The Medium

The Medium, a horror title built around fixed camera angles and a dual-reality mechanic, presents a demanding workload that scales heavily with resolution and graphics presets. For the combination of an Intel Core i5-11400F and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, the recorded data shows a system that is capable of high refresh rate play at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K requires a careful choice of settings to stay fluid. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS results, the best settings for each resolution, the role of each component, and how this pairing compares to other tested configurations in the database.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination delivers consistently high frame rates across all tested presets. The Low preset produces an average of 124.9 FPS, which is the highest recorded figure for this resolution. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 103.3 FPS, a noticeable but expected reduction. The High preset further lowers the average to 89.4 FPS, and the Ultra preset, while still smooth, records an average of 77.5 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 47.4 FPS, indicating that the graphics settings have a significant impact on performance even at the least demanding resolution.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern continues but with lower absolute numbers. The Low preset averages 119 FPS, which is only slightly below the 1080p Low result. Medium follows at 95.4 FPS, High at 82.9 FPS, and Ultra at 61.8 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution is the first one in the dataset to approach the 60 FPS threshold, though it still clears it comfortably. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 57.2 FPS, a larger gap than at 1080p, showing that the higher pixel count amplifies the cost of the more demanding presets.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve becomes steeper. The Low preset averages 109.4 FPS, which remains high. Medium drops to 88 FPS, and High falls to 64.3 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only one that fails to reach the 60 FPS threshold, averaging just 49 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 60.4 FPS, the largest spread in the measured data. This indicates that the Ultra preset at 4K places a heavy burden on the system, while the lower presets remain very usable.

The data shows no recorded minimum or maximum FPS values, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates. Across all three resolutions, the Low preset always delivers the highest average, followed by Medium, High, and Ultra in that order. The consistency of this ordering suggests a well-behaved scaling curve, with each step in preset quality costing a predictable amount of performance.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 77.5 FPS. This means the system can run the game at maximum settings at 1080p while still maintaining a comfortable margin above the playable threshold. There is no need to compromise on visual quality at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are also Ultra, with an average of 61.8 FPS. This result clears the 60 FPS threshold, but the margin is much narrower than at 1080p. The average is only 1.8 FPS above the playable line, so while it is technically playable, it is worth remembering any minor variation in scene complexity could bring it closer to the boundary. Still, according to the recorded measurements, Ultra at 1440p is a valid option.

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average of 64.3 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution falls to 49 FPS, which is below the threshold, so it cannot be recommended for smooth play. Medium at 88 FPS and Low at 109.4 FPS also qualify, but High represents the best balance of visual fidelity and performance among the playable options.

The verdict data confirms these choices. For 4K, the playable settings list includes High, Low, and Medium, with High as the best setting. For 1440p and 1080p, all four presets are playable, and Ultra is the best setting in both cases. The 1080p Ultra result of 77.5 FPS provides a much larger safety margin than the 1440p Ultra result of 61.8 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured data reveals how the balance between CPU and GPU shifts across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are high across all presets, with the Low preset reaching 124.9 FPS and Ultra reaching 77.5 FPS. The fact that even the highest preset stays well above 60 FPS suggests that the RTX 4090 is not the limiting factor at this resolution. The i5-11400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, appears sufficient to feed the GPU at these settings, as the performance differences between presets are driven primarily by GPU load.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop across the board, but the order remains the same. The Low preset at 119 FPS is close to the 1080p Low result, while Ultra at 61.8 FPS is much lower than the 1080p Ultra result of 77.5 FPS. This narrowing of the gap between resolutions at lower presets, and the widening at higher presets, indicates that the GPU becomes more influential as the preset quality increases. The CPU still keeps up, but the heavier graphical workload shifts the bottleneck toward the graphics card.

At 3840x2160, the GPU role becomes dominant. The Low preset still manages 109.4 FPS, which is only 15.5 FPS below the 1080p Low result. However, the Ultra preset drops to 49 FPS, a 28.5 FPS difference compared to 1080p Ultra. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is much more pronounced at Ultra, showing that the RTX 4090 is the primary determinant of performance at the highest settings. The CPU, by contrast, remains a stable foundation that does not introduce a major constraint at any resolution.

