The Medium

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers a solid, if not spectacular, showing in The Medium. Benchmark data places this combination at rank 1075 out of 3724 tested configurations, placing it comfortably in the upper third of all systems. The 20-core, 28-thread processor with a 3.40 GHz base and 5.60 GHz boost clock provides ample headroom, but the game's demands at higher resolutions shift the bottleneck decisively toward the GPU. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to show exactly where this pairing excels and where it struggles.

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

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a heavyweight on the CPU side, built on the Raptor Lake architecture with a 10 nm process. Its 20 cores and 28 threads are far more than The Medium requires, as the game's horror pacing and fixed-camera angles rely more on GPU throughput than multi-threaded physics. The processor's 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache ensure that any draw calls or streaming assets are handled without stutter. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU scores a Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 33440.5 and a single-core score of 2160, the latter being more relevant for gaming workloads that depend on single-thread responsiveness.

The data confirms the CPU is not a limiting factor in this configuration. At 1080p, the lowest resolution tested, the average FPS scales dramatically between settings—from 141 at Low down to 50 at Ultra—which indicates the GPU is doing the heavy lifting even when the resolution is low. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain similar across resolutions or settings, but the wide variance points to the graphics card. The processor's Passmark single-thread score of 4472 places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of installed processors. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X and Ryzen 9 7940HX, with which it trades blows within a 0.7% margin, but these differences are irrelevant in a game where the GPU governs frame delivery.

For The Medium, the CPU's role is to maintain a stable frame pacing floor. With a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, the i7-14700K can push minimum frame rates higher in scenes with complex AI or scripted sequences. The measured minimum FPS at 1080p Medium is 75, which is well above playable thresholds, and the CPU's 125 W TDP with an unlocked multiplier suggests it has headroom for overclocking if a user wants to chase higher 1% lows, though the stock data shows no need for that in this title.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

*Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K smoothly?*

A: At 4K, the system only achieves playable frame rates on Low settings, averaging 93 FPS. Medium settings drop to 58 FPS, and High falls to 42 FPS, while Ultra is unplayable at 33 FPS. For a consistent 60 FPS experience, you must stay at 1440p or below.

Q: What is the best resolution for a 60 FPS lock?

A: For 60 FPS or higher, 1440p on Medium settings delivers 74 FPS, while 1440p on High averages 53 FPS. At 1080p, Medium runs at 88 FPS, and High runs at 63 FPS, so 1440p Medium is the sweet spot for higher resolution without sacrificing smoothness.

Q: How does the RX 9070 compare to its closest GPU rivals in raw performance?

A: The RX 9070's average benchmark score is 23877, which is 0.6% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z and 1.1% above the RTX 3080 Mobile. It sits 0.8% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6800S, indicating near-identical rasterization performance across these cards.

Q: Is the CPU overkill for this game?

A: The i7-14700K's 20 cores and 28 threads are far beyond what The Medium needs, as the game's engine is not heavily multi-threaded. The processor's 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs means it will never be the cause of a frame drop, but users would see similar FPS with a cheaper, lower-core-count chip in this specific title.

Q: What is the biggest FPS drop when increasing settings from Low to Ultra?

A: At 1080p, the drop is drastic: from 141 FPS at Low to 50 FPS at Ultra, a 64.5% reduction. At 4K, the drop is from 93 FPS at Low to 33 FPS at Ultra, a 64.5% reduction as well, showing that the GPU's load scales consistently regardless of resolution.

Q: Does the RX 9070 have enough VRAM for this game's textures?

A: The card features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, which is more than sufficient for The Medium's texture demands at any settings. The 644.6 GB/s bandwidth ensures no texture streaming bottlenecks, even at 4K Ultra where the FPS is limited by compute, not memory.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 88 to 74, a 15.9% decline. From 1440p to 4K at the same settings, the FPS falls from 74 to 58, a 21.6% decline. These proportional drops are classic signs of a GPU-bound scenario—if the CPU were the limit, the scaling would be flat. The pattern holds across all settings: at High, 1080p runs at 63 FPS, 1440p at 53 FPS, and 4K at 42 FPS, with each resolution step costing roughly 15-20% performance.

The 1080p Low result of 141 FPS is the only data point where the CPU's headroom becomes apparent, as the GPU is not fully saturated. Even here, the i7-14700K's single-thread performance prevents any ceiling from being hit. The drop from Low to Medium at 1080p is 37.6% (141 to 88 FPS), which is a massive penalty for one settings tier, indicating that the Medium preset enables heavy GPU effects. At 4K, the same settings transition only costs 37.6% (93 to 58 FPS), confirming that the GPU's compute units are the limiting factor across all resolutions.

