The Medium

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti delivers a decisive, high-refresh-rate experience in The Medium, but the data reveals a clear performance ceiling at 4K Ultra settings. The combination ranks 161st out of 1,689 tested configurations, placing it in the top 10% of all combos. Benchmark results indicate that this pairing is exceptionally well-balanced for 1440p gameplay, where it sustains frame rates above 90 FPS on high presets, while 4K remains viable only when settings are lowered from the maximum preset.

CPU Role

The Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the 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 and DDR5 memory give it a solid foundation for gaming workloads. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21,279 points and a single-core score of 3,004 points, demonstrating strong thread scaling for a mid-range desktop part. Its average benchmark score of 25,236 places it in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs, which is a strong result for a chip with a 65 W TDP.

The data positions this CPU extremely close to its nearest rivals. The Core i7-13620H posts an average score of 25,201, a delta of just 0.1% — effectively a statistical tie. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D scores 25,365, which puts the i5-13400F 0.5% behind, while the AMD EPYC 9474F scores 25,103, putting it 0.5% ahead of that server chip. This clustering suggests that in CPU-bound scenarios, the i5-13400F will trade blows with these competitors within a margin of error. In The Medium, the CPU’s role appears secondary to the GPU, given the game’s cinematic, fixed-camera presentation. However, the strong multi-threaded scores (7,314 in 3DMark 16-thread and 25,032 in PassMark multithread) ensure that background tasks and game logic will not bottleneck the GPU at lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The RTX 5070 Ti is the dominant component in this pairing, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with 8,960 shading units and 70 ray tracing cores. Its 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is crucial for The Medium’s high-resolution textures and dual-world rendering mechanics. The GPU’s boost clock of 2,452 MHz and FP32 performance of 43.94 TFLOPS position it as a high-end enthusiast card. In the database, it holds an 87th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 52,086.

The GPU’s benchmark profile shows it is virtually identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, which scores 52,085 — a delta of 0.0%. It sits 0.8% behind the AMD Radeon RX 7700S (52,505) and 2.5% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A1000 (50,826). This parity with the RTX 4080 is notable because it suggests that the 5070 Ti will deliver frame rates in line with the previous generation’s flagship-tier performance. In The Medium, the GPU’s 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for the game’s 2021-era assets, even at 4K Ultra. The measured results confirm this, as the GPU is clearly the limiting factor at maximum settings, where frame rates drop below 50 FPS at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of 1,689 tested CPU-GPU combinations in The Medium, this pairing ranks 161st. This places it firmly in the upper echelon of configurations, though not at the absolute top. The rank indicates that there are 160 combinations that deliver higher average frame rates, likely featuring top-tier CPUs like the Core i9 series or the Ryzen 9 lineup paired with the RTX 5090 or similar flagships. However, the data shows that this combo outperforms the vast majority of systems, making it a high-end choice for this title.

The rank is particularly impressive given the CPU’s mid-range positioning. The i5-13400F is not a flagship processor, yet the combination still achieves a top-10 percentile rank, underscoring the GPU’s strength. The measured FPS data corroborates this: at 1080p Low, the combo produces 151.6 FPS, which drops to 62.7 FPS at 1080p Ultra. This 58.6% performance delta between Low and Ultra settings highlights how much headroom the GPU has at lower presets, while the CPU keeps pace without creating a bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured results provide a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1080p, the combo starts at 151.6 FPS on Low, drops to 112.4 FPS on Medium, 80.9 FPS on High, and bottoms out at 62.7 FPS on Ultra. These numbers indicate that 1080p is entirely GPU-bound, with the i5-13400F providing ample headroom to push over 150 FPS in lighter scenes.

Moving to 1440p, the frame rates remain highly playable. Low delivers 141.4 FPS, Medium 94.7 FPS, High 69.8 FPS, and Ultra 56.9 FPS. The step from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 7-12% performance at each preset, which is a modest penalty. At High settings, 1440p delivers 69.8 FPS, which is smooth for a horror title where atmospheric tension is more important than competitive frame pacing.

At 4K, the picture changes dramatically. Low settings produce 123.9 FPS, which is still excellent, but Medium drops to 77.7 FPS, High to 51.8 FPS, and Ultra to 42.9 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only sub-60 FPS figure in the entire dataset, indicating that the game’s maximum settings are too demanding for this GPU at native 4K. The data shows a clear trend: the RTX 5070 Ti is powerful enough for 4K at Medium and High presets, but Ultra requires a resolution reduction or upscaling to achieve smooth gameplay.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-13400F a bottleneck for the RTX 5070 Ti in The Medium?

