The Medium

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 748th out of 3,724 tested combinations for The Medium, placing it in the top 20% of all systems evaluated. This is a strong result, but the ranking reveals an interesting dynamic: the CPU is a mid-range 10th-generation part while the GPU is a flagship Ada Lovelace card, creating a pairing where the graphics card is clearly the dominant performer. The data shows this combo lands in the 68th percentile for CPU performance against all processors and the 88th percentile for GPU performance against all graphics cards, meaning the RTX 4090 is closer to the top of its class than the i5-10400F is to the top of its own. Consequently, the combined ranking of 748 reflects a system that delivers high frame rates, but the measured results indicate the CPU is more of a supporting actor than a star in this horror title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 748 out of 3,724 tested combinations is a solid showing, placing it above roughly 80% of all tested systems for The Medium. However, this position is heavily influenced by the GPU's strength rather than the CPU's. The RTX 4090's benchmark percentile of 88 vastly outperforms the i5-10400F's percentile of 68, suggesting the graphics card is doing the heavy lifting in achieving this rank. In practical terms, the data indicates that this combination is well-suited for high-resolution gaming, but the CPU's mid-range standing means it could be a bottleneck in less GPU-intensive scenarios. Compared to other combos, this rank suggests the system is capable of smooth gameplay at most settings, but it is not at the very top tier where both components would be flagship-level parts. The gap between the CPU and GPU percentiles is a clear indicator that the RTX 4090 is being held back somewhat by the i5-10400F, yet the overall result remains competitive. For The Medium specifically, the measured frame rates show that the system can handle the game's demands, but the rank implies there are many faster configurations, likely those with newer high-core-count CPUs paired with equally powerful GPUs.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the clear primary driver of performance in this configuration, and its specifications confirm why. With 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, the card delivers 1.01 TB/s of memory bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for The Medium's high-resolution textures and complex lighting effects. The GPU's base clock is 2235 MHz, boosting to 2520 MHz, and it operates on TSMC's 5 nm process with an AD102 chip. The card's 16,384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs provide immense raw compute power, translating to 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. In The Medium, the GPU's role is evident in the frame rate scaling: at 1080p Ultra, the system achieves 72 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 50 FPS, indicating the card is still the limiting factor even at lower resolutions. The RTX 4090's 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores are particularly relevant for this game, as The Medium uses ray-traced reflections and DLSS-like upscaling techniques, though the measured data does not isolate these features. The GPU's 88th percentile ranking against all graphics cards underscores its top-tier status, and its average benchmark score of 60,347 is nearly identical to the Intel Arc Pro A60, which shows a 0% delta, indicating the 4090's performance is well-established in synthetic tests. In-game, the card's dominance is clear: even at 4K High, it maintains 63 FPS, which is a demanding workload that fewer GPUs could handle.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the drop provides insight into the system's bottleneck. From 1080p High (78 FPS) to 4K High (63 FPS), there is a 19% decrease in average frame rate, which is relatively modest and suggests the GPU is still keeping pace. However, the scaling from 1440p High (74 FPS) to 4K High (63 FPS) shows a 15% drop, indicating the card's immense bandwidth is being taxed by the higher pixel count. At Low settings, the scaling is more pronounced: 1080p Low hits 106 FPS, dropping to 93 FPS at 4K, a 12% reduction. This smaller percentage drop at lower settings suggests the CPU is starting to become more relevant, as the GPU is less stressed, but the i5-10400F's six cores and 12 threads still manage to keep up. The most telling data point is at Medium settings, where 1080p yields 89 FPS, 1440p yields 84 FPS, and 4K yields 77 FPS—a drop of only 13% from 1080p to 4K. This relatively flat scaling indicates the system is well-balanced at Medium settings, with neither component fully dominating. Conversely, at Ultra settings, the drop from 1080p (72 FPS) to 4K (50 FPS) is 31%, showing that the GPU is the primary constraint at the highest quality preset. Overall, the data suggests that the RTX 4090 is the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings, while the i5-10400F becomes more of a bottleneck only at lower resolutions with lighter GPU loads, such as 1080p Low where the CPU's single-thread performance of 688 in 3DMark single-thread tests may cap the frame rate.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play The Medium with this combo?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1440p offers the best balance. At High settings, 1440p delivers 74 FPS, which is only 4 FPS less than 1080p High (78 FPS), but the visual fidelity is significantly better. At 4K High, the average drops to 63 FPS, which is still playable but less smooth.

