The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title built around deliberate pacing and atmospheric tension, presents a demanding workload on the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER combination. The measured data reveals a system that is consistently bound by the graphics card, yet the CPU provides a stable enough foundation to avoid introducing major frame-pacing issues. The results show a clear hierarchy where resolution and settings scale predictably, but the experience quality varies dramatically depending on the target display.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression across the three tested resolutions is steep and consistent, indicating a GPU-bound scenario at all settings. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 70 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops performance by 15.7% to 59 FPS, and at 4K Low it falls further to 47 FPS, a 32.9% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This pattern of diminishing returns as pixel count increases is classic evidence that the GTX 1660 SUPER's fillrate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints.

The scaling becomes more pronounced at higher settings. At Medium quality, the average frame rate goes from 44 FPS at 1080p to 37 FPS at 1440p, then down to 29 FPS at 4K. The 4K Medium result shows a minimum of 25 FPS and a maximum of 33 FPS, showing that even the frame variance is compressed in a narrow band, which suggests the GPU is working at full capacity. The step from 1440p to 4K at Medium incurs a 21.6% performance penalty, which is smaller than the 33.3% penalty seen when moving from 1080p to 1440p, hinting that the game's rendering load at 4K is pushing the GPU into a state where further resolution increases yield less relative impact.

Ultra settings produce the most dramatic scaling. The combo delivers 25 FPS at 1080p, 21 FPS at 1440p, and 17 FPS at 4K. The delta between 1080p and 4K Ultra is 32%, which is nearly identical to the Low settings delta of 32.9%. This consistency suggests that the relative cost of resolution is independent of the quality preset, and the limiting component remains the GPU across all configurations. The data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where the combo can approach playable frame rates, with 1440p and 4K reserved for lower fidelity presets.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 provides six cores and twelve threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark results show a single-thread score of 910 in 3DMark and 2257 in Cinebench R23, while multi-threaded scores reach 5890 in 3DMark and 15989 in Cinebench R23. These figures place the CPU in the 72nd percentile against all processors, with an average benchmark score of 18683.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU. The fact that frame rates scale so heavily with resolution and settings indicates that the i5-12400 is not the bottleneck at any measured point. The game's fixed-camera angles and linear level design likely do not require extensive physics or AI simulation, which would tax the CPU more heavily. The high single-thread performance of the i5-12400, evidenced by its 3456 Passmark single-thread score, ensures that the game's main thread can feed the GPU without stalling.

The nearest rivals to the i5-12400 in overall CPU benchmarks include the AMD EPYC 7643 (0.1% slower), the Intel Core i7-1355U (0.3% slower), and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 (0.7% slower). The data shows that the i5-12400 sits in a competitive position, with only a 0.9% advantage over the Intel Core i3-14100F. This suggests that while the CPU is not the limiting factor in this game, its performance headroom is substantial enough to avoid holding back the GTX 1660 SUPER even at low resolutions where the GPU has less work to do.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play The Medium with this hardware?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo achieves consistently playable frame rates. At 1080p Low, the average is 70 FPS, and even at 1080p High, the average is 32 FPS. 1440p and 4K results are below 60 FPS across all settings, with 4K Ultra dropping to 17 FPS.

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

A: The difference is substantial. At 1080p, Low settings produce 70 FPS average, while Ultra settings produce 25 FPS average. This represents a 64.3% reduction in frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest quality preset.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any point in this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate no CPU bottleneck. Frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings, which is the signature of a GPU-bound workload. The i5-12400's multi-threaded performance (15989 in Cinebench R23) is far above what is needed for this title.

Q: Is the GTX 1660 SUPER more similar to the RX 580 or the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile?

A: According to the nearest rival data, the GTX 1660 SUPER's average benchmark score of 12986 places it 0.4% ahead of both the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (12940) and the AMD Radeon RX 580 (12928). The delta between all three is effectively negligible.

Q: What kind of frame rate stability can be expected at 1440p Medium?

A: The measured data shows an average of 37 FPS at 1440p Medium, with a minimum of 32 FPS and a maximum of 43 FPS. This means the frame time variance is roughly 30% of the average, which could be noticeable in a horror game with slow camera pans.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for The Medium?

A: This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 3179 out of 3724 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 15% of all configurations. This reflects the GPU's mid-range positioning rather than the CPU's capability.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear path for optimizing the experience. For a 1080p display, the Low preset delivers an average of 70 FPS, which is smooth and well above the 60 FPS threshold. However, the Medium preset at 1080p offers a better visual quality with an average of 44 FPS, a minimum of 37 FPS, and a maximum of 51 FPS. This is the recommended balance for most users, as it maintains playable frame rates while improving lighting and texture detail over Low.

