The Medium

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile delivers a mid-pack performance for The Medium, ranking 952nd out of 3724 tested combos. This places the combination in the 74th percentile of all tested systems, indicating that while it is not at the very top tier of performance for this title, it sits comfortably above the majority of configurations. The ranking suggests a balanced pairing where neither component is drastically underpowered, yet there is noticeable headroom before reaching the highest-performing systems. The score reflects a solid, capable platform for this horror title, though users seeking the absolute maximum framerates would need to look at more specialized hardware.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 952 out of 3724 tested combinations places it within the top quarter of all systems benchmarked for The Medium. This is a strong showing, but it is not exceptional. The position indicates the pairing handles the game’s demands well, but there are 952 other configurations that achieve higher average framerates. The ranking is driven by the combination of the CPU’s strong multi-threaded capabilities and the GPU’s substantial memory bandwidth, which together provide a stable foundation for the game’s fixed-camera rendering style.

Within the context of the CPU’s own benchmark standing, the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores in the 95th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77740. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX, which scores 76513 (1.6% lower), and the Intel Core i9-14900K, which scores 79097 (1.7% higher). This data suggests the CPU is performing near the level of top-tier desktop processors, providing ample computational power for the game’s logic and streaming requirements. The GPU, however, sits in the 81st percentile against all GPUs, with an average score of 38349, closely matching the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (38135, 0.6% lower) and the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 (38299, 0.1% lower). This indicates the GPU is competent but not leading edge, which explains why the combo does not break into the top 500 ranks for The Medium.

The delta between the CPU’s high percentile and the GPU’s slightly lower percentile suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing for this particular game. The measured FPS data supports this interpretation, as the system’s performance scales more dramatically with resolution changes than with CPU-bound settings. The rank of 952 reflects a system that is well-balanced but ultimately constrained by the graphics card’s ability to push pixels at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the average framerate at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the combo achieves an average of 92 FPS, with minimum framerates of 78 FPS and maximum framerates of 106 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to the Intel Core i9-14900K in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 has an average benchmark score of 77740, which is 1.7% lower than the Intel Core i9-14900K’s score of 79097. This indicates the AMD chip is slightly behind Intel’s flagship consumer processor in overall CPU benchmarks.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory configuration and how does it affect performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This high bandwidth is crucial for The Medium’s detailed textures and helps maintain consistent framerates at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the GPU comparable to the RTX 4080 Mobile?

A: Yes, the RTX 5080 Mobile’s average benchmark score of 38349 is only 0.6% higher than the RTX 4080 Mobile’s score of 38135. In practical terms, the two GPUs perform nearly identically in synthetic tests.

Q: What is the best preset for a 60 FPS target at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers an average of 78 FPS, while the High preset delivers 56 FPS. For a strict 60 FPS target, the Medium preset is the better choice, as it exceeds 60 FPS with room to spare.

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

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average framerate drops to 35 FPS. This is below playable thresholds for most users, suggesting Ultra at 4K is not viable for a smooth experience.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of presets across all three resolutions. For the best balance of visual fidelity and smooth gameplay, the Medium preset is the recommended choice. At 1920x1080, it achieves 92 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for most displays, while still offering a significant upgrade over the Low preset’s 147 FPS. The High preset at 1080p drops to 66 FPS, which is still playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 52 FPS, which is below the ideal 60 FPS target and not recommended for consistent performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Medium preset again provides the best experience, delivering 78 FPS. This is a substantial improvement over High’s 56 FPS, which may suffer from occasional stutters in intense sequences. The Low preset at 1440p hits 124 FPS, but this sacrifices too much visual quality for a game like The Medium, where atmosphere is key. At 3840x2160, the Medium preset drops to 61 FPS, which is right at the edge of the 60 FPS target. This makes 4K Medium the only viable option for high-resolution play, as High falls to 44 FPS and Ultra to 35 FPS.

