The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title that stresses both processor and graphics hardware, and the combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 produces a wide spread of results depending on resolution and quality preset. With a combo rank of 414 out of 1689 tested configurations, this pairing sits comfortably in the upper quartile of all tested systems. The data shows a platform capable of high refresh rate gaming at 1080p, but one where the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor as resolution scales to 4K, particularly under the heavier High and Ultra presets.

FAQ

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

A: At Medium settings, the system averages 94.6 FPS at 1920x1080, 79.2 FPS at 2560x1440, and 62.2 FPS at 3840x2160. This makes 4K Medium the highest resolution that still clears the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the CPU's single-threaded performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-14400F scores 3093 in Cinebench R23 single-core. Its average benchmark score of 32508 places it within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 and effectively tied with the Intel Core i7-12800H, which has an average score of 32513.

Q: What is the biggest FPS drop when moving from Low to Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average frame rate falls from 146.6 FPS on Low to 56 FPS on Ultra, a drop of 90.6 FPS. This represents a 61.8% performance reduction when maxing out the quality settings.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 more powerful than the nearest rivals listed in the data?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37283. It is slightly behind the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, which scores 37507, and trails the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A by 1.9%, but it outperforms the AMD Radeon RX 5300M by 2.5%.

Q: How does the combo rank compare to the total number of tested configurations?

A: The combo is ranked 414 out of 1689 total tested combinations. This puts it in the top 24.5% of all systems tested in The Medium.

Q: Does the GPU or CPU become the bottleneck at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS drops to 34.9. Since the CPU's performance is consistent across resolutions, the massive frame rate reduction from 56 FPS at 1080p Ultra to 34.9 FPS at 4K Ultra indicates the GPU is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process and features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus. This memory configuration provides a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s, which is critical for feeding the 5888 shading units and 64 ROPs at high resolutions. The GPU's base clock of 1920 MHz boosts up to 2475 MHz, allowing it to maintain high throughput in sustained gaming workloads.

In The Medium, the GPU's role shifts dramatically based on the chosen preset. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 146.6 FPS, indicating that the GPU has ample headroom and the CPU is likely keeping pace. However, as resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the demand on the GPU's memory bandwidth and shader throughput grows. The data shows a clear trend: at 1440p High, the average FPS is 53.8, while at 4K High it drops to 44.1 FPS. This 18% reduction in performance when moving from 1440p to 4K highlights how the GPU's 12 GB frame buffer and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated by the game's high-resolution textures and effects.

The GPU's compute capabilities, measured at 29.15 TFLOPS for FP32, are substantial, yet the game's horror atmosphere with dynamic lighting and volumetric effects still pushes the hardware to its limits. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3854 and the Passmark G3D score of 26927 provide context for the GPU's overall capability. When compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 4070's average score of 37283 is only 0.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, demonstrating that it is competitive but not dominant in this specific benchmark suite. The GPU's percentile ranking of 81 versus all GPUs confirms it is a high-end part, but the game's demands at 4K Ultra prove too much for a stable 60 FPS experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Low settings, the system averages 146.6 FPS at 1080p, 127.8 FPS at 1440p, and 97.1 FPS at 4K. This represents a 33.8% drop from 1080p to 4K, suggesting that even at the lowest quality preset, the GPU is still being exercised significantly by the increased pixel count.

The scaling becomes more pronounced at higher quality presets. At Medium settings, the FPS drops from 94.6 at 1080p to 79.2 at 1440p, and then to 62.2 at 4K. The jump from 1440p to 4K alone costs 17 FPS, a 21.5% reduction. This pattern intensifies at High settings, where the average FPS is 69.2 at 1080p, 53.8 at 1440p, and 44.1 at 4K. The 25.4 FPS difference between 1080p and 4K High represents a 36.7% performance loss, indicating that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor as resolution scales.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling. At 1080p Ultra, the system manages 56 FPS, which drops to 43.2 FPS at 1440p and plummets to 34.9 FPS at 4K. The difference between 1080p and 4K Ultra is 21.1 FPS, a 37.7% reduction. This steep curve suggests that the RTX 4070's memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s and its 192-bit bus are insufficient to maintain performance at 4K with all settings maxed out. The CPU, with its 20 MB of shared L3 cache and boost clock of 4.70 GHz, is not the bottleneck here; the consistent FPS drops across resolutions point directly to GPU limitations.

Settings Recommendations

For players prioritizing a smooth experience, the Medium preset at 4K offers the best balance, delivering an average of 62.2 FPS. This is the only 4K setting that exceeds the 60 FPS mark, making it the recommended choice for high-resolution displays. At 1440p, the Medium preset provides 79.2 FPS, which is ideal for high refresh rate monitors, while the High preset at 53.8 FPS is playable but may show stutter on 60 Hz panels.

At 1080p, the options are more flexible. The High preset achieves 69.2 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target and offers better visual fidelity than Medium. However, the Low preset at 146.6 FPS is the only setting that approaches 144 Hz refresh rates, making it suitable for competitive play. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 56 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and not recommended for a consistently smooth experience.

The data suggests that the Medium preset is the sweet spot for this hardware combination. It provides a significant visual upgrade over Low while maintaining frame rates above 60 FPS at both 1440p and 4K. The High preset is acceptable at 1080p but becomes marginal at higher resolutions, with 4K High dropping to 44.1 FPS. Ultra settings should only be used at 1080p if the user accepts sub-60 FPS performance, as the 34.9 FPS result at 4K Ultra is not suitable for a playable experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination is ranked 414 out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium. This places the system in the top 24.5% of all configurations, indicating a strong overall performance level. The ranking reflects the balance between the CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads, which provide solid multi-threaded performance, and the GPU's high-end capabilities.

In terms of CPU performance, the i5-14400F's average benchmark score of 32508 puts it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13705H, has an average score of 32586, which is only 0.2% higher. This close margin shows that the desktop i5-14400F is competitive with higher-tier mobile processors, though its performance in games is ultimately constrained by the GPU.

The RTX 4070's average benchmark score of 37283 places it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. While this is a strong result, the GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile, which scores 38135, a 2.2% advantage. This indicates that while the RTX 4070 is a capable desktop GPU, it is not at the very top of the performance hierarchy. The combo's overall rank of 414 suggests that in The Medium specifically, the pairing performs well but is outclassed by systems with higher-tier GPUs. The measured FPS data confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor in this configuration, particularly at higher resolutions and quality settings.