The transition from 1080p to 1440p and then to 4K shows a consistent pattern. At Low settings, the performance loss from 1080p to 4K is 15.5 FPS, a relatively modest decline. At Medium, the loss is 15.3 FPS. At High, the loss is 25.1 FPS. At Ultra, the loss is 28.5 FPS. This increasing gap at higher presets confirms that the GPU is the component that matters most for this game, especially as resolution and preset complexity rise. The CPU, while not irrelevant, does not appear to be the limiting factor in any of the measured scenarios.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K with the Ultra preset?

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 49 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset is the best option at 2560x1440, with an average of 61.8 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the 1080p Ultra result compare to the 4K Ultra result?

A: At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 77.5 FPS, while at 3840x2160, Ultra averages 49 FPS, a difference of 28.5 FPS.

Q: Is the Low preset ever the best choice?

A: No. At every resolution, there is a higher preset that stays at or above 60 FPS. Low is always playable, but it is never the best setting according to the verdict data.

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

A: Yes. The High preset at 3840x2160 averages 64.3 FPS, and both Medium at 88 FPS and Low at 109.4 FPS also exceed the threshold.

Q: Which resolution offers the largest performance gap between Low and Ultra?

A: The largest gap is at 3840x2160, where Low averages 109.4 FPS and Ultra averages 49 FPS, a difference of 60.4 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database, this combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 holds a rank of 408 out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the top 11 percent of all configurations, a strong showing. The GPU is the dominant contributor to this ranking, as the RTX 4090 sits in the 88th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 71st percentile among all CPUs. The pairing of a high-end GPU with a mid-range CPU still yields a very high overall position, which aligns with the FPS data showing that the GPU is the main performance driver.

The rank of 408 out of 3724 means that a substantial number of tested systems are slower, but it also means there are 407 configurations that rank higher. These are likely systems with even more powerful CPUs paired with the same GPU, or other high-end GPU and CPU combinations. For this specific game, the data shows that the RTX 4090 carries most of the weight, and the i5-11400F does not prevent the system from achieving high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p. At 4K Ultra, however, the 49 FPS result shows the limits of the configuration, though this is primarily a GPU limitation given the extreme demands of that preset.

The Verdict

The recorded data answers the question directly: yes, this PC can run The Medium, but the experience depends heavily on the chosen resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the system runs every preset at or above 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 77.5 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra also clears the threshold at 61.8 FPS, and the other presets are all higher. At 3840x2160, the High preset is the most demanding playable option, averaging 64.3 FPS, while Ultra falls short at 49 FPS.

The verdict by resolution confirms this. For 4K, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High as the best. For 1440p and 1080p, all settings are playable, and Ultra is the best. The system is therefore suitable for high-refresh monitors at 1080p, for full-quality gaming at 1440p, and for high-fidelity gaming at 4K as long as the Ultra preset is avoided.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provides context for how other hardware would behave in this system. For the Intel Core i5-11400F, the closest matches in average benchmark score are the AMD EPYC 7H12, which is 0.3 percent faster, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U, which is 0.6 percent faster. On the slower side, the Intel Core i5-12450H is 0.4 percent slower, and the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G is 0.6 percent slower. These small deltas mean that swapping the i5-11400F for any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical performance in The Medium, as the game is not heavily CPU-bound in the measured scenarios.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, the nearest rivals are all within a narrow band. The Intel Arc Pro A60 matches the RTX 4090 exactly with a 0 percent delta, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 is 0.3 percent faster. On the lower side, the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M is 2.5 percent slower, and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 is 2.9 percent slower. These alternatives would produce very similar frame rates in this game, though the exact FPS would depend on the full system configuration. The data suggests that the performance of this combo is representative of a cluster of hardware that performs at a similar level, with no single component creating a unique advantage or disadvantage.