The Medium

The Medium presents a substantial challenge for the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination. The measured frame rates across resolutions and presets show a system that is consistently stretched, with the data revealing a clear performance ceiling that requires careful settings management to achieve a playable experience.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K exposes a significant performance drop that is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p with High settings, the system produces an average of 41.6 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same preset drops the average to 34.3 FPS, a reduction of roughly 18%. The jump to 4K High is more punishing, with the average falling to 30.1 FPS, which is a 27% decline from the 1440p result and a 28% drop from 1080p. This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER's rendering capabilities are the primary constraint as resolution increases.

The data shows a similar trend across all quality presets. At Low settings, the system achieves 91.7 FPS at 1080p, which is a highly playable figure. However, this drops to 74.9 FPS at 1440p and further to 58.7 FPS at 4K. While the 4K Low result is still above 60 FPS, the steep decline from the 1080p baseline suggests that even at the lowest graphical load, the GPU is working hard to fill the additional pixels. The gap between 1440p and 4K at Low settings is 16.2 FPS, demonstrating that the resolution scaling penalty remains significant even when the scene complexity is reduced.

The Ultra preset tells a more severe story. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 30.1 FPS, which is identical to the 4K High result. This indicates that the combination of high resolution and maxed-out settings quickly overwhelms the hardware. At 1440p Ultra, the average drops to 28.5 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it plummets to 20.9 FPS. The 31% drop from 1440p to 4K at Ultra settings is the largest relative penalty in the dataset, showing that the GPU is entirely saturated when both pixel count and graphical fidelity are maximized.

The frame rate deltas between resolutions are consistent with a system where the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, is unlikely to be the bottleneck at these resolutions. The benchmark data suggests that players targeting 4K will need to rely on Low settings to maintain a playable frame rate, while 1080p offers the most headroom for higher quality presets.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide a clear hierarchy of performance based on quality presets. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 91.7 FPS, which is more than double the 41.6 FPS achieved at High. This massive jump indicates that the Low preset significantly reduces the graphical load, allowing the GPU to render frames much faster. For players prioritizing smooth gameplay, 1080p Low is the only preset that guarantees a frame rate well above 60 FPS.

The Medium preset at 1080p yields 57.6 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS target but not quite there. This represents a 38% improvement over High, making it a viable option for those who want a balance between visual quality and performance. However, the data shows that the jump from Medium to High costs 16 FPS, a 28% reduction, which may be too steep for the visual gains offered.

At 1440p, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset delivers 74.9 FPS, which is playable, but the Medium preset drops to 47.8 FPS, and High falls to 34.3 FPS. None of these higher presets achieve 60 FPS, so 1440p users will be forced to choose between Low and Medium, with Medium offering a smoother visual experience at the cost of a frame rate that is below the ideal threshold.

For 4K, the data is unforgiving. The Low preset is the only option that provides a playable experience, with an average of 58.7 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 39.8 FPS, and High falls to 30.1 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is not viable, with an average of 20.9 FPS. The optimal experience per the measured rows is therefore 1080p Low for maximum frame rate, or 1080p Medium for a better visual experience while staying close to 60 FPS. At higher resolutions, the Low preset is the only sensible choice.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the central component in determining this system's performance in The Medium. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is sufficient for the game's assets at lower resolutions, but the data suggests that it may be a limiting factor at 4K, where the frame rates drop dramatically.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 1470 MHz and a boost of 1650 MHz, are modest by modern standards. The benchmark results show that the GPU is capable of producing high frame rates at 1080p Low, but its performance quickly degrades as the resolution and settings increase. The 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is evidently not enough to handle the game's demands at high resolutions with high-quality presets.

The GPU's position in the performance hierarchy is reflected in its percentile rank of 63 among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070, is only 0.5% faster in average benchmark score, indicating that the 2060 SUPER is a strong performer in its class. However, the data from The Medium shows that this level of performance is insufficient for high-end gaming at 4K. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM may also be a factor, as the game's textures and effects at Ultra settings could exceed this capacity, leading to the significant frame rate drops observed.

The RTX 2060 SUPER's 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores are present, but their impact on this game is not directly measurable from the frame rate data. The results indicate that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings, which are both GPU-dependent variables.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for 1080p gaming on this system?

A: The data shows that 1080p Low delivers 91.7 FPS, while 1080p Medium provides 57.6 FPS. For a frame rate above 60, Low is the best choice. Medium is viable if you can tolerate a slightly lower frame rate.

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

A: Yes, but only with significant compromises. At 4K Low, the system achieves 58.7 FPS. At 4K High, the average drops to 30.1 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 20.9 FPS. Only the Low preset offers a playable experience.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its closest rival?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 19774, which is 0.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070’s score of 19680. This indicates near-identical performance between the two cards.

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

A: The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K indicates a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU, with 10 cores and 16 threads, is unlikely to bottleneck at these resolutions, as the performance drops align with the GPU's rendering load.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between High and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 1440p High, the system produces 34.3 FPS, while at 1440p Ultra, it drops to 28.5 FPS. This is a 5.8 FPS difference, or a 17% reduction, for the increased visual fidelity.

Q: Does the GPU's memory bandwidth affect performance?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The steep frame rate drops at 4K suggest that the GPU's memory subsystem and compute power are insufficient for high-resolution rendering, as the data shows a clear performance ceiling.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F provides the processing foundation for this system, and its specifications suggest it is well-equipped to handle the logic and physics of The Medium. With 10 cores and 16 threads, the CPU has a high level of parallelism that is beneficial for modern games. The base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.60 GHz offer a wide dynamic range, allowing the CPU to scale its performance based on demand.

The benchmark results for the CPU show strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 21279 and a Geekbench multicore score of 10971. These figures place the CPU in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs, indicating that it is a capable processor for gaming workloads. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D, has a slightly higher average benchmark score, with the Intel chip trailing by 0.5%.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU. The frame rate data shows a consistent pattern of performance degradation with increasing resolution, which is characteristic of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory provide ample bandwidth for feeding the GPU with data, but the measured results suggest that the GPU is the component that determines the final frame rate.

The CPU's 16 threads are likely sufficient to handle the game's background tasks, AI, and scene management, even at higher settings. The lack of a significant frame rate drop at lower resolutions, where the CPU would be more stressed, further supports the notion that the i5-13400F is not a limiting factor. The data indicates that the CPU is a stable, high-performance partner for the RTX 2060 SUPER, but it is the GPU that dictates the overall gaming experience in this title.