The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D paired with the AMD Radeon RX 570 presents a stark contrast in capabilities within The Medium. The CPU is a top-tier desktop processor, while the GPU is an end-of-life Polaris part from 2017. This combination yields a benchmark dataset that is almost entirely constrained by the graphics card, with the CPU's substantial resources remaining largely underutilized. The measured frames per second are uniformly low across the board, and the data reveals a clear narrative of a system whose performance ceiling is defined by its oldest component.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is the primary indicator of the system's bottleneck. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 44.8 FPS at 1920x1080 to 39.9 FPS at 2560x1440, and then sharply to 26.3 FPS at 3840x2160. The transition from 1440p to 4K represents a significant 34% reduction in performance. This pattern is consistent across all settings presets, confirming that the rendering load is overwhelming the GPU.

The scaling behavior points to a definitive GPU limitation. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 44.8 FPS, which is its peak performance in this dataset. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the frame rate to remain relatively flat as resolution increases, since the CPU workload is largely independent of resolution. Instead, the data shows a steady decline, indicating that the RX 570's pixel fillrate and memory bandwidth are being saturated. The GPU's 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are simply insufficient for the demands of The Medium at higher resolutions.

The difference between 1080p and 1440p at High settings is negligible, with only a 0.1 FPS difference (18.1 vs 18.2). This plateau suggests that at these settings, the GPU is already at its limit, and the slight resolution change does not meaningfully alter the workload. The real drop occurs when moving to 4K, where the pixel count quadruples, causing the frame rate to collapse to 12.3 FPS. This data indicates that the limiting component is unequivocally the GPU, as the CPU's capabilities are not being exercised to a degree that would allow for higher frame rates at any resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 4.30 GHz and a boost clock of 5.70 GHz. Its benchmark scores are prodigious, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 59712 and a single-core score of 8430. The CPU’s percentile ranking against all CPUs is 96, placing it in the top 4% of all processors tested. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, scores an average of 70420, a delta of 1.8%, which is a negligible difference in real-world terms.

However, these CPU strengths are irrelevant to the measured FPS in The Medium. The game's performance is entirely dictated by the GPU. The data shows that even at 1080p Low, the system only achieves 44.8 FPS. This is not a frame rate that would stress a 16-core processor. The CPU is likely idle for most of the frame rendering time, waiting for the GPU to complete its work. The 128 MB of shared L3 cache and high boost clocks are excellent for CPU-bound scenarios, but they do not compensate for the GPU's inability to process the game's graphics.

The CPU's role in this pairing is to provide a stable platform, which it does admirably. It ensures that there are no CPU-side frame drops, but it cannot boost the overall performance. The benchmark results for the CPU, such as the 3DMark 16-thread score of 16374 and the PassMark multi-thread score of 70255, are indicative of its immense compute power. Yet, in this specific game, that power is left on the table. The system is a clear case of a high-end CPU being paired with a low-end GPU, creating a scenario where the GPU is the sole performance limiter.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo can achieve in The Medium?

A: The highest recorded average frame rate is 44.8 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the GPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 570 has an average benchmark score of 30158. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, scores 30109, a delta of 0.2%. The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT scores 30097, a delta of 0.2%, showing very similar aggregate performance.

Q: Does increasing resolution from 1080p to 4K have a significant impact?

A: Yes. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 44.8 at 1080p to 26.3 at 4K, a substantial reduction of 18.5 FPS. At High settings, the drop is even more severe, from 18.1 FPS to 12.3 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this configuration?

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The FPS scales inversely with resolution, which is a classic symptom of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU's high benchmark scores do not translate to higher FPS in this game.

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

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings yield 44.8 FPS, while Ultra settings yield 18.9 FPS. This is a 25.9 FPS difference, showing that the Ultra preset is far too demanding for this GPU.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 1631 out of 1689 tested combinations for The Medium, placing it in the bottom percentile of all systems tested.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank in The Medium is 1631 out of 1689 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 3.4% of all systems. This is a very poor ranking, reflecting the GPU's inability to handle the game's requirements. The data shows that this is not a viable configuration for a smooth gaming experience at any settings. The rank is a direct consequence of the average FPS being below 30 in almost every scenario, with only the 1080p Low preset achieving a playable, albeit low, frame rate.

This ranking confirms the GPU's age and limited capabilities. While the CPU is a top-tier part, it cannot overcome the GPU's performance ceiling. The ranking would likely be significantly higher if the GPU were a modern part. The data also shows that the GPU's nearest rivals, such as the RTX 5060, have a similar average benchmark score, but in a real-world game like The Medium, the architecture and memory configuration of the RX 570 prove to be a significant disadvantage. The combination's rank is a clear indicator that this pairing is unbalanced and unsuitable for this specific title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only settings that provide a remotely playable experience are at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which yields an average of 44.8 FPS. This is the only preset that approaches a smooth frame rate, though it may still feel somewhat inconsistent. The Medium preset at 1080p drops to 25.6 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable play. At 1440p, the Low preset yields 39.9 FPS, which is playable but still not ideal.

For a better visual experience, the trade-off is severe. The High preset at 1080p yields only 18.1 FPS, which is a slideshow. The Ultra preset is even more demanding, with 18.9 FPS at 1080p and 12.4 FPS at 4K. The data suggests that the only viable path is to use the Low preset, and to prioritize resolution over visual fidelity. Given that the 1080p Low preset is the highest performer, it is the recommended setting. The 1080p Medium preset at 25.6 FPS is a borderline option for players who prefer visuals over smoothness, but the Low preset is the only one that provides a consistent frame rate above 30 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete set of measured average FPS values for this combo in The Medium.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 44.8 FPS
• Medium: 25.6 FPS
• High: 18.1 FPS
• Ultra: 18.9 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 39.9 FPS
• Medium: 23.1 FPS
• High: 18.2 FPS
• Ultra: 11.4 FPS

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 26.3 FPS
• Medium: 16.0 FPS
• High: 12.3 FPS
• Ultra: 12.4 FPS

The data shows a clear pattern: performance degrades as resolution and settings increase. The only preset that maintains an average above 40 FPS is 1080p Low. The 1440p Low preset is the only other option that stays above 30 FPS. All other configurations fall below the 30 FPS playability threshold, with several dropping into the low teens. This breakdown confirms that the RX 570 is the limiting component, as the frame rate is consistently low regardless of the CPU's capabilities.