The Medium

The Medium presents a significant challenge for the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination. This pairing ranks 1272 out of 1689 tested combos for this title, placing it in the bottom quarter of the database. That rank reflects a system that can run the game but requires careful settings management to achieve a playable experience, especially at higher resolutions. The data indicates a configuration that is clearly GPU-limited in most scenarios, but with enough CPU headroom to avoid becoming the primary bottleneck at lower settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's position at 1272 out of 1689 is a direct indicator of its performance class in The Medium. This is not a top-tier setup for this specific game; it sits well below the median, suggesting that many other hardware combinations will deliver higher frame rates. The ranking implies that the RTX 2060 SUPER, while a capable card in its own right, is stretched thin by The Medium's demanding rendering. The i5-10400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, provides a stable foundation, but the overall result is constrained by the GPU's ability to process the game's visuals. The data shows this is a pairing for 1080p gaming primarily, where it can achieve competent frame rates, but it loses ground quickly as resolution increases. The gap between this combo and higher-ranked ones likely widens at 4K, where the GPU's limitations become most pronounced.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the defining component in this analysis. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, which is a crucial resource for a game like The Medium that often deals with complex textures and scenes. The GPU's base clock is 1470 MHz, with a boost clock of 1650 MHz. These clocks, combined with the 2176 shading units, allow for a theoretical FP32 performance of 7.181 TFLOPS. This raw compute power is what drives the frame rates seen in the measured results.

However, the benchmark data shows that this hardware is not sufficient for maximum settings at high resolutions. The GPU's percentile ranking is 63, meaning it performs better than 63% of all GPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score of 19774 places it in close competition with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070, which has an average score of 19680, a delta of 0.5%. This indicates that the 2060 SUPER is just a hair behind the 2070 in raw synthetic tests. In The Medium, this translates to a GPU that can handle 1080p and 1440p with adjusted settings but falls below 30 FPS at 4K on High and Ultra presets. The presence of 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores suggests it has the hardware for ray tracing and DLSS, but the game's performance data does not show these features being used to their full potential here.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling. As resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, the frame rates drop significantly for each settings preset, confirming that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting factor. For example, at High settings, the average FPS falls from 38.4 at 1080p to 33.2 at 1440p, and then to 25.2 at 4K. This is a 34% drop from 1080p to 4K, which is substantial but not a linear scaling, indicating that other bottlenecks start to appear at the highest resolution.

The scaling from Low to Ultra settings at each resolution also shows a clear trend. At 1080p, the jump from Low (88.5 FPS) to Ultra (34.7 FPS) represents a massive 60% reduction in performance. This gap narrows at 4K, where Low (57.6 FPS) to Ultra (22.6 FPS) is a 61% reduction, but the absolute numbers are much lower. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so overburdened that even the difference between Low and Medium settings (57.6 vs 37.2 FPS) is a large 35% performance swing. The data implies that to maintain a smooth experience, users must prioritize resolution over quality, often needing to play at Low settings for 4K or Medium for 1440p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

A resolution-by-resolution analysis of the measured data provides a clear picture of the system's capabilities. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. With Low settings, it achieves an average of 88.5 FPS, which is quite playable. Medium settings drop this to 59.3 FPS, still a solid figure for most displays. High settings yield 38.4 FPS, and Ultra brings it down to 34.7 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1080p is the sweet spot for this hardware, with playable frame rates available even at High settings, though Ultra pushes it below the 60 FPS threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance takes a notable hit. Low settings produce an average of 74.8 FPS, which is still good. Medium drops to 50.9 FPS, which is acceptable for single-player titles. High settings fall to 33.2 FPS, and Ultra is just 26.3 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings is about 14%, which is manageable, but the High and Ultra presets become difficult to use for a smooth experience. At 3840x2160, the system struggles. Low settings are the only viable option, delivering 57.6 FPS. Medium settings drop to 37.2 FPS, High to 25.2 FPS, and Ultra to a nearly unplayable 22.6 FPS. This data suggests that 4K gaming is only possible with significant compromises in visual quality.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution. At 1080p with Medium settings, the average FPS is 59.3, which is close to a standard 60 FPS target. Low settings at 1080p achieve 88.5 FPS, providing a high-refresh experience.

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

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it achieves an average of 57.6 FPS. At Medium settings, the frame rate drops to 37.2 FPS, and High settings yield 25.2 FPS, making those presets less desirable for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its closest rival?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 19774, which is 0.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070's score of 19680. This indicates they are nearly identical in raw performance.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck for this GPU in this game?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. The i5-10400F provides 6 cores and 12 threads, and the frame rates scale with resolution, which is a pattern typical of a GPU-limited scenario. The CPU's performance is sufficient to keep up with the GPU's output.

Q: What settings should be used for a 60 FPS target at 1440p?

A: The measured data shows that Medium settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 50.9 FPS. To achieve a higher frame rate, one would need to use Low settings, which yields 74.8 FPS.

Q: How much of a performance drop is there from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 38.4 at 1080p to 25.2 at 4K. This represents a 34% reduction in performance, highlighting the significant load increase on the GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F plays a supporting role in this configuration. Its 6 cores and 12 threads are based on the Comet Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. The CPU's 12 MB of shared L3 cache helps with data access. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 10297 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 1453 in single-core. These numbers are respectable for a mid-range desktop processor. Its percentile ranking is 73, meaning it outperforms 73% of all CPUs in the database.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data. The benchmark results show that the system is not CPU-limited, as frame rates scale predictably with resolution changes. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would see similar frame rates across all resolutions. Instead, the FPS drops significantly from 1080p to 4K, indicating the GPU is the primary constraint. The i5-10400F's 12 threads are sufficient to handle the game's logic and scene management without causing stutters or frame drops. The data shows that this CPU provides a stable platform, allowing the RTX 2060 SUPER to perform to its full potential, even if that potential is limited at higher resolutions. Its average benchmark score of 14168 is close to its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 7552, which has an average score of 14115, a delta of only 0.4%. This shows the i5 is a solid, if unspectacular, performer that does not hold back the GPU in this title.