The Medium

The Medium, played on the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050, presents a clear case of a game where graphical settings dictate the experience far more than resolution. The measured data shows a combination that can hit smooth frame rates at lower presets but quickly buckles under the weight of higher quality settings, particularly at 4K. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, the role of the CPU and GPU, and what settings offer the best playable experience.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is significant, but the pattern of that drop is more telling than the raw numbers. At the Low preset, the average frame rate falls from 96 FPS at 1080p to 81 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 64 FPS at 4K. That is a steady, linear decline of roughly 15-20 FPS per step up in resolution, suggesting that the GPU is still the primary limiter but has enough headroom to scale predictably. The data implies that at Low settings, the RTX 5050 is not completely overwhelmed, and the performance curve is relatively smooth.

The situation changes drastically at higher presets. Moving from Medium to High, the frame rate at 1080p drops from 60 FPS to 43 FPS, a 17 FPS hit. At 1440p, the same preset change results in a 15 FPS drop (from 51 to 36 FPS). However, the most dramatic scaling is seen at 4K. Here, the High preset only manages 29 FPS, and the Ultra preset bottoms out at 23 FPS. The gap between 1080p and 4K at High is 14 FPS (43 to 29), which is a 33% reduction in performance. This steep cliff at 4K with high-quality settings strongly suggests that the 8 GB VRAM and the GPU's raw compute power are the definitive limiting factors. The game is not just rendering more pixels; it is likely exceeding the comfortable memory capacity and shader workload, causing a non-linear collapse in performance.

The scaling between Medium and Ultra at 4K is also revealing. The average FPS goes from 40 to 23, a 42.5% reduction. This is a far more punishing penalty than the 20% reduction seen when moving from Medium to Ultra at 1080p (60 to 34 FPS). This indicates that the Ultra preset introduces effects that are disproportionately expensive at higher resolutions, likely due to increased memory pressure and texture filtering demands. The data shows that the RTX 5050 is a capable 1080p and 1440p card for this title, but 4K is only viable when the visual fidelity is dialed down to Low, where it can still achieve a playable 64 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Comet Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10283 and a single-core score of 1451, place it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs. The data suggests this processor is not the bottleneck in The Medium, as the frame rates are far more sensitive to GPU settings and resolution.

In this game, the CPU's role appears to be providing a stable foundation rather than pushing performance. At 1080p with the Low preset, the CPU manages to feed the GPU enough data to achieve 96 FPS. This is a strong indicator that the 6-core/12-thread configuration is sufficient to handle the game's logic and physics at high frame rates. The fact that the frame rate drops to 34 FPS at 1080p Ultra, a setting that increases the GPU's workload significantly, shows that the performance ceiling is being dictated by the graphics card, not the processor. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a smaller delta between the Low and Ultra presets at a given resolution.

The processor's 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support are adequate for this workload. The benchmark results, including a 3DMark 16-thread score of 4748, indicate a solid mid-range performer. The data does not show any scenario where the i5-10400F is preventing the RTX 5050 from reaching its potential. When comparing to its nearest rivals, the i5-10400F scores within 0.6% of the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C, showing it is in a competitive performance class, but the absolute FPS numbers in The Medium are overwhelmingly tied to the GPU preset and resolution, not CPU headroom.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo if I want to use the High preset?

A: The data shows that at 2560x1440, the High preset yields an average of 36 FPS, while at 1920x1080 it achieves 43 FPS. Neither is ideal for smooth gameplay, but 1080p is the only one that approaches a playable 30 FPS baseline.

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K?

A: Yes, but only with the Low preset, which produces an average of 64 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 40 FPS, and High and Ultra presets fall to 29 and 23 FPS respectively, making them largely unplayable.

Q: How much of a performance gain is there from using Low settings over Ultra at 1080p?

A: The average frame rate more than doubles. At 1080p, the Low preset achieves 96 FPS, while the Ultra preset manages only 34 FPS, an increase of 62 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-10400F holding back the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050?

A: Based on the measured FPS data, no. The frame rates scale dramatically with GPU settings (e.g., 43 FPS at 1080p High vs. 96 FPS at 1080p Low), which indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck. A CPU bottleneck would show less variation across these presets.

Q: What is the most consistent frame rate range for this combo?

A: The Medium preset at 1080p offers the most stable measured range, with an average of 60 FPS and a min/max of 51 to 69 FPS. The 1440p Medium setting also provides a consistent experience, with an average of 51 FPS and a range of 43 to 58 FPS.

