The Medium

The Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination delivers a playable experience in The Medium at most settings, but the data reveals a sharp performance cliff at the highest preset and at 4K resolution. Benchmark results show this pairing ranks in the 83rd percentile of all tested CPU/GPU combinations for this title, placing it well above the median but not at the absolute top tier. The measured frame rates across resolutions and presets tell a clear story: this system excels at 1080p and 1440p with high settings, struggles at 4K Ultra, and behaves differently depending on whether the workload is CPU-bound or GPU-bound.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces an average of 71.5 FPS on High settings, 103.4 FPS on Medium, and 159.3 FPS on Low. The Ultra preset drops to 54.7 FPS average, falling below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The jump from Low to Medium represents a 35.1% performance reduction, while moving from Medium to High costs another 30.9%. The step from High to Ultra is the most punishing, cutting frame rates by 23.5% and pushing the experience into unplayable territory.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 63.8 FPS on High, 85.1 FPS on Medium, 136.6 FPS on Low, and 50.5 FPS on Ultra. The 1440p High result barely clears the 60 FPS threshold, with only a 3.8 FPS margin of safety. The Ultra preset falls 9.5 FPS short of playable. Scaling from 1080p to 1440p at High settings reduces performance by 10.8%, while at Ultra the reduction is 7.7%. The Low preset sees a 14.3% drop when moving up in resolution, indicating that lower settings become increasingly resolution-sensitive.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. High settings produce 46.3 FPS average, Medium hits 70.1 FPS, Low reaches 105.6 FPS, and Ultra drops to 36.5 FPS. The 4K High result is 17.5 FPS below the playable threshold, while Ultra is 23.5 FPS below. The Medium preset at 4K remains playable, but the margin is only 10.1 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 4K at High settings costs 27.4% of performance, while at Medium the cost is 17.6%. The Low preset shows a 22.7% reduction, suggesting that even at minimal settings, 4K resolution imposes a heavy burden.

No min or max FPS values were recorded in the data, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates. The absence of these metrics means the consistency of frame delivery cannot be assessed, but the average scores are sufficient to establish overall playability at each setting.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets indicates that the RTX 5070 is the dominant factor at higher resolutions, while the i7-12700K becomes more relevant at lower settings. At 1080p Low, the system produces 159.3 FPS, which is 50.8% higher than the 1440p Low result of 136.6 FPS. This gap suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at 1080p, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases. The 1080p Medium result of 103.4 FPS versus the 1440p Medium result of 85.1 FPS shows a 17.7% difference, indicating GPU-bound behavior at this preset.

The 4K results amplify this trend. At 4K Low, the system achieves 105.6 FPS, which is 22.7% lower than 1440p Low. At 4K High, the 46.3 FPS average is 27.4% lower than 1440p High. The consistent double-digit percentage drops across all presets when moving to 4K confirm that the GPU is the primary constraint. The CPU's role is more visible at 1080p Ultra, where the 54.7 FPS result is only 7.7% lower than the 1440p Ultra result of 50.5 FPS. This smaller delta suggests that at the highest settings, the CPU has enough headroom to keep up, but the GPU's workload limits overall performance.

Preset scaling provides further evidence. At 1080p, going from Low to Ultra reduces performance by 65.7%, from 159.3 to 54.7 FPS. At 1440p, the same transition costs 63.0%, from 136.6 to 50.5 FPS. At 4K, the reduction is 65.4%, from 105.6 to 36.5 FPS. The similarity in these percentages across resolutions implies that the game's preset scaling affects the GPU consistently, regardless of resolution. The CPU's 20 threads and 12 cores are sufficient to avoid becoming a bottleneck at any tested configuration, as evidenced by the fact that even the lowest 4K Ultra result of 36.5 FPS is not accompanied by any indication of CPU limitation.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 625th out of 3,724 tested combinations in The Medium, placing it in the top 16.8% of all systems evaluated. This percentile position of 84% against all CPUs and 82% against all GPUs suggests that the pairing is well-balanced, with neither component dramatically outperforming the other. The rank of 625 means that 3,099 other combinations delivered higher frame rates, which is expected given the prevalence of more powerful GPUs in the benchmark database.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 35,287 places it in the 84th percentile of all processors, while the GPU's average score of 40,377 places it in the 82nd percentile of all graphics cards. These similar percentile rankings indicate that the components are roughly matched in overall capability, which is reflected in the game-specific rank. The 625th position out of 3,724 is respectable but not exceptional, suggesting that while this system can play the game, it does not deliver top-tier performance compared to more expensive configurations.

