The Medium

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 delivers a very specific performance profile in The Medium, one that hinges entirely on resolution and graphics preset. The data shows a system that can comfortably handle the game at 1080p and 1440p, but only when settings are lowered, while 4K remains out of reach for smooth gameplay. The recorded measurements reveal clear scaling patterns that point to the GPU as the primary constraint in most scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination produces its strongest results. The Low preset delivers an average of 81.1 FPS, which is the highest recorded figure across the entire test matrix. Moving up to Medium drops the average to 49.6 FPS, a significant step down that places it below the 60 FPS threshold. High settings yield 34.8 FPS, while Ultra falls to 27.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 31.5 FPS, indicating a steep cost for the next tier of visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the pattern repeats but with lower absolute numbers. Low settings produce an average of 68.3 FPS, still above the playable threshold of 60 FPS. Medium averages 46.1 FPS, High drops to 28.5 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 22.5 FPS. The difference between Low at 1440p and Low at 1080p is 12.8 FPS, showing a moderate resolution penalty.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles across the board. Low settings average 56.9 FPS, narrowly missing the 60 FPS mark. Medium falls to 36.4 FPS, High to 25.3 FPS, and Ultra to 18.3 FPS. No preset at this resolution achieves playable performance, and the data suggests the GPU is overwhelmed by the pixel count. The min and max FPS values are not recorded in the database, so the analysis relies on average figures, which still show a clear hierarchy: lower resolutions and lower presets consistently yield higher frame rates.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets indicates that the RTX 2060 is the dominant factor in determining performance. At 1080p Low, the system hits 81.1 FPS, but at 4K Low it drops to 56.9 FPS, a reduction of 24.2 FPS. This 30% decline from resolution alone points to the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth being the limiting resource. The GPU has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 1920 shading units, which are modest by modern standards, and the data reflects that strain at higher pixel counts.

The CPU, with 6 cores and 12 threads, does not appear to bottleneck the system in this title. The 3DMark multi-threaded scores, such as 4748 for 16 threads and 3929 for 8 threads, suggest adequate headroom for a game like The Medium, which relies on GPU rendering. The frame rate drops between presets at the same resolution are also telling: at 1080p, going from Low to Medium costs 31.5 FPS, while going from Medium to High costs 14.8 FPS. This nonlinear scaling is typical of GPU-bound workloads, where the graphics card's compute units become saturated before the CPU matters.

At 1440p, the same pattern holds. Low to Medium drops 22.2 FPS, and Medium to High drops 17.6 FPS. The consistent behavior across resolutions reinforces that the RTX 2060 is the primary driver of performance, with the i5-10400F providing enough processing power to avoid becoming a bottleneck. The CPU's percentile rank of 68 among all processors is higher than the GPU's percentile rank of 58, further suggesting that the graphics card is the weaker link in this pairing.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Xeon 6756E with an average score of 14163, just 0.2% lower than the i5-10400F's 14185. The Intel Core 7 160UL scores 14232, a 0.3% advantage, while the AMD EPYC 7552 scores 14115, a 0.5% deficit. The AMD Ryzen 3 7320C scores 14277, which is 0.6% higher. These differences are negligible in real-world gaming, meaning any of these processors would deliver nearly identical frame rates in The Medium when paired with the same GPU.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 has an average score of 15283, essentially identical to the RTX 2060's 15290, with a delta of 0%. The AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270, just 0.1% lower, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199, a 0.6% deficit. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 scores 15171, which is 0.8% lower. All four rivals fall within 1% of the RTX 2060's performance, so swapping to any of them would produce similar FPS numbers in The Medium. The recorded data shows that this CPU and GPU pair operates in a tight performance band, with no single component offering a significant advantage over its closest competitors.

FAQ

Q: Can the Intel Core i5-10400F and RTX 2060 run The Medium at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: No. The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings is 49.6, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p that stays above 60 FPS?

A: Low settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 68.3 FPS, making it the only playable preset at that resolution.

Q: Does the system achieve 60 FPS at 4K with any settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average is 56.9 FPS on Low, which still falls short of the 60 FPS threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra are all lower.

Q: How much faster is 1080p Low compared to 4K Low?

A: The 1080p Low average is 81.1 FPS, while 4K Low averages 56.9 FPS, a difference of 24.2 FPS in favor of the lower resolution.

Q: Which component limits performance more, the CPU or the GPU?

A: The GPU. The RTX 2060 has a lower percentile rank (58) than the CPU (68), and frame rates drop significantly with resolution, indicating a GPU bottleneck.

Q: Are there any GPUs that perform nearly identically to the RTX 2060 in this context?

A: Yes. The GTX 580 has a 0% delta, the Radeon 680M has a 0.1% delta, and the RTX 3050 OEM has a 0.6% delta in average benchmark scores.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the only preset that clears 60 FPS is Low, with an average of 81.1 FPS. Medium falls short at 49.6, so Low is the recommended setting for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, Low again is the sole qualifying preset, averaging 68.3 FPS. This is the most demanding setting that stays at or above 60 FPS at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS. The closest is Low at 56.9 FPS, but it does not meet the playable threshold, so there is no recommended setting for 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database, this combination of Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 2986 out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium. That places it in the lower third of all systems, which aligns with the measured FPS data: it can play the game, but only at modest settings. The rank reflects that many other hardware pairings achieve higher frame rates, particularly at higher presets and resolutions. The percentile position is consistent with the GPU's mid-range standing and the CPU's slightly better relative performance, but the overall result is a system that is playable but not powerful.

The Verdict

Can this PC run The Medium? Yes, but with clear limitations. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 81.1 FPS, well above the 60 FPS threshold, and at 2560x1440, Low averages 68.3 FPS, also playable. However, no preset at 3840x2160 reaches 60 FPS, with Low peaking at 56.9 FPS. The system cannot handle Medium, High, or Ultra at any resolution without dropping below 60 FPS. The data indicates that this combo is suitable for 1080p and 1440p gaming, provided the user accepts Low visual settings. For higher presets or 4K, the RTX 2060 lacks the necessary performance headroom, and the recorded numbers confirm that the user must prioritize frame rate over graphical fidelity.