The Medium

The Medium is a fixed-camera horror title that stresses the GPU heavily through its dual-reality rendering technique, where two simultaneous worlds are composited on screen. The measured data for this configuration pairs the Intel Core i5-12600KF with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D, producing a clear picture of where the performance ceiling lies across three resolutions and four quality presets. This analysis walks through the resolution scaling, component roles, exact FPS measurements, and how this combination stacks up against other tested systems.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial across all settings, indicating that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the primary workload carrier, while the Intel Core i5-12600KF keeps pace without becoming a bottleneck at lower resolutions. At Low settings, average FPS falls from 164 at 1920x1080 to 155 at 2560x1440, a drop of only 9 FPS, then further to 143 at 3840x2160, another 12 FPS reduction. This 21 FPS total decline from 1080p to 4K on Low is modest, suggesting that the game's lower-end preset is not fully saturating the GPU's capabilities, leaving headroom that the CPU can feed.

Moving to Medium settings, the scaling tightens considerably. The average FPS at 1920x1080 is 137, dropping to 122 at 2560x1440, and then to 95 at 3840x2160. The gap between 1440p and 4K here is 27 FPS, nearly double the Low preset's drop for the same resolution step, which points to the GPU becoming more constrained as pixel count rises. At High settings, the trend continues: 103 FPS at 1080p, 87 at 1440p, and 68 at 4K. The 4K figure is 35 FPS lower than 1080p, a 34% reduction that shows the rendering cost of The Medium's high-fidelity assets.

Ultra settings present the most severe scaling. At 1920x1080, the average is 82 FPS, which drops to 69 at 2560x1440 and then to 54 at 3840x2160. The 1080p-to-4K delta is 28 FPS, and the 4K result falls below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that even this flagship GPU struggles with maximum settings at the highest resolution. Across all presets, the resolution scaling pattern is consistent: the GPU is the limiting factor, as evidenced by the growing FPS gaps as both resolution and settings increase, while the CPU maintains sufficient headroom to avoid capping performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this configuration, and its specifications align with the measured performance. The GPU features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This large memory pool is particularly relevant for The Medium, which renders two full scenes simultaneously for its dual-reality mechanic, potentially requiring significant VRAM to hold textures and buffers for both worlds. The 32 GB capacity far exceeds what most games demand, so VRAM is unlikely to be a limiting factor in any tested scenario.

Clock speeds for the RTX 5090 D are listed with a base of 2017 MHz and a boost of 2407 MHz. These high clocks contribute to the GPU's raw compute throughput, which includes 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s. The pixel rate is particularly relevant for resolution scaling, as higher resolutions demand more pixel throughput, and the data shows that 4K Ultra falls to 54 FPS despite this immense fill rate. The GPU's 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs, based on an average benchmark score of 77712, places it near the top of the hierarchy, yet The Medium's Ultra preset at 4K still overwhelms it.

The GPU's benchmark scores provide context for its gaming behavior. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 14326, while Geekbench Vulkan reaches 376915 and OpenCL hits 310674. The PassMark G3D score is 44065, with a GPU compute score of 28396. These synthetic results indicate a GPU that excels in both rasterization and compute workloads, which should translate to strong performance in a title like The Medium that uses layered rendering. However, the measured FPS shows that at 4K Ultra, the GPU's capabilities are maxed out, producing an average of 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF provides the processing foundation for this combo, with 10 cores and 16 threads running at a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. This Alder Lake-S architecture processor has a 20 MB shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 or DDR5 memory. The CPU's benchmark scores show strong multi-threaded performance: Cinebench R23 multicore reaches 23391, while single-core hits 3302. Geekbench multicore is 12137 with a single-core score of 2157, and 3DMark max threads score is 7952.

The CPU's role in The Medium is secondary to the GPU, as evidenced by the resolution scaling data. At 1080p Low, the average FPS of 164 is high, but it does not approach the CPU's theoretical limit based on its 79th percentile ranking among all CPUs. The nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-10900K with a deltaPct of -0.3 and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D also at -0.3, show that the i5-12600KF performs essentially on par with these higher-tier options in average benchmark scores. This parity means the CPU is not holding back the GPU in most scenarios.

