The Medium

The Medium’s fixed-camera horror presentation can be brutally demanding, and the pairing of an Intel Core i5-12400 with an AMD Radeon RX 7700 delivers a split personality depending on your resolution and quality targets. At 1080p, the data shows a capable setup that can push past 100 frames per second on Low settings, but cranking everything to Ultra drops performance to the low 40s. Move to 4K, and the RX 7700’s 16 GB frame buffer becomes a talking point, yet the average frame rates at High and Ultra fall below 35, suggesting that visual fidelity comes at a steep cost. This analysis breaks down exactly what the measured numbers mean for this specific configuration.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo’s overall rank for The Medium among tested configurations?

A: This pair of components sits at rank 1307 out of 2911 tested combos, placing it in the upper-middle portion of the database. The data indicates that while it is not a top-tier setup for this horror title, it outperforms a significant majority of other tested pairings.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-12400 compare to its nearest rivals in general CPU benchmarks?

A: The i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 18683, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs. Its closest competitor, the AMD EPYC 7643, scores 18697, a negligible 0.1% difference. The Intel Core i3-14100F trails by 0.9% with a score of 18519, while the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 leads by 0.7% with 18811.

Q: What is the GPU’s standing relative to its nearest competitors in synthetic tests?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700 averages 15852 in GPU benchmarks, sitting in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon R9 370X, scores 15862, a 0.1% difference. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is 1.7% ahead with 16129, while the AMD Radeon RX 9060 leads by 1% at 16014.

Q: How much VRAM does the RX 7700 have, and what is its memory bandwidth?

A: The card features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. This large frame buffer is particularly relevant for The Medium, a game known for its dual-world rendering that can stress memory capacity at higher resolutions.

Q: What are the CPU’s core and thread counts, and does it support modern memory standards?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400 provides 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, giving builders flexibility in platform choice.

Q: What is the GPU’s boost clock and shading unit count?

A: The Radeon RX 7700 has a boost clock of 2459 MHz and a game clock of 2041 MHz, with 2560 shading units. It also includes 40 ray tracing cores, which is notable for a horror title that uses modern rendering effects.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is the primary driver of frame rates in The Medium, and its specifications explain the measured results. Built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with a Navi 32 chip, this GPU operates at a base clock of 1900 MHz and a boost clock of 2459 MHz. The memory subsystem is particularly robust: 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus delivers 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. For a game like The Medium, which renders two simultaneous worlds in certain sequences, that memory capacity and bandwidth are crucial. The 4K Medium preset averages 48 FPS, while the 4K High preset drops to 34 FPS, indicating that the GPU’s compute resources are the limiting factor at high resolutions, not the frame buffer.

The GPU’s 2560 shading units and 160 texture mapping units provide a theoretical texture fill rate of 393.4 GTexel/s. In practice, this translates to solid performance at 1080p, where the Low preset hits 115 FPS and Medium reaches 72 FPS. However, the Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 41 FPS, which is a 64% reduction from Low. This steep scaling curve suggests that Ultra settings introduce effects that heavily tax the GPU’s pixel processing capabilities, particularly its 96 render output units. The 40 ray tracing cores are present, but the measured data does not isolate ray tracing performance, so their impact remains qualitative.

The GPU’s 25.18 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 25.18 TFLOPS of FP16 (1:1) are substantial numbers for a mid-range card. Yet, the 4K Ultra result of 27 FPS shows that even this level of compute is insufficient for maximum settings at 3840x2160. The card’s 200 W TDP and dual-slot design are standard for this class, and the PCIe 4.0 x16 interface ensures adequate bandwidth for the 16 GB frame buffer. The GPU’s percentile rank of 58 versus all GPUs is modest, but its nearest rivals in synthetic tests—the RX 9060 at 16014 and RTX 3060 Ti at 16129—are all within a narrow 1.7% band, indicating that this card is competitively positioned in raw compute terms.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and AMD Radeon RX 7700 holds rank 1307 out of 2911 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the 55th percentile of all tested pairings, meaning roughly 55% of configurations perform worse in this specific game. The rank is a composite measure, but the measured FPS data reveals where this combo excels and where it falls short. In absolute terms, the combo is not a leaderboard contender; the top configurations likely feature higher-end GPUs with more shading units and faster memory. However, for a mid-range pairing, this rank is respectable, especially considering the CPU’s 72nd percentile standing and the GPU’s 58th percentile.

The rank implies that the CPU is not the bottleneck in most scenarios. The i5-12400’s 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for The Medium’s engine, which is not known for heavy multi-threading. The GPU, meanwhile, is the more likely constraint at higher resolutions. The data supports this: at 1080p Low, the combo hits 115 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 34 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 27 FPS. The rank of 1307 suggests that there are 1306 combos that achieve higher average frame rates, but also 1604 combos that perform worse. This positions the setup as a solid 1080p performer and a passable 1440p option, but not a 4K powerhouse.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in synthetic tests—the AMD EPYC 7643 and Intel Core i7-1355U—are within 0.3% of its average score, yet these are very different processors in terms of core counts and intended use. The i5-12400’s real-world gaming performance is more relevant, and the measured FPS data shows it does not hold back the RX 7700 at lower resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the combo averages 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS, suggesting consistent frame pacing. At 1440p Medium, the average is 61 FPS with a minimum of 51 FPS. These numbers indicate that the CPU can feed the GPU adequately, and the bottleneck shifts to the GPU as resolution increases.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo covers three resolutions and four quality presets, providing a clear picture of performance scaling. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 115 FPS, which is excellent for a horror game that relies on atmosphere rather than twitch reflexes. The Medium preset averages 72 FPS, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS, indicating a playable experience with headroom for dips during intense scenes. High settings reduce the average to 51 FPS, which is still playable but shows a significant 29% drop from Medium. Ultra settings push the average down to 41 FPS, making it the least desirable preset at this resolution for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the performance curve steepens. Low settings average 97 FPS, a 15.6% drop from 1080p Low, showing that the GPU has enough headroom to handle the increased pixel count. Medium averages 61 FPS, with a minimum of 51 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS, which is borderline for a 60 FPS target. High drops to 43 FPS, a 29.5% reduction from Medium, and Ultra falls to 34 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium at 1440p is a 37% penalty, which is substantial. At 3840x2160, the results are more challenging. Low averages 76 FPS, which is surprisingly high and indicates that the RX 7700’s 16 GB frame buffer and bandwidth are sufficient for lower-quality textures and effects. Medium drops to 48 FPS, with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 55 FPS, which is playable but not smooth. High averages 34 FPS, and Ultra averages 27 FPS, both of which are below the threshold for comfortable gameplay.

