The Medium

The Medium presents a demanding fixed-camera horror experience, and the benchmark results for the Intel Core i7-14700KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination reveal a system that is clearly constrained by its graphics card at higher resolutions. The data indicates a playable setup at 1080p and 1440p with adjusted settings, but the GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck as resolution increases, pushing the experience toward unplayable territory at 4K with higher presets.

The measured frames per second (FPS) across the three resolutions and four settings provide a clear picture of the scaling behavior. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 34 at Ultra to 96 at Low, while at 2560x1440, it drops to 29 at Ultra and 81 at Low. The 3840x2160 results show a more dramatic falloff, with averages between 23 at Ultra and 64 at Low. This pattern suggests that the RTX 5050’s 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory interface are the primary limiting factors when the pixel count increases, while the CPU’s substantial core count remains largely underutilized in this particular title.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS degradation from 1080p to 4K is steep and non-linear, which points directly to the GPU as the limiting component. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 60 to 51, a 15% reduction. However, the jump from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 at the same Medium preset is far more punishing, with the average falling from 51 to 40, a 21.5% drop. This accelerating decline indicates that the memory bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s and the 8 GB frame buffer are being saturated as the resolution climbs.

At the High preset, the scaling is even harsher. The average FPS at 1080p is 43, which falls to 36 at 1440p and then plummets to 29 at 4K. The percentage loss from 1440p to 4K here is 19.4%, but the absolute value of 29 FPS is already below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset tells a similar story, with averages of 34 at 1080p, 29 at 1440p, and 23 at 4K. This shows that the GPU’s raw compute power, measured at 13.17 TFLOPS, is insufficient to maintain fluid frame rates when the resolution demands more from the rendering pipeline.

Interestingly, the Low preset shows the least relative degradation, going from 96 FPS at 1080p to 81 at 1440p and 64 at 4K. The 33.3% total drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is significant, but it still yields a playable 64 FPS at the highest resolution. This suggests that when the graphical load is minimized, the RTX 5050 can keep pace, but the moment texture quality and effects are increased, the memory subsystem becomes a bottleneck. The data implies that for 4K gaming, only the Low preset is viable, while 1440p users must carefully choose between Medium and High depending on their tolerance for frame rate dips.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a formidable processor with 20 cores and 28 threads, based on the Raptor Lake architecture. Its high core count and boost clock of 5.60 GHz suggest it should easily handle the game’s logic and AI processing. However, the benchmark results indicate that its role in The Medium is secondary to the GPU. The CPU’s benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 and a single-core score of 6235, place it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, showing massive headroom for most gaming workloads.

In this specific game, the CPU’s influence is only noticeable when the resolution drops to 1080p, where the GPU is less stressed. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 96 FPS, which is the highest recorded average across all configurations. This suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to reach that frame rate, but it is not the limiting factor. The fact that the 1080p Ultra preset only reaches 34 FPS, a 64.6% drop from Low, confirms that the GPU’s capabilities are the primary constraint, not the CPU’s processing power.

The processor’s memory support for DDR4 and DDR5, combined with a dual-channel memory bus, provides ample bandwidth for system memory, but this does not translate into higher FPS in this title. The CPU’s 125 W TDP and 33 MB of shared L3 cache are more than sufficient for the game’s requirements. When comparing to its nearest rivals, the i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70163, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and 0.9% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, but these differences are negligible in gaming scenarios. The data suggests that upgrading or downgrading the CPU within this performance class would have minimal impact on the measured FPS in The Medium.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is the clear determinant of performance in this combination. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, the GPU has a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s, which is modest for modern titles. The GPU’s 2560 shading units and 80 TMUs provide a theoretical texture rate of 205.8 GTexel/s, but the 32 ROPs may limit pixel throughput at high resolutions. The benchmark results show that the GPU’s performance is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming at medium settings, but it struggles at 4K.

The GPU’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2502 and Passmark G3D score of 17326 place it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs, indicating mid-range performance. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, has an average score that is 1.6% lower, while the RTX A4000 Mobile is 1.6% higher. This positioning explains why the RTX 5050 cannot handle 4K Ultra settings in The Medium, as the game’s fixed-camera angles and detailed environments require substantial fill rate and memory bandwidth.

The VRAM capacity is a critical factor. At 4K with High settings, the average FPS is 29, which is likely due to the 8 GB frame buffer being exhausted, causing texture streaming or swapping. The Low preset at 4K achieves 64 FPS, suggesting that reducing texture quality and shadow resolution alleviates the memory pressure. The GPU’s boost clock of 2572 MHz and FP32 performance of 13.17 TFLOPS are respectable for the price point, but they are not enough to overcome the memory limitations. The data implies that for a smoother 4K experience, a GPU with more VRAM and a wider memory bus would be necessary, but within this combo, users must accept lower settings to achieve playable frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 1765 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the bottom 39.3% of systems. This ranking is surprising given the CPU’s high performance, but it underscores the GPU’s role as the bottleneck. The combo’s rank is likely dragged down by the RTX 5050’s mid-range standing, as the CPU alone would rank much higher in a CPU-centric benchmark.

