The Medium

The Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination presents a curious case for The Medium, a horror title that demands both strong CPU threading and GPU rasterization. The benchmark data reveals a system that is surprisingly inconsistent across resolutions, often straddling the line between playable and stutter-prone. At 1920x1080, the pairing delivers a solid experience at Medium settings, but the path to 60 FPS becomes increasingly narrow as resolution climbs, ultimately collapsing at 4K Ultra. The data suggests this is a combo better suited to 1080p and light 1440p gaming than to high-fidelity 4K output.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates paint a clear picture of the RTX 4060’s limitations when paired with the i7-12700K. At the native 1920x1080 resolution, the system starts strong: Low settings produce an average of 109.2 FPS, Medium drops to 66.1 FPS, High reduces further to 50.1 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 36.8 FPS. The jump from Medium to High is steep—a 24.2% performance loss—which indicates that the High preset introduces costly effects that the 4060’s 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus struggle to handle. No min or max FPS values were recorded, so the data only captures average throughput, which can mask frame-time spikes common in horror games with dynamic lighting.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages tell a more constrained story. Low settings achieve a respectable 91.5 FPS, but Medium falls to 55.3 FPS—just shy of the 60 FPS threshold. High settings yield 42.7 FPS, and Ultra plummets to 32.9 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is notable: at Medium, the drop is 16.3% (from 66.1 to 55.3), while at Ultra the drop is 10.6% (from 36.8 to 32.9). This suggests that the GPU is already saturated at lower resolutions, and the extra pixel count at 1440p disproportionately impacts higher presets. The i7-12700K’s 12 cores and 20 threads are unlikely to be the bottleneck here; the data points to the RTX 4060’s 272.0 GB/s bandwidth as the limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playability. Low settings average 70.7 FPS—the only 4K preset above 60—while Medium drops to 43.5 FPS, High to 29.9 FPS, and Ultra to 23.7 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K is a massive 38.5% performance hit, which indicates that Medium’s increased texture and shadow quality overwhelms the GPU’s 8 GB frame buffer. The transition from 1440p Medium (55.3 FPS) to 4K Medium (43.5 FPS) represents a 21.3% loss, while 4K Low only loses 22.7% compared to 1440p Low (91.5 FPS). This non-linear scaling suggests that the 4060 hits a memory bandwidth wall beyond 1080p, and the CPU’s role diminishes as resolution increases.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the nearestRivals data, the CPU and GPU each have close performance neighbors that would behave similarly in The Medium. For the Intel Core i7-12700K, its closest rival is the Intel Core i5-13600T, which scores an average benchmark of 35305—a delta of -0.1% compared to the i7’s 35287. This means the i5-13600T would likely produce nearly identical FPS in CPU-bound scenarios, such as the game’s fixed-camera scenes with many active entities. The Intel Core i7-12700KF (35365, -0.2%) and Intel Core i7-13700T (35403, -0.3%) are also within a rounding error of the i7-12700K, so swapping to any of these would not noticeably alter frame rates. The Intel Core 5 213PE (35428, -0.4%) completes the pack, again with sub-1% differences.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060’s nearest rival is the AMD Radeon HD 7790, which has an average score of 17666 versus the 4060’s 17639—a delta of -0.2%. This is a surprising pairing, as the HD 7790 is an older architecture, but the benchmark data suggests they sit at similar average scores. The AMD Radeon 780M (17588, +0.3%) and AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17551, +0.5%) are also close, with the AMD Radeon Pro 460 (17509, +0.7%) trailing slightly. In practical terms, any of these GPUs would deliver frame rates within a few percent of the RTX 4060 in The Medium, meaning users with these alternatives should expect the same 1080p Medium and 1440p Low boundaries.

It is important to note that these rival comparisons are based on aggregate benchmark scores, not game-specific FPS data. The deltaPct values are all under 1%, so the performance envelope is essentially identical. For a horror game like The Medium, which relies on sustained frame pacing, this means the experience would be indistinguishable across these alternatives.

Best Settings per Resolution

The benchmark data identifies the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS for each resolution. At 1920x1080, the best playable setting is Medium, which averages 66.1 FPS. This clears the 60 FPS threshold by 10.2%, providing a comfortable margin for dips during scripted sequences. Low settings at 1080p are also playable at 109.2 FPS, but Medium offers a better visual balance without sacrificing smoothness. High and Ultra at 1080p fall below the threshold, so they are not recommended.

At 2560x1440, only Low settings achieve 60 FPS, with an average of 91.5 FPS. Medium falls to 55.3 FPS—a 4.7 FPS shortfall—so the data clearly indicates that Low is the only viable preset for this resolution. The margin is substantial (31.5 FPS above the threshold), but the step up to Medium is too costly. At 3840x2160, Low is again the sole playable option, averaging 70.7 FPS. This is 10.7 FPS above the threshold, but the next preset, Medium, drops to 43.5 FPS, making it unplayable. The pattern is consistent: the RTX 4060 can only handle the lowest preset at 1440p and 4K, while 1080p users have the luxury of Medium.

