The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title built on Unreal Engine 4, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with both resolution and graphical preset. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT, using data from 12 specific benchmark runs to characterize the system's behavior and provide actionable guidance.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a clear and predictable progression of average frame rates as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the transition from 1080p to 1440p results in a drop from 52.9 FPS to 46.2 FPS, a reduction of approximately 13%. The subsequent jump to 4K yields 32.6 FPS, which is a 38% decrease from the 1440p figure and a 62% drop from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline at 4K strongly indicates that the Radeon RX 6750 XT becomes the primary limiting component at higher resolutions, as the pixel throughput demand outpaces the GPU's rasterization capabilities.

The scaling pattern is even more pronounced when examining the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 112.5 FPS, which falls to 99.7 FPS at 1440p (an 11% reduction) and then to 77.3 FPS at 4K (a 22% reduction from 1440p). The relatively smaller percentage drops at lower settings suggest that the CPU has more headroom to feed the GPU, yet the absolute frame rates still remain well above playable thresholds. The difference between the Low preset's 4K performance and the High preset's 4K performance—77.3 FPS versus 32.6 FPS—highlights how dramatically settings impact the GPU workload in this title.

At the Medium preset, the frame rates scale from 74.3 FPS at 1080p to 61.9 FPS at 1440p (a 17% drop) and then to 45.7 FPS at 4K (a 26% drop from 1440p). This pattern indicates that the Medium preset offers a more balanced load distribution, with the GPU still being the bottleneck but with less severe degradation at higher resolutions compared to High. The Ultra preset shows the most constrained performance, with 41.6 FPS at 1080p dropping to 33.8 FPS at 1440p and finally 28.0 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 28.0 FPS is below the 30 FPS threshold typically considered minimally playable, confirming that this combination is not suited for maximum quality at native 4K.

The resolution scaling data suggests that the limiting component shifts based on settings. At Low, the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads can maintain high frame rates, but the GPU still shows a measurable decline at 4K, indicating that even at low settings, the RX 6750 XT's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus width become stressed. At High and Ultra, the GPU is unequivocally the bottleneck, as evidenced by the 62% and 49% reductions from 1080p to 4K respectively.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with High settings?

A: The benchmark shows 52.9 FPS average at 1920x1080 with the High preset. This is playable but not exceptionally smooth, and it is significantly lower than the 74.3 FPS achieved at Medium settings.

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K with any preset?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which delivers 77.3 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K achieves 45.7 FPS, while High drops to 32.6 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K falls to 28.0 FPS, which is below standard playability thresholds.

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

A: The Intel Core i5-12400F has an average benchmark score of 19221, placing it 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-8700K (19210) and 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-1335U (19167). It trails the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS by 0.7% and the AMD EPYC 7773X by 1.3%.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the CPU and GPU?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400F has a launch MSRP of $174, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT has a launch MSRP of 549 USD. These values represent the original pricing at release.

Q: What is the single-thread performance of the CPU?

A: The CPU scores 909 in 3dmark_single_thread, 234 in cinebench_r15_singlecore, 979 in cinebench_r20_singlecore, and 2332 in cinebench_r23_singlecore. It also achieves 2221 in geekbench_singlecore and 3481 in passmark_single_thread.

Q: Does the GPU support modern API features?

A: Yes, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Its DirectX 12 passmark score is 80, while its DirectX 11 score is 180 and DirectX 9 score is 263.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its 18 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 provide a solid foundation for gaming workloads. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU demonstrates strong scaling from 2 to 8 threads, with scores of 1699 (2 threads), 3067 (4 threads), and 4779 (8 threads) in 3dmark. The maximum thread score of 5912 is only slightly higher than the 16-thread score of 5895, indicating that the CPU reaches its performance plateau with 12 threads.

