The Medium

The Medium’s fixed-camera horror aesthetic places unusual demands on a system, and the data for the Intel Core i5-9400 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER reveals a configuration that is consistently GPU-bound, yet surprisingly sensitive to preset selection. The measured results show a clear hierarchy where resolution scaling has a pronounced effect, but the CPU’s six cores are sufficient to avoid becoming the primary limiting factor at 1080p and 1440p. The overall picture is one of a capable 1440p performer that requires careful settings management to maintain smooth framerates at 4K, with the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER’s substantial memory and clock advantages being the dominant variable.

Resolution Scaling

The framerate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all presets, confirming that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the primary driver of performance. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 65.8 at 1920x1080 to 53.8 at 3840x2160, a reduction of approximately 18%. The Low preset shows a similar pattern, dropping from 89.3 to 74.4, which is a 17% decrease. However, the most telling data point is the Ultra preset, where the 4K average of 43.7 FPS is a full 25% lower than the 1080p figure of 58.1. This steepening curve at higher settings indicates that the game’s visual effects at Ultra are disproportionately taxing the GPU’s compute and memory subsystems as pixel count rises.

The scaling between 1440p and 1080p is far more moderate, suggesting that the CPU has enough headroom to keep up until the resolution demands become extreme. For instance, at Medium settings, the 1440p average is 69.7 FPS, only 1.3% lower than the 1080p result of 70.6. This near-parity at lower resolutions strongly implies that the Intel Core i5-9400, with its six threads and 2.90 GHz base clock, is not the bottleneck in this range. The real divergence begins at 4K, where the GPU’s workload increases dramatically, and the framerate drops by roughly 10-15% compared to 1440p for most presets. This behavior points to a system where the graphics card is the clear limiting factor, but the CPU’s modest core count prevents it from being a non-issue at the highest settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the star of this configuration, and its specifications explain the measured performance. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, the card offers a bandwidth of 672.3 GB/s, which is critical for The Medium’s high-resolution textures and complex lighting. The boost clock of 2610 MHz, paired with 8448 shading units, allows the card to push substantial pixel rates; the data shows a pixel rate of 250.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 689.0 GTexel/s. These figures directly correlate with the game’s ability to render detailed environments at 1440p without significant framerate loss, as evidenced by the 61.6 FPS average at High settings.

The GPU’s role becomes even clearer when examining the 4K results. At 3840x2160, the card’s 16 GB memory buffer is sufficient to avoid performance cliffs, but the compute load increases such that the Ultra preset’s 43.7 FPS average falls below the 60 FPS threshold. The difference between Low (74.4 FPS) and Ultra (43.7 FPS) at 4K is a massive 41%, highlighting that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER’s raw power is being limited by the game’s more demanding effects. The card’s 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48704, places it well above the NVIDIA CMP 50HX (which scores 49071, a 0.7% difference) and the NVIDIA RTX A2000 (47915, a 1.6% difference). This confirms that the GPU is a top-tier part, and its performance in The Medium is consistent with its overall standing.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor from the Coffee Lake architecture, and its role in this configuration is secondary but not negligible. With a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost of 4.10 GHz, along with 9 MB of shared L3 cache, the CPU provides enough throughput for the game’s logic and streaming, but its 50th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates it is a mid-range part. The benchmark scores reflect this: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 7969 and a single-core score of 1125. In The Medium, the CPU’s influence is most visible in the 1080p Low preset, where the average FPS of 89.3 is the highest recorded, suggesting that the CPU is not holding back the GPU at lower resolutions.

