The Medium

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a wide range of performance in The Medium, depending entirely on the resolution and quality preset selected. Measured data shows this combination is fully capable of exceeding the 60 FPS playable threshold at 1080p and 1440p with medium settings, while 4K gaming requires a significant reduction in graphical fidelity to maintain smooth frame rates. The benchmark results indicate a clear performance hierarchy: the system excels at lower resolutions and settings, but struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K with maximum visual quality.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rate data for this combination spans four quality presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) across three resolutions, with average FPS figures recorded for each configuration. At 1920x1080, the lowest preset delivers an average of 124.2 FPS, which represents the highest performance level observed in this dataset. Moving up the quality scale at this resolution, Medium settings yield 80.1 FPS average, High settings drop to 57.8 FPS average, and Ultra settings produce 46.6 FPS average. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is substantial, representing a reduction of more than half the frame rate when maximum quality is enabled.

At 2560x1440, the performance curve follows a similar pattern but with lower absolute values. Low settings average 102.1 FPS, Medium settings average 65.8 FPS, High settings average 43.5 FPS, and Ultra settings average 37.5 FPS. The 1440p results show that Medium settings remain comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, while High and Ultra presets fall below playable levels.

The 3840x2160 results demonstrate the most demanding scenario for this hardware. Low settings average 82 FPS, which is the only preset at this resolution that clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings average 50.3 FPS, High settings average 35.8 FPS, and Ultra settings average 32.1 FPS. The data shows that 4K gaming with this combination requires the Low preset to achieve smooth gameplay, with all other quality levels falling short of the 60 FPS playable threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals how the workload distribution changes between the Intel Core i5-12400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, provides a solid foundation for gaming workloads. Its benchmark scores include a Cinebench R23 multicore result of 15989 and a single-core score of 2257, indicating strong processing capability that is unlikely to bottleneck the GPU in most scenarios.

The GPU, based on the Ampere architecture, features 5888 shading units and 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. Its FP32 compute performance of 20.31 TFLOPS positions it as a capable mid-to-high-end graphics processor. The measured FPS data shows that as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, the average frame rates decrease across all settings, confirming that the GPU becomes the primary performance limiter at higher pixel counts.

At 1080p, the CPU has more headroom to feed frames to the GPU. The transition from Low to Ultra at this resolution shows a drop from 124.2 FPS to 46.6 FPS, a range that demonstrates both components are working within their capabilities. At 1440p, the CPU still provides sufficient throughput, but the GPU workload increases. The scaling from 1080p Medium to 1440p Medium shows a reduction from 80.1 FPS to 65.8 FPS, a 17.9% decrease that aligns with the additional pixel rendering demand. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. The 4K Low preset at 82 FPS is only 34% lower than the 1080p Low result of 124.2 FPS, while 4K Ultra at 32.1 FPS represents a 31% reduction from 1080p Ultra at 46.6 FPS. The data indicates that the RTX 3070's 8 GB memory buffer and compute throughput are the determining factors at 4K, with the CPU playing a secondary role.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-12400, based on average benchmark scores, provide context for CPU performance. The AMD EPYC 7643 scores 18697, which is 0.1% higher than the i5-12400's average score of 18683. The Intel Core i7-1355U achieves 18730, representing a 0.3% advantage. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 scores 18811, which is 0.7% higher. The Intel Core i3-14100F scores 18519, putting it 0.9% behind the i5-12400. These delta values indicate that the i5-12400 performs within a narrow band of these alternatives, with the closest match being the EPYC 7643 at only 0.1% difference.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, the nearest rivals show similar proximity. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT scores 17083, which is 0.7% lower than the RTX 3070's average score of 17208. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 scores 17037, trailing by 1%. The AMD Radeon HD 7970M scores 17019, also 1.1% behind. The NVIDIA Tesla K40c scores 17468, which is 1.5% higher. These comparisons suggest that systems using these alternative GPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in The Medium, assuming the CPU performance remains comparable. A system pairing the i5-12400 with an RX 7600 XT, for example, would likely produce FPS figures within a fraction of a percent of those measured for the RTX 3070 configuration.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 1537 out of 3724 tested combinations for The Medium. This places the system in approximately the 59th percentile of all tested hardware configurations, meaning it outperforms the majority of systems while remaining behind a substantial portion of higher-end builds. The rank reflects a balanced mid-range pairing that delivers consistent performance across the tested settings, with the strengths of both components complementing each other in this particular title.

The Verdict

This PC can run The Medium, but the experience varies significantly by resolution and quality preset. At 1920x1080, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold with Low and Medium settings, achieving 124.2 FPS and 80.1 FPS respectively. High settings fall just short at 57.8 FPS, while Ultra produces 46.6 FPS. At 2560x1440, Low and Medium settings remain playable with 102.1 FPS and 65.8 FPS, but High and Ultra drop to 43.5 FPS and 37.5 FPS. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset achieves playable performance at 82 FPS, with Medium at 50.3 FPS, High at 35.8 FPS, and Ultra at 32.1 FPS all falling below the 60 FPS threshold.

The verdict data confirms that the best playable settings are Medium at both 1080p and 1440p, while 4K requires the Low preset. This system is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming with moderate quality settings, while 4K playability is limited to the lowest quality preset.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest playable preset at 1920x1080 for this system?

A: Medium settings provide 80.1 FPS average, which is the highest quality preset that stays above the 60 FPS playable threshold at this resolution. High settings fall short at 57.8 FPS.

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

A: Yes, but only with Low settings, which produce an average of 82 FPS. Medium settings at 4K average 50.3 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to the RX 7600 XT for this game?

A: The RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 17208, which is 0.7% higher than the RX 7600 XT's score of 17083. This indicates nearly identical performance in gaming workloads.

Q: What is the CPU's single-threaded performance capability?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400 scores 2257 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 910 in 3DMark single-thread tests, indicating solid processing power for gaming workloads.

Q: Does the system maintain 60 FPS at 1440p with High settings?

A: No. High settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 43.5 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium settings at 65.8 FPS are the highest playable option.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: This combination ranks 1537 out of 3724 tested combinations, placing it in the upper portion of the tested hardware pool for this game.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the Medium preset provides the best visual quality while maintaining playable performance, delivering an average of 80.1 FPS. This is the recommended configuration for 1080p gaming, as it balances graphical fidelity with a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset is again the optimal choice, achieving an average of 65.8 FPS. While this is closer to the 60 FPS threshold than the 1080p result, it still provides a playable experience with improved image quality over the Low preset.

For 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only playable option, producing an average of 82 FPS. This configuration sacrifices most visual quality settings to achieve smooth frame rates at 4K resolution. The data clearly shows that Medium and higher presets at 4K are not viable for maintaining the 60 FPS playable threshold with this hardware combination.