Comparing this combo to others with similar GPUs, the data shows that the RTX 5050’s performance is consistent with its peers. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 21035 is only 0.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL and 1.6% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT. This suggests that the combo’s ranking is determined by the GPU’s capabilities rather than the CPU’s. The relatively low ranking indicates that for The Medium, this system is not optimized for high-end settings, and users should temper their expectations for 4K gaming.

The high CPU percentile of 94 versus the GPU’s 66 percentile highlights a significant imbalance. This imbalance means that the system is capable of much more demanding computational tasks, but in this game, the GPU is holding it back. The measured FPS data confirms this, as the differences between settings are much larger than what a CPU bottleneck would produce. For users looking to improve performance in The Medium, the data suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield the most significant gains, while the CPU would not need to be changed.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and the user’s preference for frame rate versus visual fidelity. For 1080p, the Medium preset offers an average of 60 FPS, which is ideal for smooth gameplay. The Low preset at 96 FPS provides a competitive advantage for fast-paced action, but the visual downgrade may not be worth it. The High preset at 43 FPS is playable but may feel less responsive, so Medium is the best balance.

At 1440p, the Medium preset’s average of 51 FPS is the sweet spot, as it maintains a playable frame rate while offering better visual quality than Low. The High preset at 36 FPS is borderline, dipping below 30 FPS in some scenes, so it is not recommended for a consistent experience. The Ultra preset at 29 FPS is too low for smooth play. For 4K, the Low preset at 64 FPS is the only viable option, as the Medium preset at 40 FPS is playable but may stutter, and High and Ultra are unplayable.

The data shows that the Medium preset provides the best experience across all resolutions, with averages of 60, 51, and 40 FPS at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, respectively. The 4K Medium result of 40 FPS is lower than ideal, but it is playable for a horror game where reaction time is less critical. Users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate may opt for High at 1080p or 1440p, but they should expect noticeable drops. The Low preset is recommended for 4K to ensure a stable frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system’s performance across all configurations. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 96 FPS, while Medium averages 60 FPS with minimum and maximum values of 51 and 69 FPS, respectively. High averages 43 FPS, and Ultra averages 34 FPS. These numbers show a clear progression, with each step up in settings costing roughly 30-40% of the frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 81 FPS, Medium averages 51 FPS (min 43, max 58), High averages 36 FPS, and Ultra averages 29 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 37%, which is significant, but the drop from Medium to High is 29.4%, indicating diminishing returns from higher settings. The 1440p results are notably lower than 1080p, with the Ultra preset falling to 29 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS threshold for playability.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 64 FPS, Medium averages 40 FPS (min 34, max 46), High averages 29 FPS, and Ultra averages 23 FPS. The 4K results show that the GPU is heavily taxed, with even the Medium preset dipping below 40 FPS in some instances. The minimum FPS of 34 at 4K Medium indicates potential stuttering, making the Low preset the only reliable choice for a consistent experience at this resolution. The data across all resolutions and settings shows a consistent pattern: the GPU’s performance diminishes rapidly as resolution increases, and the Low preset is the only one that maintains an average above 60 FPS at any resolution above 1080p.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Medium settings provides an average of 60 FPS, making it the best balance of performance and visual quality. 2560x1440 with Medium settings is also viable at 51 FPS, but 3840x2160 is only playable at Low settings with 64 FPS.

*Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K Ultra settings?*

A: No, the measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is only 23 FPS, which is unplayable. The GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for this configuration.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this combo?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The CPU has a 94th percentile ranking and a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167, while the GPU’s 66th percentile ranking and 3DMark score of 2502 indicate it is the limiting factor, especially at higher resolutions.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 21035 is 1.6% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT and 0.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL. This shows it performs similarly to its direct competitors, with no significant advantage in The Medium.

Q: What settings should I use for a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: For a consistent 60 FPS, use the Low preset at 1920x1080, which averages 96 FPS, or the Medium preset at 1920x1080, which averages 60 FPS. At 1440p, the Low preset averages 81 FPS, but the Medium preset at 51 FPS is the highest setting that stays above 50 FPS.

Q: How does the combo’s ranking reflect its overall performance?

A: The combo ranks 1765 out of 2911 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 39.3% of systems. This low ranking is primarily due to the GPU’s mid-range performance, as the CPU is highly capable but underutilized in this game.