The Medium

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 presents a specific performance profile in The Medium, as measured across three resolutions and four quality presets. The data reveals a system where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the strong processor ensures consistent frame pacing. This analysis breaks down the measured results to explain what the numbers mean for playability, component load, and overall ranking.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, indicating a classic GPU-bound scenario. At Medium settings, the average FPS falls from 72 at 1920x1080 to 61 at 2560x1440, marking a 15.3% reduction. Moving further to 3840x2160 drops the average to 48 FPS, a further 21.3% decrease from the 1440p result. The scaling suggests that the Radeon RX 7700 is the limiting factor as pixel count rises, with the CPU having ample headroom to feed the GPU at all resolutions.

The Low preset shows an even more dramatic scaling curve, which further confirms the GPU's role as the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 115 FPS, a figure that drops to 97 FPS at 1440p (a 15.7% reduction) and then to 76 FPS at 4K (a 21.6% reduction from 1440p). This proportional decline with pixel count is typical of a GPU that is saturated by the workload, whereas a CPU-limited scenario would show a flatter curve as resolution increases.

Ultra settings provide the clearest illustration of the GPU's limits. The average frame rate at 1080p Ultra is 41 FPS, which drops to 34 FPS at 1440p and then to 27 FPS at 4K. The absolute differences between resolutions become smaller at this preset, but the percentage loss remains significant. The 4K Ultra result is notably below the 30 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for playable performance, indicating that this combination is not suitable for maximum quality at 4K.

The High preset shows the smallest relative drop between 1080p and 1440p, with averages of 51 and 43 FPS respectively, an 18.4% decrease. The jump from 1440p High to 4K High (43 to 34 FPS) represents a 20.9% loss. This pattern underscores that the RX 7700's raw fillrate and memory bandwidth are taxed heavily by The Medium's rendering demands, regardless of the preset chosen. The data suggests that users targeting 4K should expect to use Medium or Low settings, while 1440p is the realistic ceiling for High quality with this GPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and frame rate across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 72 FPS average with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS, providing a smooth experience with only minor dips. The 1440p Medium result of 61 FPS average (51 min, 70 max) is still comfortably within the range of smooth playability, making it the recommended choice for users with 1440p displays.

For 4K, Medium is the highest preset that remains playable, averaging 48 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 55 FPS. While the average is below the 60 FPS ideal, the minimum of 40 FPS indicates that the game does not stutter severely, and the overall experience is likely acceptable for a slower-paced horror title. Low settings at 4K provide a significant boost to 76 FPS average, which would be the choice for users prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity.

The High preset is not recommended for any resolution in this configuration. At 1080p High, the average of 51 FPS is playable but does not offer a substantial visual improvement over Medium to justify the 21 FPS loss. At 1440p High, the 43 FPS average begins to feel less fluid, and at 4K High, the 34 FPS average approaches the edge of playability. Ultra settings should be avoided entirely, as even at 1080p the average of 41 FPS is inferior to the Medium preset's performance at 1440p, with no proportional gain in image quality.

The measured minimum and maximum FPS values are only available for the Medium preset, which provides insight into frame consistency. At 1080p, the 61-83 FPS range shows a variance of 22 FPS, while at 1440p the range is 51-70 FPS (19 FPS variance), and at 4K it is 40-55 FPS (15 FPS variance). This tightening of the frame range at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU's workload becomes more consistent as it becomes fully saturated, reducing the likelihood of sudden spikes or drops.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with a chip codenamed Wheat Nas and a process node of 5 nm. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. The GPU's base clock is 1900 MHz, with a game clock of 2041 MHz and a boost clock of 2459 MHz. These specifications position the card as a solid mid-range performer, which is reflected in its benchmark results.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2865 and Passmark G3D score of 20974 indicate strong raw performance, but its percentile ranking of 58 against all GPUs shows that it is not a top-tier part. The nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the AMD Radeon R9 370X (average score 15862, delta -0.1%), the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (16014, delta -1%), the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15679, delta 1.1%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129, delta -1.7%). This places the RX 7700's average benchmark score of 15852 in a competitive mid-range bracket.

The VRAM capacity of 16 GB is noteworthy for a card in this class, and it likely prevents memory-related bottlenecks in The Medium, which is a game with large textures and detailed environments. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU's memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s is sufficient to maintain steady frame rates, as evidenced by the consistent scaling between resolutions. The card's pixel rate of 236.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 393.4 GTexel/s are the key specifications driving the 4K results, where the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor.

The GPU's FPS results in The Medium directly correlate with its benchmark scores. The 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 2865 is a modern DX12 test, and the game's performance at 4K Medium (48 FPS) suggests that the RX 7700 is well-suited for this title at mid-range settings. The Passmark DirectX 12 score of 96 is relatively low, but this is a synthetic test that does not perfectly translate to real-world gaming, as the game's actual performance demonstrates a playable experience at 1440p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a clear progression of performance based on settings. Low settings produce an average of 115 FPS, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium settings reduce the average to 72 FPS, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS. High settings further reduce the average to 51 FPS, and Ultra settings bring it down to 41 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 74 FPS, indicating that the preset has a massive impact on the GPU workload.

The 2560x1440 resolution shows a similar pattern but with lower absolute numbers. Low settings average 97 FPS, Medium averages 61 FPS (51 min, 70 max), High averages 43 FPS, and Ultra averages 34 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 63 FPS, which is expected as the pixel count increases and the GPU becomes more saturated. The Medium preset at 1440p offers the most balanced experience, with a 61 FPS average that remains above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly across all presets. Low settings average 76 FPS, which is the only 4K result above 60 FPS. Medium settings average 48 FPS (40 min, 55 max), High averages 34 FPS, and Ultra averages 27 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 49 FPS, showing that even at 4K, the preset choice can be the difference between a playable and unplayable experience. The 4K Medium result, with its 40 FPS minimum, is the highest playable preset for this resolution.

