The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title, presents an interesting stress profile for the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti combination. The measured data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet shows surprising headroom at 1080p that points to the substantial processing power of the 20-core CPU. This analysis walks through the benchmark results, focusing on how the frame rate scales with resolution and settings, and what that means for the overall experience.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data shows a clear and predictable pattern of decline as resolution increases, but the severity of that decline varies significantly depending on the quality preset. At Low settings, the transition from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 sees the average frame rate drop from 182.8 FPS to 154.3 FPS, a reduction of roughly 15.6%. Pushing further to 3840x2160 yields 119.9 FPS, which is a 22.3% drop from the 1440p figure. This relatively gentle slope suggests that at Low settings, the system is not yet fully saturated by the GPU's rendering workload; the CPU is able to feed frames quickly enough that the graphics card remains the primary limiter even as pixel count increases.

The scaling story changes dramatically when examining the High and Ultra presets. At High settings, the frame rate falls from 80.5 FPS at 1080p to 67.0 FPS at 1440p, a 16.8% decrease, and then to 51.8 FPS at 4K, another 22.7% drop. The Ultra preset shows a similar pattern, with 67.9 FPS at 1080p, 52.7 FPS at 1440p, and 46.1 FPS at 4K. The performance gap between 1080p and 4K grows larger as settings increase, which is a classic sign of the GPU becoming the dominant bottleneck. At Low settings, the 1080p-to-4K delta is 62.9 FPS, but at Ultra, that same delta shrinks to 21.8 FPS. This compression of the resolution scaling curve at higher quality levels indicates that the RTX 5070 Ti is working near its limits, and the extra pixel throughput required at 4K Ultra cannot be fully compensated by the CPU's capabilities.

The data indicates that the limiting component shifts based on the workload. At 1080p Low, the average frame rate of 182.8 FPS is high enough that the CPU's role becomes more prominent, as the GPU has less work per frame. However, the presence of a 20-core processor with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz means that even in this scenario, the system is unlikely to be CPU-bound in a way that causes stuttering. At 4K Ultra, the 46.1 FPS result clearly shows the GPU is the limiting factor, as the resolution demand outstrips what the graphics card can deliver, regardless of the CPU's headroom.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of all tested combinations for The Medium, this pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti holds a rank of 110 out of 1689 combos. This places it in the top 6.5% of all systems tested, indicating a high-performance configuration. The rank reflects a balance of CPU and GPU power that is well-suited for this title, which relies on both strong single-thread performance for game logic and substantial GPU throughput for rendering the game's dual-reality environments.

The CPU itself is a top-tier part, holding a percentile rank of 96 among all CPUs tested in the database. This is a strong indicator that the processor is not a weak link in the chain. Its average benchmark score of 70074 is nearly identical to that of the Intel Core i7-14700KF, which scores 70104 with a deltaPct of 0, meaning they perform within a rounding error of each other. It also edges out the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, which has an average score of 70420 but a deltaPct of -0.5, indicating the i7-14700K is slightly ahead. The GPU also performs well, with a percentile rank of 87 among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 52086 is effectively tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, which scores 52085 with a deltaPct of 0. This suggests that the RTX 5070 Ti offers performance on par with the previous generation's flagship-class card.

Given this hardware's high individual rankings, the combo's overall rank of 110 is expected. The data implies that while there are 109 faster combinations, they likely consist of even more powerful GPUs paired with similar high-end CPUs. For a horror game that prioritizes atmosphere over competitive frame rates, this ranking indicates a system that can handle the game's demands with ease at most settings, though the 4K Ultra preset may require some compromises.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with High settings?

A: The benchmark data shows an average of 80.5 FPS at 1920x1080 with the High preset.

Q: How does the frame rate at 4K Ultra compare to 1080p Ultra?

A: The average frame rate drops from 67.9 FPS at 1920x1080 to 46.1 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, a decrease of 21.8 FPS.