The CPU's role in The Medium is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 112.5 FPS, which suggests the CPU can handle frame rates well above 100 FPS in this title. The fact that the frame rate drops to 99.7 FPS at 1440p Low and 77.3 FPS at 4K Low indicates that even at the lowest settings, the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. This is consistent with the CPU's 77th percentile ranking among all CPUs, which places it in the upper quartile of processors.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are evident in its cinebench r23 multicore score of 16518 and geekbench multicore score of 9138. However, its single-thread performance, as measured by cinebench r23 singlecore score of 2332, is more relevant for The Medium's fixed-camera perspective, which typically relies on fewer, heavier threads. The 3dmark single-thread score of 909 and passmark single-thread score of 3481 confirm that the CPU has sufficient single-core strength for this game's requirements.

The nearest rival comparison shows the i5-12400F is nearly identical in average benchmark score to the Core i7-8700K (0.1% delta), which is an older 8-core processor. This suggests that the i5-12400F's newer architecture and higher boost clock compensate for its lower core count. The CPU's TDP of 65 W and 10 nm process node contribute to its efficiency, though these factors do not directly impact frame rates in The Medium.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the Medium preset represents the best balance between visual quality and performance for this combination. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 74.3 FPS, which is 40% higher than the High preset's 52.9 FPS and 79% higher than the Ultra preset's 41.6 FPS. The jump from Medium to High costs 21.4 FPS at 1080p, while the jump from High to Ultra costs another 11.3 FPS, making High the least efficient upgrade in terms of frames lost per quality step.

At 1440p, the Medium preset achieves 61.9 FPS, which is comfortably playable and represents a 34% improvement over the High preset's 46.2 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p yields 33.8 FPS, which is borderline for smooth gameplay. For users targeting 1440p, Medium is the recommended setting to maintain frame rates above 60 FPS. The Low preset at 1440p produces 99.7 FPS, which is excellent for high refresh rate displays, but the visual compromise may not be worth the extra 37.8 FPS over Medium.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. The Medium preset yields 45.7 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a horror title where smooth camera movement is important for atmosphere. The Low preset achieves 77.3 FPS, providing a significantly smoother experience at the cost of visual fidelity. The High preset at 4K falls to 32.6 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and may cause noticeable stuttering during camera transitions common in fixed-camera games.

The data indicates that the Medium preset offers the best experience per measured row, as it provides frame rates above 60 FPS at 1080p and 1440p, and above 45 FPS at 4K. The High preset is only recommended for users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate consistency, and only at 1080p where it remains above 50 FPS. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it only exceeds 40 FPS at 1080p (41.6 FPS) and drops to 28.0 FPS at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT ranks 808th out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the 47.8th percentile of all configurations. This mid-pack ranking reflects a system that can handle the game at moderate settings but struggles with the most demanding configurations. The GPU's 79th percentile ranking among all GPUs and the CPU's 77th percentile ranking among all CPUs suggest that both components are above average, yet their combined performance in this specific title is more modest.

The GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Radeon RX 5600M (0.2% ahead), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile (0.3% behind), AMD Radeon 880M (0.9% behind), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (1.3% behind). This places the RX 6750 XT in a competitive position relative to these cards, though the RTX 3080's higher score suggests it would likely perform better in The Medium's GPU-bound scenarios.

The combo's ranking at 808 out of 1689 indicates that while it is not a top-tier configuration for this game, it is also far from the bottom. The measured frame rates show that the system can deliver playable performance across most resolution and settings combinations, with the notable exception of 4K Ultra (28.0 FPS). The ranking percentile (47.8%) aligns with the system's ability to handle the game's default High preset at 1080p (52.9 FPS) and Medium preset at 1440p (61.9 FPS), but not the higher quality settings at higher resolutions.

The data suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming with Medium to High settings, where it can maintain frame rates above 45 FPS. Its 4K capabilities are limited to Low and Medium presets, and its Ultra preset performance at any resolution is below 42 FPS. The mid-pack ranking reflects these strengths and limitations, positioning the system as a competent but not exceptional choice for The Medium.