The Medium

Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 pairing produces a wide performance envelope in The Medium, with the GPU clearly dominating the frame rate across all tested configurations. The data shows that this combination is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p, but at 4K the ceiling drops to a point where the most demanding preset falls just below the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average frame rate of 63.9 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution drops to 53.6 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS playability threshold. Medium runs at 90.4 FPS, and Low at 127.9 FPS, but High is the optimal choice for visual fidelity while maintaining playability.

At 2560x1440, the system can handle the Ultra preset while staying above 60 FPS, averaging 63.6 FPS. This is the best visual quality available at this resolution that clears the threshold. High averages 81.2 FPS, Medium 113 FPS, and Low 135.4 FPS, but since Ultra remains playable, it is the recommended setting for maximum graphical detail.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 78.5 FPS, comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. This is the highest quality setting at this resolution. High averages 99.9 FPS, Medium 122.7 FPS, and Low 143.9 FPS, but Ultra provides the best experience without sacrificing playability.

The pattern shows that each resolution step down allows for one higher preset tier to become playable. At 4K, High is the ceiling; at 1440p, Ultra becomes viable; and at 1080p, Ultra runs with more headroom. The margin at Ultra for 1440p is slim at 63.6 FPS, suggesting that any additional load could push it below 60 FPS, while 1080p Ultra has a more comfortable buffer.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data indicates that the GPU is the primary performance driver in The Medium for this configuration. Comparing the scaling between resolutions and presets reveals the GPU's dominance. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 143.9 FPS at 1080p to 127.9 FPS at 4K, a reduction of only 11.1% despite a fourfold increase in pixel count. This relatively small drop at Low settings suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU adequately, but the GPU still handles most of the workload.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is more dramatic. The frame rate falls from 78.5 FPS at 1080p to 53.6 FPS at 4K, a 31.7% reduction. This steeper decline at higher settings confirms that the GPU's rendering load increases substantially with both resolution and preset quality, while the CPU's role remains relatively constant across resolutions.

The Intel Core i5-12400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, provides sufficient processing power to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 5090 at lower resolutions. The CPU's benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 12380 and a single-core score of 1680, indicate solid throughput for gaming workloads. However, the GPU's massive compute resources, including 21760 shading units and 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance, mean that the RTX 5090 is the limiting factor when settings are raised.

At 4K Ultra, the system falls below 60 FPS, which could be attributed to the GPU reaching its rendering limits rather than CPU constraints. The fact that 4K Low still achieves 127.9 FPS demonstrates that the CPU can maintain high frame rates even at demanding resolutions when the GPU workload is reduced. The CPU's percentile rank of 73 among all CPUs, combined with the GPU's percentile rank of 92, suggests that the processor is not the weak link in this pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are as follows: Low averages 143.9 FPS, Medium averages 122.7 FPS, High averages 99.9 FPS, and Ultra averages 78.5 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent decline, with each preset tier reducing performance by roughly 15-20%. The gap between Low and Ultra is 65.4 FPS, representing a 45.4% reduction in average frame rate.

At 2560x1440, Low averages 135.4 FPS, Medium averages 113 FPS, High averages 81.2 FPS, and Ultra averages 63.6 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 71.8 FPS, or 53.0% reduction. Compared to 1080p, each preset at 1440p is lower, with the largest absolute difference appearing at Ultra (14.9 FPS lower) and the smallest at Low (8.5 FPS lower).

At 3840x2160, Low averages 127.9 FPS, Medium averages 90.4 FPS, High averages 63.9 FPS, and Ultra averages 53.6 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 74.3 FPS, a 58.1% reduction. Notably, the High preset at 4K (63.9 FPS) is nearly identical to the Ultra preset at 1440p (63.6 FPS), showing that the combination of resolution and settings produces similar GPU loads across these two configurations.

