The Medium

The Medium presents a demanding workload that stresses both CPU and GPU, but the benchmark data for the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination reveals a clear performance hierarchy. This analysis walks through the measured frame rates across resolutions and settings, interpreting what the numbers indicate about the system's balance and its standing among other tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a pronounced drop in performance as resolution increases, which is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound scenario at higher pixel counts. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 83 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that figure to 70 FPS, a 15.7% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls further to 55 FPS, representing a 21.4% decrease from the 1440p result. This scaling pattern suggests that the RTX 2060's rendering capabilities become the limiting factor as the pixel workload expands.

The trend becomes even more exaggerated at higher graphical presets. At Medium settings, the average FPS falls from 52 at 1080p to 44 at 1440p (a 15.4% drop) and then to 34 at 4K (a 22.7% drop from 1440p). The High preset shows a similar trajectory: 37 FPS at 1080p, 31 FPS at 1440p, and 25 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with averages of 30 FPS at 1080p, 25 FPS at 1440p, and 20 FPS at 4K.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens with resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low (83 FPS) and Ultra (30 FPS) is 53 FPS. At 4K, that difference narrows to 35 FPS (55 vs 20), indicating that at higher resolutions, the GPU's raw throughput dominates the performance equation, making the preset choice less impactful than the pixel count. The data suggests that players targeting 4K must accept a substantial frame rate penalty, regardless of settings, as even the Low preset yields only 55 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This processor belongs to the Alder Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process node. Its benchmark scores show solid single-threaded and multi-threaded capabilities, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 12380 and a single-core score of 1680. The 3DMark results further illustrate its threading efficiency: a 2-thread score of 1699, a 4-thread score of 3067, an 8-thread score of 4779, and a max-thread score of 5912.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU at higher resolutions. The 1080p Low preset, which is the least GPU-intensive configuration, yields 83 FPS, suggesting that the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at this level. However, as settings increase to Ultra at 1080p, the average drops to 30 FPS, which is more likely a GPU limitation than a CPU bottleneck, given that the CPU maintains a consistent thread performance profile.

The processor's percentile ranking of 73rd among all CPUs places it above the median, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS (avg score 19047, 0% delta) and the Intel Core 3 201E (avg score 19056, -0.1% delta). These scores indicate that the i5-12400F is competitive with modern mid-range processors. The data does not show a scenario where the CPU becomes the primary constraint in this game, as the FPS differences between resolutions are more pronounced than any potential core-related scaling issue.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is built on the Turing architecture with a 12 nm process node, featuring 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its clocks include a base of 1365 MHz and a boost of 1680 MHz. The GPU has 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units, along with 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores. Its FP32 performance is rated at 6.451 TFLOPS.

The GPU's percentile ranking is 58th among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15290. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (avg score 15283, 0% delta) and the AMD Radeon 680M (avg score 15270, 0.1% delta). The measured FPS data strongly indicates that the RTX 2060 is the limiting component in The Medium, particularly at 4K resolution where even Low settings produce only 55 FPS.

The VRAM capacity of 6 GB appears to be a contributing factor at higher resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 20, which is below playable thresholds. The memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s may also struggle with the large texture loads at 4K, as evidenced by the steep scaling from Low to Ultra at that resolution. The GPU's performance ceiling is clear: at 1080p, it can deliver playable frame rates across all presets, but at 1440p and 4K, the user must compromise on settings to maintain smooth gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 2948th out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the lower percentile of the database, indicating that it is not a high-performing configuration for this particular game. The rank suggests that many other CPU-GPU pairings deliver better results, which aligns with the measured FPS data showing sub-60 averages at most settings above Low.

The combo's ranking reflects the RTX 2060's position in the GPU hierarchy (58th percentile) combined with the i5-12400F's mid-range CPU performance (73rd percentile). The game appears to favor stronger GPUs, as the frame rates are consistently limited by the graphics card. For perspective, the combo rank of 2948 out of 3724 means that roughly 79% of tested configurations outperform it in this game, which is consistent with the FPS numbers showing that only the Low preset at 1080p exceeds 80 FPS.

