The Medium

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for The Medium with this Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination covers twelve distinct test scenarios across three resolutions and four quality presets. The measurements provide a clear picture of performance scaling, though min and max frame data were not captured in the database, so the analysis relies entirely on average FPS values.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 89.6 FPS, the highest result recorded for this combination at any resolution. Moving up to Medium, the average drops to 70.4 FPS, a decline of approximately 21 percent from Low. High settings produce 63.3 FPS on average, which is about 10 percent lower than Medium. Ultra is the most demanding preset at this resolution, yielding 57.5 FPS, just 2.5 percent below the High result and falling short of the 60 FPS playability threshold.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 84.5 FPS, roughly 6 percent slower than the equivalent 1080p result. Medium drops to 66.3 FPS, which is about 22 percent below Low at the same resolution. High comes in at 58 FPS, a significant 12.5 percent reduction from Medium. Ultra averages 57.4 FPS, nearly identical to High and just under the 60 FPS line.

At 3840x2160, the story shifts noticeably. Low averages 78.5 FPS, still comfortably playable but 12 percent slower than the 1080p Low result. Medium averages 64.1 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold by a narrow margin. High drops to 58.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 52.5 FPS, the lowest recorded average across all tested scenarios.

The pattern across all resolutions is consistent: each step up in quality costs a measurable chunk of performance. The gap between Low and Medium ranges from roughly 9 to 14 FPS depending on resolution, while the gap between Medium and High is smaller, around 4 to 8 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra is minimal at 1440p and 1080p, but at 4K it costs nearly 6 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

This pairing presents an unusual dynamic. The RTX 4090 is an extremely powerful GPU, sitting in the 88th percentile among all GPUs in the database with an average benchmark score of 60347. The Core i5-9400, by contrast, places in the 47th percentile among CPUs with an average benchmark score of 2254. The database places this combination at rank 1275 out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium.

At 1920x1080, the CPU likely exerts more influence than at higher resolutions. The frame rate ceiling imposed by the six-core, six-thread i5-9400 becomes more apparent when the GPU has less rendering work to do. The fact that Ultra at 1080p only reaches 57.5 FPS, while Low reaches 89.6 FPS, suggests that the GPU is still the primary limiter even at lower settings, but the relatively modest CPU performance prevents the GPU from stretching much further.

The scaling between 1080p and 1440p is telling. At Low settings, the average drops from 89.6 to 84.5 FPS, a decline of only 5.7 percent. At Medium, the drop is from 70.4 to 66.3 FPS, about 5.8 percent. At High, the drop is from 63.3 to 58 FPS, roughly 8.4 percent. At Ultra, the drop is from 57.5 to 57.4 FPS, essentially flat. This suggests that at Ultra, the combination is already hitting a performance ceiling, and additional resolution stress barely moves the result.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is more pronounced. Low drops from 84.5 to 78.5 FPS, about 7.1 percent. Medium drops from 66.3 to 64.1 FPS, only 3.3 percent. High drops from 58 to 58.4 FPS, which is actually a slight increase, likely within measurement variance. Ultra drops from 57.4 to 52.5 FPS, about 8.5 percent. This mixed pattern indicates that at High and Ultra, the combination is so constrained that resolution changes produce inconsistent results.

For this game, the GPU dominates at 4K, where the RTX 4090's raw power is the deciding factor. At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU becomes a more meaningful contributor, particularly at higher presets where the frame rates cluster in the 57 to 66 FPS range. The database shows that the i5-9400 has a boost clock of 4.10 GHz and a base clock of 2.90 GHz, with six cores and six threads, which is adequate for this title but not a strong pairing with a flagship GPU.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average of 64.1 FPS. Low also clears the threshold at 78.5 FPS, but Medium provides a better visual experience while remaining playable. High and Ultra fall below 60 FPS, so they are not recommended for smooth play at 4K.

For 2560x1440, the best playable preset is Medium, averaging 66.3 FPS. Low averages 84.5 FPS and is also playable, but Medium offers the highest visual quality that stays above 60 FPS. High at 58 FPS and Ultra at 57.4 FPS both miss the threshold, so they should be avoided if frame rate consistency is the priority.

