The Medium

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a highly capable 1080p and 1440p experience in The Medium, but 4K gaming requires careful settings management. Benchmark data shows this combination achieves playable frame rates at Medium settings for 4K and 1440p, while 1080p allows for High settings. The measured results indicate that the RTX 4070 is the dominant performance factor, with the i5-12400 providing sufficient headroom across all tested resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Medium, producing an average of 64 FPS. The data confirms that Ultra settings at this resolution fall to 37 FPS, while High drops to 43.6 FPS, both below the 60 FPS playability threshold. Low settings at 4K achieve 100.6 FPS, but Medium is the optimal balance for visual fidelity and smooth gameplay.

For 2560x1440, the best playable setting is also Medium, delivering an average of 79.8 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings at 1440p yield 59 FPS, which is marginally below the target, and Ultra drops to 43.6 FPS. Low settings reach 127 FPS, but Medium remains the recommended choice for quality.

At 1920x1080, the best settings are High, with an average of 66.8 FPS. This is the only resolution where High settings surpass the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra at 1080p achieves 53.5 FPS, just under the playable mark, while Medium reaches 93.4 FPS and Low hits 147.6 FPS. The data suggests that 1080p users can prioritize visual quality without sacrificing smoothness.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results reveal a clear pattern: the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU becomes relatively more relevant at 1080p. At 3840x2160, the frame rate drops from 100.6 FPS on Low to 64 FPS on Medium and 37 FPS on Ultra, a reduction of 63.2% from Low to Ultra. This steep scaling indicates that the RTX 4070's rendering load is the limiting factor, as the i5-12400's six cores and twelve threads are sufficient to feed the GPU at 4K.

At 2560x1440, the scaling from Low (127 FPS) to Medium (79.8 FPS) to Ultra (43.6 FPS) shows a similar GPU-bound pattern, with a 65.7% drop from Low to Ultra. The CPU's role becomes more apparent at 1920x1080, where Low settings reach 147.6 FPS and Medium hits 93.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium at 1080p is 54.2 FPS, compared to 36.6 FPS at 1440p, suggesting that the CPU can push higher frame rates when the GPU is less stressed.

The i5-12400's benchmark scores support this interpretation. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15989 and single-core score of 2257 place it in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs, indicating solid mid-range performance. The GPU, with a Passmark G3D score of 26927 and an 81st percentile ranking, is clearly the stronger component. At 1080p with Low settings, the 147.6 FPS result likely approaches the CPU's practical limit, while at 4K, the GPU's workload dominates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the measured average frame rates are as follows: Low settings produce 100.6 FPS, Medium achieves 64 FPS, High drops to 43.6 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 37 FPS. The step from Medium to High represents a 21.4 FPS loss, while High to Ultra is a smaller 6.6 FPS decline. This suggests that High settings impose a significant rendering cost, likely due to advanced lighting and shadow effects in The Medium.

For 2560x1440, the results show Low at 127 FPS, Medium at 79.8 FPS, High at 59 FPS, and Ultra at 43.6 FPS. The transition from Medium to High costs 20.8 FPS, and High to Ultra costs another 15.4 FPS. Notably, the 1440p Ultra result matches the 4K High result exactly at 43.6 FPS, indicating a consistent performance ceiling for this combination under demanding settings.

At 1920x1080, Low settings deliver 147.6 FPS, Medium reaches 93.4 FPS, High achieves 66.8 FPS, and Ultra produces 53.5 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is 26.6 FPS, the largest relative drop across all resolutions, which reinforces that High settings enable features that disproportionately impact frame rate. The 1080p Ultra result of 53.5 FPS is the only sub-60 FPS reading at this resolution, confirming that Ultra is not playable even at the lowest tested resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 792nd out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium, placing it in the top 21.3% of all configurations. This percentile ranking reflects the strong performance observed in the measured FPS data, particularly at 1080p and 1440p where playable settings are achievable.

The rank is influenced by the CPU's 72nd percentile standing and the GPU's 81st percentile standing among all tested hardware. The i5-12400's average benchmark score of 18683 places it slightly below the AMD EPYC 7643 (18697) and Intel Core i7-1355U (18730), but above the Intel Core i3-14100F (18519). The RTX 4070's average score of 37648 is marginally higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37628) and AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507), while trailing the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (38135).

The combination's rank of 792 out of 3724 indicates that while many higher-end configurations exist, this pairing is well above average for The Medium. The data shows that the GPU's strong 4K performance at Medium settings and the CPU's adequate multi-threaded capabilities create a balanced system that handles the game's demands without excessive bottlenecking.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the nearest rivals for each component, several alternative configurations would behave similarly in The Medium. For the CPU, the AMD EPYC 7643 (deltaPct -0.1%) and Intel Core i7-1355U (deltaPct -0.3%) have average scores nearly identical to the i5-12400, meaning they would provide comparable frame rates when paired with the RTX 4070. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 (deltaPct -0.7%) and Intel Core i3-14100F (deltaPct 0.9%) are also within 1% of the i5-12400's performance, making them viable substitutes.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (deltaPct 0.1%) and AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (deltaPct 0.4%) have average scores essentially matching the RTX 4070, so they would deliver nearly identical FPS results in this game. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (deltaPct -1.3%) is slightly faster, potentially offering a marginal FPS improvement, while the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 (deltaPct 1.3%) is slightly slower.

A system with the i5-12400 and any of these equivalent GPUs would produce similar measured FPS values, with variations of only a few frames per second. The RTX 4080 Mobile might push the 4K Medium result slightly above 64 FPS, while the RX Vega 56 could bring it down to approximately 63 FPS. These alternatives are worth considering if availability or platform compatibility is a concern.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gaming on this hardware?

A: Medium settings at 3840x2160 produce an average of 64 FPS, which is the most demanding preset that stays at or above the 60 FPS playable threshold. High settings drop to 43.6 FPS and Ultra falls to 37 FPS.

Q: Can this combo run The Medium at Ultra settings on a 1080p monitor?

A: No. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 53.5, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. High settings are the best playable option at 1080p, achieving 66.8 FPS.

Q: Which component is more important for performance in this game?

A: The GPU is the primary factor, especially at higher resolutions. The RTX 4070 shows a 63.2% FPS drop from Low to Ultra at 4K, while the CPU's role becomes more relevant at 1080p where Low settings reach 147.6 FPS.

Q: How does this configuration compare to other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 792nd out of 3724 tested configurations, placing it in the top 21.3% of all systems benchmarked for The Medium.

Q: What are some similar CPUs that would perform comparably?

A: The AMD EPYC 7643 and Intel Core i7-1355U have average scores within 0.3% of the i5-12400, while the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 and Intel Core i3-14100F are within 0.9%. All would produce nearly identical FPS in this game.

Q: Are there GPUs that offer similar performance to the RTX 4070 for this title?

A: The NVIDIA Tesla P4 and AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 have benchmark scores within 0.4% of the RTX 4070. The RTX 4080 Mobile is 1.3% faster, and the Radeon PRO W6400 is 1.3% slower, all yielding similar measured FPS.