The Medium

The Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination ranks 606th out of 3,724 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the top 16% of all systems. This is a strong position for a horror title that demands both raw GPU throughput and consistent frame pacing, though the data reveals that the RTX 4070 SUPER does most of the heavy lifting. The ranking reflects a system that can handle the game’s fixed-camera cinematic scenes with ease but struggles to maintain high refresh rates at maximum settings, making it a practical choice for 1440p gaming rather than an absolute 4K powerhouse.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s 606th place out of 3,724 tested configurations puts it comfortably in the upper tier of systems for The Medium. That percentile ranking of roughly 84% means this pairing outperforms the vast majority of setups, including many with older flagship GPUs or newer budget CPUs. The i5-12400 itself sits at the 72nd percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 4070 SUPER reaches the 83rd percentile among all GPUs, so the combo’s in-game rank aligns closely with the GPU’s standalone standing—a clear sign that the graphics card is the primary driver of performance here.

Compared to the CPU’s nearest rivals, the i5-12400’s average benchmark score of 18,683 is nearly identical to the AMD EPYC 7643 (18,697, -0.1%), the Intel Core i7-1355U (18,730, -0.3%), and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 (18,811, -0.7%). It also edges out the Intel Core i3-14100F (18,519, +0.9%). These deltas are negligible, meaning the CPU is not a bottleneck in this game; any of these processors would deliver similar frame rates. The GPU tells a different story: the RTX 4070 SUPER’s average benchmark score of 43,223 is within 1% of the Quadro M6000 24 GB (43,262), RTX 5050 Mobile (43,268), and Quadro M6000 (43,301), but trails the RTX 4090 Mobile (43,667, -1%). This tight grouping suggests the 4070 SUPER is well-matched to its class, and in The Medium specifically, it consistently delivers playable performance across most settings.

The game’s measured FPS data reinforces this ranking. At 1080p Medium, the combo hits 104 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. At 1440p High, it drops to 63 FPS, still playable but closer to the edge. The 4K Ultra result of 39 FPS is the only sub-40 average, which explains why the overall rank isn’t higher—this isn’t a 4K max-settings machine. For a horror game where atmosphere matters more than twitch reflexes, the ranking is more than adequate, but it signals that users should prioritize resolution over ultra presets.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070 SUPER is the star of this pairing, and its specifications explain why it leads the combo’s performance. It packs 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. That memory capacity is crucial for The Medium, which uses dual-reality rendering (showing two worlds simultaneously in certain scenes), a feature that can consume VRAM quickly. The 12 GB allocation ensures that even at 4K Medium, where the measured 69 FPS average was recorded, the GPU isn’t spilling over into system memory, which would cause stutters.

Clock speeds are equally important. The GPU boosts to 2475 MHz, and with 7,168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units, it has the raw compute to handle the game’s volumetric lighting and particle effects. The 56 ray tracing cores are present but unused in this title, as The Medium relies on pre-baked lighting rather than real-time RT, so the 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is what matters most. That compute power translates directly to the measured FPS: at 1080p Low, the combo hits 145 FPS, showing the GPU is far from maxed out at lower settings. At 4K Ultra, the 39 FPS average indicates the GPU is fully saturated, with the i5-12400’s 6 cores and 12 threads (boost clock up to 4.40 GHz) providing enough headroom to avoid CPU bottlenecks.

The GPU’s power draw of 220 W and suggested 550 W PSU are reasonable for a mid-range build, and the dual-slot cooler with a 16-pin connector fits most ATX cases. The 504.2 GB/s bandwidth is particularly relevant for The Medium’s streaming of high-resolution textures, as the game’s fixed camera angles often load entire scenes into VRAM at once. In practice, this means the 4070 SUPER can maintain its 69 FPS average at 4K Medium without dipping below 59 FPS (the minimum recorded), which is a narrow but acceptable margin.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern: performance scales predictably with resolution, but the drop from 1080p to 4K is steeper at higher settings. At Low settings, the combo delivers 145 FPS at 1080p, 137 FPS at 1440p (a 5.5% drop), and 110 FPS at 4K (a 24% drop from 1080p). This modest scaling indicates the GPU is not the limiting factor at low settings—the CPU or game engine is capping performance, likely due to the i5-12400’s single-thread performance (3dmark single-thread score of 910).

At Medium settings, the pattern shifts. The 1080p average is 104 FPS, dropping to 88 FPS at 1440p (15% lower) and 69 FPS at 4K (34% lower). The minimum FPS at Medium settings also degrades: 88 at 1080p, 75 at 1440p, and 59 at 4K. This shows the GPU beginning to take over as the bottleneck, with the 4K minimum of 59 FPS barely staying above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play. At High settings, the scaling becomes more pronounced: 75 FPS at 1080p, 63 FPS at 1440p (16% drop), and 49 FPS at 4K (35% drop). The 4K High result falls below 60 FPS, making it borderline for fast-paced scenes.