The measured data only includes minimum and maximum FPS for the Medium preset, which is the most complete dataset. At 1080p Medium, the 72 FPS average with a 61 FPS minimum shows a stable experience. The 1440p Medium result of 61 FPS average with a 51 FPS minimum indicates that the system can maintain a reasonably smooth frame rate, though occasional dips below 60 FPS are possible. The 4K Medium result of 48 FPS average with a 40 FPS minimum is the most variable, but the 15 FPS range between minimum and maximum is the tightest of the three, suggesting a consistent, if lower, frame rate.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combination in The Medium?

A: The data suggests 2560x1440 is the optimal resolution. At Medium settings, this configuration achieves an average of 61 FPS with a minimum of 51 FPS, which is smooth and playable. While 1080p offers higher frame rates (72 FPS Medium), the 1440p result provides a better balance of visual detail and performance.

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K?

A: Yes, but only with reduced settings. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 48 with a minimum of 40, which is playable. The 4K Low preset averages 76 FPS, while the 4K High and Ultra presets drop to 34 and 27 FPS respectively, making them less suitable for a smooth experience.

Q: How does the RX 7700 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 7700 has an average benchmark score of 15852. It sits within 1.7% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129, delta -1.7%) and within 1.1% of the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15679, delta 1.1%). This indicates it is a strong mid-range performer, though not a leader in its class.

Q: What is the impact of the Ultra preset on performance?

A: The Ultra preset has a significant negative impact. At 1080p, it reduces the average FPS to 41, which is only 10 FPS higher than the 4K Medium result. At 1440p, Ultra averages 34 FPS, and at 4K, it averages 27 FPS, falling below the 30 FPS threshold often considered the minimum for playable performance.

Q: Does the Medium preset provide consistent frame rates?

A: The measured data shows that the Medium preset has the most complete statistics. At 1080p, the range is 61-83 FPS (a 22 FPS variance). At 1440p, the range is 51-70 FPS (19 FPS variance), and at 4K, the range is 40-55 FPS (15 FPS variance). The frame rate becomes more stable as resolution increases, indicating consistent GPU load.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination ranks 1307 out of 2911 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the middle of the database, suggesting that while it is a capable setup, many other configurations deliver higher performance in this specific game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with 24 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU's benchmark scores are strong, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491 and a single-core score of 2064, as well as a Geekbench multi-core score of 16673 and single-core score of 2491.

In The Medium, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The processor's high single-core performance, as evidenced by its Passmark single-thread score of 4270 and Cinebench R15 single-core score of 297, ensures that the GPU is not starved for data. The measured FPS data shows no signs of CPU limitation, as the frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings, which is the hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities, demonstrated by its Passmark multithread score of 38682 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491, are sufficient to handle the game's background tasks without impacting frame rates. The 14-core configuration with 20 threads provides ample headroom for the game engine and any background processes, ensuring that the GPU is the sole determinant of performance.

The i5-14600K's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (average score 48698, delta -0.2%), the AMD EPYC 4345P (48470, delta 0.3%), the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX (48287, delta 0.7%), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (48995, delta -0.8%). With an average benchmark score of 48618 and a percentile ranking of 90 against all CPUs, the i5-14600K is a high-performance part that does not bottleneck the RX 7700 in this game.

The CPU's memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5, along with its dual-channel memory bus, provides flexibility for system builders. The processor's 125 W TDP and PCIe Gen 5 support with 16 lanes ensure that it can handle modern GPUs without interface limitations. In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role is clearly supportive, as the performance envelope is defined entirely by the GPU's capabilities at each resolution and setting.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks 1307 out of 2911 tested combos for The Medium. This places the setup in the 44.9th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning that approximately 55% of the combos in the database deliver better performance in this game. This is a mid-pack ranking, reflecting the RX 7700's position as a mid-range GPU paired with a high-end CPU.

The ranking suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor, as its percentile ranking of 90 against all CPUs is significantly higher than the combo's overall ranking. The GPU's percentile ranking of 58 against all GPUs is much closer to the combo's performance, confirming that the RX 7700 is the component that determines the system's position in the database. The 16 GB of VRAM and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game, but the raw compute power of the GPU caps the performance.

The combo's ranking is consistent with its measured FPS data. The 1080p Medium average of 72 FPS and the 1440p Medium average of 61 FPS are respectable figures, but they are not exceptional when compared to the broader database of tested systems. The 4K Medium average of 48 FPS is similarly moderate, placing the combo in a position where it can handle the game at mid-range settings but struggles with higher presets at higher resolutions.

The nearest rival GPUs, including the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti with an average benchmark score of 16129, suggest that the RX 7700 is closely matched with other mid-range cards. The delta of -1.7% against the RTX 3060 Ti indicates that the two GPUs perform nearly identically in synthetic tests, which likely translates to similar in-game performance. This explains why the combo ranks in the middle of the database, as it is representative of a typical mid-range gaming system.

The CPU's strong benchmark scores, including its Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 24491, do not boost the combo's ranking in this game because The Medium is not a CPU-heavy title. The game's performance is dictated by the GPU's ability to render the horror-themed environments, and the i5-14600K has more than enough processing power to keep up. The combo's rank of 1307 out of 2911 is therefore a fair reflection of the GPU's mid-range standing, with the CPU ensuring that no additional bottlenecks are introduced.