The Medium

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a highly variable experience in The Medium, one that hinges almost entirely on the selected resolution and quality preset. Measured data shows the combo is capable of smooth frame rates at lower settings, but it struggles to maintain playability at higher presets, particularly at 4K. The data indicates a clear performance ceiling that users must respect to achieve a consistent 60 FPS experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination of the Core i5-14400F and RTX 3070 produces its strongest results. With Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 121.2 FPS, providing a wide margin above the playability threshold. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops to 77.8 FPS, which remains comfortably playable and offers a solid balance of visual quality and performance. At High settings, the average falls to 58 FPS, which narrowly misses the 60 FPS target. The most demanding Ultra preset yields an average of 43.8 FPS, indicating a substantial performance cost for the highest visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the performance scaling is more pronounced. The Low preset delivers an average of 104 FPS, which is still well above the playable threshold. The Medium preset achieves 63.1 FPS, just clearing the 60 FPS line and making it a viable option for this resolution. However, the High preset sees a significant drop to 45.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 37.5 FPS, both of which fail to provide a smooth experience.

The 3840x2160 resolution presents the greatest challenge for this hardware. At Low settings, the system manages an average of 82.3 FPS, which is surprisingly strong and indicates that the game scales well with reduced graphical demands. The Medium preset drops to 54.1 FPS, which is below the target. High settings yield only 35.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 27.1 FPS, making these presets unsuitable for playable frame rates at 4K. The data shows a steep decline in performance as the resolution increases, with the gap between Low and Ultra widening from roughly 77 FPS at 1080p to over 55 FPS at 4K.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is the dominant constraint in this pairing for The Medium, but the CPU still plays a supporting role. The performance scaling between presets at a fixed resolution shows that the RTX 3070 is the primary factor limiting frame rates. For instance, at 3840x2160, the transition from Low to Medium reduces the average FPS from 82.3 to 54.1, a drop of roughly 34%. This steep decline is characteristic of GPU-bound scenarios where the graphics card's compute and memory bandwidth are saturated.

The data suggests that the Core i5-14400F is not the bottleneck at lower resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 121.2 FPS, which indicates the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at high frame rates. However, as the resolution increases, the frame rate drops consistently, confirming that the GPU workload scales with pixel count, while the CPU's role remains relatively constant. The difference between 1080p and 1440p at the same preset is notable: at Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 77.8 to 63.1, a 19% reduction. This further supports the conclusion that the RTX 3070's rendering capabilities, rather than the i5-14400F's processing power, define the performance ceiling.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested hardware combinations, this specific pairing ranks 1566th out of 3724 combos for The Medium. This places the Core i5-14400F and RTX 3070 combo in the upper-middle portion of the performance distribution, indicating that it outperforms a majority of tested systems but is far from the top tier. The percentile data for the individual components supports this positioning: the CPU ranks in the 83rd percentile against all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 61st percentile against all GPUs. The combo rank being lower than the CPU's individual percentile suggests that the GPU's relative standing pulls the overall performance down, reinforcing the notion that the RTX 3070 is the limiting factor in this pairing for this particular game.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core i5-14400F's average benchmark score of 32279 is closely matched by several alternatives. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U scores 32233 with a delta of 0.1%, making it a nearly identical performer. The Intel Core i9-11900 scores 32226 with a 0.2% delta, while the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS scores 32354 with a -0.2% delta. The Intel Core i7-12800H scores 32121 with a 0.5% delta. In practical terms, any of these CPUs would produce very similar frame rates in The Medium when paired with the same RTX 3070, as the differences are within a fraction of a percent.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 17208. The nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT with a score of 17083 and a 0.7% delta, meaning it is slightly slower. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 scores 17037 with a 1% delta, and the AMD Radeon HD 7970M scores 17019 with a 1.1% delta. The NVIDIA Tesla K40c scores 17468 with a -1.5% delta, making it slightly faster. These alternatives would yield nearly indistinguishable performance in the game, so users with these GPUs can expect similar FPS figures to those measured for the RTX 3070. The data shows that the Radeon RX 7600 XT is the closest modern alternative, with a performance difference that is well within the margin of error for real-world gaming.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is Medium, which delivers 77.8 FPS. This provides a comfortable buffer above the playability threshold while offering better visual quality than Low. At 2560x1440, the best playable setting is also Medium, with an average of 63.1 FPS, which just clears the 60 FPS target. At 3840x2160, the only preset that achieves playable frame rates is Low, which averages 82.3 FPS. The data shows that High and Ultra presets are not viable at any resolution, as they consistently fall below 60 FPS, with the sole exception of High at 1080p, which barely misses the target at 58 FPS.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 can run The Medium, but the playable settings are limited. At 1920x1080, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold at Low and Medium presets, with the latter providing the best visual experience at 77.8 FPS. At 2560x1440, the same two presets are playable, with Medium achieving 63.1 FPS. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset is playable, yielding 82.3 FPS. The verdict by resolution confirms that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming at medium settings, while 4K gaming is only feasible with significant graphical compromises. For users seeking high or ultra settings, this hardware will not deliver a smooth experience at any resolution, as the data shows all High and Ultra results fall below 60 FPS.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it achieves an average of 82.3 FPS. Medium settings at 4K drop to 54.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best quality preset at 1440p that stays above 60 FPS?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 delivers an average of 63.1 FPS, making it the highest quality setting that clears the 60 FPS target at this resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT?

A: The RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 17208, while the RX 7600 XT scores 17083, a delta of 0.7%. This makes the RTX 3070 slightly faster, but the difference is negligible in practice.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor for this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary constraint. Performance drops significantly as resolution increases, and the GPU's percentile rank (61st) is much lower than the CPU's (83rd), suggesting the RTX 3070 holds back the Core i5-14400F.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 43.8 FPS, which is well below the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: Are there other CPUs that would perform similarly to the Core i5-14400F in this game?

A: Yes, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U has a very similar average score (32233 vs 32279), with a 0.1% delta. The Intel Core i7-12800H is also close, with a 0.5% delta, meaning these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates when paired with the same GPU.