The Medium

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 paired with the AMD Radeon 880M is a combination that sits near the bottom of the database for The Medium, ranking 2843rd out of 2911 tested combos. This places the system in the 3rd percentile of all configurations, indicating that while the CPU is exceptionally strong, the integrated GPU severely limits the experience. The data shows a system that can run the game, but only at reduced resolutions and settings, making it a candidate for players who prioritize portability over graphical fidelity.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, revealing a clear GPU bottleneck. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 43 FPS at 1920x1080 to 36 FPS at 2560x1440, and then down to 28 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 35% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is substantial but not catastrophic for a horror title where atmosphere matters more than twitch response. The scaling suggests that the Radeon 880M is struggling with pixel throughput, as the core count (768 shading units) and memory bandwidth (System Dependent) are simply not sufficient for the higher resolutions.

At Medium settings, the pattern is more pronounced. The average frame rate drops from 27 FPS at 1080p to 22 FPS at 1440p, and then to 18 FPS at 4K. The minimum frame rates at Medium settings tell a similar story: 23 FPS at 1080p, 19 FPS at 1440p, and 15 FPS at 4K. These minimums are important because they represent the worst-case moments during gameplay, which often occur during scripted horror sequences or when the camera pans across complex scenes. The 15 FPS minimum at 4K is particularly concerning, as it dips below the threshold where most players would consider the game playable.

High settings show even more severe degradation. The average frame rate goes from 19 FPS at 1080p to 16 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 13 FPS at 4K. This is a 32% drop from 1080p to 4K, but the absolute numbers are so low that the percentage becomes less relevant. At 4K High, the game is essentially a slideshow, and the data suggests that the GPU is the limiting component rather than the CPU. The Ryzen AI Max+ 395, with its 16 cores and 32 threads, is far more capable than what this workload demands, but the Radeon 880M cannot keep up with the pixel count.

Ultra settings are nearly unplayable at any resolution. The average frame rate is 15 FPS at 1080p, 13 FPS at 1440p, and 10 FPS at 4K. The jump from 1080p to 4K at Ultra represents a 33% performance loss, which is consistent with the other settings. However, the starting point is so low that even the 1080p result is below the minimum threshold for a smooth experience. The data indicates that resolution scaling follows a predictable curve, but the curve starts at a point that is too low for practical use above 1080p.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured frame rates, the only viable path to playable performance is to use Low settings at 1080p. The data shows 43 FPS average at 1920x1080 Low, which is the only configuration that approaches a smooth experience. This is still below the 60 FPS target that many players prefer, but it is sufficient for a slow-paced horror game where the atmosphere is more important than frame rate consistency. The minimum frame rate at this setting is not listed, but the average suggests that most of the game will run in the 40-45 FPS range, which is acceptable for the genre.

Medium settings at 1080p produce an average of 27 FPS, which is a significant step down from Low. The minimum frame rate of 23 FPS at this setting is concerning, as it means the game will occasionally stutter during intense moments. For players who want better visual quality, Medium at 1080p is the highest setting that remains technically playable, but the data suggests that the trade-off is not worth it. The jump from Low to Medium costs 16 FPS (37% reduction), which is a substantial penalty for visual improvements that may be difficult to notice on a small screen.

At 1440p, Low settings yield 36 FPS average, which is playable but not ideal. The data shows that this is the only 1440p configuration that exceeds 30 FPS, making it a secondary option for players with higher-resolution displays. However, the 7 FPS difference between 1080p Low and 1440p Low (43 vs 36) suggests that the resolution increase is not worth the performance cost unless the display is native 1440p. Medium settings at 1440p drop to 22 FPS average, which is below the playable threshold for most players.

4K is not recommended at any setting. The best result is 28 FPS average at Low, which is below 30 FPS and will feel choppy. The data shows that the Radeon 880M simply does not have the pixel throughput to handle 3840x2160 in The Medium, regardless of the quality preset. Players with 4K displays should either run the game at a lower resolution or accept that the experience will be compromised. The measured results indicate that Low at 1080p is the sweet spot, with Medium at 1080p as a secondary option for players who prioritize visual quality over smoothness.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 880M is an integrated graphics solution based on the RDNA 3.5 architecture, built on a 4 nm process at TSMC. It features 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 16 raster operation pipelines. The boost clock of 2900 MHz is relatively high for an IGP, but the raw compute power is limited. The FP32 performance is rated at 4.454 TFLOPS, which places it in the lower tier of modern GPUs. The 43rd percentile ranking against all GPUs confirms that this is a mid-to-low-tier part, roughly equivalent to discrete GPUs from a decade ago.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX, which is rated 0.1% faster, and the AMD Radeon HD 8870M, which is 0.3% slower. These comparisons illustrate the performance class of the Radeon 880M: it is competitive with mobile GPUs from the early 2010s, which reflects how far integrated graphics have come, but also a clear indicator that it is not designed for demanding titles like The Medium. The memory configuration is System Shared, meaning the GPU uses the same LPDDR5X memory as the CPU, with bandwidth that is System Dependent. This shared memory arrangement can cause contention between the CPU and GPU, potentially exacerbating performance issues.

