The Medium

The Intel Core i5-12400F pairs with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 in The Medium, a horror title that demonstrates a clear division of labor between the processor and the graphics card. The CPU, a 6-core, 12-thread Alder Lake-S part, operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark profile shows a strong single-core foundation, with a 3dmark_single_thread score of 909 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1680, which is critical for maintaining frame pacing in a game like The Medium, where environmental storytelling and scripted sequences demand consistent frame delivery.

The multi-threaded performance of the i5-12400F is substantial for its class, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 12380 and a Geekbench multicore score of 9472. The processor’s 18 MB of shared L3 cache and per-core L2 cache of 1.25 MB help keep data flowing to the GPU. In the context of The Medium’s measured results, the CPU appears to be more than sufficient to feed the RTX 4080 at 1080p, where the frame rates exceed 120 FPS on Medium and Low settings. However, as resolution increases, the data indicates that the game’s demands shift overwhelmingly to the graphics card, reducing the CPU’s relative influence on the final frame output.

The RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this pairing, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process node. It features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. The GPU’s base clock is 2205 MHz, boosting to 2505 MHz, and its 9728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs provide immense rasterization power. The card’s FP32 performance is rated at 48.74 TFLOPS, which directly translates to the high frame rates observed in the measured data. For a game like The Medium, which uses fixed camera angles and renders both worlds simultaneously, the RTX 4080’s raw throughput helps maintain playable frame rates even at 4K with High settings, achieving 57 FPS average.

The GPU’s memory capacity and bandwidth are critical here, as The Medium’s dual-reality rendering technique likely requires large texture buffers and high memory throughput. The 16 GB VRAM allocation ensures that 4K Ultra settings, which push the average down to 45 FPS, do not hit a memory wall, allowing the card to remain compute-bound rather than memory-starved. The RTX 4080’s performance percentile of 86 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247, places it firmly in the high-end segment. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, trails by a margin of 0.1%, indicating that this card is performing essentially at the peak of its class.

FAQ

Q: What average frame rate does this combo achieve at 2560x1440 on High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the measured average FPS is 72. This is 14 FPS lower than the 1080p High result of 86, indicating a moderate scaling cost as resolution increases.

Q: Is the RTX 4080’s 16 GB VRAM sufficient for 4K Ultra settings in The Medium?

A: The data shows the combo still achieves an average of 45 FPS at 3840x2160 on Ultra, so the 16 GB VRAM is not a limiting factor. The benchmark results indicate the card can render the highest preset, albeit at a lower frame rate than lower presets.

Q: How does the Core i5-12400F compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-12400F has an average benchmark score of 19039, placing it in the 73rd percentile among all CPUs. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, scores 19047, a delta of 0%, meaning they are statistically identical in overall synthetic performance.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1920x1080?

A: At 1080p, Low settings yield an average of 146 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 68 FPS. This represents a drop of 78 FPS, or roughly 53%, showing the significant cost of the Ultra preset’s visual features.

Q: Does the combo hit 60 FPS at 4K with any settings preset?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 79, which is above 60. However, at High settings, the average drops to 57 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded across all measured settings?

