The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title released on 2021-01-27, presents a unique workload that stresses both GPU and CPU in ways that differ from typical action games. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, using only the provided benchmark data. The combination ranks 327 out of 3,724 tested combos in this game, placing it in the top 8.8 percent of all tested systems. The data shows a platform that delivers excellent frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K Ultra settings push the RTX 4080 to its limits. The following sections break down the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, then explore what these numbers reveal about the roles of the CPU and GPU in this specific title.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall rank of this CPU and GPU combination in The Medium?

A: The combo ranks 327 out of 3,724 tested combinations, which places it in the top 8.8 percent of all systems tested for this game.

Q: What is the best average FPS achieved at 1080p with this combo?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 145 FPS, which is the highest measured average across all tested settings and resolutions.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54,247, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54,209, a delta of 0.1 percent. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54,828, which is 1.1 percent higher.

Q: What is the largest FPS drop when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 86 at 1920x1080 to 57 at 3840x2160, a reduction of 29 FPS, or approximately 33.7 percent.

Q: What is the only resolution and setting combination that fails to reach 60 FPS on average?

A: The 3840x2160 Ultra preset produces an average of 45 FPS, which is the only measured configuration below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What are the core and thread counts of the Intel Core i5-12400?

A: The processor has 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark database places this exact combination of Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 at rank 327 out of 3,724 tested combos in The Medium. This percentile placement indicates that the system sits comfortably in the upper tier of tested hardware, though it is not at the absolute top. The rank reflects the interplay between the CPU's 72nd percentile standing among all processors and the GPU's 86th percentile among all graphics cards. The CPU's average benchmark score of 18,683 puts it in a tight cluster with its nearest rivals: the AMD EPYC 7643 scores 18,697 (0.1 percent higher), the Intel Core i7-1355U scores 18,730 (0.3 percent higher), and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 scores 18,811 (0.7 percent higher). The Intel Core i3-14100F trails slightly at 18,519, which is 0.9 percent lower than the i5-12400.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 54,247 places it in a similarly close grouping. The RTX 4080 SUPER is virtually identical at 54,209, with a delta of only 0.1 percent. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54,828, which is 1.1 percent higher, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB and AMD Radeon 8060S score 55,698 and 55,757 respectively, representing 2.6 and 2.7 percent advantages. These margins are small enough that in-game performance differences would be minimal in most scenarios.

The rank of 327 out of 3,724 means that roughly 91.2 percent of tested systems perform worse than this combo in The Medium. This is a strong showing, but the data suggests that the limiting factor at higher resolutions is the GPU, not the CPU. The i5-12400's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to feed the RTX 4080 at lower resolutions, but the GPU's raw power at 4K Ultra settings is insufficient to maintain high frame rates in this title. The rank reflects a balanced system that excels at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K Ultra result drags the overall standing down from what the GPU's synthetic benchmarks might suggest.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of how performance scales across the three tested resolutions. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 145 at 1920x1080 to 137 at 2560x1440 to 126 at 3840x2160. This represents a drop of 8 FPS (5.5 percent) from 1080p to 1440p, and a further drop of 11 FPS (8.0 percent) from 1440p to 4K. The total reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 19 FPS, or 13.1 percent. This relatively modest scaling suggests that at Low settings, the system is not fully GPU-bound at 1080p, and the CPU has headroom to spare.

At Medium settings, the scaling becomes more pronounced. The average FPS drops from 120 at 1080p to 101 at 1440p to 79 at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 19 FPS (15.8 percent), while the 1440p to 4K drop is 22 FPS (21.8 percent). The total reduction from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings is 41 FPS, or 34.2 percent. The increasing percentage drops as resolution rises indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck.

High settings show an even steeper scaling curve. From 86 FPS at 1080p, the average falls to 72 at 1440p (a 16.3 percent drop) and then to 57 at 4K (a 20.8 percent drop from 1440p). The total 1080p to 4K reduction is 29 FPS, or 33.7 percent. At Ultra settings, the pattern continues: 68 FPS at 1080p, 57 at 1440p (16.2 percent drop), and 45 at 4K (21.1 percent drop from 1440p). The total Ultra reduction from 1080p to 4K is 23 FPS, or 33.8 percent.

The data shows that the GPU's workload scales nearly linearly with pixel count, but the percentage drops grow slightly larger at higher settings. This suggests that the RTX 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient even at 4K, but the raw compute power of the AD103 chip is taxed heavily by The Medium's rendering demands at Ultra settings. The CPU does not appear to be a limiting factor at any resolution, as the frame rate drops align with what would be expected from pure GPU scaling.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. The Low preset produces an average of 145 FPS, which is the highest measured average in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield 120 FPS with a minimum of 102 and a maximum of 138, indicating good frame pacing with no severe dips. High settings drop to 86 FPS on average, while Ultra settings produce 68 FPS. All four presets at 1080p remain above 60 FPS, with even the most demanding Ultra preset maintaining a comfortable margin.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected reduction. Low settings average 137 FPS, which is still an excellent result for a 1440p display. Medium settings average 101 FPS with a minimum of 86 and a maximum of 116, keeping the experience smooth. High settings drop to 72 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 57 FPS. The Ultra result at 1440p is notable because it is the first measured configuration to dip below the 60 FPS threshold, though the average of 57 FPS is still playable for a horror game where precise timing is less critical.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limits become apparent. Low settings average 126 FPS, which is surprisingly high for 4K and indicates that the RTX 4080 has substantial headroom when not burdened by advanced effects. Medium settings average 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 and a maximum of 91, providing a playable experience with some headroom above 60 FPS. High settings drop to 57 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target but still within a tolerable range. Ultra settings produce 45 FPS on average, which is the lowest measured result and falls short of smooth gameplay standards.

