The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title built on Unreal Engine 4, presents a unique stress profile that often splits the difference between CPU and GPU demands. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, using only the provided benchmark data to interpret how this combination handles the game’s dual-reality rendering.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average frame rate this combo achieves in The Medium?

A: The highest measured average is 106.5 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The lowest measured average is 47.3 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 4080 SUPER than its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER’s average benchmark score is 53610, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (53489) and 2.9% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (52086).

Q: Does the Core i5-10400F bottleneck the RTX 4080 SUPER at 1080p?

A: Data suggests some limitation, as the FPS gain from 1080p Low (106.5 FPS) to 1440p Low (102.1 FPS) is only 4.4 FPS. This small drop indicates the CPU is likely the limiting factor at lower resolutions, preventing the GPU from fully stretching its legs.

Q: What is the performance delta between the i5-10400F and its closest rival?

A: The i5-10400F’s average benchmark score is 14168, which is 0.4% higher than the AMD EPYC 7552 (14115) and 1.1% lower than the Intel Core i5-8500 (14332).

Q: What is the combo’s standing among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 365th out of 1689 tested combinations, placing it in the top 21.6% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: How does the GPU’s memory bandwidth compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a significant advantage over the AMD Radeon RX 7700S (52505 score) that it leads by 2.1%. The exact bandwidth for rivals is not provided, but the score difference implies superior memory throughput.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Comet Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with a shared 12 MB L3 cache. In synthetic tests, its single-thread performance is modest, scoring 688 in 3dMark single-thread and 1453 in Cinebench R23 single-core. Multi-threaded scores are stronger, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10297 and a 3dMark max-thread score of 4735.

For The Medium, this CPU configuration appears adequate for the game’s logic and camera system, but it does show signs of being a limiting factor in lower-resolution scenarios. At 1920x1080, the average FPS for Low settings is 106.5, which is only 4.4% higher than the 102.1 FPS at 2560x1440 Low. This small scaling gap suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is nearing its ceiling, preventing the RTX 4080 SUPER from generating the frame rates it could otherwise achieve. The 73rd percentile ranking versus all CPUs indicates it is a mid-to-upper-tier part, but its performance relative to rivals like the Intel Core i5-8500 (which scores 1.1% higher) shows it is not a top-tier gaming processor. The data implies that for high-refresh 1080p play, the CPU is the bottleneck, but for 1440p and 4K, the GPU takes over as the primary constraint.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is a powerhouse built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process. It features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. Its 10240 shading units and 80 RT cores provide immense compute capability, with a FP32 performance of 52.22 TFLOPS. The GPU’s synthetic scores are dominant, with a Passmark G3D score of 34245 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 246994, placing it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs.

In The Medium, the GPU’s role is clear in the high-resolution and high-settings performance. At 3840x2160, the drop from Low (94.4 FPS) to High (57.3 FPS) is a massive 39.3% reduction, which is typical of a game that heavily taxes pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth. The RTX 4080 SUPER’s 16 GB VRAM is likely sufficient for the game’s textures, as the frame rates remain playable at all settings except the most demanding. The GPU’s 0.2% lead over the RX 6900 XT in synthetic benchmarks translates to real-world performance that is competitive but not class-leading at 4K Ultra, where it drops to 47.3 FPS. The data indicates that the GPU is the dominant component for visual fidelity, but its performance is constrained by the CPU at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how the combo scales across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 106.5 (Low) to 69.5 (Ultra). The progression is: Low 106.5, Medium 88.5, High 78.4, and Ultra 69.5. This shows a 34.7% drop from Low to Ultra, which is a significant but expected penalty for higher quality settings. The gap between Medium and High is 10.1 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 8.9 FPS, indicating a relatively linear cost for each step.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 102.1, Medium 85.6, High 75.2, and Ultra 56.8. The drop from Low to Ultra is 44.4%, which is steeper than at 1080p. At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 94.4, Medium 80.2, High 57.3, and Ultra 47.3. The drop from Low to Ultra is a substantial 49.9%. This pattern shows that the GPU is increasingly the bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the settings have a larger impact on frame rate.

The data reveals that the combo is capable of high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, only the Low and Medium presets achieve above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that dips below 50 FPS, indicating that this setting is too demanding for consistent smoothness.

Resolution Scaling

Resolution scaling is where the bottleneck characteristics of this combo become most apparent. Comparing Low settings across resolutions: 1080p (106.5 FPS), 1440p (102.1 FPS), and 4K (94.4 FPS). The FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p is only 4.1%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 7.5%. This relatively gentle curve suggests that at Low settings, the CPU is providing a consistent baseline, and the GPU has enough headroom to handle higher resolutions without a massive penalty.

However, with Ultra settings, the scaling is much more aggressive. The FPS drops from 69.5 at 1080p, to 56.8 at 1440p, to 47.3 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 18.3%, and from 1440p to 4K is 16.7%. This steeper curve at higher settings indicates that the GPU is heavily taxed by the Ultra preset’s effects, such as advanced lighting and shadows, which scale with resolution. The data implies that the limiting component shifts from the CPU at 1080p Low to the GPU at 4K Ultra. At 1080p, the CPU prevents the FPS from exceeding 106.5, while at 4K, the GPU is the clear limiting factor, as evidenced by the halving of FPS from Low to Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and frame rate. For 1920x1080, the High preset offers 78.4 FPS, which is a good balance between visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 69.5 FPS is only 8.9 FPS lower, so it is viable for players who prioritize visuals over a few frames. However, the Medium preset at 88.5 FPS is a strong choice for competitive play, as it provides a 12.9% FPS boost over High with only a modest visual compromise.

At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 75.2 FPS, which is smooth for most players. The Medium preset at 85.6 FPS is the best choice for those seeking higher refresh rates, as it is 13.8% faster than High. The Ultra preset at 56.8 FPS is playable but may feel less fluid during fast camera movements. At 3840x2160, the Medium preset at 80.2 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides a high frame rate while maintaining good detail. The High preset at 57.3 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 47.3 FPS is not recommended for a consistent 60 FPS experience. The data suggests that the Medium preset is the sweet spot across all resolutions, as it consistently offers a significant FPS advantage over High while being visually close.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 365th out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the top 21.6% of all configurations, which is a strong showing given the CPU’s mid-range standing. The CPU’s 73rd percentile ranking versus all CPUs is the weaker link, as the GPU’s 88th percentile ranking is significantly higher. The data indicates that this rank is driven by the GPU’s raw power, but the CPU’s limitations prevent the combo from achieving a higher position.

Comparatively, the GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the RX 6900 XT, score within 0.2% of the RTX 4080 SUPER, suggesting that other GPU configurations could achieve similar frame rates. However, the i5-10400F’s performance, which is within 1.2% of the Ryzen 3 7320C and the i5-8500, means that pairing it with a weaker GPU would likely result in a significantly lower rank. The rank of 365 suggests that while the combo is not a top-tier configuration, it is well above average, and the data implies that upgrading the CPU would yield a higher rank, as the GPU has untapped potential at lower resolutions.