The Medium

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile delivers a top-tier experience in The Medium, securing the 802nd position out of 3,724 tested combinations. This places the combo in the top 21.5% of all systems, a strong showing for a mobile platform. The data indicates that this pairing is capable of handling the game’s demanding horror atmosphere, though the GPU proves to be the dominant factor driving performance across all settings and resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 802 out of 3,724 tested configurations places it in the upper quintile of systems, demonstrating that it is well above average for this title. This is not a marginal result; the delta between this combo and the vast majority of others is significant. The ranking reflects a balanced but GPU-leaning system, where the RTX 4090 Mobile does the heavy lifting for rendering, while the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 ensures the CPU never becomes a bottleneck.

Benchmark results indicate that this pairing is particularly effective in The Medium, a game known for its dual-reality rendering mechanics that stress both the GPU’s rasterization and the CPU’s ability to manage multiple scenes. The 802nd rank versus 3,724 means the combo outperforms roughly 78% of all systems tested, a figure that underscores its high-end status. It is not the absolute fastest configuration, but it is decisively in the enthusiast tier, where users can expect high frame rates at demanding settings without compromise.

The CPU’s own percentile ranking reinforces this: the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 sits at the 95th percentile among all CPUs, and its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-14900K, show a delta of only -1.7% in average benchmark score. This means the processor is performing within 2% of some of the best desktop chips, ensuring that the GPU has ample headroom to reach its full potential. The GPU, sitting at the 84th percentile, is slightly further from the very top but still far above the median, and its nearest rivals, like the NVIDIA RTX A6000, show a delta of -0.9%, indicating it is competitive with professional-grade workstation parts.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile is the primary driver of frame rates in The Medium. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is crucial for the game’s high-resolution textures and the simultaneous rendering of two worlds. The GPU’s 9,728 shading units and 112 ROPs handle the heavy pixel work, while its base clock of 1335 MHz and boost clock of 1695 MHz offer substantial raw compute power. The data shows that the GPU’s performance scales predictably with settings, but the differences between presets are stark, especially at 4K.

At 3840x2160, the jump from Low to High settings yields a dramatic change in frame rate, but the GPU’s architecture, based on Ada Lovelace and built on a 5 nm process, is clearly optimized for high-throughput workloads. The 32.98 TFLOPS of FP32 compute reflects its ability to push pixels, yet the measured results show that even this power has limits at Ultra settings. The GPU’s 84th percentile ranking against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 43,667, places it just 0.9% behind the NVIDIA RTX A6000, indicating that it is a professional-grade performer in gaming scenarios.

The memory configuration is particularly noteworthy for The Medium, as the game’s fixed camera angles and detailed environments require fast texture streaming. The 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for the game’s requirements, preventing any texture pop-in or stuttering that might occur with lesser cards. The GPU’s memory clock of 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) ensures that data feeds the cores without delay, which is reflected in the stable minimum frame rates seen at Medium settings across all resolutions.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in The Medium?*

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 at Medium settings provides an optimal balance, with an average of 79 FPS and minimums of 67 FPS. This is the only resolution where the combo achieves high frame rates without sacrificing visual fidelity, as 4K Medium drops to 62 FPS and 1080p Medium reaches 94 FPS.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo averages 35 FPS. This is playable but not ideal for a smooth experience, indicating that the GPU is heavily taxed at the highest settings and resolution.

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

A: The GPU is the clear limiting factor. The Ryzen AI Max+ 395 sits at the 95th percentile for CPUs, while the RTX 4090 Mobile sits at the 84th percentile for GPUs. The scaling of frame rates across resolutions and settings follows GPU-bound patterns, with the CPU providing ample headroom.

Q: What are the minimum frame rates at Medium settings?

A: The measured data includes min FPS only for Medium settings. At 1920x1080, the minimum is 80 FPS; at 2560x1440, it is 67 FPS; and at 3840x2160, it is 53 FPS. These minimums indicate consistent performance without major stutters.

Q: How does this combo rank against other systems in this game?

A: It ranks 802nd out of 3,724 tested combos, placing it in the top 21.5% of all systems. This is a strong result, but it is not near the very top, leaving room for higher-end desktop or multi-GPU configurations to outperform it.

Q: Does the RTX 4090 Mobile support modern APIs?

