The Medium

The Medium presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 pairing. The measured data shows a configuration that can handle the game at playable framerates, but only with careful attention to settings and resolution. This analysis breaks down the performance characteristics, focusing on how the system scales and where its bottlenecks lie.

Resolution Scaling

The progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a significant performance cost, indicating that the GPU is the primary limiting factor in this configuration. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 43 FPS at 1920x1080 to 36 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of approximately 16%. Moving to 3840x2160, the average FPS falls further to 29, representing a 33% decrease from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern strongly suggests that the render resolution is taxing the graphics card heavily.

The trend is even more pronounced at lower settings. With Low settings, the system achieves 96 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 81 FPS at 1440p and 64 FPS at 4K. The delta between 1080p and 4K at Low settings is a 33% reduction in frame rate, mirroring the percentage drop seen at High settings. This consistency across settings levels points to a uniform resolution-dependent cost, which is typical of a scenario where the GPU's fillrate and memory bandwidth are being saturated.

At Medium settings, the data provides more granularity. The average FPS at 1080p is 60, with a minimum of 51 and a maximum of 69. At 1440p, the average falls to 51 FPS, with a range of 43 to 58. At 4K, the average is 40 FPS, with a minimum of 34 and a maximum of 46. The step from 1080p to 1440p costs 9 FPS, and the step from 1440p to 4K costs another 11 FPS. This shows a nearly linear scaling with pixel count, further confirming that the RTX 5050's rendering pipeline is the bottleneck.

Ultra settings present the most demanding scenario. The average FPS at 1080p is 34, which is already below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. This drops to 29 FPS at 1440p and 23 FPS at 4K. The performance degradation from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is a 32% loss, consistent with the other settings. The data indicates that the RTX 5050 is not capable of delivering a fluid experience at Ultra settings at any resolution, making it clear that the GPU's computational resources are insufficient for the highest quality presets.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s. The GPU has 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores, which are relevant for The Medium's use of ray tracing and DLSS-like features. The base clock is 2317 MHz with a boost clock of 2572 MHz, and the memory runs at an effective 20 Gbps. These specifications place the GPU in the 66th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21035.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor for The Medium, a game known for its high-resolution textures and complex scenes. While the measured data does not directly show VRAM usage, the performance drop at 4K suggests that the memory capacity or bandwidth is being stressed. The 320.0 GB/s bandwidth is a limiting factor when rendering at high resolutions with detailed textures, as the GPU must constantly fetch data from memory. This is reflected in the significant FPS drops observed when moving from 1440p to 4K.

In benchmark tests, the RTX 5050 scores 17326 in Passmark G3D and 9184 in Passmark GPU Compute. The nearest rivals in the data show a mixed picture. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT has an average score of 20713, which is 1.6% higher than the RTX 5050's average of 21035. Conversely, the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL scores 21153, which is 0.6% lower, and the AMD Radeon HD 8970M scores 21237, 1% lower. The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile scores 21379, which is 1.6% higher. These comparisons show that the RTX 5050 sits in a narrow performance band relative to its immediate competitors, with the RX 5600 XT being the closest challenger.

The GPU's clock speeds and memory configuration directly impact the frame rates seen in the measured data. The boost clock of 2572 MHz helps maintain performance in lighter scenes, but sustained load at higher resolutions causes the frame rate to dip, as seen in the 4K Medium results where the average is 40 FPS with a minimum of 34. The 8 GB memory size, while standard for this class, may force the game to use lower-detail textures when combined with high resolutions, contributing to the visual compromise at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which settings preset to use for the best experience. For a target of 60 FPS, the only viable option at 1080p is Low settings, which delivers an average of 96 FPS. At Medium settings, the average is exactly 60 FPS, but the minimum of 51 FPS indicates that there will be noticeable dips during demanding scenes. For a smoother experience, Low settings are recommended at 1080p.

At 1440p, achieving a stable 60 FPS is not possible with any preset. Low settings provide an average of 81 FPS, which is well above the target, but Medium settings drop to an average of 51 FPS. High settings average 36 FPS, which is playable but not smooth. The data suggests that Low settings at 1440p are the best choice for maintaining a high, consistent frame rate, while Medium offers a better visual experience at a cost of roughly 30% performance.

For 4K resolution, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings deliver an average of 64 FPS, which is acceptable but not ideal. Medium settings average 40 FPS, which is borderline playable for a horror game where atmosphere matters more than fast action, but the minimum of 34 FPS could be jarring. High and Ultra settings are not recommended at 4K, as they produce averages of 29 and 23 FPS respectively, which are too low for a comfortable experience.