Q: How does the i5-10400F compare to its nearest CPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-10400F has an average benchmark score of 14,185, which is nearly identical to the Intel Xeon 6756E (14,163, a 0.2% delta) and the AMD EPYC 7552 (14,115, a 0.5% delta). It is marginally faster than the Intel Core 7 160UL (14,232, a -0.3% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (14,277, a -0.6% delta), indicating it is positioned in a tight cluster of mid-range processors.

Q: Is the RTX 4090's 24 GB VRAM necessary for The Medium?

A: The game's highest measured settings at 4K Ultra only require enough VRAM to achieve 50 FPS, and the card's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensures there is no VRAM-related stutter. The data does not show a VRAM limitation, as even at 4K Ultra, the frame rate is consistent, suggesting the card has ample headroom for this title.

Q: Why does the combo rank 748th if the GPU is so powerful?

A: The rank is a combined measure of both components. The RTX 4090's 88th percentile is excellent, but the i5-10400F's 68th percentile pulls the overall rank down. Many other tested combos feature higher-end CPUs, which allows them to achieve higher frame rates, especially at lower resolutions where CPU performance matters more.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, Low settings achieve 106 FPS, while Ultra settings achieve 72 FPS, a difference of 34 FPS (32% lower). This indicates that the Ultra preset imposes a significant GPU load, but the system still maintains a playable frame rate above 60 FPS.

Q: Does the combo perform better at 1440p or 1080p in terms of frame time consistency?

A: The data shows that at Medium settings, 1440p has a min FPS of 71 and max of 96 (a 25 FPS range), while 1080p has a min of 75 and max of 102 (a 27 FPS range). The slightly tighter range at 1440p suggests more consistent frame pacing, likely due to less CPU bottlenecking at the higher resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F plays a supporting role in this configuration, and its specifications show it is a capable but not exceptional processor. With 6 cores and 12 threads, base clock of 2.90 GHz, and boost clock of 4.30 GHz, the CPU is built on Intel's 14 nm Comet Lake architecture. It has 12 MB of shared L3 cache, and its dual-channel DDR4 memory support provides 42.7 GB/s of bandwidth. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 10,283 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 1,451 in single-core, placing it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6756E (average score 14,163, 0.2% higher) and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (average score 14,277, 0.6% higher), showing the i5-10400F is competitive with other mid-range parts. In The Medium, the CPU's role is most apparent at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 106 FPS, but this is likely close to the CPU's limit, as the GPU is underutilized. At 4K High, the CPU is less stressed, and the frame rate of 63 FPS is more dependent on the GPU. The CPU's 3DMark scores provide further insight: its single-thread score is 688, which is modest, but its 16-thread score of 4,748 suggests it can handle multi-threaded workloads reasonably well. The data indicates the CPU is not a significant bottleneck at higher resolutions, but at 1080p with lower settings, it may prevent the RTX 4090 from reaching its full potential. For The Medium, which is a horror game with fixed camera angles and scripted events, the CPU's 6 cores are sufficient, but a stronger processor would likely improve 1080p frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset at 1440p offers the best experience for this combo. At 1440p Medium, the system delivers an average of 84 FPS with a minimum of 71 FPS and maximum of 96 FPS, providing a smooth and consistent frame rate that is well above the 60 FPS threshold. This preset balances visual quality and performance, leveraging the RTX 4090's power without pushing the CPU into a bottleneck. For players prioritizing higher visual fidelity, 1440p High is a viable option at 74 FPS, but the 10 FPS drop from Medium is noticeable, and the frame time data shows less consistency (no min/max values are provided for High). At 4K, the Medium preset drops to 77 FPS, which is still playable, but the 1440p Medium offers a better frame rate with minimal visual compromise. The Ultra preset at any resolution is not recommended for this combo, as it drops to 50 FPS at 4K and 72 FPS at 1080p, which is below the smoothness of Medium settings. The Low preset achieves the highest frame rates (106 FPS at 1080p), but the visual quality is significantly reduced, making it only suitable for competitive play or very high refresh rate monitors. Overall, the data strongly supports 1440p Medium as the sweet spot, as it provides the best combination of frame rate, consistency, and visual fidelity, while higher settings sacrifice too much performance for marginal graphical gains.