The Medium

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data for The Medium with the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 shows clear performance tiers across three resolutions and four quality presets. All recorded figures are average FPS values; minimum and maximum frame data was not captured in the database.

At 1920x1080, the combination delivers strong results across the board. Low settings produce 125.1 FPS average, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this configuration at any resolution. Medium settings drop to 104 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS playability threshold. High settings yield 71.8 FPS, while Ultra settings fall to 59.1 FPS, narrowly missing the 60 FPS mark. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 66 FPS, showing a significant scaling cost for the highest preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain solid but the pattern shifts. Low settings average 119.7 FPS, a modest reduction from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings produce 85.9 FPS, which is 18.1 FPS lower than the 1080p Medium result. High settings land at 61.6 FPS, just clearing the playability threshold. Ultra settings drop to 48.5 FPS, a 10.6 FPS reduction from High, and the gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 71.2 FPS, wider than at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the load becomes substantially heavier. Low settings still manage 105.2 FPS, but this is the only preset that offers a large margin above 60 FPS. Medium settings average 64.6 FPS, which clears the threshold but leaves little headroom. High settings fall to 51 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 36.4 FPS, the lowest recorded value in the entire data set. The spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is 68.8 FPS, nearly identical in absolute terms to the 1080p spread, but the relative penalty is steeper.

Across all resolutions, the scaling from Low to Ultra is consistent in direction but varies in magnitude. The largest single-step drop at 1080p occurs between Medium and High, a 32.2 FPS reduction. At 1440p, the same step costs 24.3 FPS. At 4K, the Medium to High step costs 13.6 FPS, while the High to Ultra step costs 14.6 FPS. This suggests diminishing returns at higher resolutions where the GPU is already saturated.

Best Settings per Resolution

The database defines 60 FPS as the playability threshold. The best settings are the most demanding preset that still maintains an average of at least 60 FPS at each resolution.

At 1920x1080, High settings are the optimal choice, delivering 71.8 FPS. This leaves an 11.8 FPS margin above the threshold. Ultra settings at 59.1 FPS are not playable by this metric, so High is the ceiling for visual quality while maintaining smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, High settings again provide the best balance, with 61.6 FPS. The margin is thinner at 1.6 FPS above the threshold, but the preset still qualifies. Medium settings at 85.9 FPS would also work, but High offers noticeably better visual fidelity for a modest frame rate cost. Ultra at 48.5 FPS is not viable for consistent 60 FPS gameplay.

At 3840x2160, Medium settings are the most demanding playable preset, averaging 64.6 FPS. Low settings at 105.2 FPS are also playable but represent a visual downgrade. High settings at 51 FPS fall below the threshold, and Ultra at 36.4 FPS is far too demanding. Medium is the recommended setting for 4K, though the 4.6 FPS margin above 60 is the smallest of any recommended preset across all resolutions.

The pattern is clear: High settings work at 1080p and 1440p, while Medium is the ceiling at 4K. Users prioritizing frame rate over visuals can drop to Low at any resolution for a significant FPS boost, with the largest gain at 4K where Low is 40.6 FPS higher than Medium.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded data shows how the balance between the Core i5-11400F and the RTX 5070 shifts as resolution increases. At 1080p, the CPU has more influence because the GPU can render frames quickly enough for processor-bound scenarios to appear. The 125.1 FPS Low result at 1080p indicates the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently at high frame rates, and the 66 FPS drop from Low to Ultra at the same resolution reflects the GPU struggling with heavier shading work.

At 1440p, the GPU load grows. Low settings produce 119.7 FPS, only 5.4 FPS lower than 1080p Low, suggesting the CPU still has headroom. The Medium preset at 1440p drops 18.1 FPS from the 1080p Medium result, and High drops 10.2 FPS from its 1080p counterpart. Ultra at 1440p is 10.6 FPS lower than 1080p Ultra. The resolution scaling is not uniform, indicating that the RTX 5070 becomes the primary limiter as pixel count rises.

At 4K, the CPU role diminishes further. Low settings at 105.2 FPS are 14.5 FPS lower than 1440p Low, but Medium at 64.6 FPS is 21.3 FPS lower than 1440p Medium. High at 51 FPS is 10.6 FPS lower than 1440p High, and Ultra at 36.4 FPS is 12.1 FPS lower. The consistent drops suggest the GPU is now the dominant constraint, with the CPU rarely being the bottleneck at this resolution.

The data indicates that the Core i5-11400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is sufficient for this title even at high frame rates. The 3dmark 16-thread score of 5619 and the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14340 place this CPU in a comfortable range for modern games. The RTX 5070, with its 12 GB of GDDR7 memory and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth, handles the visual load, but presets above Medium at 4K exceed what the GPU can deliver at 60 FPS.

