The Medium

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a highly variable experience in The Medium, with performance scaling steeply across both resolution and quality presets. The data shows that this combination is capable of smooth gameplay, but only when settings are tuned appropriately. At 1920x1080, the combo hits 109.3 FPS on Low settings but drops to 40.5 FPS on Ultra, illustrating a massive 68.8 FPS swing between the lowest and highest presets. The pattern repeats at higher resolutions, where the GPU becomes the dominant constraint, and the playable envelope narrows considerably.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080: The benchmark results show a clear hierarchy across the four presets. On Low settings, the combo produces an average of 109.3 FPS, which is the fastest result recorded at this resolution. Medium settings yield 68.5 FPS, still comfortably above the 60 FPS playable threshold. High settings drop the average to 51.7 FPS, which falls short of the threshold, while Ultra is the most demanding at 40.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is substantial at 68.8 FPS, indicating that the visual preset selection has an outsized impact on frame rate. Notably, no min or max FPS values were captured in the data, so the analysis relies on averages alone; the spread suggests that High and Ultra would exhibit noticeable stutter during intense scenes, whereas Low and Medium maintain enough headroom to stay fluid.

2560x1440: At this resolution, the performance curve shifts downward significantly. Low settings produce 89 FPS, which is still a strong result and 19.3 FPS above the 1080p Low figure—an unexpected inversion that may indicate variance in the test run or a specific scene dependency. Medium settings fall to 55.1 FPS, just below the 60 FPS threshold, making it marginally unplayable by the defined standard. High settings average 42.2 FPS, and Ultra drops to 31.7 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 57.3 FPS, slightly smaller than at 1080p, but the absolute numbers are lower across the board. The data indicates that 1440p users are limited to Low settings for a guaranteed 60 FPS experience, with Medium being a borderline case that may dip in heavier moments.

3840x2160: The 4K results are the most constrained. Low settings produce 73.4 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold with a modest 13.4 FPS margin. Medium settings drop to 45.1 FPS, High to 34.6 FPS, and Ultra to 23.8 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 49.6 FPS loss, showing that 4K Ultra is essentially unplayable on this hardware, while even High and Medium fall well short of playable. The only viable option at this resolution is Low, and even then, the margin over the threshold is slim enough that heavy scenes could push it below 60 FPS. The data suggests that 4K is only feasible when prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear division of labor between the Intel Core i5-12400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 in The Medium. At 1920x1080, the CPU still matters, as evidenced by the 68.8 FPS difference between Low and Ultra—this is a settings-driven change, not a resolution-driven one, implying that the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at lower presets but becomes a secondary bottleneck as the GPU workload rises. However, the more telling signal is the resolution scaling. Moving from 1080p Low (109.3 FPS) to 1440p Low (89 FPS) represents a 20.3 FPS drop, and further to 4K Low (73.4 FPS) another 15.6 FPS drop. This consistent decline as resolution increases points to the GPU being the primary limiter; the RTX 4060’s 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus are likely saturated at higher pixel counts.

At Medium settings, the pattern intensifies: 1080p Medium (68.5 FPS) falls to 1440p Medium (55.1 FPS) and then to 4K Medium (45.1 FPS), with each step costing roughly 10-13 FPS. This linear degradation is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the CPU has ample headroom. The i5-12400’s 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, are sufficient to keep up with the RTX 4060’s demands at lower resolutions, but at 4K, the GPU’s shading units and memory bandwidth become the wall. For Ultra settings, the drop from 1080p (40.5 FPS) to 1440p (31.7 FPS) to 4K (23.8 FPS) is even steeper, confirming that the GPU is overwhelmed by the combination of high detail and high pixel count. The CPU’s role is thus relegated to maintaining a baseline, while the GPU dictates the ceiling; users seeking higher frame rates should prioritize reducing resolution or lowering the preset, as CPU-side changes would yield diminishing returns.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run The Medium at 1920x1080 with Medium settings?*

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1080p Medium is 68.5 FPS, which exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold by 8.5 FPS. This is the highest preset that maintains playability at this resolution, per the verdict data.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 2560x1440?

