The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title from 2021, presents a fascinating stress profile for the Intel Core i5-12400F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT combination. This pairing produces a wide spread of frame rates across the four tested presets, with results that clearly delineate the shifting balance between CPU and GPU workload. The data suggests a system that is heavily GPU-bound at maximum settings but which can pivot to reveal significant headroom in both components at lower presets.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic, though unusually pronounced, pattern of resolution scaling. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 145.6 FPS. Stepping up to 1440p at the same Low preset only drops this to 127 FPS, a modest decline of roughly 13%. However, the jump to 4K at Low settings yields 98.7 FPS, which is a more substantial 32% reduction from the 1080p figure. This indicates that even at Low settings, the GPU is beginning to feel the strain of the increased pixel count, though the CPU is still feeding frames efficiently.

The scaling story changes dramatically when moving to the High preset. At 1080p High, the average is 67.3 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 54 FPS, and at 4K High, it falls further to 46.6 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K here is about 31%, which is similar to the Low preset's decline but from a much lower starting point. This suggests that at High settings, the game's visual effects, likely including its signature dual-world rendering, are consuming a significant portion of the GPU's resources, making the resolution scaling more punishing in absolute terms.

The most telling data point comes from the Ultra preset. Here, the frame rate at 1080p is 50.4 FPS, at 1440p it is 47.2 FPS, and at 4K it is 37.9 FPS. The delta between 1080p and 1440p is minimal, only about 6%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is about 20%. This pattern strongly implies that at Ultra settings, the GPU is almost entirely saturated even at 1080p. The small difference between 1080p and 1440p suggests the system is hitting a performance ceiling, likely a combination of GPU compute limits and the game's engine overhead, rather than pure pixel fill-rate.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded in the data is 145.6 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How significant is the performance drop when moving from 1440p to 4K at Medium settings?

A: The average frame rate falls from 78 FPS at 2560x1440 to 62.7 FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium settings, which is a reduction of approximately 20%.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU appear to be the limiting factor at 1080p Ultra?

A: The data implies the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The frame rate at 1080p Ultra (50.4 FPS) is only slightly higher than at 1440p Ultra (47.2 FPS), indicating that the graphics card is already near its performance limit and cannot leverage the lower resolution effectively.

Q: Is there a configuration where the frame rate is comfortably above 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Yes, at 4K with Low settings, the combo averages 98.7 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K falls below 60 FPS, averaging 62.7 FPS.

Q: What is the combo's overall standing among all tested configurations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 423rd out of 1689 tested combinations, placing it in the top 25% of all systems evaluated for The Medium.

Q: How does the frame rate scale from 1080p to 4K at the High preset?

A: The average frame rate drops from 67.3 FPS at 1080p to 54 FPS at 1440p and finally to 46.6 FPS at 4K, representing a total decline of about 31% across the three resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores position it as a solid mid-range performer, with an average benchmark score of 19221 and a percentile ranking of 77 against all CPUs. The data shows its multi-threaded capability is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16518, but its single-thread performance is more modest, scoring 2332 in the same test. This is typical for a locked Alder Lake chip.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role appears to be a stable foundation that rarely becomes the primary constraint. The evidence for this is in the scaling pattern. At 1080p Low, the system produces 145.6 FPS, which is a high frame rate that still leaves headroom. If the CPU were a severe bottleneck, we would expect to see frame rates plateau across different resolutions at the same settings. Instead, we see a clear, albeit sometimes small, drop in FPS as resolution increases, even at Low settings. This indicates the GPU is doing most of the heavy lifting.

However, the CPU's limitations become more apparent when examining the highest frame rates. The fact that the 1080p Low average is 145.6 FPS, rather than something much higher, suggests the CPU's single-thread performance is capping the system's maximum output. The processor's 12 threads are likely sufficient for the game's logic and streaming, but the fixed-camera scenes and environmental interactions may still present a single-threaded bottleneck that prevents the RX 9070 XT from reaching its full potential at the lowest graphical settings. The i5-12400F's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-8700K and Intel Core i5-1335U, have nearly identical average scores, which confirms it is a competent but not exceptional processor for this workload.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT achieves a rank of 423 out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the 75th percentile, meaning it outperforms three-quarters of all configurations tested. This is a strong result, but it is not a top-tier ranking, which suggests that the system's performance is held back by one of its components.

