The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title, and the combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT shows a clear performance curve that shifts from a balanced workload at 1080p to a strictly GPU-limited experience at 4K. The measured data indicates that players need to make deliberate choices about resolution and quality settings to achieve their target frame rates, as the gap between Low and Ultra presets is substantial across all tested resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Medium settings, the combo produces 79 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Medium, that number falls to 66 FPS, a 16% reduction. At 4K Medium, the average drops further to 52 FPS, which is 34% lower than the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is typical of a system that becomes increasingly GPU-bound as pixel count rises.

The Low preset tells a similar story but with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the system pushes 126 FPS, which drops to 106 FPS at 1440p and 83 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low result is still playable, but the 43 FPS difference between 1080p Low and 4K Low highlights how much headroom the CPU has at lower resolutions. The Core i5-14600K, with its 14 cores and 20 threads, is not the limiting factor here; the Radeon RX 7700 XT’s 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus are what the game is hammering at higher resolutions.

Ultra settings magnify the resolution penalty. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 45 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it falls to 38 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it bottoms out at 30 FPS. That 15 FPS drop from 1080p to 4K on Ultra is a 33% loss, showing that the most demanding preset is barely holding onto playability at 4K. The data suggests that 4K gaming with this combo is only viable on Low settings, where 83 FPS is achievable, or Medium at 52 FPS if the player accepts a 30 FPS minimum frame rate.

FAQ

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

A: 1440p offers the best balance. At Medium settings, the average FPS is 66, with a minimum of 56 and maximum of 76. This provides a smooth experience without the steep performance penalty seen at 4K, where Medium drops to 52 FPS average.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in The Medium?

A: Yes, but only on lower presets. At 4K Low, the average is 83 FPS. At 4K Medium, it falls to 52 FPS with a 44 FPS minimum. 4K High (37 FPS) and 4K Ultra (30 FPS) are not recommended for consistent playability.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between Low and Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p, the difference is 81 FPS (126 FPS Low versus 45 FPS Ultra). At 1440p, it is 68 FPS (106 versus 38). At 4K, the gap narrows to 53 FPS (83 versus 30), indicating that at higher resolutions, the GPU is so saturated that even reducing settings cannot fully compensate.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14600K holding back the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT?

A: The benchmark data does not show CPU limitation. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 126 FPS, which is high enough to suggest the GPU is still the primary constraint. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 48618 places it in the 90th percentile, and its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, scores nearly identically at 48698, a delta of only -0.2%.

Q: What is the minimum FPS on Medium settings across resolutions?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 67 FPS. At 1440p Medium, it is 56 FPS. At 4K Medium, it is 44 FPS. These minimums are only recorded for Medium settings in the measured data, but they show that the combo can maintain a playable floor at 1080p and 1440p.

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

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 22549, putting it in the 67th percentile. It is 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile, 0.8% behind the RTX 4060 Mobile, 1.5% behind the RTX 2080, and 1.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5700. These are close margins, indicating the RX 7700 XT sits in a competitive performance tier.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is the decisive component in The Medium’s performance. Its 12 GB of VRAM is a key asset, as the game’s high-resolution textures and fixed-camera scenes can consume significant memory. The GPU’s boost clock of 2544 MHz and game clock of 2171 MHz, based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with 3456 shading units, determine how quickly the game’s lighting and shadow effects are rendered. The memory runs at 2250 MHz with an 18 Gbps effective rate, delivering 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth across a 192-bit bus.

In the measured results, the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to push frame rates above 120 on Low settings, but the GPU still sets the ceiling. At 4K, the GPU is fully saturated, as evidenced by the 30 FPS average on Ultra settings. The synthetic benchmarks support this: the GPU scores 22547 in Passmark G3D and 3316 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 67th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4060 Mobile, scores 22729, a 0.8% difference that is negligible in real-world gaming.

