The Medium

The Medium presents a demanding test for the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti pairing. The measured data reveals a component dynamic where the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU's capability becomes evident only at lower settings. This analysis examines the benchmark results to understand how each component contributes to the game's performance profile, how scaling behaves across resolutions, and what the optimal settings are for this specific configuration.

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, running on the Intel Socket 1700 platform. Its base clock is 2.50 GHz, with a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, and it carries a 20 MB shared L3 cache. The processor's benchmark scores position it at the 82nd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25236. This places it competitively against rivals, with the data showing a 0.1% delta versus the Intel Core i7-13620H and a -0.5% delta compared to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role is best understood by examining the FPS progression at 1080p, where the GPU load is lighter. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 90.3 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded across all configurations. This suggests that the i5-13400F is capable of feeding the GPU adequately when the graphical load is reduced. The processor's multi-threaded performance, as indicated by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 21279, ensures that the game's background streaming and logic threads are handled without creating a significant CPU-side constraint.

However, the data also shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in most scenarios. When moving from 1080p Low to 1080p Medium, the FPS drops by 35 FPS to 55.3, a decline that is far more attributable to the GPU's workload than any CPU limitation. The processor's single-thread performance, with a Passmark single-thread score of 3634, is sufficient for the game's primary game thread. The i5-13400F's 10 cores and 16 threads provide ample headroom, meaning that the game's performance ceiling is dictated by the graphics card rather than the processor in nearly all tested settings.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, based on the Ampere architecture with the GA104 chip, is the central component in this performance analysis. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU's boost clock is 1665 MHz, and it contains 4864 shading units and 38 RT cores. With a Passmark G3D score of 20349, the GPU sits at the 69th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25120. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6700M, from which it trails by -0.2%, and the AMD Radeon RX 6600, which leads it by -0.5%.

The GPU's impact on The Medium's performance is pronounced. At 4K Ultra settings, the combo manages only 21.7 FPS, which is a clear indication of the graphics card being overwhelmed by the resolution and preset combination. The 8 GB VRAM capacity appears to be a constraint at higher settings, as the game demands more memory for textures and effects at 4K. This is evident when comparing the 4K High result of 29.2 FPS to the 4K Medium result of 36.1 FPS, showing that even a single step down in settings yields a substantial FPS improvement.

The RTX 3060 Ti's compute capabilities, measured at 16.20 TFLOPS for FP32, are put to the test in The Medium's fixed-camera angles and heavy post-processing. The data reveals a steep performance cliff when transitioning from Medium to High settings at any resolution, suggesting that the High preset introduces rendering features that disproportionately tax the GPU. The GPU's role as the primary bottleneck is confirmed by the resolution scaling patterns, where the FPS drops significantly as pixel count increases, regardless of the CPU's capabilities.

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

The benchmark data provides a clear picture of how The Medium scales across resolutions, and this scaling directly identifies the limiting component. At Low settings, the FPS moves from 90.3 at 1080p to 76.7 at 1440p, a drop of 13.6 FPS, and then to 59.4 at 4K, a further drop of 17.3 FPS. This gradual decline indicates that at Low settings, the system is still reasonably balanced, but the GPU is beginning to feel the pressure of increased pixel counts.

The scaling becomes more dramatic at higher presets. At Medium settings, the FPS drops from 55.3 at 1080p to 48.4 at 1440p, then plummets to 36.1 at 4K. The percentage decline from 1080p to 4K is more severe here, suggesting that the GPU's memory bandwidth and shading capacity are being saturated. At High settings, the pattern is similar but with lower absolute values: 42.5 FPS at 1080p, 32.2 at 1440p, and 29.2 at 4K. The 4K High result is nearly unplayable, confirming that the RTX 3060 Ti cannot handle this preset at the highest resolution.

