The Medium

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers a high-refresh-rate experience in The Medium across all tested resolutions, with the data showing that the RTX 4090's raw rasterization power is the dominant factor in this pairing. At 4K, the combination holds above the 60 FPS playability threshold at High settings, and the lower resolutions unlock significant headroom for maximum visual fidelity. The measured frame rates indicate a system that is GPU-bound at higher settings, allowing the i5-14400F to keep pace without becoming a bottleneck.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is High, which produces a measured 63 FPS average. Cranking the preset to Ultra drops the average to 49 FPS, which falls below the playable threshold, making High the optimal choice for a smooth 4K experience with elevated detail.

For 2560x1440, the system can handle the maximum Ultra preset while still delivering an average of 61.7 FPS. This is a narrow margin above the 60 FPS line, but it is sufficient for consistent gameplay. The data shows that High and Medium presets offer even higher headroom, but the Ultra setting remains playable, making it the best balance of fidelity and performance at this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is fully viable, achieving an average of 75.2 FPS. This allows players to enable every visual option without worrying about frame rate stability. The combination of the CPU and GPU provides ample performance at 1080p, with all presets, from Low to Ultra, clearing the 60 FPS threshold with significant margin.

FAQ

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

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 49 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest playable preset at this resolution is High, which yields a 63 FPS average.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p gameplay?

A: The Ultra preset is playable at 2560x1440, producing an average of 61.7 FPS. This is the most demanding setting that stays above the 60 FPS line, making it the recommended choice for maximum visual quality at this resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 perform at 1080p with this CPU?

A: At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers a 75.2 FPS average. The performance headroom is substantial, as even the most demanding settings are comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, with Low settings reaching 153.2 FPS.

Q: Is the i5-14400F a bottleneck for the RTX 4090 in this game?

A: Benchmark results suggest no significant bottleneck. The frame rates scale consistently across resolutions and settings, indicating the GPU is the primary performance driver. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 153.2 FPS, showing the CPU can feed the GPU effectively.

Q: What is the lowest playable setting at 4K?

A: The Low preset at 3840x2160 achieves an average of 137.8 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. However, the High preset at 63 FPS is the best balance of visual quality and performance at this resolution.

Q: Which resolutions support the Ultra preset above 60 FPS?

A: The Ultra preset clears the 60 FPS threshold at both 2560x1440 (61.7 FPS) and 1920x1080 (75.2 FPS). At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset falls to 49 FPS, making it unplayable by the 60 FPS standard.

Measured FPS Breakdown

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 137.8 FPS average
• Medium: 89.5 FPS average
• High: 63 FPS average
• Ultra: 49 FPS average

The 4K results show a predictable performance curve as settings increase. The jump from Low to Medium costs 48.3 FPS, while the transition from Medium to High costs 26.5 FPS. The steepest drop occurs when moving from High to Ultra, sacrificing 14 FPS, which pushes the average below the 60 FPS target. This suggests the Ultra preset introduces effects that are particularly demanding on the GPU at this resolution.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 146.7 FPS average
• Medium: 109.1 FPS average
• High: 80.4 FPS average
• Ultra: 61.7 FPS average

At 1440p, the system maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS across all presets. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 58% reduction in frame rate, but the absolute numbers remain playable throughout. The Ultra preset's 61.7 FPS average is the tightest margin in this resolution, leaving only 1.7 FPS of headroom above the playable threshold.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 153.2 FPS average
• Medium: 127.9 FPS average
• High: 97.5 FPS average
• Ultra: 75.2 FPS average

The 1080p results demonstrate the highest performance ceiling of the three resolutions. Even at Ultra, the system delivers 75.2 FPS, and the Low preset reaches 153.2 FPS, indicating that the CPU is not limiting the GPU's output. The performance gap between High and Ultra is 22.3 FPS, which is the largest relative drop in this resolution, but it still leaves the system with substantial headroom.

The Verdict

This PC can definitively run The Medium at playable frame rates across all three tested resolutions. The verdictByResolution data confirms that 2560x1440 and 1920x1080 support the Ultra preset, with average frame rates of 61.7 FPS and 75.2 FPS respectively. At 3840x2160, the system falls short of the 60 FPS target on Ultra, but the High preset delivers a 63 FPS average, which is sufficient for smooth gameplay.

The RTX 4090 is the clear performance driver in this pairing. The data shows that the GPU's massive compute resources are leveraged effectively at higher resolutions and settings. The i5-14400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, provides enough processing power to avoid bottlenecking the GPU, as evidenced by the strong frame rates at 1080p Low (153.2 FPS) and 1440p Low (146.7 FPS).

For players targeting 4K, the choice is between High settings at 63 FPS or Ultra settings at 49 FPS. The 14 FPS difference may be noticeable to some, but the High preset remains the recommended path for maintaining a consistent 60 FPS experience. At 1440p and below, the system offers the full visual experience without compromise.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U posts an average benchmark score of 32233, which is within 0.1% of the i5-14400F's 32279 average. This indicates that a system with this mobile-oriented Ryzen chip would deliver nearly identical CPU-bound performance in The Medium. Similarly, the Intel Core i9-11900 scores 32226, a 0.2% delta, making it another close match for the i5-14400F's processing capabilities.

The AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS scores 32354, which is 0.2% higher than the i5-14400F, while the Intel Core i7-12800H scores 32121, a 0.5% deficit. These four rivals bracket the i5-14400F's performance, meaning that swapping in any of these CPUs would result in negligible differences in frame rates, given the same RTX 4090 GPU.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4090's nearest rival is the Intel Arc Pro A60, which has an average score of 60326 versus the RTX 4090's 60347, a delta of 0%. This workstation-focused card would theoretically match the RTX 4090's performance in synthetic benchmarks, though its driver optimization for gaming may differ. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60140, a 0.3% deficit, while the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61896, representing a 2.5% advantage over the RTX 4090. The AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58657, a 2.9% deficit.

These comparisons suggest that the RTX 4090's nearest rivals are primarily professional-grade GPUs, not consumer gaming cards. In practical terms for The Medium, these alternatives would likely produce similar frame rates in the same CPU pairing, though their gaming-specific driver support may vary.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 151st out of 3724 tested combinations in The Medium. This places the system in the top 4% of all tested configurations, indicating that it outperforms the vast majority of PC builds for this title. The high rank is driven primarily by the RTX 4090's exceptional rasterization performance, which compensates for the i5-14400F's mid-range positioning.

The data shows that this ranking is consistent with the measured frame rates. At 4K High, the system achieves 63 FPS, which is competitive with top-tier configurations. The 151st rank out of 3724 combos suggests that there are 150 tested systems that deliver higher average frame rates, likely featuring more powerful CPUs such as the Core i9 or Ryzen 9 series paired with the same RTX 4090.

Despite the mid-range CPU, the combo's rank demonstrates that the RTX 4090 is the primary determinant of gaming performance in The Medium. The i5-14400F's percentile of 83 among all CPUs indicates it is a capable processor, but its impact on the final frame rate is secondary to the GPU. For users considering upgrades, the data suggests that investing in a higher-tier CPU would yield diminishing returns, as the RTX 4090 already operates near its performance ceiling in this game.