The Medium

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 presents a specific performance profile for The Medium, a horror title known for its dual-reality rendering. Benchmark data shows this combination is highly sensitive to graphical presets, with frame rates ranging from a playable 110.1 FPS at 1080p Low to an unplayable 25.4 FPS at 4K Ultra. The system’s 12-core processor and RTX 4060 GPU deliver a clear picture of where this combo excels and where it falls short, with the 60 FPS threshold acting as the primary divider between fluid and stutter-prone gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combination reveals a steep performance curve across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system achieves its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 110.1, providing a substantial margin above the 60 FPS playability threshold. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops to 69.6 FPS, still comfortably playable. High settings at 1080p yield 48.1 FPS average, which falls below the 60 FPS target. Ultra settings are the most demanding, producing an average of 37.5 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance scaling becomes more pronounced. Low settings deliver an average of 90 FPS, which is excellent for this resolution. Medium settings at 1440p produce 59.8 FPS average, sitting just 0.2 FPS below the 60 FPS threshold, making it borderline unplayable by the defined standard. High settings drop to 40.9 FPS average, and Ultra settings plummet to 31.5 FPS average. The jump from Medium to High at this resolution represents a 31.6% performance decrease, indicating a significant load increase.

The 3840x2160 results show the RTX 4060’s limits. Low settings at 4K average 73.6 FPS, which is the only playable preset at this resolution. Medium settings average 42.6 FPS, a 42.1% drop from Low. High settings average 29.3 FPS, and Ultra settings average just 25.4 FPS, the lowest measured value. The data shows no min or max FPS values recorded, meaning the analysis relies solely on average frame rates. Across all resolutions, the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases: at 1080p the difference is 72.6 FPS, at 1440p it is 58.5 FPS, and at 4K it is 48.2 FPS, indicating that higher resolutions compress the performance range.

FAQ

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1080p Medium is 69.6, which is 9.6 FPS above the 60 FPS playability threshold. This is the highest preset that maintains 60 FPS at this resolution.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 2560x1440?

A: Low settings are the only playable option at 1440p, delivering an average of 90 FPS. Medium settings fall just short at 59.8 FPS average, which is 0.2 FPS below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings. The 3840x2160 Low preset averages 73.6 FPS, clearing the 60 FPS mark. All other 4K presets—Medium, High, and Ultra—fall below 60 FPS, with averages of 42.6, 29.3, and 25.4 FPS respectively.

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

A: The Intel Core i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35365, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700T, scores 35403, a delta of -0.1%, meaning the 12700KF is essentially equivalent. The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35305, which is 0.2% lower than the 12700KF.

Q: What is the GPU’s ranking among all tested graphics cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639, placing it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 7790, scores 17666, which is 0.2% higher, indicating near-identical performance in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: Does the system maintain 60 FPS at High settings in any resolution?

A: No. At no resolution does the High preset achieve a 60 FPS average. The closest is 1440p High at 40.9 FPS, followed by 1080p High at 48.1 FPS and 4K High at 29.3 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on synthetic benchmark scores, the CPU and GPU in this system have direct performance equivalents. The Intel Core i7-12700KF, with an average score of 35365, is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-13700T, which scores 35403 (delta -0.1%). The Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35428, also within 0.2% of the 12700KF. The Intel Core i7-12700K scores 35287, a 0.2% difference, confirming that the KF variant’s lack of integrated graphics does not impact compute performance. These CPUs would deliver essentially the same frame rates in The Medium when paired with the RTX 4060.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4060’s average score of 17639 is closely matched by the AMD Radeon HD 7790, which scores 17666 (delta -0.2%). The AMD Radeon 780M scores 17588, a 0.3% difference, and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 scores 17551, a 0.5% difference. The AMD Radeon Pro 460 scores 17509, which is 0.7% lower. These GPUs would produce nearly identical FPS in The Medium, meaning a system with any of these alternatives would show the same playability pattern: 1080p Medium and 4K Low being the only presets above 60 FPS, with 1440p Medium falling just below.

The combination of these rival components would not change the overall verdict. A user with an i7-13700T or i5-13600T paired with a Radeon 780M would see the same resolution-specific limits, as the benchmark deltas are all under 1%. The data indicates that this performance class is tightly clustered, with no single component offering a meaningful advantage over its nearest peers in synthetic tests.

