The Medium

The Medium, a horror title released on 2021-01-27, presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination. The benchmark data shows this pairing ranks 1999th out of 3724 tested combos in this specific game, placing it in the 46th percentile of all tested configurations. This is a mid-pack result for a system that uses an Intel Core i5-11400F processor, a 6-core, 12-thread Rocket Lake part, paired with a 5 nm Ada Lovelace GPU.

Resolution Scaling

Resolution scaling is the most decisive factor in this game’s performance profile. When moving from a 1080p Low preset to a 4K High preset, the average frame rate drops from 108 FPS to 32 FPS, a 70% reduction. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the computational load on the rasterizer and shader units scales directly with pixel count.

Looking at the Low settings across all three resolutions, the trend is clear. At 1920x1080, the Low preset produces 108 FPS. At 2560x1440, it drops to 91 FPS. At 3840x2160, it falls to 72 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs 17 FPS (a 16% drop), while the jump from 1440p to 4K costs 19 FPS (a 21% drop). This scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU that is working harder as pixel count increases, but the CPU is still relatively relaxed at Low settings.

The Medium preset shows a similar scaling pattern. Starting at 68 FPS at 1080p, it drops to 57 FPS at 1440p, and then to 45 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 16% and 21% respectively, which is a very uniform degradation pattern. This uniformity suggests that the rendering pipeline is not being disrupted by any single component; rather, the GPU is simply running out of raw throughput as resolution rises.

The High preset reveals a different story. At 1080p, it runs at 49 FPS, dropping to 41 FPS at 1440p, and then to 32 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 16%, but the drop from 1440p to 4K is 22%. This is a slightly steeper decline at the top end, indicating that the GPU is being more heavily taxed as the resolution approaches its limits.

The Ultra preset is the most demanding. It runs at 39 FPS at 1080p, 32 FPS at 1440p, and only 25 FPS at 4K. The transition from 1080p to 1440p is an 18% drop, and the transition from 1440p to 4K is a 22% drop. These numbers show that the card is struggling to maintain playable frame rates at the highest quality settings, and the 4K Ultra result of 25 FPS is below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

What does this mean for the limiting component? At 1080p Low, the 108 FPS result is likely close to the CPU's maximum frame delivery, as the GPU is not heavily taxed. As settings rise to Medium and High at 1080p, the GPU becomes more involved, but it is still not fully saturated. It is only at 4K that the GPU is clearly the dominant bottleneck, with the CPU having plenty of headroom to feed the frames. The measured data indicates that the RTX 4060 is the primary constraint on performance once the resolution climbs, particularly at the higher quality presets.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with 12 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score is 868, and its multi-thread score is 5652. In Cinebench R23, it achieves 2024 points in single-core and 14340 points in multi-core. These numbers show a capable mid-range processor that should not be the primary limiting factor in most gaming scenarios, and the data for The Medium confirms this.

The game is a horror title that relies on fixed camera angles and static scenes. The data shows the CPU can handle the game's logic and draw calls at all measured settings. At 1080p Low, the CPU is likely delivering around 108 FPS, which is a strong result. At 1080p Ultra, the same CPU produces 39 FPS, but this is because the GPU is overburdened, not because the CPU is weak. The CPU's 12 threads are enough to keep the game's main thread fed, and the 12 MB of L3 cache helps with the game's asset streaming.

The CPU's score in 3DMark's 16-thread test is 5619, and its 8-thread score is 4691. This indicates it has strong multi-threaded capability, which is useful for the game's background streaming and AI updates. The CPU's single-thread score of 868 in 3DMark is adequate, as most games rely heavily on single-thread performance for the core game loop. The 2.60 GHz base clock is low, but the 4.40 GHz boost clock is the more relevant figure for gaming, and it helps the CPU to keep up with the game's demands.

The CPU's memory bandwidth is 51.2 GB/s, which is fine for the game, and the CPU supports DDR4 memory. The CPU's position in the overall benchmark percentile is 71, which places it above many other processors. Its average benchmark score is 17177, and it is closely matched with the AMD EPYC 7H12, which has a deltaPct of 0.3. This CPU is not the bottleneck in The Medium; the GPU is.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p Medium settings?

A: The average FPS on the Medium preset at 1080p is 68. The minimum measured FPS is 58, and the maximum is 78.

Q: How much does performance drop when going from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 49 at 1080p to 32 at 4K, a 35% reduction in performance.

