GPU's performance is the dominant factor in determining the final FPS, and the data confirms this, as the frame rates scale predictably with the GPU's workload.

The rank of 173 is notably high considering the game's release date of January 2021, which predates both the CPU (released January 2025) and the GPU (released September 2022). The modern hardware significantly overpowers the game's requirements, resulting in high frame rates even at 4K. The fact that this combo outperforms 3,551 other configurations suggests that it is an excellent choice for this title, providing headroom for future games or more demanding settings.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the Medium preset is the clear winner across all resolutions. At 1080p, it delivers an average of 120 FPS with a minimum of 102 FPS, ensuring a smooth and responsive experience. At 1440p, the Medium preset averages 101 FPS with a minimum of 86 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. Even at 4K, the Medium preset is capable of an average of 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 FPS, providing a playable and visually impressive experience without dropping below 60 FPS.

The High preset is also a viable option for users with 1080p or 1440p displays who prioritize visual quality over raw frame rate. At 1080p, it averages 86 FPS, and at 1440p, it averages 72 FPS. However, at 4K, the High preset's average of 57 FPS is below the 60 FPS target, making the Medium preset a more suitable choice for 4K displays.

The Ultra preset is generally not recommended for this game with this hardware. While it produces an average of 68 FPS at 1080p, the frame rate drops to 57 FPS at 1440p and 45 FPS at 4K. The performance cost of the Ultra settings is significant, and the visual improvement over High is often marginal in a horror game with a slower pace. For the best experience, users should select the Medium preset at 4K or the High preset at 1440p, depending on their preference for smoothness or visual detail.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1080p, the Ultra preset produces an average of 68 FPS, while the High preset averages 86 FPS. The Medium preset delivers a smoother experience with an average of 120 FPS and a minimum of 102 FPS, while the Low preset maximizes performance with an average of 191 FPS.

Moving to 1440p, the Ultra preset's average drops to 57 FPS, and the High preset averages 72 FPS. The Medium preset remains the best option for high-refresh-rate gaming, with an average of 101 FPS and a minimum of 86 FPS. The Low preset at 1440p achieves an average of 161 FPS, which is still exceptionally high.

At 4K, the performance gap widens. The Ultra preset averages 45 FPS, which is the lowest result in the entire dataset. The High preset averages 57 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a 60 FPS target. The Medium preset stands out as the best 4K option, with an average of 79 FPS, a minimum of 67 FPS, and a maximum of 91 FPS. The Low preset at 4K achieves an average of 127 FPS, showing that the hardware is capable of high frame rates even at 4K if visual settings are reduced.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the Medium preset offers the best balance of performance and quality, with the minimum FPS values remaining within 15% of the average, indicating stable frame pacing. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with a significant performance penalty that makes it unsuitable for 4K gaming with this hardware.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D plays a crucial role in ensuring that the GPU is never starved of data. With 12 cores and 24 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, this CPU provides substantial processing power. The base clock of 4.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz are high, and the 128 MB of L3 cache helps with data locality, which is beneficial for gaming workloads. The benchmark results show that the CPU is not a bottleneck, as the frame rates at 1080p Low are exceptionally high at 191 FPS.

The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 1269 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6739 indicate strong single-thread performance, which is critical for games that rely on a primary game thread. The multi-thread performance is also robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 47737, but The Medium does not appear to be a heavily multi-threaded title, as the frame rate does not improve when moving from 1080p to lower resolutions, which would be the case if the CPU were a limiting factor.

The CPU's 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54762, places it among the top processors available. Its nearest rivals, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF and 245K, have average scores that are within 1.3% of the 9900X3D, confirming that the CPU's performance is competitive. However, in this game, the CPU's role is to provide consistent frame delivery, and the data suggests it does so effectively, allowing the RTX 4080 to operate at its full potential.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the primary driver of frame rates in The Medium, and the data reflects its capabilities. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s, the GPU has ample resources for high-resolution textures. The boost clock of 2505 MHz and the Ada Lovelace architecture with 9728 shading units deliver substantial computational power, as evidenced by the FP32 performance of 48.74 TFLOPS.

The GPU's performance is most evident at 4K, where the rendering load is highest. The ability to maintain an average of 79 FPS on the Medium preset at 4K demonstrates the RTX 4080's strength. The GPU's 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247, is nearly identical to the RTX 4080 SUPER, which is only 0.1% faster. This indicates that the RTX 4080 is a top-tier graphics card, and its performance in this game is consistent with its benchmark results.

The GPU's VRAM capacity of 16 GB is sufficient for The Medium, as the game's requirements are not excessive. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is linear, which suggests that the GPU's compute units are the bottleneck rather than memory bandwidth. The 45.9 billion transistors on a 379 mm² die, built on a 5 nm process, allow for high clock speeds and efficiency. The data confirms that the RTX 4080 is the determining factor in this combo's performance, with the CPU providing sufficient support to avoid any dips in frame rate.