The Medium

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers a playable experience in The Medium across most configurations, but the data shows a clear boundary at 4K Ultra. Benchmark results indicate that this combo falls short of the 60 FPS threshold only at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, where it averages 49.9 FPS. At every other tested resolution and preset combination, the system meets or exceeds the playable threshold, making it a versatile choice for this horror title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combination covers three resolutions and four quality presets, with average frame rates ranging from a low of 49.9 FPS to a high of 170.2 FPS. No minimum or maximum FPS values were recorded, so the analysis relies entirely on average performance.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers strong results across all settings. The Low preset produces an average of 170.2 FPS, which is the highest recorded figure for this combo. Moving up the quality ladder, Medium settings yield 125 FPS, High settings produce 90.6 FPS, and the Ultra preset maintains a solid 71.8 FPS. All four presets at this resolution clear the 60 FPS threshold by a comfortable margin, with Ultra still holding an 11.8 FPS buffer above the playable line.

At 2560x1440, performance remains robust but scales downward as expected. The Low preset averages 157.5 FPS, representing a modest drop of 12.7 FPS compared to 1080p Low. Medium settings deliver 105.9 FPS, which is 19.1 FPS lower than the equivalent 1080p result. High settings produce 78.8 FPS, a decline of 11.8 FPS from 1080p High. The Ultra preset averages 60.3 FPS, which just barely clears the 60 FPS threshold with a razor-thin 0.3 FPS margin. This makes 1440p Ultra the most demanding playable configuration for this combo.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes significantly. The Low preset averages 134.8 FPS, which is remarkably high for 4K and indicates that the RTX 5080 has substantial headroom when graphical load is reduced. Medium settings deliver 83.5 FPS, still comfortably above the threshold. High settings drop to 58.5 FPS, falling 1.5 FPS short of the 60 FPS playable line. The Ultra preset averages 49.9 FPS, representing the worst-case scenario in this dataset and a 10.1 FPS deficit relative to the playable threshold. The scaling from Medium to High at 4K is particularly steep, with a 25 FPS drop, while the step from High to Ultra costs another 8.6 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals how the balance between CPU and GPU shifts as resolution and settings change. At 1080p, the system is likely more CPU-bound at lower presets, as evidenced by the massive frame rate headroom at Low settings. The jump from 1080p Low at 170.2 FPS to 1440p Low at 157.5 FPS represents only a 7.5% reduction, suggesting that the i7-12700K can feed the RTX 5080 adequately even at higher pixel counts when the GPU load is light.

The GPU becomes the dominant factor as resolution increases. Comparing 1080p Ultra at 71.8 FPS to 1440p Ultra at 60.3 FPS shows a 16% performance drop, while the step from 1440p Ultra to 4K Ultra at 49.9 FPS represents a 17.3% decline. These scaling patterns indicate that the RTX 5080's rendering capacity is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, particularly with Ultra settings where the additional graphical features tax the GPU heavily.

Settings scaling provides further evidence of GPU dominance. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra is 84.9 FPS, a dramatic spread that highlights how much the GPU workload varies with preset selection. At 1440p, the Low-to-Ultra spread is 97.2 FPS, and at 1080p it is 98.4 FPS. The consistent multi-hundred FPS swings across resolutions suggest that the CPU maintains sufficient throughput to avoid bottlenecking, allowing the GPU's performance envelope to define the frame rate.

The i7-12700K's specifications support this interpretation. With 12 cores, 20 threads, and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, this processor ranks in the 84th percentile among all CPUs, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19784 and a single-core score of 1850.5. These figures indicate a capable CPU that can sustain high frame rates without becoming the primary constraint. The RTX 5080, ranking in the 87th percentile among GPUs with a Passmark G3D score of 36565, carries the main responsibility for frame rate variations across the tested configurations.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, but not at the highest quality preset. The data shows playable performance at 4K with Low settings (134.8 FPS) and Medium settings (83.5 FPS). The High preset falls short at 58.5 FPS, and Ultra averages 49.9 FPS, both below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 60.3 FPS, which just clears the playable threshold. This is the highest quality option that maintains 60 FPS at this resolution, though the margin is minimal. For a more comfortable buffer, High settings at 78.8 FPS or Medium at 105.9 FPS offer larger headroom.

