The Medium

The Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER combination delivers a highly capable 1440p experience in The Medium, with 4K requiring settings adjustments. The data shows a 20-core, 28-thread processor paired with a 16 GB graphics card, resulting in a strong performance profile that ranks in the top 10% of all tested combinations. Benchmark results indicate that the CPU provides ample headroom, while the GPU becomes the primary scaling factor at higher resolutions and quality presets.

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

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The processor features a substantial cache hierarchy, including 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration.

In terms of raw compute, the i7-14700F scores 35,122 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4,958 points in single-core. Its Geekbench results show 19,620 multi-core and 2,429 single-core. PassMark multi-thread score is 41,317, with a single-thread score of 4,257. The processor's overall average benchmark score is 53,620, placing it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs.

The data suggests the i7-14700F is never the limiting factor in The Medium at the tested settings. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 177 FPS, which is well beyond the typical display refresh rate, indicating the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently even in less demanding scenarios. The processor's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the Intel Xeon 6505P (deltaPct -0.2%), Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (deltaPct 0.3%), AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (deltaPct 0.6%), and AMD EPYC 7313P (deltaPct 0.8%). This tight clustering, all within 0.8% of each other, confirms that the i7-14700F sits at a performance plateau where small differences in synthetic scores do not translate into meaningful gaming deltas. The 28 threads are more than sufficient for the game's fixed camera angles and scripted sequences, which tend to be less CPU-intensive than open-world titles.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, with a die size of 379 mm² containing 45,900 million transistors. It features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 672.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has a base clock of 2340 MHz and a boost clock of 2610 MHz, with memory running at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). It houses 8,448 shading units, 264 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, along with 66 RT cores and 264 tensor cores. The card's FP32 compute is rated at 44.10 TFLOPS.

The GPU's synthetic benchmarks include a PassMark G3D score of 31,811 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 199,267. Its Vulkan score is 53,683, and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test yields 5,569. The average benchmark score is 31,087, placing it in the 76th percentile of all GPUs. Nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M5000 (deltaPct -0.4%), NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q (deltaPct -0.4%), NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell (deltaPct -1.4%), and NVIDIA TITAN RTX (deltaPct -1.9%).

The 16 GB VRAM capacity is a critical asset for The Medium, which uses a dual-reality mechanic that renders two simultaneous perspectives. This can significantly increase memory pressure, and the data shows the GPU handles it without issue. The AD103 chip's 66 RT cores also support the game's ray-traced reflections and lighting effects, though the performance impact is visible in the measured FPS. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 42 FPS, indicating that the GPU's raw throughput, not VRAM capacity, is the limiting factor. The 672.3 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for the high-resolution textures, as evidenced by the 117 FPS at 4K Low, where texture streaming demands are lower.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average frame rate is 177 FPS, achieved at 1080p with Low settings. The Medium preset at 1080p delivers 110 FPS, while High and Ultra produce 79 FPS and 63 FPS, respectively.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K with Medium settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the combo averages 73 FPS, with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 84 FPS. This is the only 4K preset with reported min/max values, indicating a playable range for most of the experience.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 1440p at High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the average FPS is 79. At 1440p High, the average drops to 67 FPS. This represents a 15.2% decrease in frame rate when moving from 1080p to 1440p at the High preset.

Q: Which component is the primary bottleneck at 4K Ultra?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS falls to 42. The CPU's synthetic scores (e.g., 35,122 in Cinebench R23 multi-core) suggest it has ample headroom, while the GPU's 44.10 TFLOPS FP32 compute is stressed by the game's dual-reality rendering at this resolution.

Q: Does the combo maintain 60 FPS at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: Yes, at 1440p Medium, the combo averages 93 FPS, with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 107 FPS. This is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, providing a smooth experience with headroom for frame time spikes.

Q: How does the 16 GB VRAM affect performance in this game?

A: The 16 GB VRAM ensures that memory capacity is not a limiting factor, even at 4K Ultra. The performance drop from 73 FPS at 4K Medium to 42 FPS at 4K Ultra is more attributable to the GPU's compute load (shader and RT work) than to VRAM exhaustion, as the card's 672.3 GB/s bandwidth can feed the needed textures.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of presets across resolutions. For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset is the standout choice. At 1080p, Medium delivers 110 FPS, which is 31 FPS higher than High (79 FPS) and 47 FPS higher than Ultra (63 FPS). The gap between Medium and High at 1080p is 28.2%, while the gap between High and Ultra is 20.3%, suggesting diminishing returns at the highest settings.

At 1440p, Medium produces 93 FPS, which remains well above the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay. High drops to 67 FPS, and Ultra falls to 53 FPS. The 26 FPS difference between Medium and High at 1440p is more pronounced than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming more stressed at higher resolutions. For users with 1440p displays, Medium is the recommended preset to maintain high frame rates without sacrificing the dual-reality visual effects.

