The Medium

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 produces a wide performance envelope in The Medium, ranging from a slideshow-like 46.9 FPS at 4K Ultra to a fluid 178.7 FPS at 1080p Low. This combination ranks 128th out of 3724 tested combos for this title, placing it in the top 3.4% of all configurations. The measured data shows a clear pattern: the game is highly scalable across resolutions and presets, but the most demanding settings at 4K push the combo below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The benchmark results indicate a system that excels at high-refresh 1440p and 1080p gaming, while 4K requires preset compromises to maintain smooth framerates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers consistently high frame rates across all presets. The Low preset produces an average of 178.7 FPS, which serves as the ceiling for this resolution. Moving to Medium drops the average to 126.5 FPS, a 29.2% reduction from Low. The High preset further reduces performance to 90.3 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields 71.6 FPS. The step from High to Ultra costs 18.7 FPS, showing that the most demanding preset at 1080p still maintains a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. Notably, all 1080p presets remain playable, with even the heaviest settings clearing the playability bar by 11.6 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance curve steepens. The Low preset averages 169.9 FPS, which is only 4.9% slower than the 1080p Low result. Medium drops to 104.3 FPS, representing a 38.6% loss from Low. The High preset delivers 74.4 FPS, while Ultra falls to 62.9 FPS. The delta between High and Ultra at 1440p is 11.5 FPS, slightly less than at 1080p but still significant. The Ultra preset barely clears the 60 FPS threshold, sitting just 2.9 FPS above the playability line. This resolution shows the first signs of the GPU becoming a limiting factor, as the gap between Low and Medium widens compared to 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the performance envelope compresses dramatically. The Low preset averages 137.1 FPS, which remains excellent for 4K gaming. Medium drops to 83.2 FPS, a 39.3% reduction from Low. The High preset falls to 59.8 FPS, just below the 60 FPS playability threshold by 0.2 FPS. Ultra produces 46.9 FPS, which is 21.8% slower than High and a significant 65.8% slower than Low. The data shows that 4K Ultra is not viable for smooth gameplay, and even High struggles to maintain the playability standard. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K represents a 65.8% performance penalty, compared to 59.9% at 1440p and 60% at 1080p.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 71.6 FPS. This means the combo can run the game at maximum settings at 1080p with a healthy 11.6 FPS margin above the playability threshold. The data indicates that all four presets are playable at this resolution, with even the heaviest settings leaving headroom for occasional drops.

At 2560x1440, the best settings also resolve to Ultra, with an average of 62.9 FPS. This preset clears the 60 FPS requirement by just 2.9 FPS, which is a narrow margin but still technically playable. The High preset at 74.4 FPS offers more breathing room, but the data shows Ultra is achievable. The benchmark results indicate that 1440p Ultra is borderline playable, with the average sitting close to the threshold.

At 3840x2160, the most demanding playable preset is Medium, which averages 83.2 FPS. This provides a comfortable 23.2 FPS margin above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 59.8 FPS falls just short of playability, missing the mark by 0.2 FPS. The Ultra preset at 46.9 FPS is well below the threshold. For 4K gaming, the data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot, offering a substantial performance buffer while still delivering improved visual quality over Low.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling data across resolutions reveals which component dominates in The Medium. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra reduces performance from 178.7 FPS to 71.6 FPS, a 59.9% penalty. The same preset transition at 1440p goes from 169.9 FPS to 62.9 FPS, a 63.0% penalty. At 4K, the Low to Ultra transition goes from 137.1 FPS to 46.9 FPS, a 65.8% penalty. The increasing performance penalty at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU becomes progressively more important as pixel count rises.

Comparing resolutions at identical presets shows the CPU's role. At Low settings, 1080p produces 178.7 FPS while 1440p produces 169.9 FPS, a modest 4.9% difference. At 4K Low, the frame rate drops to 137.1 FPS, which is 23.3% below 1080p Low. This suggests that at Low settings, the CPU is still capable of feeding the GPU at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K pixel load begins to strain the GPU even at minimum settings. At Ultra settings, 1080p yields 71.6 FPS, 1440p yields 62.9 FPS, and 4K yields 46.9 FPS. The 34.5% drop from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is larger than the 23.3% drop at Low, confirming that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher presets.