For a user, this scaling means the RX 9070 is the component to upgrade if 4K gaming is the goal, as the CPU has ample headroom to support a faster GPU without becoming a constraint. The 4K Ultra result of 33 FPS is below the 30 FPS floor for some, but it is technically playable, while 4K High at 42 FPS is tolerable for a horror game that does not require twitch reflexes.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the system shows its strongest performance. Low settings produce an average of 141 FPS, which is overkill for any display and indicates the GPU is barely taxed. Medium settings yield 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 and a maximum of 101, providing a smooth experience with headroom for frame drops. High settings drop to 63 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS threshold for most monitors. Ultra settings plummet to 50 FPS, which is the first sign of the GPU struggling with the game's advanced lighting and shadow effects at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance becomes more balanced for modern displays. Low settings still deliver a high 119 FPS, but Medium settings produce 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 and a maximum of 85, which is a solid result for 1440p gaming. High settings average 53 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced scenes, and Ultra drops to 42 FPS, which is below the desired 60 FPS but still usable for a slow-paced horror title. The minimum FPS at Medium is 63, showing that the frame pacing remains consistent even during demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the limits of the RX 9070 are exposed. Low settings manage 93 FPS, which is surprisingly high and suggests the game scales well with reduced effects. Medium settings average 58 FPS with a minimum of 50 and a maximum of 67, which is just shy of a locked 60 FPS experience. High settings fall to 42 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 33 FPS, making these presets unsuitable for anything but screenshots or cinematic viewing. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K is 37.6%, a larger relative drop than the resolution scaling alone, indicating that the Medium preset enables GPU-intensive features that heavily tax the card.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a Navi 48 chip on a 4 nm process from TSMC. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than enough for The Medium's texture streaming. The card's 3584 shading units and 128 ROPs handle the game's fixed-camera rendering efficiently, but the 56 ray tracing cores are underutilized in this title, as the game does not require RT for its core visuals.

The GPU's clock speeds—1330 MHz base, 2070 MHz game clock, and 2520 MHz boost—are respectable, but the measured FPS shows that the card's raw compute is the limiting factor at higher presets. The 36.13 TFLOPS FP32 performance translates to strong rasterization, but The Medium's Ultra preset appears to enable effects that multiply the shading load beyond what the card can sustain at 4K. The Passmark G3D score of 25381 places the RX 9070 in the 69th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the RTX 3080 Mobile and RTX 2080 SUPER, with deltas under 1.2% in either direction.

At 1080p, the GPU is never fully stressed, as evidenced by the 141 FPS Low result. However, the transition from Medium to High at 1080p costs 28.4% performance (88 to 63 FPS), suggesting that High enables significant pixel shader work. The 4K results show the card's thermal and power envelope: 220 W TDP with a dual-slot cooler and 2x 8-pin connectors, which is manageable for most systems. The 16 GB VRAM is not a limitation here, as the FPS drops are consistent across settings, ruling out memory capacity as a factor.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For a 1080p display, the Medium preset at 88 FPS is the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, as it maintains a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 101, ensuring no stutter during scripted horror moments. High at 63 FPS is acceptable for those who prioritize image quality, but the 25 FPS drop from Medium is noticeable. Ultra at 50 FPS is not recommended, as the visual gains do not justify the performance loss.

At 1440p, Medium is the clear winner with 74 FPS and a minimum of 63 FPS, which provides a smooth experience on high-refresh-rate monitors. High at 53 FPS is playable for a horror game where reaction times are less critical, but the frame rate dips below 60 FPS, which may cause judder on some displays. Low at 119 FPS is excessive for most users, but it is an option for competitive play, though this game does not require such speed.

For 4K, the data is unequivocal: Low settings at 93 FPS is the only preset that delivers a fully smooth experience. Medium at 58 FPS is close to a 60 FPS lock, and the minimum of 50 FPS means occasional dips are possible, but it is still playable. High at 42 FPS and Ultra at 33 FPS are best avoided unless the user is willing to accept a cinematic slideshow. The recommendation is to cap the frame rate at 60 FPS on 1440p Medium for the best experience, or accept 4K Low if resolution is the priority, as the CPU and GPU combination can handle the load without thermal throttling based on the power specifications.