The Medium

The Medium presents a fascinating case study in system bottleneck behavior, particularly when powered by the unusual combination of a top-tier mobile CPU and a desktop-class GPU. The measured frame rates across resolutions reveal a component dynamic that defies simple expectations. The data indicates that this pairing of the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is capable of high performance, but its behavior is heavily influenced by the game’s demanding visual effects and the specific settings applied.

The overall benchmark position places this combo at rank 872 out of 2911 tested combinations, putting it in the 70th percentile of all systems. This is a strong showing, though the specific performance details across the tested resolutions and settings provide a more nuanced picture, revealing where the system excels and where it struggles to maintain fluid frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is far from linear, and the pattern tells a clear story about which component is under the most strain. At 1080p with Medium settings, the system produces an average of 86 FPS. Moving to 1440p, that average drops to 72 FPS, a reduction of roughly 16%. However, the most dramatic shift occurs when moving from 1440p to 2160p (4K), where the average plummets to 57 FPS. This is a 21% drop from the 1440p figure and a 34% drop from the 1080p result.

This scaling pattern is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. The RTX 4080’s raw compute power is sufficient to handle the load at 1080p and even 1440p, but the sheer pixel count at 4K overwhelms it, causing a steep performance cliff. The 32 FPS average at 4K Ultra further confirms this, as the GPU is clearly working at its limit. Interestingly, the Low settings at 4K still manage an average of 91 FPS, showing that when the visual load is lightened, the GPU can still push a high frame rate even at 4K. This suggests that the CPU is not the primary limiter at any tested resolution; instead, the RTX 4080’s performance envelope is the defining factor.

The data implies that for a consistently high-refresh-rate experience, 1440p is the practical ceiling for this combo with higher settings. At 4K, the system is firmly in 60 FPS territory only on Low settings, making it a resolution for visual fidelity rather than competitive or high-refresh gameplay. The jump from 41 FPS at 4K High to 57 FPS at 4K Medium shows that settings have a more profound impact at higher resolutions than the native resolution change itself does, a key insight for users looking to optimize their experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves at 4K?

A: The highest average frame rate at 3840x2160 is 91 FPS, which is achieved with the Low settings preset. This drops significantly to 57 FPS on Medium and 41 FPS on High, indicating a heavy reliance on the graphics settings at this resolution.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to all other tested systems?

A: The combined system ranks 872nd out of 2911 total tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the top 30% of all tested configurations, demonstrating a strong overall performance level.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck in this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions. For example, at 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 86, but at 4K Medium, it falls to 57 FPS. This significant drop as resolution increases indicates the graphics card is straining to keep up with the pixel workload, not the CPU.

Q: What are the average FPS differences between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average frame rate on Low settings is 116 FPS. On Ultra settings, this average drops to 41 FPS. This represents a 75 FPS difference, or a 65% reduction in performance, when moving from the lowest to the highest quality preset.

Q: Does the RTX 4080 have enough VRAM for this game?

A: The RTX 4080 is equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory. The benchmark data does not show any indication of VRAM-related stutters or performance anomalies, suggesting that this capacity is sufficient for The Medium at the tested settings and resolutions.

Q: What is the average FPS on High settings at 1080p?

A: On High settings at 1920x1080, the system achieves an average of 61 FPS. This is the lowest average among the four settings presets at this resolution, with Low at 137 FPS, Medium at 86 FPS, and Ultra at 49 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the undisputed driving force behind this combo’s performance in The Medium, and its characteristics directly explain the measured results. The GPU’s 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides a substantial 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth, which is likely sufficient to handle the game’s high-resolution textures and complex scenes without becoming a limiting factor. The benchmark data supports this, as there are no signs of a performance floor being hit due to memory capacity or bandwidth at any tested setting.

The card’s clock speeds, with a base of 2205 MHz and a boost of 2505 MHz, define its processing cadence. The data shows that these clocks are pushed hard until the GPU reaches its thermal or power limits, as evidenced by the steep FPS declines at 4K. At 1080p and 1440p, the GPU is clearly able to maintain high throughput, but the 4K resolution demands a massive increase in pixel shading work, which the 9728 shading units struggle to deliver at a rate that keeps up with lower resolutions. The RTX 4080’s compute capabilities, including 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores, are present, but the raw rasterization performance, as measured by its FP32 throughput of 48.74 TFLOPS, is the primary driver in this title.

The GPU’s percentile ranking of 86 against all GPUs confirms its high-end status, but its nearest rivals are telling. It sits just 0.1% above the RTX 4080 SUPER, and it is actually 2.7% slower than the integrated AMD Radeon 8060S in the same CPU package based on average benchmark score. This is a remarkable data point. While the RTX 4080’s dedicated memory and drivers give it an edge in real-world gaming, the synthetic benchmarks show that the CPU’s integrated graphics are not far behind in raw compute, which contextualizes the RTX 4080’s position in the market. The performance in The Medium, however, shows the RTX 4080 pulling away from any integrated solution would be capable of, particularly at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is placed at rank 872 out of 2911 tested combinations for The Medium. This places it in the 70th percentile, indicating that it outperforms a significant majority of systems. However, the ranking also suggests that there are many other configurations that deliver better performance in this specific title. The data implies that while this is a high-end pairing, it is not at the absolute top tier for this game, likely due to the CPU’s mobile-oriented design and the GPU’s performance ceiling at extreme settings.

