The Medium

The Medium presents a unique rendering challenge due to its dual-world gameplay, which can effectively double the scene complexity. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 across a range of resolutions and settings. The data indicates a configuration that is strongly capable at mainstream resolutions but shows clear limits when pushed to 4K Ultra.

Resolution Scaling

The performance curve from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario, particularly at higher settings. At 1080p with Medium settings, the combo produces an average of 93 FPS. Stepping up to 1440p Medium reduces that average to 79 FPS, a drop of 14 FPS. Moving to 4K Medium sees a further decrease to 62 FPS, which is a 31 FPS reduction from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern indicates that the rendering load is scaling directly with pixel count, a hallmark of GPU limitation.

The Low settings preset offers a contrasting view. At 1080p Low, the system delivers 150 FPS. At 1440p Low, it still manages 126 FPS, and even at 4K Low, it maintains a playable 99 FPS. The delta between 1080p and 4K at Low settings is 51 FPS, which is proportionally similar to the drop seen at Medium, reinforcing that the RTX 4070 is the primary constraint as resolution increases.

The High and Ultra presets show the steepest degradation. At 1080p High, the average is 67 FPS, while at 4K High, it plummets to 44 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, starting at 53 FPS at 1080p and dropping to 35 FPS at 4K. These numbers suggest that the jump from Medium to High, and again from High to Ultra, introduces significant GPU overhead that the RTX 4070 cannot overcome at higher resolutions.

The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this title for this configuration. The consistent scaling of FPS with resolution, even at Low settings where draw calls might be expected to bottleneck a processor, points to the GPU as the bottleneck. The i5-14600KF has sufficient headroom to feed the RTX 4070, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p Low, which would be difficult to achieve if the CPU were struggling.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 holds the 833rd position out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium. This places the configuration in the top 22.4% of all systems tested, a strong showing that indicates above-average performance for the game.

This rank is a holistic metric that considers the balance between the CPU and GPU. The CPU itself sits in the 90th percentile when compared against all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 81st percentile against all GPUs. The combo's rank, while impressive, is slightly lower than what either component's individual percentile might suggest. This is likely due to the game's demanding nature and the fact that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher settings, preventing the system from achieving a rank commensurate with the CPU's high standing.

Within the context of the GPU's nearest rivals, the RTX 4070 outperforms the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 by 0.4% in average benchmark scores, while being 1.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile. The CPU's nearest rivals show a similarly tight grouping, with the i5-14600KF edging out the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 by 0.3%. This data suggests that while the individual components are competitive, the overall system rank is a product of their interaction within The Medium's specific engine, which appears to be heavily GPU-dependent.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core processor with 20 threads, based on the Raptor Lake architecture. Its base clock is 3.50 GHz, which can boost up to 5.30 GHz. These specifications are more than adequate for a game like The Medium, which typically relies on a few high-performance cores rather than massive multi-threading.

Benchmark results for the CPU show a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 and a single-core score of 4594. These scores indicate a processor with excellent single-thread performance, which is crucial for game logic and frame pacing. The Geekbench single-core score of 2445 further corroborates this strength.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU does not appear to be a bottleneck at any tested setting. The evidence is in the FPS scaling. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would plateau or drop significantly when lowering the resolution, as the GPU would be waiting on the CPU to process data. Instead, the FPS increases consistently as resolution decreases, allowing the GPU to work harder and produce more frames. The CPU's high single-core performance ensures it can keep up with the RTX 4070, even at 1080p Low where the GPU is producing 150 FPS. This is a demanding scenario for any processor, and the i5-14600KF handles it without issue.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's capabilities. At 1920x1080, the system is capable of high refresh rates. With Low settings, it averages 150 FPS. Medium settings reduce this to 93 FPS, with a minimum of 79 and a maximum of 108. High settings yield 67 FPS, and Ultra drops further to 53 FPS. This shows that for competitive or smooth 1080p gameplay, Medium settings are the sweet spot, offering a significant jump over High while maintaining a high frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the performance is still strong but begins to show the GPU's load. Low settings average 126 FPS, which is excellent for 1440p. Medium settings average 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 and a maximum of 91. High settings produce 56 FPS, and Ultra drops to 45 FPS. For 1440p gaming, Medium settings provide a good balance between visual quality and performance, while High is still playable but with a noticeable reduction in smoothness.

