The Medium

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 produces a severely GPU-bound experience in The Medium, ranking in the 17th percentile of all tested combos at position 3082 out of 3724. This rank confirms that the combination is not competitive for smooth gameplay at high resolutions, but the data reveals a surprisingly playable setup at lower settings, where the aging GTX 1070 can still deliver playable frame rates. The pairing represents a massive bottleneck, with the CPU’s top-tier synthetic scores having little influence on the final frames per second, which are dictated almost entirely by the graphics card’s limits.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 3082 out of 3724 tested configurations places it well within the bottom quartile of performers for The Medium. This poor standing is a direct result of the GTX 1070’s age and capability, as the GPU holds a percentile rank of only 47 against all other graphics cards. In contrast, the Core i9-14900K is a top-tier processor, sitting in the 95th percentile among all CPUs. When paired, the CPU's strength is rendered nearly irrelevant, as the measured frame rates are capped by the GPU's output. The data indicates that this system is effectively a last-generation gaming machine at its core, and its position in the rankings reflects that reality.

The nearest rivals to the GTX 1070 in synthetic benchmarks—the AMD FirePro W5000, NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, NVIDIA Tesla M10, and NVIDIA Tesla C2070—all have average scores within 0.7% of the 1070. These are all professional or older workstation cards, which underscores that the GTX 1070 is now performing at the level of legacy hardware. This context makes the in-game results predictable: the GTX 1070 is working at its absolute limit, and the i9-14900K is left waiting for data, unable to push the frame rate any higher. The combo’s low rank is not a reflection of the CPU but rather a clear sign that the GPU is the sole limiting factor in this configuration.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is built on the 16 nm Pascal architecture with the GP104 chip, and its specifications show why it struggles with a 2021 horror title like The Medium. It features 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 2002 MHz, which translates to 8 Gbps effective. These numbers are modest by modern standards, and the data from the benchmark rows confirms that the memory subsystem and compute power are insufficient for sustained high-detail rendering at higher resolutions.

The GPU’s compute capabilities are equally dated. It offers 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units, with a base clock of 1506 MHz and a boost clock of 1683 MHz. Its peak FP32 throughput is 6.463 TFLOPS, and the pixel rate is 107.7 GPixel/s with a texture rate of 202.0 GTexel/s. For a game like The Medium, which uses fixed camera angles and heavy post-processing, these numbers translate into a severe performance ceiling. The measured FPS shows that even the synthetic benchmark scores, such as a Passmark G3D score of 13498, are not enough to overcome the demands of the game’s engine.

The GTX 1070’s launch MSRP was 379 USD, and it is now end-of-life, which explains its position in the market. The benchmark results indicate that the card is only capable of providing a smooth experience when the graphical load is reduced to the Low preset. At higher presets, the GPU’s lack of raw throughput and modern features like ray tracing (which it does not have) becomes the defining characteristic of this combo’s performance. The data shows that the GPU is the clear performance anchor, with its limitations dictating the overall experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 14th Generation processor from the Raptor Lake Refresh architecture, and its specifications are among the most powerful available for desktop systems. It has 24 cores and 32 threads, with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. This hardware gives the CPU an average benchmark score of 79097, placing it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-14900KF, show a negligible delta of -0.3% in score, indicating that the i9-14900K is at the very top of the performance stack.

In synthetic tests, the i9-14900K excels. It scores 39399.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2262.5 in single-core. Geekbench results are similarly strong, with a multi-core score of 21697 and a single-core score of 2655. These numbers demonstrate that the CPU is capable of handling any game’s logic, AI, and physics calculations with ease. However, in The Medium, this processing power is largely idle. The measured FPS data shows no scenario where the CPU becomes the limiting factor; even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would typically be most stressed, the frame rate is still dictated by the GPU’s ability to render the scene.