Q: How does performance scale between 1080p and 4K?

A: The scaling varies by preset. At Low settings, performance drops from 170.2 FPS at 1080p to 134.8 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 20.8%. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 71.8 FPS to 49.9 FPS, a 30.5% reduction. Higher presets show more severe scaling penalties as the GPU becomes the bottleneck.

Q: Is the RTX 5080 the limiting factor at 4K Ultra?

A: Yes. The 49.9 FPS result at 4K Ultra represents the only configuration that fails to reach 60 FPS, and the steep drop from Medium (83.5 FPS) to High (58.5 FPS) to Ultra (49.9 FPS) indicates that GPU rendering load is the primary constraint. The CPU's strong benchmark scores and the high frame rates at lower settings suggest it is not the bottleneck.

Q: Which preset offers the best balance of quality and performance at 1080p?

A: All presets at 1080p are playable. The Ultra preset averages 71.8 FPS, which provides the highest visual quality while still maintaining an 11.8 FPS margin above the 60 FPS threshold. If prioritizing frame rate, Medium at 125 FPS or Low at 170.2 FPS offer significantly higher performance.

Q: How close is the 1440p Ultra result to the playable threshold?

A: The 1440p Ultra average of 60.3 FPS exceeds the 60 FPS threshold by only 0.3 FPS. This is the tightest margin in the entire dataset, making it a borderline configuration where minor in-game variations could occasionally dip below 60 FPS.

The Verdict

This PC can run The Medium, but the answer depends on resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, all four presets clear 60 FPS, with Ultra delivering 71.8 FPS as the best playable option. At 2560x1440, every preset also clears 60 FPS, though Ultra at 60.3 FPS is critically close to the threshold. At 3840x2160, only Low and Medium are playable, with Medium at 83.5 FPS serving as the best settings choice for 4K. The verdict by resolution confirms this: 1080p and 1440p support all presets, while 4K supports only Low and Medium. The High preset at 4K (58.5 FPS) and Ultra at 4K (49.9 FPS) are not playable by the 60 FPS standard. For players seeking maximum visual fidelity at 4K, this combo will require a compromise on settings; for 1440p and below, it delivers a fully playable experience at any preset.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, include the Intel Core i5-13600T, which scores 35305 with a delta of -0.1% versus the i7-12700K's 35287. The Intel Core i7-12700KF scores 35365 with a -0.2% delta, making it effectively identical in performance. The Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35403 with a -0.3% delta, and the Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35428 with a -0.4% delta. All four alternatives fall within 0.4% of the i7-12700K's average benchmark score, indicating that swapping to any of these CPUs would produce nearly indistinguishable frame rates in The Medium.

On the GPU side, the RTX 5080's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 8060S, which scores 55757 with a 0.6% delta versus the RTX 5080's 56083. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698 with a 0.7% delta, placing it within a fraction of a percent. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828 with a 2.3% delta, while the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE scores 57367 with a -2.2% delta, meaning it actually outperforms the RTX 5080 by 2.2%. For The Medium specifically, the RX 9070 GRE would likely deliver slightly higher frame rates, while the 8060S and RX 6750 GRE 12 GB would produce nearly identical results to the RTX 5080.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 157th out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the top 4.2% of all configurations. This strong ranking reflects the system's ability to handle the game at high frame rates across most settings, with the only notable weakness being the 4K Ultra preset. The CPU's 84th percentile ranking and the GPU's 87th percentile ranking contribute to this high overall position, though the GPU's performance at 4K Ultra shows that even top-tier hardware faces challenges with the most demanding configurations in this title. The rank of 157 out of 3724 indicates that a large majority of tested combinations deliver worse performance, making this combo a solid choice for The Medium at mainstream resolutions.