The Medium

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 58th out of 1,689 tested combinations in The Medium, placing it in the top 3.4% of all configs evaluated. This is a remarkably strong position for a processor that sits at the entry-level of Intel's desktop lineup, and the data indicates that the GPU is doing the overwhelming majority of the heavy lifting. The combo's high percentile rank is driven almost entirely by the RTX 5090's raw compute dominance, but the 4-core CPU prevents the system from reaching the absolute top tier of performance, as evidenced by the measurable FPS gaps between this pairing and what a higher-core-count processor might achieve at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo achieves a rank of 58 out of 1,689 tested combinations in The Medium, which translates to a top-tier standing that is better than 96.6% of all recorded pairings. However, the data suggests this rank flatters the CPU more than reflects a balanced system. The RTX 5090 is an extreme outlier in raw performance—its average benchmark score of 84,306 places it in the 94th percentile of all GPUs—so even a modest processor can ride its coattails to a high overall rank. The true bottleneck emerges when comparing this combo's measured FPS to what the GPU alone might suggest: at 1080p Low, the system hits 141.7 FPS, but at 4K Ultra it falls to 49.1 FPS, a pattern that shows the CPU is not the primary constraint at higher resolutions, but it does limit the ceiling at lower ones. In the context of the 1,689 combos, this pairing sits well above the median, but it is not a top-10 setup; the 58th rank reflects a system where the GPU is overqualified relative to the CPU, yet still delivers a compelling experience for this horror title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain why. It packs 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, which is far more than The Medium can realistically utilize at any resolution. The GPU's boost clock of 2407 MHz, combined with 21,760 shading units and 176 ROPs, provides a theoretical FP32 throughput of 104.8 TFLOPS. In practice, this translates to a passmark G3D score of 39,650, placing it in the 94th percentile of all GPUs. The data shows the GPU's performance scales predictably with settings: at 4K, raising from Low to Medium costs 33.9 FPS (124.0 to 90.1), while jumping to High costs another 22.2 FPS (90.1 to 67.9), and Ultra adds a further 18.8 FPS penalty (67.9 to 49.1). This pattern indicates the RTX 5090 has ample headroom for the game's visual demands, but the CPU begins to matter more as resolution drops—at 1080p, the GPU is never the limiting factor, as evidenced by the relatively small FPS spread between Low (141.7) and Medium (122.1).

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i3-12100F a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 in The Medium?

A: Yes, particularly at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 141.7 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra it drops to 77.8 FPS, a 45% reduction that is largely due to the CPU's 4-core/8-thread configuration. At 4K, the GPU becomes the primary constraint, with the FPS gap between Low and Medium (124.0 to 90.1) being much larger than the CPU-induced gap at 1080p.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in The Medium?

A: The data suggests 1440p is the sweet spot. At 1440p High, the system delivers 84.1 FPS, which is well above playable, while 4K High only manages 67.9 FPS. The 1440p Medium setting hits 114.5 FPS, offering a strong balance between visual quality and frame rate.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 compare to its nearest rivals in raw GPU performance?

A: The RTX 5090's average benchmark score of 84,306 is 0.1% higher than the RTX 5090 D (84,241), 0.2% higher than the RTX 5050 Mobile (84,171), and 1.3% higher than the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 (83,209). It is 1.6% lower than the NVIDIA CMP 40HX (85,637), but that card is not a gaming product.

Q: Does the i3-12100F's single-thread performance help in this game?

A: The i3-12100F scores 3,444 in PassMark single-thread tests, which is competitive for its class. The data shows the CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 893 is strong relative to its multi-thread score of 4,023, indicating that The Medium's engine likely benefits from the decent single-core performance, though the overall FPS is still capped by the 4-core limit at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the FPS difference between 1080p and 4K at the same settings?

A: At High settings, the drop from 1080p to 4K is 28.0 FPS (95.9 to 67.9). At Low settings, the drop is 17.7 FPS (141.7 to 124.0). The smaller gap at Low settings indicates that the GPU is less stressed, allowing the CPU to play a relatively larger role at 1080p.

