The Medium

# The Medium with Intel Core i7-14700KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D

This combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D delivers a strong showing in The Medium, a horror title from 2021. With the GPU ranking in the 92nd percentile among all graphics cards and the CPU in the 94th percentile among all processors, this pairing is positioned near the top of the hardware hierarchy. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings paint a clear picture of where this combo excels and where it hits its limits, particularly at 4K with higher quality presets.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K reveals how this game's load shifts between the CPU and GPU. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 187 at 1920x1080 to 177 at 2560x1440, and then to 153 at 3840x2160. That is a relatively modest 18.2% reduction from 1080p to 4K, indicating that at Low settings, the system is not fully GPU-bound even at higher resolutions—the CPU’s 20 cores and 28 threads are doing substantial work to keep frame rates high.

Moving to Medium settings, the scaling becomes steeper. The average FPS goes from 144 at 1080p to 122 at 1440p, and then down to 95 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K here is 34.0%, which shows the GPU beginning to assert its influence as the limiting factor. The RTX 5090 D, with its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth, still has headroom, but the rendering load at 4K Medium is clearly heavier than at lower resolutions.

At High settings, the trend continues. The average FPS is 103 at 1080p, 87 at 1440p, and 68 at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is 34.0%, nearly identical to Medium. This suggests that the scaling penalty is consistent once the GPU starts to become the primary bottleneck, regardless of whether you are on Medium or High.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling. The average FPS falls from 82 at 1080p to 69 at 1440p, and then to 54 at 4K. The total reduction from 1080p to 4K is 34.1%, again consistent with the other higher presets. However, the absolute numbers matter: 54 FPS at 4K Ultra is playable but not ideal for a horror game that benefits from smooth motion and atmospheric immersion.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the system is clearly CPU-bound for most settings, as the frame rates are extremely high. At 1440p, the balance shifts toward the GPU, and at 4K, the GPU is the definitive limiting component. The RTX 5090 D’s boost clock of 2407 MHz and base clock of 2017 MHz are sufficient to push high frame rates, but the sheer pixel count at 4K with higher presets demands more from the rendering pipeline.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting a smooth experience, the Medium preset is the sweet spot across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers an average of 144 FPS with a minimum of 123 FPS and a maximum of 166 FPS. This is well above the refresh rate of most monitors and provides a very comfortable margin for any frame time spikes. At 2560x1440, Medium averages 122 FPS with a minimum of 103 FPS, which is still excellent for high-refresh displays. At 3840x2160, Medium averages 95 FPS with a minimum of 81 FPS, making it the only preset that maintains a stable experience above 60 FPS at 4K.

High settings are a viable alternative if you want better visual fidelity without sacrificing too much performance. At 1080p, High averages 103 FPS, which is still very playable. At 1440p, High drops to 87 FPS, which is fine for most users. At 4K, High averages 68 FPS, which is playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. The minimum FPS data is not available for High, but the average suggests it can hold above 60 FPS in most situations.

Low settings are only recommended for competitive play or if you are chasing maximum frame rates on a very high refresh monitor. At 1080p, Low averages 187 FPS, and at 1440p, it averages 177 FPS. Even at 4K, Low averages 153 FPS, which is remarkable. However, the visual quality trade-off is significant, and given this game's horror atmosphere, the immersion loss may not be worth the extra frames.

Ultra settings are the most demanding, and the data shows they push the system hard. At 1080p, Ultra averages 82 FPS, which is still solid. At 1440p, it drops to 69 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 54 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is below the 60 FPS threshold, which could be a problem for players who want a consistent experience on a 4K display. If you are playing at 4K, Medium is the recommended preset; at 1440p, High or Medium both work well; at 1080p, you can comfortably run High or Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for The Medium, this pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 13th out of 2911 tested combos. That places it in the top 0.4% of all systems tested, which is an exceptional position. The rank reflects the combined capability of both components working together, and the measured results confirm that this is a top-tier configuration for this title.

The CPU’s benchmark scores support this high ranking. In Cinebench R23, the i7-14700KF scores 44167 in multi-core and 6235 in single-core. Its average benchmark score of 70163 places it 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, and 0.9% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, while being 1% behind the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K. These are all very close margins, indicating that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo.