The optimal balance between visual quality and performance appears to be Medium settings at 1080p or 1440p. At 1080p, Medium provides an average of 60 FPS, matching the standard refresh rate of most monitors. At 1440p, Medium provides an average of 51 FPS, which is a reasonable compromise for the increased resolution. For users prioritizing frame rate over visuals, Low settings at 1440p or 1080p are the best choices, offering well above 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 1765 out of 2911 tested combos for The Medium. This places the system in the lower-middle tier of performance, indicating that while it can run the game, it is not a high-end configuration. The rank is a direct reflection of the GPU's limitations, as the CPU is a capable performer.

The rank of 1765 means that there are 1146 configurations that perform better, and 1146 that perform worse. This position suggests that the RTX 5050 is a significant bottleneck for this game, as the system's overall performance is heavily influenced by the GPU's ability to render frames. The CPU's high core count and clock speeds are not enough to push the system into a higher percentile when paired with a mid-range GPU.

Given the GPU's percentile of 66 among all GPUs, the combo rank of 1765 out of 2911 (roughly the 39th percentile) shows that the pairing is underperforming relative to the GPU's standalone capabilities. This indicates that the game is particularly demanding on the GPU, and the RTX 5050's performance is not sufficient to leverage the full potential of the i7-12700K. The data suggests that a more powerful GPU would yield a much higher rank, as the CPU is not the constraining factor.

The combo's rank is a useful metric for comparing against other systems. It shows that users with this specific hardware should not expect to run The Medium at maximum settings with high frame rates. Instead, they should focus on optimizing settings to achieve a playable frame rate, as the system's performance is fundamentally limited by the graphics card.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, with 25 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU scores 19784 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 1850 in single-core tests, placing it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 35287.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data and handle game logic. The measured FPS data shows that the system's performance is primarily GPU-bound, as the frame rates scale significantly with resolution and settings. The CPU's high single-thread performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2308, is sufficient for the game's main thread, which is typically the most demanding.

The 12 cores and 20 threads provide ample headroom for background tasks and the game's multi-threaded systems. The Passmark multithread score of 34404 indicates strong parallel processing capabilities. However, the data shows that this processing power is not fully utilized in The Medium, as the frame rates are limited by the GPU's rendering output. The nearest CPU rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-13600T with a delta of -0.1% and the Intel Core i7-12700KF with a delta of -0.2%, show that the i7-12700K is closely matched with its peers, meaning the CPU is not a differentiator in this game.

The CPU's boost clock of 5.00 GHz is beneficial for the game's physics calculations and AI routines, which are often single-threaded. The data suggests that the CPU is performing well, but its capabilities are not the limiting factor. The bottleneck is clearly the RTX 5050, as evidenced by the consistent FPS drops when resolution increases, which is a classic sign of GPU saturation. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would be more consistent across different resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play The Medium with this hardware?

A: The data shows that 1080p is the most consistent resolution. At Medium settings, it averages 60 FPS, while 1440p at Medium drops to 51 FPS, and 4K at Medium falls to 40 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5050 has an average benchmark score of 21035. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is 1.6% higher, the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL is 0.6% lower, and the AMD Radeon HD 8970M is 1% lower.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-12700K a bottleneck for this game?

A: No. The FPS scaling with resolution indicates the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU scores in the 84th percentile, but the frame rates are dictated by the RTX 5050's performance.

Q: What settings are needed to achieve 60 FPS at 1080p?

A: Low settings achieve an average of 96 FPS, and Medium settings achieve an average of 60 FPS. High settings only reach 43 FPS, so Medium is the highest preset that hits the 60 FPS target.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in The Medium?

A: At 4K, the only playable preset is Low, which averages 64 FPS. Medium settings average 40 FPS, which may be borderline, while High and Ultra are not recommended due to averages of 29 and 23 FPS.

Q: How does this system rank against other tested combos?

A: The combo ranks 1765 out of 2911 tested configurations for The Medium, placing it in the lower-middle tier of performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average frame rates measured for this configuration.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|-----------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 29 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 64 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 40 | 34 | 46 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 23 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 36 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 81 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 51 | 43 | 58 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 29 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 43 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 96 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 60 | 51 | 69 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 34 | - | - |

The data shows a clear hierarchy. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with the lowest average FPS at every resolution. Low settings are the least demanding, providing the highest frame rates. Medium settings offer a balanced middle ground, with the only available minimum and maximum FPS data indicating a stable frame delivery. High settings are consistently lower than Medium, showing that the extra visual fidelity comes at a significant performance cost.