The Medium

The Medium presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 combination. The measured data shows a system that can handle the game at lower settings but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at higher presets and resolutions. This analysis breaks down the performance characteristics based strictly on the benchmark results.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K reveals a system heavily constrained by the GPU at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 77.6 at 1920x1080 to 60.3 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 17.3 FPS. The drop to 3840x2160 is more severe, with the average falling to 52.1, showing a 25.5 FPS loss from the 1080p result. This scaling pattern indicates that the GTX 1070 is the limiting factor as pixel count increases.

The High settings preset tells a similar story. The average frame rate at 1080p is 32.1, which drops to 26.4 at 1440p and further to 23.5 at 4K. The differences between 1440p and 4K at High settings are relatively small (2.9 FPS), suggesting that the GPU is already saturated at these resolutions. The Ultra preset shows the most constrained performance, with averages of 29.1 at 1080p, 20.3 at 1440p, and 20.2 at 4K. The nearly identical scores at 1440p and 4K indicate that the rendering workload has exceeded the GPU's capabilities, making resolution scaling less relevant.

The data points to a classic GPU-bound scenario. The CPU has enough headroom at lower resolutions, but as the resolution increases, the GTX 1070's limits become apparent. The most significant performance delta occurs between Low and Medium settings, suggesting that the visual feature changes between these presets have a substantial impact on the GPU's workload.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Core 11th Gen series, based on the Rocket Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The CPU's benchmark scores show solid multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14372 and a Geekbench multicore score of 7579. Its single-thread performance is also respectable, with a Cinebench R23 singlecore score of 2029.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU. The game does not seem to be limited by the processor's capabilities, as evidenced by the consistent frame rate drops across resolutions when settings are increased. The CPU's percentile ranking of 75 against all CPUs places it above the majority of processors, indicating it has sufficient power for gaming workloads. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U with a deltaPct of 0, and the Intel Core i7-1260P with a deltaPct of -0.2, showing comparable average benchmark scores.

The 12 threads provided by the Core i5-11400F likely handle the game's background tasks and scene loading without bottlenecking the GPU. The measured FPS data, particularly the significant differences between Low and High settings at the same resolution, supports the conclusion that the CPU is not the primary constraint. The game's performance scales more with resolution and preset changes than with CPU-bound factors.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is the clear performance limiter in this configuration. This Pascal-architecture GPU has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s. Its base clock is 1506 MHz with a boost of 1683 MHz, and it offers 1920 shading units. The GPU's benchmark scores show a G3D score of 13498 and a Vulkan score of 47395, but its percentile ranking of 51 against all GPUs places it in the middle of the pack.

The GTX 1070's 8 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor in The Medium's performance. At 4K Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 20.2, and at 1440p Ultra it is nearly identical at 20.3. This suggests that the GPU is not only compute-bound but also potentially memory-constrained at these higher resolutions and settings. The memory bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s appears insufficient for the game's demands at 4K with high-quality textures.

The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro K4200 with a deltaPct of 0.7, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M with a deltaPct of -1.3, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER with a deltaPct of -1.4. These comparisons show that the GTX 1070 sits within a narrow performance band, making it a mid-range option that struggles with demanding titles at high resolutions. The measured data confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck, as the frame rate variations across resolutions and settings align with the GPU's limits.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 ranks 1410 out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium. This places the setup in the lower 16% of all tested configurations, indicating that it is not well-suited for this particular game at higher settings. The ranking reflects the GPU's mid-range status and the game's demanding nature.

The combo's position in the rankings is influenced by the GPU's performance more than the CPU's. While the i5-11400F has a strong percentile ranking of 75, the GTX 1070's percentile of 51 drags the overall combo down. The measured FPS data supports this, as the system achieves playable frame rates only at Low settings across all resolutions. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 77.6, but this drops to 46.4 at Medium and 32.1 at High, showing a steep decline as the preset quality increases.

The ranking of 1410 out of 1689 suggests that many other hardware combinations deliver better performance in The Medium. The data shows that this combo is better suited for less demanding titles or for playing at lower settings. The 4K performance is particularly weak, with no preset achieving a 60 FPS average, making 1080p the only viable resolution for a smoother experience.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for the optimal settings on this hardware. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average FPS of 77.6, which is the highest frame rate across all tested configurations. This is the only setting that approaches the 60 FPS threshold required for a smooth gaming experience. The Medium preset at 1080p offers an average of 46.4, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action.

For 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only option that exceeds 60 FPS, with an average of 60.3. The Medium preset drops to 40.7, and High falls to 26.4, making these settings less desirable. At 3840x2160, even the Low preset only manages 52.1 FPS, indicating that 4K gaming is not recommended for this combo.

The best experience per the measured rows is achieved at 1080p with the Low preset. This setting provides the highest average FPS of 77.6, ensuring a responsive and smooth gameplay experience. If visual quality is a priority, the Medium preset at 1080p offers a balance with 46.4 FPS, but it is noticeably less smooth. The High and Ultra presets are not recommended due to their low frame rates, which fall below 33 FPS at all resolutions except 1080p High.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and preset for this hardware in The Medium?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with the Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at 77.6. This is the only configuration that provides a consistently smooth experience.

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

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 20.2 at Ultra to 52.1 at Low. The Ultra and High presets are not playable, and even Low falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-11400F has a benchmark score of 17181, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (17189) with a deltaPct of 0. It is also close to the Intel Core i7-1260P, which has a deltaPct of -0.2.

Q: Is the GPU the main bottleneck?

A: Yes, the data indicates that the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is the limiting component. The frame rates drop significantly with increased settings and resolutions, while the CPU's performance percentile of 75 suggests it has more headroom.

Q: What are the GPU's nearest performance rivals?

A: The GTX 1070's nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro K4200 with a deltaPct of 0.7, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M with a deltaPct of -1.3, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER with a deltaPct of -1.4.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Medium at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 77.6 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 46.4 FPS. This represents a 31.2 FPS drop when increasing the preset quality.