All measured data points are averages with no minimum or maximum frame rate values provided. The absence of min/max data means that frame time consistency cannot be assessed from this dataset, but the average figures consistently exceed the 60 FPS threshold for most settings, with the exception of 4K Ultra.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K with the highest settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 53.6 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The High preset at 4K achieves 63.9 FPS and is the highest playable quality level at this resolution.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p gaming?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 63.6 FPS, making it the most demanding setting that stays above 60 FPS. This provides the highest visual quality while maintaining playability at this resolution.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings?

A: At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 143.9 FPS at 1080p to 127.9 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 16 FPS. At Ultra settings, the drop is larger, from 78.5 FPS to 53.6 FPS, a reduction of 24.9 FPS. The percentage loss increases with higher settings, from 11.1% at Low to 31.7% at Ultra.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The GPU is the dominant factor. The frame rate scaling between resolutions and presets shows that the RTX 5090's workload increases significantly with higher settings, while the CPU maintains similar performance across resolutions. The GPU's percentile rank of 92 versus the CPU's rank of 73 also indicates the GPU is the stronger component.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The average frame rate at 1920x1080 with Medium settings is 122.7 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience with moderate visual quality.

Q: Does the system support ray tracing or other advanced features in this game?

A: The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which includes ray tracing capabilities, and has 170 RT cores. However, the measured FPS data does not specify whether ray tracing was enabled or disabled during testing, so no conclusion can be drawn about its impact on performance.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i5-12400F has an average benchmark score of 19039 and ranks in the 73rd percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals, based on average score, include the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS with a score of 19047 and a delta of 0%, the Intel Core 3 201E with 19056 and a delta of -0.1%, the Intel Core i5-1335U with 18982 and a delta of 0.3%, and the AMD EPYC 7773X with 18979 and a delta of 0.3%. These processors would exhibit nearly identical CPU-bound performance in The Medium, though the Ryzen 5 7535HS and Core 3 201E are within a fraction of a percent of the i5-12400F's score.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 79842 and ranks in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB with a score of 79605 and a delta of 0.3%, the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB with 79396 and a delta of 0.6%, the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT with 78940 and a delta of 1.1%, and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X with 80959 and a delta of -1.4%. These GPUs would produce very similar frame rates in The Medium, with the Tesla P100 variants and RX 6850M XT performing within 1.1% of the RTX 5090 on average.

When combined, these CPU and GPU alternatives would yield comparable overall system performance. A system with the Ryzen 5 7535HS and Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB would be the closest match to the tested configuration, with both components showing less than 0.3% deviation from the i5-12400F and RTX 5090 respectively.

The Verdict

This system can run The Medium at playable frame rates across most configurations. At 3840x2160, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best choice at 63.9 FPS average. The Ultra preset at 4K is not playable, falling to 53.6 FPS.

At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable, with Ultra as the best setting at 63.6 FPS average. This narrowly clears the 60 FPS threshold, so users who prefer a larger margin might opt for High at 81.2 FPS instead.

At 1920x1080, all presets are playable, with Ultra delivering 78.5 FPS average. This provides the best balance of visual quality and performance across all tested configurations, with enough headroom above the threshold for consistent gameplay.

The verdict by resolution is clear: the system passes the 60 FPS threshold for every preset except 4K Ultra. For 4K gaming, High settings are recommended. For 1440p and 1080p, Ultra settings are viable, with 1080p offering the most comfortable margin.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 164th out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium. This places the system in the top 4.4% of all configurations tested for this game, indicating strong overall performance.

The GPU's high percentile rank of 92 among all GPUs is the primary contributor to this strong showing, while the CPU's rank of 73 is more modest. The combination benefits from the RTX 5090's substantial compute resources, which drive the high frame rates observed at lower resolutions and settings.

Given that the system clears the 60 FPS threshold in 11 out of 12 tested configurations, the 164th rank reflects a machine that can handle the game well in most scenarios. The only configuration that falls short, 4K Ultra, is an extreme case that would challenge even the most powerful hardware. The rank of 164 out of 3724 suggests that a small number of other combinations, likely those with even more powerful CPUs paired with the RTX 5090, achieve slightly better performance in the most demanding scenarios.