The minimum and maximum FPS data is only provided for Medium settings across all three resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 102 to 138, a spread of 36 FPS. At 1440p, the range narrows slightly to 86 to 116, a spread of 30 FPS. At 4K, the range is 67 to 91, a spread of 24 FPS. The tightening of the frame time variance at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is more consistently loaded at 4K, whereas at 1080p, the CPU may occasionally cause brief hiccups that widen the range.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC, with a chip designated AD103. It contains 45,900 million transistors on a die size of 379 mm², giving a transistor density of 121.1 million per mm². The GPU operates at a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz, with memory running at 1400 MHz or 22.4 Gbps effective. The 16 GB of GDDR6X memory is connected via a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s.

The GPU has 9,728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units. It also features 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores, which are relevant to The Medium's use of ray-traced effects and potentially DLSS, though the measured data does not specify which features are enabled. The pixel rate is 280.6 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 761.5 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute performance is listed as 48.74 TFLOPS, with FP16 also at 48.74 TFLOPS due to a 1:1 ratio.

In the context of The Medium, the GPU's role becomes clear when examining the FPS data. At 1080p Low, the 145 FPS average suggests the GPU is not fully utilized, as the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads may be limiting the frame rate. However, as resolution and settings increase, the GPU becomes the dominant factor. The 4K Ultra result of 45 FPS indicates that the RTX 4080 is fully saturated at that configuration, with the pixel rate and texture rate being the limiting factors.

The GPU's 16 GB memory capacity is not a limiting factor in The Medium, as even the most demanding settings at 4K do not appear to exceed this capacity based on the observed performance. The bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s is also sufficient, as the frame rate scaling from 1440p to 4K follows a predictable pattern that would be expected from compute-bound rather than memory-bound workloads. The RTX 4080's nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, has an average benchmark score only 0.1 percent higher, which reinforces that the GPU's performance tier is well-established.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1920x1080, all four presets deliver playable frame rates, but the choice depends on the user's preference for visual fidelity versus frame rate headroom. The Ultra preset at 68 FPS is perfectly playable and offers the best visual experience. However, the Medium preset at 120 FPS provides a significantly higher frame rate with a minimum of 102 FPS, ensuring no dips below the refresh rate of most 1080p monitors. For users with 144 Hz displays, the High preset at 86 FPS or even Medium at 120 FPS would be preferable to Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the sweet spot. It delivers 101 FPS on average with a minimum of 86 FPS, which ensures smooth gameplay even during intense scenes. The High preset at 72 FPS is also viable for users who prioritize visual quality, but the 29 FPS gap between Medium and High (from 101 to 72) is substantial. The Ultra preset at 57 FPS dips below 60 FPS, making it less desirable for consistent frame pacing. The Low preset at 137 FPS is unnecessary for most users, but it could be useful for competitive play or for users with very high refresh rate displays.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the only configuration that maintains an average above 60 FPS. The 79 FPS average with a minimum of 67 FPS provides a comfortable margin, making it the recommended choice for 4K gameplay. The High preset at 57 FPS is borderline, and users with VRR displays may find it acceptable. The Ultra preset at 45 FPS is not recommended for smooth gameplay, as the frame rate is too low for a horror title that relies on atmosphere and timing. The Low preset at 126 FPS is an option for users who prioritize frame rate above all else, but the visual compromise is significant.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. It consistently provides frame rates well above 60 FPS at 1080p and 1440p, and it is the only preset that exceeds 60 FPS at 4K. The data shows that the jump from Medium to High costs approximately 25-30 percent of the average FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra costs an additional 20-25 percent. These diminishing returns suggest that Medium is the optimal choice for most users, with High being a viable alternative for those with lower refresh rate displays.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Core 12th Gen series, built on the Alder Lake architecture using a 10 nm process at Intel. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W. The processor uses the Intel Socket 1700 and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. The processor launched with an MSRP of $199.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-12400 demonstrates solid multi-threaded performance. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 15,989, while the single-core score is 2,257. The Geekbench multicore score is 8,564, and the single-core score is 1,848. The 3DMark results show a scaling pattern from 1,692 in the 2-thread test to 5,890 in the max-thread test. The Passmark multi-thread score is 18,747, with a single-thread score of 3,456. These numbers place the CPU at the 72nd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 18,683.

In The Medium, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle the game's simulation logic. The measured FPS data indicates that the i5-12400 is not the bottleneck at any resolution, as frame rates scale consistently with GPU load. At 1080p Low, the 145 FPS average suggests that the CPU can handle the game's workload with headroom to spare. The 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for The Medium's fixed-camera perspective, which typically reduces the number of on-screen objects compared to open-world games.

The CPU's 18 MB of L3 cache and 1.25 MB of L2 per core provide adequate data locality for the game's assets. The boost clock of 4.40 GHz is sufficient for the single-threaded tasks that often dominate game logic. The nearest rival comparisons show that the i5-12400 is in a tight performance cluster with the AMD EPYC 7643, Intel Core i7-1355U, and AMD Ryzen AI 5 330, with all deltas within 0.7 percent. This suggests that the CPU's performance is well-balanced and would not be a differentiator in this game.

The data shows that the CPU's 72nd percentile ranking is lower than the GPU's 86th percentile, which could theoretically cause a bottleneck in CPU-intensive scenarios. However, The Medium's measured FPS does not reveal such a bottleneck. The frame rates at 1080p are high enough that any CPU limitation would be masked by the GPU's performance at higher resolutions. For users considering this combo for other games, the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are a capable pairing for the RTX 4080, but the data here specifically shows that in The Medium, the CPU is not the limiting factor.