The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title that stresses both CPU and GPU, and the pairing of the Intel Core i5-12600KF with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti produces a wide spread of results depending on your resolution and quality targets. The data shows a system that is capable of high-refresh 1080p gaming but becomes increasingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, making settings management crucial for a smooth experience. The measured frames per second (FPS) reveal a clear hierarchy where the RTX 5070 Ti’s raw power is the primary driver of performance, while the i5-12600KF provides sufficient headroom to avoid bottlenecking at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and tells a clear story about where the performance bottleneck lies. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 81 FPS at 1920x1080 to 68 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 53 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 34.6% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, indicating that the RTX 5070 Ti is doing progressively heavier lifting as pixel count increases.

Looking at Low settings, the pattern is even more pronounced. The system achieves 164 FPS at 1080p, drops to 152 FPS at 1440p, and then falls to 119 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p gap is relatively small (7.3%), suggesting that the CPU is still able to feed frames adequately at lower resolutions. However, the jump to 4K causes a 21.7% drop, showing that the GPU is now the limiting factor. This indicates that at 1080p, the i5-12600KF’s 10 cores and 16 threads are sufficient to keep up with the GPU, but at 4K, the RTX 5070 Ti’s rendering workload becomes the dominant constraint.

The Medium settings show a similar trend with the most complete data. At Medium, the average FPS goes from 113 at 1080p to 95 at 1440p (a 15.9% drop) and then to 74 at 4K (a 22.1% drop from 1440p). This progressive decline confirms that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The fact that the 1080p to 1440p drop is smaller than the 1440p to 4K drop suggests that the CPU’s performance headroom is being exhausted somewhere between these resolutions, but the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor at 4K.

Ultra settings provide the most extreme example of this scaling. The system manages 64 FPS at 1080p, 54 FPS at 1440p, and only 42 FPS at 4K. This 34.4% drop from 1080p to 4K mirrors the High settings pattern, reinforcing that the RTX 5070 Ti’s memory bandwidth and compute resources are being saturated at higher resolutions. The data indicates that for 4K gaming, users will need to rely on Medium or Low settings to maintain playable frame rates, while 1080p and 1440p offer more flexibility.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations, this specific CPU-GPU pairing ranks 352nd out of 3,724 combos for The Medium. This places it in the top 9.5% of all tested systems, indicating a strong overall performance level. The rank reflects the balance between the i5-12600KF’s processing capabilities and the RTX 5070 Ti’s graphics horsepower in this particular game.

The CPU itself ranks in the 79th percentile against all processors, with an average benchmark score of 27,799. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-10900K, which scores 27,872 (a 0.3% difference), and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, which scores 27,896 (also a 0.3% difference). This means the i5-12600KF is essentially performance-equivalent to these older high-end chips in synthetic tests, which is impressive given its position in the Core i5 lineup.

For the GPU, the RTX 5070 Ti ranks in the 86th percentile against all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 49,957. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 (scoring 50,001, a 0.1% difference) and the Intel Arc A550M (scoring 49,737, a 0.4% difference). The RTX 5070 Ti is also compared to the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, which scores 50,951 (a 2% difference), and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, which scores 48,477 (a 3.1% difference). These comparisons show that the GPU is performing as expected for its class, with minor variations against direct competitors.

The combo rank of 352 suggests that while both components are individually strong, the pairing is not perfectly optimized for The Medium. Some combinations likely achieve higher ranks due to better CPU-GPU balance or specific architectural advantages in this game’s engine. However, being in the top 10% of all tested combos is a solid result, and the measured FPS data confirms that this system can deliver smooth gameplay at most settings.

GPU Role

The RTX 5070 Ti’s specifications play a critical role in The Medium’s performance. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 896.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is particularly relevant for a horror game like The Medium, which uses dual-reality rendering that can be memory-intensive. The 16 GB capacity ensures that even at 4K with high-resolution textures, the GPU is unlikely to run out of VRAM, which is a common cause of stuttering in other titles.

The clock speeds of the RTX 5070 Ti are also notable. The base clock runs at 2295 MHz, with a boost clock of 2452 MHz. These relatively high clocks contribute to the GPU’s 43.94 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is a measure of its raw compute capability. In The Medium, this translates to strong performance in both rasterization and the game’s lighting effects, which are computationally expensive. The boost clock behavior means that the GPU will dynamically increase its frequency under load, further enhancing performance when the game demands it.

