The Medium

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti ranks 881st out of 1,689 tested combos in The Medium. This places the configuration in the upper-middle tier of the database, indicating a solid but not elite performer for this specific title. The processor is a top-tier component, sitting in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, while the graphics card is more mid-range, landing in the 69th percentile of all GPUs. This disparity suggests the GPU is the primary constraint on overall frame rates.

Benchmark results confirm this imbalance. The CPU's average benchmark score of 70,104 puts it in direct competition with the Intel Core i7-14700K (deltaPct: 0) and just 0.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 9115. The GPU's average score of 25,120 is statistically tied with the AMD Radeon RX 6700M (deltaPct: -0.2) and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 (deltaPct: -0.5). In practical terms, the CPU has significant headroom, while the GPU is working near its performance ceiling relative to its peers.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the most playable resolution. At Medium settings, it delivers 71.1 FPS, and at Low settings it reaches 113.8 FPS. Higher resolutions like 2560x1440 and 3840x2160 show a steep drop in performance.

Q: Is the RTX 3060 Ti or the Core i7-14700KF the limiting factor?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces only 26.5 FPS, while the CPU's processing power (20 cores, 28 threads) is far more than the game requires at those settings. The CPU sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 69th percentile.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Core i7-14700KF's average benchmark score of 70,104 is essentially identical to the Intel Core i7-14700K (deltaPct: 0) and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (deltaPct: -0.4). It is 1.3% behind the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti's average benchmark score of 25,120 is within 0.7% of all its nearest rivals. The AMD Radeon RX 6700M is 0.2% faster, while the AMD Radeon RX 6600 and AMD Radeon 890M are each 0.5% faster.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is adequate for 1080p gaming but becomes a limiting factor at higher resolutions in this title.

Q: What is the CPU's core configuration?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF has 20 cores and 28 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. It includes 33 MB of shared L3 cache.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and clearly indicates that the GPU is the limiting component. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 47.4 at 1920x1080 to 42.5 at 2560x1440, a modest 10.3% reduction. However, moving to 3840x2160 drops the frame rate to 35.0, a 26.2% decrease from 1080p.

This pattern intensifies at lower settings. At Low settings, the combo produces 113.8 FPS at 1080p, 93.1 at 1440p, and 73.0 at 4K. The 4K result is only 64.1% of the 1080p figure. At Medium settings, the drop is similar: 71.1 at 1080p, 61.7 at 1440p, and 46.5 at 4K. The 4K Medium result is 65.4% of the 1080p result.

The scaling behavior suggests the game is heavily dependent on fill rate and memory bandwidth. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient at 1080p but become stressed at 1440p and especially 4K. The CPU, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, shows no signs of being the bottleneck at any resolution, as the frame rate drops are consistent with GPU-bound workloads.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, Medium settings at 1920x1080 provide the optimal balance. The measured 71.1 FPS at Medium is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while High settings drop to 47.4 FPS and Ultra to 41.7 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium costs 37.7% of the frame rate (from 113.8 to 71.1 FPS), but the visual improvement is generally worth the trade-off in a horror title where atmosphere matters.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings are the highest playable option, delivering 61.7 FPS. High settings at 42.5 FPS are borderline, and Ultra at 33.2 FPS is too choppy for a game that relies on tension and timing. At 3840x2160, Low settings at 73.0 FPS are the only viable option; Medium at 46.5 FPS is marginal, and High at 35.0 FPS is not recommended.

For players prioritizing visual fidelity over raw frame rate, High settings at 1080p are acceptable at 47.4 FPS, but the data shows that Medium provides a more consistent experience without the steep performance penalty of Ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. Low settings produce 113.8 FPS, Medium produces 71.1 FPS, High produces 47.4 FPS, and Ultra produces 41.7 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 42.7 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is only 5.7 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns at the highest preset.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop across the board. Low settings yield 93.1 FPS, Medium yields 61.7 FPS, High yields 42.5 FPS, and Ultra yields 33.2 FPS. The performance spread between Low and Ultra is 59.9 FPS, which is similar to the 72.1 FPS spread at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overwhelmed. Low settings produce 73.0 FPS, Medium produces 46.5 FPS, High produces 35.0 FPS, and Ultra produces 26.5 FPS. The Ultra result is only 36.3% of the 1080p Low result, highlighting the severe impact of 4K rendering on this mid-range GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a high-end processor with 20 cores and 28 threads, built on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz provide substantial single-thread performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6,290 and multi-core score of 44,557.

In The Medium, the CPU's role is largely secondary. The game's frame rates at 1080p Low (113.8 FPS) and 4K Low (73.0 FPS) show that the processor is capable of feeding the GPU at all tested resolutions. The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 4,480 and multi-thread score of 52,425 place it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, meaning it has far more headroom than the GPU can use in this title.

The 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample bandwidth for game logic and asset streaming. The CPU's 125 W TDP and dual-channel memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 are consistent with a desktop platform that prioritizes raw performance over efficiency. In benchmark terms, the i7-14700KF is statistically tied with the i7-14700K (deltaPct: 0) and just 0.4% behind the Ryzen 9 9950X, confirming it is not the source of any performance limitations in this combo.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the defining component in this configuration. Based on the GA104 chip on Samsung's 8 nm process, it features 4,864 shading units, 152 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

In The Medium, the GPU's limitations are apparent at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 26.5 FPS is the lowest measured score, and even 1440p Ultra struggles at 33.2 FPS. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 20,349 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 2,626 place it in the 69th percentile of all GPUs, which is consistent with its mid-range positioning.

The GPU's clock speeds (1,410 MHz base, 1,665 MHz boost) and 16.20 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are modest by modern standards. Its 38 RT cores and 152 tensor cores provide some ray tracing and DLSS capability, but the measured FPS data suggests these features are not effectively leveraged in this title at playable frame rates. The GPU's nearest rivals, including the RX 6700M (deltaPct: -0.2) and RX 6600 (deltaPct: -0.5), all perform within 0.7% of the RTX 3060 Ti, confirming it is a solid but not exceptional performer for this game.