The most telling evidence comes from the Ultra preset. At 1080p, the combo achieves only 30.9 FPS, which is barely playable. At 1440p, this drops to 28 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 21.7 FPS. The relatively small FPS differences between resolutions at Ultra settings, compared to the larger gaps at Low settings, indicate that the GPU is consistently the limiting factor. The CPU's performance headroom is not being fully utilized because the GPU is unable to render frames fast enough to demand more from the processor. The data strongly suggests that the RTX 3060 Ti is the constraining component across all resolutions and presets tested.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combination depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 90.3 FPS, which is smooth and responsive, but the Medium preset at 55.3 FPS offers a better visual quality trade-off. For players prioritizing frame rate, Low is the clear choice at 1080p, but Medium provides a playable experience with improved graphics.

At 1440p, the Low preset achieves 76.7 FPS, making it the only preset that delivers a consistently high frame rate. The Medium preset at 48.4 FPS is playable but not ideal for fast-paced gameplay. The High preset at 32.2 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 28 FPS is not recommended for a smooth experience. For 1440p, Low is the recommended preset to maintain a high refresh rate, while Medium is acceptable for those who prefer visual fidelity over performance.

For 4K gaming, the data shows that only the Low preset is viable, achieving 59.4 FPS. This result is surprising given the GPU's age, but it indicates that The Medium's Low preset is well-optimized. The Medium preset at 4K yields 36.1 FPS, which is playable but not smooth, while High at 29.2 FPS and Ultra at 21.7 FPS are below playable thresholds. The recommendation is clear: for 4K, use Low settings to achieve a playable frame rate, or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for a better visual experience with Medium settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 60 FPS?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 90.3 FPS, and at 1080p Medium, it drops to 55.3 FPS. For a consistent 60 FPS, 1080p Low is the only tested configuration that exceeds this threshold.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in The Medium?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The FPS drops significantly from 1080p to 4K at all settings, and the CPU's benchmark scores, including its 82nd percentile ranking, suggest it has headroom that the GPU cannot utilize.

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

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which achieves 59.4 FPS. Higher presets at 4K result in average FPS below 36.1, which is not smooth.

Q: How does the RTX 3060 Ti compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 25120 is -0.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6700M and -0.5% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6600, indicating very similar performance levels.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Medium achieves 48.4 FPS, while High drops to 32.2 FPS, a difference of 16.2 FPS, which represents a significant visual-to-performance trade-off.

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

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are as follows: Low settings yield 90.3 FPS, Medium settings yield 55.3 FPS, High settings yield 42.5 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 30.9 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline, with the largest single drop occurring between Low and Medium, a difference of 35 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the FPS results are 76.7 for Low, 48.4 for Medium, 32.2 for High, and 28 for Ultra. The drop from Low to Medium is 28.3 FPS, and the difference between High and Ultra is a modest 4.2 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset adds less overhead relative to High at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the measured FPS values are 59.4 for Low, 36.1 for Medium, 29.2 for High, and 21.7 for Ultra. The scaling from Low to Medium at 4K results in a 23.3 FPS drop, and the gap between High and Ultra is 7.5 FPS. Across all resolutions, the Low preset consistently provides the highest frame rates, while Ultra provides the lowest, with the RTX 3060 Ti struggling to maintain playable performance at higher settings.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti ranks 1250 out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium. This places the system in the lower-mid tier of all configurations tested, indicating that while it is capable of playing the game, many other hardware combinations deliver better performance.

The rank of 1250 out of 1689 means that approximately 74% of tested combos perform better than this one. This is consistent with the GPU's 69th percentile ranking among all GPUs, which suggests that the RTX 3060 Ti is a mid-range card that is outperformed by many newer or higher-end models. The CPU's 82nd percentile ranking is higher than the GPU's, further reinforcing that the graphics card is the weak link in this pairing.

The combo's rank also reflects the demanding nature of The Medium, which appears to be particularly heavy on GPU resources. The data shows that the RTX 3060 Ti is unable to maintain high frame rates at 4K or with Ultra settings, which limits the overall score. However, the rank is not the lowest, indicating that this combo is still viable for lower-resolution or lower-preset gaming. The performance gap to the top combos is significant, but the system remains functional for players willing to adjust settings accordingly.