The Medium

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 produces a heavily GPU-bound experience in The Medium, where the 8 GB VRAM buffer and raw shader throughput dictate playability far more than the CPU's four cores. The data shows a clear pattern: frame rates scale almost linearly with pixel count, but the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions, confirming that the RTX 5050 is the definitive bottleneck. This combo ranks in the 39th percentile of all tested configurations, placing it firmly in the mid-range tier for this horror title, yet it still delivers a playable 60 FPS at 1080p Medium, which is the sweet spot for this hardware pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling behavior from 1080p to 4K reveals a component that is consistently saturated. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 96 FPS, which drops to 81 FPS at 1440p and 64 FPS at 4K. That is a 33% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. However, the story changes dramatically when moving to higher presets. At High settings, the average frame rate is 43 FPS at 1080p, 36 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K. This represents a 33% drop from 1080p to 4K, nearly identical to the Low preset, but the absolute numbers are far lower.

The critical insight is that the RTX 5050 does not scale well with resolution when the settings demand more VRAM. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 23 FPS, which is a 76% reduction compared to 1080p Low. This suggests that the 8 GB memory buffer becomes a hard limit at 4K with high-quality textures, as the GPU cannot maintain the necessary throughput. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is relatively mild across all presets, with an average drop of about 15-16%, but the jump from 1440p to 4K is steeper, particularly at Medium (51 to 40 FPS) and High (36 to 29 FPS).

The limiting component is unequivocally the GPU. The Intel Core i3-12100F, with its 4 cores and 8 threads, shows no signs of throttling the frame rate. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect to see smaller differences between Low and Ultra at the same resolution, since the CPU workload is largely independent of texture quality. Instead, the data shows that moving from Low to Ultra at 1080p cuts performance by 65% (96 to 34 FPS), which is a classic GPU-bound signature. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 893 and multi-thread score of 4051 are sufficient for this title, as the bottleneck shifts entirely to the RTX 5050's rendering pipeline.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is the sole determinant of performance in The Medium, and its specifications explain the observed frame rates. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the data suggests it is marginal at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 23 FPS indicates that the GPU is not only bandwidth-limited but also compute-limited, as the 2560 shading units must process 3840x2160 pixels with full effects enabled.

The clocks are modest for a 50-series card, with a base of 2317 MHz and a boost of 2572 MHz. These frequencies, combined with the 13.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, are the engine behind the 1080p Low result of 96 FPS. The GPU's pixel rate of 82.30 GPixel/s and texture rate of 205.8 GTexel/s are the theoretical limits that the measured FPS approaches at lower settings. At 1080p Medium, the combo hits 60 FPS exactly, which aligns with the GPU's ability to fill the screen without excessive overdraw.

The RTX 5050's 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores are present but not heavily utilized in this title, as The Medium is not a ray-tracing showcase. The benchmark results indicate that the GPU's PassMark G3D score of 17326 places it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs, which is a mid-tier standing. The VRAM capacity is the most critical factor for this game, as the 4K Ultra preset likely exceeds the 8 GB buffer, causing the frame rate to collapse to 23 FPS. The 1440p Medium results (51 FPS) show that the GPU can still deliver acceptable performance when the memory pressure is reduced, but the 4K High result of 29 FPS suggests that any resolution above 1440p with high-quality textures will strain the memory subsystem.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific configuration ranks 1765 out of 2911 tested combos for The Medium, placing it in the 39.4th percentile. This is a mid-table result, indicating that while the combo is not at the bottom, it is also far from the top. The CPU's percentile versus all CPUs is 68, meaning the i3-12100F outperforms 68% of processors in general benchmarks. However, the GPU's percentile versus all GPUs is 66, so the graphics card is slightly less impressive relative to its peers. This combination of a decent CPU and a mid-tier GPU results in a pairing that is balanced but not exceptional for this specific game.

The nearest rivals for the CPU provide context. The Intel Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13494, which is virtually identical to the Intel Core 3 N355 (13492, 0% delta) and the Intel Core i5-9500 (13452, 0.3% faster). The Intel Core 5 120UL is 0.7% faster, and the Intel Core i7-1250U is 1.1% slower. These are all close scores, suggesting that the i3-12100F is a solid performer in its class, but it is not a standout. For the GPU, the RTX 5050's average score of 21035 is 1.6% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (20713) and 0.6% slower than the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (21153). The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile is 1.6% faster, and the AMD Radeon HD 8970M is 1% faster.

