The Medium

The Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB combo lands near the bottom of the tested hierarchy for The Medium, ranking 1536th out of 1689 combos. The data shows a system that can render the game, but only under strict conditions, with performance collapsing as resolution and quality settings climb. This analysis breaks down the measured frames to explain where this pairing excels and where it falls short.

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 Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its 20 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4/DDR5 memory position it as a capable mid-range desktop part. In synthetic benchmarks, the chip scores 7314 in 3dmark_16_threads and 21279 in cinebench_r23_multicore, placing it in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs tested. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-13620H (0.1% faster) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (0.5% slower), indicating that the 13400F sits squarely in a competitive performance band.

For The Medium, the CPU’s role is mostly about maintaining a stable frame delivery floor rather than pushing high averages. The game’s fixed camera angles and pre-rendered environments are not particularly demanding on thread counts, so the 13400F’s 16 threads are ample. The single-thread score of 960 in 3dmark_single_thread is moderate, but the game’s logic rarely bottlenecks on a single core. Instead, the data suggests that the CPU is never the limiting factor in this combo; the GPU’s 4 GB VRAM and modest compute throughput become the wall. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 67.9 FPS, which is close to what a CPU-bound scenario might look like, but even that result is more likely constrained by the graphics card’s fill rate than the processor’s 4.60 GHz boost. The 13400F’s 3dmark_max_threads score of 7307 is nearly identical to its 16-thread result, implying that the game’s workload does not scale beyond a handful of cores, leaving the CPU with headroom that the GPU cannot exploit.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB is an Ampere-architecture part built on Samsung’s 8 nm process, with a base clock of 1545 MHz and a boost clock of 1740 MHz. Its 4 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective) across a 128-bit bus, yielding 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. With 2048 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs, the card offers 7.127 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. It sits in the 50th percentile of all GPUs, but has no nearest rivals listed, indicating its performance is considered baseline rather than competitive.

In The Medium, the GPU’s 4 GB VRAM is the dominant constraint. The game’s high-resolution textures and dual-world rendering technique (which shows two environments simultaneously) demand significant memory capacity. The measured FPS drops are stark: at 1080p, moving from Low (67.9 FPS) to High (27.3 FPS) cuts performance by more than half, and Ultra (20.7 FPS) is barely playable. The pattern suggests that beyond Low settings, the card is forced to swap textures or reduce detail, causing severe stutter and frame drops. The 192.0 GB/s bandwidth is also insufficient for the game’s asset streaming at higher presets. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 12.8 FPS, which is effectively a slideshow, while 4K High (21.1 FPS) and 4K Medium (26.1 FPS) remain below playable thresholds. The GPU’s 1740 MHz boost clock cannot compensate for the memory bottleneck, and the 32 ROPs limit pixel throughput, particularly at higher resolutions where the pixel rate of 55.68 GPixel/s is overwhelmed.

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

The measured rows clearly indicate that Low settings are the only viable path for this combo. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 67.9 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. Medium settings at 1080p drop to 41.3 FPS, which is playable but with noticeable dips, while High (27.3 FPS) and Ultra (20.7 FPS) fall below acceptable thresholds for a horror game that relies on atmospheric tension. At 1440p, Low yields 57.1 FPS, which remains playable, but Medium (36.4 FPS) and above become increasingly problematic. At 4K, even Low (41.1 FPS) is marginal, and Medium (26.1 FPS) is too slow for a genre where timing matters.

The data implies that the best experience is 1080p Low, or 1440p Low if the user accepts a slight compromise in fluidity. There is no measured row that suggests a "sweet spot" at Medium or High, as the VRAM limitation causes disproportionate penalties. The recommendation is to keep textures low and rely on the CPU’s strength to maintain frame pacing. Ultra settings should be avoided entirely, as the 20.7 FPS at 1080p and 12.8 FPS at 4K are not functional for gameplay. The measured FPS gap between Low and Medium at 1080p (26.6 FPS difference) is larger than the gap between Medium and High (14.0 FPS), indicating that the first step up from Low triggers the most severe memory pressure.

FAQ

Q: Why does the FPS drop so sharply when moving from Low to Medium settings?

A: The data shows a 26.6 FPS drop at 1080p (67.9 to 41.3 FPS) when switching from Low to Medium. This large penalty is consistent with the GPU’s 4 GB VRAM being exhausted, forcing the card to reduce texture residency or use slower memory paths, as the 192.0 GB/s bandwidth cannot keep up with the game’s dual-world rendering.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck in this combo?

A: Benchmark results indicate the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU’s 3dmark_max_threads score of 7307 is close to its 16-thread score, suggesting the game does not fully utilize the processor. The FPS scales almost entirely with resolution and settings, which are GPU-dependent variables, while the CPU’s 4.60 GHz boost clock remains underutilized.

*Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K?*

A: Technically yes, but not at playable frame rates. The measured 4K results are 41.1 FPS on Low, 26.1 FPS on Medium, 21.1 FPS on High, and 12.8 FPS on Ultra. Only Low approaches playability, and even that is below the 60 FPS target most users expect.