The data indicates that this combo is better suited for 1080p gaming, where it can achieve 52 FPS at Medium settings, rather than higher resolutions. At 1440p, only the Low preset (70 FPS) provides a comfortable frame rate, while Medium drops to 44 FPS. At 4K, no preset offers a consistently smooth experience, with the highest average being 55 FPS at Low.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS values, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and the user's preference for frame rate versus visual fidelity. For 1080p gaming, the Medium preset delivers an average of 52 FPS, which is a balanced choice for most players. The High preset reduces the average to 37 FPS, which may be acceptable for slower-paced horror titles but falls short of the 60 FPS target. The Low preset offers 83 FPS, providing headroom for competitive play or for users with high refresh rate monitors.

At 1440p, the Low preset is the only option that maintains a playable average of 70 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 44 FPS, which is borderline, while High (31 FPS) and Ultra (25 FPS) are below acceptable thresholds for smooth gameplay. For 4K, the data suggests that this combo is not viable for a good experience, as the Low preset yields 55 FPS, but the Medium preset falls to 34 FPS, and Ultra drops to 20 FPS.

The recommended approach is to prioritize the Low preset for 1440p and 4K resolutions, or to stick with 1080p Medium for the best balance of visual quality and performance. The Medium preset at 1440p (44 FPS) might be acceptable for users who prefer visual fidelity over frame rate, but the data shows a significant drop from the Low preset's 70 FPS. For those targeting 60 FPS, only the 1080p Low (83 FPS) and 1440p Low (70 FPS) configurations meet that threshold.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and setting combination. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 83 FPS, Medium reaches 52 FPS (with a min of 44 and max of 60), High produces 37 FPS, and Ultra results in 30 FPS. These numbers show a clear progression where each step up in settings costs approximately 15 FPS, except for the jump from High to Ultra, which costs 7 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 70 FPS, Medium drops to 44 FPS (min 37, max 50), High falls to 31 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 25 FPS. The scaling from Low to Medium at this resolution is a 26 FPS reduction, which is larger than the 31 FPS drop seen at 1080p. This indicates that the GPU is becoming more strained as resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset still manages 55 FPS, but Medium drops sharply to 34 FPS (min 29, max 40), High falls to 25 FPS, and Ultra is nearly unplayable at 20 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 35 FPS, showing that the GPU's performance ceiling is reached quickly. The Medium preset at 4K has the only recorded min/max values (29 to 40 FPS), suggesting some variance in frame pacing during intense scenes.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in The Medium?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 offers the most playable frame rates, with the Low preset achieving 83 FPS and Medium at 52 FPS. At 1440p, only the Low preset (70 FPS) is consistently smooth, while 4K struggles to maintain 55 FPS even on Low.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance in this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the limiting factor, as FPS drops sharply with resolution increases. The RTX 2060's 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth appear insufficient for high settings at 1440p and 4K, while the i5-12400F's 6-core/12-thread configuration provides adequate processing.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at any resolution?

A: No. The Ultra preset yields an average of 30 FPS at 1080p, 25 FPS at 1440p, and 20 FPS at 4K. These values are below the 30 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, making Ultra unsuitable for this combo.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 2948th out of 3724 tested, placing it in the lower 21% of all configurations. This rank aligns with the measured FPS data, which shows sub-60 averages for most settings.

Q: What is the highest FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The maximum measured average is 83 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next highest is 70 FPS at 2560x1440 with Low settings, followed by 55 FPS at 3840x2160 with Low settings.

Q: Are there any settings where the FPS exceeds 60?

A: Yes, the Low preset at 1080p (83 FPS) and the Low preset at 1440p (70 FPS) both exceed 60 FPS. No Medium, High, or Ultra preset reaches 60 FPS at any resolution.