The Medium

The Medium is a demanding title for this hardware pairing, and the measured data confirms that the Intel Core i5-9400 with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is positioned near the bottom of the performance hierarchy for this game. With a combo rank of 1620 out of 1689 tested configurations, this system is only ahead of roughly 4% of all tested combos, placing it firmly in the lowest performance tier. The benchmark results indicate that playable frame rates are only achievable at the lowest settings and even then, only at 1080p.

Settings Recommendations

The data provides a clear verdict on settings: the only configuration that delivers a playable experience is Low at 1920x1080, which produces an average of 46.1 FPS. This is the sole preset that crosses the 30 FPS threshold, making it the only viable option for actual gameplay. Every other setting combination falls below this mark, with Medium at 1080p yielding 27.2 FPS and High at 1080p dropping to 19.3 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the situation becomes more constrained. Low settings produce 40.2 FPS, which is technically playable but represents a significant drop from the 1080p result. Medium at this resolution falls to 22 FPS, and High drops to 14.7 FPS, making these presets unsuitable for smooth gameplay. The 3840x2160 resolution is effectively unplayable across all settings, with even Low yielding only 31.8 FPS and High dropping to 15.3 FPS.

For the best experience this system can offer, the recommendation is unambiguous: Low settings at 1920x1080. While Medium at 1080p provides a marginal visual improvement, the 27.2 FPS average is below the threshold for comfortable play. The data suggests that users should accept the visual compromises of Low settings to secure the only consistently playable frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1620 out of 1689 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 4% of all tested systems for The Medium. This is a remarkably low position, indicating that this hardware pairing is severely underpowered for this game's requirements. The processor itself sits at the 50th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2305, while the GPU ranks at the 43rd percentile among all GPUs with an average score of 8713.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks show tightly clustered scores. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2300, just 0.2% lower, while the Intel Core i7-8809G scores 2319, 0.6% higher. This narrow spread indicates that the i5-9400's processing power is competitive with its immediate peers, yet the GPU's position relative to its rivals is more concerning. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile scores 8746, just 0.4% higher, while the AMD Radeon 550X scores 8749, also 0.4% higher. These marginal differences in synthetic benchmarks do not translate into playable performance in this game, underscoring that The Medium's demands exceed what this tier of hardware can deliver.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 features 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1485 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz, with memory running at 2001 MHz (8 Gbps effective). These specifications place the GPU in the 43rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 8713.

The benchmark data reveals a stark pattern: as resolution increases, frame rates collapse dramatically. At 1080p Low, the GPU produces 46.1 FPS, but at 1440p Low this drops to 40.2 FPS, and at 4K Low it falls to 31.8 FPS. This scaling suggests the GPU's 4 GB memory capacity and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth become significant bottlenecks at higher resolutions. The GTX 1650's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon 550X, scores 8749 in synthetic benchmarks, just 0.4% higher, indicating these GPUs are closely matched in raw compute but still insufficient for this game's demanding rendering.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this hardware?

A: The highest average frame rate is 46.1 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. No other configuration reaches 45 FPS or higher.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with the GTX 1650 in The Medium?

A: No. At 3840x2160, even Low settings produce only 31.8 FPS, while Medium drops to 17.9 FPS and High falls to 15.3 FPS. Ultra at 4K yields a mere 9.5 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU perform relative to its closest competitors?

A: The GTX 1650's average benchmark score is 8713, which is 0.4% lower than the AMD Radeon 550X (8749) and 0.4% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile (8746). It outperforms the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 by 0.5%.

Q: What is the difference between Low and Medium settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings produce 46.1 FPS while Medium produces 27.2 FPS. This represents a 41% performance drop when moving from Low to Medium, making Medium significantly less playable.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: The data shows the CPU ranks at the 50th percentile among all CPUs with an average score of 2305, while the GPU ranks at the 43rd percentile with a score of 8713. Both components are below average, and the severe frame rate drops at higher resolutions suggest the GPU is the primary limiting factor.

Resolution Scaling

The performance degradation from 1080p to 4K is severe and consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 46.1 FPS at 1080p to 40.2 FPS at 1440p, a 12.8% decrease, and then to 31.8 FPS at 4K, a 31% decrease from 1440p. This pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component, as the rendering load increases with pixel count.

At Medium settings, the scaling is even more pronounced: 27.2 FPS at 1080p, 22 FPS at 1440p, and 17.9 FPS at 4K. The High preset shows 19.3 FPS at 1080p, 14.7 FPS at 1440p, and 15.3 FPS at 4K, with the 4K result actually being slightly higher than 1440p, suggesting measurement variance rather than a meaningful trend. The Ultra preset is uniformly unplayable, ranging from 16.5 FPS at 1080p down to 9.5 FPS at 4K.

The data clearly shows that the GTX 1650's 4 GB memory capacity and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth cannot sustain acceptable performance beyond 1080p. The GPU's 2.984 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is insufficient for the game's higher resolution rendering demands, and the frame rate collapse at 4K confirms that this GPU is not designed for resolutions above 1080p in demanding titles.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 provides 6 cores and 6 threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. The processor features 9 MB of shared L3 cache and 256 KB of L2 cache per core, with 64 KB of L1 cache per core. It supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with 42.7 GB/s of bandwidth, and its synthetic benchmark scores place it at the 50th percentile among all CPUs.

The CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score is 7969, with a single-core score of 1125. These scores are competitive with its nearest rivals, as the Core i3-10305 scores 2300 in average benchmarks (0.2% lower) and the Core i7-8809G scores 2319 (0.6% higher). However, the processor's performance in this game is constrained by the GPU's limitations. The measured frame rates show that even at Low settings, where the CPU workload would be relatively lower, the system still cannot exceed 46.1 FPS at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is the bottleneck.

The CPU's 6 threads are sufficient for the game's logical processor requirements, but the overall system performance is limited by the GTX 1650. The data shows no scenario where the CPU appears to be the limiting factor; instead, the frame rate scaling with resolution and settings directly correlates with GPU workload.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system achieves its best results. Low settings produce 46.1 FPS, which is the only playable configuration. Medium settings yield 27.2 FPS, High drops to 19.3 FPS, and Ultra falls to 16.5 FPS. These results show a clear performance hierarchy, with each settings tier exacting a significant toll on frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops across all settings. Low produces 40.2 FPS, which remains borderline playable. Medium falls to 22 FPS, High drops to 14.7 FPS, and Ultra is nearly unplayable at 10.5 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium at 1440p is 18.2 FPS, representing a 45% performance reduction.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles severely. Low settings produce 31.8 FPS, which is the only configuration above 30 FPS at this resolution. Medium drops to 17.9 FPS, High falls to 15.3 FPS, and Ultra is effectively a slideshow at 9.5 FPS. The data reveals that this hardware pairing cannot deliver a consistent experience at any resolution above 1080p, and even at 1080p, only the lowest settings provide acceptable performance. The overall picture is of a system that is fundamentally mismatched with a game as demanding as The Medium, requiring substantial compromises to achieve playable frame rates.