The Medium

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER occupies the 1292nd position out of 1689 tested combinations for The Medium. This places the combo in the lower-mid tier of the database, indicating that while the processor is exceptionally capable, the graphics card becomes the primary constraint in this title. The combination sits below the median performance threshold, meaning a majority of tested systems deliver higher frame rates, but the data also shows that playable results are achievable with the right settings adjustments.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1292 out of 1689 places it in the 76th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly a quarter of tested systems perform worse. This positioning is heavily influenced by the GPU’s percentile versus all GPUs, which sits at 63, while the CPU’s percentile versus all CPUs is a much higher 96. The disparity between these two metrics confirms that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting factor. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 70074 places it within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X and essentially tied with the Intel Core i7-14700KF (deltaPct of 0%). The GPU’s average benchmark score of 19774 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (deltaPct 0.3%) and just 0.5% behind the RTX 2070. In practical terms, this means the system’s frame rates will align closely with those of a GTX TITAN or RTX 2070 setup, despite the i7-14700K’s top-tier processing power.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K bottlenecking the RTX 2060 SUPER in The Medium?

A: No. The CPU’s 96th percentile ranking versus all CPUs indicates it has ample headroom. The GPU’s 63rd percentile ranking is the constraining factor, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling patterns across resolutions.

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

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 91.7 FPS, which is the highest average across all tested configurations. For a balance of quality and performance, 2560x1440 with Low settings yields 79.7 FPS, while 3840x2160 with Low settings drops to 60.2 FPS.

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

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it produces 60.2 FPS. At Medium settings, 4K performance falls to 35.5 FPS, and at High settings it drops to 25.2 FPS. Ultra settings at 4K are not viable, yielding just 19.6 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 19774 is 0.3% higher than the GTX TITAN, 0.5% higher than the RTX 2070, and 0.8% higher than the Quadro K5200. These deltas are negligible, meaning performance in The Medium should be nearly identical to those cards.

Q: What is the CPU’s core and thread configuration?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700K features 20 cores and 28 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. It has 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache per core.

Q: Is the i7-14700K’s processing power fully utilized in this game?

A: The data suggests it is not. Since the GPU is the bottleneck, the CPU’s massive multithreaded capacity (Cinebench R23 multicore score of 44534) is likely underutilized. The game’s performance ceiling is set by the graphics card, not the processor.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU limitation. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings reduces the average frame rate from 40.5 FPS to 33.5 FPS, a drop of 17.3%. Scaling further to 3840x2160 at High settings brings the average down to 25.2 FPS, a 37.8% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This consistent degradation across resolutions indicates the rendering pipeline is saturated by the GPU’s compute and memory bandwidth limits. The RTX 2060 SUPER’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth becomes increasingly strained as pixel count rises. At Low settings, the scaling is less severe: 91.7 FPS at 1080p, 79.7 FPS at 1440p, and 60.2 FPS at 4K. This suggests that even at the lowest quality preset, the GPU still has headroom at 1080p but begins to hit its limits at 4K. The CPU, with its 5.60 GHz boost clock, is never the limiting factor; even at 1080p Low, the system achieves 91.7 FPS, which is well below what the i7-14700K could theoretically push in a GPU-unconstrained scenario.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest performance. Low settings produce an average of 91.7 FPS, which is the only configuration in the entire dataset to exceed 90 FPS. Medium settings yield 54.4 FPS, High settings drop to 40.5 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 29.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is substantial at 37.3 FPS, indicating that the Medium preset introduces significant rendering costs. At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds but with lower absolute numbers. Low settings achieve 79.7 FPS, Medium drops to 48.1 FPS, High falls to 33.5 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 26.9 FPS. The delta between Low and Medium at 1440p is 31.6 FPS, slightly smaller than at 1080p. At 3840x2160, performance becomes marginal for smooth gameplay. Low settings still manage 60.2 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 35.5 FPS, High falls to 25.2 FPS, and Ultra produces just 19.6 FPS. The scaling from Medium to High at 4K is a 9.7 FPS reduction, while High to Ultra is a 5.6 FPS reduction. This demonstrates that the GPU’s compute units (2176 shading units) and texture units (136 TMUs) are progressively overwhelmed as both resolution and quality settings increase.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal experience for this combo depends on the target resolution and frame rate preference. At 1920x1080, Low settings at 91.7 FPS offer the smoothest gameplay, but Medium at 54.4 FPS provides a more visually detailed image while still maintaining acceptable fluidity for a horror title. For players prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate, High at 40.5 FPS is viable, though Ultra at 29.4 FPS is not recommended due to the sub-30 FPS average. At 2560x1440, Low settings at 79.7 FPS are the clear choice for competitive or responsive play. Medium at 48.1 FPS is a reasonable middle ground, but High at 33.5 FPS and Ultra at 26.9 FPS fall below the 30 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for playable performance. At 3840x2160, only Low settings at 60.2 FPS are recommended. Medium at 35.5 FPS is borderline, while High at 25.2 FPS and Ultra at 19.6 FPS are too slow for a smooth experience. The data suggests that the RTX 2060 SUPER is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p with Low or Medium settings, where it can deliver frame rates that take advantage of the CPU’s capability to feed frames quickly.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor built on Intel’s 10 nm Raptor Lake architecture. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz provide substantial single-thread performance, as reflected in its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6287. The CPU’s 96th percentile ranking versus all CPUs indicates it is among the top 4% of processors tested, yet the combo’s overall rank in The Medium is dragged down by the GPU. The game’s measured FPS data shows no scenario where the CPU appears to be the bottleneck. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU has the least work to do, the system only reaches 91.7 FPS — a figure that is well within the CPU’s ability to sustain given its 28 threads and high boost clock. The CPU’s L3 cache of 33 MB shared and L2 cache of 2 MB per core provide ample fast memory for game logic and asset streaming. The i7-14700K’s nearest rivals include the i7-14700KF (deltaPct 0%) and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (deltaPct -0.5%), showing that its raw compute power is competitive with the fastest consumer processors. However, in The Medium, this processing power goes largely untapped because the RTX 2060 SUPER’s 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 64 ROPs cannot keep pace with the CPU’s frame generation potential. The GPU’s 8 GB of VRAM also becomes a limiting factor at higher resolutions, particularly at 4K where texture memory demands increase. For this combo, the CPU is a future-proofing asset — if the GPU were upgraded, the i7-14700K would have ample headroom to support higher frame rates, but as configured, the system’s performance ceiling is firmly set by the graphics card.