The Medium

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the Intel Arc B570 presents a peculiar combination for The Medium, a game that clearly stresses the GPU more than the CPU. The data shows a system that is capable of producing playable frame rates, but only when settings are managed carefully, particularly at higher resolutions. The Arc B570’s 10 GB of VRAM and 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth are sufficient for the game’s demands, yet the measured results reveal a steep performance cliff as settings increase. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data, the roles of each component, and provides practical settings guidance based solely on the provided facts.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for the highest average FPS?

A: The highest average FPS is 78, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next best is 66 at 2560x1440 with Low settings, showing that the Low preset is the most effective for maximizing frame rate.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to all other tested combinations?

A: This specific combo ranks 2321 out of 2911 tested combinations in The Medium, placing it in the lower half of all tested systems, indicating that while it can run the game, many other hardware pairings deliver better performance.

Q: Can this system handle 4K (3840x2160) gaming in The Medium?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which produces an average of 52 FPS. At Medium settings, the average drops to 32 FPS, and at High settings, it falls to 23 FPS, making 4K Ultra (18 FPS) effectively unplayable.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers an average of 41 FPS, while the High preset delivers an average of 29 FPS. This represents a significant performance cost for the visual upgrade from Medium to High.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the GPU in this combo?

A: The Intel Arc B570 has a launch MSRP of $219 USD. The CPU has a launch MSRP of $589, but this page focuses on the GPU's role in the measured results.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in general benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i9-14900K’s average benchmark score is 79097, which is 0.3% lower than the Intel Core i9-14900KF (79371) and 1.7% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (77740).

How This Combo Ranks

The overall position of this combination in The Medium is not impressive. The combo ranks 2321 out of 2911 tested combos, placing it in the 20th percentile of all systems tested. This rank is heavily influenced by the GPU, as the benchmark data shows the game’s frame rates are the primary bottleneck. The CPU is a top-tier part, ranking in the 95th percentile versus all CPUs, but it is not sufficient to boost the gaming experience when paired with this mid-range GPU in this specific title. The data indicates that the system is held back by the graphics card, which sits in the 65th percentile versus all GPUs. This ranking suggests that for a game like The Medium, which is not heavily multithreaded, the i9-14900K’s strengths are largely untapped. The result is a system that lands in the lower half of all tested combinations, meaning a user is likely to encounter performance issues compared to other hardware pairings in the database. The gap between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's low rank is a clear sign of a GPU-bound system in this workload.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. It has a 36 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In general compute benchmarks, it is a powerhouse, scoring 39399.5 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2262.5 in single-core. Its average benchmark score of 79097 places it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, with rivals like the Core i9-14900KF scoring 79371 (a -0.3% difference) and the AMD EPYC 7413 scoring 80041 (a -1.2% difference). However, the measured FPS data for The Medium shows that this CPU power does not translate into high frame rates. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system hits 78 FPS, but at 4K with Ultra settings, it drops to 18 FPS.

This indicates that The Medium is not CPU-limited in this configuration. The 24 cores and 32 threads are far more than the game requires, and the high boost clock does not prevent the frame rate from plummeting when graphics settings are raised. The game relies heavily on the GPU for rendering the complex scenes, and the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with data. The data shows that even at lower resolutions where the CPU would have more influence, the frame rates are moderate (78 FPS at 1080p Low), rather than exceptionally high. This suggests the GPU is still the limiting factor at those settings, or that the game engine’s performance ceiling is reached. The i9-14900K is effectively a spectator in this scenario, providing enough headroom that it never becomes a bottleneck, but also not being the reason for the performance numbers seen. The benchmark results indicate that the CPU's high single-thread performance (2262.5 in Cinebench R23) is not the key metric here; instead, the GPU's raw throughput is what determines the experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the system's performance across different resolutions and settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 78 FPS on Low, which is the best result in the entire dataset. This drops to 49 FPS on Medium, 35 FPS on High, and 28 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at 1080p shows a minimum of 41 FPS and a maximum of 56 FPS, indicating some frame time variance. Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. The Low preset yields 66 FPS, Medium drops to 41 FPS, High to 29 FPS, and Ultra to 23 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p has a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS. At 3840x2160, the system struggles significantly. Low settings produce 52 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 32 FPS, High to 23 FPS, and Ultra to 18 FPS. The 4K Medium preset shows a minimum of 27 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS.

