The Medium

The Medium is a horror title that leans heavily on fixed-camera angles and pre-rendered transitions, but its rendering load is still substantial. This analysis examines how the Intel Core i5-12400 and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT combination handles that load across resolutions and settings, using measured frame rate data. The results show a system that is clearly GPU-bound at higher settings, but which can be tuned to deliver smooth gameplay with the right compromises.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 92.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 81.4 FPS at 2560x1440, then falls to 64.3 FPS at 3840x2160. This is a gentle curve, with the 4K result still hitting 64.3 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 4K is roughly 31%, which suggests the GPU is doing most of the heavy lifting, but the CPU is keeping up without creating a bottleneck at these lower settings.

Switch to High settings, and the scaling becomes steeper. The average goes from 45.4 FPS at 1080p to 38.5 FPS at 1440p, and then to 26.3 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is only 58% of the 1080p figure, indicating that the increased pixel count is hammering the GPU. At Medium settings, the pattern is similar: 58 FPS at 1080p, 52 FPS at 1440p, and 39.8 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with 31.8 FPS at 1080p falling to 29.1 FPS at 1440p and 25.2 FPS at 4K. Here, the resolution scaling is compressed because the settings themselves are already overwhelming the GPU, even at 1080p.

The data suggests that the limiting component varies by preset. At Low, the CPU is likely still relevant, but at High and Ultra, the GPU is clearly the primary constraint. The 4K High result of 26.3 FPS is not playable, while 4K Low at 64.3 FPS is surprisingly playable, showing that settings matter more than resolution for this combo.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT ranks 1067th out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which is expected given the GPU's 63rd percentile ranking among all GPUs and the CPU's 77th percentile among all CPUs. The combo rank is lower than both individual percentiles, likely because the game's demands are not perfectly aligned with the strengths of these parts.

When looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the Intel Core i5-12400 scores an average of 19850 in the full benchmark suite. This is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-9700, which scores 19831, a delta of 0.1%. It also trades blows with the Intel Core i7-8700, which scores 19894, a delta of -0.2%, and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX, which scores 19928, a delta of -0.4%. The i5-12400 is also 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i5-11600K, which scores 19771. In synthetic tests, this CPU is a solid mid-ranger, but in The Medium, its six cores and 12 threads appear sufficient without being exceptional.

The GPU side shows the RX 7600 XT with an average benchmark score of 20146. It sits 0.3% above the AMD Radeon RX 460 (20088) and 1.9% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER (19774). However, it is 0.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX 7600 (20258) and 1.9% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534). The RX 7600 XT's 16 GB of VRAM does not translate into a significant performance advantage over the RX 7600 in this game, as the delta is minimal. The combo's rank of 1067 out of 1689 suggests that while the parts are competent individually, together they are not in the top tier for this specific title.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with a Navi 33 chip. It features a base clock of 1980 MHz, a game clock of 2470 MHz, and a boost clock of 2755 MHz. The memory runs at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective speed. The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The GPU has 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units, along with 32 ray tracing cores.

In The Medium, the GPU's role is dominant at higher settings. The 4K Ultra result of 25.2 FPS and the 1080p Ultra result of 31.8 FPS show that the card is simply overwhelmed by the Ultra preset's demands. The pixel rate of 176.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 352.6 GTexel/s are not enough to maintain playable frame rates at Ultra, regardless of resolution. The GPU's FP32 performance of 22.57 TFLOPS is notable, but the game's engine appears to be limited by fill rate and shader complexity rather than raw compute.

The memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s is a potential constraint. At 4K High, the GPU drops to 26.3 FPS, which is likely a combination of pixel fill and memory bandwidth pressure. However, at Low settings, the card performs much better, hitting 64.3 FPS at 4K and 92.6 FPS at 1080p. This indicates that the 16 GB VRAM buffer is not the issue; rather, the shader work and texture filtering at higher presets are the limiting factors. The card's 63rd percentile ranking among all GPUs reinforces that this is a mid-range part, and The Medium's settings scaling reflects that.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a complete picture of the combo's capabilities. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 92.6 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. Medium drops to 58 FPS, which is still playable. High yields 45.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 31.8 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is a significant 37% reduction, while the step from Medium to High is a 22% reduction. The Ultra preset is 30% below High, showing a steep cost for the highest visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the results are lower across the board. Low averages 81.4 FPS, which is excellent for 1440p. Medium drops to 52 FPS, High to 38.5 FPS, and Ultra to 29.1 FPS. The 1440p Medium result of 52 FPS is right at the edge of smoothness, while High at 38.5 FPS is playable but not ideal for a horror game where atmosphere relies on consistent motion. The 1440p Ultra result of 29.1 FPS is below the 30 FPS threshold, making it a poor choice.

At 3840x2160, the card struggles with higher presets. Low averages 64.3 FPS, which is surprisingly good for 4K. Medium drops to 39.8 FPS, High to 26.3 FPS, and Ultra to 25.2 FPS. The 4K Medium result is playable, but the High and Ultra results are not. The difference between 4K High (26.3 FPS) and 4K Ultra (25.2 FPS) is minimal, suggesting that the GPU is completely saturated at this resolution. The data clearly shows that Low settings are the only viable option for 4K, while Medium is the ceiling for 1440p.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 60 FPS at 1080p?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it averages 92.6 FPS. At Medium, it drops to 58 FPS, which is just below 60. High and Ultra are not capable of 60 FPS at 1080p.

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

A: The data shows that 1440p Low is the sweet spot, delivering 81.4 FPS. If you prefer higher settings, 1080p Medium at 58 FPS is the best balance of quality and smoothness.

Q: How does the RX 7600 XT compare to the RX 7600 in this context?

A: The RX 7600 XT has an average benchmark score of 20146, which is 0.6% lower than the RX 7600's 20258. The extra VRAM does not provide a measurable performance benefit in this game.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: It can handle 4K only at Low settings, averaging 64.3 FPS. Medium at 4K drops to 39.8 FPS, and High (26.3 FPS) and Ultra (25.2 FPS) are not playable.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in this game?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400 scores 15935 in Cinebench R23 multicore, which is strong. The frame rate scaling suggests the GPU is the primary limiter at higher settings, but the CPU's 77th percentile ranking indicates it is not a weak link.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p High?

A: The average is 38.5 FPS at 2560x1440 High. This is playable for a slow-paced horror game, but it is not smooth enough for fast action sequences.

Settings Recommendations

For a consistent experience, the Low preset is the only setting that guarantees high frame rates across all resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 92.6 FPS, and even at 4K Low, it maintains 64.3 FPS. If you are playing on a 1080p monitor, Medium at 58 FPS is a better visual choice, but you accept a 37% frame rate penalty compared to Low. The High preset at 1080p, yielding 45.4 FPS, is borderline, but it is the highest setting that stays above 40 FPS at that resolution.

At 1440p, the recommendation is to stick with Low for smooth gameplay at 81.4 FPS, or Medium if you prefer visual fidelity, accepting 52 FPS. The High preset at 1440p (38.5 FPS) and Ultra (29.1 FPS) are not recommended, as the frame rate drops below the 40 FPS threshold that makes horror games feel responsive. For 4K, the only viable option is Low at 64.3 FPS. Medium at 39.8 FPS is playable but inconsistent, and High and Ultra are effectively unplayable.

The data suggests that the Medium preset is a reasonable compromise for 1080p, but the Low preset is the safest choice for ensuring a consistent frame rate. The Ultra preset should be avoided entirely, as it delivers 31.8 FPS or less at every resolution, which is a poor experience for a game that relies on environmental tension. The combo's rank of 1067 out of 1689 indicates that it is not a top-tier pairing, but with the right settings, it can deliver a playable experience.