The Medium

The Medium presents a demanding fixed-camera horror experience where the balance between processor and graphics card shifts noticeably across resolutions. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600, interpreting the data to show where the bottleneck lies and what settings offer the best experience.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. Its configuration includes a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, which provides strong single-thread responsiveness for game logic and scene traversal. The CPU has a 20 MB shared L3 cache, which helps maintain data locality for the streaming environments typical of a horror title. With a 65 W TDP and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, this CPU is designed as a mainstream desktop part that can handle modern gaming workloads without becoming a primary limiting factor.

The benchmark data for the CPU shows a balanced profile across synthetic tests. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22604 and single-core score of 3191 indicate robust performance in both heavily threaded and lightly threaded scenarios. The Geekbench multicore score of 11068 and single-core score of 1996 corroborate this, showing that the processor can scale effectively when the game engine requires multiple threads for physics, AI, or streaming. The Passmark multithread score of 25032 further supports the CPU's capability in sustained workloads. The percentile rank of 77 against all CPUs places this chip in the upper quartile, and its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS with a deltaPct of 0 and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D at -0.3, show that its average benchmark score of 25292 is competitive with other high-end parts.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage the game's fixed-camera sequences. The measured FPS data suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU is not the bottleneck, as the frame rates scale inversely with resolution. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 84, which is the highest measured across all settings and resolutions. This indicates that the CPU is capable of driving the GPU to its maximum output at that resolution. However, as resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the frame rates drop significantly, implying that the GPU becomes the limiting component. The CPU's strong single-thread score of 960 in 3dMark single-thread ensures that it can handle the game's logic without stuttering, even when the GPU is under heavy load.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this CPU and GPU combo in The Medium?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 84 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This represents the maximum performance envelope for this combination, where the GPU is least stressed.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25292, which places it at a 0% deltaPct against the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS. It is 0.3% behind the Intel Core 5 120 and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D, and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H. This indicates near-identical performance among these four processors.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile relative to all other graphics cards?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6600 has a percentile rank of 63 against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19036. This places it in the upper half of the performance distribution, but it is not a top-tier part.

Q: Does the game run better at 1080p or 1440p with Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 52, with a minimum of 44 and a maximum of 60. At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average FPS drops to 44, with a minimum of 37 and a maximum of 51. The 1080p preset delivers an 18% higher average frame rate.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate recorded at 4K resolution?

A: The only 4K resolution with a recorded minimum FPS is at Medium settings, where the average is 35 FPS, the minimum is 29 FPS, and the maximum is 40 FPS. Other 4K settings do not have min or max data available.

Q: How many tested combinations does this CPU+GPU combo rank against?

A: The combo ranks 2904 out of 3724 tested combinations in The Medium, putting it in the lower half of all tested hardware pairings for this specific game.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling pattern is clear and consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 84 at 1080p to 71 at 1440p, a 15% decrease, and then to 55 at 4K, a further 23% decrease. This shows a progressive reduction in performance as the pixel count increases. The same trend is visible at High settings, where the average FPS falls from 37 at 1080p to 32 at 1440p (a 14% drop) and then to 25 at 4K (a 22% drop). Medium settings follow the pattern: 52 FPS at 1080p, 44 FPS at 1440p, and 35 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling, starting at 30 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 25 FPS at 1440p, and reaching 20 FPS at 4K.

The percentage drops between 1080p and 1440p, and between 1440p and 4K, are relatively consistent, which indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at all resolutions. The CPU is not showing signs of bottlenecking, as the frame rate scales predictably with resolution. If the CPU were the constraint, the FPS would remain flat or even increase at higher resolutions because the GPU would be waiting on the processor. Instead, the frame rates decline steadily, confirming that the AMD Radeon RX 6600's rendering throughput is what determines the final output. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the memory capacity and bandwidth may be stressed, leading to the lower frame rates observed.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 ranks 2904 out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the 22nd percentile of all tested combinations, meaning that roughly 78% of other hardware pairings deliver higher frame rates in this title. This rank is a direct reflection of the GPU's mid-range positioning, as the CPU is capable of much higher performance. The GPU's percentile rank of 63 against all GPUs is consistent with this combo ranking, indicating that the graphics card is the limiting component.