The GPU’s 8,960 shading units, 280 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units are all well-utilized in this game. The generous number of shading units allows for efficient parallel processing of the game’s complex shaders, while the high texture rate of 686.6 GTexel/s ensures that texture fetching is not a bottleneck. The RTX 5070 Ti’s 70 ray tracing cores and 280 tensor cores also contribute to the game’s visual effects, although The Medium’s implementation of these features is not as aggressive as in some other titles.

The GPU’s 5 nm process node from TSMC allows for high transistor density, with 45,600 million transistors packed into a 378 mm² die. This efficiency contributes to the card’s performance-per-watt, though the 300 W TDP still requires a robust cooling solution and a 700 W suggested PSU. The PCIe 5.0 x16 interface ensures that the GPU can communicate with the CPU without bandwidth limitations, which is important for maintaining high frame rates at lower resolutions where the CPU is more active.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 164, providing an exceptionally smooth experience for competitive or fast-paced gameplay. Medium settings reduce this to 113 FPS, with a minimum of 96 FPS and a maximum of 130 FPS, indicating consistent performance without major dips. High settings bring the average down to 81 FPS, which is still perfectly playable on a 60Hz or 75Hz monitor. Ultra settings drop the average to 64 FPS, which is acceptable for most players but does not take full advantage of high-refresh displays.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected decrease. Low settings average 152 FPS, which is only slightly lower than the 1080p result, suggesting that the CPU is still keeping pace. Medium settings average 95 FPS, with a minimum of 81 FPS and a maximum of 109 FPS, providing a solid experience for most gaming scenarios. High settings average 68 FPS, which is on the edge of what is considered smooth for fast-paced action, while Ultra settings average 54 FPS, which may be acceptable for slower, atmospheric horror gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. Low settings average 119 FPS, which is still excellent for 4K gaming and demonstrates the GPU’s raw power. Medium settings average 74 FPS, with a minimum of 63 FPS and a maximum of 86 FPS, providing a playable experience with some headroom. High settings drop to 53 FPS, which is borderline for smooth gameplay, and Ultra settings average just 42 FPS, which is likely too low for most players to enjoy. The 4K results show that the RTX 5070 Ti is capable of 4K gaming, but users must be selective with their settings.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but only at Medium or Low settings. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 74, with a minimum of 63 FPS. At 4K Low, the average rises to 119 FPS. High settings produce 53 FPS average, and Ultra drops to 42 FPS, both of which may be too low for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best resolution for maximizing frame rate?

A: At 1080p, the system achieves its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average is 164 FPS, and even at High settings, the average is 81 FPS. This resolution is ideal for high-refresh monitors.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: At 1080p, the CPU provides enough headroom to keep the GPU fed, as evidenced by the high frame rates. At 4K, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, as shown by the significant FPS drops at higher resolutions.

Q: How does the i5-12600KF compare to other CPUs in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27,799, which is within 0.3% of the Intel Core i9-10900K and AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D. It ranks in the 79th percentile against all CPUs.

Q: What is the GPU’s VRAM capacity and how does it affect The Medium?

A: The RTX 5070 Ti has 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus with 896.0 GB/s bandwidth. This large capacity helps prevent VRAM-related stuttering, particularly at 4K with high-resolution textures.

Q: Does the system maintain consistent frame rates, or are there dips?

A: The Medium settings show consistent performance. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 96 FPS and the maximum is 130 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is 81 to 109 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it is 63 to 86 FPS, indicating stable frame pacing.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, Medium settings are the clear sweet spot for this system. At 1080p, Medium provides an average of 113 FPS, which is smooth on any display. At 1440p, Medium delivers 95 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh monitors. Even at 4K, Medium maintains 74 FPS, which is playable and offers a good visual experience. The measured minimums of 96, 81, and 63 FPS at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K respectively show that the system avoids major frame drops, ensuring a stable experience.

For users prioritizing maximum frame rate, Low settings are the best choice. At 1080p, Low produces 164 FPS, and even at 4K, it achieves 119 FPS. This is suitable for competitive play or for users with 120Hz+ displays at 4K. The visual trade-off is noticeable, but the performance gain is substantial.

High settings are only recommended for 1080p gaming, where the average of 81 FPS is acceptable. At 1440p, High drops to 68 FPS, which may be too low for fast-paced sequences, and at 4K, it falls to 53 FPS, which is not recommended. Ultra settings should be avoided entirely, as even at 1080p, the average of 64 FPS is not worth the visual improvement over High, and at 4K, the 42 FPS average is below playable thresholds. The data clearly shows that Medium is the optimal setting for this hardware combination, providing a high-quality experience across all resolutions.