The Medium

The Medium presents a demanding fixed-camera horror experience, and the combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and AMD Radeon RX 9060 produces a specific performance profile across resolutions and settings. The data indicates a system that is capable of smooth gameplay, but only when settings are managed carefully relative to the display resolution. This analysis breaks down the measured results, contextualizes them against rival components, and offers guidance based strictly on the provided benchmark figures.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain a 60+ FPS average?

A: The only measured row that achieves a 60+ FPS average is at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which delivers 101 FPS. At 2560x1440 with Low settings, the average drops to 85 FPS, which also exceeds 60 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset perform at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combo produces an average of 36 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS threshold and is only 12 FPS higher than the 4K Ultra result of 24 FPS.

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

A: The measured result at 1920x1080 with Medium settings shows an average of 63 FPS, with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS. This indicates some fluctuation but maintains a playable average.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 18683, which is 0.1% lower than the AMD EPYC 7643's score of 18697. It is also 0.7% slower than the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330, which scores 18811.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9060 falls into the 59th percentile for all GPUs based on its average benchmark score of 16014. This places it slightly below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which has an average score of 16129, a 0.7% difference.

Q: Is there a significant performance gap between Low and Medium settings at 1440p?

A: Yes, the jump from Low to Medium at 2560x1440 results in a substantial drop in average FPS, from 85 FPS down to 53 FPS. This represents a 32 FPS loss for a single preset tier increase.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, providing a solid foundation for gaming workloads. The processor's cache configuration includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 18 MB L3 cache. These specifications, particularly the boost clock and cache size, are relevant for handling the game logic and streaming assets in a title like The Medium.

In terms of raw compute, the CPU's benchmark scores indicate a strong mid-range performer. It achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15989 and a single-core score of 2257. The Geekbench results show a multi-core score of 8564 and a single-core score of 1848. Its average benchmark score of 18683 places it in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs, which is a solid standing. When compared to its nearest rivals, the data shows a tight grouping. The i5-12400 is virtually tied with the AMD EPYC 7643, scoring only 0.1% lower, and is 0.3% behind the Intel Core i7-1355U. It is also 0.7% slower than the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330, but 0.9% faster than the Intel Core i3-14100F.

These figures suggest that the CPU is unlikely to be the primary bottleneck in most gaming scenarios, especially at higher resolutions where the GPU workload increases. The 3DMark results, which show a single-thread score of 910 and a max-thread score of 5890, further illustrate its balanced capability. For The Medium, which is not known for extreme CPU demands, the i5-12400 provides enough headroom to feed the GPU effectively. The data implies that the processor's performance is sufficient to support the frame rates observed, particularly at 1080p and 1440p, where the GPU's limitations will become more apparent as settings increase.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1700 MHz, with a game clock of 2400 MHz and a boost clock of 2990 MHz. These clock speeds, combined with 1792 shading units, give the card a theoretical FP32 performance of 21.43 TFLOPS. The memory configuration and bandwidth are critical factors for texture loading and overall rendering performance in a game with detailed environments.

The GPU's benchmark results place it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 16014. This positioning puts it in direct competition with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which scores 0.7% higher. It also outperforms the AMD Radeon R9 370X and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 by 1% each, and is 2.1% faster than the AMD Radeon Pro W5500. These comparisons indicate that the RX 9060 is a competent mid-range card, but not a high-end performer. Its 8 GB VRAM buffer may be a limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings, though the measured data will clarify its real-world impact.

The GPU's role in The Medium is significant, as the game's visual style and fixed-camera angles require consistent rendering throughput. The measured frame rates show a clear dependency on the GPU's load. At 1080p Low, the GPU is able to produce 101 FPS, but this drops dramatically as settings increase. The performance scaling suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting factor when moving from Low to higher presets. The card's clock speeds and memory bandwidth are sufficient for lower settings, but the increased demand from High and Ultra presets quickly saturates its capabilities, resulting in sub-60 FPS averages at 1080p High and below 40 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo reveals a performance landscape that is heavily influenced by both resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the lowest tested resolution, the combo achieves 101 FPS on Low settings. This is the only configuration that results in a triple-digit average. Moving to Medium settings at 1080p yields an average of 63 FPS, with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS. This preset provides a playable experience, though the minimum frame rate suggests occasional dips. High settings at 1080p drop the average to 45 FPS, and Ultra settings further reduce it to 36 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a clear stepwise degradation, with the largest single drop occurring between Low and Medium.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. Low settings produce an average of 85 FPS, which remains above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings at 1440p average 53 FPS, with a range of 45 to 61 FPS, indicating that the experience is borderline but mostly playable. High settings at 1440p average 38 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 30 FPS. The pattern at 1440p mirrors 1080p, with each preset tier costing a significant number of frames. The gap between Low and Medium at this resolution is 32 FPS, which is the largest single jump in the entire dataset.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates except at the lowest settings. Low settings at 4K average 67 FPS, which is surprisingly high and indicates the GPU can handle 4K when the visual load is minimized. Medium settings at 4K average 42 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS. High settings at 4K average 30 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 24 FPS. The data shows that 4K gaming is only viable with Low settings for this combination. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial across all settings, but the relative scaling is consistent, suggesting a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and AMD Radeon RX 9060 is ranked 1648 out of 2911 tested combinations in The Medium. This places it in the middle of the pack, indicating that it is neither a top-tier nor a bottom-tier performer for this specific game. The rank of 1648 suggests that while the combo is capable of running the game, there are 1263 other configurations that achieve better overall performance in the measured scenarios. This ranking is influenced by the GPU's mid-range standing and the CPU's solid but not exceptional performance.

