The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title built on Unreal Engine 4, presents a unique load profile that stresses both the CPU and GPU heavily due to its dual-world rendering mechanic. The benchmark data for the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination shows a system capable of delivering high frame rates across all presets, but with significant scaling challenges at higher resolutions. The data indicates that this pairing is exceptionally strong, ranking in the 95th percentile of all tested combos, yet the demands of the game at 4K Ultra can still bring the average frame rate down to 50 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play this game with this CPU and GPU combo?

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 on Medium settings provides an excellent balance, delivering an average of 111 FPS with a minimum of 95 FPS. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset achieves 132 FPS average, but the visual fidelity is lower. 4K is playable, but the average frame rate drops to 63 FPS on High and 50 FPS on Ultra.

Q: How much of a performance drop is there between the Medium and Ultra settings?

A: The performance cost of Ultra is substantial. At 1920x1080, the average frame rate drops from 132 FPS on Medium to 75 FPS on Ultra, a decrease of 57 FPS. At 2560x1440, the drop is from 111 FPS to 63 FPS, and at 3840x2160, it falls from 87 FPS to 50 FPS.

Q: Is the RTX 4090 the primary bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, the data suggests the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 3840x2160. The frame rate scales significantly with settings, from 140 FPS on Low to 50 FPS on Ultra, indicating that the GPU's workload is the primary constraint at this resolution.

Q: Can this combo achieve a stable 60 FPS experience at 1440p?

A: Yes, the benchmark results show that at 2560x1440, both the High and Medium presets exceed 60 FPS, with averages of 80 FPS and 111 FPS respectively. The Ultra preset also achieves an average of 63 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the combo's performance rank compared to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 95th out of 3724 tested combinations, placing it in the top percentile of all systems tested for this game. This indicates that the Intel Core i7-14700F and RTX 4090 pairing is one of the most capable configurations for The Medium.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and High settings at 1080p?

A: The difference is significant. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 178 FPS, while the High preset averages 95 FPS. This 83 FPS gap shows that the game's High settings impose a considerable load on the system, likely due to increased shadow and texture quality.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its 33 MB of shared L3 cache is substantial, and the CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In the context of The Medium, a game known for rendering two separate worlds simultaneously, the multi-threaded capabilities of this processor are crucial.

The benchmark data shows the CPU scores 35,122 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4,958 in single-core tests. This strong multi-core performance is directly relevant to the game's engine, which must manage the physics, AI, and rendering logic for both the real world and the spirit world concurrently. The high thread count ensures that the game's background tasks do not starve the main render thread, allowing the GPU to maintain higher frame rates. The CPU's percentile rank of 91 among all CPUs further confirms its high-end status.

However, the data on FPS scaling suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in most scenarios. For instance, at 1080p Low, the frame rate hits 178 FPS, which is likely near the engine's or CPU's limit for that scene, but at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 50 FPS. This massive drop at higher resolutions and settings points to the GPU, not the CPU, being the limiting factor. The CPU's job is to feed the GPU, and with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, it is more than capable of keeping up with the RTX 4090 in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination achieves a rank of 95 out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium. This places the system in the top 2.5% of all tested configurations, a superior result. This ranking is a direct consequence of pairing a high-end CPU with the most powerful consumer GPU available, ensuring that neither component is a significant bottleneck in most scenarios.

