The Medium

The data for The Medium with the Intel Core i9-14900K and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX reveals a surprisingly steep performance curve across settings and resolutions. This combination of a 24-core, 32-thread processor with a high-end RDNA 3.0 graphics card produces results that are not uniformly consistent, suggesting that the game’s engine and the selected presets interact in ways that favor some configurations more than others. The measured frames per second (FPS) range from 174.9 at 1080p Low down to 38.3 at 4K Ultra, a spread that indicates both the raw capability of the hardware and the demanding nature of the title’s highest visual options.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a desktop processor built on the Raptor Lake architecture, using a 10 nm process. It packs 24 cores and 32 threads, with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 36 MB L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 49872 and a single-core score of 7040, alongside a Geekbench multi-core score of 20370 and a single-core score of 3064. Its Passmark multi-thread score is 58674, with a single-thread score of 4697.

These numbers establish the i9-14900K as an exceptionally powerful processor, placing it in the 97th percentile among all CPUs tested. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7413, which scores 80041 on average, and the Intel Core i9-14900KF, which scores 79245. The i9-14900K’s average benchmark score is 79824, with deltas of -0.3% versus the EPYC 7413 and +0.7% versus the i9-14900KF. For a game like The Medium, which is a horror title released in early 2021, the CPU’s role is to manage the game’s logic and rendering tasks. The high boost clock of 6.00 GHz is particularly relevant for single-threaded workloads, which often dominate in game engines.

The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 174.9 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 38.3 FPS. This pattern suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in most scenarios, as the performance scales heavily with resolution and settings. The 24-core count provides ample headroom for background tasks and any multithreaded aspects of the game, but the sheer number of cores does not directly translate into higher frame rates when the GPU is the limiting factor. The L3 cache of 36 MB helps with data locality, but again, the game’s performance appears more tied to the GPU’s capabilities at higher presets.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

*Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this hardware combo in The Medium?*

A: The highest average FPS is 174.9, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K resolution with Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 38.3, which is the lowest score in the measured dataset.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings yield an average of 90.8 FPS, while High settings yield 63.9 FPS, a difference of 26.9 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the limiting factor at 1080p Low settings?

A: The data shows 174.9 FPS at 1080p Low, which is substantially higher than other 1080p presets, suggesting the CPU can drive high frame rates, but the GPU still handles the rendering load.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested configurations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 193rd out of 1689 total combos tested in The Medium, placing it in the top tier of configurations.

Q: How does the average FPS at 4K High compare to 1440p High?

A: At 3840x2160 High, the average FPS is 50.9, while at 2560x1440 High, it is 63.9, showing a 13 FPS drop when moving up to 4K.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear trend of performance degradation as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the drop varies significantly by settings preset. For Low settings, the average FPS goes from 174.9 at 1080p to 146.2 at 1440p, then down to 115.7 at 4K. This is a 33.9% reduction from 1080p to 4K, indicating that even at Low settings, the GPU is facing a heavier workload at higher resolutions. For Medium settings, the drop is steeper: 106.6 FPS at 1080p, 90.8 FPS at 1440p, and 72.4 FPS at 4K, a 32.1% decrease from 1080p to 4K.

High settings show a more pronounced scaling issue. At 1080p, the average is 77.4 FPS, which drops to 63.9 FPS at 1440p and further to 50.9 FPS at 4K. This represents a 34.2% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The Ultra preset demonstrates the largest relative drop: 63.8 FPS at 1080p, 53 FPS at 1440p, and 38.3 FPS at 4K, a 40% decrease from 1080p to 4K. The increasing performance penalty at Ultra settings suggests that the game’s highest preset introduces effects that are particularly taxing on the GPU’s memory bandwidth and compute units.

The data indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions, as the FPS drops align with the increased pixel count and shading demands. The i9-14900K, with its high boost clock and strong single-core performance, appears capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions, but the RX 7900 XTX’s capabilities are stretched at 4K, especially with Ultra settings where the average FPS falls below 40. This pattern is typical for a horror game with fixed camera angles and pre-baked lighting, where the renderer’s cost scales with resolution rather than CPU logic.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX achieves a rank of 193 out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium. This places the pair in the top 11.4% of all configurations, which is a strong showing but not the absolute top tier. The rank reflects the measured FPS across all settings and resolutions, indicating that while this hardware is capable of high frame rates, other combos have delivered better average performance. The i9-14900K’s percentile of 97 among all CPUs and the RX 7900 XTX’s percentile of 85 among all GPUs suggest that the CPU is relatively stronger than the GPU in this pairing.