The GPU’s benchmark results are equally strong. The RTX 5090 D scores 44065 in Passmark G3D and 14326 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its average benchmark score of 77712 places it 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT, 1.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, 2.1% behind the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB, and 2.4% behind the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB. These deltas are small, but they show that the GPU is competitive with other high-end parts, even if it is not the absolute fastest in every test.

The 13th rank out of 2911 combos means that only a handful of other configurations—likely those with even more powerful GPUs or CPUs—can outperform this one in The Medium. For most users, this combo will deliver frame rates that are at or near the top of what is achievable in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 187 FPS on Low, 144 FPS on Medium, 103 FPS on High, and 82 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset has a minimum of 123 FPS and a maximum of 166 FPS, providing a tight frame time distribution. The Low and High presets do not have min/max data, but the averages are consistent with what you would expect from a high-end system at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 177 FPS on Low, 122 FPS on Medium, 87 FPS on High, and 69 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 103 FPS and a maximum of 140 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is noticeable but not drastic, and all presets remain playable, with even Ultra staying above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 153 FPS on Low, 95 FPS on Medium, 68 FPS on High, and 54 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset has a minimum of 81 FPS and a maximum of 110 FPS, which shows that even at the lowest point, the game stays above 80 FPS. The High preset at 68 FPS is borderline, while Ultra at 54 FPS falls short of the 60 FPS target.

The pattern is clear: the system is capable of very high frame rates at lower resolutions, but 4K Ultra is the only configuration that pushes it below the 60 FPS threshold. The data also shows that the jump from Medium to High at 4K costs 27 FPS on average, while the jump from High to Ultra costs another 14 FPS. This suggests that the visual differences between these presets come at a significant performance cost at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain why it performs so well in The Medium. The GPU features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth. This is more than enough for a game like The Medium, which uses streaming environments and high-resolution textures. The 32 GB capacity ensures there is no risk of running out of video memory at any resolution or setting, even with future mods or texture packs.

The GPU’s clock speeds are also relevant. The base clock is 2017 MHz, and the boost clock is 2407 MHz. These are high frequencies for a modern GPU, and they allow the card to maintain consistent performance under load. The 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is substantial, and it translates directly to the high frame rates seen in the benchmarks. The 170 ray tracing cores are also worth noting, though The Medium does not heavily rely on ray tracing, so their impact on this specific game is limited.

The GPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77712. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT at 1.1% slower, the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT at 1.6% faster, and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants at 2.1% and 2.4% faster. These are all close margins, indicating that the 5090 D is a very fast GPU, but not the absolute fastest in every scenario.

In The Medium, the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1080p, the CPU can feed the GPU fast enough to reach 187 FPS on Low, but the GPU is still capable of more. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as the frame rates drop to 153 FPS on Low and 54 FPS on Ultra. The 1.79 TB/s bandwidth is sufficient for the game’s data demands, but the sheer number of pixels at 4K with Ultra settings taxes the rendering pipeline.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a powerful processor that pairs well with the RTX 5090 D. With 20 cores and 28 threads, it provides ample parallelism for modern games. The base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz are high, and the 33 MB of shared L3 cache helps with data locality. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory, though the dual-channel memory bus is standard for a desktop processor.

The CPU’s benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 and a single-core score of 6235. Its average benchmark score of 70163 places it in the 94th percentile among all CPUs. The nearest rivals are all within 1% of its score, with the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F at 0.2% slower, the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX at 0.4% slower, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X at 0.9% slower, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K at 1% faster. This shows that the CPU is competitive with the best processors available, and it is not a bottleneck in most gaming scenarios.

In The Medium, the CPU’s role is most evident at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 187 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s limit for this game. The fact that 4K Low only drops to 153 FPS—a 18.2% reduction—suggests that the CPU is still providing enough headroom to keep frame rates high even when the GPU is more stressed. At Medium settings, the CPU continues to perform well, with 144 FPS at 1080p and 95 FPS at 4K, indicating that it can handle the game’s simulation and scene management without issue.

The CPU’s 20 cores and 28 threads are more than sufficient for The Medium, which is not a highly threaded title compared to some modern games. The single-core performance is what matters most here, and the 6235 Cinebench R23 single-core score ensures that the game’s main thread is well-served. The CPU’s boost clock of 5.60 GHz is particularly useful for maintaining high FPS in scenarios where the game is CPU-bound, such as at 1080p with lower settings.