The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title that stresses both GPU and CPU, and the combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 produces a specific performance profile. The data shows that this pairing is capable of smooth gameplay at 1080p with adjusted settings, but it struggles significantly at higher resolutions. The measured FPS results reveal a system where the graphics card is the primary bottleneck, especially as pixel count increases, while the six-core processor provides a stable foundation that rarely limits performance in this title.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and clearly indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 6600 is the limiting component in this pairing. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 37 FPS at 1920x1080 to 32 FPS at 2560x1440, and then plummets to 25 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 32% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, a pattern that is consistent with a GPU that is being overwhelmed by the pixel throughput required at higher resolutions. The scaling is not linear; the jump from 1440p to 4K is particularly harsh, with a 22% drop, while the step from 1080p to 1440p is a milder 14% decline.

The situation becomes even more pronounced at Ultra settings, where the average frame rate at 1080p is already a mere 30 FPS. At 1440p, this falls to 25 FPS, and at 4K it drops to an unplayable 20 FPS. This shows that the RX 6600 simply does not have the raw compute power to handle the game’s highest preset at any resolution above 1080p. The data suggests that players aiming for a consistent 60 FPS experience will need to rely on the Low preset, which delivers 84 FPS at 1080p, 71 FPS at 1440p, and 55 FPS at 4K. Even so, the 4K Low result is below the 60 FPS threshold, highlighting the GPU’s limitations.

Interestingly, the Medium preset offers a more balanced scaling pattern. At 1080p, the average is 52 FPS, which drops to 44 FPS at 1440p and 35 FPS at 4K. The minimum FPS values for Medium settings are also recorded, showing 44 FPS at 1080p, 37 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K. These minimums are relatively close to the averages, suggesting that frame pacing is stable and that the game does not suffer from sudden, severe stutters when the GPU is under load. The scaling pattern across all settings points to a GPU-bound scenario, where the CPU’s role is secondary to the graphics card’s ability to process the scene.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 23 chip, manufactured on a 7 nm process by TSMC. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. The GPU’s base clock is 1626 MHz, with a game clock of 2044 MHz and a boost clock of 2491 MHz. These specifications place the card in the mid-range segment, and the benchmark data confirms that it performs accordingly in The Medium. The GPU’s average benchmark score is 19036, which places it at the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a competent but not top-tier performer.

In the context of The Medium, the 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for the game’s textures, but the 128-bit memory bus and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth become a constraint at higher resolutions. The data shows that the card’s performance degrades significantly as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of memory bandwidth limitations. The 4K Ultra result of 20 FPS is particularly telling, as the card is likely struggling to feed the shader units with enough texture data. The GPU’s pixel rate of 159.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 279.0 GTexel/s are respectable for the segment, but they are not enough to maintain fluid frame rates in a game that uses heavy fixed-camera angles and complex lighting effects.

The card’s nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the NVIDIA Quadro K6000, which scores 19030 (a 0% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile, which scores 19049 (a -0.1% delta). This places the RX 6600 in a tight performance cluster, but The Medium’s specific rendering demands may favor one architecture over another. The data from the measured FPS results shows that the card’s performance is consistent with its synthetic benchmark scores, confirming that the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rate in this title. The card’s launch MSRP is 329 USD, and it is now end-of-life, but its performance profile remains relevant for 1080p gaming.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the most playable resolution. At High settings, the average FPS is 37, and at Low settings, it reaches 84 FPS. At 1440p, the High preset drops to 32 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 25 FPS, making those resolutions less suitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: Can this combo achieve 60 FPS at 4K in The Medium?

A: No. The only 4K result above 55 FPS is the Low preset, which averages 55 FPS. All other 4K settings—Medium at 35 FPS, High at 25 FPS, and Ultra at 20 FPS—fall well below the 60 FPS target.

Q: How does the RX 6600 compare to its nearest benchmark rivals?

A: The RX 6600 has an average benchmark score of 19036. Its closest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 with a score of 19030 (a 0% difference) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile with a score of 19049 (a -0.1% difference). This indicates that the RX 6600 is statistically tied with these cards in synthetic tests.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p with this GPU?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 84, which is high but not exceptionally so. The CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads with a boost clock of 4.30 GHz are sufficient to feed the GPU, but the GPU’s performance ceiling is what prevents higher frame rates at more demanding settings.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at Medium settings?

