The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title from 2021, places a surprisingly heavy load on the GPU at high resolutions, and the Intel Core i5-12600KF + AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX combo handles it with clear, predictable scaling. The data shows this pairing is firmly GPU-bound at 4K, while the CPU provides ample headroom at lower resolutions. The RX 7900 XTX’s massive 24 GB frame buffer and high boost clocks are the primary drivers of performance, making this a top-tier configuration for this specific title, ranking in the 89th percentile of all tested combos.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, revealing that the Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the definitive bottleneck in this pairing. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 77.1 FPS at 1920x1080 to 67.8 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 12%. The larger jump occurs when moving to 3840x2160, where the average drops to 53.9 FPS, a further 20% decrease from the 1440p result. This pattern is typical of a game that is heavily dependent on pixel throughput and shader work, where the GPU’s raw compute power is the limiting factor.

This trend becomes even more pronounced when examining the Low settings preset. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 166.7 FPS, which is exceptionally high. At 2560x1440, it drops to 144.8 FPS, a 13% decline. However, at 4K, the average falls to 115.6 FPS, a 20% reduction from 1440p. The fact that the frame rate drops so significantly even at Low settings confirms that the GPU is still the critical component; reducing CPU load does not recover the lost performance at higher resolutions.

The data indicates that the i5-12600KF is not the limiting factor in this scenario. The scaling between 1080p and 1440p is moderate, but the scaling between 1440p and 4K is more severe, which is a signature of GPU-bound operation. The CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, but as the pixel count increases, the GPU’s execution time per frame grows, and the overall FPS is dictated by its capabilities. For players targeting 4K, the system will deliver a playable but not maxed-out experience, with the FPS hovering in the 44-116 range depending on the preset chosen.

Settings Recommendations

The most balanced experience is achieved with the Medium preset, which offers a substantial performance uplift over High and Ultra while maintaining a visually acceptable level of detail. At 3840x2160, Medium produces an average of 73.8 FPS, which is a 37% improvement over High’s 53.9 FPS and a 67% improvement over Ultra’s 44.1 FPS. This makes Medium the only preset at 4K that consistently stays above the 60 FPS threshold, which is crucial for smooth gameplay in a tense horror title.

For those with 1440p monitors, the High preset is the sweet spot. The data shows an average of 67.8 FPS at 2560x1440, which is a solid result for a visually demanding game. While Ultra is playable at 53.5 FPS, the incremental visual gains over High are likely not worth the significant performance cost. The Low preset at 1440p, with 144.8 FPS, is excessive for the game’s genre and leaves performance on the table.

At 1920x1080, the recommendation shifts to High, which delivers 77.1 FPS. This is a smooth experience, and the jump to Ultra (59.7 FPS) is not substantial enough to justify the frame rate hit. The Medium preset at 1080p (108.2 FPS) is also a strong choice for players who prioritize high refresh rates, but High offers a better balance of visual quality and performance. The Low preset, while hitting 166.7 FPS, is only recommended for competitive play, which is not a primary concern for a single-player horror game.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the dominant component in this configuration, and its specifications directly explain the measured results. The GPU’s 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus provides a massive 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is more than sufficient for The Medium’s high-resolution textures, ensuring that memory bandwidth is not a limiting factor at any tested setting. The large frame buffer also means that the game will not encounter VRAM capacity issues, even at 4K Ultra.

The clock speeds also play a critical role. The GPU’s game clock of 2365 MHz and boost clock of 2498 MHz are high, allowing for strong sustained performance. The RDNA 3.0 architecture, built on a 5 nm process with 57,700 million transistors, delivers the raw compute power needed to drive the fixed-camera scenes with complex lighting and reflections. The 61.39 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is a key indicator of its ability to handle the pixel and shader work required by the game.

In the context of this title, the GPU’s role is clear: it is the sole arbiter of performance at 4K. The FPS differences between the Low and Ultra presets at 3840x2160 (115.6 vs. 44.1) demonstrate the GPU’s processing power is the primary variable. The 24 GB VRAM ensures that texture streaming and asset loading do not cause stutters, allowing the GPU to focus on rendering. The data shows that the GPU is operating well within its capabilities, with no signs of memory or bandwidth throttling.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX ranks 178th out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the top 10.5% of all configurations, a strong result that indicates the hardware is well-suited for this title. The rank reflects a harmonious pairing where the GPU’s high-end performance is not hindered by the CPU.