At 4K, Medium is the only preset that reaches a playable average of 73 FPS. Low hits 117 FPS, but this sacrifices too much visual fidelity for a horror game reliant on atmosphere. High (52 FPS) and Ultra (42 FPS) fall below the 60 FPS threshold, making them less desirable for a smooth experience. The data suggests that 4K Medium is the sweet spot for this combo, offering 73 FPS average with a minimum of 62 FPS, which ensures the frame rate rarely dips below playable levels. The jump from Medium to High at 4K costs 21 FPS (a 28.8% drop), which is a significant penalty for incremental visual improvements.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER ranks 361st out of 3,724 tested combinations in The Medium. This places it in the top 9.7% of all combos, indicating a high-performance pairing. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's 91st percentile standing and the GPU's 76th percentile, with the GPU being the more limiting factor in this specific game.

The CPU's nearest rivals (Intel Xeon 6505P, Intel Xeon Phi 7290, AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, AMD EPYC 7313P) all have average scores within 0.8% of the i7-14700F, suggesting that the processor choice has minimal impact on the final combo rank. Conversely, the GPU's nearest rivals (NVIDIA Quadro M5000, NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q, NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell, NVIDIA TITAN RTX) are within 1.9% of its score, but these are largely workstation or older cards. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's 16 GB VRAM and Ada Lovelace architecture provide a distinct advantage in The Medium's memory-intensive scenes, which is reflected in the measured FPS data.

The rank of 361 out of 3,724 implies that there are 360 combinations that perform better, likely featuring higher-tier GPUs such as the RTX 4080/4090 or AMD equivalents. However, the data shows this combo is more than sufficient for 1440p gaming and capable at 4K with adjusted settings. The gap between this combo and the top-ranked ones is primarily GPU-driven, as the CPU's performance is already near the plateau for gaming workloads.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 177 FPS average
• Medium: 110 FPS average (min 94, max 127)
• High: 79 FPS average
• Ultra: 63 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 149 FPS average
• Medium: 93 FPS average (min 79, max 107)
• High: 67 FPS average
• Ultra: 53 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 117 FPS average
• Medium: 73 FPS average (min 62, max 84)
• High: 52 FPS average
• Ultra: 42 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern: moving from Low to Medium incurs a moderate FPS penalty (38% at 1080p, 37.6% at 1440p, 37.6% at 4K), while moving from Medium to High is more severe (28.2% at 1080p, 27.9% at 1440p, 28.8% at 4K). The High to Ultra transition is the steepest (20.3% at 1080p, 20.9% at 1440p, 19.2% at 4K). This indicates that the Medium preset offers the best performance-per-visual-quality ratio, as the subsequent presets require disproportionately more GPU resources.

The min/max values are only provided for Medium settings, showing a 33 FPS range at 1080p (94-127), a 28 FPS range at 1440p (79-107), and a 22 FPS range at 4K (62-84). The narrowing range at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU becomes more consistently utilized, reducing frame time variance.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at each preset reveals the GPU-bound nature of The Medium. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 177 at 1080p to 149 at 1440p (a 15.8% decrease) and then to 117 at 4K (a 33.9% decrease from 1080p). The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Low is 21.5%, which is less than the pixel count increase (2.25x), indicating that the GPU has sufficient memory bandwidth and compute headroom at lower settings.

At Medium settings, the FPS drops from 110 at 1080p to 93 at 1440p (15.5% decrease) and then to 73 at 4K (33.6% decrease from 1080p). The 1440p to 4K drop is 21.5%, matching the Low preset's scaling. This consistency suggests that the Medium preset is not introducing a new bottleneck; the GPU's 672.3 GB/s bandwidth and 44.10 TFLOPS are being utilized proportionally.

At High settings, the FPS drops from 79 at 1080p to 67 at 1440p (15.2% decrease) and then to 52 at 4K (34.2% decrease from 1080p). The 1440p to 4K drop is 22.4%, slightly higher than at lower presets, indicating that the increased shader and texture complexity at High is beginning to stress the GPU's compute units.

At Ultra settings, the FPS drops from 63 at 1080p to 53 at 1440p (15.9% decrease) and then to 42 at 4K (33.3% decrease from 1080p). The 1440p to 4K drop is 20.8%, which is similar to the other presets. The absolute FPS at 4K Ultra (42) is below the 60 FPS target, and the 52 FPS at 4K High is borderline.

The consistent 15-16% drop from 1080p to 1440p across all presets, and the 33-34% drop from 1080p to 4K, indicates that the scaling is primarily pixel-driven rather than setting-driven. The GPU is the limiting component, as the CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads are sufficient to maintain frame pacing at all tested resolutions. The data shows that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's 16 GB VRAM does not become a constraint, as the FPS scaling follows the pixel count increases rather than showing a sudden cliff at 4K. This points to the GPU's raw compute (44.10 TFLOPS) as the primary factor in the observed performance, with the 256-bit memory bus providing adequate bandwidth for the game's asset streaming.