The Medium

# The Medium with Intel Core i7-14700K + AMD Radeon RX 9060

This analysis examines the measured performance of The Medium running on an Intel Core i7-14700K paired with an AMD Radeon RX 9060, based exclusively on the provided benchmark data. The combination ranks 1648th out of 2911 tested configurations in this game, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the field. The data reveals a system that can handle the game at lower settings across resolutions, but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at higher presets, particularly at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows how performance degrades as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, and the pattern reveals where the bottleneck sits. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 101 FPS at 1920x1080 to 85 FPS at 2560x1440, then further to 67 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 33.7% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is a moderate scaling curve. The step from 1080p to 1440p costs 16 FPS, while the step from 1440p to 4K costs another 18 FPS. This fairly linear degradation suggests the GPU is becoming progressively more loaded, but the CPU is still providing enough headroom at these lower settings.

At Medium settings, the resolution scaling becomes steeper. The average FPS goes from 63 at 1080p to 53 at 1440p, then drops to 42 at 4K. The 1080p-to-4K delta here is 21 FPS, a 33.3% reduction. Interestingly, the proportional drop is nearly identical to the Low preset, but the absolute numbers are lower across the board. The Medium preset at 4K produces 42 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS threshold that most players would consider smooth.

High settings show an even more pronounced scaling problem. The average FPS at 1080p is 45, falling to 38 at 1440p, and then to 30 at 4K. The proportional drop from 1080p to 4K is 33.3%, consistent with the other presets, but the starting point is already low. A 30 FPS average at 4K High is marginal at best, and the lack of min/max data for this setting means variance cannot be assessed, but the averages suggest a system that is clearly GPU-limited at higher resolutions.

Ultra settings present the worst-case scenario. The average FPS at 1080p is 36, dropping to 30 at 1440p, and then to 24 at 4K. The 1080p-to-4K reduction is again 33.3%, maintaining the pattern. However, at 24 FPS average, the 4K Ultra experience would feel stuttery and unresponsive. The consistent proportional scaling across all four presets indicates that the limiting component is the GPU, as a CPU bottleneck would typically show less degradation at higher resolutions when pixel throughput becomes the dominant cost.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core i7-14700K and AMD Radeon RX 9060 achieves a rank of 1648 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium. This places the system in the 56.6th percentile, meaning it outperforms roughly 56% of all tested configurations. However, this ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU, which sits at the 59th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU ranks at the 94th percentile among all CPUs. The wide gap between CPU and GPU percentiles suggests the graphics card is the limiting factor in this pairing.

Looking at the GPU's nearest rivals provides context for the overall ranking. The Radeon RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, which is 0.7% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129), 1% above the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862), and 1% above the AMD Radeon RX 7700 (15852). The RX 9060 is also 2.1% above the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15679). These deltas are small, meaning the RX 9060 sits in a tightly contested performance band. The combo's rank of 1648 reflects this middling GPU position, despite the CPU's much stronger relative standing.

The CPU's nearest rivals show a different story. The Core i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 69355, which is 0.1% above the AMD EPYC 9115 (69288), 0.2% below the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69515), 0.7% below the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875), and 0.9% below the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (69996). These sub-1% deltas indicate the 14700K is essentially tied with several top-tier processors. In The Medium, this CPU strength does not translate into a high combo rank because the game's frame rates are constrained by the GPU at most settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is built on the Navi 44 chip with RDNA 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 4 nm process at TSMC. It contains 29,700 million transistors on a 199 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 149.2M per mm². The GPU has 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, along with 28 ray tracing cores. Its FP32 performance is rated at 21.43 TFLOPS, with FP16 also at 21.43 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio).

Memory configuration is a critical factor for The Medium's performance. The RX 9060 comes with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The memory operates at 2250 MHz, which translates to 18 Gbps effective. At 4K resolution with High or Ultra settings, the 8 GB capacity may become a constraint, as the measured FPS drops to 30 and 24 respectively. The pixel rate is 191.4 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 334.9 GTexel/s, which are moderate figures that align with the mid-range positioning suggested by the 59th percentile rank among all GPUs.

Clock speeds show a substantial boost range. The base clock is 1700 MHz, the game clock is 2400 MHz, and the boost clock reaches 2990 MHz. The difference between base and boost clocks is 1290 MHz, indicating significant thermal and power headroom when the card is under load. The power draw is rated at 132 W TDP, with a suggested 300 W PSU and a single 8-pin power connector. The card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, which covers the API requirements of The Medium.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and acceptable frame rates. The only settings with min/max FPS data are Medium, which provides a more complete picture of frame time consistency.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 101 FPS average, which is excellent for fast-paced gameplay. The Medium preset at 1080p offers 63 FPS average with a range of 53 to 72 FPS, which is playable but with noticeable dips. High at 1080p drops to 45 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 36 FPS. For 1080p, Low or Medium are the sensible choices, with Medium providing a good balance if the visual fidelity increase is worth the 38 FPS drop from Low.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset still manages 85 FPS average, which is smooth. Medium at 1440p averages 53 FPS with a range of 45 to 61 FPS, which is borderline but workable for a horror game where precise aiming is less critical. High at 1440p produces 38 FPS average, and Ultra drops to 30 FPS. For 1440p, Low is the recommended preset to maintain smoothness, with Medium as a viable option for players who prioritize visuals over frame rate stability.