For those with 1440p monitors, the Low preset is the only viable option, producing 59 FPS average. The Medium preset at 1440p drops to 37 FPS, which is borderline for a horror game where smooth camera movement matters. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p are not recommended, as they produce 27 FPS and 21 FPS respectively, which are too low for comfortable play.

At 4K, the data strongly suggests avoiding this resolution entirely. Even the Low preset only achieves 47 FPS average, and the Medium preset falls to 29 FPS with a minimum of 25 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K produces 17 FPS, which is a slideshow. Users with 4K displays should either run the game at 1080p with Medium settings or accept the Low preset at native resolution.

The measured data shows that the High preset provides no meaningful benefit over Medium at any resolution. At 1080p, High yields 32 FPS versus Medium's 44 FPS, a 27.3% penalty for marginal visual gains. The optimal configuration is 1080p Medium for a balance of fidelity and performance, or 1080p Low for maximum smoothness.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 3179 out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium. This places the system in the 14.6th percentile of all configurations, meaning roughly 85% of tested combos perform better. This ranking reflects the GPU's position in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU sits in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs.

The disparity between the CPU and GPU percentiles suggests that the i5-12400 is not the limiting factor in this ranking. The GTX 1660 SUPER's average benchmark score of 12986 is only 0.4% higher than the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile and the RX 580, which indicates that this graphics card is at the lower end of the performance curve for modern games. The CPU, by contrast, is 0.1% slower than the AMD EPYC 7643 and 0.7% slower than the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330, placing it in a much stronger competitive position.

The fact that the combo ranks in the bottom 15% for this game while the CPU ranks in the top 28% of all processors reinforces the conclusion that the GPU is the bottleneck. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings align with what would be expected from a GTX 1660 SUPER paired with a capable mid-range CPU. Upgrading the GPU would yield significant improvements, while upgrading the CPU would provide little to no benefit in this specific title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured data shows a clear progression across settings. Low settings produce an average of 70 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this combo. Medium settings drop to 44 FPS average, with a minimum of 37 FPS and a maximum of 51 FPS. High settings yield 32 FPS average, and Ultra settings produce 25 FPS average. The step from Low to Medium is a 37.1% reduction, while the step from Medium to High is a 27.3% reduction, and High to Ultra is a 21.9% reduction.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops across the board. Low settings average 59 FPS, which is the only 1440p result above 40 FPS. Medium settings average 37 FPS, with a minimum of 32 FPS and a maximum of 43 FPS. High settings produce 27 FPS average, and Ultra settings yield 21 FPS average. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is a 15.7% reduction, while at Medium settings it is a 15.9% reduction, and at High settings it is a 15.6% reduction.

At 3840x2160, the results are uniformly low. Low settings average 47 FPS, which is the only 4K result above 30 FPS. Medium settings average 29 FPS, with a minimum of 25 FPS and a maximum of 33 FPS. High settings produce 21 FPS average, and Ultra settings yield 17 FPS average. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Low settings is a 20.3% reduction, while at Medium settings it is a 21.6% reduction, and at High settings it is a 22.2% reduction.

The minimum and maximum frame rates are only provided for the Medium settings at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the range is 37 to 51 FPS, a spread of 14 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is 32 to 43 FPS, a spread of 11 FPS. At 4K Medium, the range is 25 to 33 FPS, a spread of 8 FPS. This narrowing range at higher resolutions further confirms the GPU's workload saturation.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with a TU116 chip manufactured on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It contains 6,600 million transistors on a 284 mm² die, with 1408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 48 render output units. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1530 MHz and a boost clock of 1785 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) across a 192-bit bus for a total bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. The 6 GB of GDDR6 memory is a significant factor in this game's performance.

The GPU's benchmark results show a Passmark G3D score of 12699 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 52490. These scores place the GPU in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 12986. The nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (0.4% slower), the AMD Radeon RX 580 (0.4% slower), and the AMD Radeon 740M (0.9% faster). This positioning confirms that the GTX 1660 SUPER is a solid mid-range card from its generation.

The measured FPS data in The Medium clearly shows the GPU's limitations. The fact that even at 1080p Low, the combo only achieves 70 FPS, while CPU benchmarks suggest the i5-12400 could handle much higher frame rates, points directly at the GPU as the bottleneck. The 336.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 6 GB VRAM capacity are likely strained by the game's dual-world rendering mechanic, which requires simultaneous scene processing. The 48 ROPs are also a limiting factor, as evidenced by the steep resolution scaling.

The GPU's 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 157.1 GTexel/s texture rate are modest by modern standards, and the data shows that Ultra settings at any resolution are not viable with this card. The 4K Ultra result of 17 FPS, in particular, demonstrates that the GPU is completely overwhelmed by the combination of high pixel count and maximum quality settings. The GTX 1660 SUPER is best suited for 1080p gaming with Medium to Low presets, which aligns with the measured data showing 44 FPS at 1080p Medium and 70 FPS at 1080p Low.