The Medium

The data for this combination of an Intel Core i5-13400F and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 in The Medium presents a clear, if uneven, picture. The game is demanding, and the measured frame rates show a steep performance cliff as resolution and preset quality rise. This analysis breaks down exactly where this system can hold a steady 60 frames per second, and where it falls short, using only the measured data.

Best Settings per Resolution

The single most important question for any PC gamer is what settings they can use while maintaining a playable frame rate, defined here as 60 FPS or higher. The measured data for this combo in The Medium offers a straightforward answer for each resolution tier.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the system is heavily constrained. The most demanding preset that stays at or above the 60 FPS threshold is Low, which produces an average frame rate of 100.6 FPS. This is a significant drop from the higher presets, but it is the only playable option at this resolution. The Medium preset falls just short of the target at 59.6 FPS, making it technically unplayable by the 60 FPS standard, while High and Ultra are far below at 41.5 FPS and 36.3 FPS, respectively.

Moving down to 2560x1440 (1440p) provides more headroom. Here, the best settings that maintain 60 FPS are Medium, which yields an average of 79.2 FPS. This is a substantial improvement over the 4K result and offers a much better visual experience. The High preset at this resolution drops to 57.5 FPS, just under the playable threshold, while Ultra remains out of reach at 43.9 FPS.

At the standard 1920x1080 (1080p) resolution, the system has the most flexibility. The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average frame rate of 70.2 FPS. This allows for a great visual experience. Interestingly, the Ultra preset at 1080p falls to 55.2 FPS, which is below the threshold, while Medium and Low run at 94.3 FPS and 147.1 FPS, respectively. The data indicates that 1080p High is the sweet spot for this hardware.

How This Combo Ranks

To understand where this system sits in the broader landscape, the benchmark database provides a combination ranking. For The Medium, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-13400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 holds a comboRankInGame of 810 out of 3724 tested combinations. This places it in the top quarter of all systems tested, indicating a strong overall performance level.

This rank reflects a system that is well above average for running this game, but it is not at the absolute top tier. The ranking implies that while many other systems will struggle to hit 60 FPS at high settings, this combo is positioned comfortably in the upper echelon, capable of handling the game at medium-to-high settings depending on resolution. The percentile data for the individual components supports this: the CPU sits in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU is even stronger, in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. This combination of above-average parts results in a system that outperforms the vast majority of others in the database for this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The raw data reveals the system's performance envelope across all tested scenarios. The following breakdown details the average FPS for each resolution and settings preset. Note that min and max FPS values were not provided in the data.

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are high across the board. The Low preset achieves an average of 147.1 FPS, the Medium preset hits 94.3 FPS, and the High preset reaches 70.2 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only one to dip below the 60 FPS target, with an average of 55.2 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. The Low preset still provides a very high 127.5 FPS, and the Medium preset maintains a comfortable 79.2 FPS. The High preset drops to 57.5 FPS, just below the playable threshold, and the Ultra preset falls further to 43.9 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the demand on the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The Low preset is the only one to remain clearly playable, at 100.6 FPS. The Medium preset is a near-miss at 59.6 FPS, while the High preset drops to 41.5 FPS and the Ultra preset manages only 36.3 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the gap between High and Ultra presets is significant at every resolution, suggesting that the Ultra preset introduces a substantial performance cost for the visual gains it provides. The step from Medium to High is also notable, especially at higher resolutions.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run The Medium at 4K resolution?*

A: Yes, but only at the Low preset, which delivers an average of 100.6 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K falls just below the 60 FPS threshold with an average of 59.6 FPS.

Q: What is the highest quality setting I can use at 1440p and still maintain 60 FPS?

A: The Medium preset is the best choice at 2560x1440, providing an average of 79.2 FPS. The High preset drops to 57.5 FPS, which is below the playable threshold.

Q: Is the Ultra preset ever playable with this hardware?

A: No. At every resolution tested (1080p, 1440p, and 4K), the Ultra preset fails to reach the 60 FPS target. The closest it comes is at 1080p with an average of 55.2 FPS.

Q: How does the performance at 1080p High compare to 1440p Medium?