The data shows that this combo is not optimized for high-refresh-rate gameplay at 1080p with high settings, as the average FPS of 37 is below the 60 FPS target. However, at Low settings, the 84 FPS average is playable, but it requires a significant visual compromise. The combo's rank suggests that for users seeking higher fidelity, a more powerful GPU would be necessary, while the CPU has headroom to support such an upgrade. The deltaPct values for the CPU's nearest rivals show that any of those processors would deliver similar results, further confirming that the GPU is the bottleneck.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 23 chip, manufactured on a 7 nm process by TSMC. It features 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, along with 28 ray accelerators. The GPU has a base clock of 1626 MHz, a boost clock of 2491 MHz, and a game clock of 2044 MHz. The memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. The memory clock is 1750 MHz, which translates to 14 Gbps effective. The GPU's FP32 performance is 8.928 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate is 159.4 GPixel/s, with a texture rate of 279.0 GTexel/s.

The GPU's role in The Medium is central, as the game's visual effects, lighting, and fixed-camera compositions place a heavy load on the graphics processor. The 8 GB VRAM is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the higher memory demands may cause performance degradation. The measured FPS at 4K supports this, as the average frame rate at High settings is only 25 FPS, which is likely due to VRAM pressure and the GPU's raw compute limits. The GPU's average benchmark score of 19036 places it at a 0% deltaPct against the NVIDIA Quadro K6000, and it is 0.1% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile and 0.3% behind the NVIDIA Tesla K20m. It is 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation. This shows that the RX 6600 is competitive with older workstation cards but is not a high-end gaming solution.

The benchmark data for the GPU shows a passmark G3D score of 15096 and a passmark GPU compute score of 6554, indicating solid general performance. However, the directx 12 score of 51 is notably low, which may reflect driver overhead or specific architectural limitations in certain workloads. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 67623 is higher, suggesting that the GPU performs better in Vulkan-optimized titles. In The Medium, the performance is adequate for 1080p gaming with reduced settings, but the GPU's limitations are evident at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings tiers. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 84 FPS, the Medium preset averages 52 FPS with a minimum of 44 and a maximum of 60, the High preset averages 37 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 30 FPS. No min or max data is available for Low, High, or Ultra at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 71 FPS, the Medium preset averages 44 FPS with a minimum of 37 and a maximum of 51, the High preset averages 32 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 25 FPS. The pattern shows a consistent drop of approximately 15% from 1080p to 1440p for each setting.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 55 FPS, the Medium preset averages 35 FPS with a minimum of 29 and a maximum of 40, the High preset averages 25 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 20 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is more pronounced, ranging from 22% to 25% depending on the setting.

The most striking observation is the difference between Low and Ultra at each resolution. At 1080p, the gap is 54 FPS (84 vs 30), at 1440p it is 46 FPS (71 vs 25), and at 4K it is 35 FPS (55 vs 20). This indicates that the visual quality settings have a substantial impact on performance, with Low settings providing the only consistently playable experience at 4K. The Medium settings offer the only min/max data across all resolutions, showing that the frame time variance is relatively stable, with the minimum frames staying within 79% of the average.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and the desired balance between visual fidelity and frame rate. At 1080p, the Medium preset provides an average of 52 FPS, which is above the 30 FPS minimum for playability and offers a significant visual improvement over Low. The min FPS of 44 ensures that there are no major drops, making this the recommended preset for a smooth experience. The High preset at 37 FPS is playable but may feel less fluid, while Ultra at 30 FPS is at the edge of acceptability.

At 1440p, the Medium preset averages 44 FPS, with a minimum of 37, which is still within a playable range for a horror game where precise timing is less critical. Low settings at 71 FPS are smoother, but Medium provides a better visual presentation without sacrificing too much performance. High at 32 FPS and Ultra at 25 FPS are below the ideal threshold for comfortable gameplay.

At 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option with an average of 55 FPS, which is surprising given the high resolution. Medium at 35 FPS is borderline, with a minimum of 29 FPS that may cause noticeable stutter. High and Ultra at 25 FPS and 20 FPS, respectively, are not recommended for gameplay. For the best overall experience, the Medium preset at 1080p is the recommended choice, as it provides a balanced frame rate with moderate visual enhancements. For users prioritizing frame rate over visuals, Low at 1440p offers 71 FPS, which is significantly smoother. The data clearly shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, with 4K being reserved for the lowest settings if the user prioritizes resolution over quality.