The Medium

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for The Medium across resolutions reveal a system that is heavily constrained by the graphics card. Moving from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 at High settings, the average frame rate drops from 36.4 FPS to 20 FPS, a reduction of approximately 45%. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering workload at higher pixel counts outpaces the capabilities of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070.

At Low settings, the scaling pattern is similar but with higher absolute values. The 1080p Low preset delivers 76.9 FPS, which falls to 61.3 FPS at 1440p and further to 47.6 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is about 38%, indicating that even with reduced graphical fidelity, the resolution increase still imposes a significant load on the GPU. This suggests that the GTX 1070's pixel throughput is the primary limiting factor, rather than any CPU bottleneck.

The Medium preset shows a more pronounced scaling penalty. At 1080p Medium, the average is 48.3 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it drops to 37.3 FPS; and at 4K Medium, it falls to 32.6 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings results in a 32.5% performance loss, which is less severe than High but still substantial. The Ultra preset, however, is nearly unplayable at higher resolutions, with 28.3 FPS at 1080p, 24.7 FPS at 1440p, and a meager 18.2 FPS at 4K.

The data indicates that the CPU, an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D, is not the bottleneck in this configuration. The consistent frame rate drops with increasing resolution across all settings presets point directly to the GPU as the limiting component. The 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on the GTX 1070 also likely contributes to the performance degradation at 4K, where texture memory demands are higher. Overall, the scaling behavior suggests that users should target 1080p or 1440p for a playable experience, with 4K reserved only for the Low preset.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, based on the Pascal architecture with a GP104 chip, is the sole graphics processor in this configuration. Its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s, which is a critical factor for The Medium's asset streaming. The GPU's base clock is 1506 MHz with a boost clock of 1683 MHz, and it features 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The pixel rate is 107.7 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 202.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance at 6.463 TFLOPS.

Benchmark scores for the GTX 1070 place it at the 51st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 12331. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro K4200 (deltaPct 0.7), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M (deltaPct -1.3), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER (deltaPct -1.4), and the NVIDIA Tesla K20Xm (deltaPct -1.7). These small deltas indicate that the GTX 1070 sits in a tightly contested performance tier, but its age (released in 2016) shows in The Medium's results.

The GPU's DirectX 12 score in Passmark is 48, which is notably lower than its DirectX 11 score of 100, suggesting that the Pascal architecture struggles with modern API overhead. The Vulkan score from Geekbench is 47395, while OpenCL is 47490, indicating moderate compute capability. In The Medium, the GPU's limited VRAM and bandwidth become evident at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS falls to 18.2. The 8 GB frame buffer is likely saturated at higher resolutions and settings, causing the significant performance drops observed in the measured data.

The GTX 1070's production status is end-of-life, and its launch MSRP was 379 USD. Its performance in The Medium aligns with its mid-range positioning from its era, but the game's demands exceed what this GPU can deliver at higher quality settings. The data shows that the GPU is the definitive performance limiter in this system, especially when compared to the CPU's capabilities.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a 16-core, 32-thread processor from the 9000 series, based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) on a 4 nm process. Its base clock is 4.30 GHz with a boost clock of 5.70 GHz, and it features a large L3 cache of 128 MB shared. The CPU supports DDR5 memory with dual-channel configuration and a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. It has a TDP of 170 W and uses the AMD Socket AM5.

The CPU's benchmark scores are exceptional, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 59712 and a single-core score of 8430. Its average benchmark score is 71660, placing it at the 96th percentile among all CPUs. Nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 (deltaPct 0.9), the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (deltaPct 1.8), the Intel Xeon 6517P (deltaPct -1.9), and the Intel Core i7-14700KF (deltaPct 2.2). These deltas show that the 9950X3D is marginally ahead of most competitors, with a slight edge over the 9950X.

In The Medium, the CPU's role is minimal due to the GPU bottleneck. The game is not particularly CPU-intensive, and the 16 cores provide ample headroom for any background tasks or threading requirements. The measured FPS data shows no signs of CPU limitation, as frame rates scale consistently with resolution changes rather than showing flat performance across different resolutions. The single-thread performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 3401, ensures that the game's main thread is well-served, but the GPU remains the constraining factor.

