The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title, and the data for the Intel Core i5-12400 + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 combination paints a clear picture of a system that is heavily constrained by its graphics card. The benchmark results show a consistent and steep decline in performance as resolution increases, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU, a 6-core, 12-thread Alder Lake part with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz and an 18 MB L3 cache, has more than enough headroom for this game; it is the 4 GB GTX 1650 that determines the playable limits.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a brutal scaling curve that leaves no doubt about the limiting component. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 44.6 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same Low preset drops the average to 39.2 FPS, a relatively modest decline of about 12%. But the real collapse happens at 4K, where the average falls to 32 FPS. This pattern is consistent across all settings. For example, at Medium settings, the average goes from 29.8 FPS at 1080p, to 22 FPS at 1440p, and then down to 16.7 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is substantial, but the jump to 4K is catastrophic.

This behavior is a textbook example of a GPU bottleneck. The GTX 1650, with its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus and 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth, simply runs out of pixel throughput and memory bandwidth as the pixel count increases. The CPU’s performance is not the issue; the i5-12400 is more than capable of feeding the GPU at these lower resolutions. The data indicates that the frame rate at 4K is almost entirely dependent on the graphics card’s fill rate and memory subsystem, not the processor's compute power. When you see a 4K High average of 11.1 FPS and a 4K Ultra average of 8.8 FPS, it is clear that the GPU is being overwhelmed by the sheer number of pixels it must process. The game is essentially unplayable at 4K with this hardware, regardless of the settings used.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the only viable path to a smooth experience is to prioritize resolution over visual fidelity. The sweet spot for this combo is clearly 1080p with Low settings, which produces an average of 44.6 FPS. This is the only configuration in the entire dataset that approaches a playable 60 FPS target. Dropping to 1440p Low yields 39.2 FPS, which is still on the edge of playability for a horror title where frame pacing is critical for atmosphere. The high preset at 1080p yields a 19.5 FPS average, which is a slideshow and should be avoided.

The data shows a stark divide between Low and Medium settings. At 1080p, switching from Low to Medium costs 14.8 FPS, bringing the average down to 29.8 FPS. This is a significant hit for what is typically a modest visual upgrade. The GTX 1650’s 4 GB VRAM buffer is likely the culprit, as Medium presets in modern games often exceed that capacity, causing texture swapping and stutter. For this specific combo, the recommendation is to accept the visual compromises of the Low preset at 1080p to maintain a consistent frame rate. Pushing to Ultra is a non-starter, as even at 1080p it only manages a 17.5 FPS average. The data strongly suggests that the user should treat this as a 1080p Low settings machine for The Medium.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run The Medium at 4K?

A: Technically, yes, but not at a playable level. The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 32 FPS on Low settings. On High settings, it drops to 11.1 FPS, and on Ultra it falls to 8.8 FPS. The data indicates that 4K is not a viable resolution for this hardware.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU pairing?

A: The benchmark data clearly shows 1920x1080 is the only reasonable choice. At Low settings, it achieves a 44.6 FPS average, which is significantly higher than the 39.2 FPS seen at 2560x1440 with the same settings. The frame rate at 1440p and 4K is too low for a consistent experience.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400 holding back the GTX 1650 in this game?

A: No. The data shows that performance scales inversely with resolution, which is the hallmark of a GPU bottleneck. The i5-12400 is a capable 6-core processor with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz and its benchmark scores place it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. The limiting factor is the GTX 1650's 4 GB memory and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: The difference is substantial. The average FPS at 1080p Low is 44.6 FPS, while at 1080p Ultra it is only 17.5 FPS. This represents a drop of 27.1 FPS when moving from the lowest to the highest preset, showing that the GPU cannot handle the increased load of higher presets.

Q: What does the combo's rank among tested systems tell us?

A: This combo ranks 1635 out of 1689 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 3% of all systems in the database for this game. This indicates that the GTX 1650 is a severe limiting factor, as most other tested configurations will outperform it.

Q: Is the GTX 1650's VRAM a problem for this game?

A: The data suggests yes. The 4 GB frame buffer is likely insufficient for Medium and High presets, as the performance drops are disproportionately large compared to the visual setting changes. The 128-bit memory bus and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth also restrict texture streaming at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The data places this combination at rank 1635 out of 1689 tested combos for The Medium. This puts it in the bottom 3% of all systems in the database, a position that reflects the GPU’s limitations rather than the CPU’s capabilities. The i5-12400 itself is a strong performer, with an average benchmark score of 19850 and a percentile rank of 77 against all CPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-9700 and Intel Core i5-11600K, have nearly identical average scores, with deltas of 0.1% and 0.4% respectively. This shows the CPU is far from being a weak link.

The problem is the GTX 1650. The GPU has an average benchmark score of 8713 and sits in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile and the AMD Radeon 550X, with performance deltas of -0.4% and -0.4% respectively. This places the GPU in the lower-middle tier of graphics hardware. When you combine a top-tier CPU with a low-tier GPU, the result is a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound. The rank of 1635 out of 1689 is a direct consequence of this imbalance. The CPU is effectively sitting idle while the GPU struggles to render frames, making the overall system performance comparable to much weaker processors paired with similar graphics cards.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 plays the decisive role in this system’s performance in The Medium. It is a Turing-architecture part on a 12 nm process, with a base clock of 1485 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz. The GPU has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory running at 2001 MHz (8 Gbps effective) on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s. These specifications are modest by modern standards, and the benchmark data shows they are insufficient for this game at higher settings.

The GPU's memory capacity and bandwidth are the primary bottlenecks. At 1080p Low, the game runs at 44.6 FPS, but at 1080p High, it drops to 19.5 FPS. This 25.1 FPS difference is not just about shader complexity; it is about the 4 GB VRAM buffer being exceeded. When the game needs to stream in more textures at High settings, the GPU must swap data in and out of its limited memory, causing a severe performance penalty. The same is true for resolution scaling. At 4K Low, the GPU is still managing 32 FPS, but at 4K Medium it falls to 16.7 FPS because the memory bus is saturated. The 128.1 GB/s bandwidth is simply not enough to feed the framebuffer at that resolution. The GTX 1650 is a capable card for older or less demanding titles, but the data shows that The Medium is beyond its comfort zone, requiring significant settings reductions to achieve a stable frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset for this combo is as follows:

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 32.0 FPS average
• Medium: 16.7 FPS average
• High: 11.1 FPS average
• Ultra: 8.8 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 39.2 FPS average
• Medium: 22.0 FPS average
• High: 14.3 FPS average
• Ultra: 11.0 FPS average

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 44.6 FPS average
• Medium: 29.8 FPS average
• High: 19.5 FPS average
• Ultra: 17.5 FPS average

The data reveals a consistent hierarchy. The Low preset is the only one that stays above 30 FPS at any resolution, and it drops below that threshold only at 4K. The Medium preset is playable only at 1080p, where it hits 29.8 FPS, but this is still below the 30 FPS line. High and Ultra presets are unplayable at all resolutions, with even the best case (1080p High) only reaching 19.5 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a clear pattern: the frame rate is roughly cut in half when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and then cut in half again when moving to 4K. This linear degradation is characteristic of a GPU that is fully saturated at all times, with no spare headroom to absorb the increased pixel load. The i5-12400 is never the bottleneck; the data points directly to the GTX 1650 as the sole arbiter of performance.