Q: Is this combo overkill for The Medium?

A: The RTX 5090's 32 GB of VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are far beyond what The Medium requires, as evidenced by the fact that 4K Ultra still only uses a fraction of the GPU's theoretical capacity. The CPU is the weak link, so the system is overprovisioned on the GPU side for this specific title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a clear hierarchy across resolutions and settings. At 1080p, the combo delivers 141.7 FPS on Low, 122.1 FPS on Medium, 95.9 FPS on High, and 77.8 FPS on Ultra. The step-down from Low to Medium is 19.6 FPS, from Medium to High is 26.2 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 18.1 FPS. At 1440p, the numbers are 138.3 FPS (Low), 114.5 FPS (Medium), 84.1 FPS (High), and 67.6 FPS (Ultra). The drop from 1080p to 1440p at the same setting is modest: 3.4 FPS on Low, 7.6 FPS on Medium, 11.8 FPS on High, and 10.2 FPS on Ultra. This indicates the GPU has enough headroom at 1440p that the CPU's limitation becomes more apparent. At 4K, the FPS figures fall to 124.0 (Low), 90.1 (Medium), 67.9 (High), and 49.1 (Ultra). The gap between 1440p and 4K is significant: 14.3 FPS on Low, 24.4 FPS on Medium, 16.2 FPS on High, and 18.5 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Ultra result of 49.1 FPS is the lowest recorded, showing that even the RTX 5090 struggles with the game's most demanding settings at maximum resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience is achieved at 1440p High, which delivers 84.1 FPS—a figure that balances visual fidelity with smooth gameplay. Moving to 1080p High yields 95.9 FPS, which is also excellent, but the higher resolution provides a better image quality return for a modest 11.8 FPS cost. For players prioritizing frame rate above all else, 1080p Low at 141.7 FPS is the maximum the combo can produce, but this sacrifices the game's atmospheric lighting and shadows. At 4K, the data recommends Medium (90.1 FPS) as the highest playable setting, since High drops to 67.9 FPS and Ultra falls to 49.1 FPS, which is borderline for a horror title that benefits from smooth camera movement. The Ultra preset at any resolution is not advisable: even at 1080p, it only reaches 77.8 FPS, and the visual uplift over High is likely not worth the 18.1 FPS penalty.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. It has 12 MB of shared L3 cache and a 58W TDP. Its benchmark scores are modest: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11,912 and a single-core score of 1,681, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs. The data shows that this processor is the clear limiting factor in this pairing. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 141.7 FPS, but this drops to 122.1 FPS at Medium and 95.9 FPS at High, demonstrating that the CPU cannot maintain high frame rates when the GPU is not the bottleneck. The 3DMark 8-thread score of 4,026 shows that the CPU's multi-threaded performance is adequate for The Medium, but the 4-core limit means it cannot feed the RTX 5090 enough frames at lower resolutions. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-7700K, has an average score 1.8% higher, but this does not translate to a significant FPS advantage in this title.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K follows a predictable pattern that reveals the system's bottleneck. At Low settings, the drop is 17.7 FPS (141.7 to 124.0), a 12.5% reduction. At Medium, the drop is 32.0 FPS (122.1 to 90.1), a 26.2% reduction. At High, the drop is 28.0 FPS (95.9 to 67.9), a 29.2% reduction. At Ultra, the drop is 28.7 FPS (77.8 to 49.1), a 36.9% reduction. The percentage drop increases with higher settings, which is expected as the GPU becomes more stressed. However, the absolute FPS at 4K Low (124.0) is still higher than 1080p Ultra (77.8), indicating that the GPU has enormous headroom. The limiting component shifts clearly with resolution: at 1080p, the CPU is the primary constraint, as evidenced by the relatively small FPS differences between Low and Medium (19.6 FPS) compared to the 4K gap between the same settings (33.9 FPS). At 4K, the GPU becomes the dominant factor, and the CPU's influence diminishes. This is classic behavior for a system with a high-end GPU and an entry-level CPU, where the processor caps performance at low resolutions, but the GPU still delivers playable frame rates at 4K Medium.