These results suggest that the game’s preset scaling is non-linear, with the jump from Low to Medium being particularly punishing at higher resolutions. The data implies that players should prioritize lowering resolution over lowering settings, as 1080p Medium offers a better experience than 1440p Low in terms of visual fidelity, despite the lower pixel count.

The Verdict

The verdict by resolution is unambiguous: this PC can run The Medium at 60 FPS, but only under specific conditions. At 1920x1080, the system clears the threshold with Medium settings (66.1 FPS), making it fully playable with a reasonable visual quality. Low settings at 1080p are even smoother (109.2 FPS), but Medium is the best balance. At 2560x1440, only Low settings (91.5 FPS) meet the 60 FPS requirement; Medium falls short at 55.3 FPS. High and Ultra are not playable at any resolution, with 1080p High at 50.1 FPS and 1440p Ultra at 32.9 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the situation is marginal: Low settings (70.7 FPS) are playable, but Medium (43.5 FPS), High (29.9 FPS), and Ultra (23.7 FPS) are all well below the threshold. The data shows that 4K gaming is only possible with significant visual compromises. The overall verdict is that the combo is a capable 1080p machine and a passable 1440p low-settings machine, but it is not suited for high-fidelity 4K. The playable settings list for each resolution—Low at 1440p and 4K, Medium at 1080p—confirms that the RTX 4060 is the limiting factor, as the i7-12700K’s CPU performance is unlikely to be challenged by this title.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run The Medium at 60 FPS on 1080p?*

A: Yes, at 1920x1080 with Medium settings the average FPS is 66.1, which exceeds the 60 FPS threshold. Low settings also run well at 109.2 FPS, but High (50.1 FPS) and Ultra (36.8 FPS) do not meet the requirement.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: At 2560x1440, only Low settings achieve 60 FPS, averaging 91.5 FPS. Medium falls to 55.3 FPS, so Low is the only playable option for this resolution.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with the RTX 4060 and i7-12700K?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which average 70.7 FPS at 3840x2160. Medium (43.5 FPS), High (29.9 FPS), and Ultra (23.7 FPS) are all below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does this combo rank among other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 2054 out of 3724 tested combinations for The Medium, placing it in the lower-middle tier of all tested systems.

Q: Which component is more important for this game?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck. The CPU’s 12 cores and 20 threads are sufficient for the game’s demands, but the RTX 4060’s 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus limit performance at higher resolutions and presets, as seen in the steep FPS drops from Medium to High.

Q: Are there any settings that provide a comfortable FPS margin?

A: Yes, 1080p Low (109.2 FPS) and 1440p Low (91.5 FPS) offer large margins above 60 FPS, while 1080p Medium (66.1 FPS) has a smaller but still comfortable 10.2% margin.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all 3724 tested combinations for The Medium, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 2054th. This places it in the 55th percentile, meaning roughly 45% of tested combos perform worse, but 55% perform better. The rank reflects the GPU’s mid-range positioning—the RTX 4060 has a percentile of 61 against all GPUs, while the i7-12700K sits at 84 against all CPUs. The discrepancy between these percentiles clarifies the bottleneck: the CPU is far stronger than the GPU, so the combo’s overall rank is dragged down by the graphics card.

Looking at the measured FPS, the rank aligns with the observed data. At 1080p Medium (66.1 FPS), the system is playable but not exceptional, and at 1440p it can only manage Low settings. The rank of 2054 suggests that many other combos, likely with higher-end GPUs, achieve better frame rates at higher presets. However, the i7-12700K’s high CPU percentile means that upgrading the GPU alone would likely push this combo much higher in the rankings, as the CPU would not hold back a faster graphics card.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU at different resolutions. At 1920x1080, the CPU’s influence is more apparent because lower resolution reduces GPU load. The i7-12700K’s 12 cores and 20 threads, alongside a 3.60 GHz base clock and 5.00 GHz boost clock, handle the game’s CPU-intensive scenes, allowing the RTX 4060 to reach 109.2 FPS on Low. The scaling from Low to Medium (66.1 FPS) is a 39.4% drop, which is primarily GPU-driven, but the absolute numbers suggest the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the GPU becomes the dominant factor. The drop from Low (91.5 FPS) to Medium (55.3 FPS) is 39.6%, similar to 1080p, but the overall FPS is lower across all presets. This indicates that the GPU’s pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are being taxed more heavily, while the CPU has spare capacity. The i7-12700K’s benchmark scores—such as 19784 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 34404 in Passmark multithread—suggest it can easily maintain frame times even when the GPU is struggling.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is almost entirely responsible for performance. The gap between Low (70.7 FPS) and Medium (43.5 FPS) is 38.5%, and the absolute values are far below 1080p. The RTX 4060’s 272.0 GB/s bandwidth and 8 GB VRAM become the hard limits, with the CPU likely idling in many scenes. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Medium (55.3 to 43.5 FPS) is a 21.3% loss, confirming that the GPU is saturated. In contrast, the CPU’s performance differential across resolutions is minimal, as evidenced by the consistent FPS drops that correlate with GPU workload. The conclusion is that The Medium is GPU-bound at 1440p and 4K, while 1080p allows the CPU to show its strength, though the GPU still limits higher presets.