The Medium

The Medium is a horror title that stresses both the CPU and GPU differently depending on resolution and settings. This analysis covers the Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, using measured data to show exactly where the bottlenecks lie and how the combo performs relative to other tested configurations.

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

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock is 3.20 GHz, boosting up to 6.00 GHz, which gives it exceptional single-threaded performance for game logic and physics. The CPU's L3 cache is 36 MB shared, with 2 MB L2 per core and 80 KB L1 per core. In synthetic benchmarks, the i9-14900K scores 7040 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 49872 in multi-core, placing it in the 97th percentile among all CPUs.

For a game like The Medium, which relies on fixed camera angles and pre-rendered environments, the CPU's job involves managing streaming assets and AI routines. The data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 147 FPS, indicating the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU well beyond typical display refresh rates. The processor's high boost clock of 6.00 GHz is directly relevant here — it allows the game's main thread to run at maximum speed, preventing CPU-bound framerate drops in scenes with multiple characters or scripted events.

The i9-14900K's nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the AMD EPYC 7413 (0.3% higher score), the Intel Core i9-14900KF (0.7% lower), and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF (0.7% lower). These deltas are minimal, meaning the i9-14900K's performance in CPU-heavy tasks is essentially on par with the top alternatives. For The Medium specifically, the CPU's 32 threads are more than sufficient; the game does not appear to scale beyond a handful of cores, so the high single-core score of 7040 in Cinebench R23 is the more relevant metric.

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

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo can achieve in The Medium?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 147, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only setting/resolution combination exceeding 144 FPS in the dataset.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival, the Intel Core i9-14900KF?

A: The i9-14900K has an average benchmark score of 79824, while the i9-14900KF scores 79245. This makes the K variant 0.7% faster in synthetic benchmarks, a negligible difference for gaming.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile among all graphics cards?

A: The RTX 4070 sits in the 81st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37283. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, scores 37507, which is 0.6% higher.

Q: Does the game run better at 1440p High or 4K Low?

A: At 2560x1440 High, the average FPS is 54.9. At 3840x2160 Low, the average FPS is 102.2. The 4K Low setting is significantly faster than 1440p High, showing that lowering quality settings has a larger impact than resolution here.

Q: What memory types does the CPU support?

A: The i9-14900K supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. The specific memory bandwidth is not listed, but the platform supports both standards.

Q: How many RT cores does the GPU have, and what does that mean for this game?

A: The RTX 4070 has 46 RT cores. The Medium's rendering engine can leverage ray tracing for lighting and reflections, though the measured FPS data does not specify whether RT is enabled in the tested settings.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound performance as resolution increases. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 66.4 at 1080p to 54.9 at 1440p, then to 45.9 at 4K. This is a 30.9% reduction from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the GPU is the primary limiter at higher resolutions. The CPU's headroom is evident at 1080p Low, where the combo hits 147 FPS — a level that no GPU-heavy setting can sustain.

At Low settings, the scaling is steeper: 147 FPS at 1080p, 124.6 at 1440p, and 102.2 at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 18%, which is smaller than the 21% drop from 1080p to 1440p. This suggests that at Low settings, the game becomes less GPU-bound, but the CPU still has enough headroom to keep framerates high. At Ultra settings, the FPS falls to 51.3 at 1080p, 43.2 at 1440p, and 34.8 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is below 35 FPS, making it unplayable for smooth motion, while 1080p Ultra remains playable.

The data indicates that the RTX 4070's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 4K at Low and Medium settings, but the GPU's compute throughput (29.15 TFLOPS) becomes the limiting factor at High and Ultra settings. The CPU's contribution to the FPS drop is minimal — the i9-14900K can maintain high framerates even at 4K, as evidenced by the 102.2 FPS at Low settings.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core i9-14900K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 448th out of 1689 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the top 26.5% of all configurations tested, which is a solid mid-to-upper tier result. The rank of 448 suggests that while this combo is capable, there are many faster configurations — likely those with higher-end GPUs like the RTX 4080 or RTX 4090, which have significantly more compute throughput.

Given that the RTX 4070's nearest rivals include the RTX 4080 Mobile (which scores 2.2% higher in synthetic benchmarks), the desktop RTX 4070 is clearly positioned below the top-tier desktop GPUs. The combo's rank reflects this: it outperforms budget and mid-range GPUs but falls behind enthusiast-class hardware. For a 1440p gaming setup, this rank is appropriate, as the measured FPS at 1440p High (54.9) and Medium (77.2) provide playable experiences. At 4K, the rank is less relevant because the FPS drops below 60 at High and Ultra settings, making it marginal for competitive play.

The CPU's rank (448) is not directly comparable to the combo rank, but the i9-14900K's 97th percentile standing means the CPU is not the bottleneck in this pairing. The combo rank is more influenced by the GPU's 81st percentile standing, which is the limiting factor in most scenarios.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is based on the AD104 chip using the Ada Lovelace architecture, built on TSMC's 5 nm process. It has 5888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores. The GPU's base clock is 1920 MHz, boosting to 2475 MHz, with memory clocked at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory runs on a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth.

In The Medium, the GPU's role is dominant at higher settings. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 34.8, which is just above the 30 FPS threshold for playable but far from smooth. At 4K Medium, the FPS jumps to 60.6, showing that reducing settings from Ultra to Medium has a massive impact — a 74% increase in framerate. This indicates that the game's Ultra settings likely enable heavy post-processing and volumetric effects that strain the GPU's 29.15 TFLOPS FP32 throughput.

The RTX 4070's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, has a 0.6% higher average score, meaning the RTX 4070 is effectively on par with a much older GPU in synthetic benchmarks. However, the RTX 4070's feature set — including DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 support — provides better compatibility with modern titles. The GPU's 81st percentile ranking means it outperforms 81% of all GPUs, but the measured FPS data shows it struggles with The Medium's Ultra settings above 1080p.

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

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers an average FPS of 147 on Low settings, 93.3 on Medium, 66.4 on High, and 51.3 on Ultra. The gap between Low and Medium is 53.7 FPS, which is substantial, while the gap between High and Ultra is 15.1 FPS. This suggests that the Medium preset offers the best balance for high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors, as it stays above 90 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops to 124.6 on Low, 77.2 on Medium, 54.9 on High, and 43.2 on Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is most pronounced at Medium settings (16.1 FPS loss) and least at Low settings (22.4 FPS loss). The 1440p Medium score of 77.2 FPS is the most playable option for this resolution, while High and Ultra require a 60 Hz display or V-Sync to avoid screen tearing.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS is 102.2 on Low, 60.6 on Medium, 45.9 on High, and 34.8 on Ultra. The 4K Low setting is the only one that exceeds 100 FPS, making it viable for esports-style play if the visual quality is acceptable. The 4K Medium score of 60.6 FPS is right at the edge of 60 Hz displays, while High and Ultra fall below 50 FPS. For 4K gaming, the data indicates that Medium settings are the maximum playable option, with a 60 FPS average that will occasionally dip in heavy scenes.

The overall trend shows that the RTX 4070's performance scales predictably with resolution and settings. The CPU is never the bottleneck — even at 1080p Low with 147 FPS, the i9-14900K has more headroom. The GPU's 12 GB VRAM is not exceeded at any tested setting, as the game does not appear to require more than 12 GB even at 4K Ultra. This combo is best suited for 1440p Medium-to-High gaming, with 4K available only at Low or Medium settings.