Given the GPU's high benchmark scores, including a Passmark G3D score of 26795 and a percentile ranking of 82 against all GPUs, the likely culprit for the mid-pack ranking is the CPU. The i5-12400F, while competent, only ranks in the 77th percentile for all CPUs. The data suggests that in a game like The Medium, which appears to have CPU-sensitive frame pacing, the processor's performance is what keeps this combo from climbing higher. The GPU clearly has the raw power, as evidenced by the 4K Low result of 98.7 FPS, but the CPU may be limiting the system's ability to maintain high frame rates in more demanding CPU scenarios.

The rank also indicates that there are faster combos, but it doesn't tell us what those combos are. What we can infer is that this pairing is well-balanced for 1440p and 4K gaming at medium-to-high settings, where the GPU is the primary bottleneck. It is less competitive at 1080p with low settings, where the CPU's ceiling is reached and the GPU's power goes partially unused.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is the dominant component in this pairing. With 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, it offers a substantial memory bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. Its boost clock is rated at 2970 MHz, and its 4096 shading units provide a theoretical FP32 performance of 48.66 TFLOPS. The GPU's benchmark results are impressive, with a Geekbench Vulkan score of 184026 and a Passmark G3D score of 26795.

The GPU's role in The Medium is clear from the data: it is the primary driver of frame rates at higher settings and resolutions. This is most evident when comparing the Low and Ultra presets. At 1080p, the difference between Low (145.6 FPS) and Ultra (50.4 FPS) is a massive 65% reduction. This is entirely due to the increased graphical workload placed on the GPU. The game's use of two simultaneous worlds likely taxes the GPU's compute and memory resources heavily.

The VRAM capacity is also a factor. While the game is not known for being excessively demanding on memory, the 16 GB buffer ensures that there are no capacity-related stutters at 4K Ultra. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 37.9, which is low but not a catastrophic failure, indicating the GPU is processing frames rather than swapping data. The GPU's performance at 4K Low (98.7 FPS) shows that when the graphical load is reduced, the card has ample power to drive high refresh rates even at high resolutions. The GPU's nearest rivals, like the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64, have similar average scores, but the RX 9070 XT's modern architecture provides better feature support, which is reflected in its ability to handle the game's specific rendering techniques.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured frames per second for this combo is as follows. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 145.6 FPS on Low, 91.6 FPS on Medium, 67.3 FPS on High, and 50.4 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 127 FPS on Low, 78 FPS on Medium, 54 FPS on High, and 47.2 FPS on Ultra. Finally, at 3840x2160, the averages are 98.7 FPS on Low, 62.7 FPS on Medium, 46.6 FPS on High, and 37.9 FPS on Ultra.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: the gap between Low and Medium is large, the gap between Medium and High is moderate, and the gap between High and Ultra is small. For instance, at 1440p, the jump from Low to Medium costs 49 FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra only costs 6.8 FPS. This suggests that the High preset includes most of the visual features that heavily impact performance, and the Ultra preset adds diminishing returns.

Another key takeaway is the impact of resolution at the High preset. The drop from 1080p High (67.3 FPS) to 4K High (46.6 FPS) is a 31% reduction, which is a significant loss. However, at the Low preset, the drop from 1080p to 4K is also around 32%. This indicates that the game's GPU load scales almost linearly with pixel count, but the base load at Low settings is low enough that the system can still handle 4K comfortably.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For players with a 1080p display, the High preset offers the best balance, delivering 67.3 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset drops to 50.4 FPS, which may be acceptable but is a noticeable step down in smoothness. The Medium preset, at 91.6 FPS, is also excellent and provides a significant boost over High for those prioritizing higher refresh rates.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is the strongest recommendation. It achieves an average of 78 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. The High preset, at 54 FPS, is playable but misses the 60 FPS target, and the Ultra preset at 47.2 FPS is less ideal. The Low preset at 127 FPS is only for competitive play or if the user wants to maximize frame rate, as the visual quality will be noticeably lower.

For 4K gaming, the data points to the Low preset as the only viable option for a high-refresh experience, with an average of 98.7 FPS. The Medium preset, at 62.7 FPS, is the best choice for a balanced experience that stays above 60 FPS. The High and Ultra presets, at 46.6 FPS and 37.9 FPS respectively, are not recommended for smooth gameplay, as they fall below the 60 FPS target and may feel sluggish.

In summary, the best overall experience for a 60 FPS target is 1440p Medium or 4K Medium. For those with high refresh rate monitors, 1080p Medium or 1440p Low are the best choices. The Ultra preset is only recommended for users who prioritize maximum visual fidelity over frame rate and are comfortable with averages below 50 FPS.