For users with high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors, the Low preset offers the highest framerate at 147 FPS, but the Medium preset’s 92 FPS is a better trade-off between smoothness and image quality. The data indicates that the system is capable of running the game at 4K, but only with the Medium preset, and even then it hovers near the 60 FPS threshold with a minimum of 52 FPS. Overall, the Medium preset is the sweet spot for this configuration, providing the most consistent experience across all resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates a wide range of performance depending on the preset. The Low setting produces an average of 147 FPS, indicating the system is heavily GPU-bound at this resolution, as the CPU has ample headroom. The Medium preset reduces the average to 92 FPS, with a minimum of 78 FPS and a maximum of 106 FPS, showing a stable frame delivery with only a 28 FPS spread between minimum and maximum. The High preset further reduces performance to 66 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 52 FPS. This progression shows a clear linear relationship between preset quality and framerate at 1080p, with each step up in quality costing roughly 25-30 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. The Low preset achieves 124 FPS, which is a 23 FPS drop from 1080p Low. The Medium preset delivers 78 FPS, a 14 FPS drop from 1080p Medium, with a minimum of 66 FPS and a maximum of 89 FPS. The High preset falls to 56 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 44 FPS. The difference between Medium and High at 1440p is 22 FPS, which is a larger gap than at 1080p, suggesting the GPU is starting to become more strained. The Ultra preset at 44 FPS is below the 60 FPS playability threshold.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high framerates. The Low preset achieves 97 FPS, which is still playable but a significant drop from the 147 FPS at 1080p. The Medium preset delivers 61 FPS, with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS. This is the only 4K preset that approaches 60 FPS, but the minimum of 52 FPS indicates occasional drops below the target. The High preset drops to 44 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 35 FPS. The data shows that 4K is only viable with the Medium preset, and even then, it is borderline for smooth gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 1440p is moderate, but the drop from 1440p to 4K is more severe. At Medium settings, the framerate goes from 92 FPS at 1080p to 78 FPS at 1440p, a 15% decrease. From 1440p to 4K, the framerate drops from 78 FPS to 61 FPS, a 22% decrease. This pattern indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU has more influence, but as the pixel count increases, the GPU’s workload grows faster than the CPU’s.

This scaling behavior suggests that the RTX 5080 Mobile’s memory bandwidth of 896.0 GB/s is a critical factor. The game’s detailed environments and lighting effects require substantial memory throughput, and at 4K, the demand exceeds what the GPU can efficiently deliver. The Low preset shows a similar trend, dropping from 147 FPS at 1080p to 124 FPS at 1440p (a 16% drop) and then to 97 FPS at 4K (a 22% drop). This consistent pattern across presets confirms that the GPU is the limiting component.

The fact that the framerate does not halve when moving from 1080p to 4K (which would be a 75% reduction) indicates that the system is not purely pixel-bound. The CPU’s strong performance, with its 16 cores and 32 threads, helps maintain a baseline level of performance even as the GPU struggles. The Ryzen AI Max+ 395’s high single-thread performance, evidenced by its Geekbench single-core score of 2464, ensures that the game’s rendering logic does not bottleneck the GPU at any resolution. The data clearly shows that for this game, the GPU is the limiting factor, and users should prioritize graphical settings over resolution scaling.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. It features 64 MB of shared L3 cache and is manufactured on a 4 nm process. For The Medium, this level of CPU performance is more than sufficient. The game’s fixed-camera angles and relatively simple AI do not require the full power of 16 cores, but the high boost clock ensures that the game’s main thread runs efficiently.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 35314 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2044 in single-core. This places it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it outperforms the vast majority of processors available. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX, scores 76513 on average, which is 1.6% lower. The Intel Core i9-14900K scores 79097, which is 1.7% higher. This data shows that the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is competitive with top-tier desktop processors, despite being a mobile chip.

For The Medium, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with data and handle the game’s simulation tasks. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 147 FPS, which suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at this resolution. Even at 4K Low, the system manages 97 FPS, indicating that the CPU can keep up with the GPU’s output. The CPU’s 55 W TDP is relatively low for a 16-core processor, which may limit sustained performance, but the data shows it is adequate for this game. The LPDDR5X memory support and quad-channel configuration provide 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which helps with loading game assets and streaming textures.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile is the primary driver of performance in The Medium. It features 7680 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, with a base clock of 975 MHz and a boost clock of 1500 MHz. The GPU has 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This high bandwidth is essential for the game’s detailed textures and volumetric lighting effects.

In synthetic benchmarks, the GPU scores 27711 in Passmark G3D and 4952 in 3DMark Steel Nomad. Its average benchmark score of 38349 places it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rival, the RTX 4080 Mobile, scores 38135, which is 0.6% lower, indicating the two GPUs are nearly identical in raw performance. The GPU’s FP32 performance is 23.04 TFLOPS, which is respectable but not top-tier.

For The Medium, the GPU’s performance is the deciding factor in framerate. At 1080p, the GPU can easily handle the workload, but as resolution increases, its limitations become apparent. At 4K Ultra, the GPU only manages 35 FPS, which is below playable levels. The GPU’s 80 W TDP is relatively low for a high-end mobile GPU, which may limit its sustained boost clocks under heavy load. However, the measured data shows that the GPU is capable of delivering 97 FPS at 4K Low, indicating it has enough power for less demanding settings. The GPU’s 16 GB of VRAM is ample for this game, as The Medium’s maximum requirements are well below this capacity, allowing for high-resolution textures without memory pressure.