This rank is a summary judgment of its overall capability across all tested scenarios. The system’s performance is clearly strong, as it's in the top 30% of all combos, but it is not near the top 1% or even top 10%. This suggests that for The Medium, other combos, possibly with more powerful desktop CPUs or higher-tier GPUs, will achieve higher frame rates. The rank reflects a balanced system that delivers good performance but is not the ultimate choice for this particular game. The deltaPct values for the CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the 1.6% difference from the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX, show that the CPU is competitive with other high-end parts, but the GPU’s performance ultimately defines the gaming experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 plays a supporting but crucial role in this combo. With 16 cores and 32 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, it provides ample processing power to avoid becoming a bottleneck in The Medium. The CPU’s high boost clock of 5.10 GHz ensures that it can handle the game’s single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads efficiently. The benchmark results show that at 1080p Low, where the GPU load is relatively light, the system achieves an average of 137 FPS, demonstrating that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU enough data to reach high frame rates.

The CPU’s 64 MB of shared L3 cache is a significant asset, likely helping to reduce memory latency and improve performance in a game with complex data streaming. The fact that the FPS does not drop dramatically when moving from 1080p to 1440p on Low settings (from 137 FPS to 116 FPS) suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor at these resolutions. It is only when the GPU becomes the primary constraint at 4K that the CPU’s role becomes less impactful on the final frame rate. The CPU’s performance is strong enough to keep up with the RTX 4080 until the GPU is completely saturated, making it a well-matched partner for this game.

The CPU’s average benchmark score of 77740 and its 95th percentile ranking against all CPUs confirm its high-end status. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-14900K, has an average score of 79097, which is just 1.7% higher, showing that the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is directly comparable to one of the best desktop CPUs available. This reinforces the idea that the CPU is not a weak link in the chain; the overall system performance is dictated by the GPU’s limits in this specific title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frames per second data provides a complete picture of the system's performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 137 FPS on Low, 86 FPS on Medium, 61 FPS on High, and 49 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting shows a min FPS of 73 and a max of 99, indicating some frame time variance. This resolution is clearly where the system is most comfortable, with even Ultra settings providing a playable frame rate.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 116 FPS on Low, 72 FPS on Medium, 52 FPS on High, and 41 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting here shows a min of 61 and a max of 83 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at each setting level is noticeable, but the system remains capable of providing a smooth experience on Medium and Low settings. At 3840x2160, the performance takes a significant hit. The averages are 91 FPS on Low, 57 FPS on Medium, 41 FPS on High, and 32 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting has a min of 48 and a max of 65 FPS. This resolution is only viable for high frame rates on Low settings, and even Medium dips below the 60 FPS threshold for a portion of the time.

The full breakdown is as follows:

• 1080p Low: 137 FPS
• 1080p Medium: 86 FPS (min 73, max 99)
• 1080p High: 61 FPS
• 1080p Ultra: 49 FPS
• 1440p Low: 116 FPS
• 1440p Medium: 72 FPS (min 61, max 83)
• 1440p High: 52 FPS
• 1440p Ultra: 41 FPS
• 4K Low: 91 FPS
• 4K Medium: 57 FPS (min 48, max 65)
• 4K High: 41 FPS
• 4K Ultra: 32 FPS

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a 1080p display, the High preset provides an average of 61 FPS, which is a good balance of visual quality and performance. However, users with high-refresh-rate monitors would benefit more from the Medium preset, which delivers an average of 86 FPS while still maintaining a significant visual upgrade over Low. The Ultra preset at 1080p, while offering the best visuals, drops to an average of 49 FPS, which may not be ideal for all players.

For 1440p, the Medium preset is the clear sweet spot. It provides an average of 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS, ensuring a mostly smooth experience without requiring a significant sacrifice in visual fidelity. The High preset at 1440p, at 52 FPS, is playable but shows that the system is starting to feel the strain. At 4K, the choice is stark. The Low preset is the only one that delivers a consistently smooth experience, with an average of 91 FPS. The Medium preset, at 57 FPS, is playable but will experience dips into the 40s, which could be noticeable in a horror game where pacing is critical. The High and Ultra presets at 4K, with averages of 41 and 32 FPS respectively, are best reserved for players who prioritize visual fidelity above all else and are comfortable with lower frame rates.

In summary, the data recommends the following:

• 1080p: Use Medium for a high frame rate, or High for a balanced experience.
• 1440p: Medium is the optimal choice for a smooth and visually appealing experience.
• 4K: Low is recommended for performance, while Medium is viable for a more detailed, albeit slightly less smooth, experience if you can tolerate occasional dips below 60 FPS.