However, the data reveals a subtle CPU limitation at higher settings. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 58.1, which is only 12% higher than the 4K Ultra result of 43.7, a smaller gap than expected if the GPU were scaling perfectly. This suggests that at 1080p with Ultra effects, the i5-9400’s six threads begin to strain, preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential. The processor’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i3-10305 (avg score 2300, a 0.2% delta) and the Intel Xeon E-2134 (avg score 2295, a 0.4% delta), show that it is not a performance outlier, but it is adequate for this game. The 65 W TDP and DDR4 support are standard, but the lack of hyper-threading means it cannot fully leverage the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER’s capabilities in the most demanding scenarios.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Core i5-9400 and RTX 4070 Ti SUPER ranks 667th out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the top 40% of all configurations. This rank is respectable, but it is not a top-tier result, which is surprising given the GPU’s high percentile. The discrepancy is explained by the CPU’s mid-range standing; the i5-9400’s average benchmark score of 2305 is only 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i3-10305’s 2300, and it is 0.6% lower than the Intel Core i7-8809G’s 2319. This indicates that the processor is a performance bottleneck in some scenarios, preventing the combo from climbing higher in the rankings.

The measured FPS data supports this ranking. At 1440p High, the combo achieves 61.6 FPS, which is playable but not exceptional for a GPU of this caliber. At 4K High, the 53.8 FPS average is below the 60 FPS target, making it unsuitable for high-refresh-rate displays. The rank of 667 out of 1689 suggests that there are many faster combinations, but also that this setup is far from the bottom. For a game like The Medium, which is not a competitive shooter, the rank is acceptable, but the data clearly shows that the CPU is holding the system back from its full potential, particularly at 1080p where the GPU is underutilized.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed picture of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average at 89.3 FPS, followed by Medium at 70.6 FPS, High at 65.8 FPS, and Ultra at 58.1 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 35%, indicating that the game’s visual options have a significant impact on performance even at the lowest resolution. Moving to 2560x1440, the averages decrease to 83.5 FPS for Low, 69.7 FPS for Medium, 61.6 FPS for High, and 50.9 FPS for Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is most pronounced at Ultra (12.4% decrease), while Low only suffers a 6.5% decrease, reinforcing the idea that the GPU is the primary bottleneck.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more demanding. The Low preset manages 74.4 FPS, which is still playable, but Medium drops to 60.9 FPS, High to 53.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 43.7 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the lowest in the entire dataset, and it is 27% lower than the 1440p Ultra result. This breakdown shows that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER can handle 4K, but only at lower settings; the 16 GB memory buffer is not enough to offset the compute demands of Ultra effects at this resolution. The data also shows that the framerate scaling is not linear, with the largest jumps occurring between Low and Medium presets at each resolution, suggesting that Medium is a sweet spot for this combo.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance for this combo. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset achieves 69.7 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold and only 12% lower than Low, while providing significantly better visuals than Low. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers 70.6 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay on standard monitors. For users targeting 4K, the Medium preset is the only viable option, as it produces 60.9 FPS, which is just above the playable threshold, whereas High (53.8 FPS) and Ultra (43.7 FPS) will result in noticeable stutter.

The High preset is a viable alternative for 1440p users who prioritize visuals over a strict 60 FPS target, as it delivers 61.6 FPS. However, the Ultra preset is not recommended for any resolution, as the framerate drops below 60 FPS at 1440p (50.9 FPS) and becomes unplayable at 4K (43.7 FPS). The Low preset is unnecessary for this powerful GPU at 1080p and 1440p, as it sacrifices too much visual quality for a marginal framerate increase. For the best experience, the data indicates that Medium at 2560x1440 provides the optimal combination of smoothness and graphical detail, making it the recommended starting point for this configuration.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 89.3, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This is the only setting that approaches the 90 FPS mark, with all other presets and resolutions falling below 84 FPS.

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: No, the data shows that 4K Ultra produces an average FPS of 43.7, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The 4K Medium preset is the highest setting that exceeds 60 FPS, with a 60.9 FPS average.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2305, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i3-10305 (2300) and 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i3-1125G4 (2299). It is 0.6% lower than the Intel Core i7-8809G (2319).

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 83.5 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 50.9 FPS. This represents a 39% decrease in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest settings.

Q: Is the GPU the main bottleneck in this system?

A: Yes, the data indicates that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the primary limiting factor. The framerate scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a significant drop, and the GPU’s 86th percentile ranking is much higher than the CPU’s 50th percentile, indicating the CPU is not the main constraint.

Q: What is the combo’s overall ranking in The Medium?

A: This combo ranks 667th out of 1689 tested combinations, placing it in the top 40% of all configurations tested for this game.