The Medium

The Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers a playable experience in The Medium, but the headroom is narrower than the hardware's raw compute potential suggests. Benchmark data shows this pairing clears the 60 FPS threshold only at lower graphical presets, with the GPU acting as the primary constraint at higher resolutions. The following analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, component scaling, and where this combo stands among tested systems.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the highest preset that maintains an average of 60 FPS or above is Medium, with a measured average of 68.9 FPS. The Low preset runs at 106.8 FPS, while High drops to 48.2 FPS and Ultra falls to 38.9 FPS. This indicates that the Medium preset is the sweet spot for Full HD, offering a comfortable margin above the playability threshold without sacrificing too much visual fidelity.

Moving to 2560x1440, the situation tightens considerably. The only preset that clears 60 FPS is Low, averaging 88.5 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 56.9 FPS, just below the threshold, while High averages 40.2 FPS and Ultra sinks to 32.6 FPS. The step from Low to Medium at this resolution costs roughly 31 FPS, which is a steep price for the visual upgrade.

At 3840x2160, the data shows that even the Low preset barely stays afloat. The Low preset averages 70.1 FPS, which is the only setting above 60 FPS. Medium falls to 43.9 FPS, High manages 31.1 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 24.5 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is nearly unplayable, highlighting that this GPU is not designed for maxed-out 4K in this title.

The scaling pattern across resolutions reveals a clear trend: each step up in resolution demands a significant drop in preset quality to maintain fluidity. At 1080p, the combo has enough headroom for Medium; at 1440p, it is restricted to Low; and at 4K, Low is the only viable option, with a slim 10 FPS cushion over the minimum.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance data indicates that the GPU is the dominant factor in this pairing, especially as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the gap between Low (106.8 FPS) and Ultra (38.9 FPS) is 67.9 FPS, a massive swing that points to heavy reliance on the graphics card for rendering quality. The CPU, with 14 cores and 20 threads, has more than enough headroom for this horror title, as evidenced by the high frame rates at Low preset across all resolutions.

The resolution scaling tells a similar story. When moving from 1080p Low to 1440p Low, the frame rate drops from 106.8 FPS to 88.5 FPS, a 17% decrease. From 1440p Low to 4K Low, the drop is from 88.5 FPS to 70.1 FPS, another 21% reduction. These consistent declines with increasing pixel count suggest that the RTX 4060's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are being pushed harder as the render target grows.

At higher presets, the GPU bottleneck becomes even more pronounced. The jump from 1080p Medium (68.9 FPS) to 1440p Medium (56.9 FPS) is a 12 FPS loss, but the jump from 1440p Medium to 4K Medium (43.9 FPS) is a 13 FPS loss. The CPU's role is minimal at these settings; even at 1080p Ultra, where the frame rate is just 38.9 FPS, the Core i5-14600KF is unlikely to be the limiting factor given its strong single-thread performance (Geekbench single-core score of 2445).

The data suggests that players with this combo should prioritize GPU settings over CPU-related options. At 1440p, the difference between Low and Medium is a 31.6 FPS gap, while the difference between Medium and High is 16.7 FPS. This non-linear scaling is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the RTX 4060's 3072 shading units and 24 RT cores determine the ceiling.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run The Medium at 1080p with High settings?

A: No. The measured average at 1080p High is 48.2 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest playable preset at this resolution is Medium, averaging 68.9 FPS.

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

A: The only preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at 2560x1440 is Low, with an average of 88.5 FPS. Medium drops to 56.9 FPS, which is below the threshold.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with the RTX 4060 and Core i5-14600KF?

A: Only at the Low preset, which averages 70.1 FPS. All other presets at 3840x2160 fall below 60 FPS, with Medium at 43.9 FPS, High at 31.1 FPS, and Ultra at 24.5 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU's performance percentile compare to its rivals?

A: The RTX 4060 sits at the 61st percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 7790, has an average score of 17666, which is 0.2% lower, making the performance difference negligible.

Q: What is the CPU's benchmark standing relative to other processors?

A: The Core i5-14600KF is at the 90th percentile among all CPUs. Its closest competitor, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, scores 49228, which is 0.3% below the Intel chip's average of 49394.

Q: Does the combo rank high among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 2056 out of 3724 tested combinations, placing it in the middle of the pack. This reflects the GPU's limitations rather than the CPU, which is a top-tier performer.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 offers nearly identical performance, with an average score of 49228 versus the Intel's 49394 (a 0.3% delta). The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G is also close at 49196 (0.4% lower), while the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 trails by 0.8% with a score of 48995. On the higher end, the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 leads by 0.8% with 49796. Any of these processors would deliver essentially the same frame rates in The Medium, as the game is not CPU-intensive at the tested settings.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are all AMD parts, but the deltas are tiny. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17666 against the RTX 4060's 17639, a 0.2% difference. The AMD Radeon 780M is 0.3% behind, and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 is 0.5% behind. The AMD Radeon Pro 460 trails by 0.7%. These sub-1% differences mean that swapping to any of these GPUs would produce nearly identical performance in this title, making them viable alternatives for matching the measured frame rates.

In practical terms, a system with the Ryzen 9 7900 and an HD 7790 would behave almost exactly like the reviewed combo. The CPU choice can be made based on platform preference, while the GPU selection would need to match the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus to replicate the same resolution scaling.

How This Combo Ranks

This pairing holds the 2056th position out of 3724 tested combos, placing it in the 55th percentile overall. That ranking is heavily influenced by the RTX 4060, which sits at the 61st GPU percentile, while the CPU is far stronger at the 90th percentile. The disparity suggests that the CPU is not the weak link; instead, the GPU's mid-range positioning drags the overall combo down.

In the context of The Medium, this rank translates to a system that can handle the game at 1080p with medium settings, 1440p with low settings, and 4K with low settings. The rank of 2056 indicates that roughly 45% of tested combos perform better, likely featuring higher-tier GPUs like the RTX 4070 or RX 7800 XT, which would allow higher presets at the same resolutions.

The data shows that the combo's performance is consistent with its component percentiles. The CPU's top-tier score does not boost the gaming experience because the GPU becomes the bottleneck at higher settings. Conversely, the GPU's mid-range score is not a liability at lower presets, where the CPU can feed frames quickly enough.

The Verdict

This PC can run The Medium, but the experience varies sharply by resolution and preset. At 1920x1080, the system delivers a solid 68.9 FPS on Medium settings, with Low hitting 106.8 FPS for high-refresh-rate displays. However, High (48.2 FPS) and Ultra (38.9 FPS) are below the 60 FPS threshold, so users must stick to Medium or lower for a smooth experience.

At 2560x1440, the verdict is more restrictive. Only the Low preset clears the bar with 88.5 FPS. Medium (56.9 FPS) is just under the threshold, meaning players will notice occasional stutters. High and Ultra are not viable, averaging 40.2 FPS and 32.6 FPS respectively.

At 3840x2160, the system is barely playable. The Low preset averages 70.1 FPS, which is above the threshold, but the margin is thin. Medium (43.9 FPS), High (31.1 FPS), and Ultra (24.5 FPS) are all unplayable by the 60 FPS standard.

The final assessment: this combo is a capable 1080p machine for The Medium, a decent 1440p machine with lowered expectations, and a marginal 4K machine only at the lowest preset. Users prioritizing visual fidelity will need to compromise on resolution, while those with high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors will find plenty of performance headroom at Medium settings. The CPU is more than sufficient; the RTX 4060 is the deciding factor. For a horror game that relies on atmosphere, the drop to Low settings at higher resolutions may be acceptable, but the data clearly shows that the GPU is the limiting component in this pairing.