The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title from 2021, presents an interesting stress test for the combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX. The measured data reveals a system that is capable of high frame rates, but the scaling across resolutions and settings indicates that the GPU is the primary driver of performance, with the CPU providing a stable foundation. The benchmark results show a clear hierarchy where the graphics card's immense memory bandwidth and processing power are the deciding factors in how the game feels, particularly at higher visual presets.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve a high refresh rate experience?

A: At 1920x1080, the combo delivers an average of 147.8 FPS on Low settings and 108.8 FPS on Medium, making it the only resolution where the system can comfortably push past the 100 FPS mark on higher presets. The 2560x1440 resolution still offers a very playable 93.8 FPS on Medium, but 4K is best reserved for slower-paced, visual fidelity-focused play.

Q: How significant is the performance drop from Low to Ultra settings at 4K?

A: The data shows a dramatic 62.7% decrease in average frame rate when moving from Low (112 FPS) to Ultra (41.8 FPS) at 3840x2160. This indicates that the Ultra preset is exceptionally demanding, and the GPU is being pushed to its limit.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400 a bottleneck for the RX 7900 XTX in this game?

A: The benchmark results suggest it is not a significant bottleneck. At 1080p, where CPU load is typically highest, the system still achieves 147.8 FPS on Low settings. The CPU’s high single-thread performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2249, appears sufficient to feed the powerful GPU without holding it back in this title.

Q: How does the GPU's performance in this game compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RX 7900 XTX has an average benchmark score of 44019, which places it 0.8% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile and 1.6% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro M6000. It trails the AMD Radeon Pro 580 by 0.4% and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti by 2% in general compute benchmarks, though in-game results will vary.

Q: What is the recommended setting for a balanced visual and performance experience at 2560x1440?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 delivers an average of 93.8 FPS, which is a strong balance. It offers a significant improvement over the High preset's 67.7 FPS while still providing a substantial visual upgrade over the Low preset's 139.3 FPS.

Q: Given the 24 GB of VRAM, are there any memory limitations at 4K?

A: The fact pack shows no explicit VRAM limitations in the measured data. The RX 7900 XTX's 24 GB of GDDR6 memory and 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth are more than sufficient for The Medium, even at the most demanding 4K Ultra settings, which achieved 41.8 FPS.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the undisputed performance leader in this pairing. Its architecture, RDNA 3.0, and substantial resources, including 6144 shading units and 96 RT cores, are the primary drivers of the measured FPS. The GPU’s 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus provides a vast 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is crucial for a game with high-resolution textures and complex scenes. The core clock speeds are also a factor; the GPU operates with a base clock of 1929 MHz and a boost clock of 2498 MHz, with a game clock of 2365 MHz, showing a high sustained performance level.

The data clearly shows the GPU is the scaling factor. At 1080p with Low settings, the system hits 147.8 FPS, but this drops to 61.5 FPS at Ultra settings. This is a 58.4% reduction in performance, a direct result of the increased shading and texture work demanded by the higher preset. At 4K, the GPU is even more heavily taxed, with Ultra settings yielding only 41.8 FPS. The GPU's percentile rank of 85 versus all other GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 44019, confirm its high-end status. The performance difference between Low and Ultra confirms the GPU's workload, and the results suggest that for maximal frame rates, users must be willing to dial back settings that heavily utilize the GPU's compute and memory resources.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the experience. The most balanced experience overall appears to be the Medium preset. At 1920x1080, it delivers an average of 108.8 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. Moving to 2560x1440, the Medium preset still provides a very smooth 93.8 FPS, making it the sweet spot for a high-resolution, high-performance combination.

For users prioritizing frame rate above all else, the Low preset is the clear choice, delivering 147.8 FPS at 1080p and 139.3 FPS at 1440p. However, this comes at the cost of visual fidelity. The High preset offers a middle ground, with 77.8 FPS at 1080p and 67.7 FPS at 1440p, which may be preferable for those with a 60Hz display who want better visuals. The Ultra preset is not recommended for competitive or high-refresh-rate play, as it drops frame rates to 61.5 FPS at 1080p and 53.2 FPS at 1440p. At 4K, the Medium preset is the most viable option for playable performance, yielding 71.2 FPS, while Ultra settings are best avoided as they fall below 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX holds a combo rank of 230 out of 1689 tested combinations for The Medium. This places it in the top 14% of all tested systems, indicating a very strong performance tier. This high ranking is a result of the powerful GPU paired with a capable CPU. The i5-12400's performance is solid, with an average benchmark score of 19850, placing it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-9700, is only 0.1% faster, while the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX is 0.4% slower, showing that the i5-12400 holds its own against a wide range of processors. This pairing's rank suggests that it can handle the vast majority of games, including demanding titles like The Medium, with high frame rates and settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 147.8 FPS at 1920x1080 to 112 FPS at 3840x2160, a 24.2% decrease. The drop is much more pronounced at higher settings. For instance, on Medium settings, the system goes from 108.8 FPS at 1080p to 71.2 FPS at 4K, a 34.6% reduction. This indicates that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, as it must render an exponentially larger number of pixels.

The scaling pattern suggests that the CPU is not a significant constraint. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate at 1080p would be similar to that at 1440p. Instead, we see a consistent drop in FPS as resolution increases, which is a hallmark of GPU limitation. The i5-12400, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, has enough processing power to keep up with the GPU's demands, even at lower resolutions where CPU overhead is higher. The game’s performance is therefore directly tied to the RX 7900 XTX's ability to fill pixels, which is influenced by its clock speeds and memory bandwidth.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a detailed look at performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 147.8 FPS on Low, 108.8 FPS on Medium, 77.8 FPS on High, and 61.5 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 139.3 FPS on Low, 93.8 FPS on Medium, 67.7 FPS on High, and 53.2 FPS on Ultra. At the demanding 3840x2160 resolution, the frame rates are 112 FPS on Low, 71.2 FPS on Medium, 49.4 FPS on High, and 41.8 FPS on Ultra.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the gap between Low and Medium is significant, but the gap between High and Ultra is also large, particularly at higher resolutions. For example, at 1440p, the difference between Medium and High is 26.1 FPS, while the difference between High and Ultra is 14.5 FPS. At 4K, the difference between Medium and High is 21.8 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 7.6 FPS. This suggests that the Ultra preset includes effects that are disproportionately taxing on the GPU, and the gains from High to Ultra are not as substantial as from Medium to High.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 serves as a capable and stable platform for the RX 7900 XTX. While the GPU is the star of the show, the CPU’s role is crucial in ensuring the GPU is fed with data. The processor features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its performance is highlighted by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15935 and a single-core score of 2249. The single-core performance is particularly important for gaming, as many game engines, including those used in horror titles like The Medium, rely heavily on a few main threads.

The benchmark results indicate that the i5-12400 is not a bottleneck in this configuration. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 147.8 FPS, which is a high enough frame rate to suggest the CPU is keeping up. If the CPU were limiting performance, we would expect to see a plateau in FPS across different resolutions. Instead, the FPS scales inversely with resolution, clearly showing the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory also contribute to its ability to maintain smooth frame pacing. The processor's performance is comparable to the Intel Core i7-9700, with a delta of only 0.1%, and it is 0.4% faster than the Intel Core i5-11600K, confirming it is a modern and competitive part that does not detract from the powerful GPU's performance.