The Medium

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for this configuration, pairing an Intel Core i5-9400 with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, shows a clear performance hierarchy across the three tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates range from 87 FPS at Low settings down to 59 FPS at Ultra. The Low preset delivers the highest average at 87 FPS, while High follows at 64 FPS. Medium sits between the two at 72 FPS, with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only one at this resolution that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, posting an average of 59 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same pattern holds but with lower overall numbers. Low settings produce an average of 82 FPS, High drops to 60 FPS, and Medium averages 68 FPS with a recorded minimum of 58 FPS and maximum of 79 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 56 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. At 3840x2160, the demands of 4K resolution become apparent. Low settings still manage an average of 76 FPS, but Medium averages 63 FPS with a minimum of 54 FPS and maximum of 73 FPS. High drops to 56 FPS, and Ultra falls further to 45 FPS. The data shows that the gap between Low and Ultra widens as resolution increases, from a 28 FPS difference at 1080p to a 31 FPS difference at 4K.

The minimum and maximum values recorded only for Medium presets provide additional context. At 1080p Medium, the frame rate fluctuates between 62 and 83 FPS, a 21 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the spread is also 21 FPS, ranging from 58 to 79 FPS. At 4K Medium, the range narrows to 19 FPS, from 54 to 73 FPS. These numbers suggest that the Medium preset exhibits consistent frame pacing regardless of resolution, though the absolute values scale downward as pixel count increases.

Best Settings per Resolution

The database applies a playable threshold of 60 FPS, and the recorded averages determine which presets qualify. At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average of 64 FPS. Medium also clears the threshold at 72 FPS, and Low does so at 87 FPS, but High represents the highest quality option that maintains playability. Ultra misses the mark at 59 FPS, so it is excluded from the playable list.

At 2560x1440, the best playable setting is again High, averaging exactly 60 FPS. Medium at 68 FPS and Low at 82 FPS also qualify, but Ultra at 56 FPS does not. The 1440p High result is notable because it sits precisely at the threshold, meaning any slight dip in performance could push it below 60 FPS in demanding scenes. The verdict data confirms High as the best setting at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. High falls to 56 FPS and Ultra to 45 FPS, neither of which meets the playable threshold. Medium averages 63 FPS, making it the best playable preset at 4K. Low also qualifies at 76 FPS, but Medium offers superior visual quality while still clearing the 60 FPS bar. The verdict for 4K lists Low and Medium as playable settings, with Medium as the best choice. Across all three resolutions, the pattern is consistent: the RTX 4080 can handle High settings at 1080p and 1440p, but 4K requires a step down to Medium to maintain 60 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals which component governs performance in The Medium. The CPU, an Intel Core i5-9400 with 6 cores and 6 threads, has a benchmark percentile ranking of 47 among all CPUs, placing it near the middle of the field. The GPU, an RTX 4080, ranks in the 86th percentile among all GPUs, indicating a substantially stronger component. This imbalance suggests the CPU could become a limiting factor in certain scenarios.

Looking at the measured FPS, the resolution scaling tells a clear story. From 1080p Low at 87 FPS to 4K Low at 76 FPS, the drop is only 11 FPS, or roughly 13 percent. This relatively modest decline at Low settings suggests the workload is not heavily GPU-bound at lower quality levels. The CPU is likely keeping pace well enough that the GPU's headroom is not fully utilized. At Medium settings, the drop from 72 FPS at 1080p to 63 FPS at 4K is 9 FPS, again a modest decline. At High settings, the drop from 64 FPS at 1080p to 56 FPS at 4K is 8 FPS.

The Ultra preset tells a different story. Here, the drop from 59 FPS at 1080p to 45 FPS at 4K is 14 FPS, the largest relative decline among all presets. This wider gap at Ultra indicates that the GPU becomes more decisive as visual complexity increases. The RTX 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth are being pushed harder at Ultra, and the resolution scaling reflects that pressure. Conversely, the smaller gaps at Low and Medium suggest that the i5-9400's six threads can deliver frames without the GPU being the primary bottleneck. The CPU's 2.90 GHz base clock and 4.10 GHz boost clock provide adequate single-thread performance for this horror title, which likely favors fewer, heavier threads over massive multicore scaling.

