The Medium

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is a mid-range desktop combination that lands in the 54th percentile of tested combos for The Medium, ranking 1998th out of 3724. This places it slightly below the median, meaning that while it can run the game, it requires careful settings management to hit the 60 FPS threshold at higher resolutions. The data shows a system that is far more capable at 1080p than at 4K, with a steep performance cliff as resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of 3724 tested hardware combinations, this CPU-GPU pairing ranks 1998th. That puts it in the lower half of the field, but not at the bottom. The 54th percentile ranking is a direct result of the RTX 4060’s performance ceiling; the GPU sits at the 61st percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU is much stronger at the 91st percentile. In other words, the processor is not the limiting factor here—the graphics card is.

The measured frames per second across all resolutions and presets confirm this. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 109.3 FPS, which is more than enough for smooth gameplay. At 1440p Low, it drops to 89.9 FPS, and at 4K Low it falls to 69.4 FPS. These numbers show a system that scales predictably with resolution, but the ultra preset at 4K drags the average down to 23.1 FPS, which is unplayable. The ranking reflects this mixed capability: strong at lower settings, weak at maxed-out 4K.

Compared to the broader benchmark pool, this combo is not a high-end performer. However, it is not a weak one either. The 54th percentile suggests that roughly half of all tested systems do better, but many of those likely feature more powerful GPUs. For a single-GPU setup with an 8 GB frame buffer, the ranking is reasonable given the game’s demanding nature at high resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 4K (3840x2160), the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low, which delivers an average of 69.4 FPS. Medium drops to 44.2 FPS, High to 33.1 FPS, and Ultra to 23.1 FPS. So at 4K, you are limited to Low settings if you want to maintain 60 FPS.

At 1440p (2560x1440), the best playable setting is also Low, with an average of 89.9 FPS. Medium comes close at 58.8 FPS, just under the 60 FPS threshold, while High produces 42.9 FPS and Ultra falls to 30.7 FPS. The data shows that 1440p Medium is tantalizingly close to playable, but it does not quite make the cut.

At 1080p (1920x1080), the situation improves significantly. Medium is the best playable preset, averaging 68.5 FPS. Low is even faster at 109.3 FPS, but Medium offers better visual quality while still clearing the 60 FPS bar. High drops to 52 FPS, and Ultra to 37.4 FPS. This is the only resolution where you get a choice between Low and Medium, and the latter is the recommended pick for balanced visuals.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data makes it clear that the GPU is the dominant factor in this game. The CPU’s high percentile (91st) versus the GPU’s lower one (61st) suggests that the processor is never the bottleneck. This is typical for a horror title like The Medium, which relies heavily on rasterization and effects rather than physics or AI.

Looking at the scaling between resolutions, the FPS drops are substantial. Moving from 1080p Low (109.3 FPS) to 1440p Low (89.9 FPS) is a 17.7% reduction, and then to 4K Low (69.4 FPS) is another 22.8% drop. These reductions align with the GPU’s workload increasing as pixel count grows. The CPU’s role remains constant; its 20 cores and 28 threads are more than sufficient for this game, even at 4K.

The preset scaling also points to GPU-bound behavior. At 1080p, going from Low to Medium costs 40.8 FPS (from 109.3 to 68.5), while at 4K the same preset change costs 25.2 FPS (from 69.4 to 44.2). The absolute drop is smaller at 4K because the GPU is already saturated, but the percentage drop is similar. In all cases, the RTX 4060’s 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus are the likely limits, not the CPU.

At 1440p, the Medium preset just misses 60 FPS at 58.8 FPS, which indicates that the GPU is right at the edge of its capability. The CPU could easily push more frames if the GPU allowed it, but the data shows the graphics card holding the combo back. For this game, upgrading the GPU would yield far more benefit than swapping the processor.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals are all within a 1% performance delta. The Intel Xeon 6505P scores 53701, which is 0.2% below the i7-14700F’s average of 53620. The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 is 0.3% ahead at 53469, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is 0.6% ahead at 53288. The AMD EPYC 7313P is 0.8% ahead at 53206. In practical terms, these differences are negligible for gaming, meaning any of these CPUs would behave identically in The Medium.

For the GPU, the rivals are more varied. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17666, which is 0.2% below the RTX 4060’s 17639. The AMD Radeon 780M is 0.3% ahead at 17588, the AMD Radeon Pro 560 is 0.5% ahead at 17551, and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 is 0.7% ahead at 17509. These are all older or integrated parts, but the benchmark scores suggest they would produce nearly identical frame rates. In the context of this game, swapping the RTX 4060 for any of these would result in roughly the same performance, meaning the 4K and 1440p limitations would persist.

It is importantly the rivals for the GPU are not direct modern competitors. The HD 7790 is a decade-old card, and the 780M is an integrated graphics solution. This highlights that the RTX 4060 sits in a performance tier where few discrete GPUs match it exactly, but the ones that do are not newer generations. For the CPU, the rivals are all server or high-end desktop parts, confirming that the i7-14700F is already near the top of its class.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run The Medium at 4K with 60 FPS?

A: Only at Low settings. The measured average at 4K Low is 69.4 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium drops to 44.2 FPS, High to 33.1 FPS, and Ultra to 23.1 FPS.

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

A: Low is the only preset that stays above 60 FPS, averaging 89.9 FPS. Medium is just below the threshold at 58.8 FPS, so it is not recommended if you strictly need 60 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance in this game?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The CPU ranks in the 91st percentile, while the GPU ranks in the 61st. The FPS scaling between resolutions and presets follows GPU workload, not CPU capability.

Q: Is 1080p Medium playable on this setup?

A: Yes, it averages 68.5 FPS. This is the highest preset at any resolution that maintains 60 FPS, making 1080p Medium the best overall visual and performance balance.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: It is nearly identical. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 is 0.2% slower, while the Radeon 780M, Radeon Pro 560, and Radeon Pro 460 are 0.3%, 0.5%, and 0.7% faster, respectively. These differences are negligible in practice.

Q: What happens at Ultra settings with this combo?

A: The game becomes unplayable at all resolutions. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 37.4 FPS; at 1440p Ultra, it is 30.7 FPS; and at 4K Ultra, it drops to 23.1 FPS. None of these approach the 60 FPS target.

The Verdict

This PC can run The Medium, but only under specific conditions. At 1080p, the combo delivers 68.5 FPS on Medium settings, which is the best playable preset across all resolutions. This is the sweet spot for this hardware. At 1440p, you must drop to Low to get 89.9 FPS, as Medium falls short at 58.8 FPS. At 4K, Low is the only option, producing 69.4 FPS, but the visual quality is significantly reduced.

The verdict is clear: if you play at 1080p, this setup is adequate for a smooth experience at Medium settings. At 1440p, you are limited to Low for 60 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. At 4K, the game is technically playable only on Low, and the experience will look dated. The GPU is the limiting factor, and while the CPU has plenty of headroom, the RTX 4060 cannot push the game past Medium at 1080p or Low at higher resolutions. For a horror game that relies on atmosphere and detail, this means sacrificing visual fidelity to maintain frame rate. The data shows a system that is serviceable for 1080p gaming but struggles beyond that.