The Medium

The Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination delivers a playable experience in The Medium, but only under specific settings constraints that vary heavily by resolution. The measured data shows a system that handles 1080p and 1440p comfortably at medium presets, while 4K requires a significant drop to low settings to maintain smooth performance. The benchmark results, drawn from 12 distinct resolution and preset combinations, reveal a clear performance hierarchy that favors lower resolutions and demonstrates the game's demanding nature at higher fidelity levels.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system shows its strongest performance. The Low preset produces an average of 115.7 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded across all configurations. Moving up to Medium yields a still-strong 70 FPS average, while High drops to 50.2 FPS and Ultra falls to 40.2 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 65% performance reduction, indicating that the most demanding settings carry a substantial cost even at the least demanding resolution.

At 2560x1440, the performance profile shifts downward. Low settings produce 95.1 FPS, which remains well above the playable threshold. Medium settings deliver 60.6 FPS, barely clearing the 60 FPS mark. High settings drop to 44.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 36.7 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium at this resolution is 34.5 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High costs 16.5 FPS. Ultra's 36.7 FPS represents a 61% drop from the Low preset figure.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes more constrained. Low settings manage 77.1 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 33% reduction compared to the same preset at 1080p. Medium drops to 45.5 FPS, High falls to 36.2 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 29.6 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K delivers less than half the frame rate of the Low preset at 4K, and the 29.6 FPS average is the lowest figure recorded in the entire dataset. Notably, the 4K High preset at 36.2 FPS is nearly identical to the 1440p Ultra preset at 36.7 FPS, suggesting similar rendering loads at those specific configurations.

The data shows a consistent pattern where each resolution step down from 4K to 1080p yields roughly a 20-25% improvement in average FPS at identical settings. For example, Low settings scale from 77.1 FPS at 4K to 95.1 FPS at 1440p and then 115.7 FPS at 1080p. Medium settings follow a similar trajectory: 45.5 FPS at 4K, 60.6 FPS at 1440p, and 70 FPS at 1080p. This scaling indicates that resolution impacts performance in a predictable, near-linear fashion across the tested range.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is the primary performance determinant in The Medium, with resolution scaling showing a clear GPU-bound pattern. The consistent frame rate improvements when lowering resolution—from 4K to 1440p to 1080p—demonstrate that the RTX 5060 is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions where the GPU has less work to do, but the data does not show any CPU bottleneck symptoms such as frame rate plateaus that would indicate processor limitation.

The CPU's benchmark profile supports its capacity to feed the GPU adequately. The Core i5-14400F scores 21,645 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3,055 in single-core, with a PassMark multithread score of 25,470. These figures place the processor in the 83rd percentile among all CPUs, indicating strong headroom for gaming workloads. The 10-core, 16-thread configuration with a 4.70 GHz boost clock provides ample processing power for a title like The Medium, which is not known for extreme CPU demands based on the measured frame data.

The scaling between presets at each resolution reinforces the GPU-bound nature of the game. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 75.5 FPS, which is a massive range that points to GPU shader and memory bandwidth limitations rather than CPU constraints. The RTX 5060's 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth likely becomes a factor at higher preset levels, particularly at 4K where Ultra settings produce only 29.6 FPS. The GPU's 19.18 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 30 RT cores suggest that ray tracing effects in The Medium could be a significant load, though the measured data does not isolate RT-specific performance.

At 4K, the performance gap between Low and Medium is 31.6 FPS, and between Medium and High is 9.3 FPS. This narrowing delta at higher settings suggests that the GPU's memory subsystem and compute units are saturated, making each additional preset increment more expensive. The CPU, with its 20 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support, is unlikely to be the bottleneck in these scenarios.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals, based on aggregate benchmark scores, offer similar computing performance. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U scores 32,233, which is just 0.1% higher than the Core i5-14400F's average score of 32,279. The Intel Core i9-11900 sits at 32,226, a 0.2% difference, while the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS scores 32,354, representing a -0.2% delta. The Intel Core i7-12800H rounds out the group at 32,121, which is 0.5% lower. These rivals would produce nearly identical frame rates in The Medium, with differences well within measurement noise.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals show more varied performance deltas. The AMD Radeon 860M scores 26,401, which is -0.3% relative to the RTX 5060's average score of 26,331. The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 also sits at -0.3% with a score of 26,421. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary scores 26,553, a -0.8% delta, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT scores 26,011, representing a +1.2% difference. In practical terms, all four rivals would deliver frame rates within roughly 1% of the RTX 5060, meaning that the measured FPS figures for this system would apply almost identically to those configurations.

