The Medium

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 presents a study in contrast for The Medium, a horror title that demands more from the GPU than the CPU. The data shows a combination that is heavily limited by the graphics card, especially at higher resolutions and quality presets. While the processor sits in the 94th percentile among all CPUs tested, the GPU’s 69th percentile ranking creates a bottleneck that defines the entire performance profile. This analysis walks through the measured frames-per-second data, the role of the components, and what the numbers mean for playability across the three primary resolutions.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best average frame rate this combo achieves in The Medium?*

A: The highest measured average is 86.8 FPS at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This is the only setting where the combination approaches high-refresh-rate territory.

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations for The Medium?*

A: It ranks 1334th out of 1689 tested combos, placing it in the lower third of all configurations. This rank reflects the GPU’s performance ceiling rather than the CPU’s capabilities.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between the Low and Ultra presets at 1920x1080?

A: The Low preset delivers 86.8 FPS, while Ultra drops to 33.0 FPS. This represents a 53.8 FPS penalty for the highest quality settings at 1080p.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the limiting factor in this configuration?

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the limit. The RX 6600 has 8 GB of VRAM and a 128-bit memory bus, while the i7-14700F offers 20 cores and 28 threads. The frame rate scales heavily with resolution, a classic sign of GPU limitation.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest measured average is 19.2 FPS at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset. This is effectively unplayable for a game requiring precise timing.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i7-14700F scores 54097 on average, which is 0.6% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and 1.2% higher than the Intel Xeon Phi 7290. The differences are minimal, indicating the CPU is not the source of performance variance.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is the decisive component in this pairing. Its specifications include 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has a base clock of 1626 MHz and a boost clock of 2491 MHz, with a game clock rated at 2044 MHz. In The Medium, these figures translate into a performance ceiling that becomes apparent immediately.

At 1920x1080 with the Medium preset, the combo achieves 50.1 FPS. Dropping to Low raises this to 86.8 FPS, while High yields 36.7 FPS and Ultra falls to 33.0 FPS. The pattern is consistent: the GPU’s 1792 shading units and 64 ROPs are saturated by the game’s rendering demands. The 28 ray tracing cores are present but do not provide enough throughput to maintain high frame rates at higher settings.

The GPU’s memory subsystem is also relevant. With only 8 GB of VRAM, the card may struggle with texture-heavy scenes at higher resolutions. However, the measured data shows that even at 3840x2160 with Low settings, the combo manages 58.0 FPS, suggesting that the memory size is less of a constraint than raw compute power. The GPU’s FP32 performance of 8.928 TFLOPS is the limiting factor, not the memory capacity.

The interaction between the CPU and GPU is clear. The i7-14700F, with its 2.10 GHz base and 5.40 GHz boost clock, is never the bottleneck in this game. The CPU’s PassMark multithread score of 41765 and single-thread score of 4261 are more than sufficient for the game’s logic. The data shows that as resolution increases, the frame rate drops proportionally, which is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data offers clear guidance for the optimal experience. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset provides a balance of visual quality and performance, delivering 50.1 FPS. This is the recommended starting point for most users, as it stays above the 30 FPS threshold while offering better visuals than Low.

For those prioritizing smoothness, the Low preset at 1080p yields 86.8 FPS, which is more than double the Medium result. This setting is ideal for competitive or fast-paced sections, though the visual fidelity is noticeably reduced. The High preset at 36.7 FPS is borderline, dipping below the comfortable 40 FPS mark, while Ultra at 33.0 FPS is playable but not ideal.

At 2560x1440, the situation changes. Low delivers 70.9 FPS, which is the only setting above 60 FPS at this resolution. Medium drops to 46.4 FPS, High to 33.2 FPS, and Ultra to 26.3 FPS. The recommendation here is to stick with Low or Medium, depending on the user’s tolerance for frame rate drops. Medium is the best balance, offering 46.4 FPS, which is playable for a horror game where atmosphere matters more than reaction time.

