The Medium

The Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 form a mainstream pairing that targets 1080p and 1440p gaming. For The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title with heavy atmosphere, the benchmark data shows that this combination delivers playable performance only at specific settings tiers. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 68 FPS on Medium settings, which is the most demanding preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, the playable ceiling drops to Low settings, where it runs at 91 FPS. At 3840x2160, Low settings produce 72 FPS, making 4K technically playable but only with the lowest visual quality. The data reveals a steep performance curve: stepping from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 40 FPS (from 108 to 68), while jumping from Medium to High at 1440p costs 16 FPS (from 57 to 41). This indicates the RTX 4060 has enough raw throughput for the game's baseline, but the i3-12100F's four cores can become a limiting factor at higher presets.

Best Settings per Resolution

1920x1080: The most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Medium, with an average of 68 FPS. The minimum frame rate at this setting is 58 FPS, which is close to the playable threshold but still holds above it. Low settings run at 108 FPS, giving a large headroom buffer, but Medium offers a meaningful visual upgrade while remaining smooth. High settings drop to 49 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS target, and Ultra sits at 39 FPS, making those presets unsuitable for consistent gameplay.

2560x1440: Only Low settings clear the 60 FPS bar, with an average of 91 FPS. Medium settings produce 57 FPS, which is just under the threshold, and the minimum at Medium is 49 FPS, indicating noticeable frame dips during intense scenes. High settings run at 41 FPS, and Ultra drops to 32 FPS. At this resolution, the GPU is the primary constraint; the 1440p pixel count demands more memory bandwidth and fill rate than the RTX 4060 can provide at higher presets.

3840x2160: Low settings deliver 72 FPS, which is the only playable option at 4K. Medium settings fall to 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS, making them too inconsistent for a horror game where timing matters. High settings run at 32 FPS, and Ultra is barely interactive at 25 FPS. The 4K results show a dramatic scaling penalty: moving from Low to Medium costs 27 FPS, which is a 37.5% reduction in performance. This suggests that the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus on the RTX 4060 are insufficient for the game's higher-resolution textures and effects.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data indicates that the GPU is the dominant factor at all resolutions, but the CPU's influence becomes more apparent as resolution decreases. At 3840x2160, the differences between presets are almost entirely GPU-bound: the RTX 4060's fill rate and memory bandwidth dictate the frame rates, with the i3-12100F providing enough single-thread performance to avoid becoming a bottleneck. The 72 FPS at Low versus 25 FPS at Ultra shows a 65% performance spread, which is characteristic of a graphics-limited scenario.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts slightly. The 91 FPS at Low suggests the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at lower settings, but the drop to 57 FPS at Medium (a 37% reduction) indicates that the game's rendering load increases beyond what the RTX 4060 can sustain. The CPU's four cores and eight threads are sufficient for the game's fixed-camera perspective, which is less demanding than open-world titles, but the data shows that the i3-12100F's multi-threaded score of 11,860 in Cinebench R23 is not the limiting factor here.

At 1920x1080, the CPU's role becomes more evident. The jump from Low (108 FPS) to Medium (68 FPS) is a 37% performance drop, which is larger than the 1440p Medium drop (57 FPS from 91 FPS, also 37% but from a lower base). However, the 1080p High setting at 49 FPS suggests that the CPU can keep up with the GPU's demands at lower resolutions; the bottleneck is the RTX 4060's raw compute (15.11 TFLOPS FP32) and texture rate (236.2 GTexel/s). The i3-12100F's single-thread score of 1,674 in Cinebench R23 is strong for a quad-core, and the data shows that at 1080p Medium, the CPU is not preventing the GPU from reaching 68 FPS.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run The Medium at 60 FPS on 1080p?*

A: Yes, on Medium settings. The measured average is 68 FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium presets. Low settings run at 108 FPS, but High drops to 49 FPS and Ultra to 39 FPS, so you must stay at Medium or below for a smooth experience.

Q: Is 1440p playable with this combo?

A: Only on Low settings. The average at 2560x1440 Low is 91 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings produce 57 FPS average with a 49 FPS minimum, so it is borderline but not consistently smooth.

Q: Does the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM cause problems at 4K?

A: The data suggests yes. At 3840x2160, Medium settings average 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS, while High drops to 32 FPS. Low settings at 72 FPS are the only playable option, indicating that the 8 GB frame buffer and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for higher texture quality at 4K.

