The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 pairing delivers a wide range of performance in The Medium, with results heavily dependent on the graphics preset selected. The measured data shows a clear hierarchy across settings, where the choice of preset determines whether the experience is fluid, playable, or demanding. The RTX 4090’s raw power is evident, but the game’s engine scaling means that even this high-end combination requires careful settings management to achieve optimal frame rates, particularly at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data indicates that the High preset offers the most balanced experience across all tested resolutions, though its viability depends on the target display. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 92.6 FPS, which is a strong baseline for smooth gameplay. Moving to 2560x1440, the High preset drops to 81.6 FPS, still comfortably within a playable range for most users. However, at 3840x2160, the High preset averages only 62 FPS, which may feel less fluid on high-refresh-rate displays but remains acceptable for a cinematic horror title.

For users prioritizing maximum visual fidelity, the Ultra preset is only recommended at 1920x1080, where it achieves 74.3 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra falls to 64.5 FPS, and at 3840x2160, it plummets to 49.7 FPS, making it the least stable option. The Medium preset provides a significant performance uplift over High, with 132.1 FPS at 1080p and 112.5 FPS at 1440p, but at 4K it still manages a respectable 86.4 FPS. The Low preset is the performance king, hitting 152.3 FPS at 1080p, 145.1 FPS at 1440p, and 134.7 FPS at 4K, but it sacrifices visual quality.

The data suggests that the High preset is the sweet spot for this combination, as it offers a substantial visual upgrade over Medium while maintaining playable frame rates at all resolutions. For 4K users, High is the maximum viable setting, as Ultra’s 49.7 FPS average is too close to the threshold for consistent smoothness. For competitive or high-refresh-rate play at 1080p, Medium is a better choice than High, delivering 132.1 FPS versus 92.6 FPS, which is a 43% improvement.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Phoenix, built on a 4 nm process. Its base clock is 4.20 GHz with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU shows strong multi-threaded performance, scoring 20,851 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2,943 in single-core. This places the processor at the 82nd percentile versus all CPUs, indicating it is well above average for gaming workloads.

In The Medium, the CPU’s role appears secondary to the GPU, as the frame rates scale more dramatically with resolution changes than with settings changes. The 3DMark scores, such as 6,165 for max threads and 951 for single-thread, suggest a capable processor that can feed the RTX 4090 without becoming a bottleneck at lower resolutions. The Passmark multithread score of 24,530 and single-thread score of 3,684 reinforce this, showing balanced performance that suits a game like The Medium, which relies on both CPU and GPU for its fixed-camera rendering style.

The nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks include the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X with a deltaPct of 0, meaning they perform identically in average benchmark scores (25,057 vs 25,064). The Ryzen 5 7500F is 0.3% slower, while the Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 and EPYC 9474F are 0.1% and 0.2% slower, respectively. This indicates that the 8400F is competitive with older high-end parts and newer mid-range options, but its 6-core configuration is not the primary driver of performance in this game, as the GPU dominates the workload at higher resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows the High preset is the best for 4K, achieving 62 FPS average. Ultra drops to 49.7 FPS, which is too low for consistent smoothness, while Medium and Low offer higher frame rates at 86.4 FPS and 134.7 FPS, respectively, but with reduced visual quality.

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

A: The Ryzen 5 8400F has an average benchmark score of 25,064, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (25,057) with a deltaPct of 0. It is 0.3% faster than the Ryzen 5 7500F and 0.1% faster than the Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340, showing it is a competitive mid-range processor.

Q: Does the RTX 4090’s performance in this game match its overall GPU ranking?

A: The RTX 4090 sits at the 91st percentile versus all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 66,473. In The Medium, its performance is strong but not always optimal, as the 4K Ultra preset only hits 49.7 FPS, indicating the game’s engine is demanding even for this flagship GPU.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 145.1 FPS, while Ultra averages 64.5 FPS. This represents a 125% increase in performance when dropping from Ultra to Low, highlighting the significant impact of settings on this game.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: This combination ranks 52nd out of 1,689 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the top 3% of all systems tested, which is consistent with the high-end nature of the RTX 4090.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a limiting factor, as the 1080p Low preset achieves 152.3 FPS, which is near the highest measured. The CPU’s single-thread score of 2,943 in Cinebench R23 and 3,684 in Passmark indicates it can handle the game’s logic without constraining the GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations, the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 52nd out of 1,689 combos in The Medium. This places the system in the top 3.1% of all configurations tested, which is a strong showing given the CPU is a mid-range part paired with a flagship GPU. The ranking reflects the GPU’s dominance in this title, as the RTX 4090’s 91st percentile standing among all GPUs is the primary driver of this high placement.