At 3840x2160, the system is clearly GPU-bound at higher settings. Low settings average 99 FPS, which is surprisingly high for 4K and suggests the game is well-optimized at lower visual fidelity. Medium settings average 62 FPS, with a minimum of 53 and a maximum of 71, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. High settings drop to 44 FPS, and Ultra falls to 35 FPS, both of which are below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. The 4K Ultra result is the most demanding scenario tested, and the data shows the RTX 4070 cannot maintain a high frame rate under this load.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus. The memory bandwidth is 504.2 GB/s, and the GPU has a boost clock of 2475 MHz. These specifications are substantial, but the 4K Ultra results indicate a limit in raw rasterization performance for this specific title.

The GPU's average benchmark score is 37648, placing it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P4, has an average score of 37628, a difference of only 0.1%. This suggests that the RTX 4070 is a solid mid-to-high-end performer, but it is not a top-tier card capable of maxing out every game at 4K.

The VRAM capacity of 12 GB is sufficient for The Medium, even at 4K Ultra, as the game does not appear to be hitting a memory ceiling that would cause stuttering or texture pop-in. The performance drops at 4K are more likely due to the computational load of the shaders and effects at Ultra settings. The data shows that the RTX 4070 is best utilized at 1440p Medium or 1080p High, where it can deliver frame rates well above 60 FPS. At 4K, users must compromise on settings, with Low providing the only consistently smooth experience at an average of 99 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain a 60+ FPS average?

A: At 1080p, all settings except Ultra (53 FPS) maintain an average above 60 FPS. At 1440p, Low (126 FPS) and Medium (79 FPS) are the only presets that exceed 60 FPS. At 4K, only Low (99 FPS) achieves this target.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 compare to its closest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37648. This is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37628) and 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507). It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (38135) by 1.3%.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14600KF a bottleneck for the RTX 4070 in The Medium?

A: No, the data shows the CPU is not a bottleneck. The FPS scales consistently with resolution, which indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's high single-core performance (4594 in Cinebench R23) is sufficient to feed the GPU.

Q: What is the measured FPS at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The system averages 79 FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 91 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank in the database for The Medium?

A: The combo is ranked 833rd out of 3724 tested combinations, placing it in the top 22.4% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 53. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 35 FPS, a reduction of 18 FPS. This indicates that the Ultra preset is too demanding for the GPU at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the experience. For users with a 1080p display, the Medium preset is the recommended choice. It delivers an average of 93 FPS, which is a substantial improvement over High (67 FPS) and Ultra (53 FPS), while still offering a significant visual upgrade over Low. The minimum FPS of 79 at this setting ensures a smooth experience with minimal frame pacing issues.

For 1440p displays, Medium settings are also the optimal choice. The average of 79 FPS is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, and the minimum of 67 FPS ensures that dips are rare. High settings at 1440p (56 FPS) are playable, but the data suggests that the visual fidelity increase does not justify the 23 FPS performance hit compared to Medium.

At 4K, the options are more constrained. The Low preset is the only one that provides a consistently smooth experience, with an average of 99 FPS. Medium settings (62 FPS) are usable for slower-paced games, but the minimum of 53 FPS suggests potential stuttering in action-heavy scenes. High and Ultra presets at 4K should be avoided, as their averages of 44 FPS and 35 FPS, respectively, do not provide acceptable smoothness for a horror game that relies on atmosphere and tension.

In summary, the data indicates that the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions for this configuration. It provides a meaningful visual upgrade over Low while maintaining frame rates that are significantly higher than High or Ultra. The RTX 4070 has enough power for high refresh rates at 1080p and solid 60+ FPS gameplay at 1440p, but users aiming for 4K will need to accept the visual compromises of the Low preset to achieve a smooth experience.