The Medium

The Medium presents a demanding workload that shifts between CPU and GPU limits depending on resolution and quality settings. Analyzing the measured frame rates for the Intel Core i5-14600K and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT combination reveals a clear narrative: at 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound, but as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, particularly at higher presets.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 demonstrates a classic transition in bottleneck behavior. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo delivers 133.4 FPS, which is the highest average across all tested configurations. This high frame rate suggests that the Intel Core i5-14600K, with its 14 cores and 20 threads, is capable of feeding the GPU efficiently at this resolution. However, the drop to 81.7 FPS at Medium settings and 60.5 FPS at High settings indicates that even at 1080p, the quality preset has a substantial impact on the workload.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates scale downward in a predictable manner. The Low preset yields 111.2 FPS, which is a 16.6% reduction from the 1080p Low result. This smaller percentage drop compared to the resolution increase (which is ~77% more pixels) indicates that the system is still not fully GPU-limited at this resolution with lower settings. The High preset at 2560x1440 produces 48.5 FPS, a 19.8% decrease from the 1080p High result, showing a similar trend. At 3840x2160, the scaling becomes more pronounced. The Low preset achieves 86.9 FPS, which is a 21.9% drop from the 1440p Low result, while the High preset drops to 41.5 FPS, a 14.4% decrease from 1440p High.

The data reveals that the limiting component shifts based on the settings preset. At Low settings, the frame rate at 4K (86.9 FPS) is still quite high, suggesting that the CPU is managing the reduced graphical workload effectively. However, at Ultra settings, the 4K result of 31.6 FPS is less than half of the 1080p Ultra result of 50.4 FPS. This steep decline indicates that the Radeon RX 7800 XT's compute resources are saturated at higher resolutions and quality levels. The difference between the 1080p Low (133.4 FPS) and 1440p Low (111.2 FPS) is only 16.6%, whereas the difference between 1440p Ultra (40.8 FPS) and 4K Ultra (31.6 FPS) is 22.5%. This pattern confirms that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as both resolution and settings increase, while the CPU retains headroom at lower graphical loads.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of all tested combinations for The Medium, this pairing achieves a combo rank of 620 out of 1689 total combos. This places the system in the upper-middle tier of performance, indicating that while it is not at the absolute top, it delivers competitive frame rates for a horror title that often favors visual atmosphere over raw speed. The rank of 620 suggests that many other CPU-GPU pairings can achieve higher averages, but this combination still outperforms a majority of systems tested.

The CPU's benchmark percentile of 93 versus all CPUs indicates that the Intel Core i5-14600K is a high-performing processor. Its average benchmark score of 49166 places it near the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, which scores 49062 and is only 0.2% behind. The Intel Core i5-14600KF scores 49367, putting it 0.4% ahead of the standard i5-14600K, while the AMD EPYC 4345P leads by 0.9% with a score of 49595. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H trails by 1% with a score of 48698. This tight grouping shows that the CPU is well within the expected performance envelope for its class.

The GPU, with a percentile of 76 versus all GPUs, is slightly less dominant relative to its peers. Its average benchmark score of 32619 places it close to the AMD FirePro S9300 X2, which scores 32540 and is 0.2% ahead. The NVIDIA P104-100 scores 32747, which is 0.4% ahead of the RX 7800 XT, while the NVIDIA T600 Mobile leads by 0.7% with a score of 32849. The AMD FirePro S10000 trails by 0.7% with a score of 32388. These small deltas suggest that the GPU's raw compute performance is respectable but not exceptional, which aligns with the measured frame rates in The Medium.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average frame rate achievable with this combo at 1920x1080?

A: The highest average frame rate at 1920x1080 is 133.4 FPS, achieved with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra performance compare to the 1080p Ultra performance?

A: The 4K Ultra average of 31.6 FPS is 37.3% lower than the 1080p Ultra average of 50.4 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 2560x1440 with High settings?

A: At 48.5 FPS, the GPU is likely the primary bottleneck, as the CPU's high benchmark percentile (93) suggests it has headroom to push higher frame rates if the GPU could keep up.

Q: What is the combo's rank out of all tested systems for this game?

A: The combo ranks 620 out of 1689 total tested combinations.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-14600K compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-14600K scores 49166, which is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (49062) and 0.4% behind the Intel Core i5-14600KF (49367).

