The Medium

The Medium, a horror title built around fixed camera angles and a dual-reality mechanic, presents an interesting stress profile for the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination. The data shows a system that scales predictably with resolution and settings, but the specific frame rate deltas reveal where the bottleneck shifts between the CPU and GPU. This analysis breaks down the measured performance to understand the balance of this pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, indicating a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 150.7 at 1920x1080 to 111.7 at 3840x2160, a reduction of 26%. This relatively modest drop suggests that even at Low settings, the CPU is doing significant work to maintain frame pacing. The scaling becomes more dramatic at higher visual fidelity. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 76.6 at 1080p to 63 at 1440p, a 18% decline, and then further to 47.6 at 4K, which is a 38% drop from the 1080p figure. This pattern points to the GPU becoming the primary limiting factor as pixel count increases.

The most telling data point is at Ultra settings. The average FPS at 1080p is 62, which is only 17% higher than the 4K result of 39.7. This suggests that the game's Ultra preset imposes a heavy computational load that saturates the GPU even at lower resolutions. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Ultra shows a 19% performance hit (from 49 to 39.7), which is less severe than the jump from 1080p to 1440p (from 62 to 49, a 21% drop). This indicates that the GPU is already near its limits at 1440p Ultra, and the additional pixels at 4K cause a more gradual degradation.

The data implies that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the dominant force in this pairing. The CPU, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, appears to have headroom, as the FPS scales inversely with resolution. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar frame rates across all resolutions at a given setting. Instead, the consistent drops with increased resolution confirm that the GPU's rendering capabilities are the deciding factor for this title.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070 SUPER is equipped with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. This memory configuration is sufficient for the textures and assets in The Medium, as the frame rates do not exhibit any signs of stuttering or sudden drops that would indicate VRAM capacity issues. The GPU's boost clock of 2475 MHz and its 7168 shading units are the primary drivers of the raw FPS numbers observed. The data shows that the GPU can handle the game's demanding dual-world rendering, which often requires drawing two scenes simultaneously.

The performance at 4K Ultra (39.7 FPS) is a clear indicator of the GPU's limits. This is a playable but not smooth experience, suggesting that the architecture (Ada Lovelace) and its feature set, including 56 RT cores and 224 tensor cores, are being fully utilized. The game does not appear to rely heavily on ray tracing, but the compute load from rendering two perspectives is substantial. The measured results at 4K Low (111.7 FPS) show that when the GPU's workload is reduced, the system can achieve high frame rates, reinforcing that the GPU is the main component determining performance in this title.

The GPU's 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is a theoretical measure, but the real-world results align with its expected position. The average FPS at 1440p High (63) is a solid performance metric, while the 4K High (47.6) demonstrates that the card is capable of entry-level 4K gaming but requires settings adjustments for a smoother experience. The data suggests that the 12 GB VRAM is adequate, as none of the tested resolutions or settings produced a scenario where the GPU's memory bandwidth became a limiting factor.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the Medium preset at 1440p offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The average FPS of 87.9 is significantly higher than the 63 FPS at High settings, and the visual difference between Medium and High is often less pronounced in slower-paced horror games. For a target of 60 FPS or higher, the Medium preset at 1440p is the clear choice, providing a 39% performance uplift over High.

At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 103.9 FPS, which is ideal for high refresh rate monitors. The High preset at 1080p (76.6 FPS) is also viable, but the Ultra preset (62 FPS) dips below the 60 FPS threshold, making it less desirable for consistent frame pacing. The data suggests that Ultra settings are only recommended for players who prioritize maximum visual fidelity over frame rate stability.

For 4K gaming, the Low preset is the only option that maintains a consistently high frame rate, with an average of 111.7 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K (67.1 FPS) is playable, but the High (47.6) and Ultra (39.7) presets fall below the 60 FPS target. The recommendation is to use Medium at 4K if a 60 FPS cap is acceptable, but for a smoother experience, dropping to Low is necessary. The data clearly indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER is not a native 4K Ultra card for this title, but it offers excellent performance at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured results provides a detailed picture of the system's performance across all resolution and quality combinations. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 150.7 at Low settings to 62 at Ultra settings. The Medium preset achieves 103.9 FPS, while High sits at 76.6 FPS. This shows a clear progression, with each step up in quality costing approximately 25-30% performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop across the board. Low settings produce 140.5 FPS, which is still very high. Medium settings yield 87.9 FPS, High settings produce 63 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 49 FPS. The gap between Medium and High at this resolution is 24.9 FPS, which is a significant difference that would be noticeable in gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more demanding. Low settings produce 111.7 FPS, which is a strong result for 4K. Medium settings drop to 67.1 FPS, High settings fall to 47.6 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 39.7 FPS. The relative performance between settings remains consistent, but the absolute numbers show that only the Low and Medium presets are suitable for a smooth 4K experience. The data confirms that the system is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with the GPU becoming the primary constraint at 4K.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS is 150.7, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming at high settings?

A: The data shows an average FPS of 47.6 at 3840x2160 with High settings. This is below the 60 FPS threshold, so it is playable but not ideal for smooth performance.

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

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 yields 87.9 FPS, while the High preset yields 63 FPS. This represents a 24.9 FPS difference, meaning Medium provides a roughly 40% performance advantage.

Q: How does the Ultra preset at 1080p compare to the High preset at 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset at 1920x1080 achieves 62 FPS, while the High preset at 2560x1440 achieves 63 FPS. The performance is nearly identical, but the 1440p High preset offers a higher resolution with similar frame rates.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p Low settings?

A: At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 150.7. This high frame rate suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU, but the GPU is still the main driver, as increasing resolution to 4K Low only drops the FPS to 111.7, showing a clear GPU dependency.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average FPS is 39.7, recorded at 3840x2160 with the Ultra settings preset.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 21279 and a single-core score of 3004, indicate a strong processor. However, in this gaming scenario, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU. The measured FPS data shows that frame rates are heavily influenced by resolution, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck.

The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7314 and the 8-thread score of 5591 suggest that the CPU has ample multi-threaded headroom. The Medium's engine, which often needs to process two distinct scenes for its dual-reality mechanic, might benefit from this multi-threading. Yet, the performance scaling from 1080p to 4K shows that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU does not appear to hold back the frame rate at any tested configuration.

The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and its PCIe Gen 5 support provide a solid foundation for the GPU. The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not a weak point in this pairing. The lowest FPS at 1080p Ultra (62) is still higher than the 4K Ultra result (39.7), proving that the CPU can push frames faster than the GPU can render them at high resolutions. This indicates that the i5-13400F is a capable partner for the RTX 4070 SUPER, providing enough processing power to avoid becoming a bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination holds a rank of 272 out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the top 16% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing for a mid-range processor paired with a high-end graphics card. The ranking suggests that this combo outperforms a majority of other system configurations.

The CPU itself is in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13620H, has a negligible 0.1% difference in average benchmark score. This indicates that the i5-13400F is a very capable processor, but the game's performance is more dependent on the GPU. The GPU is in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A6000, being a 0.2% slower in average benchmark score.

The combo's rank of 272 suggests that while the individual components are strong, the pairing is not at the absolute top. This is likely due to the fact that other combos might pair the same GPU with a more powerful CPU, or the game might not utilize the CPU's full potential. The data shows that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the dominant component, and the i5-13400F is a suitable but not exceptional partner. The performance in The Medium is good, but not the best possible, indicating that a higher-end CPU might yield slightly better results in CPU-bound scenarios, though the current data suggests the GPU is the primary constraint.