The Medium

The data for the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 in The Medium shows a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and presets. The measured FPS figures, derived from the FACT PACK, reveal that this combination delivers strong frame rates at most settings, with the most demanding 4K Ultra preset being the only scenario that falls below a 60 FPS average.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system is never bottlenecked. The Low preset produces an average of 148.6 FPS, while Medium averages 123.2 FPS. Moving to High, the average drops to 90.9 FPS, which is still well above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 72.9 FPS, making it a fully playable option for users who prioritize visual fidelity over raw speed. The gap between Low and Ultra is substantial, representing a 75.7 FPS difference, but even the most graphically intense setting keeps the frame rate comfortably in playable territory.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales predictably. The Low preset averages 136.7 FPS, which is 11.9 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result. Medium at 1440p yields 106.7 FPS, a 16.5 FPS reduction from the 1080p Medium figure. The High preset averages 77.6 FPS, which remains above the 60 FPS threshold by a healthy margin. The Ultra preset at 1440p is the first notable challenge, averaging 59.4 FPS — just 0.6 FPS shy of the 60 FPS playability line. This makes 1440p Ultra a borderline case, technically not clearing the threshold for a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the load on the GPU becomes evident. The Low preset averages 128.3 FPS, which is surprisingly high and only 8.4 FPS below the 1080p Low result. Medium at 4K averages 85.3 FPS, still robust. The High preset at 4K averages 61.4 FPS, barely clearing the 60 FPS requirement. The Ultra preset, however, drops to an average of 48 FPS, a 24.5 FPS reduction from High and clearly below the playable threshold. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at the same preset shows a significant cost: High drops from 77.6 to 61.4 FPS, and Ultra drops from 59.4 to 48 FPS. The data indicates that 4K Ultra is not viable for this combo, while 4K High is just barely playable.

Across all resolutions, min and max FPS values were not recorded in the data, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates. The pattern is consistent: lower resolutions and lower presets yield higher averages, with the largest absolute differences appearing between Low and Ultra at each resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide context for what other hardware would behave similarly in this game. For the Intel Core i5-12400F, the closest alternatives by average benchmark score are the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS with a 0% deltaPct, the Intel Core 3 201E at -0.1%, the Intel Core i5-1335U at 0.3%, and the AMD EPYC 7773X at 0.3%. These processors have average scores within a fraction of a percent of the i5-12400F, meaning they would produce nearly identical CPU-bound performance in The Medium. Since the game's frame rates at higher resolutions are likely GPU-bound, swapping the i5-12400F for any of these rivals would have a negligible impact on the measured FPS.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080, the nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon 8060S (0.6% deltaPct), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (0.7%), the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (2.3%), and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE (-2.2%). The RX 9070 GRE is slightly faster than the RTX 5080 in the aggregate benchmark, while the other three are slightly slower. In practical terms, a system with the RTX 5080 and any of these rival GPUs would produce FPS figures within roughly 2-3% of the measured values. For example, the 4K High result of 61.4 FPS could shift to approximately 60-63 FPS depending on which rival GPU is used. The RX 9070 GRE, being 2.2% faster, might push 4K Ultra from 48 FPS to about 49 FPS — still below the playable threshold. Conversely, the RX 6750 GRE, being 0.7% slower, would make 4K High even more marginal, potentially dropping it to 60.9 FPS.

The CPU rivals, particularly the Ryzen 5 7535HS and Core i5-1335U, are likely mobile or low-power parts, but their benchmark scores indicate they handle multi-threaded workloads similarly to the i5-12400F. For a game like The Medium, which is not heavily CPU-dependent at high resolutions, these alternatives would not change the verdict at any resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows a clear shift in component importance as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the CPU still has some influence, but the GPU is the primary driver. The average FPS at 1080p Low (148.6) is 20.3 FPS higher than at 1440p Low (136.7), which is a smaller relative drop than the one seen between 1440p and 4K. At 1080p, the RTX 5080 is strong enough that even the i5-12400F's 6 cores and 12 threads can feed it adequately, but the CPU's single-thread performance (3dmark_single_thread score of 909, Cinebench R23 single-core of 1680) may limit the absolute maximum frame rate at Low settings.

