The Medium

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor from the Core 14th Gen series, built on the Raptor Lake architecture using a 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The CPU’s cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration places the processor in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 49367.

In The Medium, the CPU’s capability is best illustrated by its synthetic workload results. The processor scores 32889 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4643 in Cinebench R23 single-core. These figures indicate strong multi-threaded throughput and robust single-thread performance, which are relevant for a horror game that relies on consistent frame pacing across varied scenes. The data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the combo reaches 179.5 FPS average, suggesting the CPU can feed the GPU effectively at lower graphical loads.

Comparing to nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database, the i5-14600KF sits 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600K in average score, 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, and 1.4% ahead of the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H. The only rival ahead is the AMD EPYC 4345P, which leads by 0.5%. These deltas are marginal, indicating that the processor’s game performance is not bottlenecked by CPU compute in most scenarios tested.

For The Medium specifically, the CPU’s 14 cores and 20 threads provide ample headroom for the game’s rendering threads, background processes, and any streaming workloads. The boost clock of 5.30 GHz ensures that latency-sensitive single-threaded tasks, such as game logic updates, execute quickly. The benchmark results confirm that even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is heavily loaded, the average FPS of 50.7 is still playable, implying the CPU is not the limiting factor at that resolution.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured FPS data provides four settings presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—across three resolutions. The optimal preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 179.5 FPS, Medium delivers 124.9 FPS, High delivers 94.1 FPS, and Ultra drops to 69.9 FPS. For competitive or high-refresh-rate displays, the Low preset offers the highest headroom, but the Medium preset at 124.9 FPS still provides a smooth experience with better visual fidelity.

At 1440p, the pattern shifts. Low delivers 167.5 FPS, Medium delivers 106.6 FPS, High delivers 76.9 FPS, and Ultra drops to 63.5 FPS. The Medium preset appears to be the sweet spot at this resolution, as it maintains above 100 FPS while offering improved graphics over Low. The High preset at 76.9 FPS is still fluid for most displays, but the drop from Medium to High is 29.7 FPS, which is significant for a horror game where frame consistency matters.

At 4K, the measured rows show a steeper curve. Low delivers 136.5 FPS, Medium delivers 82.1 FPS, High delivers 59.2 FPS, and Ultra drops to 50.7 FPS. For 4K gaming, the Medium preset provides the best balance, as it nearly doubles the FPS of Ultra while retaining a reasonable visual quality. The High preset at 59.2 FPS is borderline for 60 Hz displays, and Ultra at 50.7 FPS may introduce noticeable judder. Based on the data, the Medium preset is recommended for 4K, and the Medium or Low preset for 1440p and 1080p depending on refresh rate goals.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The FPS scaling across resolutions reveals the balance between CPU and GPU load. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 179.5 at 1080p to 167.5 at 1440p and 136.5 at 4K. This represents a 7.0% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and an 18.5% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The relatively modest drop at Low settings suggests that the CPU is still capable of feeding the GPU at lower graphical loads, but the GPU becomes increasingly taxed as pixel count rises.

At Medium settings, the FPS drops from 124.9 at 1080p to 106.6 at 1440p and 82.1 at 4K. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p is 14.7%, and from 1440p to 4K is 23.0%. This steeper decline indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary limiter as resolution increases. At High settings, the FPS drops from 94.1 at 1080p to 76.9 at 1440p and 59.2 at 4K, with reductions of 18.3% and 23.0%, respectively.

At Ultra settings, the FPS drops from 69.9 at 1080p to 63.5 at 1440p and 50.7 at 4K. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p is only 9.2%, but from 1440p to 4K is 20.2%. This pattern indicates that at Ultra settings, the GPU is heavily saturated even at 1080p, and the scaling to higher resolutions is constrained by the graphics card’s raw throughput. The data suggests that the RTX 5080 is the limiting component in most scenarios, while the i5-14600KF provides sufficient compute headroom across all resolutions tested.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 41st out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium. This places the pair in the top 2.4% of all recorded configurations, indicating exceptional performance for this title. The rank reflects the synergy between the CPU’s 14-core design and the GPU’s high-end capabilities, as the measured FPS values are consistently strong across all settings and resolutions.

The combo’s ranking is particularly notable given the GPU’s position in the broader database. The RTX 5080 sits in the 89th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 59188. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A570M, which trails by 1.6%, and the Intel Arc Pro A60, which leads by 1.9%. The GPU’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 8637 and Passmark G3D score of 36565 further substantiate its high-tier placement.

The CPU’s 93rd percentile ranking complements the GPU’s 89th percentile, and the combined result in The Medium exceeds expectations based on individual components alone. This suggests that the game is well-optimized for the architecture pairing, with no significant bottlenecks detected in the data. The 41st rank out of 1689 combos is a strong indicator that this hardware pairing is among the most effective for this specific horror title.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 1875 MHz with a 30 Gbps effective rate. The core clocks are set at 2295 MHz base and 2617 MHz boost, with a pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 879.3 GTexel/s.

The GPU’s compute capabilities include 10752 shading units, 336 TMUs, 112 ROPs, 84 RT cores, and 336 tensor cores. The FP32 performance is rated at 56.28 TFLOPS, with FP16 at the same rate (1:1). These specifications drive the measured FPS results in The Medium. At 4K Ultra, the GPU achieves 50.7 FPS, while at 4K Low it reaches 136.5 FPS, demonstrating the significant impact of graphical settings on GPU load.

The 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for The Medium’s asset streaming, and the high bandwidth ensures texture loads do not cause hitches. The GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 36565 and Geekbench OpenCL score of 264461 reflect its raw compute strength. The data shows that the RTX 5080 is the primary driver of FPS differences across settings, as the CPU remains consistent in its contribution. The GPU’s 89th percentile ranking and its performance in this game confirm that it is a top-tier choice for high-resolution horror gaming.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p Ultra settings for this combo?

A: The average FPS at 1080p Ultra settings is 69.9.

Q: How does the CPU rank among all tested processors?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600KF is in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 49367.

Q: What is the FPS difference between 4K Medium and 4K High settings?

A: The 4K Medium preset delivers 82.1 FPS, while the 4K High preset delivers 59.2 FPS, a difference of 22.9 FPS.

Q: What is the combo’s rank in The Medium compared to other tested combos?

A: The combo ranks 41st out of 1689 tested combos, placing it in the top 2.4% of configurations.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 5080 have, and what is its memory type?

A: The RTX 5080 has 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s.

Q: What is the CPU’s boost clock and how does it affect performance?

A: The CPU has a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, which enables strong single-threaded performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4643.