The i5-12600KF’s benchmark scores support this conclusion. Its average benchmark score of 27827 places it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-10900K, has an identical average score of 27829, with a deltaPct of 0. This means the i5-12600KF offers the same CPU-level performance as the older i9, showing that it provides ample processing power for this game. The low deltaPct values against other rivals, such as the i5-12600K (-0.1%) and the Core Ultra 5 125H (-0.2%), confirm that the CPU is in a tight performance band at the top of the mid-range.

The GPU’s rank is similarly impressive. The RX 7900 XTX sits in the 85th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 44019 is slightly lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti’s 44900 (a -2% delta), but it is ahead of the RTX 4090 Mobile and Quadro M6000. This data shows that while the RX 7900 XTX is not the absolute fastest, it is a high-end part that is more than capable of delivering top-tier results in this game. The combination of a top-tier GPU and a high-end CPU results in a configuration that is in the upper echelon of performance for The Medium.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for 4K gaming on this hardware?

A: The Medium preset is the best choice for 3840x2160, delivering an average of 73.8 FPS. This is significantly higher than the High preset’s 53.9 FPS and the Ultra preset’s 44.1 FPS, making it the only preset that consistently stays above 60 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the limiting component. The FPS drops significantly from 1440p to 4K (e.g., from 67.8 to 53.9 FPS at High settings), which is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance. The i5-12600KF has ample headroom, as shown by the high frame rates at 1080p.

Q: How does the i5-12600KF compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27827, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i9-10900K’s score of 27829, resulting in a deltaPct of 0. This means the two CPUs offer essentially the same performance in general benchmarks.

Q: Will the GPU’s VRAM be a problem at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. The RX 7900 XTX has 24 GB of GDDR6 memory, which is massive for this game. The memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s is also very high, ensuring that VRAM capacity or bandwidth will not be a limiting factor at any resolution or preset tested.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 166.7 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 59.7 FPS. This is a difference of 107 FPS, showing that the GPU has the power to run the game at very high frame rates when visual effects are reduced.

Q: How well does this combo rank overall for this game?

A: The combo ranks 178th out of 1689 tested configurations in The Medium, placing it in the top 10.5% of all systems. This indicates that it is a high-performing and well-balanced setup for this specific title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the performance ranges from 166.7 FPS on Low to 59.7 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset provides 108.2 FPS, while High delivers 77.1 FPS. This resolution offers the most flexibility, with all presets being playable, though Ultra dips below 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops across all presets. The Low preset hits 144.8 FPS, while Medium provides 93.5 FPS and High offers 67.8 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 53.5 FPS, making it the first preset at this resolution to go below the 60 FPS target.

At 3840x2160, the performance is more demanding. The Low preset achieves 115.6 FPS, and Medium drops to 73.8 FPS. High setting yields 53.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 44.1 FPS. Only the Low and Medium presets are able to maintain an average above 60 FPS at this resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF provides a solid foundation for this GPU, with its 10 cores and 16 threads ensuring that the game’s logic and rendering threads are always well-fed. The processor’s boost clock of 4.90 GHz is high, and its single-thread performance is strong, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3309. This is important for a game like The Medium, which may have a primary thread that handles a significant portion of the game logic.

The CPU’s benchmark results suggest it is not a bottleneck. Its multi-threaded performance, highlighted by a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23444 and a Geekbench multicore score of 12373, is more than adequate for modern games. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system can reach 166.7 FPS, which indicates that the CPU can process frames quickly enough to avoid limiting the GPU. The L3 cache of 20 MB (shared) helps with data locality, reducing latency for frequently accessed game assets.

In this specific title, the CPU’s role is to provide consistent frame pacing and avoid any stalls. The i5-12600KF achieves this effectively. Its performance is comparable to the Intel Core i9-10900K, with a deltaPct of 0, meaning that upgrading from that older i9 would not yield any CPU-related gains in this game. The CPU is a capable partner that allows the RX 7900 XTX to operate at its full potential, with the system’s overall rank of 178th out of 1689 combos confirming that this pairing is exceptionally well-balanced for The Medium.