The Medium

# The Medium with Intel Core i5-14600K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER

The Medium presents a demanding fixed-camera horror experience that splits the screen between two simultaneous worlds, and the data shows this combo struggles to maintain smooth frame rates at higher resolutions and presets. Across the measured 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions, the Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER delivers playable results only at Low settings at 4K, with Medium settings providing a marginal 38 FPS average at that resolution. The combination ranks 2606 out of 3724 tested combos in this game, placing it in the lower third of all systems, which reflects the GPU's age and the game's heavy reliance on graphics throughput.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 41 at 1920x1080 to 35 at 2560x1440 and then to 27 at 3840x2160 — a 34% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The Low preset shows a similar pattern: 92 FPS at 1080p, 77 FPS at 1440p, and 61 FPS at 4K, representing a 33.7% decline across the same resolution span. Medium settings follow the trend with 57 FPS at 1080p, 48 FPS at 1440p, and 38 FPS at 4K, a drop of 33.3% from the lowest to highest resolution.

Ultra settings are the most punishing, with the average FPS collapsing from 33 at 1080p to 27 at 1440p and 21 at 4K. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Ultra represents a 22.2% performance loss, while the 1080p to 4K gap is 36.4%. These percentage drops are consistent across all presets, which indicates that resolution scaling is uniform and driven by the GPU's pixel throughput capabilities rather than any CPU limitation. The RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth appears sufficient for the game's texture demands at these resolutions, but the raw shading power — 7.181 TFLOPS FP32 — is what limits frame rates.

The measured data shows that the 4K Low preset at 61 FPS is the only 4K configuration that exceeds 60 FPS, while 4K Medium dips to 38 FPS and 4K High sits at 27 FPS. At 1080p, the Low preset achieves 92 FPS, but Medium drops to 57 FPS, creating a clear inflection point where the GPU's TMUs (136) and ROPs (64) struggle to keep up with the game's split-world rendering technique. The game's genre-specific rendering — which often shows two perspectives simultaneously — amplifies the GPU load, explaining why even the RTX 2060 SUPER's 2176 shading units cannot maintain high frame rates at higher presets.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB L2 per core provide ample headroom for gaming workloads. The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491 and a single-core score of 2064, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 16673 and single-core score of 2491. The PassMark multithread score of 38682 and single-thread score of 4270 place this chip in the 90th percentile of all CPUs.

In The Medium, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU. The frame rate scaling across resolutions is nearly identical regardless of preset, which suggests that the i5-14600K is never the limiting factor. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU has the least work to do, the CPU delivers 92 FPS without apparent constraint. The game's horror genre typically relies on scripted sequences and fixed camera angles, which can be CPU-light, but the i5-14600K's 14 cores and 20 threads are more than adequate for any background simulation or AI tasks the game might spawn.

The CPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H at 48698 (delta -0.2%), the AMD EPYC 4345P at 48470 (delta 0.3%), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX at 48287 (delta 0.7%). These scores are all within 1% of the i5-14600K's average benchmark score of 48618, confirming that this processor sits in a performance tier that is more than capable of feeding the RTX 2060 SUPER. The data indicates that upgrading the CPU alone would yield no measurable improvement in The Medium's frame rates; the bottleneck is decisively on the graphics side.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 2606 out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the 30th percentile of all systems tested. This ranking is surprising given the CPU's strength — the i5-14600K sits in the 90th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 48618 — but the GPU's 62nd percentile ranking (average benchmark score 18093) drags the overall performance down. The RTX 2060 SUPER's nearest GPU rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (avg score 18159, delta -0.4%), the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (avg score 18189, delta -0.5%), and the AMD Radeon RX 460 (avg score 18373, delta -1.5%), all within 1.6% of this card's score.

The combo rank of 2606 out of 3724 means that 1118 other combinations performed worse, but 2605 performed better. This places the system in the bottom 30% for this specific game, which is a notable underperformance for a CPU that ranks in the top 10% globally. The discrepancy highlights how The Medium's optimization favors GPU compute rather than CPU muscle. The game's measured FPS at Medium settings — 57 FPS at 1080p, 48 FPS at 1440p, and 38 FPS at 4K — are all below the 60 FPS threshold that most gamers target, and the Ultra preset never exceeds 33 FPS at any resolution.

When compared to other combos in the database, this pairing's rank suggests that many systems with weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs outperform it. The data shows that the RTX 2060 SUPER's 7.181 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 10,800 million transistors on a 445 mm² die are simply insufficient for The Medium's demanding rendering at higher settings. The GPU's 64 ROPs and 136 TMUs handle the pixel and texture work at lower resolutions, but the game's dual-world rendering at 4K overwhelms these resources.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1080p Low is the only configuration that exceeds 60 FPS, achieving 92 FPS. For a balance of quality and performance, 1080p Medium provides 57 FPS, while 1440p Low delivers 77 FPS, making it the highest resolution that stays above 60 FPS.

