The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title, and the pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700K with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER produces a specific set of performance characteristics. The benchmark data indicates that this combination is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K resolutions proving too taxing for the GPU. This analysis breaks down the measured results, component roles, and offers practical settings guidance based solely on the provided data.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in The Medium?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1920x1080 is the most playable resolution. At Low settings it achieves an average of 101.3 FPS, and at Medium settings it reaches 66.1 FPS. The 2560x1440 resolution is also viable, but 3840x2160 only exceeds 60 FPS on Low settings.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER's average benchmark score is 22206. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A400, scores 22307, which is a 0.5% difference. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z is 0.9% slower, while the AMD Radeon RX 5700 is 2.5% slower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile is 2.3% faster.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-12700K a high-performing CPU?

A: Yes, the data shows it sits in the 89th percentile when compared to all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 35684. It has 12 cores and 20 threads, with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, making it a strong performer for gaming workloads.

Q: What is the performance gap between the i7-12700K and its closest CPU rivals?

A: The closest rival is the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, which is only 0.3% slower. The Intel Core i7-13700T is 0.6% faster, and the Intel Core i5-14500HX is 0.7% slower. The Intel Core i7-13800H is the fastest of the group, being 0.8% ahead.

Q: How does 4K performance compare to 1080p performance?

A: The drop is significant. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average FPS is 45.6. At 3840x2160 with High settings, it drops to 31.6 FPS, a substantial reduction of 14 FPS. The gap widens further at Ultra settings, where 1080p yields 34.4 FPS and 4K drops to 23.1 FPS.

Q: What is the playability status at 1440p Ultra settings?

A: The data shows an average of 29.4 FPS at 2560x1440 with Ultra settings. This is below the generally accepted threshold for smooth gameplay, indicating that the Ultra preset is not a practical choice at this resolution for this hardware combination.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the primary determinant of frame rates in The Medium, as the game's visual load scales heavily with resolution and settings. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This is a critical factor, as horror games with complex environments and textures can be memory-intensive. The card's architecture is Turing, built on a 12 nm process, and it operates at a base clock of 1605 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz.

The benchmark results reveal a clear pattern: the GPU's performance is heavily taxed at higher resolutions. For instance, at 3840x2160, the average frame rate drops to 31.6 FPS on High settings and falls to 23.1 FPS on Ultra. This suggests that the pixel throughput and memory bandwidth of the RTX 2070 SUPER are insufficient for maintaining smooth performance at 4K in this title. The card's performance percentile versus all GPUs is 65, indicating it is a mid-to-high-range part.

At 1920x1080, the GPU shows its strengths. The RTX 2070 SUPER delivers an average of 101.3 FPS on Low settings, demonstrating that it can handle the game comfortably at this resolution when settings are not maxed out. The transition from Low to Medium at 1080p results in a 35.2 FPS drop, from 101.3 to 66.1 FPS, showing the significant cost of increasing visual fidelity. The data indicates that the GPU's 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is a limiting factor for higher presets, particularly at 1440p and above, where the average FPS on High settings is 39.5.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K provides a robust foundation for the RTX 2070 SUPER in The Medium. With 12 cores and 20 threads, it offers substantial parallel processing capability, which can be beneficial for the game's logic and physics. The CPU's base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz ensure strong single-threaded performance, which is often critical for game engine responsiveness. The processor's 25 MB of shared L3 cache helps reduce memory latency, potentially improving frame pacing.

The CPU's benchmark scores indicate it is not a bottleneck in this configuration. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 29241, and its single-core score is 4128. This level of performance places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, suggesting it has ample headroom to feed the GPU. The data implies that the CPU is well-equipped to handle the demands of The Medium, ensuring that the GPU is the primary factor in determining the final frame rate.

Given that the GPU is the limiting factor, the CPU's role is to maintain stable minimum frame rates and avoid stuttering. The high thread count of 20 ensures that background processes and game threads do not interfere with performance. The i7-12700K's performance is so strong that it is unlikely to be the cause of any performance issues observed in the measured FPS data. The pairing is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the GPU is fully utilized.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination ranks 1022 out of 1689 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the performance spectrum, which aligns with the GPU's 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs. The CPU's high ranking (89th percentile) does not boost the overall combo rank, confirming that the graphics card is the limiting factor in this pairing.

This ranking suggests that while this combo is capable, it is not a top-tier performer for this specific game. Many other hardware combinations will deliver higher frame rates, particularly those with more powerful GPUs. The position in the rankings indicates that users should have moderate expectations for performance, especially at higher resolutions. The data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can achieve playable frame rates on most settings, but it struggles to maintain high performance at 1440p and is largely unsuitable for 4K.

The combination's rank also reflects the age of the GPU. The RTX 2070 SUPER is from the GeForce 20-series, which has been superseded by newer generations. Its performance is still relevant for 1080p, but it is not competitive with more modern cards at higher resolutions. The CPU, on the other hand, is a modern and powerful part that will not hold back the GPU in most scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers an average of 101.3 FPS on Low, 66.1 FPS on Medium, 45.6 FPS on High, and 34.4 FPS on Ultra. This shows a clear and consistent drop in performance as settings increase. The jump from Low to Medium is a 35.2 FPS reduction, while the jump from High to Ultra is an 11.2 FPS reduction.

At 2560x1440, performance scales down predictably. The average FPS is 84.6 on Low, 54.1 on Medium, 39.5 on High, and 29.4 on Ultra. The gap between Low and Medium is 30.5 FPS, and the gap between High and Ultra is 10.1 FPS. This resolution is playable on Low and Medium settings, but High settings are borderline, and Ultra is not smooth.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily strained. The average FPS is 68.0 on Low, 42.1 on Medium, 31.6 on High, and 23.1 on Ultra. The data shows that only the Low preset offers a playable experience, with the Medium preset being marginal and the High and Ultra presets being too slow for a smooth experience. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is significant; for example, at High settings, the average FPS falls from 45.6 to 31.6.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with the Medium preset. This configuration yields an average of 66.1 FPS, which is a good balance between visual quality and smoothness. The Low preset at 1080p offers higher frame rates at 101.3 FPS, but the visual fidelity is significantly reduced. The High preset at 1080p drops to 45.6 FPS, which may be acceptable for some but is not ideal for a horror game where smoothness is crucial.

For users with a 2560x1440 monitor, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, providing an average of 54.1 FPS. The Low preset at 1440p is also viable with 84.6 FPS, but Medium offers a better visual experience at a still-playable frame rate. The High preset at 1440p is not recommended, as the 39.5 FPS average is likely to feel sluggish.

At 3840x2160, the only viable option is the Low preset, which achieves 68.0 FPS. The Medium preset at 42.1 FPS is borderline, and the High and Ultra presets are not playable. Given that the game is a horror title, a stable frame rate is more important than maximum detail. Therefore, the best overall experience for this hardware is to target 1080p or 1440p with the Medium preset, avoiding the Ultra preset entirely as it consistently fails to reach 60 FPS even at 1080p.