The Medium

The Medium presents a particularly demanding workload for the Radeon RX 7900 XTX paired with the Core i5-12400F. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a title that scales heavily with graphical fidelity, placing significant strain on the GPU at higher presets. This analysis breaks down the performance data, contextualizes the combo’s standing among tested configurations, and examines the individual roles of the processor and graphics card in shaping the final results.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 has a dramatic impact on average frame rates, demonstrating that The Medium is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions. At the High preset, the average FPS drops from 78.4 at 1080p to 67.5 at 1440p, a reduction of 10.9 FPS, and then falls further to 49.2 at 4K. The most significant scaling occurs between 1440p and 4K, where the average frame rate drops by 18.3 FPS, indicating that the GPU’s pixel throughput becomes the primary limiting factor. The data suggests that the RX 7900 XTX’s 24 GB of GDDR6 memory and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to handle the asset loads, but the sheer number of pixels at 4K overwhelms the compute units.

This pattern is consistent across all settings. At the Low preset, 1080p yields 146.5 FPS, which drops to 137.8 at 1440p and then to 113.6 at 4K. The 4K result at Low is still higher than the 1080p result at High, which shows that settings have a more pronounced effect on performance than resolution alone. The gap between resolutions narrows as settings decrease, suggesting that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU adequately even at lower graphical loads. For example, the difference between 1080p and 4K at Low is 32.9 FPS, while at Ultra, the same resolution span yields a 16.4 FPS difference, reinforcing that the GPU’s rendering workload dominates the scaling curve.

The Ultra preset illustrates the upper bound of the combo’s capability, with 4K producing a playable but not fluid 43.5 FPS average. The 1080p Ultra result of 59.9 FPS is notable, as it shows the settings preset, not resolution, is the largest single lever for performance. The data indicates that for users targeting 4K, High settings are the practical ceiling, while 1440p High offers a balanced 67.5 FPS. The scaling behavior points to a system where the RX 7900 XTX is the definitive bottleneck at 4K, while the i5-12400F’s six cores and 12 threads provide ample headroom at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX achieves a rank of 232 out of 1689 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the top 13.7% of all configurations, a strong showing that reflects the GPU’s high-end positioning. The rank is particularly impressive given the CPU’s more modest standing, suggesting that the graphics card is the primary driver of this combo’s placement in the hierarchy.

The CPU alone holds a percentile rank of 77 among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 19221. Its nearest rivals in synthetic tests are the Intel Core i7-8700K, which scores 19210 (a delta of 0.1%), and the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS, which scores 19364 (a delta of -0.7%). This places the i5-12400F in a tight cluster of mid-range performers, but the GPU’s percentile rank of 85, with an average score of 44019, is what boosts the combo. The GPU’s nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 580, scores 44195 (a -0.4% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile scores 43667 (a 0.8% delta), showing the RX 7900 XTX is competitive with top-tier mobile parts.

The discrepancy between the CPU’s 77th percentile and the combo’s 232nd rank out of 1689 indicates that in The Medium, the GPU is the deciding factor. A lower-ranked CPU paired with a top-tier GPU can still achieve a high combo rank, as the game’s rendering demands are far more sensitive to graphics hardware. This also implies that users upgrading from a weaker GPU to the RX 7900 XTX would see significant gains in this title without needing a corresponding CPU upgrade. The combo’s ranking reflects the GPU’s raw compute power, which overshadows the processor’s more moderate synthetic scores.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications directly explain the measured frame rates. Built on the Navi 31 chip with RDNA 3.0 architecture, it features a boost clock of 2498 MHz and a game clock of 2365 MHz. The 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s, which is critical for a horror title with large, detailed environments. The GPU’s 6144 shading units and 192 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 479.6 GPixel/s, which is the key metric for the 4K performance drop observed.

The GPU’s synthetic benchmark scores reinforce its position. Its Passmark G3D score is 31238, and its Geekbench OpenCL score is 189573, both indicating strong compute capability. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6841 shows solid DirectX 12 performance, which is relevant given The Medium’s modern rendering pipeline. The GPU’s percentile rank of 85 and average score of 44019 place it well above the CPU, confirming that the graphics card is the performance leader in this combo.