The CPU's 72nd percentile ranking among all processors is notably higher than the GPU's 59th percentile ranking. This disparity suggests that the GPU is more likely to be the limiting factor in this combo's overall performance. The CPU is capable of keeping up with more powerful GPUs, but the RX 9060's performance ceiling constrains the system. The data supports this interpretation, as the frame rates scale consistently with settings and resolution, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. The combo's rank of 1648 reflects this balance, where the CPU provides enough support to avoid being a bottleneck, but the GPU's capabilities define the system's overall performance tier.

Comparatively, the GPU's nearest rivals are all within a 2.1% performance range, which means that swapping the RX 9060 for a similar card would likely result in a negligible change in frame rates. The CPU's rivals are also tightly grouped, with a maximum delta of 0.9%. This indicates that the combo's ranking is representative of a stable hardware pairing, where neither component is drastically out of sync with the other. The middle-of-the-road rank is a direct result of the GPU's 59th percentile standing, which is the weaker link in this pairing.

Settings Recommendations

Based strictly on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and the desired frame rate. For a standard 60 FPS target, the only viable preset is Low settings at 1080p, which achieves 101 FPS, or Low settings at 1440p, which achieves 85 FPS. These are the only configurations that comfortably exceed 60 FPS. For players who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, Medium settings at 1080p offers an average of 63 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target, but the minimum of 53 FPS indicates potential stuttering. This preset is a reasonable compromise for those who want better visuals without dropping below a playable average.

At 1440p, Medium settings average 53 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target but may be acceptable for some players. However, the data suggests that for a smoother experience, Low settings at 1440p is the better choice, as it provides a 32 FPS average advantage over Medium. High settings at any resolution fail to reach 60 FPS, with the best High result being 45 FPS at 1080p. Ultra settings are the least favorable, with the highest average being 36 FPS at 1080p. Given the data, the recommended configuration for a balance of performance and quality is Low settings at 1440p, as it provides the highest average FPS above 60 while offering a higher resolution than 1080p.

For players with a 4K display, the only playable option is Low settings, which averages 67 FPS. Any higher preset at 4K results in an average below 45 FPS, which is likely to be a subpar experience. The data clearly shows that the RX 9060 is not suited for high-fidelity 4K gaming in The Medium. Therefore, the settings recommendation is to use Low settings for 1440p or 4K gaming, or Medium settings for 1080p if a higher visual quality is desired and the player can tolerate frame rate dips.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a significant performance penalty, highlighting the GPU as the primary limiting component. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 101 at 1080p to 85 at 1440p, a 16 FPS decrease, and then to 67 at 4K, an additional 18 FPS decrease. This represents a 34% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, but the trend is consistent. At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 63 at 1080p to 53 at 1440p, and then to 42 at 4K. This is a 33% reduction from 1080p to 4K, similar to the Low setting scaling.

The data for High and Ultra settings shows a similar pattern, though the absolute frame rates are lower. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 45 at 1080p to 38 at 1440p and 30 at 4K, a 33% drop. At Ultra settings, the average FPS goes from 36 at 1080p to 30 at 1440p and 24 at 4K, also a 33% drop. The consistency of this scaling percentage across all settings is telling. It indicates that the performance loss is primarily due to the increased pixel count, which places a proportional load on the GPU's rendering pipeline.

This uniform scaling behavior is a clear indicator that the GPU is the bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a smaller performance difference between 1080p and 4K, as the CPU workload does not increase with resolution. The fact that the frame rate drops by a consistent percentage regardless of settings suggests that the RX 9060's fill rate and memory bandwidth are being taxed equally across all presets when the resolution increases. The 8 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K data shows that the card is nearing its limits, especially at higher settings. The data strongly supports the conclusion that the GPU is the limiting component in this pairing for The Medium.