The Medium

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the Intel Arc B580 produces a demanding 4K experience in The Medium, with the data showing a steep performance cliff as resolution climbs. At 1080p, the combo delivers a playable 39.2 FPS on High settings, but this drops to 32.1 FPS at 1440p and further to 26.5 FPS at 4K. This pattern indicates that the graphics card is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the frame rate penalty scales almost linearly with pixel count, while the CPU’s strong multi-core throughput is not the bottleneck in this horror title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear trend: performance degrades consistently as resolution increases, confirming that the Intel Arc B580 is the dominant constraint in this configuration. At Low settings, the transition from 1080p to 1440p costs 14.1 FPS (from 89.7 to 75.6), and moving from 1440p to 4K costs another 18.0 FPS (from 75.6 to 57.6). This represents a 35.8% drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low, which is substantial but expected for a GPU with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 192-bit bus. The gap widens at higher settings: at High, the drop from 1080p to 4K is 12.7 FPS (from 39.2 to 26.5), a 32.4% reduction, while at Ultra, the same resolution change costs only 6.8 FPS (from 30.4 to 23.6), a 22.4% decrease.

The scaling behavior suggests that the game becomes increasingly GPU-bound at 4K, particularly on Ultra where the average FPS dips to 23.6. At 1080p, the CPU’s 14 cores and 20 threads help maintain higher frame rates, but the GPU’s raw throughput—13.67 TFLOPS FP32 and a texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s—is insufficient for 4K Ultra. The data shows that 4K Medium (33.7 FPS) is nearly identical to 1440p High (32.1 FPS), indicating that the resolution increase is roughly equivalent to a two-tier settings penalty. For players targeting 60 FPS, only 1080p Low achieves that threshold, with 89.7 FPS, while 1440p Low (75.6 FPS) is the only other configuration exceeding 60 FPS.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580’s specifications directly explain the observed frame rates. With a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz, 2560 shading units, and 80 ROPs, the GPU delivers a pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s, which is adequate for 1080p but struggles at 4K. The 12 GB memory capacity is not a limiting factor in these tests, as even at 4K Ultra the card has enough VRAM, but the 456.0 GB/s bandwidth and 192-bit bus width constrain fill-rate-heavy scenes typical of horror games with dense environments. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 23021 places it at the 66th percentile among all GPUs, and its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, scores 23181, a delta of -0.7%, meaning the Arc B580 is effectively on par with that card in synthetic tests.

In The Medium specifically, the GPU’s role is decisive. At 1080p Low, the card achieves 89.7 FPS, but this drops to 57.6 FPS at 4K Low—a 35.8% reduction that is entirely attributable to the GPU’s rendering load. The gap between Low and Ultra at the same resolution highlights the GPU’s limited headroom: at 1080p, Ultra (30.4 FPS) is 66.1% slower than Low (89.7 FPS), and at 4K, Ultra (23.6 FPS) is 59.0% slower than Low (57.6 FPS). The GPU’s 20 ray tracing cores are present, but the data does not include RT-specific tests, so their impact is not quantified here. The card’s 190 W TDP and suggested 450 W PSU indicate it is a mid-range part, and the benchmark results align with that positioning, favoring 1080p and 1440p gaming over 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF provides ample computational headroom for The Medium, given its 14 cores (6 performance and 8 efficiency) and 20 threads. With a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost of 5.30 GHz, the CPU’s single-thread performance is strong, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4643 and Geekbench single-core score of 2778. Multi-threaded performance is equally robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32889 and a Passmark multithread score of 38697. The CPU’s 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs means it outperforms the vast majority of processors, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600K, scores 49166 on average, just 0.4% lower than the 14600KF’s 49367.

In this game, the CPU does not bottleneck the GPU at any resolution. The evidence is that frame rates scale smoothly with resolution, which would not happen if the CPU were limiting performance. For example, at 1080p High, the combo produces 39.2 FPS, but at 4K High, it drops to 26.5 FPS, indicating the GPU is the constraint. The CPU’s 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4 or DDR5) help maintain consistent frame pacing, but the data does not show any CPU-bound scenarios where higher clocks would yield better FPS. The 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier suggest overclocking potential, but the measured results reflect stock performance, which is already sufficient to keep the Arc B580 fed at 1080p and 1440p.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and Intel Arc B580 ranks 1323rd out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the bottom 21.7% of all configurations. This rank reflects the GPU’s mid-range performance rather than the CPU’s strength, as the 14600KF is a top-tier processor. The CPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, which scores 49062 on average (0.6% lower), and the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, scoring 48698 (1.4% lower), but these comparisons are synthetic benchmarks, not in-game results. The GPU’s nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, scores 23181 on average, which is 0.7% higher than the Arc B580’s 23021, suggesting the two cards would perform similarly in this title.

