The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title, and this pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700KF with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is a study in extremes. The data shows a system with a massive CPU advantage that is consistently held back by a legacy GPU, resulting in a playable experience only at lower settings and resolutions. The benchmark results paint a clear picture of where the bottleneck lies and what sacrifices are necessary.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is severe, confirming that the GTX 1070 is the primary limiting factor. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces an average of 32.1 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that to 26.3 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 21.4 FPS. This is a reduction of roughly 33% from 1080p to 4K, which is a significant hit but not a complete collapse, indicating the GPU is already struggling at the lower resolution.

The scaling pattern shifts dramatically when looking at lower settings. At Low settings, the combo achieves 75.3 FPS at 1080p, 63.1 FPS at 1440p, and 47.5 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are more pronounced here—a 37% decrease from 1080p to 4K—but the absolute numbers remain much healthier. This suggests that once the graphical load is reduced, the GPU has enough headroom to maintain a more consistent frame rate, though the CPU's power is never fully utilized. The Ultra preset tells a different story: it is virtually unplayable across the board, with 29.2 FPS at 1080p, 23.6 FPS at 1440p, and 18.3 FPS at 4K. The game is clearly not scaling well with resolution for this combination; the GPU is the bottleneck in every scenario, and the gap between Low and Ultra widens as resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested configurations, this specific combo ranks 1423 out of 1689 in The Medium. This places it in the bottom 16% of all tested pairings, a low position that reflects the GPU's age and performance class. The CPU's percentile ranking is excellent—it sits in the 96th percentile against all CPUs—but this does little to boost the combo's standing in a game that is heavily GPU-bound. The data indicates that the i7-14700KF is providing all the processing power needed, but the GTX 1070 is unable to translate that into high frame rates.

This rank is not surprising given the GPU's standing. The GTX 1070's percentile against all GPUs is 51, meaning it is exactly average in the database's broader GPU landscape. However, in a modern horror title with fixed camera angles and complex lighting, the Pascal architecture is simply outmatched. The combo's low rank is a direct result of the GPU's mid-pack performance ceiling, not a deficiency in the CPU.

GPU Role

The GTX 1070 is the definitive bottleneck in this configuration. It features 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a capable amount of VRAM for 1080p, but the card's raw compute power is limited. Its FP32 performance is 6.463 TFLOPS, and with a boost clock of 1683 MHz, it is a far cry from modern graphics cards. The data shows this clearly: at 1080p High, the combo only manages 32.1 FPS, which is below the standard for smooth gameplay.

The GPU's DirectX 12 performance score is notably low at 48, which is a telling sign of its age. The Medium likely utilizes modern rendering techniques that the Pascal architecture does not handle efficiently. The card's 1920 shading units and 64 ROPs are simply insufficient for the game's visual effects at higher presets. The 8 GB VRAM is also a concern; while it might be sufficient for 1080p, the data shows that even at 1440p, the frame rates are heavily compromised, suggesting that memory bandwidth or capacity is being stressed. The GPU is a legacy part, and its performance in this game reflects that status.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only at 1080p with the Low preset, where it achieves an average of 75.3 FPS. At Medium settings, it drops to 49 FPS, so a solid 60 FPS is not guaranteed at that preset.

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

A: The data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where the frame rates are consistently acceptable. At 1440p, even Low settings only produce 63.1 FPS, and High settings drop to 26.3 FPS. 4K is not viable for smooth play.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700KF holding back the GTX 1070?

A: No, the benchmark results indicate the opposite. The CPU's benchmark scores are in the 96th percentile, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700K, is within 0% deltaPct. The GPU is the limiting factor, as evidenced by the large FPS drops when increasing graphical settings.

Q: How does the GTX 1070 compare to its nearest rivals in this context?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 12331, which is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Quadro K4200, which is 0.7% ahead. It is also very close to the GTX 1650 SUPER, which is 1.4% ahead. These are all older or lower-tier cards, confirming the 1070's performance class.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at 1080p?

A: No. At 1080p Ultra, the combo produces only 29.2 FPS on average. This is below the threshold for comfortable gameplay, and the frame rate is likely to feel stuttery in action sequences.

Q: What does the FPS data suggest about the game's optimization?

A: The FPS scaling suggests the game is heavily GPU-bound. The CPU's high performance (20 cores, 28 threads) does not translate into higher frame rates. The dramatic difference between Low and Ultra presets (75.3 FPS vs. 29.2 FPS at 1080p) shows that the GPU is responsible for the majority of the work.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance is the Low preset at 1080p. This is the only configuration that delivers a consistently smooth experience with an average of 75.3 FPS. This frame rate is well above the 60 FPS target and provides enough headroom to avoid noticeable dips. The Medium preset at 1080p is a compromise, yielding 49 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a horror game that relies on atmosphere and smooth camera movement.

The High preset at 1080p is not recommended, as it drops to 32.1 FPS, which is on the border of being unplayable. The Ultra preset should be avoided entirely, as it produces 29.2 FPS at 1080p and 18.3 FPS at 4K, making it a slideshow. For users who must play at 1440p, the Low preset is the only viable option, offering 63.1 FPS. However, the visual downgrade from High to Low is significant, so sticking with 1080p is the better choice for this hardware. The data strongly suggests that lowering resolution and settings is necessary to get a playable frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a powerhouse that is completely underutilized in this configuration. With 20 cores and 28 threads, a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, and an L3 cache of 33 MB, it is more than capable of handling any modern game's CPU demands. Its benchmark scores are impressive, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 and a PassMark single-thread score of 4480. In The Medium, however, this processing power is largely irrelevant.

The game's performance is dictated by the GPU, as shown by the FPS data. The CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, and the i7-14700KF is doing this with ease. The low combo rank of 1423 out of 1689 is not a reflection of the CPU's capability but rather the GPU's inability to keep pace. If paired with a more modern graphics card, this CPU would likely push the frame rates much higher. The fact that the CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700K, has a deltaPct of 0 shows that this is a top-tier processor. In this specific game, the CPU is a silent spectator, waiting for the GPU to catch up.