The Medium

The Medium, a horror title built around dual-reality rendering, places significant stress on both the GPU and CPU. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER across a matrix of resolutions and settings. The data reveals a configuration that is capable of smooth gameplay at lower resolutions but struggles to maintain playable frame rates as pixel count and graphical fidelity increase.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a pronounced and consistent drop in performance as resolution scales from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 92 FPS at 1920x1080 to 77 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 15 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the average plummets to 61 FPS, meaning the transition from 1080p to 4K costs 31 FPS, or roughly a 34% decrease in performance. This trend is even more dramatic at higher graphical presets. At Medium settings, the frame rate drops from 57 FPS at 1080p to 48 FPS at 1440p, and then to 38 FPS at 4K. The High preset shows a similar pattern, with averages of 41, 35, and 27 FPS across the three resolutions, respectively. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with frame rates falling from 33 FPS at 1080p to 27 FPS at 1440p, and finally to a slideshow-like 21 FPS at 4K.

This scaling behavior is a clear indicator that the system's limiting component is the GPU. The RTX 2060 SUPER, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 256-bit bus width, is being saturated by the increasing pixel workload. The data implies that the CPU is not a bottleneck at these settings, as the frame rate drops are directly proportional to the increase in resolution, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance. The gap between Low and Ultra settings also widens at higher resolutions, further confirming that the graphics card's compute and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints. The 27 FPS average at 4K High is below the threshold for comfortable play, while the 21 FPS at 4K Ultra is nearly unplayable, suggesting that 4K gaming is only viable at the lowest preset.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is a Turing-architecture card built on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It features a base clock of 1470 MHz and a boost clock of 1650 MHz, with memory running at an effective 14 Gbps. The card is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. These specifications directly correlate with the observed performance. The card's 2176 shading units and 64 ROPs are responsible for the raw pixel throughput, which becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings.

The benchmark results show a GPU that performs adequately at 1080p but falls off sharply at higher loads. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2011 and the Passmark G3D score of 16462 place it in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs. This mid-range positioning is reflected in the game's measured FPS. At 1080p Medium, the card achieves a respectable 57 FPS average, but the strain of 4K resolution is evident. The VRAM capacity, while sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, may be a contributing factor to the severe frame rate drop at 4K Ultra, where the demand for textures and buffers exceeds the card's comfortable envelope. The data suggests that the RTX 2060 SUPER is a capable 1080p card that can handle 1440p with adjusted settings, but it is not designed for 4K gaming with this title. The 34 RT cores and 272 Tensor cores, while present, do not appear to provide a significant advantage in this specific benchmark, as the performance is primarily dictated by raw rasterization power.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, with 20 MB of shared L3 cache. This is a powerful modern CPU, evidenced by its strong synthetic benchmark scores: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21645 and a Passmark multithread score of 25470. The processor sits in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is well above average.

However, the game's measured FPS data suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in this configuration. The consistent frame rate drops tied to resolution changes point to the GPU as the limiting factor. The CPU's role in this title is to feed the GPU with draw calls and process game logic, and the i5-14400F appears to be doing this without holding the graphics card back. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 92 FPS, which is a high frame rate that would require a capable CPU to maintain. The fact that it can deliver this performance while the GPU is not fully stressed suggests there is headroom in the processor. The 10 cores and 16 threads are likely more than sufficient for this game's CPU demands, which is typical for a horror title that relies more on visual atmosphere than complex simulation. The CPU's performance is adequate to prevent it from becoming the limiting component, allowing the GPU's capabilities to be the determining factor in the final frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER achieves a rank of 2606 out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium. This places the configuration in the lower third of all possible pairings, which is a direct consequence of the GPU's mid-range performance ceiling. The CPU, on the other hand, is a high performer, ranking in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. This mismatch between a strong CPU and a weaker GPU is a common pairing for systems where the processor is intended to have longevity across multiple GPU upgrades.

The ranking data implies that while the CPU is capable of supporting a much faster graphics card, the RTX 2060 SUPER holds the system back in this specific title. The combo's rank of 2606 out of 3724 is a clear signal that this is not an optimal pairing for The Medium at high resolutions. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U and the Intel Core i9-11900, have very similar average benchmark scores, with deltas of only 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively. This indicates that the CPU is performing as expected. The GPU, however, is ranked much lower, in the 62nd percentile. Its nearest rivals, like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700, are within a 1.6% performance delta, showing that the GPU is also performing as expected for its class. The low combo rank is therefore not a sign of a defective part, but rather a reflection of the GPU's inherent limits when paired with a high-end CPU for a demanding title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this configuration depend heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, delivering an average of 57 FPS with a minimum of 49 FPS. This is a playable experience that maintains a decent frame rate. The Low preset pushes the average to 92 FPS, which is excellent for high refresh rate monitors, but it comes with a significant visual quality reduction. The High preset at 41 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 33 FPS is not recommended for a smooth experience.

At 2560x1440, the situation changes. The Low preset is the only one that provides a consistently smooth experience, with an average of 77 FPS. The Medium preset, with an average of 48 FPS and a minimum of 41 FPS, is playable but may feel less fluid in fast-moving scenes. The High and Ultra presets, at 35 and 27 FPS respectively, are too demanding for this resolution. For 3840x2160, the data is clear: only the Low preset is viable, achieving an average of 61 FPS. The Medium preset's 38 FPS average and the High preset's 27 FPS average are not suitable for a horror game, where smooth movement is essential for the atmosphere. The Ultra preset's 21 FPS is unplayable. The data suggests that players should prioritize the Medium preset at 1080p and drop to Low settings for 1440p and 4K to maintain acceptable performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured frame rates provides a detailed view of the system's capabilities. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 92 FPS. The Medium preset achieves an average of 57 FPS, with a minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 66 FPS. The High preset yields 41 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 33 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset produces an average of 77 FPS. The Medium preset averages 48 FPS, with a minimum of 41 FPS and a maximum of 55 FPS. The High preset averages 35 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 27 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the strongest, with an average of 61 FPS. The Medium preset averages 38 FPS, with a minimum of 32 FPS and a maximum of 43 FPS. The High preset averages 27 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 21 FPS. These numbers show a clear hierarchy: performance scales inversely with both resolution and graphical settings, with the Low preset at 1080p being the only combination that consistently surpasses 90 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this setup to achieve a 60 FPS average?

A: The only resolution and settings combination that reliably achieves a 60 FPS average or higher is the Low preset at 1920x1080, which yields 92 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 77 FPSaine. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset comes close, with an average of 61 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER perform at 4K in this game?

A: The data shows poor performance at 3840x2160. The High preset averages only 27 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages a mere 21 FPS. The Medium preset is not much better at 38 FPS. Only the Low preset, at 61 FPS, is playable.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14400F a bottleneck for the RTX 2060 SUPER in this game?

A: No. The measured data shows frame rate drops are directly tied to resolution and settings, which is a characteristic of GPU-bound performance. The CPU's high benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21645, suggest it has sufficient headroom to feed the GPU without limiting its output.

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

A: The combination ranks 2606 out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the lower 30% of all tested systems, indicating that the overall performance is below average due to the GPU's limitations.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 92 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 33 FPS. This represents a substantial 59 FPS difference, showing that the Ultra preset is far more demanding and less suitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: What kind of frame rate stability can be expected at Medium settings?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p, it ranges from 49 to 66 FPS, with an average of 57. At 1440p, it ranges from 41 to 55 FPS, with an average of 48. At 4K, it ranges from 32 to 43 FPS, with an average of 38. This data shows that frame pacing is generally consistent, with no severe stutters indicated, but the overall frame rate decreases with resolution.