The Medium

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 presents a notable imbalance for The Medium, a horror title that leans heavily on GPU throughput. The data shows a system capable of smooth 60 FPS play, but only when settings are managed carefully across resolutions. The measured frame rates reveal a clear pattern: the RTX 4070 dominates at lower presets, while the 4-core i3-12100F becomes a limiting factor at higher graphical loads, particularly at 4K.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is Medium, delivering exactly 62 FPS on average. This is a tight margin, with the minimum recorded at 53 FPS and the maximum at 71 FPS, meaning some scenes will dip below the playable threshold. Dropping to Low increases the average to 99 FPS, providing a substantial safety margin, while High falls to 44 FPS and Ultra to 35 FPS—both clearly unplayable for smooth gameplay.

For 2560x1440, the best playable preset is again Medium, with a comfortable 79 FPS average. The minimum here is 67 FPS and the maximum 91 FPS, indicating that the experience stays above 60 FPS nearly all the time. High settings at this resolution yield 56 FPS, just short of the target, while Low produces 126 FPS and Ultra drops to 45 FPS. The step from Medium to High represents a significant 23 FPS loss, suggesting a steep performance curve.

At 1920x1080, the system can handle High settings at 67 FPS average, which is the highest preset meeting the 60 FPS criterion. Low runs at 144 FPS, Medium at 93 FPS, and Ultra at 53 FPS. Interestingly, the jump from Medium to High only costs 26 FPS, but the jump from High to Ultra costs 14 FPS, pushing the average below the playable mark. This makes High the optimal balance for 1080p, though Medium offers a much larger cushion at 93 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the i3-12100F and RTX 4070 ranks 925th out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium, placing it in the top 24.8% of all configurations. This rank reflects the GPU’s strong raw performance, but the CPU’s modest multi-threaded capabilities likely prevent a higher placement. The RTX 4070 alone sits in the 81st percentile among all GPUs, while the i3-12100F is in the 68th percentile among all CPUs, indicating that the graphics card is the dominant contributor to this ranking.

Given that the data is measured, not estimated, the rank is a direct observation of real-world performance. The system’s position suggests it outperforms the majority of setups, but it is far from top-tier. The gap between the 925th rank and the top of the list is largely attributable to the CPU’s four cores, which struggle to feed the GPU in scenes with heavy draw calls or physics calculations. In less demanding titles, this combo would likely rank higher, but The Medium’s fixed-camera angles and dense environments create consistent CPU overhead.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the FPS progression is steep. Low averages 99 FPS, Medium averages 62 FPS, High averages 44 FPS, and Ultra averages 35 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is 37 FPS, while the difference between Medium and High is 18 FPS, and High to Ultra is 9 FPS. This pattern indicates diminishing returns as settings increase, with the largest single drop occurring between Low and Medium. The minimum FPS is only recorded for Medium (53 FPS), suggesting that other presets either had no data or were too unstable to capture.

At 2560x1440, the averages scale more linearly: Low at 126 FPS, Medium at 79 FPS, High at 56 FPS, and Ultra at 45 FPS. The delta between Low and Medium is 47 FPS, Medium to High is 23 FPS, and High to Ultra is 11 FPS. Medium’s minimum is 67 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold, confirming its suitability. High’s 56 FPS average is a near-miss, and Ultra’s 45 FPS is clearly inadequate for smooth play.

At 1920x1080, the CPU begins to cap frame rates at lower presets. Low averages 144 FPS, Medium 93 FPS, High 67 FPS, and Ultra 53 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium is 51 FPS, but from Medium to High is only 26 FPS, and High to Ultra is 14 FPS. The minimum for Medium is 79 FPS, the highest recorded minimum across all tests, indicating that 1080p Medium is the most stable experience. The 144 FPS Low result suggests the CPU is near its limit, as the GPU could likely push higher if unconstrained.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU’s nearest rivals, the Intel Core 3 N355 has an average benchmark score of 13492, essentially identical to the i3-12100F’s 13494, with a delta of 0%. This means swapping in the Core 3 N355 would yield nearly identical CPU-bound performance. The Intel Core i5-9500 scores 13452, just 0.3% lower, so it would behave almost the same in this game. The Intel Core 5 120UL is 0.7% higher at 13594, and the Intel Core i7-1250U is 1.1% higher at 13351, but these differences are within the margin of error and would not produce perceptible FPS changes.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA Tesla P4 has an average score of 37628, a mere 0.1% lower than the RTX 4070’s 37648, making it a statistically equivalent alternative. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 at 37507 is 0.4% slower, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile at 38135 is 1.3% faster, and the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 at 37157 is 1.3% slower. For gaming, the desktop RTX 4070 will outperform the mobile RTX 4080 in sustained workloads due to thermal constraints, but the benchmark data suggests they are close. Users with any of these GPUs would see similar average FPS in The Medium, though driver optimizations may cause minor variances.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run The Medium at 4K?