The rank of 1323 out of 1689 is driven almost entirely by the GPU’s 66th percentile standing. In the measured FPS data, the combo’s best result is 89.7 FPS at 1080p Low, which is playable, but at 4K Ultra, the 23.6 FPS average is below the 30 FPS threshold commonly considered minimum for playability. Compared to other combos in the database, this pairing is not competitive for high-refresh-rate 4K gaming, but it offers acceptable 1080p performance. The deltaPct values for the CPU’s rivals (0.4% to 1.4%) are negligible, meaning the CPU choice has little impact on the overall rank; swapping the 14600KF for a Ryzen 9 5950X would not meaningfully change the in-game FPS, as the GPU remains the bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 89.7 FPS, which is smooth for a horror game, but Medium at 53.7 FPS still provides a playable experience with better visuals. High at 39.2 FPS is borderline, while Ultra at 30.4 FPS is just playable but risks dips below 30 FPS in demanding scenes. For a balanced experience at 1080p, Medium is the best choice, offering 53.7 FPS without the visual sacrifices of Low.

At 1440p, the data shows that Low (75.6 FPS) is the only setting that exceeds 60 FPS, while Medium (45.1 FPS) is acceptable for slower-paced horror gameplay. High (32.1 FPS) and Ultra (26.5 FPS) are below the 30 FPS threshold, making them less desirable. At 4K, Low (57.6 FPS) is the only viable option, as Medium (33.7 FPS) is borderline, and High (26.5 FPS) and Ultra (23.6 FPS) are too low for smooth gameplay. The recommendation is to use Low settings for 4K, Medium for 1440p, and Medium or High for 1080p, depending on preference for visual fidelity over frame rate.

FAQ

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

A: 1080p is the best resolution, as it is the only one where Medium settings achieve 53.7 FPS and Low achieves 89.7 FPS, both above playable thresholds. 1440p and 4K require Low settings for acceptable frame rates.

Q: How does this combo perform at 4K Ultra?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 23.6, which is below the 30 FPS threshold for playability. This is the worst measured configuration, and it is not recommended.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck. The frame rates scale with resolution, and the CPU’s strong multi-core scores (e.g., 32889 in Cinebench R23) are not limiting performance at any settings.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580 compare to the RTX 4060?

A: The Arc B580 has an average benchmark score of 23021, while the RTX 4060 scores 23181, a delta of -0.7%. They perform nearly identically in synthetic tests, so in-game results would be similar.

Q: What settings should I use for 1440p gaming?

A: Low settings at 1440p yield 75.6 FPS, which is the only setting above 60 FPS. Medium at 45.1 FPS is acceptable if you prioritize visuals, but High and Ultra are below 33 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU’s 14-core configuration help in this game?

A: The 14 cores and 20 threads are sufficient to avoid CPU bottlenecks, but the game is GPU-bound. The CPU’s performance is not a limiting factor, as evidenced by the smooth resolution scaling.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS across settings is as follows: Low yields 89.7 FPS, Medium yields 53.7 FPS, High yields 39.2 FPS, and Ultra yields 30.4 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 59.3 FPS, indicating a significant performance cost for higher visual quality. At 2560x1440, Low produces 75.6 FPS, Medium produces 45.1 FPS, High produces 32.1 FPS, and Ultra produces 26.5 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings, averaging around 14-16 FPS. At 3840x2160, Low achieves 57.6 FPS, Medium achieves 33.7 FPS, High achieves 26.5 FPS, and Ultra achieves 23.6 FPS.

The data shows that 4K Low (57.6 FPS) is comparable to 1440p High (32.1 FPS) in terms of frame rate, but the former offers lower visual fidelity. The largest single-step drop occurs between 1080p Medium (53.7 FPS) and 1080p High (39.2 FPS), a 14.5 FPS reduction, suggesting that the High preset introduces a disproportionately heavy rendering load. Conversely, the smallest drop is between 4K High (26.5 FPS) and 4K Ultra (23.6 FPS), a 2.9 FPS difference, indicating diminishing returns at the highest settings. All measured FPS values have no min or max data, so only averages are available for analysis. This breakdown confirms that the Arc B580 is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p with Low or Medium settings, while 4K should be reserved for Low settings only.