At 2560x1440, the GPU's workload increases, and the frame rate drops by an average of 11-16 FPS across presets compared to 1080p. The CPU's role diminishes because the GPU takes longer to render each frame. The i5-12400F's 3dmark_16_threads score of 5895 and Cinebench R23 multi-core of 12380 are sufficient to avoid bottlenecking at 1440p, as evidenced by the fact that even the High preset maintains 77.6 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is overwhelmingly the limiting factor. The drop from 1440p to 4K at High settings is 16.2 FPS (from 77.6 to 61.4), and at Ultra it is 11.4 FPS (from 59.4 to 48). These reductions are proportionally larger than the 1080p-to-1440p drops, confirming that the RTX 5080's rendering capabilities, not the CPU, dictate performance at 4K. The CPU's benchmark scores (e.g., Passmark multi-thread of 19433, Geekbench multi-core of 9472) are irrelevant at this resolution because the GPU is saturated. The scaling between Low and Ultra at 4K is also the most dramatic: 128.3 FPS at Low versus 48 FPS at Ultra, a difference of 80.3 FPS, which underscores how much the GPU's texture and shading work impacts frame times at high pixel counts.

In summary, the i5-12400F provides enough headroom for the RTX 5080 at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K the CPU's role is minimal. The GPU's raw compute (56.28 TFLOPS FP32, 10752 shading units) and memory bandwidth (960.0 GB/s) are what determine whether the game clears 60 FPS.

The Verdict

Can this PC run The Medium? The answer is yes for the majority of resolution and preset combinations. According to the verdict by resolution, 1920x1080 is fully playable at all four presets: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 72.9 FPS, which is 12.9 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold, so users can enjoy maximum settings without compromise.

At 2560x1440, the playable settings are Low, Medium, and High. The High preset averages 77.6 FPS, which is comfortable. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 59.4 FPS — below the 60 FPS threshold — so it is not considered playable according to the data. Users who want Ultra at 1440p would need to accept a slightly sub-60 experience or reduce other settings.

At 3840x2160, the playable settings are Low, Medium, and High. High averages 61.4 FPS, which just clears the threshold, making it the best playable setting for 4K. The Ultra preset at 4K averages 48 FPS, which is 12 FPS below the threshold and clearly not recommended for smooth gameplay. The best settings per resolution, as indicated by the data, are High at 4K (61.4 FPS), High at 1440p (77.6 FPS), and Ultra at 1080p (72.9 FPS). No preset at any resolution achieves a perfect 60 FPS minimum, since min FPS data was not recorded, but the averages suggest a generally smooth experience at the listed playable settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination ranks 245th out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the top 6.6% of all systems tested, indicating a high-performing pairing. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's 73rd percentile standing among all CPUs and the GPU's 87th percentile among all GPUs. The GPU is the stronger component, with a Passmark G3D score of 36565 and an average benchmark score of 56083, which puts it well ahead of most other graphics cards. The CPU's average benchmark score of 19039 and 73rd percentile shows it is a mid-to-upper tier processor, but it does not drag down the overall combo ranking because the game becomes GPU-bound at higher resolutions.

In practical terms, a rank of 245 out of 3724 means the vast majority of tested systems (3479 of them) perform worse than this combo. The few systems that rank higher likely pair the RTX 5080 with faster CPUs like higher-core-count Core i7 or i9 parts, or use dual-GPU configurations, but the data in the FACT PACK does not specify those alternatives. The ranking confirms that this is a capable 4K gaming setup, with the caveat that the most extreme settings (4K Ultra) are not playable.

FAQ

*Q: Can the Intel Core i5-12400F and RTX 5080 run The Medium at 4K Ultra?*

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 48, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best playable setting at 4K is High, which averages 61.4 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: The highest playable preset at 2560x1440 is High, averaging 77.6 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 59.4 FPS, which falls just short of the 60 FPS threshold, so it is not listed as playable.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 5080 compared to its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE?

A: The RX 9070 GRE has a higher average benchmark score (57367) than the RTX 5080 (56083), with a deltaPct of -2.2%, meaning the AMD card is approximately 2.2% faster in aggregate benchmarks. This would translate to roughly 1-2 FPS difference in The Medium at most settings.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU is sufficient at 1080p. The Low preset averages 148.6 FPS, which is very high, indicating the i5-12400F can feed the RTX 5080 adequately. The CPU's single-thread benchmark scores (e.g., 3dmark_single_thread of 909) are adequate for this game's demands at lower resolutions.

Q: What FPS can I expect at 1080p Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 123.2. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold, providing a smooth experience with headroom for frame drops.

Q: Is the 1440p Ultra preset playable if I accept slightly lower FPS?

A: The data lists 1440p Ultra as not playable because the average FPS of 59.4 is below the 60 FPS threshold. However, it is only 0.6 FPS short, so in practice it may feel nearly identical to 60 FPS, though the data classifies it as below the playable line.