The data implies that this combo is faster than the vast majority of other systems tested. For example, while the RTX 4090's average benchmark score of 60,347 places it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, its performance in this specific game is elevated by the capable CPU. The combination's rank of 95 suggests that only a handful of other configurations (likely those with even more extreme CPUs or overclocked parts) can outperform it. This is a strong indicator that for a player with a high-refresh-rate monitor, this combo provides an exceptional experience, being able to push high frame rates at 1440p and maintain playable, though not always high, frame rates at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the system's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the system is incredibly fast. On Low settings, it averages 178 FPS. Moving to Medium, the average is 132 FPS with a minimum of 112 FPS and a maximum of 152 FPS. High settings yield 95 FPS, and Ultra drops the average to 75 FPS. This shows that even at the highest settings, the system can maintain a frame rate well above 60 FPS, making it ideal for competitive or high-refresh-rate gameplay.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong. Low settings average 168 FPS. Medium settings provide an average of 111 FPS with a tight frame time window (95 to 128 FPS), suggesting a stable experience. High settings average 80 FPS, while Ultra settings bring the average down to 63 FPS. This resolution appears to be the sweet spot for this combo, offering a significant visual upgrade over 1080p while still maintaining high average frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily taxed. Low settings average 140 FPS. Medium settings see an average of 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 FPS. High settings average 63 FPS, which is just at the cusp of 60 FPS. Ultra settings are the most demanding, lowering the average to 50 FPS. This demonstrates that while the RTX 4090 is powerful, The Medium's 4K Ultra preset is an extreme load that even this flagship GPU cannot handle at a consistently smooth 60 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this system. With 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, it offers a massive 1.01 TB/s of memory bandwidth. Its 16,384 shading units and 128 RT cores make it a compute powerhouse, with an FP32 performance of 82.58 TFLOPS. For a game like The Medium, which relies on heavy post-processing, high-resolution textures, and volumetric effects to create its atmosphere, this GPU is essential.

The GPU's role becomes increasingly critical as resolution and settings increase. The benchmark data shows a clear trend: at 1080p, the CPU is capable of pushing the frame rate high, but the GPU's performance is what limits the Ultra preset to 75 FPS. At 4K, the GPU is the sole bottleneck. The gap between Low (140 FPS) and Ultra (50 FPS) at 4K is 90 FPS, which is entirely due to the increased shader and memory workload on the GPU.

The RTX 4090's performance in this game, as measured, shows it is exceptionally strong. Its average benchmark score of 60,347 puts it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, but in The Medium, it is often performing near the top of its class. The 24 GB of VRAM also ensures that the game's high-resolution textures, which can be very demanding, will not cause any memory-related stuttering or texture pop-in at any resolution tested.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's target resolution and frame rate preference.

For a 60 FPS target at 4K, the High preset is the best choice, as it averages 63 FPS. The Ultra preset is not recommended for 4K because its 50 FPS average falls below the standard 60 FPS target. Medium settings at 4K provide a much smoother experience at 87 FPS, but the visual compromise from High to Medium is noticeable in a game that relies on lighting.

For a high-refresh-rate experience at 1440p, the Medium preset is recommended. It provides an average of 111 FPS with a minimum of 95 FPS, ensuring a fluid experience on most 120Hz or 144Hz monitors. The High preset is also viable at 80 FPS, but the Medium preset offers a better balance of visual quality and speed. The Ultra preset at 1440p is playable at 63 FPS, but it does not take full advantage of a high-refresh-rate display.

At 1080p, all presets are playable. For the best visual experience, the Ultra preset at 75 FPS is acceptable. However, for players with 240Hz monitors, the Low or Medium presets are the only ones that can push frame rates high enough to benefit. The Medium preset at 132 FPS is a strong recommendation for those seeking a balance between high frame rates and good visuals.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a consistent pattern of performance scaling as resolution increases. Moving from 1080p to 1440p on Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 132 to 111, a 16% decrease. Moving from 1440p to 4K on the same settings, the FPS drops from 111 to 87, a 22% decrease. This scaling is expected, as the number of pixels increases by 1.78x from 1080p to 1440p and by 2.25x from 1440p to 4K.

This scaling pattern indicates that the system becomes more GPU-limited at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU is able to feed the GPU enough data to reach 132 FPS on Medium. At 4K, the GPU's processing power is the limiting factor, and the frame rate reflects the increased pixel workload. The gap between the Low and Ultra presets also widens with resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 103 FPS (178 vs 75). At 4K, this gap is 90 FPS (140 vs 50). While the absolute gap shrinks slightly, the percentage drop is similar.

This data confirms that for this CPU/GPU combo, the RTX 4090 is the primary component that dictates performance at 4K. The CPU's massive thread count and high clock speeds are sufficient to avoid becoming a bottleneck, allowing the GPU to operate at its full potential in all tested scenarios. The result is a system that scales predictably with resolution and settings, with the GPU's immense raw power ensuring that even at 4K, the game remains playable on High settings.