Q: Is the CPU or the GPU the limiting factor at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 4K Ultra settings, the average FPS is 25, which is a GPU-limited result. The CPU is not the bottleneck at this resolution.

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains an average FPS above 60 at 1080p?

A: The Low preset at 1080p achieves 108 FPS, and the Medium preset at 1080p achieves 68 FPS. The High preset at 1080p drops to 49 FPS.

Q: What is the GPU's average 3DMark Steel Nomad score?

A: The RTX 4060 has a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 2302, which is in the 61st percentile of all GPUs.

Q: How does the RTX 4060's average benchmark score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Radeon HD 7790, which has a score of 17666.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for the RTX 4060 in The Medium shows a clear hierarchy of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1080p, the Low preset produces an average of 108 FPS. The Medium preset yields 68 FPS, with a minimum of 58 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS. The High preset gives 49 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 39 FPS.

At 1440p, the Low preset averages 91 FPS. The Medium preset averages 57 FPS, with a range of 49 to 66 FPS. The High preset averages 41 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 32 FPS. The 1080p to 1440p drop is consistent across all presets, showing the GPU is scaling linearly with pixel count.

At 4K, the Low preset averages 72 FPS. The Medium preset averages 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS. The High preset averages 32 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 25 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the minimum FPS is not given, but the average of 25 FPS is the lowest measurement in the entire dataset.

The differences between presets are significant. At any given resolution, the jump from Low to Medium costs about 20-25% of the frame rate. The jump from Medium to High costs about 20% more, and the jump from High to Ultra costs about 20-25% more. This is a consistent pattern where each preset tier reduces the frame rate by a similar margin, indicating that the GPU is the sole determinant of performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the central component in this configuration. It is based on the AD107 chip, using the Ada Lovelace architecture, and is fabricated on a 5 nm process by TSMC. The GPU has 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, with 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores. It operates at a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz. The 5 nm process allows for a transistor density of 118.9M per mm², and the die size is 159 mm².

The GPU's memory subsystem is an 8 GB GDDR6, with a 128-bit bus width and a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. The measured data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, the card produces only 25 FPS, which is a low result for a GPU of this class. The GPU's pixel rate is 118.1 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 236.2 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 15.11 TFLOPS.

The GPU's benchmark scores are moderate. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad score is 2302, which is in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. The Geekbench OpenCL score is 95057, and the Vulkan score is 48643. The GPU's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon HD 7790, which has a score of 17666, and the RTX 4060 is 0.2% behind it. The GPU is also close to the AMD Radeon 780M, which has a score of 17588, and the RTX 4060 is 0.3% ahead of it.

The GPU's memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s is a limitation for the game at higher resolutions. The 8 GB VRAM is enough for the game, but the bandwidth may be a factor in the steep FPS drop from 1080p to 4K. The GPU is a dual-slot card with a TDP of 115 W, and it has a 12-pin power connector. The GPU's role is clear: it is the primary bottleneck when the resolution is raised.

Settings Recommendations

The best experience for this setup, balancing image quality and frame rate, is the Medium preset. At 1080p Medium, the game runs at 68 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset also has a minimum FPS of 58, which is still playable. At 1440p Medium, the average is 57 FPS, which is also acceptable. At 4K Medium, the average is 45 FPS, which is lower than ideal but still provides a playable experience for slower-paced horror games.

The High preset is a less optimal choice. At 1080p, it averages 49 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS standard. At 1440p, it averages 41 FPS, and at 4K, it averages 32 FPS. These frame rates are playable but not smooth, and the Medium preset offers a better balance.

The Ultra preset is not recommended. At 1080p, it averages 39 FPS, at 1440p, it averages 32 FPS, and at 4K, it averages 25 FPS. These results are too low for a comfortable experience, and the visual fidelity gains over Medium are likely minimal. The Low preset is only suitable for users who prioritize frame rate over everything else, as it offers 108 FPS at 1080p and 91 FPS at 1440p, but the visual quality will be noticeably reduced.

For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the data supports using Medium settings. The GPU is capable of handling Medium at all three resolutions, and the frame rates are within the acceptable range. For users with a 1080p monitor, the Medium preset is ideal. For 1440p users, the Medium preset is the only viable option for a 60 FPS experience. For 4K users, the Medium preset at 45 FPS is a compromise, but it is the highest preset that remains playable. The GPU is not powerful enough to handle High at 4K, and the Ultra preset is a non-option.