The Medium

The Medium presents a unique rendering challenge with its dual-world mechanic, and the benchmark data for the Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti reveals a system that is clearly capable but heavily constrained by resolution and settings. This analysis breaks down the measured performance to understand where the bottlenecks lie and what the data suggests about this specific hardware combination.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable but steep decline as resolution increases, which is a classic indicator of GPU-bound performance. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 129 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 109 FPS, a reduction of roughly 15%. Pushing to 4K Low yields an average of 85 FPS, which is a 34% drop from the 1440p figure and a 34% drop from 1080p. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a system where the GPU is the primary limiting factor, as the pixel count increases demand on the rendering pipeline faster than the CPU can compensate.

The trend becomes even more pronounced at higher settings. At Medium settings, the average FPS falls from 81 at 1080p to 68 at 1440p (a 16% drop) and then to 53 at 4K (a 22% drop from 1440p). The High preset shows a similar pattern: 58 FPS at 1080p, 49 at 1440p, and 38 at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with averages of 46 FPS at 1080p, 39 at 1440p, and 30 at 4K. The consistent percentage drops across all settings indicate that the rendering load scales linearly with resolution, and the RTX 3070 Ti is the component that absorbs this increased workload.

What is particularly telling is the gap between Low and Ultra at each resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low (129 FPS) and Ultra (46 FPS) is 83 FPS, a 64% reduction. At 4K, the gap narrows slightly in absolute terms (85 FPS vs 30 FPS, a 55 FPS difference) but the relative impact is similar. This suggests that the game's visual effects, which are tied to the settings presets, add a consistent overhead on top of the resolution scaling. The data implies that for a smooth 60 FPS experience, the user must carefully balance resolution and settings, as the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are finite resources that get consumed rapidly.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global database of tested hardware combinations for The Medium, this specific pairing of the Core i7-14700KF and RTX 3070 Ti ranks 1304 out of 3724 tested combos. This places it in the 65th percentile of all systems tested, meaning it outperforms roughly two-thirds of the configurations in the database for this specific game. This is a solid mid-to-upper tier ranking, reflecting that the combination is more capable than average but not at the top echelon.

The ranking is likely influenced by the fact that The Medium is a demanding title, and the RTX 3070 Ti, while a strong performer, is not the most powerful GPU available. The data shows that this combo sits in the middle of the pack, which is consistent with the GPU's overall percentile of 75 against all GPUs. The CPU, however, is a top-tier part, with a percentile of 94 against all CPUs. This suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this pairing; rather, the GPU's performance ceiling defines the combo's rank.

The nearest rival comparisons for the GPU are instructive. The RTX 3070 Ti scores an average benchmark score of 29945, which is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile (a delta of 0.1% higher) and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 (a delta of -0.5% lower). This indicates that in raw compute terms, the RTX 3070 Ti is on par with these cards, and the in-game ranking for The Medium reflects this parity. The combo rank of 1304 suggests that the specific pairing with the i7-14700KF does not introduce a significant bottleneck or advantage over other tested configurations with similar GPUs.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a memory bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s. The GPU's boost clock is rated at 1770 MHz, with a base clock of 1575 MHz. These specifications are directly relevant to the measured performance in The Medium, which appears to be heavily influenced by memory bandwidth and raw shading power.

The game's dual-world rendering technique likely requires significant memory throughput to manage two simultaneous scenes. The 608.3 GB/s bandwidth appears sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, as evidenced by the playable frame rates at those resolutions. However, at 4K, the 8 GB VRAM capacity may become a limiting factor. While the data does not explicitly track VRAM usage, the significant performance drops at 4K (e.g., from 53 FPS at Medium to 30 FPS at Ultra) suggest that the GPU is struggling to manage the increased texture and geometry data, potentially hitting memory capacity limits that force the system to use slower fallback methods.