The 54 ray tracing cores are present, but The Medium’s reliance on pre-rendered backgrounds and fixed angles means traditional rasterization performance matters more. The GPU’s FP32 compute of 35.17 TFLOPS is the raw throughput that the game’s shaders use, and the 96 ROPs handle the final pixel output. At 4K, those ROPs are processing four times the pixels of 1080p, which is why the frame rate halves even on the same settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to Medium as the optimal preset for this combo. At 1080p Medium, the average is 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 and maximum of 91. This is smooth and responsive, with enough headroom to avoid stutters during scene transitions. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 66 FPS, but the 56 FPS minimum is still above the threshold where most players notice frame pacing issues. The Medium preset appears to be a sweet spot where the GPU’s 12 GB memory and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequately utilized without overwhelming the shading units.

High settings are playable but require compromise. At 1080p High, the average is 56 FPS, which is acceptable for a horror game where atmosphere matters more than twitch reflexes. At 1440p High, 47 FPS is borderline, and 4K High at 37 FPS is not recommended. Low settings provide the highest frame rates — 126 FPS at 1080p, 106 FPS at 1440p, and 83 FPS at 4K — but the visual fidelity loss is significant, particularly in a game that relies on environmental detail and shadow work for its horror tone.

Ultra settings are not worth the cost. The 45 FPS at 1080p Ultra and 30 FPS at 4K Ultra represent a 64% and 76% performance loss respectively compared to Low settings. The visual uplift from High to Ultra in this title does not justify halving the frame rate. For players with 1440p monitors, Medium is the clear choice. For 4K display owners, Low is the only preset that maintains a consistently playable experience, with Medium as a secondary option for those who prioritize image quality over smoothness.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT ranks 1392 out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the 63rd percentile of all systems tested, meaning it outperforms roughly two-thirds of configurations. The ranking reflects the balanced nature of the pairing — the CPU’s 90th percentile performance (avg score 48618) is not wasted, but the GPU’s 67th percentile standing (avg score 22549) prevents the combo from reaching higher tiers.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698, -0.2% delta) and Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX (48287, +0.7% delta), showing that the i5-14600K is competitive with workstation and newer mobile chips. The GPU’s rivals include the RTX 2080 (22895, -1.5% delta), which is a previous-generation flagship, and the RTX 4060 Mobile (22729, -0.8% delta). This suggests the RX 7700 XT offers desktop-class performance slightly below that of an RTX 2080, but with newer architecture features.

The rank of 1392 indicates that this combo is solidly mid-pack for The Medium. It is not a top-tier setup for 4K Ultra gaming, but it is far from entry-level. The measured FPS data confirms this: the system can achieve 60+ FPS at 1080p on Medium settings, which is the baseline for a comfortable gaming experience. The ranking also reflects that The Medium is a GPU-heavy title — combos with higher-ranked GPUs will naturally place higher, regardless of CPU power.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 126 FPS average
• Medium: 79 FPS average (67 min, 91 max)
• High: 56 FPS average
• Ultra: 45 FPS average

At 1080p, the system has ample performance. Low settings exceed 120 FPS, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium is the best balance, with a 79 FPS average and a 67 FPS minimum that ensures no drops below 60. High and Ultra are playable but require accepting lower frame rates.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 106 FPS average
• Medium: 66 FPS average (56 min, 76 max)
• High: 47 FPS average
• Ultra: 38 FPS average

1440p is where the RX 7700 XT starts to work harder. Low still delivers over 100 FPS, but Medium drops to 66 FPS with a 56 FPS minimum. High falls below 50 FPS, and Ultra is at 38 FPS, which is marginal for a game that benefits from stable frame pacing.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 83 FPS average
• Medium: 52 FPS average (44 min, 60 max)
• High: 37 FPS average
• Ultra: 30 FPS average

4K presents a stark challenge. Low is the only preset that clears 60 FPS, while Medium hovers at 52 FPS with a 44 FPS minimum. High and Ultra are below 40 FPS, making them unsuitable for anything other than screenshots. The 44 FPS minimum at 4K Medium is particularly notable, as it indicates occasional dips that could affect gameplay in intense scenes.