The Medium

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti delivers a playable but demanding experience in The Medium, with performance scaling that clearly favors lower resolutions and settings. The data shows a 4K Ultra average of 37.7 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold many players target, while dropping to 1080p Low yields a 145.6 FPS average. This combination ranks 432nd out of 1689 tested combos, placing it in the top 26% of systems evaluated, and the results indicate that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, whereas the CPU becomes more relevant at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance curve as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 145.6 FPS, which drops to 123.8 FPS at 1440p Low (a 15% reduction) and further to 97.4 FPS at 4K Low (a 33% reduction from 1080p). This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound workload, where the RTX 3080 Ti's rendering load grows with pixel count.

Moving to Medium settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 96.0 to 79.4 FPS (a 17% loss), and then 4K Medium falls to 63.9 FPS (a 33% loss from 1080p). High settings show a similar trend: 64.8 FPS at 1080p, 57.3 FPS at 1440p (down 12%), and 45.8 FPS at 4K (down 29%). Ultra settings are the most demanding, with 50.9 FPS at 1080p, 42.4 FPS at 1440p (down 17%), and 37.7 FPS at 4K (down 26%).

The consistent 26-33% performance penalty from 1080p to 4K across all settings indicates that the RTX 3080 Ti's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 912.4 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily at higher resolutions. The game's fixed camera angles and pre-rendered backgrounds in The Medium mean that resolution scaling directly impacts the GPU's pixel fill rate, and the data shows that 4K is only viable at Low or Medium settings, with High and Ultra falling below 50 FPS.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1080p provides the highest frame rates across all settings, with a 145.6 FPS average at Low and 96.0 FPS at Medium. At 1440p, Medium delivers 79.4 FPS, while 4K Medium drops to 63.9 FPS.

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

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. The measured 4K Low average is 97.4 FPS, and 4K Medium is 63.9 FPS. However, 4K High (45.8 FPS) and 4K Ultra (37.7 FPS) fall below playable thresholds for most users.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 Ti compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti's average benchmark score is 41224, which is 0.5% lower than the RTX 3090 (41441) and 0.9% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (41610). It trails the RTX 5070 by 1.1% (41687) and the Tesla M40 by 1.6% (41897).

Q: What is the CPU's synthetic performance relative to similar processors?

A: The i5-12400F has an average benchmark score of 19221, which is 0.1% higher than the Core i7-8700K (19210) and 0.3% higher than the Core i5-1335U (19167). It outperforms the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS by 0.7% (19364) and the AMD EPYC 7773X by 1.3% (18979).

Q: Is the measured FPS data reliable?

A: The dataIsMeasured field is true, indicating these are actual benchmark results rather than estimates. The combo rank of 432 out of 1689 tested combos confirms this system was evaluated against a large pool of alternatives.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average is 57.3 FPS at 1440p High. This is below 60 FPS, so players seeking smoother motion should consider Medium settings, which deliver 79.4 FPS at the same resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F provides 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This Alder Lake-S architecture processor has an 18 MB shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 or DDR5 memory. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 16518 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2332 in single-core, with a PassMark multithread score of 19433 and a single-thread score of 3481.

For The Medium, the game's horror genre often relies on scripted sequences and dynamic lighting, which can stress CPU performance. At 1080p Low, the 145.6 FPS average suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU adequately at lower resolutions. However, the scaling from 1080p to 4K (a 33% drop at Low settings) indicates that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases. The CPU's 77th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with a 0.1% delta versus the Core i7-8700K, suggests it is a mainstream performer that won't bottleneck the RTX 3080 Ti in most scenarios.

The boost clock of 4.40 GHz is crucial for maintaining frame rates in scenes with complex AI or physics, and the 12 threads handle the game's background streaming. The measured data shows no signs of CPU throttling at any resolution, as the frame rate consistently scales with GPU load.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of i5-12400F and RTX 3080 Ti ranks 432nd out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the 74th percentile of systems tested. This rank reflects a balanced pairing where the CPU's 77th percentile performance and the GPU's 83rd percentile performance combine to deliver solid, but not top-tier, results in this title.

The GPU's nearest rivals help contextualize the ranking: the RTX 3080 Ti scores 41224 on average, which is nearly identical to the RTX 3090 (41441, -0.5% delta). This means the combo's rank is driven more by the CPU's mid-range position than GPU limitations. The CPU's nearest rivals show it is closely matched with the Core i7-8700K (19210, 0.1% delta) and the Core i5-1335U (19167, 0.3% delta), while outperforming the Ryzen 5 7533HS by 0.7% and the EPYC 7773X by 1.3%.

In practical terms, the 432nd rank suggests that roughly 74% of tested systems perform better in The Medium. This is expected given that the RTX 3080 Ti, while powerful, is not the fastest GPU in the benchmark database, and the i5-12400F is a mid-range CPU rather than a high-end offering.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 1080p, Medium settings (96.0 FPS) offer the best balance of visual quality and performance, as High (64.8 FPS) is still smooth but Medium provides a 48% improvement in frame rate. Ultra at 1080p (50.9 FPS) is playable but sacrifices too much performance for marginal visual gains.

At 1440p, Medium (79.4 FPS) is the recommended choice, as it stays well above 60 FPS while High (57.3 FPS) dips below that threshold. For players with 4K displays, Low (97.4 FPS) or Medium (63.9 FPS) are the only viable options, as High (45.8 FPS) and Ultra (37.7 FPS) fall below playable levels.

The data suggests that this combo is best suited to 1080p or 1440p gaming, with Medium settings providing the most consistent experience. At 4K, players must accept significant compromises, with Low settings nearly doubling the frame rate of Ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 145.6 FPS on Low, 96.0 FPS on Medium, 64.8 FPS on High, and 50.9 FPS on Ultra. The step from Low to Medium is a 34% reduction, while Medium to High is another 32% drop, and High to Ultra is a 21% reduction.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 123.8 FPS (Low), 79.4 FPS (Medium), 57.3 FPS (High), and 42.4 FPS (Ultra). The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a 15% loss at Low, a 17% loss at Medium, a 12% loss at High, and a 17% loss at Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 97.4 FPS (Low), 63.9 FPS (Medium), 45.8 FPS (High), and 37.7 FPS (Ultra). The drop from 1440p to 4K is 21% at Low, 20% at Medium, 20% at High, and 11% at Ultra, showing that Ultra settings are already so demanding that resolution has less relative impact.

The overall pattern is consistent: Low settings at any resolution outperform High settings at one resolution step down. For example, 4K Low (97.4 FPS) exceeds 1440p High (57.3 FPS) by 70%, and 1440p Low (123.8 FPS) exceeds 1080p High (64.8 FPS) by 91%.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is built on the GA102 chip with Ampere architecture and an 8 nm process from Samsung. It features 10240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, along with 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz, with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus providing 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 3080 Ti scores 26896 in PassMark G3D and 191309 in Geekbench OpenCL, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 41224 is nearly identical to the RTX 3090 (41441, -0.5% delta), showing that this GPU is within 1.6% of much higher-priced alternatives.

In The Medium, the GPU's role is dominant at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra score of 37.7 FPS reflects the heavy load on the 34.10 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 186.5 GPixel/s pixel rate. The 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game's textures at 4K, as evidenced by the Low settings achieving 97.4 FPS without memory-related stutters. The 8 nm process and 350 W TDP mean this GPU runs hot, but the measured FPS data shows consistent performance across all settings, with no evidence of thermal throttling affecting results. The RTX 3080 Ti's 83rd percentile ranking confirms it is a high-end GPU, but The Medium's demanding visuals limit it to Medium settings at 4K for a smooth experience.