The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title built around atmospheric storytelling and dual-reality rendering, presents a demanding workload that stresses both processor and graphics card. This analysis examines the measured performance of the system pairing the Intel Core i7-12700K with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, using only the benchmark data provided to interpret how this combination handles the game across resolutions and settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best performance setting for this combo at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest measured average frame rate at 109.2 FPS. The Medium preset follows at 66.1 FPS, High at 50.1 FPS, and Ultra at 36.8 FPS.

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

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 23.7 FPS. This is 13.1 FPS lower than the 36.8 FPS achieved at 1920x1080 with the same Ultra preset, representing a substantial 35.6% reduction in performance.

Q: Which component is more likely to limit performance at 4K High settings?

A: At 3840x2160 High, the average is 29.9 FPS, while at 2560x1440 High it is 42.7 FPS. The GPU is the primary constraint here, as the frame rate scales directly with the pixel count, a pattern consistent with graphics-bound workloads.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 91.5 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 32.9 FPS. This is a difference of 58.6 FPS, with the Ultra preset delivering roughly 64% lower performance than Low.

Q: Does the CPU's benchmark score indicate it is a bottleneck for this game?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35684 and sits in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, scores 35802, a delta of -0.3%, indicating the CPU is highly capable and unlikely to be the primary limiting factor.

Q: How does the RTX 4060's average benchmark score compare to its closest competitor?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 23181 and sits in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6600M with a score of 23321, a delta of -0.6%, showing they are statistically very close in raw compute performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process node. It operates with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, which provides substantial single-threaded throughput for game logic and draw calls. The processor features a 25 MB shared L3 cache, which aids in keeping frequently accessed data close to the cores for faster retrieval. Its benchmark results confirm strong multi-threaded capability, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 29241 and a Geekbench multicore score of 13892.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role involves managing the game's fixed-camera perspective and the complex scene transitions that define the title's dual-reality mechanic. The data indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor at lower resolutions. For instance, at 1920x1080 Low, the system achieves 109.2 FPS, a figure that would require solid single-thread performance to maintain. The processor's 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4128 suggest it can handle the game's main thread without issue. The CPU's performance percentile of 89 places it well above the average processor, and its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-13700T with a delta of 0.6%, show that it is firmly in the upper echelon of available CPUs for gaming workloads.

The processor's memory support for DDR4 and DDR5, along with a dual-channel memory bus, provides flexibility for system builders, though the benchmark data does not specify which memory type was used for these measurements. The integrated UHD Graphics 770 is present but irrelevant for this discrete GPU configuration. The CPU's 125 W TDP and active production status indicate it is a standard desktop part. Overall, the benchmark results suggest the i7-12700K provides ample headroom for this game, allowing the GPU to become the primary variable in performance scaling.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC, featuring 18,900 million transistors on a 159 mm² die. It is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz, with memory running at an effective speed of 17 Gbps. Its compute capabilities include 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units, which translate to a texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s.

In The Medium, the GPU's role is dominant, as evidenced by the measured frame rates. The game's use of pre-rendered backgrounds and layered camera effects places a heavy load on the rasterization and memory subsystems. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. The benchmark data shows a clear scaling pattern: at 1080p with Low settings, the system reaches 109.2 FPS, but this drops steeply when settings are increased. The GPU's passmark G3D score of 19545 and its 66th percentile ranking place it in the mid-to-upper range of graphics cards, but it is not a top-tier performer. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, scores 23321, a delta of -0.6%, which suggests that the RTX 4060 is competitive but not superior to its direct competitors.

The data reveals that the RTX 4060 struggles with the highest settings at 4K, where the Ultra preset yields only 23.7 FPS. This indicates that the GPU's 8 GB memory buffer and 128-bit bus are insufficient for the extreme demands of the game at that resolution. The 272.0 GB/s bandwidth appears to be a limiting factor when handling the high-resolution textures and effects. The GPU's performance is consistent with a card designed for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it delivers playable frame rates, but it is not suited for 4K Ultra settings in this specific title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 achieves a rank of 979 out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium. This places the system in the lower-middle portion of the performance distribution, indicating that while it is not a top-tier setup, it outperforms a significant number of other configurations. The data shows that this rank is a direct result of the GPU's limitations at higher settings, as the CPU is well-positioned in its own performance percentile.

When examining the CPU's benchmark standing, the i7-12700K sits in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, which is a strong position. However, the GPU's 66th percentile ranking is the more relevant metric for this game. The combo's overall rank of 979 suggests that many other tested systems feature more powerful GPUs that can better handle The Medium's demanding rendering. The delta between the CPU and its nearest rivals is minimal, with the Intel Core i5-14500HX being 0.7% lower in score, confirming the CPU is not the weak link. Instead, the RTX 4060's average score of 23181, which is close to the AMD Radeon RX 6600M's 23321, places it in a competitive but not leading position. This rank of 979 out of 1689 implies that users seeking higher performance in this game would need to consider a more powerful GPU, as the CPU has sufficient headroom to support it.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how this combo scales across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system delivers playable performance across all settings, with the Low preset hitting 109.2 FPS and the Ultra preset at 36.8 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease by approximately 15-20% across all settings, with Low at 91.5 FPS and Ultra at 32.9 FPS. This scaling is expected, as the pixel count increases from roughly 2 million to 3.7 million, placing more load on the GPU.

The transition to 3840x2160 reveals the most significant drop. At 4K High, the average is 29.9 FPS, while at 4K Low it is 70.7 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 23.7 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The framerate drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low is 38.5 FPS, a 35.2% reduction, while the drop from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra is 13.1 FPS, a 35.6% reduction. This consistent percentage drop across settings indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component. The CPU's performance does not change with resolution, so the consistent scaling confirms that the RTX 4060's rendering capabilities are the bottleneck. The data suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming, as the performance at 4K, even at Low settings, may not meet the expectations of all users.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the benchmark results show a wide range of performance depending on the graphics preset. The Low setting achieves an average of 109.2 FPS, which is the highest measured for this resolution. The Medium setting delivers 66.1 FPS, representing a significant drop from Low. The High setting yields 50.1 FPS, and the Ultra setting produces 36.8 FPS. This progression illustrates the heavy cost of the game's visual effects at higher presets.

At 2560x1440, the pattern continues with lower overall frame rates. The Low setting averages 91.5 FPS, which is still playable. The Medium setting drops to 55.3 FPS, and the High setting to 42.7 FPS. The Ultra setting at 1440p averages 32.9 FPS, which is approaching the edge of playability for many users. The difference between the Low and Ultra presets at this resolution is 58.6 FPS, highlighting the substantial impact of graphical fidelity settings.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more constrained. The Low setting averages 70.7 FPS, which is the only preset that remains comfortably above 60 FPS at this resolution. The Medium setting drops to 43.5 FPS, and the High setting to 29.9 FPS. The Ultra setting averages 23.7 FPS, which is likely to be too low for a smooth experience in a horror game that relies on atmosphere and pacing. The data across all resolutions shows that the RTX 4060 can handle the game at lower settings, but the Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p, where it achieves 36.8 FPS.