The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title from 2021, presents an interesting stress test for the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination. The measured data reveals a configuration that is heavily influenced by graphics settings and resolution, with the GPU acting as the primary bottleneck in most scenarios. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS to understand the performance characteristics of this specific pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear and predictable pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, but the rate of that degradation is highly dependent on the graphics preset. At the Low preset, the system demonstrates remarkable scaling. From 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, average FPS drops from 159.1 to 135.9, a reduction of roughly 15%. Moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160, the frame rate falls further to 105.2, another 23% decrease. This relatively modest scaling at Low settings suggests that the CPU is able to feed frames quickly, and the GPU is not yet saturated, even at 4K.

However, the scaling story changes dramatically at higher presets. At the Ultra preset, the performance drop between 1080p and 1440p is steep, going from 54.6 FPS down to 45.5 FPS, a 17% decline. The jump to 4K is even more punishing, as the average FPS plummets to 35.7, which is a 22% reduction from the 1440p result. This indicates a shift from a potentially CPU-bound scenario at lower resolutions to a heavily GPU-bound one at 4K. The Medium and High presets follow this same trend, with the gap between 1080p and 4K widening as the preset complexity increases. For instance, at High settings, the frame rate drops from 70.4 at 1080p to 45.3 at 4K, a 36% loss. This suggests that while the CPU is robust, the GPU's rendering workload at higher resolutions and presets becomes the limiting factor, which is a typical finding for modern titles.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is clearly the dominant component in this pairing for The Medium. Its role is most evident in the scaling analysis, where the FPS drops align with the increasing pixel count and shader complexity. The card's 12 GB of GDDR7 memory and 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth are likely sufficient for the game’s textures, even at 4K, but the compute load is what drives the performance differences. The GPU's boost clock of 2512 MHz and its 30.87 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are the key metrics that dictate the raw rendering speed.

The performance gap between the Low and Ultra presets at 4K is a stark 65.5 FPS (from 105.2 to 35.7). This wide margin is a direct reflection of the GPU's workload. At Low, the RTX 5070 is not being fully utilized, allowing the high CPU frame generation to shine. At Ultra, the GPU is likely working near its maximum capacity, processing the increased lighting, shadow, and post-processing effects that The Medium uses for its atmospheric horror. The benchmark results suggest that the RTX 5070's architecture is well-suited for this game, but the 4K Ultra preset is a demanding task that pushes it to its limits. The data implies that to achieve a consistently smooth experience at higher resolutions, the user must be willing to adjust the settings, as the GPU is the primary arbiter of frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF plays a supporting but critical role. With 20 cores and 28 threads, it has ample processing power to avoid becoming a bottleneck in most gaming scenarios. The high boost clock of 5.60 GHz is particularly beneficial for maintaining high frame rates at lower resolutions and settings. This is evident in the 1080p Low preset result of 159.1 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that would rely heavily on the CPU's single-thread performance. The CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6290 and a multi-core score of 44557, indicate a very capable processor that can keep up with the GPU's demands.

The question is whether the CPU ever limits performance. At 1080p with the Low preset, the FPS is nearly three times higher than at 4K Ultra. This suggests that the CPU is not the primary constraint; if it were, the frame rates would be more consistent across resolutions. The fact that the FPS scales down with resolution and settings points to the GPU as the main performance limiter. The CPU's role is to ensure that the GPU is fed with enough data, and the data suggests it does this effectively. It is only in very light GPU-load scenarios that the CPU's performance ceiling might become apparent, but even then, the 159.1 FPS result shows there is substantial headroom. The processor's 33 MB of L3 cache likely helps with game asset streaming, but the core takeaway is that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this configuration.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations for The Medium, this pairing holds a specific position. The comboRankInGame places it at rank 330 out of 1689 combos, which puts it in the top 20% of all tested systems. This is a strong showing, indicating that the combination is well above average in performance for this title. The rank is a holistic measure, likely considering performance across all settings and resolutions, and this system's ability to produce high frame rates at lower settings, while still being playable at higher ones, contributes to its placement.

This ranking becomes more meaningful when considering the individual components. The GPU's percentileVsAllGpus is 83, meaning it performs better than 83% of all GPUs in the database. The CPU's percentileVsAllCpus is even higher, at 96. The fact that the combo's rank (top ~20%) is lower than the CPU's percentile suggests that the GPU, despite being strong, is the limiting factor in The Medium. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the combo rank would likely be closer to the CPU's 96th percentile. This indicates that for this specific game, the RTX 5070's performance is what anchors the system's overall standing, preventing it from reaching the very top echelon of results. The data points to a well-balanced system where the CPU's potential is not fully realized due to the GPU's workload, which is common for graphically intensive games.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend entirely on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a standard 60 FPS experience, the data offers clear guidance. At 1920x1080, the High preset achieves 70.4 FPS, and Medium achieves 103 FPS, both comfortably above 60. Even the Ultra preset at 54.6 FPS is close to this target, though it may not be perfectly smooth. For a high-refresh-rate monitor, the Low preset at 1080p provides a very high 159.1 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers 85.2 FPS, which is an excellent balance of visual quality and performance. The High preset also manages 61.4 FPS, which is playable. The Ultra preset drops to 45.5 FPS, which is below the ideal 60 FPS target. For 4K, the situation is more challenging. The Low preset is the only one that provides a high frame rate at 105.2 FPS. The Medium preset at 67.9 FPS is the best option for a smooth 4K experience with better visuals. The High preset at 45.3 FPS and Ultra at 35.7 FPS are not ideal for smooth gameplay. Therefore, the data recommends Medium as the best overall preset for a quality experience at 1440p and 4K, while High is suitable for 1080p.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and preset for a consistent 60 FPS experience?

A: At 1920x1080, the High preset (70.4 FPS) and Medium preset (103 FPS) both exceed 60 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset (85.2 FPS) is the safest choice, while High (61.4 FPS) is also viable. For 3840x2160, only the Low preset (105.2 FPS) provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, with Medium (67.9 FPS) being the minimum for a playable experience.

Q: How does the performance at 4K Ultra compare to 1080p Low?

A: The difference is significant. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 159.1 FPS, which is more than four times higher than the 35.7 FPS at 4K Ultra. This highlights the massive performance cost of enabling the highest visual fidelity at the highest resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The FPS scales heavily with resolution and graphics settings, which are GPU-intensive tasks. The CPU's high performance is evident at low settings, but the frame rate drops as the GPU's workload increases, indicating it is the limiting component.

Q: Is this a good combination for playing The Medium?

A: Yes. The combo ranks 330 out of 1689 tested combinations, placing it in the top 20%. It is capable of running the game at high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, and can handle 4K with adjusted settings. The CPU is not a limiting factor, allowing the GPU to perform to its potential.

Q: What is the performance difference between the High and Medium presets at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset provides a significant performance advantage. It runs at 85.2 FPS, which is 23.8 FPS higher than the High preset's 61.4 FPS. This is a substantial gain that could be the difference between a choppy and a smooth experience.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming with this game?

A: Yes, but with compromises. The data shows that at 4K, the Low preset runs at 105.2 FPS and the Medium preset at 67.9 FPS. The High and Ultra presets fall below 60 FPS, so users will need to select Medium or Low settings for a smooth 4K experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average FPS measurements for the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination in The Medium.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

| :--------- | :------- | :------ |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 159.1 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 103 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 70.4 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 54.6 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 135.9 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 85.2 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 61.4 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 45.5 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 105.2 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 67.9 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 45.3 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 35.7 |