The Medium

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a highly variable experience in The Medium, one that hinges almost entirely on the resolution and quality preset selected. The measured data shows a dramatic swing from a barely playable 31.9 FPS at 4K Ultra to a very smooth 126 FPS at 1080p Low. This is a combination that can handle the game, but only when the user is willing to make significant compromises at higher resolutions. The benchmark results indicate that 1080p and 1440p are the target resolutions for this hardware, while 4K is only viable at the lowest settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The performance profile across the three tested resolutions reveals a clear pattern of scaling. At 1920x1080, the combo starts strong with 126 FPS on Low settings, drops to 78.8 FPS on Medium, and then falls to 55.3 FPS on High. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, yielding just 42.2 FPS. This shows that even at 1080p, the jump from Medium to High is a significant 23.5 FPS drop, making High a borderline choice for a 60 FPS target.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance takes a predictable hit across the board. The Low preset still delivers a comfortable 102.6 FPS, which is a 23.4 FPS reduction from the 1080p result. Medium settings produce 65.9 FPS, maintaining playability, but High drops to 46.8 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p is the second-lowest result in the entire dataset at 39.9 FPS, indicating that this resolution is strictly for medium or lower presets.

The 3840x2160 results are the most taxing. At 4K, the Low preset manages 79.6 FPS, which is surprisingly high, but the Medium preset falls to 52 FPS. High and Ultra are effectively unplayable for a smooth experience, with scores of 33.4 FPS and 31.9 FPS, respectively. The delta between Low and Medium at 4K is 27.6 FPS, a massive gap that underscores how quickly the RTX 3070's 8 GB frame buffer and memory bandwidth are saturated. The data shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at this resolution, as the 14-core CPU is unlikely to be the limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware configurations for The Medium, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 sits in the upper-middle tier. The combo rank is 1555 out of 3724 tested combinations, placing it in the 58th percentile. This means that while it outperforms a majority of systems, there are still a significant number of more powerful configurations that will deliver higher frame rates, particularly at 4K Ultra settings.

The CPU itself is a strong performer, with an average benchmark score of 49394 and a percentile ranking of 90 against all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which is only 0.3% ahead, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245, which is 0.8% behind. This indicates that the i5-14600KF is not a weak link in the chain; its 14 cores and 20 threads are more than sufficient for the game's demands. On the GPU side, the RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 17208 and a percentile ranking of 61 against all GPUs. Its closest competitor is the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, which is 0.7% faster, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 is 1% behind. The 3070's position is solid, but its percentile rank is noticeably lower than the CPU's, confirming that the graphics card is the limiting factor in this pairing for The Medium. The data suggests that the overall combo rank is dragged down by the GPU's performance ceiling, not by any CPU deficiency.

Best Settings per Resolution

For users targeting 60 FPS, the most demanding preset that maintains that threshold varies by resolution. At 1920x1080, the best setting is Medium, which delivers an average of 78.8 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS target, ensuring a fluid experience without the need to drop to lower quality. The High preset at 55.3 FPS falls short of the threshold.

At 2560x1440, the best setting is also Medium, but with a tighter margin. The average FPS here is 65.9, which is just 5.9 FPS above the 60 FPS line. This is the optimal balance for 1440p, as the Low preset, while faster at 102.6 FPS, sacrifices too much visual fidelity. The High preset at 46.8 FPS is not playable at this target.

The situation changes at 3840x2160, where the only playable option is the Low preset, producing 79.6 FPS. This is the only setting at 4K that clears the 60 FPS hurdle. The Medium preset at 52 FPS is a significant step down in quality but still fails to reach the target. Therefore, the verdict is clear: 4K users must accept Low settings, while 1080p and 1440p users can enjoy Medium presets.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, but only on the Low settings preset. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Low settings is 79.6, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. All other presets at 4K, including Medium, High, and Ultra, fall below 60 FPS.

Q: What is the highest quality preset that maintains 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset is the most demanding option that stays above 60 FPS at 2560x1440, with an average of 65.9 FPS. The High preset drops to 46.8 FPS, which is not playable at the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49394. It is 0.3% faster than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 and 0.8% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245. It is 0.8% slower than the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388.

Q: Is the RTX 3070 a bottleneck for this game?

A: The data suggests yes. The GPU has a percentile rank of 61 against all GPUs, which is significantly lower than the CPU's 90th percentile rank. The large FPS drops between Medium and High presets, especially at 4K (from 52 to 33.4 FPS), indicate the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: What is the difference in performance between 1080p and 1440p on Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 78.8. At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average FPS drops to 65.9. This represents a 12.9 FPS reduction, or approximately a 16% performance loss when moving from 1080p to 1440p.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at any resolution?

A: No. The Ultra preset yields an average FPS of 42.2 at 1080p, 39.9 at 1440p, and 31.9 at 4K. None of these results reach the 60 FPS playable threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU. The Intel Core i5-14600KF, with its high single-thread and multi-thread scores, is not the limiting factor at any resolution. Its performance is consistent, allowing the GPU to be the sole determinant of frame rate scaling. This is evident when comparing the FPS drops across resolutions. At Low settings, the FPS drops from 126 at 1080p to 102.6 at 1440p (a 23.4 FPS drop) and then to 79.6 at 4K (another 23 FPS drop). This linear scaling is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the CPU has headroom to spare.

The GPU's role becomes even more pronounced when examining the impact of preset changes. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra cuts performance by 66.5%, from 126 to 42.2 FPS. At 1440p, the same move from Low to Ultra results in a 61.1% performance loss, from 102.6 to 39.9 FPS. At 4K, the drop from Low to Ultra is 59.9%, from 79.6 to 31.9 FPS. These percentage losses are relatively consistent, indicating that the RTX 3070's compute and memory bandwidth are being saturated in a similar fashion regardless of resolution. However, the absolute FPS numbers show that at 4K, even the Low preset is pushing the GPU hard, as the 79.6 FPS result is lower than the 1080p Medium result of 78.8 FPS, despite the lower graphical complexity.

The data confirms that for The Medium, the GPU is the dominant component. The CPU's 90th percentile ranking means it has ample processing power to feed the GPU, and the performance gaps between settings and resolutions are directly attributable to the graphics card's capabilities. Users looking to improve performance should focus on GPU settings, as CPU-side changes will yield minimal gains.

The Verdict

Can this PC run The Medium? Yes, but with specific limitations. The verdict by resolution is clear: at 1920x1080, the system is fully capable, with the Medium preset delivering 78.8 FPS and the Low preset hitting 126 FPS. This is a solid experience. At 2560x1440, the system remains playable, with the Medium preset achieving 65.9 FPS, just above the 60 FPS threshold. This is the highest resolution at which the user can enjoy a balanced mix of quality and performance.

At 3840x2160, the system is only viable on the Low preset, which produces 79.6 FPS. While this is technically above 60 FPS, it requires a significant visual compromise. The High and Ultra presets are not playable at any resolution, with the best result being 55.3 FPS at 1080p High. The data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can handle Medium settings comfortably. For 4K, users must be prepared to accept Low settings for a smooth frame rate. The RTX 3070 is the limiting factor, and while the i5-14600KF provides excellent support, it cannot overcome the GPU's performance ceiling in this title.