However, at 1080p Low, the FPS of 164 suggests the CPU is approaching a threshold where it could become more influential. The gap between 1080p Low (164 FPS) and 1440p Low (155 FPS) is only 9 FPS, while the gap between 1440p Low and 4K Low is 12 FPS. This relatively small spread across resolutions at Low settings indicates that the CPU is providing consistent frame delivery, but the GPU is still the primary limiter. The CPU's boost clock of 4.90 GHz ensures that single-threaded performance is sufficient for the game's logic, and the 16 threads handle any background tasks without causing frame hitches.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured FPS spans a wide range depending on settings. Low settings yield an average of 164 FPS, which is the highest recorded for this combo. Medium settings produce 137 FPS with a minimum of 116 and a maximum of 157, showing a 41 FPS range that indicates some scene-to-scene variability. High settings drop to 103 FPS, and Ultra falls to 82 FPS. The 1080p results show that even the most demanding preset stays above 60 FPS, making this resolution fully playable at any setting.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages decrease across the board. Low settings maintain 155 FPS, which is still exceptionally high. Medium settings average 122 FPS, with a minimum of 103 and a maximum of 140, the latter being the lowest maximum recorded at this resolution. High settings drop to 87 FPS, and Ultra falls to 69 FPS. The 1440p Ultra result is just above 60 FPS, suggesting that gamers with 1440p monitors can use maximum settings, but there is little headroom for demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's workload becomes the defining factor. Low settings produce 143 FPS, which is impressive for 4K and indicates that the game is well-optimized at lower presets. Medium settings average 95 FPS, with a minimum of 81 and a maximum of 110, maintaining a playable range. High settings drop to 68 FPS, which is still above 60 but close to the threshold. Ultra settings average 54 FPS, falling below 60, which means the game will experience visible stuttering in action sequences. The 4K data shows a clear gradient: Low and Medium are smooth, High is borderline, and Ultra is not recommended for this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 43rd out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the top 1.5% of all configurations. This high ranking is driven primarily by the GPU's exceptional performance, as the CPU is a mid-range part that does not detract from the overall result. The combo's rank reflects the GPU's 92nd percentile standing, which dominates the equation, while the CPU's 79th percentile is sufficient to avoid becoming a bottleneck.

Compared to other combos in the database, this system's 43rd place means it outperforms the vast majority of tested configurations. The GPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores include the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT with a deltaPct of 1.1, meaning the RTX 5090 D scores slightly lower in synthetic benchmarks, but the measured FPS in The Medium shows the GPU's real-world strength. The CPU's rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-10900K and AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, both with a deltaPct of -0.3, indicate that the i5-12600KF performs nearly identically to these higher-tier processors in average benchmark scores, so the combo's ranking is not held back by CPU choice.

The 2911 total combos include a wide range of hardware, from low-end integrated graphics to flagship multi-GPU setups. Ranking 43rd places this system in the upper echelon, and the data suggests that the only way to achieve higher rankings would be to pair the RTX 5090 D with a more powerful CPU, though the measured FPS shows that the current CPU is not a limiting factor. The combination's rank reflects the GPU's raw power, which carries the system to near-top-tier performance in this specific game.

Settings Recommendations

For 1920x1080, all settings are viable, but Ultra provides the best visual experience at 82 FPS, which is comfortably above 60. The high average ensures smooth gameplay, and the only reason to choose a lower preset would be to prioritize higher frame rates, as Low reaches 164 FPS. Medium at 137 FPS offers a balanced approach, but Ultra is the recommended choice for 1080p users seeking maximum fidelity.

At 2560x1440, Ultra is still playable at 69 FPS, but the margin is thinner. High settings at 87 FPS provide more headroom, making it the safer recommendation for consistent performance. Medium at 122 FPS is an excellent alternative for those who want higher frame rates without sacrificing too much visual quality. Low at 155 FPS is unnecessary unless targeting very high refresh rate displays, but the data shows that High is the sweet spot for 1440p.

For 3840x2160, the recommendation is more nuanced. Medium settings at 95 FPS are the best choice, offering a smooth experience with a minimum of 81 FPS, which ensures no drops below 60. High at 68 FPS is playable, but the lower average and lack of minimum FPS data make it riskier. Ultra at 54 FPS is below 60, so it is not recommended for 4K, despite the GPU's high benchmark scores. Low at 143 FPS is overkill for most displays, so Medium provides the best balance of visual quality and performance at 4K. Overall, the data points to Medium as the optimal preset for 4K, High for 1440p, and Ultra for 1080p.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in The Medium?

A: The highest average FPS is 164, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Does this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No, the average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 54, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-12600KF compare to its nearest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27799, which is 0.3% lower than the Intel Core i9-10900K and 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE, showing near-identical performance.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 2560x1440 Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 103, while the maximum is 140.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D's 32 GB memory affect performance in The Medium?

A: The 32 GB GDDR7 memory with 1.79 TB/s bandwidth provides ample capacity for the game's dual-reality rendering, ensuring VRAM is not a limiting factor in any tested scenario.

Q: What rank does this combo achieve among all tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 43rd out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the top 1.5% of all systems.