The Medium is due for release on Thursday the 28th of January. This psychological horror game has been developed by the Bloober team who are experienced in creating scary titles such as the 2019 Blair Witch game. Overclockers UK has created this recommended specifications guide so you can get your PC ready for release. We’ve also picked out some of the best Prebuilt PC’s to play the game.
The Medium Gameplay
The Medium is a brand new game in the horror genre with some unique gameplay aspects. It cleverly incorporates brand new features with more traditional gameplay that’s earned it some excellent day one reviews.
You play as Marriane who is a Medium that’s haunted by the visions of a terrible murder. In the search for answers, she ends up at an abandoned hotel resort. This is where she begins uncovering its haunting history through two different worlds.
Similar to horror games of the past. The Medium uses fixed camera angles in order to create a cinematic experience. The fixed camera also helps with motion sickness, because as the game progresses you will find yourself controlling Marriane in the real world and spirit world simultaneously. This all takes place on a split-screen, and the dual reality is one of the main features of the gameplay. It is important to use it wisely in order to overcome puzzles and obstacles throughout the game and uncover the truth behind Marriane’s visions.
Rendering two immersive environments at the same time can put more demand on your PC hardware. The game also features raytracing to help create a more realistic atmosphere, and make the shadows that little bit more ominous.
What are the system requirements needed for The Medium game?
With two worlds to power at the same time and the option of raytracing its no surprise The Medium can be a taxing game to play on PC. Below is the table of the basic minimum and recommended system requirements listed on the Steam store page.
| Minimum requirements | Recommended requirements | |
| Operating system | Windows 10 (64bit version only) | Windows 10 (64bit version only) |
| Processor (CPU) | Intel® Core™ i5-6600 / AMD Ryzen™ 5 2500X | Intel® Core™ i5-9600 / AMD Ryzen™ 7 3700X |
| Graphics card (GPU) | @1080p NVIDIA GEFORCE® GTX 1650 Super or GTX 1060 / Radeon™ R9 390X | @1080p NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 1660 Super / Radeon™ RX 5600XT | @4K NVIDIA GeForce® RTX 2080 or RTX 3060 Ti / Radeon™ RX 6800 |
| Memory (RAM) | 8GB | 16GB |
| Storage (HDD,SSD) | 55GB Available | 55GB available |
| Direct X | Version 11 | Version 12 |
| Sound card | DirectX compatible, headphones recommended | DirectX compatible, headphones recommended |
The Specification requirements for every resolution:
The Bloober team also announced the specifications required for playing the medium at different resolutions with different graphical settings. The full spec list is as follows:
Minimum to play at 1080p with 30 fps and low preset
- OS: Windows 10 64 bit
- CPU: Intel Core i5-6600 or AMD Ryzen 5
- GPU: GeForce 1650 Super or GTX 1060, or AMD R9 390X
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 50GB HDD
- DirectX: 11
Recommended for 1440p with 30 fps and high preset
OS: Windows 10 64 bit
CPU: Intel Core i5-9600 or AMD 3700 X
GPU: GeForce RTX 2060 Super or AMD 5700 XT
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 50GB SSD
DirectX: 11
Minimum for Raytracing on at 1080p and 30 fps with medium preset
- OS: Windows 10 64 bit
- CPU: Intel Core i5-9600 or AMD Ryzen 7 3700 X
- GPU: GeForce RTX 2060 Super 8GB or AMD RX 6800 16GB
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 50GB SSD
- DirectX: 12
Reccomended for Raytracing on at 2160p and 30 fps with high preset
- OS: Windows 10 64 bit
- CPU: Intel Core i7-9700 or AMD Ryzen 7 3700 X
- GPU: GeForce RTX 3080 or AMD RX 6800 XT 16GB
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 50GB SSD
- DirectX: 12
Recommended to play at 1080p with 30 fps and medium preset
- OS: Windows 10 64 bit
- CPU: Intel Core i5-9600 or AMD Ryzen 3700 X
- GPU: GeForce GTX 1660 Super or AMD RX 5600XT 6GB
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 50GB SSD
- DirectX: 11
Recommended for Ultra preset at 2160p and 30 fps
- OS: Windows 10 64 bit
- CPU: Intel Core i7-9700 or AMD Ryzen 7 3700 X
- GPU: GeForce RTX 2080 8GB or RTX 3060 Ti, or AMD RX 6800 16GB
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 50GB SSD
- DirectX: 11
Recommended for raytracing on at 1440p and 30 fps with high preset
- OS: Windows 10 64 bit
- CPU: Intel Core i7-9700 or AMD Ryzen 7 3700 X
- GPU: GeForce RTX 3060 Ti or RTX 2080 8GB, or AMD RX 6800 16GB
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 50GB SSD
- DirectX: 12
Analysis of the recommended specifications to play the Medium
The specifications cover a huge range of possible scenarios and all target 30 fps gameplay. 30 fps might sound terrible to the typical PC gamer but fortunately, Bloober Team confirmed that you will have the option to unlock framerates in the graphics menu. Taking this into account, if you want to run the graphical settings completely maxed with a high FPS you’re going to need cutting edge hardware.
