The Medium

The Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers a very specific performance profile in The Medium, one that hinges heavily on graphics settings rather than raw resolution scaling. The measured data shows this pairing is capable of high frame rates, but only when the visual load is kept in check. Across all tested resolutions, the Low preset produces playable results, while higher presets quickly push the system toward sub-60 FPS territory. The gap between Low and Ultra settings is substantial, indicating that this GPU is the primary constraint in this pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark results provide a clear, resolution-by-resolution picture of what this hardware can achieve. At 1920x1080, the combination of the i5-14600K and RTX 4060 starts strong. The Low preset delivers an average of 107.8 FPS, which is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay. Moving up to Medium drops the average to 69.6 FPS, still above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings reduce the average further to 47 FPS, and Ultra falls to 37.7 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a drop of roughly 70 FPS, a steep decline that indicates the GPU is struggling with the increased shading and texture work.

At 2560x1440, the pattern repeats but with lower absolute numbers. The Low preset still performs well, averaging 90.3 FPS. Medium settings bring the average down to 59.5 FPS, just below the playable threshold. High settings yield 40.5 FPS, and Ultra drops to 31 FPS. The difference between 1080p and 1440p at the same preset is consistent: roughly 17-18 FPS lower at 1440p for Low and Medium, and about 6-7 FPS lower for High and Ultra. This suggests the GPU is the limiting factor, as the resolution increase directly impacts pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth demands.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4060's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus become significant bottlenecks. The Low preset averages 73.3 FPS, which is playable, but Medium falls to 45.6 FPS. High settings manage only 34.7 FPS, and Ultra drops to 26 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium at 4K costs nearly 28 FPS, a much larger relative penalty than at lower resolutions. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is saturated even at moderate settings, and the 272.0 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient for the game's higher-resolution textures.

The data does not include min or max FPS values, so all analysis relies on average frame rates. However, the consistency of the scaling across resolutions suggests that frame pacing is likely stable, with no sudden spikes or drops indicated by the averages alone.

How This Combo Ranks

In the broader context of tested hardware combinations, this pairing places at rank 1983 out of 3724 combos. That puts it in the lower-middle tier of all systems tested for The Medium. It is important to note that this ranking includes every combination of CPU and GPU tested, from entry-level to flagship hardware. The percentile position is not flattering for a modern setup, but the rank is skewed by the fact that many of the top combos include much more powerful GPUs.

The CPU itself, the i5-14600K, sits at the 90th percentile among all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 48618. This indicates the processor is not the weak link; it is a high-end chip with 14 cores and 20 threads. The GPU, however, ranks at the 61st percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 17639. This places the RTX 4060 in the mid-range tier, and its performance in The Medium reflects that positioning. The combo rank of 1983rd suggests that while the CPU is strong, the GPU holds the system back in this specific title.

The game's genre as a horror title often relies on atmospheric effects, dynamic lighting, and detailed environments, all of which stress the GPU more than the CPU. The benchmark data supports this, as the frame rates scale almost entirely with the GPU's workload. The i5-14600K's strong multi-core performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491, is not fully utilized in this game, which appears to be GPU-bound at most settings.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the i5-14600K and the RTX 4060 in The Medium is heavily skewed toward the GPU. Evidence for this comes from the frame rate scaling between resolutions. When moving from 1080p to 1440p at the same preset, the average FPS drops by roughly 15-20%. When moving from 1440p to 4K, the drop is even steeper. This is classic GPU-bound behavior: the CPU can feed the GPU at lower resolutions, but as the pixel count increases, the GPU becomes the bottleneck.

At 1080p Low, the system achieves 107.8 FPS, which is high enough that the CPU's single-thread performance (a Geekbench single-core score of 2491) is likely sufficient. Even at 1080p Medium, the 69.6 FPS average suggests the CPU is still keeping up. However, at 4K Low, the 73.3 FPS average is only slightly lower than the 1080p Medium result, indicating that the GPU is doing most of the heavy lifting. The CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and higher frame rates, where its 14 cores and 20 threads can help maintain frame pacing.

The settings presets also reveal the GPU's dominance. Moving from Low to Medium at any resolution costs a significant number of frames, while moving from High to Ultra costs even more. This is due to the increased shader complexity and texture filtering, which are GPU-intensive tasks. The RTX 4060's 3072 shading units and 96 texture mapping units are the relevant hardware here, and they are clearly saturated at higher presets. The CPU's architecture, Raptor Lake-R, with its 24 MB of shared L3 cache, is more than capable of handling the game's logic and AI, but it is not the determining factor for frame rates in this title.