A: Yes, but only on Medium settings, which averages 62 FPS with a minimum of 53 FPS. Low settings run at 99 FPS, but High and Ultra drop to 44 FPS and 35 FPS, respectively.

Q: What is the best resolution and preset combo for this system?

A: Based on the data, 2560x1440 on Medium offers the best balance, with an average of 79 FPS and a minimum of 67 FPS, ensuring consistent gameplay above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU becomes a limiting factor at 1080p Low, where the average is capped at 144 FPS. The GPU is capable of higher frame rates, but the i3-12100F’s four cores cannot push beyond this point.

Q: How does this combo rank against other systems?

A: It ranks 925th out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium, placing it in the top 24.8% of all configurations tested.

Q: What settings should I avoid?

A: Ultra settings are not playable at any resolution, with averages of 35 FPS at 4K, 45 FPS at 1440p, and 53 FPS at 1080p. High at 4K (44 FPS) and 1440p (56 FPS) also fall below 60 FPS.

Q: Are there any similar GPUs that would perform the same?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla P4 has a benchmark score within 0.1% of the RTX 4070, and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 is 0.4% slower. These would produce nearly identical frame rates in practice.

The Verdict

This PC can run The Medium, but the experience varies sharply by resolution. At 3840x2160, the verdict is playable only on Low and Medium, with Medium being the best playable preset at 62 FPS. However, the 53 FPS minimum means occasional dips below 60 FPS, so players sensitive to stutter may prefer Low at 99 FPS. At 2560x1440, the system is solidly playable on Medium, averaging 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold with room to spare. High at 56 FPS is borderline and not recommended. At 1920x1080, the system handles High at 67 FPS, making it the best playable preset, while Low and Medium are also viable at 144 FPS and 93 FPS, respectively. Ultra is unplayable at all resolutions.

The overall verdict is a qualified yes: the RTX 4070 provides ample graphical power, but the i3-12100F limits the system at lower resolutions and higher settings. For a stable 60 FPS experience, 1440p Medium is the sweet spot, while 1080p High offers a slightly sharper image with a smaller performance margin.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear division of labor between the two components. At 3840x2160, the GPU is the dominant factor. The FPS scales directly with preset quality, from 99 FPS at Low to 35 FPS at Ultra, indicating that pixel throughput is the primary constraint. The CPU’s role is minimal here, as the resolution load overwhelms the GPU regardless of the i3-12100F’s capabilities. The jump from Medium to High (62 to 44 FPS) is a 29% loss, which is a purely GPU-driven cost.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts slightly. The GPU still leads, but the CPU begins to matter more. The drop from Medium to High (79 to 56 FPS) is 29%, similar to 4K, but the absolute numbers are higher, suggesting the CPU can keep up with the GPU’s demands at this resolution. The 67 FPS minimum at Medium shows that the CPU is not causing significant frame pacing issues.

At 1920x1080, the CPU becomes much more influential. The 144 FPS average at Low is likely a CPU cap, as the RTX 4070 would normally produce higher frame rates at such a low resolution. The scaling from Low to Medium (144 to 93 FPS) is a 35% drop, which is larger than at higher resolutions, indicating that the CPU is struggling to process the increased draw calls. From Medium to High (93 to 67 FPS), the drop is 28%, and from High to Ultra (67 to 53 FPS) is 21%, showing that the CPU’s limitations are most apparent at lower presets where the GPU could otherwise run faster. In summary, the RTX 4070 drives performance at 4K and 1440p, but the i3-12100F is the binding constraint at 1080p Low, preventing the system from fully utilizing the GPU’s headroom.