The GPU's 72nd percentile ranking among all GPUs places it in the mid-to-upper tier, and the close grouping of its rivals suggests that this performance class is well-populated. A system pairing any of these CPU rivals with the RTX 5060 would see negligible differences in The Medium's frame rates, while swapping the GPU for any of its near equivalents would shift the measured FPS by less than 1 FPS in most scenarios.

The Verdict

This PC can run The Medium at playable frame rates, but the definition of "playable" depends heavily on the chosen resolution and settings. The verdict data identifies playable settings at each resolution based on a 60 FPS threshold. At 1920x1080, both Low and Medium presets clear the threshold, with Low at 115.7 FPS and Medium at 70 FPS. The High preset at 50.2 FPS and Ultra at 40.2 FPS fall short of 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, Low and Medium also remain playable, with 95.1 FPS and 60.6 FPS respectively. The Medium preset's 60.6 FPS is just barely above the threshold, meaning that any minor in-game variance could drop it below 60 FPS in demanding scenes. The High preset at 44.1 FPS and Ultra at 36.7 FPS are not suitable for smooth gameplay. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset achieves playability with 77.1 FPS. Medium at 45.5 FPS, High at 36.2 FPS, and Ultra at 29.6 FPS all fall well short of the 60 FPS target.

The system's overall rank of 1,704 out of 3,724 tested combinations places it in the upper half of configurations, indicating that it outperforms a majority of systems tested for this game. However, the data clearly shows that 4K gaming requires substantial graphical compromises, and even 1440p cannot sustain High settings. The 1080p Medium configuration is the sweet spot, offering a 70 FPS average with moderate visual quality that should satisfy most players.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Medium, which delivers an average of 70 FPS. This configuration provides the best balance of visual fidelity and performance at this resolution, with 10 FPS of headroom above the threshold. While Low offers a much higher 115.7 FPS, the Medium preset represents the optimal choice for players seeking better graphics without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is again the best playable option, achieving 60.6 FPS. This is a marginal pass, with only 0.6 FPS of margin above the playable threshold. Players who prioritize frame rate stability over visual quality might prefer the Low preset at 95.1 FPS, which offers 34.5 FPS more headroom. The data suggests that Medium at 1440p is viable but leaves little room for performance dips during intense scenes.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only playable option, producing 77.1 FPS. This provides 17.1 FPS of headroom above the threshold, which is a comfortable margin. However, the visual downgrade from Medium to Low at 4K is significant, as evidenced by the 31.6 FPS difference between the two presets. Players at 4K must accept Low settings to maintain playability, as the next step up to Medium drops to 45.5 FPS.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K with high settings?

A: No. The High preset at 3840x2160 produces an average of 36.2 FPS, which falls well below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The only playable preset at 4K is Low, which achieves 77.1 FPS.

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

A: The Medium preset at 1920x1080 delivers 70 FPS, making it the most demanding playable option. Low settings provide 115.7 FPS, but Medium offers better visual quality while staying above 60 FPS.

Q: How much performance does the Ultra preset cost compared to Low?

A: At 1080p, Ultra drops to 40.2 FPS from Low's 115.7 FPS, a reduction of 75.5 FPS. At 1440p, the gap is 58.4 FPS (36.7 vs 95.1), and at 4K, the gap is 47.5 FPS (29.6 vs 77.1).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The GPU is the primary performance factor. Resolution scaling shows consistent FPS improvements when lowering resolution, indicating GPU-bound behavior. The CPU's strong benchmark scores (83rd percentile) suggest it is not a limiting factor.

Q: What happens if I play at 1440p with High settings?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 produces 44.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Players should use Medium settings at 1440p to achieve 60.6 FPS, or Low for 95.1 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 5060's average benchmark score of 26,331 is within 1.2% of its nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT (26,011, +1.2%) and AMD Radeon 860M (26,401, -0.3%). These GPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in The Medium.