The Medium

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers a strong showing in The Medium, securing a combo rank of 117 out of 1,689 tested combinations. This places the pairing in the top 7% of all systems tested, indicating that it is a highly capable configuration for this horror title. The combination of a mid-range 12th-generation processor with a top-tier Ada Lovelace GPU produces a balanced platform that avoids severe bottlenecking in either direction, allowing the hardware to express its full potential across various resolutions and settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 117 out of 1,689 tested combinations places it firmly in the upper echelon of systems for The Medium. This position suggests that the pairing is better suited for high-refresh-rate and high-resolution play than the vast majority of tested hardware configurations. The ranking reflects the significant contribution of the RTX 4080 SUPER, which sits in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, while the i5-12400F, in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, provides ample support without dragging down overall performance. The data indicates that this combo outperforms roughly 93% of other tested systems, making it a robust choice for gamers seeking high frame rates in this specific title. While not at the absolute top, the 117th rank out of 1,689 combos shows a well-matched setup where the GPU's immense power is effectively utilized, rather than being held back by a weaker processor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant component in this configuration, and its specifications align closely with the observed performance metrics. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides a substantial bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s, which is critical for handling the high-resolution textures and complex scenes typical of a horror game like The Medium. The memory clock runs at an effective 23 Gbps, and the core operates at a boost clock of 2550 MHz, enabling the card to process the game's visual effects efficiently. The GPU's percentile rank of 88 versus all other GPUs confirms its high-end status, and its average benchmark score of 53,610 places it slightly ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, which scores 53,489, and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M at 53,414. This performance ceiling is evident in the measured frames: at 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 147.4 FPS, and even at the demanding 4K resolution with Low settings, it maintains a fluid 127 FPS. The GPU's capability is the primary reason this combo ranks so highly, as it is able to push high frame rates even when the resolution is increased.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern across resolutions, which highlights the GPU-bound nature of this title. Moving from 1080p to 1440p to 4K at the same settings shows a predictable decline in average frame rates. For instance, at High settings, the average FPS drops from 88 at 1920x1080 to 73.9 at 2560x1440, and further to 56.5 at 3840x2160. This represents a 16% decrease from 1080p to 1440p and a 36% decrease from 1080p to 4K. The pattern is similar across other settings, with Low settings dropping from 147.4 FPS at 1080p to 137.5 at 1440p and 127 at 4K. The relatively smaller drop between 1440p and 4K compared to the jump from 1080p to 1440p suggests that the GPU is still the limiting factor at all resolutions, but it has enough headroom to maintain playable frame rates even at 4K. The data indicates that the i5-12400F is not a bottleneck at any of these resolutions, as the frame rate scaling is consistent with a purely GPU-limited scenario. This is substantiated by the fact that the GPU's performance traits, such as its high texture rate of 816.0 GTexel/s, are fully engaged across all tested resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play The Medium with this hardware for maximum smoothness?

A: For the highest frame rates, 1920x1080 with Low settings yields 147.4 FPS. However, 2560x1440 with Medium settings provides a balanced 102.9 FPS, which is likely the sweet spot for visual quality and performance.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to its nearest rival in this game?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 53,610, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (53,489) and 2.9% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (52,086). This indicates it is competitive with the RX 6900 XT and notably faster than the RTX 5070 Ti.

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

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 with Low settings, the system achieves 127 FPS. With Medium settings, it drops to 76.5 FPS, and at High settings, it maintains 56.5 FPS. The Ultra setting is the only one that dips below 60 FPS, at 45.1 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary limiter. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent, and the CPU's average benchmark score of 19,221 is only 0.1% different from the Intel Core i7-8700K, indicating it has enough power to feed the GPU at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Medium and Ultra presets?

A: At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 119.8 FPS, while Ultra delivers 69.3 FPS, a difference of 50.5 FPS. At 4K, the gap narrows to 31.4 FPS, with Medium at 76.5 FPS and Ultra at 45.1 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank against all other tested systems in The Medium?

A: The combo ranks 117th out of 1,689 tested combinations, placing it in the top 7% of all systems tested for this game.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests that the Medium preset offers the best balance between visual fidelity and performance. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset provides 119.8 FPS, which is only 27.6 FPS lower than the Low preset (147.4 FPS) but offers significantly better graphical quality. The High preset at 1080p drops to 88 FPS, which is still very playable but does not provide as large a visual jump as the step from Low to Medium. The Ultra preset, while visually superior, incurs a heavy performance cost, reducing the frame rate to 69.3 FPS at 1080p. For players with high-refresh-rate monitors, the Medium preset at 1440p is also an excellent choice, delivering 102.9 FPS. At 4K, the Medium preset is the most viable option for a smooth experience, hitting 76.5 FPS, while the High preset at 56.5 FPS may be acceptable for those prioritizing fidelity over frame rate. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution if a consistent 60 FPS is desired, as it only achieves 58.6 FPS at 1440p and 45.1 FPS at 4K. Based on the data, the Medium preset across all resolutions provides the most consistent and enjoyable experience without sacrificing too much visual quality.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F serves as a capable foundation for the RTX 4080 SUPER in The Medium. This 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture operates at a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with a shared 18 MB L3 cache. These specifications are sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the GPU in this title, as evidenced by the consistent frame rate scaling across resolutions. The CPU's average benchmark score is 19,221, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-8700K (19,210, a 0.1% difference) and the Intel Core i5-1335U (19,167, a 0.3% difference), but it trails the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS (19,364) by 0.7%. In the context of The Medium, this level of CPU performance is more than adequate. The game's demands are primarily placed on the GPU, and the i5-12400F's 12 threads ensure that the GPU is fed with data without significant delays. The CPU's single-thread performance, as shown by a Geekbench single-core score of 2,221, is strong enough to handle the game's core logic, while its multi-threaded capabilities are sufficient for background tasks. The data confirms that while the RTX 4080 SUPER is the star of the show, the i5-12400F is a reliable supporting actor that does not hinder overall system performance in this specific title.