Q: How does the i3-12100F's quad-core design affect performance?

A: The four cores and eight threads are adequate for this game. The CPU's multi-threaded benchmark score of 11,860 in Cinebench R23 places it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs, and the frame rate data shows no CPU-specific stutter or bottleneck at 1080p Medium. The limiting factor is the GPU at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the best preset for the smoothest experience at 1440p?

A: Low settings at 91 FPS is the clear choice. Medium at 57 FPS is close but risks dipping below 60 FPS in heavy scenes. If you prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, Medium is playable, but Low offers the most headroom.

Q: Is 4K worth attempting with this hardware?

A: Only if you accept Low settings, which average 72 FPS. The game's horror atmosphere benefits from higher detail, but the data shows that Medium at 4K (45 FPS) is too inconsistent. A stronger GPU with more VRAM would be needed for 4K High or Ultra.

The Verdict

The benchmark verdict is clear: this PC can run The Medium at 60 FPS, but with strict settings limitations. At 1920x1080, the system clears the threshold with Medium settings at 68 FPS, and Low settings provide a comfortable 108 FPS for higher refresh rates. At 2560x1440, the only playable option is Low at 91 FPS; Medium falls to 57 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. At 3840x2160, Low settings achieve 72 FPS, making 4K technically playable but visually compromised.

The data indicates that this combination is a solid 1080p machine for this game, with enough headroom to handle Medium presets and even some future titles. At 1440p, it is playable only at the lowest quality, which suggests that the RTX 4060 is the limiting factor due to its 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus. At 4K, the system is at its absolute limit, and only the most undemanding settings are viable. For a horror game that relies on atmospheric detail, players should target 1080p Medium or 1440p Low to maintain smooth gameplay.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i3-12100F's average benchmark score is 13,494, placing it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs. The nearest rivals are:

• Intel Core 3 N355 with an average score of 13,492 (0% delta) — this is effectively identical in performance, making it a drop-in alternative for systems that support a different socket.
• Intel Core i5-9500 with a score of 13,452 (0.3% faster) — a six-core part that offers slightly better multi-threaded performance, which could help in CPU-heavy scenes.
• Intel Core i7-1250U with a score of 13,351 (1.1% slower) — a mobile chip that is slightly less capable but might be found in compact systems.
• Intel Core 5 120UL with a score of 13,594 (0.7% slower) — another close performer, indicating that the i3-12100F sits in a tight performance band.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17,639, ranking in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are:

• AMD Radeon HD 7790 with a score of 17,666 (0.2% faster) — an older card that matches the RTX 4060 in this aggregate metric, though it lacks modern features like ray tracing and DLSS.
• AMD Radeon 780M with a score of 17,588 (0.3% slower) — an integrated graphics solution that comes surprisingly close, indicating that the RTX 4060's raw compute is not far ahead of top-tier iGPUs.
• AMD Radeon Pro 560 and AMD Radeon Pro 460 with scores of 17,551 and 17,509 (0.5% and 0.7% slower) — professional workstation cards that offer similar rasterization performance but lack the RTX 4060's dedicated ray tracing cores.

These rivals suggest that the RTX 4060 is not a performance outlier; it sits in a crowded field where several older or integrated parts can match its aggregate score. However, for The Medium, the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM and Ada Lovelace architecture provide specific advantages in texture-heavy scenes, even if the raw numbers are comparable to older hardware.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for The Medium, the Intel Core i3-12100F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 pairing ranks 1,999th out of 3,724 tested combos. This places it in the 46th percentile of all systems tested, meaning it outperforms roughly 46% of configurations but falls short of the majority. The rank reflects the system's limitations at higher resolutions and presets: while it handles 1080p Medium well, it cannot compete with higher-end CPUs and GPUs that can sustain 60 FPS at 1440p High or 4K Medium.

The rank is consistent with the hardware's specifications. The i3-12100F is a budget quad-core that sits in the 68th percentile for CPUs, and the RTX 4060 is a mid-range GPU in the 61st percentile. Their combined rank of 1,999 is slightly below the average of the tested pool, which includes many systems with more powerful components. In practical terms, this combo is a capable 1080p machine for The Medium, but it is not a high-end solution. Players who want to max out the game at 1440p or 4K will need to look at higher-tier GPUs with more VRAM and bandwidth, while those who only play at 1080p will find this setup more than adequate.