A: Low settings, which produce an average of 89 FPS. Medium settings fall to 55.1 FPS, just below the 60 FPS threshold, so Low is the only guaranteed playable option at 1440p.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable on this hardware?

A: Only at Low settings, which average 73.4 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 60 FPS, with averages of 45.1, 34.6, and 23.8 FPS respectively, making them unplayable by the defined standard.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rival in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17,639, while its closest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 7790, scores 17,666, a delta of -0.2%. The AMD Radeon 780M is 0.3% ahead, and the Radeon Pro 560 is 0.5% ahead.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested hardware combinations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 1,975 out of 3,724 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier. This suggests that while it can run the game, many other setups deliver higher frame rates.

Q: Does the i5-12400 have a performance advantage over the Core i3-14100F?

A: The i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 18,683, while the i3-14100F scores 18,519, a delta of 0.9% in favor of the i5. The i5 is also 0.1% behind the AMD EPYC 7643 and 0.3% behind the Intel Core i7-1355U.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 can run The Medium, but the playable envelope is narrow. At 1920x1080, the combo clears the 60 FPS threshold on Low (109.3 FPS) and Medium (68.5 FPS) settings, making these the recommended presets. High (51.7 FPS) and Ultra (40.5 FPS) fall short and are not recommended for a smooth experience. At 2560x1440, only Low settings achieve playable performance at 89 FPS; Medium (55.1 FPS) is marginally below the threshold, and High (42.2 FPS) and Ultra (31.7 FPS) are not viable. At 3840x2160, Low settings are the sole playable option at 73.4 FPS, while Medium (45.1 FPS), High (34.6 FPS), and Ultra (23.8 FPS) are all unplayable. The verdict data confirms this: playable settings are "Low" and "Medium" at 1080p, "Low" at 1440p, and "Low" at 4K, with best average FPS of 68.5, 89, and 73.4 respectively. For users prioritizing visual quality, this hardware requires significant compromises; for those prioritizing frame rate, it delivers solid results at lower presets.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU’s nearest rivals, based on average benchmark score, offer a useful reference for similar behavior. The AMD EPYC 7643 scores 18,697, a delta of -0.1% versus the i5-12400’s 18,683, meaning it would perform nearly identically in CPU-bound scenarios. The Intel Core i7-1355U scores 18,730, a 0.3% advantage, and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 scores 18,811, a 0.7% advantage. The Intel Core i3-14100F scores 18,519, a 0.9% deficit, so it would be slightly slower. For the GPU, the AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17,666, a -0.2% delta versus the RTX 4060’s 17,639, making it a close match. The AMD Radeon 780M scores 17,588, a 0.3% deficit, and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 scores 17,551, a 0.5% deficit. The AMD Radeon Pro 460 scores 17,509, a 0.7% deficit. In practice, swapping to any of these parts would yield frame rates within a few percentage points of the measured values, meaning the same playable settings would apply—Low at 1440p and 4K, and Low/Medium at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1,975 out of 3,724 tested combinations in The Medium, placing it in the 47th percentile of all tested hardware. This is a mid-pack position, indicating that the i5-12400 and RTX 4060 are neither top-tier nor bottom-tier for this title. The rank reflects the GPU’s tendency to bottleneck at higher resolutions; the RTX 4060’s 61st percentile among all GPUs (based on average benchmark score) is dragged down by the CPU’s 72nd percentile and the game’s demanding nature. The data shows that many other combos achieve higher frame rates, particularly those with more powerful GPUs or higher-core-count CPUs. However, the rank also implies that the combo is not an outlier on the low end—there are 1,749 combos that perform worse, which suggests it remains a viable option for 1080p gaming with adjusted settings.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average of 68.5 FPS. This provides a balanced experience, though users seeking maximum frame rates can opt for Low at 109.3 FPS. At 2560x1440, the best playable setting is Low, averaging 89 FPS; Medium falls short at 55.1 FPS, so it should be avoided for consistent performance. At 3840x2160, Low is the only option that clears 60 FPS, averaging 73.4 FPS. For each resolution, choosing a higher preset will result in frame rates below the playable threshold, so the recommendation is to stick with these settings for a smooth experience. The data does not include min or max FPS, so users should account for potential dips in demanding scenes, but the averages provide a solid baseline for configuration.