The Verdict

The benchmark results answer the core question: yes, this PC can run The Medium, but with significant preset limitations. The verdict by resolution is clear. At 1920x1080, the system is playable at Low and Medium settings, with Medium being the best option at 69.6 FPS average. The 2560x1440 resolution is playable only at Low settings, which delivers 90 FPS average; Medium at 59.8 FPS misses the 60 FPS threshold by a negligible margin. At 3840x2160, the system is playable only at Low settings, achieving 73.6 FPS average.

The data shows that the RTX 4060 is not capable of maintaining 60 FPS at High or Ultra presets in any resolution. The best case scenario for high fidelity is 1080p High at 48.1 FPS, which is 11.9 FPS short. For users prioritizing smoothness over visuals, the system offers playable frame rates at lower presets across all resolutions. The 60 FPS threshold is met or exceeded in exactly three configurations: 1080p Low (110.1 FPS), 1080p Medium (69.6 FPS), 1440p Low (90 FPS), and 4K Low (73.6 FPS). This makes 4K Low the highest resolution with a playable frame rate, albeit with reduced graphical fidelity.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling between resolutions and presets reveals which component dominates in The Medium. The CPU, the Intel Core i7-12700KF, has a passmark multithread score of 34092 and a single-thread score of 3984, placing it in the 85th percentile. The GPU, the RTX 4060, has a passmark g3d score of 19545, placing it in the 61st percentile. These scores suggest the CPU is comparatively stronger than the GPU for this workload.

The data supports this. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 110.1 FPS, which is likely CPU-bound given the GPU’s moderate score. When resolution increases to 1440p Low, the FPS drops to 90, a 18.3% decrease. At 4K Low, the FPS is 73.6, a 33.1% decrease from 1080p. This scaling pattern indicates the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases, since the CPU’s workload remains relatively constant while the GPU’s pixel-processing load grows.

The preset scaling tells a similar story. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium costs 40.5 FPS, while at 4K, the same preset change costs 31 FPS. This difference suggests that at 1080p, the CPU has more headroom, allowing the GPU to be the primary constraint. At 4K, both components are more evenly stressed, but the GPU’s limits are more apparent. The verdict data confirms this: the CPU is sufficient for all tested configurations, while the GPU dictates playability. The fact that 1440p Medium (59.8 FPS) is just below the threshold, while 1080p Medium (69.6 FPS) is above, shows that the GPU’s memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s and 8 GB of VRAM become more critical at higher resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

The optimal settings for maintaining at least 60 FPS average are as follows. At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average of 69.6 FPS. This provides a 9.6 FPS buffer over the threshold, making it the recommended choice for 1080p gaming.

At 2560x1440, the only preset that clears 60 FPS is Low, with an average of 90 FPS. Medium settings at 59.8 FPS are technically below the threshold, so Low is the sole playable option. This gives a 30 FPS buffer, which is substantial for a 1440p experience.

At 3840x2160, Low settings are the only playable preset, achieving 73.6 FPS average. This is 13.6 FPS above the threshold, providing a playable 4K experience with minimal visual detail. The data shows no other preset at 4K reaches 60 FPS, with Medium being the next closest at 42.6 FPS.

These settings represent the highest visual quality that still meets the 60 FPS playability standard. For users seeking higher fidelity, they would need to accept frame rates below 60 FPS, such as 1080p High at 48.1 FPS or 1440p Medium at 59.8 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for The Medium, this specific configuration ranks 2039 out of 3724 total combos. This places it in the 54.8th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms slightly more than half of the tested combinations.

The ranking reflects the system’s balanced but not exceptional performance. The CPU’s 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs is offset by the GPU’s 61st percentile ranking, resulting in a mid-pack overall position. The RTX 4060’s end-of-life production status and 8 GB VRAM capacity likely contribute to this ranking, as more modern or higher-tier GPUs would achieve better frame rates in The Medium’s demanding scenes.

Given that the data is measured rather than estimated, this rank provides a reliable reference point. The system is not a top-tier performer, but it is not a low-end setup either. For users with this hardware, the practical takeaway is that the system can handle the game at lower presets, but it cannot compete with higher-end combinations that would rank in the top quartile. The 2039th position out of 3724 combos indicates a capable entry-level to mid-range configuration that prioritizes frame rate over graphical fidelity.