The architecture’s high single-thread performance, as shown by a Passmark single-thread score of 4697, is theoretically beneficial for games, but it cannot compensate for the GPU’s shortcomings. The i9-14900K’s role in this combo is to ensure that there are zero CPU-related stutters or bottlenecks, but it cannot create frames that the GTX 1070 cannot render. The data points to a scenario where the CPU is overqualified for the task, and its vast computational resources do nothing to boost the combo’s ranking. The performance ceiling is set entirely by the graphics card.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a clear and predictable pattern: performance degrades significantly as resolution and settings increase. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the GTX 1070 manages an average of 75 FPS on the Low preset, which is the only playable setting. Moving to Medium drops the average to 47 FPS, with a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 54. High settings yield 34 FPS, and Ultra falls to 27 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1080p is only viable for smooth play at Low settings, with Medium being borderline acceptable for those who can tolerate occasional dips below 40 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop further, confirming the GPU’s limitations. The Low preset produces an average of 63 FPS, which is still playable, but Medium averages only 40 FPS with a minimum of 34 FPS. High settings are a struggle at 28 FPS, and Ultra is unplayable at 22 FPS. The jump to 3840x2160 is even more punishing; Low is the only setting that approaches playability, with an average of 50 FPS. Medium drops to 31 FPS, High to 22 FPS, and Ultra to 18 FPS. The data shows that only the Low preset at 1080p provides a consistently smooth experience, and even 1440p Low requires a tolerance for lower frame rates.

The minimum and maximum FPS values, where recorded, show a moderate amount of variance. At 1080p Medium, the range is 40 to 54 FPS, a 14 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the range is 34 to 45 FPS, an 11 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the range is 26 to 36 FPS, a 10 FPS spread. This variance suggests that the game’s fixed-camera scenes can cause frame rate fluctuations, but the overall trend is consistent: the GTX 1070 is running out of headroom. The Ultra preset at any resolution is essentially a slideshow, and High is only marginally better. The data strongly suggests that users should not attempt to run this game at high visual fidelity with this hardware.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the extent of the GPU bottleneck. At the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 75 at 1080p to 63 at 1440p, a 16% decrease, and then to 50 at 4K, a further 21% decrease from 1440p. This shows that even at the lowest settings, the GPU’s pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are being taxed heavily. The drop from 1080p to 4K at Low is 33%, which is a significant loss but still leaves the game playable at 4K Low.

However, at higher settings, the scaling is far more severe. At the Medium preset, the average FPS drops from 47 at 1080p to 40 at 1440p (a 15% decrease), and then to 31 at 4K (a 23% decrease from 1440p). The drop from 1080p to 4K at Medium is 34%. The High preset shows a similar pattern: 34 FPS at 1080p, 28 FPS at 1440p (an 18% decrease), and 22 FPS at 4K (a 21% decrease from 1440p). The total drop from 1080p to 4K at High is 35%. This pattern indicates that the GPU is not just limited by resolution, but also by the increased shading and texture work required at higher detail settings.

The limiting component is unequivocally the GPU. The CPU’s performance is constant across all resolutions, as it is not being stressed. The data shows that the frame rate scales inversely with resolution in a way that is characteristic of a graphics-card-bound scenario. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar frame rates across all resolutions at the same settings. Instead, the FPS drops consistently as resolution increases, proving that the GTX 1070 is working at its maximum capacity and cannot keep up with the demands of higher pixel counts. This makes the i9-14900K a silent partner, providing no benefit to the gaming experience.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience for this combo is to prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity. The only preset that consistently delivers a smooth, playable frame rate is Low. At 1080p Low, the average FPS of 75 is well above the threshold for a good experience, and even at 1440p Low, the average of 63 FPS is acceptable. For users with a 4K display, the Low preset at 50 FPS is playable but will require compromises in visual quality.

The Medium preset is a secondary option for those who can tolerate lower frame rates. At 1080p Medium, the average of 47 FPS is borderline playable, but the minimum of 40 FPS might cause noticeable stutters in demanding scenes. At 1440p Medium, the average of 40 FPS is also borderline, but the minimum of 34 FPS makes it a risky choice. The data suggests that Medium is only worth considering at 1080p, and even then, it is a significant step down from the smoothness of Low.

The High and Ultra presets are not recommended under any circumstances with this hardware. At 1080p High, the average of 34 FPS is too low for a consistent experience, and at 4K Ultra, the average of 18 FPS is unplayable. The data shows that the GTX 1070 simply does not have the resources to handle the increased shadow quality, texture detail, and post-processing effects that these presets demand. The best experience per the measured rows is unequivocally the Low preset, with a preference for 1080p resolution to achieve the highest possible frame rate. The Medium preset at 1080p is the only other viable option, but it requires a tolerance for a lower and less stable frame rate.