The measured FPS data shows the GPU’s limits at different settings. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 71.7, but at 4K Ultra, it falls to 43.5, a 28.2 FPS drop. This substantial reduction is due to the increased shading and texture work at Ultra settings. The GPU’s 61.39 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is substantial, yet The Medium’s Ultra preset still manages to saturate it at 4K. The 355 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate a high-power part that requires robust cooling, and the 2x 8-pin power connectors and 750 W suggested PSU reflect its energy demands. The data shows that the RX 7900 XTX is a capable 1440p powerhouse, but 4K Ultra remains a challenge, with the GPU’s raw throughput being the final arbiter of performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates, with the Low preset achieving an average of 146.5 FPS. The Medium preset produces 107.3 FPS, while High drops to 78.4 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 59.9 FPS, which is the lowest 1080p result but still playable. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 86.6 FPS, showing the wide performance range available to users who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS at Low is 137.8, which is a modest 8.7 FPS drop from 1080p. The Medium preset produces 92.7 FPS, a 14.6 FPS reduction from 1080p. High settings at 1440p yield 67.5 FPS, and Ultra drops to 54.3 FPS. The 1440p results show a clear pattern: the GPU has enough headroom to maintain high frame rates at Low and Medium, but High and Ultra presets begin to tax the hardware, with the Ultra preset falling below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the performance ceiling is reached. The Low preset averages 113.6 FPS, which is still high, but the Medium preset drops to 71.7 FPS, a 21.1 FPS reduction from 1080p Medium. High settings at 4K produce 49.2 FPS, while Ultra yields 43.5 FPS. The 4K results demonstrate a linear scaling with settings: Low is playable, Medium is borderline, and High/Ultra are below the ideal 60 FPS target. The data across all resolutions shows that the Low preset at 4K performs nearly as well as the High preset at 1080p, underscoring the GPU’s capability when graphical effects are reduced. The measured values provide a clear picture: this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming with High settings, or 4K gaming with Medium settings for a smoother experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in The Medium?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 146.5, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in The Medium?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 4K Medium, it averages 71.7 FPS, while at 4K High, it drops to 49.2 FPS. For a more fluid experience, the Medium preset is recommended.

Q: How does the CPU’s synthetic performance compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Core i5-12400F has an average benchmark score of 19221, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-8700K’s 19210 and 0.3% higher than the Intel Core i5-1335U’s 19167.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory bandwidth, and does it impact 4K performance?

A: The GPU has a memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s from its 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus. This bandwidth is sufficient for 4K, but the GPU’s compute throughput is the primary limiting factor at that resolution.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 232 out of 1689 tested combos, placing it in the top 13.7% of systems for The Medium.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 4K at the High preset?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 78.4 at 1080p to 67.5 at 1440p, and then to 49.2 at 4K. This represents a 29.2 FPS reduction from 1080p to 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F plays a supporting but essential role in this combo. With 6 cores and 12 threads, it provides enough processing power to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at most settings. Its base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz, combined with 18 MB of shared L3 cache, deliver solid single-threaded and multi-threaded performance. The CPU’s synthetic scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16518 and a single-core score of 2332, indicate it is a capable mid-range part.

The measured FPS data suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor in The Medium. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 146.5 FPS, which is higher than the 4K Low result of 113.6 FPS. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would remain similar across resolutions. Instead, the frame rates scale with resolution, confirming the GPU is the primary constraint. The CPU’s Passmark single-thread score of 3481 and multi-thread score of 19433 show it can handle the game’s logic and physics without issue.

The CPU’s 65 W TDP and 10 nm process node make it an efficient choice, and its support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory offers flexibility. While its percentile rank of 77 is lower than the GPU’s 85, it is sufficient for this title. In comparison to its nearest rivals, the i5-12400F’s average score of 19221 is within 1.3% of the AMD EPYC 7773X’s 18979, showing it is competitive in synthetic workloads. For The Medium, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with data, and the benchmark results show it performs this task adequately across all tested resolutions and settings, allowing the RX 7900 XTX to express its full potential.