The measured frame rates in The Medium reflect the GPU's limitations. At 1080p Low, the 43 FPS average is actually quite respectable for an IGP, but the performance collapses as resolution increases. The 13 FPS average at 4K High is a clear sign that the GPU is overwhelmed by the pixel count. The VRAM situation is also important: with System Shared memory, the GPU can access a large pool, but the bandwidth is shared with the CPU, which can cause stuttering in scenes with heavy texture streaming. The 12 ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support are technically present, but the data suggests that enabling ray tracing would be futile given the already low frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and the AMD Radeon 880M ranks 2843rd out of 2911 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the bottom 2.3% of all configurations, which is a poor result for a system with such a powerful CPU. The rank is almost entirely determined by the GPU, as the CPU is in the 95th percentile of all processors, while the GPU is in the 43rd percentile. This mismatch creates a situation where the CPU is vastly overqualified for the workload, but the GPU holds back the entire system.

The nearest CPU rivals in the database include the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX, which is 1.6% faster, and the Intel Core i9-14900K, which is 1.7% faster. These comparisons show that the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is a top-tier processor, but it cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations. The combo rank of 2843 out of 2911 means that 97.7% of tested systems perform better in The Medium, which is a stark contrast to the CPU's individual ranking. This disparity highlights the importance of GPU selection for gaming, even when the CPU is exceptionally capable.

For context, the combo rank is not a reflection of the CPU's performance but rather the overall system's suitability for this specific game. A system with a weaker CPU but a discrete GPU would likely rank much higher, as The Medium is not a CPU-intensive title. The data shows that the integrated Radeon 880M is the primary bottleneck, and no amount of CPU horsepower can overcome that limitation. Players considering this combo for gaming should be aware that it is designed for productivity and light workloads, not for demanding titles at high resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Strix Halo. It operates at a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, with a 55 W TDP. The CPU has a 64 MB shared L3 cache and supports LPDDR5X memory over a quad-channel interface, providing 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications make it a powerhouse for multi-threaded workloads, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 35314 and Geekbench multicore score of 20992.

In The Medium, the CPU's role is minimal compared to the GPU. The game is not particularly demanding on the processor, and the data shows that the frame rates are consistently limited by the GPU rather than the CPU. The 95th percentile ranking against all CPUs confirms that this is one of the fastest processors available, but that speed has little impact on gaming performance when paired with an integrated GPU. The CPU's single-core performance, as measured by Geekbench (2464) and Cinebench R23 (2044), is more than sufficient for the game's logic and physics calculations.

The nearest CPU rivals include the Intel Core i9-14900K, which is 1.7% faster in overall benchmarks, and the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX, which is 2% slower. These comparisons show that the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is competitive with the best desktop processors, but this has no bearing on The Medium performance. The game's frame rates are determined almost entirely by the GPU, and the CPU's 16 cores are largely idle during gameplay. For players who plan to use this system for other tasks, the CPU is an excellent choice, but for gaming, it is overkill.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The data provides a comprehensive look at performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 43 FPS (Low), 27 FPS (Medium), 19 FPS (High), and 15 FPS (Ultra). The Medium setting has a minimum of 23 FPS and a maximum of 31 FPS, which shows a reasonable frame time consistency for an IGP. The Low setting does not have listed minimum/maximum values, but the 43 FPS average is the highest of any configuration.

At 2560x1440, the results are 36 FPS (Low), 22 FPS (Medium), 16 FPS (High), and 13 FPS (Ultra). The Medium setting shows a minimum of 19 FPS and a maximum of 26 FPS, which is a narrow range that suggests the GPU is consistently hitting its limits. The 36 FPS at Low is the only 1440p result above 30 FPS, making it the only viable option for players with QHD displays. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1440p shows a steady decline, with each step costing approximately 6-7 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the results are 28 FPS (Low), 18 FPS (Medium), 13 FPS (High), and 10 FPS (Ultra). The Medium setting has a minimum of 15 FPS and a maximum of 20 FPS, which represents the playable range at 4K. However, even the best 4K result (28 FPS at Low) is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The 10 FPS average at Ultra is essentially unplayable, and the data suggests that 4K should be avoided entirely with this combo. The overall pattern across all resolutions is consistent: Low settings are the only way to achieve playable frame rates, and 1080p is the only resolution where the game feels responsive.