The Medium

The Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination delivers a playable experience in The Medium, but the data reveals that the 10 GB GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions. Benchmark results show that the system can hit 60 FPS at 4K with Medium settings (62.2 FPS), while 1440p Medium reaches 72.6 FPS and 1080p High achieves 64 FPS. The RTX 3080’s 68th percentile ranking among all GPUs translates to strong rasterization performance, yet Ultra presets at every resolution fall below the 60 FPS threshold, with 4K Ultra dropping to 31.4 FPS. The CPU, ranking in the 83rd percentile, provides ample headroom, as evidenced by the massive FPS gains when lowering graphical load across all resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, but only with settings at Medium or below. The measured data shows 4K Medium averages 62.2 FPS, while 4K High drops to 44.5 FPS and 4K Ultra falls to 31.4 FPS. Low settings reach 94.2 FPS, but the best playable preset at this resolution is Medium.

Q: What is the best quality setting for 1080p gameplay?

A: High settings at 1920x1080 produce an average of 64 FPS, which is the highest preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium runs at 89.4 FPS and Low at 145.2 FPS, but High offers the best visual fidelity while maintaining playability.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 3080 has an average benchmark score of 23172. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA P106-100, scores 23249, which is 0.3% higher. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 and AMD Radeon RX 6600M also score within 0.4% of the RTX 3080, indicating near-identical synthetic performance.

Q: Is the Core i5-14400F a bottleneck for this game?

A: The data suggests no significant CPU bottleneck. The processor scores 21645 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3055 in single-core, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U, scores only 0.1% higher in average benchmark score.

Q: What happens to frame rates when switching from Medium to Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium averages 72.6 FPS, but Ultra drops to 43.8 FPS. This represents a 39.7% performance loss from Medium to Ultra, illustrating the steep cost of the highest preset.

Q: Does the game favor the CPU or GPU more at 4K?

A: Benchmark results indicate the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K. The frame rate scales dramatically with preset changes: 4K Low runs at 94.2 FPS, Medium at 62.2 FPS, High at 44.5 FPS, and Ultra at 31.4 FPS. This scaling pattern points to GPU-bound rendering at this resolution.

Best Settings per Resolution

3840x2160 (4K): The most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Medium, averaging 62.2 FPS. Low runs at 94.2 FPS, but Medium is the highest quality option that stays above the playable threshold. High and Ultra fall short at 44.5 FPS and 31.4 FPS respectively.

2560x1440 (1440p): Medium is the optimal preset here as well, delivering 72.6 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. Low reaches 120.1 FPS, while High (55.9 FPS) and Ultra (43.8 FPS) both miss the target.

1920x1080 (1080p): High settings achieve 64 FPS, making it the best preset that clears the 60 FPS bar. Medium runs at 89.4 FPS and Low at 145.2 FPS. Ultra remains unplayable at 54.1 FPS, just below the threshold.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the Intel Core i5-14400F, the nearest rivals based on average benchmark score are the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (0.1% faster), Intel Core i9-11900 (0.2% faster), AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS (0.2% slower), and Intel Core i7-12800H (0.5% faster). These processors would deliver nearly identical frame rates in The Medium, as the CPU’s single-threaded performance (3055 Cinebench R23) and multi-core score (21645) are sufficient to feed the RTX 3080 at all tested resolutions. Gamers could swap in any of these CPUs with negligible performance differences.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, the data shows extraordinarily close rivals: the NVIDIA P106-100 (0.3% higher score), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 (0.3% higher), AMD Radeon RX 6600M (0.4% higher), and AMD Radeon R9 M290X (0.4% higher). These GPUs would produce nearly identical FPS numbers in The Medium, meaning users with those cards should expect the same preset limitations: playable at Medium in 4K, Medium in 1440p, and High in 1080p. The RTX 3080’s 10 GB GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are the defining characteristics for this game’s texture-heavy scenes.

The Verdict

This PC can run The Medium, but with clear caveats at each resolution. At 3840x2160, the system is only playable on Low (94.2 FPS) and Medium (62.2 FPS); High and Ultra are unplayable. The verdict data confirms Medium as the best setting at 4K. At 2560x1440, playable settings include Low (120.1 FPS) and Medium (72.6 FPS), with Medium being the best choice. At 1920x1080, the system opens up to High (64 FPS), Low (145.2 FPS), and Medium (89.4 FPS), with High providing the best balance. Ultra presets are not viable at any resolution, with 1080p Ultra hitting only 54.1 FPS.

The overall ranking places this combo at 995th out of 3724 tested configurations, which puts it in the top 26.7% of systems. This is a capable setup for The Medium, provided the user accepts that the highest visual preset is off-limits. The game’s fixed-camera horror aesthetic benefits from higher resolutions, so 4K Medium at 62.2 FPS is arguably the sweet spot for this hardware.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals that the GPU is the dominant factor in The Medium’s performance at every resolution. At 4K, frame rates swing from 31.4 FPS (Ultra) to 94.2 FPS (Low) — a 3x difference driven entirely by GPU load. The CPU’s role is secondary, as evidenced by the 1440p results: Medium runs at 72.6 FPS, which is 10.4 FPS higher than 4K Medium (62.2 FPS), but the same preset at 1080p jumps to 89.4 FPS. This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 3080 is the bottleneck, not the Core i5-14400F.

At 1080p, the CPU begins to matter more, but the i5-14400F has ample headroom. The gap between 1080p High (64 FPS) and 1440p High (55.9 FPS) is 8.1 FPS, while the gap between 1440p High and 4K High (44.5 FPS) is 11.4 FPS. This progressive drop with resolution confirms GPU-bound behavior. The CPU’s 20 MB L3 cache and 10 cores/16 threads are sufficient for the game’s dual-reality rendering mechanic.

At 4K, the GPU is almost entirely responsible for the frame rate. The RTX 3080’s 68th percentile ranking means it sits above most GPUs, but the 760.3 GB/s memory bandwidth and 10 GB VRAM are pushed hard by the game’s high-resolution textures. The 4K Ultra result of 31.4 FPS suggests the GPU’s raw compute (29.77 TFLOPS FP32) is overwhelmed at this preset.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination ranks 995th out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the 73rd percentile of all systems tested, meaning roughly a quarter of configurations perform better. The ranking reflects the GPU’s mid-to-high tier status (68th percentile) combined with the CPU’s strong showing (83rd percentile). The gap between the CPU and GPU percentiles suggests that upgrading the graphics card would yield larger gains than upgrading the processor.

In practical terms, this rank means the system handles The Medium well at mainstream resolutions but struggles with the heaviest presets. The 4K Medium result of 62.2 FPS is commendable for a GPU from the GeForce 30-series, but the Ultra preset results (31.4 FPS at 4K, 43.8 FPS at 1440p, 54.1 FPS at 1080p) drag the overall ranking down. Users comparing against higher-ranked combos will see roughly a 27% difference in average FPS, but the experience at Medium settings is solidly playable across all three tested resolutions.