The data shows that at 1080p, the combo is likely CPU-limited at Low and Medium presets, as the frame rates exceed 126 FPS and the resolution scaling is minimal. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as even Low settings produce 137.1 FPS, which is far below the 1080p Low result. The 1440p results sit in the middle, with the GPU becoming more influential as presets increase. The Core i5-14600K's 14 cores and 20 threads, combined with its 3.50 GHz base and 5.30 GHz boost clocks, provide sufficient headroom for this horror title, but the RTX 5080's performance ceiling governs the highest resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank in The Medium is 128 out of 3724 tested combinations, which places it in the 96.6th percentile of all tested systems. This means the configuration outperforms 96.6% of the other combos in the database for this specific game. The rank reflects a highly capable pairing that excels at 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K requiring preset adjustments.

Breaking down the rank, the CPU sits at the 90th percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 48618. The GPU ranks at the 87th percentile among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 56083. The combination of two top-decile components produces a system that is well above average for The Medium. The game's horror genre and fixed-camera presentation likely benefit from the high frame rates this combo can achieve at lower resolutions, while the 4K Ultra preset remains out of reach.

The rank of 128 out of 3724 also indicates that there are 127 other combos that perform better in this game. These would likely include higher-end CPUs like the Core i9 or Ryzen 9 series paired with the RTX 5090 or similar top-tier GPUs. The data shows that this combo is not the absolute fastest, but it sits in the upper echelon of tested configurations, making it a strong choice for this title.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H has an average score of 48698, which is 0.2% higher than the Core i5-14600K's 48618. The AMD EPYC 4345P scores 48470, just 0.3% lower. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX scores 48287, 0.7% lower, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores 48995, 0.8% higher. These processors would produce nearly identical frame rates in The Medium, as the differences are all within 1% of each other. A system with any of these CPUs paired with the same RTX 5080 would behave similarly, with frame rate differences of less than one FPS in most scenarios.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon 8060S has an average score of 55757, which is 0.6% lower than the RTX 5080's 56083. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, 0.7% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, 2.3% lower, while the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE scores 57367, 2.2% higher. Swapping the RTX 5080 for any of these GPUs would alter frame rates by only a few percent. For example, the RX 9070 GRE would produce approximately 2.2% higher frame rates, which would push 4K High from 59.8 FPS to approximately 61.1 FPS, just clearing the playability threshold. Conversely, the Radeon Pro W5700X would drop 4K Medium from 83.2 FPS to approximately 81.3 FPS, still playable but with less headroom.

FAQ

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

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 46.9, which falls 13.1 FPS below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The best playable 4K preset is Medium at 83.2 FPS.

Q: What is the highest playable preset at 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 achieves an average of 62.9 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold by 2.9 FPS. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable at this resolution.

Q: How much faster is Low compared to Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 178.7 FPS while Ultra averages 71.6 FPS. Low is 107.1 FPS faster, representing a 149.6% performance advantage over Ultra.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance more at 4K?

A: The GPU is the primary limiter at 4K. The frame rate drops from 137.1 FPS at Low to 46.9 FPS at Ultra, a 65.8% penalty, while the CPU's influence diminishes as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the CPU can push 178.7 FPS, but at 4K Low it only reaches 137.1 FPS, showing the GPU cannot keep up with the pixel load.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 128th out of 3724 tested combinations for The Medium, placing it in the 96.6th percentile. It outperforms 3596 other combos in the database for this game.

Q: What preset should be used for 60 FPS gameplay at 4K?

A: The Medium preset at 3840x2160 averages 83.2 FPS, providing a 23.2 FPS buffer above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 59.8 FPS falls just short of 60 FPS, so Medium is the recommended choice for 4K.

The Verdict

This PC can run The Medium across all tested resolutions, but the settings ceiling varies significantly. At 1920x1080, the system runs all presets above 60 FPS, with Ultra achieving 71.6 FPS and Low reaching 178.7 FPS. The 1440p results are similarly strong, with Ultra at 62.9 FPS and all four presets clearing the playability threshold. At 3840x2160, the combo can run Low at 137.1 FPS and Medium at 83.2 FPS, both comfortably above 60 FPS, but High at 59.8 FPS and Ultra at 46.9 FPS fall below the threshold.

The verdict by resolution is clear: 1080p and 1440p allow maximum settings with playable frame rates, while 4K requires Medium settings for a smooth experience. The data shows a system that is exceptionally well-suited for high-refresh 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K playable at reduced presets. The 128th rank out of 3724 combos confirms this is a top-tier configuration for The Medium, even if 4K Ultra remains out of reach. For players targeting 60 FPS, the recommended presets are Ultra at 1080p (71.6 FPS), Ultra at 1440p (62.9 FPS), and Medium at 4K (83.2 FPS).