To experience the spooky atmosphere of the Medium with all it has to offer an RTX 30 series graphics card is recommended for higher resolutions. However, if you bought into raytracing technology early you should still get a great experience with a high-end RTX 20 series card. Just make sure you pair it with at least 16GB of memory and a powerful Intel or AMD processor with at least 6 cores.
However, if you’re looking to play The Medium on an older or more budget system, this should still be possible. The minimum specifications list a GTX 1060 which came out over four years ago. You’ll also only need around 50GB of HDD space. However, an SSD is recommended and it’s one of the best upgrades you can make to an ageing system.
What hardware is best for Playing The Medium?
One of the best (or worst if you’re easily scared) ways to play a horror game is late at night in a dark room. To complete the immersion as recommended by The Mediums developers you should also be wearing a pair of headphones.
If you’re looking to upgrade why not take a look at the highly-rated Razer BlackShark V2 Pro. These are one of Overclockers best-selling gaming headsets and it’s easy to see why. They are loaded with features like low latency wireless, 50mm Titanium drivers, ultra-comfortable memory foam cushions and 24-hour battery life.
One of the other components that stands out on the specs list is an SSD. There’s nothing that ruins your immersion more than a loading screen. If you’re running out of space on an ageing drive or still running a noisy HDD it’s time to upgrade to play The Medium.
M.2 NVME drives are the kings of speed. However, a 2.5″ SATA drive provides great value for money and you don’t have to worry about having a compatible motherboard. Simply unplug your old HDD and connect up the Samsung 2TB 870 QVO. This drive comes with a 3 year warranty, 560MB/s read speed and large capacity for all your games.
What PC’s are best for playing the Medium?
I know I said best PC’s but let’s start off with something a little more portable. That way you can scare yourself silly at home or away! Gaming laptops can be just as powerful as a large desktop PC and there are many models now available with the latest processors and RTX 30 series graphics.
Our top pick with both is the bargain Asus TUF GAMING A15. The RTX 3070 graphics will easily power The Medium and it will look great on the smooth 240Hz display. The Ryzen R7-5800H is a powerful 8 core processor and combined with 16GB of memory you’ll be able to play all the latest games. The best part is that this laptop is only £1,599.95.
If a big, beautiful, powerful desktop is more your thing here is a couple of PC’s that are perfect for playing The Medium at different price points. Of course, they’ll also be great at playing 2021’s other awesome upcoming horror games like Dying Light 2, Resident Evil village and Ghostwire Tokyo.
Overclockers Gaming Gallium
If you like the look of “RTX ON, 2160p and 30fps with high settings” the Gallium features the exact specifications recommended to play at this level. You can customise the RGB lighting and the Gen 4 NVMe drive means that loading screens will be swiftly dealt with. The case, memory and storage can be adjusted to your preference and pricing starts at £2,099.99.
Overclockers Pyrite
If you’re not interested in Raytracing you can play The Medium on ultra settings for a great price. Spec the Pyrite with an RTX 3060Ti and Intel i5 10400F for only £1,179.95. It also comes with 16GB of memory, 512GB SSD and an attractive RGB PC case. There are options to upgrade the cooler and storage from only £17.99. Bump up your graphics with an RTX 3070 for £1,317.94.
Let us know if you’re enjoying The Medium so far or if you’re waiting to upgrade before you dive into the spooky storyline. Also, don’t forget that Overclockers UK have a group of helpful PC experts on hand to answer your hardware questions. You can drop them a web note HERE.
- 8 min read
Briony Hannam
Author
Briony has been with Overclockers UK for nearly three years, starting off as a content copywriter before moving into producing videos and photos for various social media platforms. Outside of shooting and editing, she can be found racing in Forza, CTR, or even Donington circuit. Calmer endeavors include tending her jungle of houseplants & fishtanks before curling up under a blanket and watching back-to-back episodes of the latest Sci-Fi release.
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