In practical terms, the CPU matters most at 1080p with Low or Medium settings, where frame rates exceed 100 FPS. At 4K, the GPU is the clear limiting factor, and even a stronger CPU would not change the Ultra preset result of 36.4 FPS. The RTX 5070's 30.87 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 48 RT cores are substantial, but The Medium's demands at 4K Ultra exceed this configuration's capability.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run The Medium at 1080p with the highest settings?

A: No. Ultra settings at 1920x1080 average 59.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playability threshold. High settings at 71.8 FPS are the most demanding preset that clears the threshold at this resolution.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p gameplay?

A: High settings are recommended for 2560x1440, producing an average of 61.6 FPS. Medium settings at 85.9 FPS are also playable, but High offers better visual quality while still staying above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware?

A: Yes, but only with Medium or Low settings. Medium averages 64.6 FPS at 3840x2160, which clears the threshold. High settings at 51 FPS and Ultra at 36.4 FPS are not playable at 60 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: The loss depends on the preset. Low settings drop from 125.1 FPS at 1080p to 105.2 FPS at 4K, a 19.9 FPS reduction. Medium drops from 104 FPS to 64.6 FPS, a 39.4 FPS reduction. High drops from 71.8 FPS to 51 FPS, a 20.8 FPS reduction. Ultra drops from 59.1 FPS to 36.4 FPS, a 22.7 FPS reduction.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance more at 4K?

A: The GPU is the primary limiter at 3840x2160. The frame rate reductions from 1440p to 4K are consistent across presets, and the Ultra preset result of 36.4 FPS indicates GPU-bound rendering. The CPU has ample headroom for this title, as shown by the 105.2 FPS Low preset result at 4K.

Q: What is the highest playable preset at each resolution?

A: At 1920x1080, High settings at 71.8 FPS. At 2560x1440, High settings at 61.6 FPS. At 3840x2160, Medium settings at 64.6 FPS. Ultra settings are not playable at any resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-11400F, based on average benchmark scores, include several processors with similar overall performance. The AMD EPYC 7H12 scores 17120, which is 0.3 percent higher than the i5-11400F's average of 17177. The Intel Core i5-12450H scores 17239, 0.4 percent higher. The AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G scores 17278, 0.6 percent higher. The Intel Core Ultra 7 164U scores 17074, 0.6 percent lower. These CPUs would likely produce nearly identical frame rates in The Medium, since the game is not heavily CPU-bound at most settings.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals to the RTX 5070 are professional and mobile cards with similar average scores. The AMD Radeon Pro 580 scores 40318, 0.1 percent lower than the RTX 5070's 40377. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 scores 40063, 0.8 percent lower. The AMD Radeon Pro 5300 scores 40870, 1.2 percent higher. The NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile scores 39568, 2 percent lower. These alternatives would behave similarly in terms of raw throughput, but the RTX 5070's specific features, such as its 48 RT cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support, may affect ray tracing workloads differently. For The Medium, which relies on standard rasterization, the frame rate outcomes should be close.

The RTX 5070 sits at the 82nd percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU is at the 71st percentile. This means the GPU is a stronger component relative to its peers, which aligns with the observed bottleneck behavior at higher resolutions. Users with a CPU from the rival list would not see meaningful differences in The Medium, as the GPU dominates the frame rate at 1440p and 4K.

The Verdict

This PC can run The Medium, but the experience depends heavily on resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the configuration clears the 60 FPS threshold with High settings at 71.8 FPS. Ultra settings fall just short at 59.1 FPS, so users who want maximum visual fidelity at 1080p will need to accept slightly sub-60 FPS performance or drop to High.

At 2560x1440, High settings are the best choice at 61.6 FPS. The margin above 60 FPS is slim, but the preset is playable. Medium at 85.9 FPS offers more headroom for users who prefer a smoother experience over higher detail. Ultra at 48.5 FPS is not recommended for consistent 60 FPS play.

At 3840x2160, Medium settings at 64.6 FPS are the most demanding playable option. Low settings at 105.2 FPS provide a large safety margin. High at 51 FPS and Ultra at 36.4 FPS are below the threshold and should be avoided for 60 FPS gaming.

The overall picture is a capable 1080p and 1440p machine with limited 4K headroom. The RTX 5070 is strong enough for high-refresh 1080p and solid 1440p gameplay, but The Medium's 4K Ultra preset demands more than this combination can provide. Users targeting 4K should stick with Medium settings to maintain a stable frame rate. The Core i5-11400F does not become a limiting factor in this title, even at the highest frame rates recorded.