Q: What is the best resolution for a consistent experience?

A: 1080p Low provides the highest measured average FPS at 67.9, with 1440p Low at 57.1 FPS as a secondary option. Both are above the 30 FPS threshold commonly considered minimum for playable, but 1080p offers more headroom for scene complexity.

Q: How does the GPU’s memory bandwidth affect the results?

A: The 192.0 GB/s bandwidth is a fixed hardware limit. The measured FPS collapses at higher settings because the game’s texture streaming exceeds this bandwidth, causing the GPU to stall. This is evident in the 4K High result of 21.1 FPS, which is barely half of the 4K Low result of 41.1 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU’s single-thread performance matter for this game?

A: The single-thread score of 960 in 3dmark_single_thread is moderate, but the game’s fixed camera and pre-rendered scenes do not demand high single-core throughput. The CPU’s 16 threads are more than sufficient, and the measured FPS variations are attributable to GPU settings, not CPU clock speeds.

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

The FPS scaling across resolutions reveals a GPU-bound system. At Low settings, the drop from 1080p (67.9 FPS) to 1440p (57.1 FPS) is a 15.9% reduction, and from 1440p to 4K (41.1 FPS) is a further 28.0% reduction. This progressive decline is typical of a card whose pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are saturated, not a CPU that would show a flat line if it were the bottleneck. At Medium settings, the scaling is steeper: 1080p (41.3 FPS) to 1440p (36.4 FPS) is a 11.9% drop, but 1440p to 4K (26.1 FPS) is a 28.3% drop, indicating that the higher pixel count demands more from the 32 ROPs and 192.0 GB/s bandwidth. At High settings, the drops are 15.4% (1080p to 1440p) and 8.7% (1440p to 4K), but the absolute values are already low (27.3, 23.1, 21.1 FPS), suggesting that the VRAM limit is so severe that resolution scaling has diminishing returns—the system is already struggling at 1080p.

The data implies that the GPU’s 4 GB memory is the primary limiter, as the FPS does not scale linearly with pixel count. A CPU-bound system would show relatively stable FPS across resolutions, but here the FPS drops consistently, confirming that the RTX 3050’s memory capacity and bandwidth are the walls. The 4K Low result of 41.1 FPS is notably higher than the 1080p High result of 27.3 FPS, which is counterintuitive unless one considers that Low settings reduce memory pressure, allowing the GPU to handle higher resolutions without stalling. This suggests that texture quality, not resolution, is the dominant factor in this game’s performance.

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

At 1920x1080, the combo produces 67.9 FPS on Low, 41.3 FPS on Medium, 27.3 FPS on High, and 20.7 FPS on Ultra. The spread from Low to Ultra is 47.2 FPS, showing a steep cliff as settings rise. At 2560x1440, Low yields 57.1 FPS, Medium 36.4 FPS, High 23.1 FPS, and Ultra 17.6 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low is 10.8 FPS, but at Ultra it is only 3.1 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset is so demanding that the resolution increase has minimal additional impact—the card is already maxed out. At 3840x2160, Low produces 41.1 FPS, Medium 26.1 FPS, High 21.1 FPS, and Ultra 12.8 FPS. The 4K Low result is higher than the 1080p High result, which reinforces that settings matter more than resolution for this GPU.

The minimum FPS values are not provided, but the average FPS alone suggests that any preset above Low will result in significant frame time spikes, as the VRAM limit causes hitches. The 1080p Medium result of 41.3 FPS is playable but not smooth, while the 1440p Medium result of 36.4 FPS is borderline. The 4K results are all below 30 FPS except for Low, which is 41.1 FPS but still inconsistent for a horror game that requires precise timing. The data shows no measured scenario where the combo exceeds 60 FPS beyond 1080p Low, indicating that users must accept a 60 FPS cap at that setting or drop to 30 FPS targets elsewhere.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This pairing ranks 1536th out of 1689 tested combos for The Medium, placing it in the bottom 9% of all systems. The rank reflects the GPU’s limitations more than the CPU’s capabilities, as the 13400F’s 82nd percentile CPU score is wasted when paired with a GPU that is in the 50th percentile. The combo’s position suggests that most other configurations, even those with weaker CPUs, outperform it because they have more VRAM or higher GPU compute. The rank is particularly low given the CPU’s strength, implying that the RTX 3050 4 GB is the anchor. In the broader context of the database, this combo is suited for older or less demanding titles, but for The Medium, it falls short of the median experience.

The data’s implication is that the CPU is overqualified for the GPU, and the combo’s rank would improve significantly with a different graphics card, even one with similar compute but more memory. The 1536th rank out of 1689 combos means that 1535 other systems deliver better measured FPS in this game, which is a stark verdict. It positions this build as a low-end entry point that can run the game at minimal settings but cannot deliver the visual fidelity that the game’s atmospheric horror design intends. The rank is a direct consequence of the measured FPS at higher settings, where the combo falls below 30 FPS at 1080p Ultra and below 20 FPS at 4K Ultra.