The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title, and the pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB produces a specific performance profile that is heavily dictated by the graphics card. The data indicates a system that can handle the game’s atmosphere at lower settings but struggles to maintain fluid motion at higher presets and resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured results to understand where this combo stands and how to best configure it.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, clearly identifying the GPU as the primary bottleneck in this configuration. At the Low preset, the average frame rate falls from 62.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 54.2 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 8.4 FPS. Pushing further to 3840x2160 yields 45.5 FPS, which is a significant 17.1 FPS drop from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern shows that even at the lowest graphical load, the RTX 3050 4 GB is being saturated by the increase in pixel count.

The trend becomes even more pronounced at higher settings. With the Medium preset, the average drops from 42.2 FPS at 1080p to 34.5 FPS at 1440p, and then down to 26.8 FPS at 4K. The High preset shows a similar trajectory, starting at 30.1 FPS at 1080p, falling to 25.4 FPS at 1440p, and bottoming out at 21.4 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most punishing, with frame rates plummeting from 23.5 FPS at 1080p to 22 FPS at 1440p and finally to a nearly unplayable 16.9 FPS at 4K. The data suggests that the i5-9400 has sufficient headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, but the RTX 3050’s limited memory bandwidth and compute power are overwhelmed as the resolution increases, making the graphics card the definitive limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations, this specific pairing ranks near the bottom. The comboRankInGame places this system at rank 1514 out of 1689 total combinations tested. This places it in the bottom 10% of all systems, indicating that while it is functional, it is far from a high-performance setup for this title. The ranking reflects the combined limitations of the CPU and GPU, but the bottleneck is overwhelmingly the graphics card.

The Intel Core i5-9400 itself is a mid-range processor, sitting at the 50th percentile among all CPUs. Its performance is closely matched by rivals such as the Intel Core i3-10305 and the Intel Core i3-1125G4, which have average scores within 0.2% of the i5-9400. It also trades blows with the Intel Xeon E-2134, which is 0.4% slower, and the Intel Core i7-8809G, which is 0.6% faster. This indicates that the CPU is not a weak link in an absolute sense; it is a competent six-core processor. However, when paired with the RTX 3050 4 GB, the system's overall rank in The Medium is dragged down by the GPU’s inability to maintain high frame rates, especially at higher settings. The low ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU’s performance ceiling, not the CPU’s processing power.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB is the defining component in this system's gaming performance. Its specifications reveal why it struggles with The Medium. The GPU is built on the Ampere architecture and features 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a modest amount of memory for a modern game, and the data suggests it is a limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. The card’s boost clock is rated at 1740 MHz, and it has 2048 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs.

The benchmark results show a clear correlation between the GPU load and frame rates. At the Low preset, the game is less demanding on memory capacity and shading units, allowing the GPU to operate more efficiently and deliver playable frame rates up to 1440p. However, as the settings increase to Medium, High, and Ultra, the demand for memory and compute power rises. The drop from 45.5 FPS at 4K Low to 26.8 FPS at 4K Medium highlights how quickly the GPU becomes saturated. The Ultra preset, which likely pushes the 4 GB VRAM buffer to its limit, results in the worst performance, with a 16.9 FPS average at 4K. The data indicates that the GPU’s 4 GB memory capacity is a significant constraint, as the game likely requires more memory for high-resolution textures and effects, forcing the system to rely on slower fallback methods.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo is achieved by prioritizing the Low preset. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 62.6 FPS, which is smooth and well above the threshold for comfortable play. This is the only configuration that provides a consistently fluid experience at a standard resolution. At 2560x1440, the Low preset still offers a playable 54.2 FPS, making it a viable option for users with 1440p monitors who are willing to sacrifice visual fidelity.

The Medium preset at 1080p, with an average of 42.2 FPS, is a borderline case. It is playable but not ideal for fast-paced moments, and the visual improvement may not justify the significant frame rate loss from Low. Higher settings are not recommended. The High preset at 1080p drops to 30.1 FPS, which is below the smooth threshold, and the Ultra preset falls to 23.5 FPS, which is not fluid enough for a horror game that relies on atmospheric tension. For the best balance of performance and visual quality, the Low preset at 1080p is the clear choice. Any attempt to increase settings will result in a disproportionate loss of frame rate, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table and analysis detail the exact average frame rates recorded for each configuration.

1920x1080:

• Low: 62.6 FPS. The best-performing setting, providing a smooth and responsive experience. This is the recommended configuration.
• Medium: 42.2 FPS. A playable frame rate, but with a noticeable drop in smoothness compared to Low. The visual upgrade may not be worth the performance cost.
• High: 30.1 FPS. The frame rate dips below the smooth threshold, resulting in a less fluid experience. Not recommended for consistent play.
• Ultra: 23.5 FPS. The lowest 1080p result, indicating that the GPU is heavily overloaded. The game will feel stuttery and unresponsive.

2560x1440:

• Low: 54.2 FPS. A solidly playable frame rate, making 1440p a viable option only on the lowest settings.
• Medium: 34.5 FPS. The frame rate is noticeably lower, falling into a less comfortable range for a horror title.
• High: 25.4 FPS. Performance degrades significantly, making the game difficult to play smoothly.
• Ultra: 22 FPS. The experience is poor, with frequent frame hitches and a lack of fluidity.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 45.5 FPS. The only 4K setting that approaches playability, but it is still below the ideal smooth threshold.
• Medium: 26.8 FPS. The frame rate is too low for a good experience, indicating the GPU is out of its depth.
• High: 21.4 FPS. Performance is poor, making the game feel sluggish.
• Ultra: 16.9 FPS. The worst result across all tests, rendering the game essentially unplayable at this resolution and preset.

The data is clear: this system is best suited for 1080p gaming with settings turned down. The RTX 3050 4 GB simply does not have the resources to handle The Medium at higher presets or resolutions, and the measured FPS reflects this limitation at every step.