At 3840x2160, the situation becomes more constrained. Low produces 67 FPS average, which is acceptable. Medium at 4K averages 42 FPS with a range of 35 to 48 FPS, which will feel sluggish in tense scenes. High at 4K averages 30 FPS, and Ultra averages 24 FPS. For 4K, only Low is recommended for a consistently playable experience. The Medium preset at 4K could be considered if the player accepts sub-50 FPS performance, but the 35 FPS minimum suggests occasional stutter.

The data indicates that the RX 9060 is best paired with Low or Medium settings in The Medium, regardless of resolution. The jump from Low to Medium costs approximately 37% of the frame rate at every resolution, while the jump from Medium to High costs roughly 28% more, and High to Ultra costs about 20% more. Diminishing returns set in quickly, so Low or Medium provides the most efficient use of the GPU's capabilities.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play The Medium with this combo?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 101 FPS average, which is the highest measured frame rate. At 2560x1440 Low, it still delivers 85 FPS average. At 3840x2160 Low, the average drops to 67 FPS. The best resolution depends on the display, but 1080p and 1440p both offer comfortable frame rates at Low settings.

Q: Can this system handle 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. The measured 4K Ultra average is 24 FPS, which is below playable thresholds for most users. Even 4K High only averages 30 FPS. The 4K Low preset at 67 FPS is the only 4K option that provides a smooth experience.

Q: How does the RX 9060 compare to the RTX 3060 Ti?

A: The RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, which is 0.7% lower than the RTX 3060 Ti's 16129 score. In practical terms, the two GPUs perform nearly identically in synthetic benchmarks, though game-specific performance in The Medium is not directly compared.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting component. The Core i7-14700K ranks at the 94th percentile among all CPUs, while the RX 9060 ranks at the 59th percentile among GPUs. The consistent proportional FPS drops across resolutions further indicate GPU-bound performance.

Q: What is the average FPS range at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 53, with a minimum of 45 FPS and a maximum of 61 FPS. This represents a 16 FPS spread, showing moderate frame time variance.

Q: How much faster is Low versus Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low averages 101 FPS while Ultra averages 36 FPS. Low is 65 FPS faster, representing a 180.6% improvement over Ultra. The gap narrows at higher resolutions but remains substantial.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration, and it features UHD Graphics 770 integrated graphics.

Synthetic benchmarks show the 14700K's strengths. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 33440.5, while the single-core score is 2160. Geekbench results show 20767 multicore and 2569 single-core. PassMark scores include 52392 for multithread and 4472 for single thread. The CPU's average benchmark score is 69355, placing it at the 94th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, scores 69515, a mere 0.2% difference.

In The Medium, this CPU power is largely underutilized. The measured FPS at 1080p Low is 101, which is the highest in the dataset, but this still does not stress the CPU's full capabilities. The consistent proportional FPS drops across resolution scaling — approximately 33.3% from 1080p to 4K at every settings preset — confirm that the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 59th percentile creates a substantial imbalance, meaning the 14700K has significant headroom that the RX 9060 cannot exploit in this game.

The CPU's single-thread performance, as evidenced by the 4472 PassMark single-thread score and 2160 Cinebench R23 single-core score, is more than adequate for The Medium's engine. Horror games often have CPU-bound scenes with many dynamic objects or AI routines, but the data here shows no such bottleneck. The lowest measured average FPS is 24 at 4K Ultra, and even that low number appears to be GPU-limited given the scaling pattern.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS dataset covers three resolutions and four settings presets, with only the Medium preset providing min and max frame data across all resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the best performance with an average of 101 FPS. Medium at 1080p averages 63 FPS, with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS. High at 1080p drops to 45 FPS average, and Ultra falls further to 36 FPS average. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 65 FPS, with each settings step producing progressively smaller absolute drops: 38 FPS from Low to Medium, 18 FPS from Medium to High, and 9 FPS from High to Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 85 FPS. Medium at 1440p averages 53 FPS, with a minimum of 45 FPS and a maximum of 61 FPS. High at 1440p averages 38 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at each preset is consistent: Low drops by 16 FPS, Medium by 10 FPS, High by 7 FPS, and Ultra by 6 FPS. Smaller absolute drops at higher settings indicate the GPU is already saturated at 1080p Ultra, so resolution increases have less marginal impact.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 67 FPS. Medium at 4K averages 42 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS. High at 4K averages 30 FPS, and Ultra averages 24 FPS. The 1440p-to-4K transition costs 18 FPS at Low, 11 FPS at Medium, 8 FPS at High, and 6 FPS at Ultra. The narrowing deltas at higher presets reinforce the GPU-bound nature of the system.

The Medium preset at each resolution provides the only frame time variance data available. At 1080p, the 53-to-72 FPS range indicates a 19 FPS spread. At 1440p, the 45-to-61 FPS range shows a 16 FPS spread. At 4K, the 35-to-48 FPS range shows a 13 FPS spread. The variance decreases as resolution increases, which is consistent with GPU-bound scenarios where higher pixel counts smooth out frame-to-frame workload fluctuations. All three Medium presets maintain averages above 42 FPS, making Medium the highest settings level that stays above 40 FPS at every tested resolution.