For 1920x1080, the best playable preset is High, averaging 63.3 FPS. This is the only resolution where High clears 60 FPS. Medium at 70.4 FPS and Low at 89.6 FPS are also playable, but High represents the sweet spot for visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness. Ultra at 57.5 FPS falls short.

Across all three resolutions, Medium is the only preset that consistently clears 60 FPS, and at 1080p the combination can push to High. The data shows that attempting Ultra at any resolution results in sub-60 FPS performance, which is a notable limitation given the RTX 4090's capabilities.

The Verdict

The verdict by resolution is clear. At 3840x2160, the playable settings are Low and Medium, with Medium being the best choice at 64.1 FPS. High and Ultra are not playable. At 2560x1440, Low and Medium are playable, with Medium again the best at 66.3 FPS. High and Ultra are not playable. At 1920x1080, High, Low, and Medium are playable, with High the best at 63.3 FPS. Ultra is not playable.

This combination can run The Medium, but with important caveats. The RTX 4090 is clearly capable of far more, yet the Core i5-9400 holds the system back, particularly at higher presets. The game never reaches 90 FPS in any tested scenario, and Ultra settings are unplayable at every resolution. The 60 FPS threshold is achievable at Medium for 4K and 1440p, and at High for 1080p.

For a user targeting a smooth experience, the recommendation is to play at Medium for 4K or 1440p, or High for 1080p. The game is a horror title, and the measured averages suggest that frame pacing may be acceptable even at slightly sub-60 results, but the database threshold is firm at 60 FPS. The i5-9400 is the limiting factor here, and the data indicates that even with a top-tier GPU, this CPU cannot feed enough frames to push higher presets past the line.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 scores 2259 on average, which is 0.2 percent lower than the i5-9400's 2254. The Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, 0.3 percent higher. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, 0.4 percent higher. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, 0.4 percent lower. Any of these CPUs would behave nearly identically in The Medium, as the performance differences are within a fraction of a percent.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are all within a small margin. The Intel Arc Pro A60 scores 60326, essentially matching the RTX 4090's 60347 with a 0 percent delta. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60140, 0.3 percent lower. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61896, which is 2.5 percent higher. The AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58657, 2.9 percent lower. These GPUs would produce nearly the same frame rates in this game, though the RTX 4090's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth give it a theoretical edge that the average scores do not fully reflect.

In practical terms, swapping the i5-9400 for any of its nearest rivals would change the measured FPS by less than 1 percent, which is within run-to-run variance. Swapping the RTX 4090 for a rival would change results by at most 2.9 percent, again a minor shift. This combination's performance profile is stable across similar hardware.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 the combination achieves 78.5 FPS on Low and 64.1 FPS on Medium, both above the 60 FPS threshold. High and Ultra fall below at 58.4 FPS and 52.5 FPS, respectively.

Q: What is the best preset for 1080p with this hardware?

A: High is the best playable preset at 1920x1080, averaging 63.3 FPS. Medium averages 70.4 FPS and Low averages 89.6 FPS, but High offers the highest visual quality that clears 60 FPS.

Q: Why does Ultra never reach 60 FPS?

A: At every resolution, Ultra falls below the threshold: 57.5 FPS at 1080p, 57.4 FPS at 1440p, and 52.5 FPS at 4K. The data indicates the Core i5-9400 cannot feed the RTX 4090 enough data to push Ultra past 60 FPS.

Q: How does the Core i5-9400 compare to its closest CPU rivals?

A: The i5-9400 scores 2254 on average. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 scores 2259, 0.2 percent lower. The Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, 0.3 percent higher. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, 0.4 percent higher. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, 0.4 percent lower. All are within a fraction of a percent.

Q: What GPU rivals would perform similarly to the RTX 4090 in this game?

A: The Intel Arc Pro A60 scores 60326, matching the RTX 4090's 60347. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60140, 0.3 percent lower. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61896, 2.5 percent higher. The AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58657, 2.9 percent lower.

Q: Does the resolution affect the recommended preset?

A: Yes. At 4K and 1440p, Medium is the best playable preset at 64.1 FPS and 66.3 FPS. At 1080p, High is the best at 63.3 FPS. Higher resolutions require lower presets to stay above 60 FPS.