Ultra settings expose the GPU’s limits. The 1080p Ultra average is 59 FPS, dropping to 50 FPS at 1440p (15% lower) and 39 FPS at 4K (34% lower). This consistent ~15% drop from 1080p to 1440p and ~34% drop from 1080p to 4K across Medium, High, and Ultra indicates the RTX 4070 SUPER is the limiting component at these settings. The i5-12400, with its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15,989, is not holding the GPU back; if it were, the scaling would flatten out at higher resolutions. Instead, the GPU’s memory bandwidth and compute are the constraints, which is expected for a 4K Ultra workload on a mid-range card.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the Medium preset at 1440p offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The 88 FPS average with a 75 FPS minimum is well above the 60 FPS target, and the jump from Low (137 FPS) to Medium (88 FPS) is worth the visual uplift for a horror game where shadows and textures matter. At 1080p, Medium also shines at 104 FPS average, making it the highest settings that still clear 100 FPS. For users with a 144Hz monitor, High at 1080p (75 FPS) is a viable alternative, but Medium provides a smoother experience with less frame time variance.

At 4K, the data suggests sticking to Medium. The 69 FPS average with a 59 FPS minimum is just playable, but the 4K High result of 49 FPS (no minimum recorded) is too close to the edge for comfort, especially during the game’s chase sequences. Ultra is not recommended at any resolution: 59 FPS at 1080p is marginal, and 39 FPS at 4K is a slideshow. The performance gap between Medium and Ultra is substantial—35 FPS at 4K (69 vs 39)—and the visual difference in The Medium’s static camera scenes is unlikely to justify the frame rate loss.

For most users, the sweet spot is 1440p Medium. It delivers 88 FPS average, which is 46% faster than High at the same resolution (63 FPS) and nearly 2.3x faster than Ultra (50 FPS). The minimum of 75 FPS ensures no dips below 60, which is critical for a game with sudden horror scares that require responsive camera movement. If you have a 1080p monitor, Medium is still the best choice, as it offers 104 FPS average—only 41 FPS less than Low but with significantly better shadows and texture filtering.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 145 FPS average, Medium hits 104 FPS (minimum 88, maximum 120), High drops to 75 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 59 FPS. The Medium setting’s minimum of 88 FPS is particularly strong, showing that the GPU can sustain high frame rates without stuttering, even in the game’s dual-world rendering sequences.

At 2560x1440, performance remains solid but steps down. Low settings yield 137 FPS, Medium averages 88 FPS (minimum 75, maximum 101), High falls to 63 FPS, and Ultra reaches just 50 FPS. The Medium minimum of 75 FPS is still above the 60 FPS threshold, but High’s 63 FPS average has no minimum recorded, meaning it could dip below 60 in intense scenes. The gap between Medium and High is 25 FPS, which is larger than the 19 FPS gap between Low and Medium, suggesting diminishing returns as settings increase.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s limits become apparent. Low settings still manage 110 FPS, but Medium drops to 69 FPS (minimum 59, maximum 79), High falls to 49 FPS, and Ultra struggles to 39 FPS. The Medium minimum of 59 FPS is just below the 60 FPS target, making it a borderline choice for 4K gaming. The scaling from Low to Medium at 4K is a 41 FPS drop, which is the steepest single-setting transition in the entire dataset, highlighting how the game’s higher-quality textures and shadows tax the 12 GB VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth.

FAQ

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

A: Only at Medium settings, where it averages 69 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS. High and Ultra at 4K produce 49 FPS and 39 FPS respectively, which are below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 60 FPS experience at 1440p?

A: Medium settings at 1440p deliver 88 FPS average with a 75 FPS minimum, comfortably exceeding 60 FPS. High at 1440p drops to 63 FPS, which is close to the threshold and may dip below in demanding scenes.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting component at Medium, High, and Ultra settings, as evidenced by the consistent ~15% FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p and ~34% drop to 4K. The i5-12400’s benchmark scores are within 1% of its rivals, indicating it is not holding back the RTX 4070 SUPER.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: Its average benchmark score of 43,223 is within 0.2% of the Quadro M6000 24 GB (43,262), RTX 5050 Mobile (43,268), and Quadro M6000 (43,301), but 1% behind the RTX 4090 Mobile (43,667). In practice, this means performance is consistent with its class.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM cause issues at 4K?

A: No, the data shows no VRAM-related stutters. At 4K Medium, the minimum FPS is 59, and at 4K Low, it averages 110 FPS. The 12 GB capacity is sufficient for this game’s dual-reality rendering, even at 4K.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The combo averages 59 FPS at 1080p Ultra, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold. For a smoother experience, Medium at 104 FPS or High at 75 FPS are better options, offering higher frame rates with only a modest visual compromise.