The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title, and the pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700KF with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 produces a severely GPU-limited experience across all tested resolutions. The data indicates that this combination is positioned in the bottom tier of performance for this game, ranking 3594 out of 3724 tested combos, putting it in the 3rd percentile of all configurations. This is a system that will require significant compromises in settings and resolution to achieve playable frame rates, and even then, performance remains modest.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and clearly identifies the GTX 1650 as the primary bottleneck. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 44 at 1920x1080 to 29 at 3840x2160, a reduction of 15 FPS or roughly 34%. This scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU that is running out of pixel throughput and memory bandwidth as the resolution increases.

Moving from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings shows a more moderate decline, with average FPS dropping from 44 to 37. However, the jump from 1440p to 4K at the same settings is steeper, going from 37 to 29 FPS. This non-linear decline suggests that the 4 GB VRAM buffer and 128-bit memory bus are being saturated at 4K, causing a more pronounced performance hit than the pure pixel count increase would dictate.

At Medium settings, the pattern is similar but with lower absolute numbers. The average FPS at 1080p is 27, dropping to 23 at 1440p and further to 18 at 4K. The minimum FPS values at Medium settings also show the strain: 23 FPS at 1080p, 20 at 1440p, and 15 at 4K. These minimums indicate that the experience is not just slow on average but also prone to noticeable stutter and frame pacing issues, particularly at higher resolutions.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (44 FPS) and Ultra (16 FPS) is 28 FPS. At 4K, the difference between Low (29 FPS) and Ultra (10 FPS) is 19 FPS. While the absolute delta shrinks, the percentage difference grows, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU, with its 12 cores and 20 threads, is not the constraint here; the data shows that the GPU simply cannot keep up with the rendering load at higher resolutions and quality presets.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 3594 out of 3724 places this system in the bottom 3.5% of all tested configurations for The Medium. This is a very poor result, indicating that this pairing is not suitable for a smooth experience in this game. The rank reflects the combined capability of the CPU and GPU, but given the CPU's high performance (85th percentile among all CPUs) and the GPU's low performance (40th percentile among all GPUs), the ranking is almost entirely dragged down by the graphics card.

This discrepancy is stark. The Core i7-12700KF is a high-end processor, sitting near the top of the performance charts. Its nearest rivals, the Intel Core i7-13700T and Intel Core i5-13600T, have average benchmark scores that are within 0.2% of the 12700KF, showing that this CPU is not a weak link. In contrast, the GTX 1650 is a low-end, end-of-life GPU. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon HD 8850M and Intel UHD Graphics 750, are integrated or older mobile solutions, highlighting how far behind the 1650 is in the current GPU landscape.

The result is a massive imbalance. The CPU is capable of delivering hundreds of frames per second in many titles, but it is held back by a GPU that struggles to maintain 30 FPS at 1080p in this game. Benchmark results indicate that the system's overall ranking is a direct consequence of this GPU bottleneck. If the goal is to play The Medium, this specific pairing is a poor choice, as the CPU's potential is wasted while the GPU is overtaxed.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the decisive component in this configuration, and its specifications explain the poor in-game results. With 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, the card has a bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s. This is a modest amount of memory and bandwidth for a 2021 horror title like The Medium, which likely uses high-resolution textures and complex shaders. The 4 GB VRAM is a particular concern, as it can easily be exceeded at 1440p or 4K, forcing the card to use slower system memory and causing severe frame drops.

The card's clock speeds are also a factor. The base clock of 1485 MHz and boost clock of 1665 MHz, combined with 896 shading units, deliver a raw compute performance of 2.984 TFLOPS. This is a low figure for modern gaming, and the 53.28 GPixel/s pixel rate and 93.24 GTexel/s texture rate are similarly limited. These specs mean that the card is not designed for high-resolution rendering, which is confirmed by the measured FPS data.

