The Medium

The Medium is a horror title that stresses both the processor and the graphics card, but the data for the Intel Core i7-12700KF and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT combo shows a clear split in responsibility. The CPU provides a strong foundation with 12 cores and 20 threads, running at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost of 5.00 GHz. This Alder Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process, delivers benchmark scores that place it in the 89th percentile among all CPUs. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28979 and single-core score of 4091 indicate substantial headroom for handling game logic and physics. In contrast, the GPU’s role is more demanding in this title, as the Radeon RX 7600 XT, with its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, shows that memory capacity is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions. The card’s boost clock of 2755 MHz and game clock of 2470 MHz are high, but the benchmark results reveal that the rendering load at higher settings is where the system struggles.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor from the Core 12th Gen series, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This configuration is more than adequate for The Medium, a game that does not typically exhibit extreme CPU-bound scenarios. The processor’s PassMark multithread score of 34092 and 3DMark max threads score of 9983 show a high level of parallel processing capability. However, the game’s frame rates suggest that the CPU is rarely the bottleneck. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 94.8 FPS, which is a strong indicator that the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently even at lower graphical loads. The processor’s single-thread performance, evidenced by a PassMark single-thread score of 3984, is also robust, ensuring that the game’s primary thread does not stall the pipeline. The data shows that the CPU’s role is largely supportive; it never holds back the GPU until the resolution and settings push the graphics card to its limits. The i7-12700KF’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-14400 with a delta of 0.1% and the Intel Core i9-12900HX with a delta of 0.2%, have nearly identical average benchmark scores, confirming that this CPU is a stable mid-to-high-end performer that will not be the source of frame drops in this horror title.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is the primary driver of performance in The Medium, and its specifications tell a mixed story. With 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s, the card has ample memory for high-resolution textures, but the 128-bit bus width limits how quickly that data can be moved. The GPU’s boost clock of 2755 MHz and base clock of 1980 MHz are high, yet the benchmark results indicate that raw clock speed does not translate into consistent frame rates at demanding settings. The card’s PassMark G3D score of 17132 places it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, which is respectable but not top-tier. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, has an average score of 19774, with a delta of 1.9% relative to the RX 7600 XT, showing that the AMD card is competitive but not dominant. The game’s performance at 1080p Medium (61.4 FPS) versus 1080p High (41.4 FPS) reveals a significant drop of 20 FPS, indicating that the GPU’s shading units (2048) and texture units (128) are being taxed heavily by higher-quality effects. The 16 GB VRAM is never fully utilized in these tests, but the card’s compute performance, measured at 22.57 TFLOPS FP32, is insufficient to maintain high frame rates at Ultra settings, where it falls to 36.7 FPS at 1080p. The GPU is the clear limiting factor when settings are increased, as the CPU has ample headroom to support higher frame rates.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured frame rates across resolutions show a predictable but stark decline that confirms the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 94.8 FPS, and at 1440p Low, it drops to 79.5 FPS, a reduction of 15.3 FPS. Moving to 4K Low, the frame rate falls further to 63.6 FPS. This scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario, where the CPU can keep up with the increased pixel count but the graphics card cannot. The trend becomes more pronounced at higher settings. At 1080p Medium, the system achieves 61.4 FPS, but at 1440p Medium, it drops to 49.3 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it plummets to 39.4 FPS. The gap between 1080p and 4K at Medium settings is 22 FPS, which is a 35.8% reduction. At High settings, the drop is even more severe: 41.4 FPS at 1080p to 33.4 FPS at 1440p, and then to 26.4 FPS at 4K. This represents a 36.2% decrease from 1080p to 4K. The Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling, with 36.7 FPS at 1080p, 27 FPS at 1440p, and 24.3 FPS at 4K. The data indicates that the GPU’s rendering capabilities, particularly its pixel rate of 176.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 352.6 GTexel/s, are overwhelmed as the resolution increases. The CPU’s performance remains stable, as evidenced by the consistent frame rates at Low settings, where the GPU is less stressed. This pattern suggests that for gamers targeting 4K, the RX 7600 XT is insufficient for anything beyond Low settings, while 1080p and 1440p are more viable, but only at lower quality presets.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT ranks 1107 out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the lower-middle tier of all tested systems, which is a direct reflection of the GPU’s limitations rather than the CPU’s. The rank of 1107 indicates that there are 582 combos that perform worse, but also a substantial number that outperform this setup. The CPU’s strong benchmark scores, such as its Geekbench multi-core score of 13596 and 3DMark 16-thread score of 9282, do not boost the overall rank because the GPU is the bottleneck. The RX 7600 XT’s PassMark G3D score of 17132 is relatively low compared to other GPUs that might be paired with similar CPUs, which pulls the combo down. The nearest GPU rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600, has a delta of -0.6%, meaning it performs slightly worse, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER has a delta of 1.9%, indicating it is slightly better. These small deltas suggest that the RX 7600 XT is in a narrow performance band, and the combo’s rank of 1107 is likely due to the game’s specific demands on the GPU’s memory bandwidth and compute units. The data shows that this combo is not a high-end performer for The Medium, but it is also not at the bottom of the pile. It offers a playable experience at lower settings, but users seeking high frame rates at Ultra or 4K will need to look at higher-tier GPUs.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo’s performance varies widely by settings. On Low, the average FPS is 94.8, which is smooth and highly playable. Medium settings yield 61.4 FPS, still acceptable for a horror title. High settings drop to 41.4 FPS, which is borderline, and Ultra settings fall to 36.7 FPS, which is below the 40 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for a good experience. The 58.1 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p highlights the GPU’s sensitivity to graphical fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates scale down further. Low settings produce 79.5 FPS, a 15.3 FPS drop from 1080p Low. Medium settings yield 49.3 FPS, which is a 12.1 FPS drop from 1080p Medium. High settings result in 33.4 FPS, a significant reduction of 8 FPS from 1080p High. Ultra settings are nearly unplayable at 27 FPS, which is a 9.7 FPS drop from 1080p Ultra. The data shows that 1440p is only viable at Low or Medium settings, as High and Ultra push the GPU beyond its comfort zone.

At 3840x2160, the performance is the weakest. Low settings achieve 63.6 FPS, which is the only playable option at 4K. Medium settings fall to 39.4 FPS, which is below the smoothness threshold. High settings yield 26.4 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 24.3 FPS. The gap between 4K Low and 4K Ultra is 39.3 FPS, demonstrating that the RX 7600 XT is not designed for high-fidelity 4K gaming in this title. Overall, the measured FPS breakdown shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p is the only resolution where the combo can handle Medium to High settings, while 1440p requires Low settings for smooth play, and 4K is only viable at Low. The system’s performance is consistent with its component tier, but the GPU’s 16 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus do not compensate for its limited compute power.