The Medium

The Intel Core i7-14700K and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT combination delivers a playable but demanding experience in The Medium, with performance that scales predictably across resolutions and settings. The data reveals a system that is clearly GPU-bound at higher presets, while lower settings unlock impressive headroom that suggests the CPU is more than capable of keeping pace. The measured frame rates show that this pairing is best suited for 1440p gaming, where it can balance visual fidelity and smoothness, while 4K Ultra remains a challenge that pushes the graphics card to its limits.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, confirming that the Radeon RX 7800 XT is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 59.6 at 1920x1080 to 48.6 at 2560x1440, a decrease of 11 frames, and then further down to 42.8 at 3840x2160. This pattern shows a 28% reduction in performance when moving from 1080p to 4K, which is a significant hit that indicates the GPU is struggling to maintain output as pixel count increases.

The scaling is even more dramatic at Ultra settings, where the average FPS drops from 50 at 1080p to 41.4 at 1440p, and finally to 31.1 at 4K. This 38% loss from 1080p to 4K at Ultra demonstrates that the most demanding preset is heavily taxing the 16 GB of VRAM and the GPU’s compute capabilities. Conversely, at Low settings, the drop is less severe: from 132.9 at 1080p to 115.8 at 1440p and 91.2 at 4K, representing a 31% total decrease. This smaller relative drop at Low settings suggests that the CPU, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, is not the bottleneck here; the GPU remains the limiting component across all configurations.

The data indicates that 4K gaming is only viable at Low settings, where the 91.2 average FPS is acceptable. However, the jump from Low to Medium at 4K (91.2 to 56.6) is a massive 61% performance penalty, making Medium the threshold where the GPU’s limitations become critical. For a smoother experience, the sweet spot is 1440p, where High settings deliver 48.6 FPS and Medium reaches 71.1, providing a balanced trade-off between visual quality and playability.

Settings Recommendations

The best experience per the measured rows is at 2560x1440 with Medium settings, which yields an average FPS of 71.1. This preset offers a substantial improvement over High (48.6 FPS) while maintaining a playable frame rate that is well above the 60 FPS threshold. At 1080p, Medium is also strong at 86.8 FPS, but the higher resolution of 1440p provides more visual detail without sacrificing smoothness.

For players prioritizing frame rate over fidelity, Low settings at 1440p deliver 115.8 FPS, which is excellent for fast-paced sequences, but the visual downgrade may not be worth it in a horror title where atmosphere matters. Ultra settings are not recommended at any resolution, as even at 1080p the average FPS of 50 is below the ideal target, and at 4K it drops to an unplayable 31.1. The data suggests that Medium is the optimal preset for this combination, as it provides the best balance of performance and quality across all three tested resolutions.

At 4K, the choice is starker: Low settings at 91.2 FPS are the only viable option, as Medium (56.6) and High (42.8) both fall short of the 60 FPS mark. The 4K Ultra result of 31.1 FPS is a clear outlier that should be avoided. Overall, the measured data points to Medium as the recommended preset, with 1440p being the target resolution for the best overall experience.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT, with its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth, is the deciding factor in this game’s performance. The GPU’s boost clock of 2430 MHz and game clock of 2124 MHz provide the raw compute power needed to render The Medium’s horror environments, but the results show that this is not enough for the highest presets. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4157 and the Passmark G3D score of 24176 place this GPU in the 76th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a solid mid-range performer, but not a top-tier solution.

The VRAM capacity of 16 GB is ample for the game’s textures, but the 256-bit bus width and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth appear to be a constraint at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS plummets to 31.1. The data shows that the GPU’s performance scales poorly with increasing resolution, particularly at Ultra settings, suggesting that the memory bandwidth is saturated. The FP32 compute of 37.32 TFLOPS is respectable, but the game’s demands at 4K Ultra exceed what this GPU can deliver.

The GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 and NVIDIA P104-100, have similar average benchmark scores, but the RX 7800 XT’s gaming-specific optimizations for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 likely contribute to its measured performance. The 60 RT cores are present for ray tracing, but the results indicate that traditional rasterization is the focus here, as the frame rates at High and Ultra presets are not competitive with higher-tier cards. Ultimately, the RX 7800 XT is a capable GPU for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but its limits are clearly exposed at 4K Ultra in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT ranks 592 out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the 65th percentile of all systems tested. This ranking suggests that while this setup is above average, it is not among the top performers for this game. The CPU’s high percentile rank (96th vs all CPUs) is offset by the GPU’s lower rank (76th vs all GPUs), resulting in a mid-tier combo ranking.

The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-14700KF (0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (-0.5% delta), have nearly identical average benchmark scores, indicating that the i7-14700K is not the limiting factor. The GPU’s rivals, including the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 (0.2% delta) and NVIDIA T600 Mobile (-0.7% delta), show that the RX 7800 XT is closely matched with other mid-range cards. This data suggests that the combo’s rank is driven by the GPU’s performance ceiling, not the CPU.

The 592nd rank out of 1689 combos means that many systems with faster GPUs will outperform this setup in The Medium, particularly at higher resolutions. However, the data also shows that this combo is well-balanced; the CPU provides ample headroom, as evidenced by the 132.9 FPS at 1080p Low, which is far from a CPU bottleneck. Overall, this ranking reflects a system that is competent for 1440p gaming but will struggle to compete with higher-end configurations at 4K.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in The Medium?*

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with Medium settings provides the best experience, achieving an average FPS of 71.1. This is the sweet spot where visual quality and performance are balanced.

*Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in The Medium?*

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it achieves an average FPS of 91.2. At Medium and High settings, the frame rates drop to 56.6 and 42.8, respectively, which are below the 60 FPS target.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The CPU’s performance, with 20 cores and 28 threads, allows for 132.9 FPS at 1080p Low, while the GPU struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K, especially at Ultra settings where the average FPS is 31.1.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 592 out of 1689 tested combos, placing it in the 65th percentile. This is a solid mid-tier result, driven primarily by the GPU’s performance limitations.

Q: What is the playable preset at 4K?

A: Only Low settings are playable at 4K, with an average FPS of 91.2. Medium drops to 56.6, which is borderline, and High at 42.8 is not recommended.

Q: Does the 16 GB VRAM help at higher resolutions?

A: The 16 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game’s textures, but the memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s appears to be a limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS falls to 31.1.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 50 at Ultra to 132.9 at Low. Medium settings deliver 86.8 FPS, while High settings achieve 59.6. This resolution is the most forgiving, with all presets except Ultra providing playable frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low at 115.8, Medium at 71.1, High at 48.6, and Ultra at 41.4. The drop from Medium to High is 31%, making Medium the preferred choice for a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the data shows: Low at 91.2, Medium at 56.6, High at 42.8, and Ultra at 31.1. The performance penalty for moving from Low to Medium is 38%, and Ultra is unplayable. This breakdown confirms that the RX 7800 XT is best suited for 1080p and 1440p, with 4K requiring significant compromises.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K, with its 20 cores, 28 threads, and boost clock of 5.60 GHz, provides more than enough processing power for The Medium. This is evident from the 132.9 FPS at 1080p Low, which is a scenario where the GPU is not the limiting factor, and the CPU still delivers excellent results. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multicore score of 44534 and single-core score of 6287 place it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, indicating that it is a top-tier processor for gaming.

The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-14700KF (0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (-0.5% delta), show that the i7-14700K is competitive with the best processors available. The large L3 cache of 33 MB (shared) and support for DDR5 memory ensure that the CPU can feed the GPU without bottlenecks. In this game, the CPU’s role is to maintain a high frame ceiling, which it does admirably, as evidenced by the 115.8 FPS at 1440p Low.

The data suggests that the CPU is never the limiting factor in this combo. Even at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS is 31.1, the bottleneck is the GPU’s inability to render the scene quickly enough, not the CPU’s processing speed. The i7-14700K’s 125W TDP and 10 nm process node provide efficient performance, making it a stable foundation for the RX 7800 XT. In summary, the CPU is a strong partner that leaves performance on the table, waiting for a more powerful GPU to fully unlock its potential.