The pattern is consistent: each step up in settings from Low to Ultra costs a significant amount of performance. At 1080p, the jump from Low to Medium is a 29 FPS drop (78 to 49). At 1440p, the same jump is a 25 FPS drop (66 to 41). At 4K, the drop from Low to Medium is 20 FPS (52 to 32). The data suggests that the Low preset is the only one that provides a consistently smooth experience across all resolutions, with 4K Low being the only playable 4K option. The frame rates at High and Ultra are largely below the 30 FPS threshold for playability, especially at 1440p and 4K. The minimum FPS values for Medium settings (41 at 1080p, 35 at 1440p, 27 at 4K) show that even this preset can have dips that might be noticeable in a horror game where smoothness is critical. The measured data strongly indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming with Low or Medium settings, depending on the user's preference for visual quality over frame rate.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the primary driver of the gaming experience in this combo. It is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture (Battlemage) with a 5 nm process and features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. Its core clocks are set at a base and boost of 2500 MHz. The GPU has 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, with 18 ray tracing cores. Its compute performance is rated at 11.52 TFLOPS for FP32. In general benchmarks, it scores 14195 in PassMark G3D and 96844 in Geekbench Vulkan, placing it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 20556, which is nearly identical to its nearest rivals: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, +0.1%) and the Intel Arc A750 (20582, -0.1%).

The GPU's performance in The Medium, however, is the defining factor. The measured FPS data shows that this GPU is the bottleneck, as the frame rates are moderate even at low settings. The 10 GB VRAM is likely sufficient for the game at 1080p and 1440p, but the card’s raw compute power limits the high and ultra presets. The 380.0 GB/s bandwidth is also a factor; at 4K with high textures, the memory bandwidth may be insufficient to maintain high frame rates. The data shows a clear pattern: the GPU cannot handle the load of High and Ultra settings, dropping to 23 FPS at 4K High and 18 FPS at 4K Ultra. Even at 1080p, the Ultra preset only achieves 28 FPS, which is below the standard for smooth gameplay. The Arc B570’s performance is competitive with the RTX 3070 Mobile in general benchmarks, but in this specific game, the results are more indicative of a mid-range desktop card struggling with a demanding title at higher settings. The data suggests that the GPU’s design, with its 160-bit bus and 10 GB memory, is better suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming with medium presets in The Medium.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the user's target resolution and frame rate preference. For a smooth, high-refresh-rate experience, the Low preset at 1920x1080 is the only option, delivering an average of 78 FPS. This is the best performance available in the dataset and is ideal for players who prioritize frame rate above all else. If the user prefers a balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is a viable choice, with an average of 49 FPS and a minimum of 41 FPS. This should provide a playable experience with improved visuals over Low. At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the recommended choice for consistent playability, averaging 66 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 41 FPS, which is borderline acceptable, but the minimum of 35 FPS might be noticeable during intense scenes.

For 4K gaming, the data is clear: the Low preset is the only playable option, averaging 52 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 32 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS threshold for comfortable play. High and Ultra presets are not recommended at any resolution, as they consistently produce frame rates below 30 FPS, making the game feel sluggish and unresponsive. The High preset at 1080p is 35 FPS, at 1440p is 29 FPS, and at 4K is 23 FPS. The Ultra preset is even worse. Therefore, the practical advice is to use the Low preset for all resolutions if aiming for stable performance, or the Medium preset if playing at 1080p and willing to accept an average of 49 FPS. The data does not support using High or Ultra settings with this hardware combination for a satisfactory experience in The Medium. The sweet spot for visual fidelity and playability is the Medium preset at 1080p, while the Low preset is the fallback for higher resolutions.