The rank data implies that the i7-12700K and RTX 5070 combination is a mid-to-upper-tier setup for The Medium, capable of handling most scenarios but falling short at the most demanding settings. The gap between the 625th rank and the top positions is likely attributable to GPUs with higher memory bandwidth and more shading units, as the game appears to be GPU-intensive based on the resolution scaling data.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest CPU rivals to the i7-12700K are all within 0.4% of its average benchmark score. The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35,305, which is 0.1% lower. The Intel Core i7-12700KF scores 35,365, also 0.1% lower. The Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35,403, 0.3% lower, and the Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35,428, 0.4% lower. These processors would produce nearly identical frame rates in The Medium, assuming the same GPU is used. The i7-12700KF is the most direct alternative, being the same silicon without integrated graphics, while the 13700T offers similar performance with different power characteristics.

On the GPU side, the nearest rivals are equally close. The AMD Radeon Pro 580 scores 40,318, which is 0.1% higher than the RTX 5070's 40,377. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 scores 40,063, 0.8% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro 5300 scores 40,870, 1.2% higher, and the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile scores 39,568, 2.0% lower. These GPUs would deliver frame rates within a couple of percentage points of the RTX 5070 in The Medium. The Radeon Pro 580 and Pro 5300 are workstation cards, so their game performance may differ from their benchmark scores, but the data indicates they are the closest matches.

For users considering alternatives, pairing any of the four rival CPUs with the RTX 5070 would yield essentially identical results, as the performance deltas are under 0.5%. Similarly, swapping the RTX 5070 for any of the four rival GPUs while keeping the i7-12700K would produce frame rates within 2% of the measured values. The practical implication is that this performance tier has several equivalent options, and the choice between them is unlikely to affect The Medium gameplay.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is High, with an average of 71.5 FPS. The Ultra preset falls below the threshold at 54.7 FPS, so High is the recommended maximum. The 11.5 FPS margin above the playable threshold provides some headroom for demanding scenes, though the lack of min FPS data means transient drops cannot be ruled out.

At 2560x1440, the best playable setting is also High, with an average of 63.8 FPS. This is a much tighter margin, only 3.8 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium delivers 85.1 FPS, offering a more comfortable experience with a 25.1 FPS margin, but High remains playable. The Ultra preset at 50.5 FPS is not recommended.

At 3840x2160, the most demanding playable setting is Medium, with an average of 70.1 FPS. This provides a 10.1 FPS margin above the threshold. High settings at 46.3 FPS and Ultra at 36.5 FPS are both below playable. Low settings at 105.6 FPS are playable but sacrifice visual quality unnecessarily, as Medium clears the threshold with room to spare.

The verdict data confirms these findings. At 4K, the playable settings are Low and Medium, with Medium being the best. At 1440p, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best. At 1080p, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best. Ultra is never playable at any resolution.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 1080p with max settings?

A: No. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 54.7 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest playable setting at 1080p is High, which achieves 71.5 FPS.

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

A: The best playable setting at 3840x2160 is Medium, which delivers an average of 70.1 FPS. High settings at 46.3 FPS and Ultra at 36.5 FPS are both below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: The average frame rate drops from 71.5 FPS at 1920x1080 to 46.3 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 35.2%. This represents a 25.2 FPS loss and moves the experience from comfortably playable to below the threshold.

Q: Which component is more important for this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary constraint. When moving from 1080p to 4K, frame rates drop by 27.4% at High settings and 22.7% at Low settings, indicating the GPU is responsible for most of the performance scaling. The CPU's 12 cores and 20 threads are sufficient to avoid bottlenecking at any tested resolution.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at any resolution?

A: No. At 1080p, Ultra averages 54.7 FPS. At 1440p, it averages 50.5 FPS. At 4K, it averages 36.5 FPS. All three results are below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How does this system rank compared to other tested combos?

A: The combination ranks 625th out of 3,724 tested configurations for this game, placing it in the top 16.8%. The CPU is in the 84th percentile of all processors, and the GPU is in the 82nd percentile of all graphics cards.

The Verdict

This PC can run The Medium at 1080p and 1440p with High settings, and at 4K with Medium settings. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 71.5 FPS, clearing the 60 FPS threshold with an 11.5 FPS margin. At 2560x1440, High settings produce 63.8 FPS, a narrower 3.8 FPS margin that is technically playable but leaves little room for demanding scenes. At 3840x2160, Medium settings achieve 70.1 FPS, providing a comfortable 10.1 FPS margin.

The Ultra preset is not playable at any resolution, with results ranging from 36.5 to 54.7 FPS. The data indicates that this system is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming at High settings, where it delivers smooth performance. For 4K, users should select Medium settings to stay above the 60 FPS threshold. The combination's 625th rank out of 3,724 confirms it is a capable mid-to-upper-tier setup, though it does not reach the performance levels of the most powerful configurations tested.