The Medium

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT ranks 1707th out of 3724 tested combinations in The Medium. This places the combo in the 54th percentile of all tested systems, indicating a mid-pack position that leans toward the upper half of the field. The ranking reflects a balanced pairing where neither component dramatically bottlenecks the other, though the system is far from top-tier for this horror title.

Benchmark results show this combo sits in the middle of the pack, with the CPU achieving a 72nd percentile ranking among all processors and the GPU reaching a 71st percentile among all graphics cards. The near-identical percentile scores for both components suggest a well-matched pairing—neither part is significantly over- or under-powered relative to the other. In practical terms, this means the system delivers consistent frame rates without one component dragging down the other's potential.

The combo's position becomes clearer when examining the nearest rivals. The CPU's average benchmark score of 18683 is within 0.9% of the Intel Core i3-14100F (18519), and within 0.7% of the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 (18811). Similarly, the GPU's average score of 26011 sits within 1.1% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile (25740). These tight margins indicate that the combo's performance is predictable and well-understood within the broader hardware ecosystem.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT brings 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is substantial for a horror game like The Medium, which relies on detailed environments and atmospheric effects. The 12 GB capacity provides ample headroom for texture streaming and high-resolution assets, even at Ultra settings where the game demands more memory.

Clock speeds are notably high for this GPU generation. The base clock runs at 2150 MHz, with a game clock of 2495 MHz and a boost clock reaching 2600 MHz. Memory operates at 2250 MHz, effectively 18 Gbps. These clocks translate into a pixel rate of 166.4 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 416.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance at 13.31 TFLOPS. The 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs handle the game's lighting and shadow calculations efficiently.

The GPU's 40 ray tracing cores support DirectX 12 Ultimate, which The Medium utilizes for its fixed-camera horror presentation. While the game is not a ray tracing showcase, the hardware capability ensures compatibility with modern rendering features. The 7 nm process from TSMC, with 17,200 million transistors on a 335 mm² die, keeps power efficiency reasonable despite the 250 W TDP.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how the combo scales across resolutions. At 1080p, the system delivers playable frame rates across all settings, but the drop to 4K is severe. The scaling pattern indicates a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, while the CPU has more influence at 1080p.

From 1080p to 1440p, average FPS drops by roughly 17-18% across all settings. For example, High settings fall from 52 FPS at 1080p to 43 FPS at 1440p, a 17.3% reduction. Medium settings drop from 72 to 61 FPS (15.3%), while Low settings decline from 115 to 97 FPS (15.7%). Ultra settings see a 17.1% reduction, from 41 to 34 FPS. These consistent decreases suggest a smooth scaling curve where the GPU remains the primary limiter.

The jump from 1440p to 4K is more punishing. High settings drop from 43 to 34 FPS (20.9% reduction), Medium from 61 to 48 FPS (21.3%), and Low from 97 to 76 FPS (21.6%). Ultra settings fall from 34 to 27 FPS (20.6%). The slightly larger percentage drops at 4K indicate the GPU is increasingly stressed as pixel count grows, with the 12 GB frame buffer and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth being pushed harder at 3840x2160.

The data clearly shows a GPU-bound system. At 1080p Low, the 115 FPS average suggests the CPU can feed the GPU adequately, but as resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows disproportionately. The i5-12400's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to avoid becoming a bottleneck even at 4K, where the RX 6750 XT struggles to maintain high frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings achieve 115 FPS average, providing a smooth experience for fast-paced sequences. Medium settings average 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS and maximum of 83 FPS, offering a good balance of visual quality and performance. High settings drop to 52 FPS average, while Ultra settings fall to 41 FPS average. The 61 FPS minimum at Medium settings is particularly notable, as it indicates the system rarely dips below playable thresholds.

Moving to 2560x1440, frame rates remain respectable but begin to show strain. Low settings average 97 FPS, still well above playable thresholds. Medium settings average 61 FPS with a range of 52-70 FPS, placing the minimum right at the edge of smooth gameplay. High settings average 43 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 34 FPS average. The 52 FPS minimum at Medium settings is the lowest recorded at this resolution, suggesting occasional stutters in demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings average 76 FPS, which remains playable, but Medium settings drop to 48 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS and maximum of 55 FPS. High settings average 34 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 27 FPS average. The 27 FPS at Ultra settings is borderline unplayable for a game that relies on atmosphere and tension, where frame pacing issues can break immersion.