In the context of this game, the combo's rank of 1765 is driven by the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions. The data shows that the combo performs best at 1080p, where it can achieve 60 FPS at Medium settings. At 1440p, the frame rate drops to 51 FPS at Medium, which is still playable but requires a compromise. At 4K, the combo falls below 40 FPS on all presets except Low, which makes it unsuitable for 4K gaming in this title. The rank reflects this reality: it is a 1080p and 1440p machine, not a 4K solution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's capabilities across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 3840x2160 (4K), the results are as follows: Low averages 64 FPS, Medium averages 40 FPS with a minimum of 34 and a maximum of 46, High averages 29 FPS, and Ultra averages 23 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K is the only one with min/max data, indicating a variance of 12 FPS, which is a sign of frame pacing inconsistencies at this demanding resolution. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 41 FPS, which is a 64% reduction, highlighting the GPU's sensitivity to settings changes.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the performance improves significantly. Low averages 81 FPS, Medium averages 51 FPS with a minimum of 43 and a maximum of 58, High averages 36 FPS, and Ultra averages 29 FPS. The variance at Medium is 15 FPS, which is slightly higher than at 4K, but the absolute frame rates are more acceptable. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 52 FPS, representing a 64% reduction, which is consistent with the 4K scaling. This suggests that the GPU is equally stressed across resolutions, but the starting point is higher at 1440p.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the combo shows its best results. Low averages 96 FPS, Medium averages 60 FPS with a minimum of 51 and a maximum of 69, High averages 43 FPS, and Ultra averages 34 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p is the sweet spot, as it hits the 60 FPS target with a variance of 18 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 62 FPS, a 65% reduction, which matches the scaling pattern seen at other resolutions. The 1080p Low result of 96 FPS is the highest frame rate recorded for this combo, indicating that the CPU is not a limiting factor even at this high FPS level.

Settings Recommendations

The data strongly suggests that the Medium preset is the optimal choice for this combo across all resolutions, but the target frame rate varies. At 1080p, Medium delivers exactly 60 FPS, which is the ideal target for most displays. The minimum of 51 FPS and maximum of 69 FPS show that the combo can handle scene complexity with some fluctuation, but the average is solid. At 1440p, Medium averages 51 FPS, which is playable but may require a VRR display to smooth out the 43-58 FPS range. At 4K, Medium averages 40 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target but still playable for a horror title that does not demand fast reflexes.

For users prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity, the Low preset is the only option that maintains playable performance at 4K, with an average of 64 FPS. At 1440p, Low achieves 81 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh monitors, and at 1080p, Low hits 96 FPS, which is near the refresh limit of many gaming displays. However, the Low preset likely sacrifices significant visual quality in a game that relies on atmosphere and lighting. The High preset is not recommended, as it drops below 60 FPS at 1080p (43 FPS) and falls to 29 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the worst choice, as it only achieves 34 FPS at 1080p and 23 FPS at 4K, making it unsuitable for any resolution.

The best experience per the measured rows is the Medium preset at 1080p, as it provides the exact 60 FPS target with acceptable variance. For 1440p users, Medium is still the best option, as it delivers 51 FPS, which is a reasonable compromise between quality and performance. At 4K, the Low preset is the only viable choice if a 60 FPS experience is desired, but users who can tolerate 40 FPS may prefer Medium for the visual improvements. The data shows that this combo is not designed for Ultra settings at any resolution, as the VRAM and compute limitations are too severe.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for this hardware in The Medium?*

A: The data indicates that 1080p Medium is the optimal choice, delivering an average of 60 FPS with a minimum of 51 and a maximum of 69. At 1440p, Medium averages 51 FPS, and at 4K, Low averages 64 FPS, but Medium at 4K is only 40 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the definitive bottleneck. The frame rates scale dramatically with settings changes (e.g., 96 FPS at 1080p Low vs. 34 FPS at 1080p Ultra), which is a GPU-bound signature. The CPU's 4 cores and 8 threads are sufficient for this title.

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

A: Only at Low settings, where it averages 64 FPS. At Medium, the average drops to 40 FPS, and at High and Ultra, it falls to 29 and 23 FPS respectively, which is not a good experience.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: It ranks 1765 out of 2911 combos, placing it in the 39.4th percentile. This is a mid-tier result, with the CPU in the 68th percentile and the GPU in the 66th percentile.

Q: What is the frame rate variance at the recommended settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the variance is 18 FPS (51-69 FPS). At 1440p Medium, the variance is 15 FPS (43-58 FPS), and at 4K Medium, the variance is 12 FPS (34-46 FPS).

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM of the RTX 5050 sufficient for this game?

A: The data suggests it is adequate for 1080p and 1440p at Medium settings, but it is insufficient for 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 23. The 4K High result of 29 FPS also indicates memory pressure at higher resolutions.