A: The only minimum FPS values provided are for Medium settings. At 1920x1080, the min FPS is 102; at 2560x1440, it is 86; and at 3840x2160, it is 67. The lowest minimum recorded is 67 FPS at 4K Medium.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combination in The Medium is broken down by resolution and settings, revealing a consistent pattern. At 1920x1080, the frame rates range from a high of 146 FPS on Low settings to a low of 68 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at 1080p delivers 120 FPS average, with a minimum of 102 FPS and a maximum of 138 FPS. High settings at 1080p produce 86 FPS average. This resolution shows the combo has ample headroom to drive high refresh rate displays, even with visually demanding presets.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. Low settings yield 138 FPS average, which is a drop of 8 FPS from 1080p Low. Medium settings at 1440p average 101 FPS, with a minimum of 86 FPS and a maximum of 116 FPS. High settings at 1440p reduce the average to 72 FPS, while Ultra settings bring it down to 57 FPS. The pattern here suggests that 1440p is the sweet spot for high refresh rate gaming with this hardware, as Medium settings still exceed 100 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly under heavier load. Low settings still produce a very playable 127 FPS average, which is surprisingly high for 4K, indicating the game’s Low preset is not GPU-bound in the same way as higher presets. Medium settings at 4K average 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. High settings drop to 57 FPS average, and Ultra settings fall to 45 FPS average. The data shows a clear diminishing return as settings increase at 4K, with the Ultra preset sacrificing significant performance for visual fidelity.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K illustrates the GPU’s role as the primary bottleneck in this pairing. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 146 at 1080p to 127 at 4K, a decrease of 19 FPS or roughly 13%. This relatively small drop indicates that at Low settings, the game is still partially CPU-bound, as the RTX 4080 is not fully taxed. At Medium settings, the drop is more pronounced: 120 FPS at 1080p falls to 79 FPS at 4K, a 34% reduction. This suggests the GPU is now becoming the limiting factor.

The scaling becomes even steeper at High settings, where 86 FPS at 1080p falls to 57 FPS at 4K, a 34% drop. At Ultra settings, the pattern continues, with 68 FPS at 1080p dropping to 45 FPS at 4K, a 34% decrease. The consistency of this percentage drop across Medium, High, and Ultra presets strongly indicates that the RTX 4080 is the limiting component at these settings, as the frame rate scales almost linearly with the increase in pixel count. The anomalous behavior at Low settings, where the drop is only 13%, suggests that the CPU’s performance is sufficient to keep the GPU fed even at 4K when the graphical load is minimal, but once settings increase, the GPU’s raw compute power becomes the deciding factor.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests that the Medium preset provides the best balance of performance and visual quality for this combo. At 2560x1440, Medium settings yield an average of 101 FPS, with a minimum of 86 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay without dipping below the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K, Medium settings still achieve 79 FPS average, with a minimum of 67 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target. This makes Medium the only settings level that consistently maintains playable frame rates across all three resolutions, from 1080p to 4K.

High settings are a viable alternative for users with 1080p or 1440p displays, as they deliver 86 FPS and 72 FPS respectively. However, at 4K, High settings drop to 57 FPS, which may be acceptable for some but falls short of the 60 FPS standard. Ultra settings should be avoided for 4K gaming with this setup, as the 45 FPS average will be noticeably less smooth. For 1080p users, Ultra settings at 68 FPS are playable, but the Medium preset at 120 FPS offers a far superior experience for competitive or high-refresh-rate play. The data clearly points to Medium as the recommended preset for the best overall experience, particularly for those who want to leverage the RTX 4080’s power at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for The Medium, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 holds a rank of 305 out of 3724 total combinations. This places it in the top 8.2% of all tested configurations, indicating a high-performance pairing that is well above the median. The rank reflects the combined capabilities of the CPU and GPU, with the RTX 4080’s high percentile of 86 among all GPUs being the primary driver of this strong showing.

The CPU’s percentile of 73 among all CPUs is respectable but not as dominant as the GPU’s, which confirms that the graphics card is the star of this configuration. The fact that the combo ranks in the 305th position suggests that there are 304 other combinations that perform better in this specific game, likely featuring higher-end CPUs such as the Core i9 series or AMD Ryzen 9 parts, or possibly more powerful GPUs. However, given the RTX 4080’s position near the top of the GPU hierarchy, the improvements offered by those higher-ranked combos would likely require a processor with significantly more multi-threaded capability, as the i5-12400F’s 6-core, 12-thread configuration is adequate but not overkill for this title. The data positions this combo as a strong high-end option that will run The Medium at high frame rates across most settings, with the primary limitation being the GPU’s performance at 4K Ultra.