A: The 1080p High preset runs at an average of 70.2 FPS, while the 1440p Medium preset runs faster at 79.2 FPS. This suggests that the resolution drop to 1080p allows for a higher quality setting, but the GPU still has more headroom at 1440p Medium.

Q: What is the most demanding playable setting at 4K?

A: The Low preset is the only setting at 3840x2160 that remains at or above 60 FPS. The next step up, Medium, is just 0.4 FPS short of the target, making Low the definitive answer.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other systems tested?

A: The combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 810th out of 3724 tested combos for this game, placing it in the top quarter of all systems.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured frame rates across resolutions and presets allow for an analysis of which component, the CPU or the GPU, is the primary bottleneck. The game's engine and the specific workload determine this balance.

The data strongly indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor for this title, especially at higher resolutions. This is evident from the steep performance drop when moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160. At 1440p, the Medium preset scores 79.2 FPS, but at 4K, the same preset drops to 59.6 FPS, a loss of about 25% of the frame rate. This scaling is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the increased pixel count directly translates to a proportional increase in rendering work for the graphics card.

The difference between presets also points to the GPU's role. The transition from Low to Ultra at any resolution shows a massive performance cost. For example, at 1080p, the Low preset runs at 147.1 FPS, while the Ultra preset is just 55.2 FPS. This is a reduction of over 60% in frame rate, which is a much larger impact than what would be expected from CPU-related settings. This suggests that the visual effects and rendering quality controlled by the GPU are the dominant cost.

However, the CPU still plays a crucial, supporting role. The fact that the system achieves 147.1 FPS at 1080p Low shows that the i5-13400F is more than capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to reach very high frame rates. If the CPU were a significant bottleneck, the frame rates would plateau at a lower level, regardless of the resolution or preset. Since we do not see such a plateau, it indicates that even at its highest output, the CPU is not the primary constraint. The system is well-balanced, but the data points to the RTX 4070 as the component that determines the ceiling for visual quality and resolution.

The Verdict

The question of whether this PC can run The Medium is answered with a clear "yes," but with important caveats regarding settings and resolution. The system is fully capable of delivering a playable experience at all three tested resolutions, provided the settings are adjusted appropriately.

Based on the verdictByResolution data, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold at 1920x1080 with the High preset (70.2 FPS), at 2560x1440 with the Medium preset (79.2 FPS), and at 3840x2160 with the Low preset (100.6 FPS). It cannot maintain 60 FPS at the Ultra preset at any resolution, nor can it run the High preset at 1440p or above, or the Medium preset at 4K.

In practical terms, this means a user can enjoy the game with high-quality visuals at 1080p, a balanced medium-quality experience at 1440p, or a smooth but visually compromised low-quality experience at 4K. The system is powerful, but The Medium's high-end presets, particularly Ultra, are simply too demanding for this hardware to handle at a playable frame rate. The near-miss at 4K Medium (59.6 FPS) is a particularly notable point, where the system is just a few frames short of a much more desirable configuration.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For users looking to understand how other hardware might perform, the nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide a useful reference point. These components have very similar average benchmark scores, meaning they would likely produce very similar results in The Medium.

The Intel Core i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25292. Its nearest rivals, based on the `nearestRivals` data, include the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS with a score of 25284 (a 0% difference), the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H with a score of 25201 (0.4% ahead of the i5), and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D with a score of 25365 (0.3% behind the i5). These processors are effectively performance equals, so a system with any of them paired with an RTX 4070 would be expected to hit nearly identical frame rates.

Similarly, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37648. Its nearest rivals are a more varied group. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile has a score of 38135, which is 1.3% higher, indicating it might offer a marginal performance increase. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (score 37507, 0.4% higher) and the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 (score 37157, 1.3% lower) are also very close, though they are from different generations and market segments. The NVIDIA Tesla P4 (score 37628, 0.1% higher) is a datacenter card, but its raw performance score is in the same ballpark.

What this means is that swapping the i5-13400F for any of its listed rivals would result in a negligible change in performance, likely within a few frames per second. The same applies to swapping the RTX 4070 for its nearest rivals, although the RTX 4080 Mobile might offer a slight edge. For a user considering a similar build, these components represent the performance tier this system occupies.