The Medium

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 122nd out of 3,724 tested combos for The Medium, placing it in the top percentile of configurations. This is a high-end pairing, and the benchmark data confirms it delivers a smooth experience at most settings, though 4K Ultra remains out of reach for a locked 60 FPS target. The combo’s strength is its consistency: it clears the 60 FPS playable threshold at 1080p and 1440p across all four tested presets, and at 4K it manages Medium at 82.1 FPS. The data suggests this system is overbuilt for 1080p, where even Ultra settings produce nearly 70 FPS, but it is appropriately matched for high-refresh 1440p gaming. The CPU, scoring in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, and the GPU, in the 87th percentile, both perform near the top of their respective tiers, making this a balanced, capable machine for a demanding horror title.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of 3,724 tested combinations, this CPU-GPU pairing sits at rank 122. That places it comfortably in the top 3.3% of all tested systems for The Medium, a strong showing that reflects the hardware’s high average benchmark scores. The Intel Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49,394, which is nearly identical to its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 at 49,228 (a delta of only 0.3%). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 posts an average score of 56,083, slightly above the AMD Radeon 8060S at 55,757 (0.6% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB at 55,698 (0.7% delta). This rank indicates that the pair is not just individually strong but also well-balanced; neither component presents a significant bottleneck for The Medium, as evidenced by the FPS scaling across resolutions and settings.

The rank of 122 also implies that only a small fraction of tested combos outperform this one, and those are likely to feature even more expensive or newer hardware. For a game like The Medium, which is a horror title with a fixed camera perspective, the data shows the i5-14600KF and RTX 5080 combination is more than sufficient for mainstream play. The percentile standings—90th for the CPU and 87th for the GPU—reinforce that this is near-flagship hardware, and the measured FPS reflects that positioning. The combination’s performance is not limited by raw compute, as the GPU’s FP32 throughput of 56.28 TFLOPS and the CPU’s multi-core score of 32,544 in Cinebench R23 are both exceptionally high, but the data shows that 4K Ultra settings still stress the system beyond its 60 FPS limit.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run The Medium at 4K with maximum settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 50.7, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best playable 4K preset is Medium, which achieves an average of 82.1 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to play at Ultra settings?

A: The highest resolution where Ultra settings remain playable is 2560x1440, with an average FPS of 63.5. At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 69.9 FPS, also above 60.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600KF scores 49,394, which is 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49,228) and 0.8% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (48,995). It is 0.8% lower than the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 (49,796).

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 scores 56,083, which is 0.6% higher than the AMD Radeon 8060S (55,757) and 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55,698). It is 2.2% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE (57,367).

Q: What is the largest FPS jump between settings at the same resolution?

A: At 4K, the jump from High to Low is the largest, going from 59.2 FPS to 136.5 FPS, a difference of 77.3 FPS. This indicates that the High preset at 4K is nearly playable but just misses the 60 FPS mark.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data shows that at 1920x1080, even Low settings produce 179.5 FPS, which is far beyond the 60 FPS threshold. This suggests the GPU is not heavily taxed at this resolution, and the CPU’s strong multi-threaded performance (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32,544) is sufficient to feed the frame rate.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear pattern: the GPU is the primary driver of performance at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s influence becomes more apparent at lower resolutions where frame rates climb. At 3840x2160, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is stark—136.5 FPS versus 50.7 FPS—a 2.7x variation that is almost entirely attributable to GPU load. The RTX 5080’s 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth are tested heavily at 4K, and the GPU’s pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s becomes the bottleneck when pushing Ultra details. The CPU, with its 14 cores and 20 threads, remains largely idle at this resolution, as the game’s rendering demands outpace its logic requirements.

At 2560x1440, the scaling narrows slightly: Low hits 167.5 FPS, while Ultra drops to 63.5 FPS. This still shows a dominant GPU role, but the CPU begins to contribute more as frame rates exceed 100 FPS. The i5-14600KF’s boost clock of 5.30 GHz and single-core Cinebench R20 score of 1,929 help maintain high minimum frame rates, preventing stutter in scenes with complex scripting. At 1920x1080, the CPU’s role becomes most evident: Low settings produce 179.5 FPS, and even Ultra manages 69.9 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is a 2.57x factor, slightly smaller than at 4K, indicating that the GPU is still the main limiter, but the CPU’s headroom allows for higher peak frame rates. Overall, the data suggests that for The Medium, the RTX 5080 is the decisive component at 4K, while the i5-14600KF ensures the system does not fall below playable levels at lower resolutions.