The GPU's FP32 performance of 21.75 TFLOPS indicates strong compute capability for the game's effects. Looking at the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3478, this GPU can handle modern API workloads. The PassMark G3D score of 23356 further confirms its mid-range to high-end positioning. The GPU's performance in this game, relative to its peers, is consistent with its average benchmark score of 29945, which sits within 1.6% of its nearest rivals. This suggests that the RTX 3070 Ti is performing as expected for its class, with no anomalous results in The Medium.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: The highest average frame rate is 129 FPS, achieved with the Low settings preset at 1920x1080 resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor for this combo in The Medium?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor. Performance scales significantly with resolution and settings, which is typical of GPU-bound workloads. The CPU's high percentile ranking (94th) compared to the GPU (75th) supports this conclusion.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 Ti compare to the AMD Radeon RX 6800 in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 29945, which is 0.5% lower than the RX 6800's score of 30095. This places them in a very similar performance tier.

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 1440p with any settings preset?

A: Yes. At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 109 FPS, and the Medium preset achieves 68 FPS. The High preset achieves 49 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 4K on the Low preset?

A: The average FPS drops from 129 at 1080p to 85 at 4K, a reduction of 44 FPS or approximately 34% lower performance.

Q: What is the combo's rank out of all tested configurations for The Medium?

A: This combo ranks 1304 out of 3724 total tested combos, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all systems tested for this game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal balance of visual quality and performance for this combo is the Medium preset at 1440p. This configuration yields an average of 68 FPS with a minimum of 58 FPS, providing a consistently smooth experience that stays above the 60 FPS target for most of the playtime. The minimum FPS of 58 indicates only occasional dips below the threshold, which is acceptable for a horror game where sudden frame drops can be part of the atmosphere.

For users prioritizing a stable 60 FPS at 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option, achieving an average of 85 FPS. However, this sacrifices visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 53 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced moments. At 1080p, the High preset offers an average of 58 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS target, but the Medium preset at 81 FPS provides a more comfortable margin and better 1% lows (69 FPS) for smoother gameplay.

The Ultra preset is not recommended for any resolution if frame rate is a priority. At 1080p, it averages 46 FPS; at 1440p, it drops to 39 FPS; and at 4K, it falls to 30 FPS. These figures indicate that the Ultra preset demands more from the GPU than the RTX 3070 Ti can deliver for a consistently fluid experience. The data suggests that the Medium preset at 1440p is the sweet spot, offering a significant visual upgrade over Low while maintaining a frame rate that is high enough to be responsive and immersive.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz and a base clock of 3.40 GHz. Its synthetic benchmark scores are exceptionally high, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 and a single-core score of 6235. The CPU's percentile of 94 against all CPUs confirms its position as a high-end processor that will not bottleneck most gaming workloads.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role appears to be that of a stable foundation that does not interfere with GPU performance. The benchmark data shows that the combo's performance scales consistently with GPU load changes, which would not be the case if the CPU were struggling to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The game's dual-world mechanic may require more CPU overhead for scene management, but the i7-14700KF's 28 threads provide ample headroom for such tasks.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals shows it is extremely competitive. The i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70163, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX. It is 0.9% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X but 1% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K. These tiny deltas suggest that the choice between these top-tier CPUs would have a negligible impact on gaming performance in The Medium, further reinforcing that the GPU is the determining factor for the frame rates seen in this data. The CPU's high single-thread performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6235, is likely sufficient to handle any single-threaded game logic without becoming a limiting factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average FPS, minimum FPS, and maximum FPS for each resolution and settings preset combination measured for this hardware configuration.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 38 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 85 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 53 | 45 | 61 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 30 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 49 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 109 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 68 | 58 | 78 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 39 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 58 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 129 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 81 | 69 | 93 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 46 | - | - |

The data for the Medium preset is the most complete, as it includes minimum and maximum FPS values, offering a clearer picture of frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the frame rate fluctuates between 69 and 93 FPS, indicating a variance of 24 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is 58 to 78 FPS, a variance of 20 FPS. At 4K Medium, the range is 45 to 61 FPS, a variance of 16 FPS. This narrowing variance at higher resolutions suggests that the frame rate becomes more stable as the GPU becomes the sole bottleneck, with less variability introduced by other system components. The consistent average FPS deltas between settings presets (e.g., Low to Medium at 1080p is a 48 FPS difference) confirm that each preset tier adds a similar amount of GPU workload.