The CPU’s 82nd percentile ranking among all CPUs is notable, but it does not hold back the system in this context. The nearest rival CPUs, such as the Ryzen 7 2700X, are essentially equal in average benchmark scores, yet the RTX 4090 ensures this combo remains competitive with systems using more expensive processors. The data indicates that for The Medium, the GPU is the overwhelming factor in determining overall performance, and the 8400F is sufficient to support it without introducing a significant bottleneck.

The rank of 52 out of 1,689 suggests that while this is a high-end setup, there are 51 other combinations that perform better, likely featuring even more powerful CPUs or more optimized pairings. However, for a 6-core processor, this result is impressive, showing that the 8400F punches above its weight when paired with the top-tier RTX 4090.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how the system scales from 1080p to 4K across different settings. At the Low preset, the average frame rate drops from 152.3 FPS at 1920x1080 to 145.1 FPS at 2560x1440, a decrease of 4.7%, and then to 134.7 FPS at 3840x2160, a further drop of 7.2%. This relatively mild scaling indicates that at Low settings, the system is not fully GPU-bound, and the CPU is able to maintain high frame rates even at higher resolutions.

For the Medium preset, the scaling is more pronounced: 132.1 FPS at 1080p falls to 112.5 FPS at 1440p (a 14.8% drop) and then to 86.4 FPS at 4K (a 23.2% drop from 1440p). This suggests that as settings increase, the GPU becomes more of a limiting factor, but the RTX 4090 still handles the load well.

The High preset shows a similar pattern: 92.6 FPS at 1080p drops to 81.6 FPS at 1440p (an 11.9% decline) and then to 62 FPS at 4K (a 24% decline from 1440p). This indicates that the GPU is increasingly stressed at higher resolutions, but the frame rates remain playable.

The Ultra preset exhibits the steepest scaling: 74.3 FPS at 1080p falls to 64.5 FPS at 1440p (a 13.2% drop) and then to 49.7 FPS at 4K (a 23% drop from 1440p). The 4K Ultra result is the only one below 50 FPS, showing that this preset pushes the RTX 4090 to its limits. The scaling pattern across all presets indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions, while the CPU maintains consistent performance, as evidenced by the relatively small FPS drops at Low settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers a wide range of performance depending on the preset. The Low preset averages 152.3 FPS, making it the fastest option. Medium follows at 132.1 FPS, which is 13.3% slower than Low. High drops further to 92.6 FPS, a 30% reduction from Medium. Ultra is the slowest at 74.3 FPS, which is 19.8% slower than High. This shows that at 1080p, the system has headroom to spare, even at Ultra settings.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down accordingly. Low remains the top performer at 145.1 FPS, which is only 4.7% slower than at 1080p. Medium achieves 112.5 FPS, a 22.5% drop from Low. High averages 81.6 FPS, which is 27.5% lower than Medium. Ultra falls to 64.5 FPS, representing a 21% decrease from High. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 125%, highlighting the significant impact of settings.

At 3840x2160, the system shows its limits. Low still manages 134.7 FPS, which is remarkable for 4K. Medium drops to 86.4 FPS, a 35.9% reduction from Low. High falls to 62 FPS, a 28.2% decrease from Medium. Ultra is the only preset that dips below 50 FPS, averaging just 49.7 FPS, which is 19.8% slower than High. The 4K results demonstrate that the RTX 4090 is capable of high frame rates at lower settings, but the Ultra preset pushes the GPU to its absolute limit, resulting in a sub-60 FPS experience. Overall, the measured data provides a comprehensive picture of how this combo performs across all settings and resolutions, with the High preset at 1080p and 1440p offering the best balance of visual quality and performance.