Q: How does this combo's performance compare to other tested systems?

A: This specific CPU/GPU combination ranks 1765 out of 2911 tested combos for this game, placing it in the lower-middle tier of all systems in the database.

How This Combo Ranks

The data places the Intel Core i5-10400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination at rank 1765 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium. This puts it in the 39th percentile of all systems, indicating that while it can run the game, the majority of tested configurations deliver higher performance. This ranking is a direct reflection of the FPS data we see: it is a system that can handle the game at lower settings, but it is not a high-end performer for this specific title.

The rank of 1765 suggests that there are 1,764 other hardware combinations in the database that achieve higher average frame rates or more consistent performance. This is not surprising given the RTX 5050's position in the GPU hierarchy. Its average benchmark score of 21035 places it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs, and it trades blows with the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, scoring only 1.6% higher. However, in The Medium, the combination's overall rank is dragged down by the game's heavy reliance on raw GPU power, particularly at higher resolutions and presets where the 8 GB VRAM becomes a liability. The ranking is a holistic view, but the measured FPS breakdown shows that at the right settings, this combo can still deliver a playable experience, even if it doesn't win any awards for raw performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

| :--------- | :------- | :------ | :------ | :------ |

| 3840x2160 | High | 29 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 64 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 40 | 34 | 46 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 23 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 36 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 81 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 51 | 43 | 58 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 29 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 43 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 96 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 60 | 51 | 69 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 34 | - | - |

The data clearly shows a hierarchy where the Low preset is always the most performant, followed by Medium, High, and then Ultra. The only preset where the frame rate is consistently above 60 FPS is Low at 1080p. The Medium preset at 1080p is the only other configuration that hits the 60 FPS average mark. At 1440p, the Low preset is the only one that exceeds 60 FPS, hitting 81 FPS. The 4K resolution is only playable with the Low preset. The min/max data for the Medium preset shows a consistent frame pacing, with a 15 FPS difference between the low and high points at 1080p, which indicates a stable experience without major hitches.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience for this hardware combination is found at the Medium preset at 1920x1080. This configuration delivers an average of 60 FPS, which is the standard target for smooth gameplay, with a minimum of 51 FPS ensuring that frame drops are rarely noticeable. This provides a balanced visual experience that is significantly better than Low, while maintaining a frame rate that is far more fluid than the 43 FPS average seen at High.

For users with 1440p monitors, the Medium preset is the best choice for a playable experience, yielding an average of 51 FPS. While not as smooth as 1080p, it is within a playable range and offers a sharper image. Dropping to Low at 1440p will increase the frame rate to 81 FPS, but the visual quality reduction is substantial. At 4K, the only viable option is the Low preset, which achieves 64 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K is borderline, with a 40 FPS average that may be acceptable for a slower-paced horror game, but the 34 FPS minimum risks noticeable stuttering. The High and Ultra presets should be avoided entirely at 4K due to sub-30 FPS averages. In summary, the data suggests prioritizing the Medium preset for a quality/performance balance, with resolution scaling down to maintain that preset.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is clearly the dominant component in this pairing. Its role is defined by its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s. The GPU's boost clock of 2572 MHz and its 2560 shading units are the key drivers of the FPS numbers we see. The performance cliff at 4K High and Ultra presets is a direct indicator that the GPU is running out of memory bandwidth and capacity. The game's textures and effects at those settings are likely exceeding the 8 GB frame buffer, causing a severe performance penalty.

The RTX 5050's benchmark scores show it is a solid mid-range performer. Its Passmark G3D score of 17326 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 2502 place it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. It performs within 1.6% of the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, a well-known previous-generation card. However, in The Medium, the game's demanding nature at higher presets exposes the GPU's limitations. The FPS data shows that the GPU's performance scales almost linearly with resolution at the Low preset (96 to 81 to 64 FPS), which is typical for a card that is not bandwidth-limited at lower quality settings. But when the visual load increases, the headroom disappears. The 130W TDP and the PCIe 5.0 x8 interface are adequate for this workload, but the data suggests that the 8 GB VRAM is the single most limiting factor for this game at higher resolutions. The GPU is the star of the show, but its 8 GB memory capacity is the ceiling that prevents this combo from achieving high frame rates at 4K with high visual fidelity.