A: No. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (151.6 FPS) and 1440p Low (141.4 FPS) shows the CPU can feed the GPU well beyond 60 FPS. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 25,236 places it in the 82nd percentile, and its nearest rival, the Core i7-13620H, scores nearly identically (25,201, 0.1% delta), confirming it is not a significant limiting factor.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gameplay?

A: Medium settings at 4K deliver 77.7 FPS, which is the highest preset that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. High settings at 4K drop to 51.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 42.9 FPS, so Medium is the recommended ceiling for native 4K.

Q: How does this combo compare to the RTX 4080?

A: The RTX 5070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 52,086, while the RTX 4080 scores 52,085 — a delta of 0.0%. This means the two GPUs are functionally identical in performance, so this combo’s results are representative of what an RTX 4080 system would achieve.

Q: Does the CPU’s 10-core configuration help in this game?

A: The CPU’s 16 threads contribute to a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21,279, which is strong for gaming. In The Medium, the fixed-camera design likely uses multiple threads for scene loading and AI, but the GPU is the primary driver of the measured FPS differences between settings.

Q: Can this combo run 1440p at Ultra?

A: Yes, 1440p Ultra delivers 56.9 FPS. While below 60 FPS, it is playable, and the data shows that High settings at 1440p (69.8 FPS) provide a smoother experience with minimal visual sacrifice.

Q: What is the performance drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the FPS drops from 80.9 at 1080p to 69.8 at 1440p, then to 51.8 at 4K. The cumulative drop from 1080p to 4K is 29.1 FPS, a 36% reduction, indicating the GPU is the scaling constraint.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data clearly indicates that the Medium preset is the sweet spot for this combo, offering the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 112.4 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate most monitors support. At 1440p, Medium produces 94.7 FPS, maintaining high refresh rates without dipping below 90. At 4K, Medium is the only preset that keeps the frame rate above 75 FPS (77.7 FPS), making it the recommended choice for 4K displays.

High settings are viable at 1080p (80.9 FPS) and 1440p (69.8 FPS), but the jump to Ultra costs significant performance: 17.8 FPS at 1080p (from 80.9 to 62.7) and 12.9 FPS at 1440p (from 69.8 to 56.9). Given that Medium to High only costs 31.5 FPS at 1080p (from 112.4 to 80.9), the Medium preset offers a disproportionate gain in frame rate compared to the visual fidelity improvement. For players prioritizing smoothness, Low is also viable, with 151.6 FPS at 1080p and 141.4 FPS at 1440p, but the visual downgrade is likely too severe for a horror game that relies on atmosphere. The data’s verdict is unambiguous: Medium provides the most consistent high-frame-rate experience without sacrificing the game’s intended mood.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals critical insights into which component limits performance. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 151.6 at 1080p to 141.4 at 1440p (a 6.7% reduction) and then to 123.9 at 4K (a further 12.4% reduction). This shallow scaling curve indicates that at Low settings, the system is not fully GPU-bound at 1080p, as the CPU is still able to push the frame rate above 150 FPS. The total drop from 1080p to 4K at Low is 27.7 FPS, or 18.3%.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is steeper: 62.7 at 1080p, 56.9 at 1440p (a 9.3% drop), and 42.9 at 4K (a 24.6% drop). The total reduction from 1080p to 4K is 19.8 FPS, or 31.6%. This larger percentage drop at Ultra settings confirms that the RTX 5070 Ti’s raw compute power is the primary constraint when the game’s most demanding effects are enabled. The 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 896.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 4K, as evidenced by the 77.7 FPS result at Medium, but the Ultra preset’s additional shading and lighting effects overwhelm the GPU.

The data suggests that the i5-13400F is not the limiting factor at any resolution. The CPU’s boost clock of 4.60 GHz and strong single-thread score of 3,004 in Cinebench R23 ensure that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is underutilized, the processor can maintain high frame rates. The limiting component is clearly the GPU at 4K Ultra, where the 42.9 FPS result falls below the 60 FPS threshold. This analysis indicates that players with 4K displays should stick to Medium settings or lower the resolution to 1440p to unlock the full potential of this otherwise highly capable pairing.