Q: What is the average FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 3840x2160?

A: The Low preset averages 86.9 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 31.6 FPS, a difference of 55.3 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured averages show a clear progression across settings. The Low preset delivers 133.4 FPS, which is the peak performance for the entire dataset. The Medium preset drops to 81.7 FPS, representing a 38.8% reduction from Low. The High preset follows at 60.5 FPS, a further 25.9% decrease from Medium. The Ultra preset bottoms out at 50.4 FPS, which is a 16.7% drop from High. This pattern indicates that each step up in quality has a diminishing but still significant impact on performance.

At 2560x1440, the same progression is evident but with lower absolute values. The Low preset achieves 111.2 FPS, which is 16.6% below the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset reaches 70.2 FPS, a 14.1% reduction from the 1080p Medium result. The High preset yields 48.5 FPS, an 19.8% reduction from the 1080p High result. The Ultra preset produces 40.8 FPS, a 19.0% reduction from the 1080p Ultra result. The percentage drops are relatively consistent, indicating that the GPU is handling the additional pixel load predictably.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve steepens. The Low preset delivers 86.9 FPS, which is 21.9% lower than the 1440p Low result. The Medium preset drops to 57.0 FPS, an 18.8% reduction from the 1440p Medium result. The High preset falls to 41.5 FPS, a 14.4% reduction from the 1440p High result. The Ultra preset reaches 31.6 FPS, a 22.5% reduction from the 1440p Ultra result. The larger percentage drop at Ultra settings compared to High settings suggests that the GPU's shading units and ROPs are being pushed to their limits at 4K.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. This memory configuration is likely sufficient for The Medium's high-resolution textures, as the game's horror aesthetic often relies on detailed environments. The GPU's boost clock of 2430 MHz and game clock of 2124 MHz are relatively high, but the benchmark results show that the card's raw compute power (37.32 TFLOPS FP32) is the determining factor for performance at higher settings.

The GPU's benchmark percentile of 76 versus all GPUs suggests that it is a capable mid-to-high-end part, but it is not in the top tier. The measured frame rates reflect this positioning. At 1080p Low, the card can push 133.4 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it falls to 31.6 FPS. The 16 GB of VRAM is unlikely to be a limiting factor at these settings, as the game's requirements are likely lower than this capacity. Instead, the GPU's 3840 shading units and 96 ROPs determine the fill rate and compute capacity, which directly impacts the frame rate at higher resolutions.

The relationship between the GPU's clock speeds and the measured FPS is evident in the scaling data. The boost clock of 2430 MHz provides a solid foundation for performance, but the card's thermal and power limits (263 W TDP) may cause clock fluctuations under sustained load. The data shows that the GPU becomes the bottleneck at 4K Ultra, where the 31.6 FPS average is likely close to the card's maximum sustainable output for this game. The 2x 8-pin power connectors and 600 W suggested PSU indicate that the card is designed for high power draw, which aligns with its performance characteristics.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal balance between visual quality and frame rate depends on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 60.5 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset drops to 50.4 FPS, which is still playable but may exhibit minor stutters in fast-paced scenes. For a more fluid experience, the Medium preset at 81.7 FPS offers a significant margin over High while still providing a reasonable visual upgrade over Low.

At 2560x1440, the High preset's 48.5 FPS is below the ideal 60 FPS target, but the Medium preset at 70.2 FPS provides a better balance. The Low preset at 111.2 FPS is the only option that offers a high refresh rate experience, but it sacrifices visual fidelity. For most users, the Medium preset at 1440p is the recommended choice, as it maintains a solid frame rate while preserving the game's atmospheric details.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. The High preset at 41.5 FPS and the Medium preset at 57.0 FPS are the only playable options, with Ultra at 31.6 FPS being too low for a smooth experience. The Low preset at 86.9 FPS is the best choice for 4K gaming on this combo, as it provides a high frame rate that allows the CPU to stretch its legs. The Medium preset at 57.0 FPS is a viable alternative for those who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, but it may feel less responsive in action sequences. Overall, the data suggests that this combo is best used at 1080p High or 1440p Medium, where the frame rates are comfortable and the visual experience is well-rounded.