The Medium

The Medium is a horror title that stresses both CPU and GPU, and the combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 delivers a playable but demanding experience, particularly at higher resolutions. Benchmark data for this pairing shows a significant performance cliff as resolution increases, with the system ranking in the lower portion of tested configurations.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall ranking of this CPU and GPU combination in The Medium?

A: This combo ranks 3082 out of 3724 tested combinations, placing it in the lower 17% of systems. The data indicates that while the hardware is functional, it is not well-suited for high-end settings in this specific title.

Q: What is the best performance this system can achieve at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 75 FPS. This is the highest frame rate recorded for this combination, suggesting that the hardware can handle the game comfortably only when graphical fidelity is significantly reduced.

Q: How does the GTX 1070's memory configuration affect 4K performance?

A: The GTX 1070 features 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 256.3 GB/s bandwidth. At 3840x2160, the average frame rate drops to 22 FPS on High settings, indicating that the memory bandwidth and capacity are insufficient for the texture loads at that resolution.

Q: Is the Core i5-10400F a bottleneck in this game?

A: The CPU has 6 cores and 12 threads with a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Given that frame rates scale dramatically with resolution (from 75 FPS at 1080p Low to 22 FPS at 4K High), the GPU is the primary limiting factor, not the processor.

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

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings yield an average of 40 FPS (with a minimum of 34 and maximum of 45), while Ultra settings drop the average to 22 FPS. This represents a 45% performance reduction for the highest visual quality preset.

Q: Does the system ever achieve a consistent 60 FPS experience?

A: Yes, but only at 1920x1080 with Low settings, where the average is 75 FPS. At Medium settings the average falls to 47 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold commonly desired for smooth gameplay.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Comet Lake architecture, running on a 14 nm process. Its base clock of 2.90 GHz can boost up to 4.30 GHz, and it supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a multi-core score of 10283 in Cinebench R23 and a single-core score of 1451, which places it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs tested.

For The Medium, the CPU's role appears secondary to the graphics card. The data shows that as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, frame rates drop by more than half at every settings level. For instance, at High settings, the average FPS falls from 34 at 1920x1080 to 22 at 3840x2160. This pattern indicates that the GPU is saturated before the CPU becomes a limiting factor. The processor's 12 threads provide sufficient headroom for the game's logic and streaming, as evidenced by the consistent scaling of performance with GPU load rather than a sudden stall at lower resolutions.

The nearest rivals to this CPU, based on average benchmark scores, include the Intel Xeon 6756E (0.2% faster), the AMD EPYC 7552 (0.5% faster), and the Intel Core 7 160UL (0.3% slower). These marginal differences in synthetic tests suggest that the i5-10400F delivers performance typical for its class, and in gaming scenarios like The Medium, the bottleneck will almost always rest with the graphics subsystem.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is built on the Pascal architecture with a GP104 chip fabricated on a 16 nm process by TSMC. It features 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, with a base clock of 1506 MHz and a boost clock of 1683 MHz. The card is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit interface, providing 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth. Its FP32 performance is rated at 6.463 TFLOPS, and it holds a 47th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

In The Medium, the GTX 1070's memory subsystem is a critical factor. At 3840x2160, the average frame rate plummets to 22 FPS on High settings, and even dipping to Medium only recovers 31 FPS. This suggests that the 8 GB VRAM and 256.3 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the high-resolution textures and effects demanded by the game. The card's nearest rivals, such as the AMD FirePro W5000 (0.2% slower) and the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M (0.5% slower), show that it sits at a performance level where 4K gaming is not viable, but 1080p can be playable if settings are managed.

The GPU's DirectX 12 support (12_1) is relevant, as The Medium likely leverages modern rendering features. However, the PassMark DirectX 12 score of 48 indicates that the card's performance in this API tier is modest. The 150 W TDP and single 8-pin power connector suggest that this is a power-efficient design for its era, but the benchmark data confirms that it is outclassed by newer hardware for this particular title's demands.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Core i5-10400F and GTX 1070 ranks 3082 out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the bottom 17% of all systems evaluated. This is a striking position for hardware that was once considered high-end, but the data reflects the game's heavy reliance on GPU compute and memory bandwidth. The ranking indicates that most other tested configurations, likely featuring newer graphics cards with more VRAM and faster memory, outperform this pairing by a substantial margin.

This rank is not surprising given the GPU's percentile of 47, which means it is slower than 53% of all GPUs in the database. The CPU's percentile of 68 is higher, reinforcing that the graphics card is the limiting component. The combo's position suggests that while the CPU holds its own, the GTX 1070 cannot keep pace with the demands of The Medium at higher settings. For context, the GPU's average benchmark score is 9780, which is just 0.2% above its nearest rival, indicating that it sits at a performance plateau where small improvements in other components do not translate into significant gaming gains.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance gradient as resolution scales from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 75 FPS at 1080p to 63 FPS at 1440p, and further to 50 FPS at 4K. This represents a 33% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is less severe than at higher settings, suggesting that the GPU is not fully saturated at Low presets and the CPU has more influence.

At High settings, the drop is more pronounced: 34 FPS at 1080p, 28 FPS at 1440p, and 22 FPS at 4K. The percentage decline from 1080p to 4K is 35%, but the absolute numbers are already below playable thresholds at 1440p. Ultra settings show the most dramatic degradation, with 27 FPS at 1080p, 22 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K. This pattern indicates that the GTX 1070's memory bandwidth is the critical constraint; as resolution increases, the 256.3 GB/s cannot feed the shaders fast enough, causing frame rates to collapse.

The Medium settings at 1080p produce 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 and maximum of 54, which is the only configuration where the system approaches a playable experience without sacrificing all visual fidelity. The scaling behavior confirms that this is a GPU-bound scenario, as the CPU's 12 threads and 4.30 GHz boost clock are sufficient to drive the game even at lower resolutions where frame rates are highest.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080

• Low: Average 75 FPS
• Medium: Average 47 FPS (min 40, max 54)
• High: Average 34 FPS
• Ultra: Average 27 FPS

At 1080p, the system delivers its best performance, with Low settings providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. Medium settings are borderline playable, but the minimum of 40 FPS may cause noticeable stutters in a horror game where timing is critical. High and Ultra settings are not recommended for smooth gameplay.

2560x1440

• Low: Average 63 FPS
• Medium: Average 40 FPS (min 34, max 45)
• High: Average 28 FPS
• Ultra: Average 22 FPS

At 1440p, only Low settings maintain an average above 60 FPS. Medium settings fall below the ideal threshold, and High and Ultra are essentially unplayable for a game that benefits from consistent frame pacing. The minimum of 34 FPS at Medium illustrates the GPU's struggle with the increased pixel count.

3840x2160

• Low: Average 50 FPS
• Medium: Average 31 FPS (min 26, max 36)
• High: Average 22 FPS
• Ultra: Average 18 FPS

At 4K, the GTX 1070 is overwhelmed. Even Low settings only achieve 50 FPS, and Medium settings dip to 26 FPS at the minimum. High and Ultra settings produce frame rates that are below the playability threshold for most users, confirming that this resolution is out of reach for this hardware combination without significant compromises.