The CPU's high L3 cache and boost clock do not translate into higher frame rates in this scenario because the GTX 1070 cannot keep up. The data suggests that pairing this flagship CPU with a mid-range GPU from 2016 creates a significant imbalance, where the CPU is vastly overqualified for the workload. The 9950X3D's release date of 2025 and the GTX 1070's 2016 release highlight a generational gap that favors the CPU in every computational aspect.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the average FPS across settings ranges from 28.3 at Ultra to 76.9 at Low. The High preset yields 36.4 FPS, and Medium yields 48.3 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium is 37.2% slower, while High to Ultra is 22.3% slower. This resolution offers the best balance between visual quality and playability, with Low being the only preset that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops noticeably. Low settings produce 61.3 FPS, Medium produces 37.3 FPS, High produces 28.5 FPS, and Ultra produces 24.7 FPS. The 1440p Low preset is still playable, but Medium and above fall below the 40 FPS threshold, which may cause noticeable stuttering in a horror game. The difference between 1080p and 1440p at Low is 20.3% slower, while at Ultra, it is 12.7% slower.

At 3840x2160, the performance is severely limited. Low settings yield 47.6 FPS, Medium yields 32.6 FPS, High yields 20 FPS, and Ultra yields 18.2 FPS. The 4K Low preset is the only viable option, and even it is below 60 FPS. The 4K High preset is nearly unplayable, and Ultra is effectively a slideshow. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Low is 22.3% slower, while at High, it is 29.8% slower.

The combo rank for this system in The Medium is 1413 out of 1689 combinations, indicating that it performs in the bottom 16% of tested configurations. This ranking aligns with the GPU's age and the game's demanding nature. The data shows a clear trend: lower resolutions and settings yield playable frame rates, while higher ones do not.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for playing The Medium with this system?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 Low provides the highest average FPS at 76.9, which is the only setting that exceeds 60 FPS. For a balance of quality and performance, 1080p Medium at 48.3 FPS is also viable.

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

A: At 4K, only the Low preset (47.6 FPS) approaches playability. Medium (32.6 FPS), High (20 FPS), and Ultra (18.2 FPS) are all below acceptable thresholds, making 4K unsuitable for this game.

Q: How does the GTX 1070 compare to its nearest rival in benchmarks?

A: The GTX 1070 has an average benchmark score of 12331, which is 0.7% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro K4200 and 1.4% higher than the GTX 1650 SUPER. It is 1.3% lower than the GTX 880M.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the bottleneck. Frame rates drop consistently with increasing resolution, which is a GPU-bound pattern. The CPU's 96th percentile ranking and high scores suggest it is not limiting performance.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low averages 76.9 FPS while Ultra averages 28.3 FPS, a difference of 48.6 FPS or approximately 63% lower performance at Ultra.

Q: How does this system rank among all tested configurations?

A: The system ranks 1413 out of 1689 total combinations, placing it in the lower 16% of tested hardware for The Medium.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for The Medium with this hardware is at 1920x1080 with the Low preset, which delivers an average of 76.9 FPS. This is the only configuration that provides a smooth, high-refresh-rate experience. For players who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, the Medium preset at 1080p (48.3 FPS) is a reasonable compromise, offering improved textures and effects without dropping below 45 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset (61.3 FPS) is the sole recommendation, as it maintains playability. The Medium preset at 1440p (37.3 FPS) is borderline, and High (28.5 FPS) or Ultra (24.7 FPS) should be avoided due to inconsistent frame pacing. For 4K, the Low preset (47.6 FPS) is the only viable option, but users should be prepared for occasional dips below 40 FPS in demanding scenes.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as even at 1080p it only reaches 28.3 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable gameplay in a horror title where responsiveness matters. The data suggests that the GTX 1070's limitations are most apparent at Ultra settings, where the 8 GB VRAM and 256.3 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the game's high-resolution textures.

In summary, the best experience per the measured rows is 1080p Low for maximum smoothness, or 1080p Medium for a balance of quality and performance. Higher resolutions are only playable at Low settings, and even then, frame rates are marginal. The system's combo rank of 1413 of 1689 reflects this constrained performance profile.