The data does not indicate a scenario where the CPU fully caps the GPU, since frame rates continue to rise at lower resolutions and settings. However, the 47th percentile CPU ranking versus the 86th percentile GPU ranking implies that the pairing is not balanced. A stronger CPU would likely allow the RTX 4080 to reach even higher frame rates at 1080p, where the CPU's influence is most pronounced. At 4K, the GPU's role dominates, and the CPU's contribution diminishes.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-9400, based on average benchmark scores, include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 at 2259 points, which is 0.2 percent ahead of the i5-9400's 2254 average. The Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248 points, putting it 0.3 percent behind. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 posts 2246 points, also 0.3 percent behind. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264 points, 0.4 percent ahead. These deltas are all within a fraction of a percent, meaning any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in The Medium when paired with the RTX 4080. The i5-9400's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 6629 and single-core score of 935 place it in the same performance class as these rivals.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals show similarly tight margins. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER averages 54209 points in the database, just 0.1 percent ahead of the RTX 4080's 54247 average (note the delta is listed as 0.1, indicating the 4080 SUPER is slightly higher). The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X averages 54828 points, 1.1 percent ahead of the RTX 4080. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698 points, 2.6 percent ahead. The AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757 points, 2.7 percent ahead. These differences are small enough that, in practice, any of these GPUs would deliver similar FPS in The Medium. The RTX 4080's Passmark G3D score of 34457 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 263779 confirm its position in this performance band.

For the specific pairing, the nearest rival combos would behave almost identically. Swapping the i5-9400 for an i7-1068NG7 or i3-10305 would not shift the measured FPS by more than a frame or two. Swapping the RTX 4080 for an RTX 4080 SUPER would produce nearly identical results, while the Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB might offer a slight edge based on its higher average score, though the delta is only 2.6 percent.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this specific combination of Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 at position 1301 out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium. This places the combo in the 65th percentile of all configurations tested, meaning roughly 65 percent of tested systems rank below it. Given that the GPU alone sits in the 86th percentile, the combo's lower rank reflects the CPU's middling position in the 47th percentile. The ranking demonstrates that while the RTX 4080 is a top-tier card, the i5-9400 holds the overall result back relative to what the GPU could achieve with a stronger processor.

The rank of 1301 out of 3724 indicates that many combinations of high-end GPUs with stronger CPUs outperform this setup. Conversely, the combo still beats a majority of tested systems, including those with weaker GPUs or CPUs. The data suggests that for The Medium, the CPU choice has a measurable impact on the final ranking, even though the GPU does most of the heavy lifting at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run The Medium at 1920x1080 with High settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1080p High is 64 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best preset for 4K gaming with this combo?

A: At 3840x2160, Medium is the best playable preset, averaging 63 FPS. High and Ultra fall below 60 FPS at 56 and 45 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 is 0.2 percent ahead, the Intel Core i7-10710U is 0.3 percent behind, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 is 0.4 percent behind. All four CPUs perform within a fraction of a percent of each other.

Q: Does the RTX 4080 outclass the CPU in this pairing?

A: Yes. The GPU ranks in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU ranks in the 47th percentile of all CPUs. This imbalance means the CPU is the weaker link in the configuration.

Q: What frame rates does the Medium preset produce at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 Medium, the average FPS is 68, with a minimum of 58 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS.

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

A: No. At 1080p Ultra averages 59 FPS, at 1440p Ultra averages 56 FPS, and at 4K Ultra averages 45 FPS. All three fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

The Verdict

This PC can run The Medium at all three tested resolutions, but not at every preset. The verdict by resolution confirms that 1920x1080 supports High, Low, and Medium settings as playable, with High being the best at 64 FPS. At 2560x1440, High, Low, and Medium are playable, with High averaging exactly 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, only Low and Medium are playable, with Medium at 63 FPS being the best option. The Ultra preset is not playable at any resolution, and High at 4K also misses the 60 FPS bar.

The data indicates that the RTX 4080 provides substantial graphics horsepower, but the i5-9400's mid-range CPU ranking prevents the combo from reaching its full potential. For players targeting 1080p or 1440p, this system delivers smooth performance at High settings. For 4K, dropping to Medium maintains the 60 FPS target. The combo ranks 1301 out of 3724 tested configurations, a solid but not top-tier result. Players seeking higher frame rates at Ultra settings would need a stronger CPU to complement the GPU. As configured, this system is a capable choice for The Medium at High settings up to 1440p, and at Medium settings for 4K.