The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination delivers a compelling, if occasionally demanding, experience in The Medium. The data shows a system capable of high refresh rates at 1080p and 1440p, but one that must make concessions to maintain smooth gameplay at 4K. Benchmark results indicate a classic high-end pairing where the GPU is the primary driver of performance, with the CPU providing ample headroom.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the combo achieves an average of 119 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings, the average drops to 100 FPS, a decrease of roughly 16 percent. At 3840x2160, the average falls further to 79 FPS, another 21 percent decline from the 1440p result. This trajectory demonstrates that the graphics card is the limiting factor; the performance cost of each additional pixel is directly reflected in the frame rate.

The scaling pattern becomes even more pronounced at High settings. The system delivers 85 FPS at 1080p, 72 FPS at 1440p, and 56 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is a substantial 34 percent, underscoring the immense pixel throughput required at Ultra HD. The Low preset shows a similar, though less steep, curve: 154 FPS at 1080p, 146 FPS at 1440p, and 126 FPS at 4K. Even at the lowest settings, the 4K resolution still imposes a significant penalty, confirming that resolution, not the game's graphical complexity, is the dominant variable in this equation.

These results indicate that the RTX 4080 SUPER's rendering capabilities are being taxed at higher resolutions. The frame rate drops are not linear, suggesting that the GPU's memory bandwidth and shading throughput are being saturated as the pixel count grows. For players targeting 4K, the data suggests that Medium settings are the practical ceiling for a consistently playable experience, as the 79 FPS average is the only 4K result above the 60 FPS threshold. At 1080p and 1440p, the system has enough headroom to push higher settings, but the frame rate will still scale down predictably as resolution climbs.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the undisputed performance leader in this pairing. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, it offers a memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. This substantial bandwidth is crucial for handling the high-resolution textures and detailed environments of The Medium, a game that often shifts between two simultaneous worlds. The data suggests that at 4K, the card's memory subsystem is working hard, but the 16 GB capacity appears sufficient for the game's demands, as no out-of-memory related stutters or crashes are indicated in the measured rows.

The card's core configuration is equally impressive. Its 10240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 112 ROPs provide immense raw compute power. The boost clock of 2550 MHz allows this architecture to operate at high frequencies, contributing to the strong frame rates seen at lower resolutions. The card's FP32 performance of 52.22 TFLOPS is a key indicator of its ability to process the complex shaders and lighting calculations present in the game's horror aesthetic. The 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are also present, though their specific impact on The Medium's performance is not directly measured in the data.

The GPU's percentile rank of 86 versus all other GPUs places it in the upper echelon of graphics cards. In the nearest rivals list, it scores nearly identically to the standard RTX 4080, with a negligible deltaPct of -0.1 percent. This indicates that the SUPER variant offers a marginal performance uplift over its predecessor in this context. The data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck in this system; as settings and resolution increase, the frame rate drops are directly attributable to the GPU's workload, while the CPU remains capable of feeding it data.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F serves as a capable, though not dominant, partner to the RTX 4080 SUPER. This 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture has a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. In a game like The Medium, which is not typically known for being heavily CPU-bound, this configuration provides more than enough processing power to avoid becoming a limiting factor. The benchmark results confirm this, as the frame rates at 1080p are high, indicating that the CPU is not holding back the GPU.

The CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks is solid. In Cinebench R23, it scores 20851 points in the multicore test and 2943 points in the single-core test. These scores suggest strong multi-threaded performance for a 6-core part, which is beneficial for background tasks and game logic, and excellent single-threaded performance, which is critical for frame pacing in games. The 16 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB per-core L2 cache provide low-latency access to frequently used data, further aiding in consistent frame delivery.