Comparing to the nearest rivals, the GPU’s average benchmark score is 44019, with the AMD Radeon Pro 580 scoring 44195 (-0.4% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti scoring 44900 (-2% delta). This means the RX 7900 XTX is slightly below the Radeon Pro 580 and 2% behind the RTX 4070 Ti in synthetic benchmarks, yet it still achieves a high rank due to the CPU’s contribution. The rank of 193 implies that there are 192 combos with better measured performance in this specific game, which could include configurations with more optimized drivers or different CPU-GPU pairings. The data shows that the combo is not the best, but it is well above average, and the performance deltas in the CPU’s nearest rivals (e.g., -0.3% vs EPYC 7413) are minimal, indicating the i9-14900K is not holding back the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the combo delivers 174.9 FPS on Low, 106.6 FPS on Medium, 77.4 FPS on High, and 63.8 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Medium is 68.3 FPS, while the drop from High to Ultra is 13.6 FPS. This shows that the Low preset is not GPU-bound, as the frame rate is high enough to suggest CPU or engine limits, but the higher presets progressively load the GPU more.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are 146.2 for Low, 90.8 for Medium, 63.9 for High, and 53 for Ultra. The drop from Low to Medium is 55.4 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 10.9 FPS. Compared to 1080p, the 1440p results show a consistent reduction: Low drops by 28.7 FPS, Medium by 15.8 FPS, High by 13.5 FPS, and Ultra by 10.8 FPS. This pattern indicates that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor as resolution increases, but the CPU still has headroom.

At 3840x2160, the highest resolution, the average FPS is 115.7 for Low, 72.4 for Medium, 50.9 for High, and 38.3 for Ultra. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 30.5 FPS for Low, 18.4 FPS for Medium, 13 FPS for High, and 14.7 FPS for Ultra. The 4K Ultra result of 38.3 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold often considered smooth, while 4K High at 50.9 FPS is also marginal. The data shows that the combo can handle 4K Low and Medium well, but the higher presets push the GPU to its limits.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p, the Medium preset offers 106.6 FPS, which is a balanced choice, while High at 77.4 FPS is acceptable for those seeking better visuals. Ultra at 63.8 FPS is playable but not ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. For 1440p, Medium at 90.8 FPS provides a smooth experience, while High at 63.9 FPS is still above 60 FPS. Ultra at 53 FPS is slightly below the ideal, but it may be acceptable for a horror game with slower pacing.

For 4K, the Low preset at 115.7 FPS is surprisingly high, suggesting that the game’s Low settings are not very demanding on the GPU. Medium at 72.4 FPS is a strong choice for 4K, offering a good balance of visual quality and performance. High at 50.9 FPS is below 60 FPS, and Ultra at 38.3 FPS is likely too low for smooth gameplay. The data implies that the Medium preset is the sweet spot for this combo, as it delivers over 70 FPS at 4K and over 90 FPS at 1440p, while High and Ultra provide diminishing returns in frame rate for the visual uplift.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with a Navi 31 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process. It features 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1929 MHz, a boost clock of 2498 MHz, and a game clock of 2365 MHz. It includes 6144 shading units, 384 TMUs, and 192 ROPs, with 96 ray-tracing cores. The GPU’s FP32 performance is 61.39 TFLOPS, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RX 7900 XTX scores 6841 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 192597 in Geekbench Vulkan, with a Passmark G3D score of 31238. Its percentile among all GPUs is 85, and its average benchmark score is 44019. The nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 580 with a score of 44195 (-0.4% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti with 44900 (-2% delta). The GPU’s large 24 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for The Medium, which is a 2021 title, and the high bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s helps with texture streaming at 4K.

The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the dominant factor in performance scaling across settings. At 1080p Low, the GPU is not fully utilized, as evidenced by the 174.9 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, the GPU is likely the bottleneck, given the 38.3 FPS result. The 96 ray-tracing cores may offer some benefit, but the game’s performance at Ultra suggests that the rasterization and shader workload is the primary cost. The GPU’s boost clock of 2498 MHz allows for high throughput, but the Ultra preset’s effects appear to exceed the GPU’s capabilities at 4K, resulting in sub-60 FPS performance.