The Medium

The Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers a playable experience in The Medium, but the margin for error is slim. The measured data shows this system clears the 60 FPS threshold at every resolution tested, though only at specific settings presets. At 4K, you are locked to Low settings for smooth gameplay; at 1440p and 1080p, Medium is the ceiling for 60 FPS. The benchmark results indicate a system that is capable, but one where settings management is not optional—it is mandatory.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this pairing covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a clear picture of performance scaling. At 1920x1080, the system starts strong with an average of 108.7 FPS on Low settings. Stepping up to Medium drops the average to 66.8 FPS, which remains above the 60 FPS playable threshold. High settings at 1080p yield an average of 50 FPS, while Ultra pulls the average down to 40.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is significant, but the drop from Medium to High is the steepest, representing a 25% reduction in average frame rate.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance curve shifts downward as expected. Low settings produce an average of 91.6 FPS, which is still comfortable for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings deliver a 60.1 FPS average, sitting just barely above the playable threshold. High settings fall to 41.4 FPS, and Ultra drops further to 31.8 FPS. The data shows that 1440p Medium is the boundary for this configuration, with any higher preset pushing the average below 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4060's 8 GB frame buffer and 128-bit memory bus face their toughest challenge. Low settings average 74.4 FPS, which is surprisingly strong for 4K. Medium settings drop to 42.6 FPS, High to 31.3 FPS, and Ultra to 28.2 FPS. The scaling from Low to Medium at 4K is severe, with a 43% performance loss. This suggests that the game's higher presets introduce rendering features that are particularly demanding on the GPU at this resolution.

The data lacks min and max FPS values, so the analysis relies solely on averages. This means frame pacing and 1% lows are unknown, but the average scores indicate that the playable presets have enough headroom to likely avoid consistent stutter. The 1080p Medium result of 66.8 FPS provides about 11% headroom above the 60 FPS threshold, while the 1440p Medium result of 60.1 FPS has almost no headroom—any demanding scene could easily dip below 60 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a distinct shift in component responsibility as resolution changes. At 1080p, the CPU has more influence on the final frame rate, especially at lower settings. The jump from Low (108.7 FPS) to Medium (66.8 FPS) is a 39% reduction, which is largely driven by increased GPU load. However, the i5-12600KF's strong single-thread performance—evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 1016 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3302—ensures it is not the bottleneck at this resolution.

At 1440p, the GPU begins to dominate the performance equation. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings shows a 10% drop (66.8 to 60.1 FPS), which is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 4060's 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 272.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are the limiting factors here. The CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads, with a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, are more than sufficient to feed the GPU at this resolution.

At 4K, the GPU is unequivocally the bottleneck. The RTX 4060's 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus becomes the critical constraint. The performance drop from 1440p Medium (60.1 FPS) to 4K Medium (42.6 FPS) is 29%, showing that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute capacity are stretched thin. The CPU's role diminishes further, as the frame rate is dictated almost entirely by the GPU's ability to process pixels at 3840x2160. The data shows that the i5-12600KF is never the limiting factor in this pairing; the RTX 4060 determines the playable settings at every resolution.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the best settings that stay at or above 60 FPS are Medium, delivering an average of 66.8 FPS. This preset provides a balanced visual experience while maintaining adequate headroom above the playable threshold. High settings at 50 FPS are not playable by the 60 FPS standard, so Medium is the recommended choice.

At 2560x1440, the best playable settings are also Medium, with an average of 60.1 FPS. This is a marginal pass—the system just barely clears the threshold. Users who prefer a more stable frame rate might consider Low settings (91.6 FPS) for a smoother experience, but Medium offers the best visual quality within the playable range.

For 3840x2160, the best settings are Low, producing an average of 74.4 FPS. This is the only preset at 4K that clears the 60 FPS threshold, and it does so with comfortable margin. Medium settings at 42.6 FPS are not viable for smooth gameplay, so 4K users must accept Low settings or lower the resolution.

The verdict data confirms these choices: 1080p Medium (66.8 FPS), 1440p Medium (60.1 FPS), and 4K Low (74.4 FPS) are the optimal configurations. The system cannot sustain 60 FPS at High or Ultra settings at any resolution tested.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the Intel Core i9-10900K scores 27872 in average benchmarks, which is 0.3% lower than the i5-12600KF's 27799. This means a system with an i9-10900K would produce nearly identical frame rates in The Medium, assuming the same GPU. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D scores 27896, also 0.3% higher than the i5-12600KF, indicating that this popular gaming CPU would perform within a negligible margin of error. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800U (27887) and AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE (27712) are similarly close, with deltas of -0.3% and +0.3% respectively. For practical purposes, all four rivals would deliver the same playable settings as the i5-12600KF in this game.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4060's nearest rivals are surprisingly lower-tier cards. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17666, which is 0.2% higher than the RTX 4060's 17639. This is a legacy card from a different era, but the benchmark data places it as a direct competitor. The AMD Radeon 780M integrated GPU scores 17588, just 0.3% lower, suggesting that a system with this iGPU and a strong CPU might approach similar performance. The AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17551) and AMD Radeon Pro 460 (17509) are 0.5% and 0.7% lower respectively. These alternatives would all produce frame rates within 1% of the RTX 4060, meaning the same settings recommendations apply: Medium at 1080p and 1440p, Low at 4K.

The Verdict

This system can run The Medium, but with strict limitations. At 1920x1080, the configuration clears 60 FPS at Low (108.7 FPS) and Medium (66.8 FPS) settings. High and Ultra fail to reach the threshold. At 2560x1440, Low (91.6 FPS) and Medium (60.1 FPS) are playable, with Medium being a marginal pass. At 3840x2160, only Low settings (74.4 FPS) achieve smooth gameplay. The data is unambiguous: this is a 1080p and 1440p gaming system for The Medium, not a 4K machine. The RTX 4060's 8 GB memory capacity and 128-bit bus are the primary constraints, preventing High or Ultra presets from being viable at any resolution. The i5-12600KF performs its role admirably, never bottlenecking the GPU, but it cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations at higher settings.

The system ranks 1939 out of 3724 combinations tested for this game, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the performance spectrum. This ranking reflects the GPU's modest position (61st percentile among all GPUs) rather than the CPU's stronger standing (79th percentile among all CPUs). Users with this configuration should target 1080p Medium or 1440p Medium for the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, and reserve 4K for Low settings or less demanding titles.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run The Medium at 60 FPS on High settings?

A: No. At 1920x1080, High settings produce an average of 50 FPS. At 2560x1440, High averages 41.4 FPS, and at 3840x2160, High averages 31.3 FPS. None of these reach the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p on this system?

A: Medium settings at 2560x1440 deliver an average of 60.1 FPS, which is the highest preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold. Low settings provide 91.6 FPS if you prefer a higher frame rate.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions. The RTX 4060's 8 GB memory and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth become insufficient at higher settings, while the i5-12600KF's 10 cores and 4.90 GHz boost clock provide ample headroom.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 7790?

A: The Radeon HD 7790 scores 17666 in average benchmarks, which is 0.2% higher than the RTX 4060's 17639. The performance difference is negligible, so both would produce nearly identical frame rates in The Medium.

Q: What is the highest FPS this system can achieve in this game?

A: The highest measured average is 108.7 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At 2560x1440, the maximum is 91.6 FPS on Low, and at 3840x2160, the maximum is 74.4 FPS on Low.

Q: Should I play this game at 4K with this hardware?

A: Only if you are comfortable with Low settings, which average 74.4 FPS. Medium settings at 4K drop to 42.6 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. For higher visual quality, 1080p or 1440p with Medium settings is recommended.