The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title that stresses both CPU and GPU, and the pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 produces a wide range of performance depending on your resolution and quality targets. The data shows this combo is far more capable at lower resolutions, where the high refresh rate potential is clear, but it struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra settings. This analysis breaks down the measured results to help you decide where to set your graphics options for the best balance of visual fidelity and smooth gameplay.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data indicates that the "Ultra" preset is the most demanding and should be avoided for practical gameplay. At 3840x2160, Ultra delivers an average of 47 FPS, which is below the standard 60 FPS target for a smooth experience. At 2560x1440, Ultra improves to 59 FPS, but this is still marginal and leaves no headroom for demanding scenes. Even at 1920x1080, Ultra only reaches 70 FPS, which is playable but does not take full advantage of the hardware's potential for high refresh rates.

The most balanced experience is found with the "High" and "Medium" presets. At 2560x1440 High, the combo achieves 75 FPS, providing a solid 60+ FPS experience with good visual quality. The Medium preset at 2560x1440 is even better for smoothness, offering 104 FPS on average, with a minimum of 89 FPS and a maximum of 120 FPS. This shows that Medium is the optimal choice for competitive or fast-paced play where frame rate consistency is key. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 121 FPS, making it the best choice for high-refresh-rate monitors.

For 4K gaming, the "Low" preset is the only viable option for a high frame rate, yielding 126 FPS. However, this comes with a significant visual quality sacrifice. The "High" preset at 4K produces 59 FPS, which is borderline for a cinematic experience but may suffer from stutter. Given the data, the best overall recommendation is the Medium preset at 2560x1440, which offers a strong balance of fidelity and performance, ensuring a consistently playable frame rate with the lowest recorded minimum of 89 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake generation. Its base clock is 2.50 GHz, which can boost up to 4.40 GHz. The benchmark results show that this CPU sits in the 72nd percentile when compared to all other tested processors, indicating it is a solid mid-range performer. Its average benchmark score is 18683, placing it in close competition with other chips, such as the AMD EPYC 7643, which is only 0.1% faster, and the Intel Core i3-14100F, which is 0.9% slower.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's multi-threading capabilities are relevant. The 3DMark tests show a score of 5890 for max threads, which is only slightly higher than the 16-thread score of 5873. This suggests the game does not scale perfectly with unlimited thread counts, but the 12 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU in most scenarios. The single-thread performance, as indicated by a 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2257, is likely more critical for the game's core logic and frame pacing.

The data reveals that this CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions. For instance, at 1920x1080 Low, the combo achieves 145 FPS, which is a high frame rate that still allows the GPU to do the heavy lifting. However, the performance scaling from 1080p to 4K is significant, with the average FPS dropping from 145 to 126 on Low settings. This drop suggests that while the CPU is capable, the game's engine becomes increasingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions. The CPU's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support are adequate for the game's requirements, and the data shows no extreme performance cliffs that would indicate a CPU limitation.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the dominant component in this pairing. It features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. Its high boost clock of 2617 MHz and 10752 shading units allow for massive parallel processing power, reflected in its 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The GPU's benchmark scores are exceptional, with a Geekbench Vulkan score of 255450 and a Passmark G3D score of 36565, placing it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU's performance in The Medium is the primary driver of the frame rates. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as the average FPS drops to 47. This is a heavy load due to the game's fixed camera angles and detailed environments. The 16 GB of VRAM is likely sufficient for the game's textures, as there is no indication of memory-related stuttering in the data. The GPU's role is further highlighted by the performance difference between presets. Moving from Low to Ultra at 2560x1440 cuts the average FPS from 137 to 59, a 57% reduction, demonstrating how much the GPU is stressed by the higher visual fidelity.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 5080 shows a strong lead. Its average benchmark score is 56083, which is 0.6% higher than the AMD Radeon 8060S and 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB. It is also 2.3% faster than the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X. However, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE is 2.2% faster in synthetic benchmarks. Despite this, the measured FPS in The Medium shows that the RTX 5080 is capable of providing excellent performance at 1440p and even playable frame rates at 4K on lower presets, making it the key component for this game's visual output.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific configuration of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 277th out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the top 7.4% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing for a combination that pairs a mid-range CPU with a high-end GPU. The rank indicates that this system is far more powerful than the typical test setup, which is expected given the RTX 5080's high percentile ranking.

The high combo rank is primarily a result of the GPU's strength. While the CPU's percentile is 72, the GPU's is 87, and the GPU has a far greater impact on the game's FPS. The data shows that the system can achieve high frame rates at 1440p and even 1080p, but the 4K performance is limited by the GPU's inability to maintain high frame rates on Ultra settings. This suggests that the combo is well-balanced for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming, but it is not optimized for 4K gaming at maximum settings. The rank of 277 out of 3724 confirms the overall capability, but the specific weaknesses at 4K Ultra are clear from the measured data.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with the Medium preset is the sweet spot, delivering an average of 104 FPS with a minimum of 89 FPS. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset also achieves 121 FPS, while the High preset at 2560x1440 only hits 75 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but not at maximum quality. At 3840x2160, the Low preset achieves 126 FPS and the Medium preset hits 82 FPS. The High preset is borderline at 59 FPS, and Ultra falls short at 47 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target.

Q: How does the RTX 5080 compare to its closest rival in synthetic tests?

A: The RTX 5080's average benchmark score is 56083, which is 2.2% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE's score of 57367. However, it is 0.6% higher than the AMD Radeon 8060S and 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400 a bottleneck for the RTX 5080?

A: The data suggests it is not a significant bottleneck at standard resolutions. At 1920x1080 Low, the combo reaches 145 FPS, and the performance scaling to 4K is consistent with GPU-bound behavior. The CPU's 72nd percentile ranking and multi-threaded scores appear sufficient to feed the GPU.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like on the Medium preset?

A: At 2560x1440 Medium, the average FPS is 104, with a minimum of 89 FPS and a maximum of 120 FPS. This 15 FPS variance between the average and minimum indicates a relatively stable frame pacing, which is good for gameplay smoothness.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: This combination ranks 277th out of 3724 total tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the top 7.4% of all systems, indicating it is a very high-performing configuration overall.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across different resolutions and settings. All values are averages unless otherwise noted, with minimum and maximum values provided where available.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Ultra: The average FPS is 47. This is the lowest performance point, indicating the game is too demanding for this GPU at maximum settings.
• High: The average FPS is 59. This is right at the threshold of playability but may not feel consistently smooth.
• Medium: The average FPS is 82, with a minimum of 70 and a maximum of 94. This is a good balance for 4K gaming on a standard 60Hz display.
• Low: The average FPS is 126. This is the only 4K preset that provides a high refresh rate experience.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Ultra: The average FPS is 59. Similar to 4K High, this is playable but leaves no headroom.
• High: The average FPS is 75. This is a solid 60+ FPS experience with good visual quality.
• Medium: The average FPS is 104, with a minimum of 89 and a maximum of 120. This is the recommended preset for smooth, high-refresh-rate gaming.
• Low: The average FPS is 137. This provides the highest frame rates for competitive play.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Ultra: The average FPS is 70. This is playable but does not fully utilize a high refresh rate monitor.
• High: The average FPS is 89. This is a good balance for 1080p gaming.
• Medium: The average FPS is 121, with a minimum of 103 and a maximum of 139. This is the best choice for high-refresh-rate monitors.
• Low: The average FPS is 145. This is the maximum performance the combo can achieve in this game.