At 3840x2160, only the Low preset is viable, with 58.0 FPS. Medium falls to 37.6 FPS, High to 24.2 FPS, and Ultra to 19.2 FPS. The data suggests that 4K is only feasible with the lowest settings, and even then, users may experience dips in demanding scenes. The best experience is clearly at 1080p with Medium or Low, where the frame rate remains stable and the game’s horror elements are not compromised by stutter.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1334 out of 1689 tested configurations places it in the bottom 21% of all combinations. This is a poor showing for a system with a high-end CPU, but the ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU. The RX 6600’s percentile of 69% against all GPUs is respectable for a mid-range card, but it is outclassed by the CPU’s 94th percentile standing.

The nearest GPU rivals provide context. The AMD Radeon 890M scores 25246, a 0% delta, meaning the RX 6600 is statistically identical in synthetic tests. The RX 580 2048SP is 0.2% lower, the RX 6700M is 0.2% higher, and the RTX 3060 Ti is 0.5% higher. These tiny deltas suggest that the RX 6600 is a middle-of-the-pack performer, which explains the low combo rank.

The CPU’s rivals, meanwhile, show that the processor is not the issue. The Ryzen 9 9900X is 0.6% faster, the 9900X3D is 1.1% faster, and the EPYC 7313P is 1.7% slower. These differences are negligible in gaming, confirming that the i7-14700F is not holding back the system. The rank of 1334 is a direct reflection of the GPU’s capabilities in The Medium, which is consistent with the game’s heavy reliance on graphics processing.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling across resolutions reveals the GPU bottleneck clearly. At 1920x1080 with the Medium preset, the combo achieves 50.1 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops this to 46.4 FPS, a reduction of 7.4%. At 3840x2160, the same preset yields 37.6 FPS, a further 18.9% drop from 1440p. In total, from 1080p to 4K, the Medium preset loses 12.5 FPS, or 24.9% of its performance.

The Low preset shows a different pattern. At 1080p, it delivers 86.8 FPS. At 1440p, this falls to 70.9 FPS, a drop of 18.3%. At 4K, it reaches 58.0 FPS, a further 18.2% decrease. The total loss from 1080p to 4K is 28.8 FPS, or 33.2%. This steeper decline suggests that even at Low settings, the GPU is struggling to maintain fill rates at higher pixel counts.

The High preset is more volatile. It starts at 36.7 FPS at 1080p, drops to 33.2 FPS at 1440p (a 9.5% decline), and then falls to 24.2 FPS at 4K (a 27.1% decline). The Ultra preset follows a similar trend, with 33.0 FPS at 1080p, 26.3 FPS at 1440p, and 19.2 FPS at 4K. These diminishing returns indicate that the GPU’s compute units are overwhelmed, and the CPU remains idle, waiting for the graphics card to finish each frame.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full range of settings is usable, but with significant variance. The Low preset delivers 86.8 FPS, which is the only result above 60 FPS in the entire dataset. Medium follows at 50.1 FPS, High at 36.7 FPS, and Ultra at 33.0 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 53.8 FPS, showing that quality settings have a massive impact on this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the results compress. Low still leads with 70.9 FPS, but Medium drops to 46.4 FPS, High to 33.2 FPS, and Ultra to 26.3 FPS. The spread narrows to 44.6 FPS, but the relative penalties are steeper. The Medium preset loses 7.4% of its 1080p performance, while Ultra loses 20.3%, indicating that higher settings are more sensitive to resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the data shows a hard ceiling. Low achieves 58.0 FPS, which is the only playable result. Medium falls to 37.6 FPS, High to 24.2 FPS, and Ultra to 19.2 FPS. The Ultra result is below the 20 FPS threshold, making it unsuitable for gameplay. The pattern across all resolutions is consistent: the RX 6600 cannot maintain high frame rates at 4K, and even 1440p requires careful setting selection. The i7-14700F’s performance is effectively irrelevant, as the GPU is the sole determinant of the experience.