Q: Is this system capable of running The Medium at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: Yes, the data shows an average frame rate of 97.3 FPS at 2560x1440 with the Medium preset, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: Which resolution and settings combo provides the highest measured average frame rate?

A: The highest average frame rate in the dataset is 182.8 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the performance of the RTX 5070 Ti compare to the RTX 4080 in general benchmarks?

A: The average benchmark score for the RTX 5070 Ti is 52086, while the RTX 4080 scores 52085, showing a deltaPct of 0, meaning their overall performance is statistically identical.

Q: What is the performance gap between Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the average frame rate drops from 119.9 FPS on Low to 46.1 FPS on Ultra, a significant difference of 73.8 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following section details the exact average frame rates recorded for each configuration.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest performance. The Low preset produces an average of 182.8 FPS. Moving to Medium, the frame rate settles at 113.4 FPS. The High preset yields 80.5 FPS, and the Ultra preset brings the average down to 67.9 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution represents a 62.8% reduction in frame rate, showcasing the substantial cost of the highest quality settings.

At 2560x1440, the performance profile shows a similar trend with lower absolute numbers. The Low preset averages 154.3 FPS, which is still exceptionally high. The Medium preset drops to 97.3 FPS, and the High preset records 67.0 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution averages 52.7 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 101.6 FPS, indicating that the higher resolution amplifies the impact of the quality settings.

At 3840x2160, the system faces its toughest challenge. The Low preset averages 119.9 FPS, which is still playable, but the Medium preset falls to 74.0 FPS. The High preset averages 51.8 FPS, and the Ultra preset dips to 46.1 FPS. This final figure is the lowest in the entire dataset, suggesting that 4K Ultra is the only configuration that approaches the limits of comfortable playability for this hardware combination.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience depends heavily on the user's target resolution and preference for visual fidelity over raw performance. For users with a 1080p display, the High preset at 80.5 FPS offers a strong balance, providing a significant visual upgrade over Medium while remaining well above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 67.9 FPS is also viable for those who prioritize maximum image quality, as it maintains a playable frame rate.

At 1440p, the Medium preset stands out as the best choice for a smooth experience, delivering an average of 97.3 FPS. This provides ample headroom for any demanding scenes. The High preset at 67.0 FPS is also a solid option for users who prefer higher detail, as it remains comfortably playable. The Ultra preset at 52.7 FPS is borderline; it is playable but may feel less fluid to users accustomed to higher frame rates.

For 4K gaming, the data suggests that the Ultra and High presets are too demanding for a consistently smooth experience. The Low preset at 119.9 FPS is the best option for high refresh rate play, but it sacrifices visual quality. The Medium preset at 74.0 FPS offers a more balanced approach, providing a decent visual upgrade over Low while maintaining a frame rate that is well-suited for a narrative horror game. Given that The Medium is a slower-paced title, the 46.1 FPS average at 4K Ultra might be acceptable for some, but the Medium preset is recommended for a more stable experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. It supports 28 threads and has a substantial 33 MB of shared L3 cache. Its benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 44534 and a single-core score of 6287. The Geekbench multicore score is 18896, and the single-core score is 2932. These figures, combined with a 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs, indicate that the processor has immense headroom for gaming workloads.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling. The game’s fixed-camera angles and pre-rendered backgrounds in some areas may not utilize all 20 cores effectively, but the high single-thread performance ensures that the main game logic thread is handled without bottlenecking. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves an average of 182.8 FPS, which indicates the CPU is capable of feeding frames at a very high rate. However, as the resolution increases, the GPU becomes the primary constraint, and the CPU's performance advantage becomes less relevant to the final frame rate. The 20 cores and 28 threads provide a safety margin, ensuring that background tasks or other system processes do not interfere with the game's performance. The CPU's 125 W TDP and support for DDR5 memory further solidify its role as a high-end component that will not be a limiting factor in this title. The data points to a system where the GPU is the deciding factor for frame rates at higher resolutions, while the CPU ensures that the system is never the cause of a performance ceiling at lower resolutions.