The Medium

The Medium, a 2021 horror title, presents a demanding rendering workload that heavily taxes the GPU. In this analysis, the combination of an Intel Core i7-14700KF processor and an AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT graphics card produces a clear performance profile: the game is firmly GPU-limited across all tested resolutions and settings. The data reveals that the RX 6600 XT, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and RDNA 2 architecture, becomes the primary bottleneck, while the i7-14700KF's substantial core and thread count ensures the CPU side is never the constraining factor. The measured frame rates show a consistent pattern where lower resolutions and lower settings yield playable results, but higher fidelity presets at higher resolutions quickly outpace the card's capabilities.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured FPS data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all four settings presets produce an average frame rate of at least 32 FPS. At 2560x1440 and 3840x2160, the Ultra preset drops to 27 FPS and 21 FPS respectively, making them less viable for consistent gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70163. This places it 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, and 0.9% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. It trails the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K by 1%, as that chip scores 70879.

Q: Is the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT a strong performer relative to other GPUs?

A: The GPU holds a 70th percentile rank among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 24442. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER, scores 24170, placing the RX 6600 XT 1.1% ahead. The data shows it is also 0.7% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 and 0.8% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 91 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 32 FPS. This represents a performance drop of 59 FPS when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings at this resolution.

Q: Does the game become more or less demanding as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K?

A: The data shows a clear increase in demand. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 41 FPS at 1920x1080 to 34 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 27 FPS at 3840x2160. This 34% reduction from 1080p to 4K indicates the game's rendering load scales heavily with pixel count.

Q: What is this combo's rank among all tested combinations for The Medium?

A: This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT ranks 2669th out of 3724 tested combos for this game. This places it in the lower 28th percentile of all combinations in the database.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is the decisive component in this pairing for The Medium. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. This bandwidth, coupled with the card's 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs, dictates the frame rates observed. The card's boost clock reaches up to 2589 MHz, with a game clock of 2359 MHz, which are the operational frequencies that determine its processing throughput. The data shows a hard ceiling on performance that is independent of the CPU's capabilities.

The GPU's role is clearly illustrated by the scaling of frame rates. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the card produces 91 FPS. When the resolution increases to 3840x2160 at the same settings, the frame rate falls to 60 FPS. This 34% reduction in FPS directly corresponds to the increase in pixel rendering workload. The RX 6600 XT's 10.60 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is the raw resource being consumed. The benchmark results indicate that at higher resolutions and settings, the card's compute units and memory subsystem are saturated, leading to the observed frame rate drops. The GPU's passmark G3D score of 16461 and its 70th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirm that while it is a capable mid-range part, it is not designed for maximum fidelity at high resolutions in demanding titles like The Medium.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a straightforward relationship between resolution and performance. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo averages 41 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops this to 34 FPS, and at 3840x2160 it falls further to 27 FPS. This demonstrates a consistent decline as pixel count increases. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is a 17% reduction in FPS, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is a 21% reduction, showing that the scaling is not perfectly linear but the trend is clear.

This pattern strongly indicates a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would remain relatively stable across resolutions, as the CPU's workload does not change with resolution. Here, the performance degrades sharply with each step up in resolution. The difference between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution further confirms this. At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 77 FPS, while Ultra produces only 27 FPS. This 50 FPS gap at the same resolution is a hallmark of a graphics card that is being overwhelmed by the combination of high resolution and complex shaders. The data from the 3840x2160 tests shows the most extreme case, where the Ultra preset bottoms out at 21 FPS. These results show that the RX 6600 XT's memory bandwidth and processing power are the primary determinants of performance, scaling down predictably as the rendering resolution demands more from the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the performance envelope is clear. The Low preset averages 91 FPS, providing a very fluid experience. The Medium preset averages 57 FPS, with minimums of 49 FPS and maximums of 66 FPS, indicating a stable playable range. High settings produce an average of 41 FPS, which is playable but shows the card beginning to struggle. The Ultra preset averages just 32 FPS, a significant drop from High, showing the cost of the highest quality settings.

At 2560x1440, the pressure on the GPU increases. Low settings still perform well at an average of 77 FPS. Medium settings average 48 FPS, with a minimum of 41 FPS and maximum of 55 FPS. High settings drop to an average of 34 FPS, which is below the ideal smoothness threshold. Ultra settings are largely unplayable, averaging only 27 FPS. This resolution demonstrates that for this game, 1440p is only viable for Low or Medium settings with this GPU.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overburdened. The Low preset is the only playable option, averaging 60 FPS. Medium settings average 38 FPS, with a minimum of 32 FPS and a maximum of 43 FPS. High settings fall to an average of 27 FPS, and Ultra settings are the worst performing in the entire dataset at 21 FPS. The data shows that 4K gaming with this combo requires significant compromises in visual quality to maintain any semblance of smooth gameplay.

Settings Recommendations

For a balanced experience, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is the most sensible choice. The data shows it averages 57 FPS with a minimum of 49 FPS, which keeps the gameplay smooth and responsive. This is a substantial improvement over the High preset's 41 FPS average, and it avoids the performance collapse seen at Ultra. The 91 FPS average of the Low preset is smoother, but the visual downgrade may not be worth the extra frames when Medium offers a much better visual experience while still maintaining a solid frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is again the recommended option. The average of 48 FPS is more demanding, but the minimum of 41 FPS ensures that the experience remains playable. The High preset's 34 FPS average introduces more noticeable stutter and is not recommended. At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only viable choice, with its 60 FPS average. The Medium preset at 38 FPS is borderline, but its minimum of 32 FPS suggests it will dip into less smooth territory. Given the data, the best experience per the measured rows is achieved by prioritizing the Medium preset at 1080p and 1440p, and dropping to Low only when playing at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a high-end desktop processor with 20 cores and 28 threads. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. Its 33 MB of shared L3 cache and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory give it a significant performance advantage. In synthetic benchmarks, its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 44167 and its single-core score is 6235. These results place it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70163.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data. The game's performance data shows it is not a bottleneck. The frame rates at 1080p Low (91 FPS) are high enough to suggest the CPU can handle the game's logic and draw calls without issue. The fact that performance scales down with resolution and settings, rather than staying flat, confirms that the CPU is not the limiting factor. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, score 69515, which is 0.9% lower. This performance headroom means that the i7-14700KF is more than adequate for this game, and any performance issues are solely attributable to the GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT ranks 2669th out of 3724 total combinations tested for The Medium. This puts it in the lower portion of the ranking, indicating that while it can run the game, it is not a top-tier configuration. The rank is a direct result of the GPU's limitations. The CPU's high percentile ranking (94th) is offset by the GPU's lower percentile ranking (70th), and in this game, the GPU's performance is what matters.

The data shows that the combo's performance is constrained by the RX 6600 XT. The 2669th rank reflects that many other combinations, likely those with more powerful GPUs, achieve higher frame rates. The CPU's strength is evident in its synthetic scores, but this does not translate to a high ranking in a GPU-bound title. The rank suggests that users with this combo will need to make significant compromises in settings and resolution to achieve a playable experience, as the measured FPS data confirms. The performance is adequate for 1080p gaming at medium settings, but it falls short of what is needed for a high-end experience at higher resolutions.