The Medium

The Medium is a horror game that relies on atmosphere and fixed camera angles, but its dual-reality rendering technique is demanding on hardware. The data for the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination shows a system that is capable of smooth gameplay, but only with the right settings. This analysis breaks down the raw FPS measurements to determine where the sweet spot is, how the combo ranks among other tested systems, and what the CPU and GPU each bring to the table.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run The Medium at 4K?

A: Yes, but not at the highest visual quality. At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 48, with a minimum of 41 and a maximum of 55. This is playable, but for a more consistent experience you would need to lower the resolution or settings, as High only yields 34 FPS and Ultra drops to 27 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for a 60+ FPS experience?

A: 1920x1080 is the only resolution where you can consistently exceed 60 FPS. At 1080p with Medium settings, the average is 72 FPS (min 61, max 83). Low settings push this to 116 FPS average. At 2560x1440, Medium settings yield an average of 61 FPS, which is right at the threshold, but the minimum FPS of 52 means it will dip below 60 at times.

Q: How does the RTX 5060's 8 GB of VRAM hold up in this game?

A: The 8 GB of GDDR7 memory is sufficient for the tested settings. The memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s and the 128-bit bus are adequate for The Medium's demands at 1080p and 1440p. The drop in performance at 4K Ultra (27 FPS average) is more likely due to the GPU's raw compute limits rather than a VRAM capacity issue, as the 8 GB is not exceeded at the lower settings.

Q: Is the Core i7-12700KF bottlenecking the RTX 5060?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a limiting factor. The i7-12700KF has 12 cores and 20 threads, with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its benchmark scores are substantial (Cinebench R23 multi-core at 28838, single-core at 4071). In a game like The Medium, which is graphically intensive, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions where the FPS drops significantly.

Q: How does this specific CPU compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35365. This is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-13700T, which scores 35403 (a delta of -0.1%). It is also very close to the Intel Core i5-13600T (35305, delta 0.2%) and the Intel Core i7-12700K (35287, delta 0.2%). The performance differences are within a fraction of a percent, indicating they are all in the same performance tier.

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

A: The difference is significant. At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 97 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages only 35 FPS. This represents a performance drop of more than half when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings. The Medium preset sits in the middle at 61 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear picture of the performance scaling for this combination. The goal is to find a balance between visual fidelity and a stable frame rate, avoiding significant dips that can be jarring in a horror title.

For a 1920x1080 display, the Medium preset is the optimal choice. It delivers an average of 72 FPS, with a minimum of 61 FPS that keeps the action smooth. High settings reduce the average to 52 FPS, which is playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. Low settings at 116 FPS are for competitive or high-refresh-rate play, but the visual hit is usually not worth it in a story-driven game like The Medium. The Ultra preset is not recommended, as the 41 FPS average introduces noticeable stutter.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is again the best option for a balanced experience. The 61 FPS average is right on the cusp of smoothness, but the minimum FPS of 52 indicates occasional drops. If you have a variable refresh rate (VRR) monitor, this is an acceptable trade-off for the increased resolution. The Low preset at 97 FPS is the only way to guarantee a high frame rate at this resolution, while the High (44 FPS) and Ultra (35 FPS) presets are too demanding for consistent play.

For 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset is the only playable option, with an average of 76 FPS. This is a significant compromise in visual quality, but it is the only way to get a smooth experience at 4K. The Medium preset at 48 FPS is borderline, and the High (34 FPS) and Ultra (27 FPS) presets are simply too slow for a game that requires you to navigate tense environments.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 ranks at 1670 out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the 55th percentile of all tested systems, indicating that it is a mid-to-upper-tier performer for this specific game. It is not a top-tier system for 4K Ultra gaming, but it is more than capable of handling the game at mainstream resolutions and settings.

This ranking is a result of the balance between the CPU and GPU. The CPU's high multi-threaded performance (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28838) ensures it won't hold the GPU back, while the GPU's 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 8 GB of VRAM define the graphical ceiling. The measured FPS data confirms this, showing a system that is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but which falls off at 4K with high-quality presets.

The ranking is a useful reference point. It shows that while this is not the most powerful combination available, it sits comfortably ahead of a majority of tested systems. The performance is consistent with what one would expect from a modern 12-core CPU paired with a current-generation mid-range GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data is a direct measurement of the system's performance across different resolutions and quality presets.

1920x1080

• Ultra: Average 41 FPS.
• High: Average 52 FPS.
• Medium: Average 72 FPS, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS.
• Low: Average 116 FPS.

2560x1440

• Ultra: Average 35 FPS.
• High: Average 44 FPS.
• Medium: Average 61 FPS, with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS.
• Low: Average 97 FPS.

3840x2160

• Ultra: Average 27 FPS.
• High: Average 34 FPS.
• Medium: Average 48 FPS, with a minimum of 41 FPS and a maximum of 55 FPS.
• Low: Average 76 FPS.

The data shows a clear linear scaling. At 1080p, the Medium preset is the most balanced, offering a high average and a respectable minimum. Stepping up to 1440p, the Medium preset manages to stay above 60 FPS on average, but the frame time consistency suffers. At 4K, only the Low preset provides a smooth experience, highlighting the GPU's limitations at higher pixel counts.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is the defining component for this game's performance. With 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, the memory bandwidth is 448.0 GB/s. This is sufficient for The Medium's textures and effects at the tested settings. The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 2280 MHz and a boost of 2497 MHz, contribute to its processing power.

The raw compute metrics are more telling. The GPU has 3840 shading units and delivers 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The measured FPS data shows that this compute power is the primary bottleneck. Moving from 1080p to 1440p and then to 4K causes a significant drop in frame rates across all presets, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound rendering. For example, at Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 72 at 1080p to 61 at 1440p and then to 48 at 4K.

The GPU's performance relative to its rivals is tight. Its average benchmark score is 26331. The closest competitor is the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT, which scores 26011, a delta of 1.2% in favor of the RTX 5060. Other rivals are within a fraction of a percent. This suggests that the RTX 5060 is a solid performer in its class, but it does not have a significant advantage over its direct competitors in synthetic tests. In The Medium, this translates to a system that can handle the game well at standard resolutions, but you must be pragmatic with settings at higher ones.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF serves as a strong foundation for this system. Its architecture, Alder Lake, provides 12 cores and 20 threads. The base clock is 3.60 GHz, which can boost up to 5.00 GHz. This high boost clock is crucial for gaming, as it ensures strong single-threaded performance, which is often the most important factor in game logic and physics.

The CPU's benchmark scores are robust. It achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28838 and a single-core score of 4071. Its Geekbench scores are 14367 (multi-core) and 2255 (single-core). These numbers, and its 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs, show that it has ample processing power for modern games. In The Medium, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data and manage the game's complex dual-reality mechanics.

The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. The FPS drops are directly correlated with resolution and settings changes, which are GPU-centric workloads. The CPU's performance is consistent and high, matching the performance of its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-13700T and Intel Core i5-13600T, which have benchmark score deltas of -0.1% and 0.2% respectively. This suggests that the i7-12700KF is more than capable of keeping up with the RTX 5060, allowing the GPU to be the sole limiting factor in this configuration.