The Medium

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for this combination of Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 in The Medium shows a clear progression of performance across resolutions and settings. The database measured average frame rates only, with no minimum or maximum frame data recorded for any configuration.

At 3840x2160, the highest resolution tested, the results span a wide range. Low settings produce an average of 108.7 FPS, Medium settings drop to 92.1 FPS, and High settings land at 65.9 FPS. Ultra settings fall below the playable threshold at 51 FPS. This means the gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is substantial: Ultra delivers roughly half the frame rate of Low, a difference of 57.7 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same pattern holds but with higher overall numbers. Low settings reach 116.4 FPS, Medium settles at 99.6 FPS, and High manages 82.2 FPS. Ultra, which fails the 60 FPS threshold at 4K, becomes playable here at 69 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 47.4 FPS, indicating that even the most demanding preset remains viable at this resolution.

At 1920x1080, every preset clears the 60 FPS line comfortably. Low settings peak at 124.8 FPS, Medium produces 102.8 FPS, High achieves 92.7 FPS, and Ultra holds at 79.9 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 44.9 FPS, the narrowest relative gap among the three resolutions, which suggests the CPU becomes more of a limiting factor as resolution drops.

The data indicates that the RTX 5090 carries most of the load at higher resolutions, while the i5-11400F keeps pace well enough at 1080p. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra settings shows a drop of 10.9 FPS, and from 1440p to 4K at the same preset the drop is 18 FPS. These steps are consistent with a GPU-bound workload, particularly at Ultra where the gap between resolutions is largest.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. The measured average at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 51 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. High settings at 4K, however, achieve 65.9 FPS and are playable.

Q: What is the best preset at 1440p?

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 69 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. This is the most demanding preset that remains playable at that resolution.

Q: How much performance is lost going from Low to Ultra at 1080p?

A: Low settings at 1920x1080 average 124.8 FPS, while Ultra averages 79.9 FPS. The difference is 44.9 FPS, meaning Ultra delivers about 64% of the frame rate of Low.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU plays a larger role at 1080p. The frame rate gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 44.9 FPS, while at 4K the same preset gap is 57.7 FPS. The smaller spread at lower resolution indicates that the i5-11400F limits how much performance the GPU can deliver.

Q: Which settings should be avoided entirely?

A: Only one configuration fails the 60 FPS threshold: 3840x2160 with Ultra settings at 51 FPS. Every other measured combination of resolution and preset stays at or above 65.9 FPS.

Q: Does the game scale well with resolution?

A: The recorded data shows clear scaling. At Ultra settings, frame rates go from 79.9 FPS at 1080p to 69 FPS at 1440p to 51 FPS at 4K. The step-downs are 10.9 FPS and 18 FPS respectively, indicating consistent scaling as pixel count increases.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the best preset that remains at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average of 65.9 FPS. Medium at 92.1 FPS and Low at 108.7 FPS are also playable, but High offers the highest visual quality while still clearing the threshold. Ultra at 51 FPS is not recommended at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the best preset is Ultra, averaging 69 FPS. This is the most demanding setting available and it stays comfortably above 60 FPS. High at 82.2 FPS, Medium at 99.6 FPS, and Low at 116.4 FPS are all viable options, but Ultra provides the full visual experience without sacrificing playability.

At 1920x1080, Ultra is again the best choice, with an average of 79.9 FPS. All four presets are playable at this resolution, with Low at 124.8 FPS, Medium at 102.8 FPS, and High at 92.7 FPS. The margin at Ultra is nearly 20 FPS above the threshold, so there is headroom for demanding scenes.

The pattern across resolutions is straightforward: users with 4K displays should stick to High, while 1440p and 1080p users can enable Ultra. The 4K Ultra configuration is the only measured setting that fails the 60 FPS requirement.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals in the database are all within a narrow band of the i5-11400F's average benchmark score of 17177. The AMD EPYC 7H12 scores 17120, which is 0.3% lower. The Intel Core i5-12450H scores 17239, 0.4% higher. The AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G scores 17278, 0.6% higher. The Intel Core Ultra 7 164U scores 17074, 0.6% lower. These four processors would behave nearly identically to the i5-11400F in The Medium, since their aggregate performance scores are within roughly one percent.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals to the RTX 5090's average benchmark score of 79842 are an unusual group. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79605, 0.3% lower. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79396, 0.6% lower. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78940, 1.1% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scores 80959, 1.4% higher. While the Tesla and Radeon Pro cards are not typical gaming hardware, their aggregate scores suggest they would produce similar frame rates in this title.

The practical takeaway is that the i5-11400F sits in a dense cluster of CPUs with comparable overall performance. Swapping to any of these rivals would not meaningfully change the measured FPS in The Medium. The GPU side is similar, though the margins are slightly wider, with the closest rival within 0.3% and the furthest within 1.4%.

The Verdict

This combination can run The Medium at playable frame rates across most measured configurations. The database records playable settings for all three resolutions, with the only exception being 4K Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best option at 65.9 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four settings are playable, with Ultra at 69 FPS as the best choice. At 1920x1080, all four settings are playable, with Ultra at 79.9 FPS as the best choice.

The 60 FPS threshold is cleared by every configuration except one. The system is capable of delivering smooth performance at 4K with High settings, and at lower resolutions it has enough headroom to run the full Ultra preset. The data indicates that the RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this pairing, with the i5-11400F providing sufficient support at 1080p and 1440p.

Users targeting 4K should avoid Ultra, as the 51 FPS average will be noticeable in a horror title where smooth camera movement matters. Everyone else can enable maximum settings without concern. The margin at 1440p Ultra is 9 FPS above the threshold, and at 1080p Ultra it is 19.9 FPS, so there is little risk of dropping below 60 FPS in typical gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 339th out of 3724 tested combinations in the database for The Medium. This places it in the top 9.1% of all recorded systems.

The rank reflects the strong GPU contribution. The RTX 5090 sits in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, while the i5-11400F sits in the 71st percentile among all CPUs. The GPU is clearly the driving force behind this system's position, and the CPU, while not top-tier, does not hold the pairing back enough to prevent high placement.

In practical terms, a rank of 339 out of 3724 means this system outperforms the vast majority of tested configurations. The only measured failure point, 4K Ultra at 51 FPS, is a limitation shared by many systems, since it is the most demanding preset in the game. The high rank is consistent with the frame rate data: this combo delivers 60 FPS or better in 11 of 12 measured configurations.

The gap between the CPU and GPU percentiles is worth noting. A stronger CPU would likely improve the 1080p results, where the frame rate spread between presets is narrower, but the overall rank is already strong. For this particular game, the RTX 5090 does the heavy lifting, and the i5-11400F is adequate for the task.