A: At Medium settings, the minimum FPS values are close to the averages: 44 FPS minimum versus 52 average at 1080p, 37 minimum versus 44 average at 1440p, and 29 minimum versus 35 average at 4K. This tight gap indicates stable frame pacing with minimal stuttering.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for The Medium?

A: The combo ranks 2904 out of 3724 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. This reflects the GPU’s mid-range performance and the game’s high system requirements.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for The Medium, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 6600 holds a rank of 2904 out of 3724 total configurations. This places the combo in the 22nd percentile of all tested systems, meaning that roughly 78% of other combinations deliver better performance in this specific game. The rank is a composite measure that likely accounts for both CPU and GPU contributions, but given the resolution scaling data, the GPU’s performance is the dominant factor in this ranking.

The low rank is not surprising given the game’s release date of January 2021 and the hardware’s specifications. The RX 6600 was released in October 2021, and while it is a capable card, it is not designed for high-refresh-rate or high-resolution gaming in demanding titles like The Medium. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is a solid mid-range processor, but it does not have the high-end multi-core performance that newer, more expensive CPUs offer. The combination is therefore best suited for 1080p gaming with conservative settings, which is reflected in its below-average ranking.

The data also shows that the combo’s performance is not an outlier; it is consistent with the GPU’s synthetic benchmark percentile of 63 and the CPU’s percentile of 68. The game’s demands, however, push the system to its limits, resulting in the lower combo rank. For players seeking a higher rank, the data implies that a more powerful GPU would be the primary upgrade path, as the CPU is rarely the bottleneck in the measured results. The rank serves as a clear indicator that this is a budget-conscious pairing that prioritizes cost-effectiveness over raw performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a desktop processor from the Core 10th Gen series, based on the Comet Lake architecture. It features 6 physical cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. The CPU has a TDP of 65 W and supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration, providing a memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. It uses the Intel Socket 1200 interface and is manufactured on a 14 nm process by Intel. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 10283 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1451 in single-core, with an average benchmark score of 14185, placing it at the 68th percentile of all CPUs.

In The Medium, the CPU’s role is to handle game logic, AI, and scene management, while the GPU renders the frames. The measured FPS data suggests that the i5-10400F is adequately feeding the RX 6600 at all resolutions. The 1080p Low result of 84 FPS is a strong indicator that the CPU can push frame rates well above the GPU’s typical output at higher settings. The CPU’s boost clock of 4.30 GHz provides sufficient single-thread performance for the game’s fixed-camera perspectives, which often rely on a primary thread for rendering commands. The 12 threads ensure that background tasks and multi-threaded rendering paths do not cause stutters.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the Intel Xeon 6756E with an average score of 14163 (a 0.2% delta) and the AMD EPYC 7552 with a score of 14115 (a 0.5% delta). This indicates that the i5-10400F is closely matched with server-class processors in synthetic tests, but its gaming performance is more dependent on single-thread speed. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this pairing; the GPU’s performance ceiling at 4K and Ultra settings is the primary constraint. At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS of 44 suggests that the CPU maintains consistent frame delivery, avoiding the dips that would occur if it were overwhelmed.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four graphics settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average FPS of 84, followed by Medium at 52 FPS, High at 37 FPS, and Ultra at 30 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum FPS of 44 and a maximum of 60, indicating a playable range for most users. High and Ultra lack minimum/maximum data, but the averages are below the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that these settings are not ideal for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 71 FPS, which is still respectable. Medium averages 44 FPS with a minimum of 37 and a maximum of 51, showing a slight dip in consistency compared to 1080p. High drops to 32 FPS, and Ultra falls to 25 FPS. These numbers reveal that 1440p is only viable with Low or Medium settings, and even then, the frame rate is not consistently above 60 FPS. The 1440p results are a clear step down from 1080p, confirming the GPU’s limitations as resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the performance is significantly constrained. Low averages 55 FPS, which is the only playable result at this resolution. Medium averages 35 FPS with a minimum of 29 and a maximum of 40, indicating that frame drops below 30 FPS are possible. High averages 25 FPS, and Ultra averages 20 FPS, making both settings effectively unplayable. The 4K results underscore the fact that the RX 6600 is not suited for 4K gaming in The Medium, even with the most demanding presets. The data across all resolutions shows a clear tiered performance structure, with 1080p being the only resolution where the combo can consistently achieve smooth frame rates across multiple settings.