The Verdict

Can this PC run The Medium? The answer is yes, but with significant caveats based on resolution and settings. The verdict by resolution is clear: at 3840x2160, the only playable setting is Low, which achieves an average of 73.3 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below the 60 FPS threshold, with averages of 45.6, 34.7, and 26 FPS respectively. This means 4K gaming is possible, but only with reduced visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the situation is similar. The only playable setting is Low, averaging 90.3 FPS. Medium settings just miss the mark at 59.5 FPS, which is technically below the playable threshold. High and Ultra are not viable, with averages of 40.5 and 31 FPS. For a smoother experience at 1440p, players would need to stick with Low settings or accept slightly lower frame rates at Medium.

At 1920x1080, the system offers more flexibility. Both Low and Medium settings are playable, with averages of 107.8 and 69.6 FPS respectively. High settings at 47 FPS are borderline, and Ultra at 37.7 FPS is not recommended for smooth gameplay. The best playable setting at 1080p is Medium, which delivers the highest average FPS while staying above the 60 FPS threshold.

For the core question of hitting 60 FPS, the data shows that this combo can achieve it at 1080p with Medium settings, and at all resolutions with Low settings. Players prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate can use High settings at 1080p, but they will be playing at roughly 47 FPS, which may be acceptable for a slower-paced horror title. The game's genre, which often uses fixed camera angles and slower movement, might tolerate lower frame rates better than a fast-action shooter, but the data recommends sticking to the playable settings listed.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provides context for what other hardware would behave similarly in this game. The i5-14600K's closest competitors, based on average benchmark scores, are the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, which scores 48698 (a delta of -0.2%), and the AMD EPYC 4345P, scoring 48470 (a delta of 0.3%). The Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX and Core Ultra 5 245 are also nearby, with deltas of 0.7% and -0.8% respectively. These CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in The Medium, as the game is not CPU-bound at most settings.

For the GPU, the RTX 4060's nearest rivals are older or integrated solutions. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17666, a delta of -0.2%, which is remarkably close. The AMD Radeon 780M, an integrated GPU, scores 17588 (0.3% delta), and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 and Pro 460 are also within 0.5-0.7%. These alternatives would deliver similar average frame rates, though their feature sets and driver support differ significantly. The RTX 4060's 24 RT cores and Ada Lovelace architecture offer ray tracing capabilities that these rivals lack, but for The Medium's standard rendering, the performance would be comparable.

It is importantly the GPU's nearest rivals are not direct modern competitors; they are mostly older discrete GPUs or integrated graphics. This indicates that the RTX 4060 occupies a unique position in the market, with performance that is close to much older hardware but with modern features. For a builder looking at similar performance, the AMD Radeon 780M would be the most relevant comparison, as it is a current integrated solution that could be used in a compact build.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K with ray tracing enabled?

A: The FACT PACK does not include ray tracing performance data. The standard benchmark results show that at 3840x2160, only the Low preset averages above 60 FPS at 73.3 FPS. High and Ultra settings average 34.7 and 26 FPS, so enabling ray tracing would likely reduce these numbers further.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: According to the measured data, the only playable setting at 2560x1440 is Low, which averages 90.3 FPS. Medium settings average 59.5 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS playable threshold, so Low is the recommended setting for consistent performance.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 48618. Its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, scores 48698, which is 0.2% lower. The AMD EPYC 4345P scores 48470, 0.3% higher. Scores are effectively identical.

Q: Is the RTX 4060 a strong match for the i5-14600K in this game?

A: The combo ranks 1983rd out of 3724 tested. The CPU is at the 90th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU is at the 61st percentile. This suggests the GPU limits performance in The Medium, as frame rates scale more with resolution and settings than with CPU changes.

Q: What memory bandwidth does the RTX 4060 have?

A: The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a likely contributor to the significant frame rate drops at 4K resolutions.

Q: Are there any playable settings above Low at 4K?

A: No. The verdict for 3840x2160 lists Low as the only playable setting, with an average FPS of 73.3. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 60 FPS, with averages of 45.6, 34.7, and 26 FPS respectively.