The Verdict

This PC can run The Medium, and it does so with considerable authority across most settings. The verdict by resolution is clear: at 3840x2160, the playable settings are Low and Medium, with Medium achieving 82.1 FPS as the best option. At 2560x1440, all four presets—High, Low, Medium, and Ultra—clear the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra at 63.5 FPS. At 1920x1080, the same is true, with Ultra at 69.9 FPS. The only setting that fails to hit 60 FPS is 4K Ultra, which averages 50.7 FPS. For a horror game that relies on atmospheric tension, a stable frame rate is crucial, and the data shows this combo provides at least 50 FPS at the most demanding preset, but for a locked 60 FPS experience, players should opt for 4K Medium or 1440p Ultra. The measured FPS values are all average figures, with no minimum or maximum data provided, so variance could exist, but the averages are consistently above playable at the recommended settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the system delivers 59.2 FPS on High, which is just shy of the 60 FPS target. Low settings jump to 136.5 FPS, Medium hits 82.1 FPS, and Ultra drops to 50.7 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline, with the largest single-step drop occurring between Medium and Ultra, a 31.4 FPS difference. This suggests that Ultra settings introduce effects that heavily tax the GPU’s shading units and ray tracing cores.

At 2560x1440, the results are more comfortable: High averages 76.9 FPS, Low reaches 167.5 FPS, Medium hits 106.6 FPS, and Ultra manages 63.5 FPS. The step from Medium to Ultra is a 43.1 FPS reduction, indicating that Ultra’s additional effects are still costly but not prohibitive at this resolution. The jump from Low to High is a 90.6 FPS drop, showing that High settings already incorporate significant visual upgrades.

At 1920x1080, the system excels: High produces 94.1 FPS, Low hits 179.5 FPS, Medium reaches 124.9 FPS, and Ultra stays at 69.9 FPS. The difference between Medium and Ultra is 55 FPS, which is the largest gap at this resolution, but all values remain well above the playable threshold. The 1080p data shows a clear ceiling effect—Low at 179.5 FPS is likely near the CPU’s limit, as the GPU has ample headroom to render simpler scenes faster.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average of 82.1 FPS. This is the recommended setting for 4K, as High falls below the threshold at 59.2 FPS, and Ultra is significantly lower at 50.7 FPS. For 2560x1440, the best setting is Ultra, averaging 63.5 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS target with a small margin. This allows players to enjoy the game’s highest visual fidelity at 1440p without sacrificing smoothness. For 1920x1080, the best setting is also Ultra, at 69.9 FPS, providing a comfortable buffer above 60 FPS. At 1080p, even the most demanding preset is playable, making this resolution the sweet spot for maximum quality.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score are the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (score 49,228, delta 0.3%), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (score 49,196, delta 0.4%), the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (score 48,995, delta 0.8%), and the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 (score 49,796, delta -0.8%). These processors would behave nearly identically to the i5-14600KF in The Medium, with deltas of less than 1% meaning no perceptible difference in frame rates. The Ryzen 9 7900 is the closest match, offering the same level of multi-threaded performance for games that leverage many cores.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon 8060S (score 55,757, delta 0.6%), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (score 55,698, delta 0.7%), the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (score 54,828, delta 2.3%), and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE (score 57,367, delta -2.2%). The Radeon 8060S and RX 6750 GRE are within 1% of the RTX 5080’s average score, suggesting they would produce almost identical FPS numbers in this game. The RX 9070 GRE is slightly faster by 2.2%, which could translate to a few extra frames at 4K, but the overall experience would be comparable. These alternatives mean that a system built with any of these CPUs or GPUs would deliver similar performance for The Medium, making the i5-14600KF and RTX 5080 combo a representative example of a high-end gaming setup.