The GPU's benchmark scores are telling. Its passmark G3D score is 7880, which places it in the 40th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the Intel Arc A310, which scores 7550, a delta of -1%, showing that the 1650 is barely ahead of a low-end Intel discrete GPU. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 305 is extremely low, indicating that the card struggles with modern DirectX 12 workloads. The GTX 1650 is an entry-level card that was end-of-life as of 2019, and its performance in The Medium reflects its age and limited capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the highest average FPS is achieved at Low settings, with 44 FPS. This is the only setting that approaches a playable frame rate, though it is still below the 60 FPS target most gamers prefer. Medium settings yield 27 FPS (min 23, max 31), High settings drop to 20 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 16 FPS. The data shows a clear linear progression of performance loss as settings increase, with each tier costing roughly 7-8 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance degrades further. Low settings produce an average of 37 FPS, which is a playable, if not smooth, experience. Medium settings drop to 23 FPS (min 20, max 26), High settings to 16 FPS, and Ultra to 13 FPS. The pattern is consistent with the 1080p results, but the absolute numbers are lower, confirming the GPU's inability to handle the increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the results are mostly unplayable. Low settings yield an average of 29 FPS, which is borderline playable but with noticeable stutter. Medium settings drop to 18 FPS (min 15, max 21), High settings to 13 FPS, and Ultra to 10 FPS. These frame rates are too low for a smooth experience in a horror game that relies on atmosphere and timing. The minimum FPS of 15 at 4K Medium settings indicates that the game can become a slideshow during intense scenes.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gaming?

A: According to the measured data, Low settings at 1920x1080 produce the highest average FPS of 44. This is the only configuration that comes close to a playable frame rate, though it is still below 60 FPS. Medium settings yield 27 FPS, which is less ideal.

Q: Is this combo capable of 60 FPS in The Medium?

A: No. The data shows that no tested resolution or settings combination achieves an average FPS of 60. The highest recorded average is 44 FPS at 1080p Low settings. The system is fundamentally limited by the GPU.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its rivals in raw performance?

A: The GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 7472. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A310, has a score of 7550, which is 1% higher. The AMD Radeon HD 8850M scores 7447, which is 0.3% lower. This indicates the 1650 is at the very bottom of the GPU performance spectrum.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: No. The Core i7-12700KF is in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35365. Its performance is on par with the Intel Core i7-13700T and Intel Core i5-13600T. The data indicates the CPU is not a limiting factor, as the GPU's low scores and FPS results are the clear bottleneck.

Q: Is the GTX 1650's 4 GB VRAM sufficient for 4K?

A: The data suggests it is not. At 3840x2160, the average FPS at Medium settings is 18, with a minimum of 15 FPS. This poor performance is likely due to the 4 GB VRAM being exceeded, causing the card to rely on slower system memory.

Q: What is the overall performance ranking of this combo?

A: This combo ranks 3594 out of 3724 tested combinations in The Medium. This places it in the bottom 3.5% of all systems, indicating that it is one of the least capable configurations for this specific game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a powerful processor that is completely underutilized in this configuration. With 12 cores and 20 threads, it offers substantial multi-threaded performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28838 and Geekbench multi-core score of 14367. Its 3.60 GHz base clock and 5.00 GHz boost clock provide strong single-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4071.

The CPU's benchmark results place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35365. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700T, has an average score of 35403, a delta of -0.1%, showing that the 12700KF is essentially tied with a newer, lower-power part. The Intel Core i5-13600T is 0.2% slower, and the Intel Core i7-12700K is 0.2% faster. This indicates that the CPU is a high-performing part that is more than capable of handling the game's logic and AI.

However, in The Medium, the CPU's performance is irrelevant because the GTX 1650 is the limiting factor. The measured FPS data shows that the system is GPU-bound at all resolutions and settings. The CPU's 25 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory are wasted in this pairing, as the GPU cannot process frames fast enough to benefit from the CPU's speed. The data confirms that this is a profoundly unbalanced system for this game, where the CPU sits idle while the GPU struggles.