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

A: At 4K, the only playable preset is Low, which averages 61 FPS. 4K Medium drops to 38 FPS, and 4K High and Ultra fall to 27 FPS and 21 FPS respectively, which are below comfortable playability thresholds.

Q: Why does the combo rank so low despite having a high-end CPU?

A: The combo ranks 2606 out of 3724 because the RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting component. The GPU's average benchmark score of 18093 places it in the 62nd percentile, while the i5-14600K sits in the 90th percentile, creating a significant imbalance where the CPU's power cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations in this game.

Q: Is the RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB VRAM sufficient for The Medium?

A: The measured data shows that 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for the game at all tested resolutions, as frame rate drops are consistent with GPU compute limitations rather than memory capacity issues. The 4K Ultra preset at 21 FPS indicates a shading bottleneck, not a VRAM shortage.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The GPU's nearest rivals are all within 1.6% of its average benchmark score: the RTX 3060 Mobile at 18159 (delta -0.4%), the Radeon Pro 5700 at 18189 (delta -0.5%), and the Radeon RX 460 at 18373 (delta -1.5%). These differences are negligible, so performance in The Medium would be nearly identical across these cards.

Q: What is the impact of the Medium preset's min and max FPS?

A: The Medium preset at 1080p shows a min FPS of 49 and max of 66, with an average of 57. At 1440p, the range is 41 to 55 with a 48 average, and at 4K it's 32 to 43 with a 38 average. The 17 FPS spread at 1080p indicates frame time variance, which could cause noticeable stutter during the game's dual-world transitions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the decisive component in this combo's performance in The Medium. Based on the Turing architecture with a TU106 chip, this GPU features 2176 shading units, 136 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, along with 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores. Its base clock of 1470 MHz boosts to 1650 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) across an 8 GB GDDR6 frame buffer on a 256-bit bus, yielding 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The card's 7.181 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 224.4 GTexel/s texture rate are the key specs that determine its gaming capability.

The measured FPS data shows that the GPU's performance degrades predictably as resolution and quality settings increase. At 1080p Low, the card delivers 92 FPS, but this drops to 57 FPS at Medium, 41 FPS at High, and 33 FPS at Ultra. The 59 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p represents a 64% performance penalty for maxing out quality settings. At 4K, the gap between Low (61 FPS) and Ultra (21 FPS) is 40 FPS, a 65.6% reduction. The GPU's 64 ROPs limit pixel throughput at high resolutions, while the 136 TMUs struggle with the game's texture-heavy environments at Ultra settings.

The RTX 2060 SUPER's 62nd percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 18093, confirms its mid-range positioning. Its PassMark G3D score of 16462 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 77402 indicate solid DirectX 12 and Vulkan performance, but the card's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2011 shows that it is not designed for next-generation graphics workloads. The Medium's use of simultaneous world rendering effectively doubles the GPU's workload in certain scenes, which explains why even 1080p Medium cannot maintain 60 FPS. The GPU's 175 W TDP and dual-slot design reflect its mid-range power envelope, but the data shows that power is not the issue — raw compute is.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal balance of visual quality and performance for this combo is the Medium preset at 1080p, which delivers 57 FPS average with a range of 49 to 66 FPS. This configuration provides a smooth experience that approaches the 60 FPS target while offering significantly better visuals than the Low preset's 92 FPS. For players who prioritize frame rate over fidelity, 1080p Low at 92 FPS is the smoothest option, but the Medium preset's 57 FPS is the best compromise.

At 1440p, the Medium preset delivers 48 FPS with a range of 41 to 55 FPS, which is playable but with visible dips below 45 FPS during intense scenes. The Low preset at 1440p achieves 77 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 1440p gaming if 60+ FPS is a requirement. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p (35 FPS and 27 FPS respectively) are not recommended, as they fall below the 30 FPS threshold for consistent playability.

For 4K, the only viable option is the Low preset, which averages 61 FPS. This is surprising given the 4K Medium preset's 38 FPS average, but the data shows that the Low preset's reduced shading requirements allow the GPU to maintain acceptable frame rates. The 4K Medium preset's min FPS of 32 and max of 43 indicate significant frame time variance, making it unsuitable for a horror game where smooth transitions between fixed camera angles are critical. The Ultra preset at 4K (21 FPS) is unplayable, and the High preset (27 FPS) barely holds above 25 FPS.

The data suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p Medium or 1440p Low gaming in The Medium. The RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB VRAM is not the limiting factor; rather, the GPU's shading units and ROPs cannot handle the game's dual-world rendering at higher settings. Players with this combo should avoid Ultra presets entirely, as the 33 FPS at 1080p and 21 FPS at 4K demonstrate that the card lacks the compute headroom for maximum quality settings. The Medium preset at 1080p offers the best balance of visual fidelity and playability, with the Low preset at 1440p serving as a viable alternative for those who prefer higher resolutions over graphical detail.