The data shows that the 8400F's performance is nearly identical to its closest rivals. Its average benchmark score of 25005 is a mere 0.2 percent higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and 0.4 percent higher than the Intel Core i7-13620H. This places it in a highly competitive mid-range segment, but it is clear that its role here is to support the GPU, not to lead it. The CPU's 65W TDP and 4nm process node make it an efficient choice, but in terms of gaming performance with this specific GPU, its influence on the measured FPS is minimal. The bottleneck is firmly with the graphics card, as evidenced by the significant frame rate drops when resolution is increased.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the comprehensive database of tested combinations, this pairing of the Ryzen 5 8400F and RTX 4080 SUPER achieves a rank of 291 out of 3724 combos. This places it in the top 8 percent of all tested systems, a strong showing that reflects the high-end nature of the GPU. The rank is a direct consequence of the graphics card's performance, as the CPU is not a performance outlier in either a positive or negative way.

When compared to other combinations, the data suggests that this GPU is the primary driver of the high rank. A system with a more powerful CPU would likely rank higher, but the 8400F is sufficient to allow the RTX 4080 SUPER to perform near its potential. The negligible difference in average score between the 8400F and the Ryzen 5 7500F (a deltaPct of 0.2 percent) implies that pairing the GPU with either processor would yield nearly identical results in this game. This makes the 8400F a logical and cost-effective choice for this GPU, as the performance ceiling is defined by the graphics card, not the processor.

The rank of 291 out of 3724 is a data point that speaks to the overall balance of the system. It is not a top-tier rank, which would likely require a flagship CPU and GPU, but it is a very respectable position that indicates a high level of gaming performance. For The Medium, this combo is clearly overqualified for 1080p, excellent for 1440p, and capable at 4K with adjusted settings fucking. The data firmly places the system's gaming capabilities in the upper echelon, with the GPU acting as the star performer.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play The Medium with this combo?

A: The data suggests 2560x1440 offers the best balance. At Medium settings, it achieves 100 FPS average, and at High settings, it hits 72 FPS. This provides a high refresh rate experience without the significant 4K performance penalty.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in The Medium?

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 4K with Medium settings, the combo averages 79 FPS, which is playable. However, at High settings, the average drops to 56 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, and at Ultra, it falls to 45 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. This is evident in the resolution scaling; as resolution increases, frame rates drop significantly, indicating the graphics card's rendering limits are being reached. The CPU's performance is more than sufficient to keep up.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to the standard RTX 4080?

A: The data shows they are nearly identical in performance. The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score that is 0.1 percent lower than the standard RTX 4080, indicating a negligible difference in this context.

Q: What are the CPU's performance characteristics in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 8400F scores 20851 points in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2943 points in single-core. It also achieves an average benchmark score of 25005, which is within 0.4 percent of its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 7500F and Intel Core i7-13620H.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields an average of 146 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields 57 FPS. This represents a substantial 89 FPS difference, highlighting the large performance cost of the highest graphical fidelity settings.

Settings Recommendations

For players using this hardware, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, the system has immense headroom. The Low preset produces 154 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. However, the Medium preset at 119 FPS and High at 85 FPS are also excellent choices, offering a better balance of visuals and performance. Even the Ultra preset, at 68 FPS, is playable and provides the best image quality for players prioritizing fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the data points to the Medium preset as the best overall experience. With an average of 100 FPS and a minimum of 85 FPS, it provides a smooth, responsive experience that takes advantage of the GPU's power. The High preset, at 72 FPS, is also a viable option for those who prefer higher visual quality over maximum frame rate. The Ultra preset, at 57 FPS, dips below the 60 FPS target and is not recommended for a consistently smooth experience.

The 3840x2160 resolution presents the biggest challenge. The data strongly suggests that the Medium preset is the only sensible choice for a playable experience, yielding an average of 79 FPS. The High preset's 56 FPS average is borderline, and the Ultra preset's 45 FPS is too low for comfortable gameplay. The Low preset, at 126 FPS, is an option for competitive play but significantly compromises the game's visual atmosphere. For the definitive 4K experience, the Medium preset at 4K is the recommended setting, as it is the only tier that maintains a frame rate above the 60 FPS threshold.