The 4K Medium settings data is the only 4K row with min/max values recorded, showing a 40-55 FPS range. This indicates the system can occasionally hit 55 FPS but also dips to 40 FPS, creating noticeable variability. The spread between minimum and maximum FPS narrows at higher resolutions, suggesting the GPU is consistently maxed out rather than experiencing intermittent spikes.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of running The Medium at 1080p with high settings?

A: Yes. The measured data shows 52 FPS average at 1920x1080 with High settings, which is playable for a horror game. Medium settings provide a more comfortable 72 FPS average with a 61 FPS minimum.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in The Medium?

A: 1920x1080 offers the most consistent experience. All settings at 1080p achieve at least 41 FPS average, with Low settings reaching 115 FPS. At 1440p, Medium settings are the highest playable option at 61 FPS average, while 4K requires Low settings for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RX 6750 XT's average benchmark score of 26011 is 1.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile (25740). It also leads the AMD Radeon R9 M395X by 0.5% and the AMD FirePro W7100 by 0.6%.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any resolution?

A: The data does not indicate CPU bottlenecking. The i5-12400's 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, provide sufficient processing power. The consistent FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values for Medium settings across resolutions?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum is 61 FPS. At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum is 52 FPS. At 3840x2160 Medium, the minimum is 40 FPS. These values represent the lowest recorded frame rates during testing.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 1707th out of 3724 tested combinations, placing it in the 54th percentile. This indicates a mid-tier position, with roughly 46% of tested systems performing better and 54% performing worse.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake-S architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W. The processor supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration, though the benchmark data does not specify which memory type was used.

The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration provides adequate bandwidth for feeding the GPU in The Medium. Benchmark scores show a single-thread score of 910 in 3DMark, which is modest, but multi-thread performance is stronger with 5873 in the 16-thread test and 5890 in the max-thread test.

Cinebench results indicate solid multi-core performance: 6715 in R20 multicore and 15989 in R23 multicore. Single-core scores are 947 in R20 and 2257 in R23. Geekbench scores of 8564 multicore and 1848 single-core further confirm the CPU's balanced capabilities. PassMark results show a multi-thread score of 18747 and single-thread score of 3456, with the CPU achieving an average benchmark score of 18683.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 72 places it above the 71st percentile GPU, indicating the processor has slightly more headroom than the graphics card. This is reflected in the game's performance, where the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The 12 threads handle The Medium's fixed-camera scenes efficiently, though the game's horror atmosphere relies more on GPU rendering than CPU physics calculations.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, Medium settings at 1920x1080 provide the optimal balance. The 72 FPS average with a 61 FPS minimum ensures smooth gameplay without sacrificing too much visual fidelity. The 61 FPS minimum is critical for a horror game, where frame drops can break tension and immersion. The 83 FPS maximum shows the system can burst above the average during less demanding scenes.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings are the highest playable option. The 61 FPS average matches the 1080p Medium result, but the 52 FPS minimum is lower, indicating more variability. Players prioritizing visual quality over absolute smoothness may accept this trade-off, but the 1080p Medium experience is more consistent.

For 4K gaming, Low settings are the only viable option, with 76 FPS average. Medium settings at 4K drop to 48 FPS average with a 40 FPS minimum, which is below the threshold for comfortable horror gameplay. High and Ultra settings at 4K are not recommended, with 34 FPS and 27 FPS averages respectively, as these fall into stutter-prone territory.

Ultra settings are only recommended at 1080p, where the 41 FPS average provides a cinematic but less responsive experience. The 27 FPS at 4K Ultra is the worst measured result and should be avoided. The data suggests that Medium settings strike the best balance between visual quality and performance across all resolutions, with Low settings serving as a fallback for 4K or for players prioritizing maximum frame rates.