A: Yes, the GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6. This ensures compatibility with the latest rendering features that The Medium might utilize for its visual effects.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo’s performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo starts at an average of 150 FPS on Low settings, which is exceptionally smooth. Moving to Medium drops the average to 94 FPS, with a minimum of 80 FPS and a maximum of 108 FPS, showcasing stable performance. High settings yield 67 FPS, while Ultra drops to 53 FPS, indicating that the GPU is still strong at 1080p but the gap between presets is noticeable.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. Low settings produce an average of 127 FPS, which is still very high. Medium settings deliver 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 91 FPS, making it the sweet spot for high refresh rate monitors. High settings reduce the average to 57 FPS, and Ultra drops further to 45 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p shows a roughly 15-20% decrease in frame rates across all settings, which is typical for a resolution increase.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s workload becomes much more demanding. Low settings yield an average of 99 FPS, which is impressive for 4K, but Medium drops to 62 FPS, with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS. High settings average 45 FPS, and Ultra plummets to 35 FPS. The data reveals that 4K Ultra is the only configuration that falls below the 60 FPS threshold for a consistently smooth experience, while 4K Medium is borderline, with minimums dipping below 60. The differences between Low and Ultra at 4K are stark, with a 64 FPS gap, indicating that the GPU is severely taxed at the highest settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset offers the best overall experience for this combo, particularly at 2560x1440. At this resolution, Medium settings produce an average of 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 FPS, ensuring a smooth and responsive experience that is close to the 144 Hz refresh rate of many gaming laptops. The frame time consistency, as indicated by the 67-91 FPS range, suggests no major hitches, making it ideal for a horror game where timing and atmosphere are critical.

For users prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity, the Low preset at 1920x1080 provides an average of 150 FPS, which is excellent for competitive or high-speed gameplay, though it sacrifices the game’s atmospheric lighting and shadow details. Conversely, the High preset at 2560x1440, averaging 57 FPS, is a viable option for those who want better visuals but can tolerate slightly lower frame rates. However, the Ultra preset is only recommended at 1080p, where it averages 53 FPS, as attempting 4K Ultra results in an average of 35 FPS, which is below the threshold for a comfortable experience.

The data strongly suggests that Medium settings are the optimal compromise, as they provide a significant visual upgrade over Low while maintaining frame rates well above 60 FPS at 1440p. At 4K, Medium settings, with an average of 62 FPS and a minimum of 53 FPS, are borderline playable, but the minimums may cause perceptible stutter in intense scenes. Therefore, the recommendation is to use Medium settings at 2560x1440 for the best balance of performance and image quality.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 plays a supportive but critical role in this combo. With 16 cores and 32 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, it offers a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, providing substantial multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. The CPU’s benchmark scores are exceptional, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35,314 and a single-core score of 2,044, placing it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. This headroom ensures that the GPU is never starved for data.

In The Medium, the CPU is responsible for managing the game’s logic, AI, and the simultaneous rendering of two distinct worlds. The 64 MB of shared L3 cache and 256.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth are critical for this workload, as they allow the CPU to quickly access and process the large amounts of data required for the game’s dual-reality mechanic. The CPU’s performance is such that it never becomes a bottleneck, as evidenced by the fact that frame rates drop consistently with resolution increases, which is a GPU-bound behavior.

The nearest rival data shows that the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is competitive with desktop parts like the Intel Core i9-14900K, which has a delta of -1.7% in average benchmark score. This means the mobile CPU is within 2% of one of the best desktop processors, ensuring that the RTX 4090 Mobile can operate at its full potential without waiting on the CPU. The CPU’s 55 W TDP is modest, allowing for efficient operation in a mobile form factor without thermal throttling, which is crucial for sustained gaming sessions.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling data reveals a clear GPU-bound pattern. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 94 to 79, a 16% decrease. From 1440p to 4K, the average drops from 79 to 62, a 21.5% decrease. This non-linear scaling is consistent with a GPU that is becoming increasingly saturated as pixel count rises. At Low settings, the scaling is even more pronounced: 150 FPS at 1080p, 127 FPS at 1440p, and 99 FPS at 4K, showing a 34% drop from 1080p to 4K.

The scaling at Ultra settings is the most dramatic, with 53 FPS at 1080p, 45 FPS at 1440p, and 35 FPS at 4K, a 34% drop as well. This indicates that the RTX 4090 Mobile is the limiting component, as the CPU’s performance is constant across resolutions. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would remain flat or increase at lower resolutions, but the data shows a consistent decline, confirming that the GPU’s rendering capabilities are the primary constraint.

The implications for gamers are clear: the combo is best utilized at 1440p or 1080p, where it can achieve high frame rates at Medium or High settings. At 4K, the GPU’s limits become apparent, and users must lower settings to maintain playable frame rates. The data also shows that the transition from Medium to High settings at any resolution costs roughly 20-25% of the frame rate, while the transition from High to Ultra costs a similar amount, suggesting that the GPU’s performance curve is steep at the top end.