The data reveals that the Medium preset is the sweet spot across all resolutions. At 1080p, it provides 72 FPS; at 1440p, 61 FPS; and at 4K, 48 FPS. This preset appears to balance the game’s visual demands with the GPU’s capabilities. The Low preset is the only one that consistently exceeds 60 FPS at 4K, but it sacrifices visual fidelity. The Ultra preset, while offering the best visuals, is only viable at 1080p, and even then, the 41 FPS average is below the 60 FPS standard. The High preset sits between Medium and Ultra, but its frame rates at 1440p (43 FPS) and 4K (34 FPS) are not competitive with Medium.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is a clear indicator of where the bottleneck lies in this combo. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 115 FPS at 1080p to 97 FPS at 1440p, a 15.6% reduction, and then to 76 FPS at 4K, a 21.6% reduction from 1440p. This scaling is relatively gradual, suggesting that the GPU has enough compute and memory bandwidth to handle the increased pixel count without a catastrophic collapse. The 16 GB frame buffer likely helps here, as The Medium’s textures and dual-world rendering can consume significant memory at 4K.

At Medium settings, the scaling is steeper. The average drops from 72 FPS at 1080p to 61 FPS at 1440p (a 15.3% reduction) and then to 48 FPS at 4K (a 21.3% reduction from 1440p). This indicates that the GPU’s shading units and ROPs are being taxed more heavily as resolution increases, but the scaling is still manageable. The minimum FPS at 1440p Medium is 51, and at 4K Medium it is 40, showing that the game can dip below the average during demanding scenes, but the overall experience remains playable.

High settings reveal a different story. The average drops from 51 FPS at 1080p to 43 FPS at 1440p (a 15.7% reduction) and then to 34 FPS at 4K (a 20.9% reduction from 1440p). The 4K High result of 34 FPS is a 33% drop from 1080p High, which is expected for a resolution that quadruples the pixel count. However, the absolute numbers are low, indicating that High settings are not ideal for this combo at 1440p or 4K. Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling. The average drops from 41 FPS at 1080p to 34 FPS at 1440p (a 17.1% reduction) and then to 27 FPS at 4K (a 20.6% reduction from 1440p). The 4K Ultra result of 27 FPS is only 66% of the 1080p Ultra result, which is a significant penalty.

The scaling patterns suggest that the CPU is not the limiting factor. The i5-12400’s single-thread performance, as evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2257, is sufficient to keep up with the GPU at lower resolutions. The bottleneck is clearly the GPU’s compute throughput. As resolution increases, the RX 7700’s 2560 shading units and 96 ROPs must process more pixels, and the frame rate drops accordingly. The fact that the FPS reduction from 1080p to 4K is relatively consistent across presets (around 20-33%) indicates that the GPU is scaling predictably with resolution, without any unexpected cliffs or memory-related stutters.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance for this combo. At 1080p, Medium delivers 72 FPS average with a minimum of 61 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. At 1440p, Medium averages 61 FPS with a minimum of 51 FPS, which is acceptable for most players, though the minimum dips below 60 FPS during intense sequences. At 4K, Medium averages 48 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a horror game where smooth camera movement is important. The Medium preset appears to be the highest quality setting that maintains a playable frame rate at all tested resolutions.

For players prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity, the Low preset is the only option that consistently exceeds 60 FPS at 4K, with an average of 76 FPS. At 1080p, Low hits 115 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1440p, Low averages 97 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. However, Low settings significantly reduce the game’s visual impact, which is a key component of the horror experience. The Medium preset is recommended as a middle ground, offering a 37% performance penalty over Low at 1440p but with substantially better textures and effects.

The High preset is not recommended for this combo at any resolution above 1080p, as it drops below 60 FPS at 1440p (43 FPS) and 4K (34 FPS). The Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p, where it averages 41 FPS, but this is below the 60 FPS standard and may cause noticeable stuttering in a game that relies on tension and timing. For a smooth experience, the Medium preset is the clear choice. At 1080p, it provides 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS, ensuring that frame drops are rare. At 1440p, it hits 61 FPS average, which is borderline but acceptable. At 4K, the 48 FPS average is playable, but players may prefer to drop to Low if they want a more consistent experience.

The data also shows that the combo’s rank of 1307 out of 2911 is driven by its performance at Medium settings, which is the most common preset for mid-range hardware. The GPU’s 16 GB of VRAM is a future-proofing advantage, as it ensures that texture quality is not limited by memory capacity at 4K. However, the GPU’s compute power is the limiting factor, and players should adjust their expectations accordingly. For this configuration, the Medium preset at 1440p is the optimal balance, offering 61 FPS average with a minimum of 51 FPS, which is acceptable for a single-player horror title. At 1080p, Medium provides 72 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. At 4K, Medium is playable, but Low is the safer choice for those who prioritize frame rate consistency.