The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title built around a dual-world mechanic, places distinct demands on the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 pairing. The measured data reveals a system that is clearly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, with the RTX 5050’s 8 GB VRAM and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth acting as the limiting factor. This analysis walks through the resolution scaling, settings behavior, and component roles using the exact benchmark results provided.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, indicating that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is the dominant constraint as pixel count rises. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 96 at 1920x1080 to 81 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 15 FPS, and then to 64 at 3840x2160, another 17 FPS drop. The scaling between 1440p and 4K is slightly larger than between 1080p and 1440p, suggesting that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and shading resources are increasingly saturated at higher resolutions.

At Medium settings, the pattern is similar but with lower absolute numbers. The average FPS at 1920x1080 is 60, dropping to 51 at 2560x1440, and then to 40 at 3840x2160. The percentage loss from 1080p to 1440p is 15%, while from 1440p to 4K it is roughly 21.6%. This growing gap implies that the RTX 5050’s 2560 shading units and 32 ROPs struggle more as the render target expands, a conclusion supported by the 13.17 TFLOPS FP32 throughput being spread thinner.

High settings show a similar trend: 43 FPS at 1080p, 36 at 1440p, and 29 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 7 FPS, and from 1440p to 4K is another 7 FPS, showing a more linear decline. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with 34 FPS at 1080p falling to 29 at 1440p and then to 23 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 23 FPS is barely playable, and the data suggests that the RTX 5050’s 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus are not sufficient for smooth 4K gameplay in this title at high preset levels.

The limiting component is clearly the GPU. The Intel Core i9-14900K, with 24 cores and 32 threads, shows no sign of bottlenecking even at 1080p Low where the GPU produces 96 FPS. The CPU’s passmark multithread score of 58674 and single-thread score of 4697 indicate ample headroom. The benchmark results imply that the frame rate is governed by the RTX 5050’s pixel rate of 82.30 GPixel/s and texture rate of 205.8 GTexel/s, both of which become strained as resolution climbs.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide a clear hierarchy: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra, with average FPS declining at each step. At 1920x1080, Low delivers 96 FPS, Medium 60 FPS, High 43 FPS, and Ultra 34 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium is substantial, costing 36 FPS, which suggests that Medium introduces significant visual effects that the RTX 5050 must process. However, Medium still maintains a playable 60 FPS average, with a minimum of 51 FPS and maximum of 69 FPS, making it the sweet spot for smooth gameplay at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds: Low at 81 FPS, Medium at 51 FPS, High at 36 FPS, and Ultra at 29 FPS. Medium remains the best balance, providing a 51 FPS average with a minimum of 43 FPS, which is still within acceptable range for a horror title where slower pacing is common. High at 36 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 29 FPS dips below the 30 FPS threshold, making it less desirable.

At 3840x2160, the data shows a more challenging situation. Low averages 64 FPS, Medium 40 FPS, High 29 FPS, and Ultra 23 FPS. Medium at 4K offers 40 FPS with a minimum of 34 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. High and Ultra fall below 30 FPS, making them unsuitable for consistent gameplay. The recommendation based on the measured rows is to use Medium settings for the best experience across all resolutions, as it provides the highest preset that still maintains an average above 30 FPS at 4K and above 50 FPS at 1440p and 1080p.

For users prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity, Low at 1080p yields 96 FPS, but the jump to Medium is worth the cost for most players. The absence of min/max FPS data for Low, High, and Ultra rows means the Medium row’s 51-69 FPS range at 1080p is the only variance data available, reinforcing its stability.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050, with its GB207 chip on a 5 nm TSMC process, has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is a critical factor in The Medium’s performance. The game’s dual-world rendering likely requires substantial texture and buffer storage, and the 8 GB capacity appears to be a limitation at higher settings and resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 23 FPS suggests that memory pressure, not just compute, is causing severe slowdowns.

The GPU’s clocks are 2317 MHz base and 2572 MHz boost, with memory at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective). These clock speeds are modest for the 50-series, and the 13.17 TFLOPS FP32 performance is reflected in the benchmark scores: the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2502 and Passmark G3D score of 17326. The GPU’s percentile vs all GPUs is 66, placing it in the upper half but not near the top tier.

The nearest rivals in the GPU benchmarks show the RTX 5050’s position: the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL has an average score of 21153, which is 0.6% higher, while the AMD Radeon HD 8970M is 1% higher at 21237. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is 1.6% lower at 20713, and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile is 1.6% higher at 21379. These small deltas indicate that the RTX 5050 sits in a crowded performance band, and its gaming results in The Medium are consistent with a mid-range card that struggles with 4K.

The RTX 5050’s 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores are present but not directly measured in the FPS data. The game’s fixed-camera perspective may not leverage ray tracing heavily, but the 8 GB VRAM is the more likely culprit for the 4K Ultra drop. The bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s, while respectable, is insufficient for 4K textures and effects in this title, as shown by the 23 FPS average at Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i9-14900K and RTX 5050 combination ranks 1765 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the 60.6th percentile of all systems. This rank reflects the GPU’s mid-range standing; the CPU is far more powerful than needed for this game. The combo’s position suggests that many other pairings, likely with stronger GPUs, achieve higher frame rates, while those with weaker CPUs but similar GPUs might perform similarly.

The CPU’s own percentile vs all CPUs is 95, indicating it is among the top 5% of processors. The GPU’s percentile vs all GPUs is 66, meaning it is better than two-thirds of GPUs but below the top third. This disparity explains why the combo rank is lower than the CPU rank alone: the RTX 5050 drags the overall performance down relative to systems with faster GPUs.

The nearest rivals for the CPU show that the Core i9-14900K is essentially tied with the Core i9-14900KF, which has an average score of 79371 and a delta of -0.3%. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus is 0.6% higher, and the AMD EPYC 7413 is 1.2% higher, while the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is 1.7% lower. These small differences mean the CPU is not a differentiator in this game; the GPU is.

Given the combo rank of 1765 out of 2911, the data indicates that this system is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming at Medium settings, where it delivers 60 and 51 FPS respectively. At 4K, only Low settings (64 FPS) and Medium (40 FPS) are viable, and the rank reflects this limited high-resolution capability. Users with this combo should expect to dial back settings to Medium or Low for 4K play.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p Medium settings?

A: The average FPS is 60, with a minimum of 51 and maximum of 69.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest rival in GPU benchmarks?

A: The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL is 0.6% faster, while the AMD Radeon HD 8970M is 1% faster. The RTX 5050 is 1.6% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT.

Q: Is 4K Ultra playable with this combo?

A: No, the average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 23, which is below the 30 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among tested systems in The Medium?

A: It ranks 1765 out of 2911 combos, placing it in the lower 40% of all tested configurations.

Q: What is the CPU’s boost clock?

A: The Intel Core i9-14900K has a boost clock of 6.00 GHz.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 5050 have?

A: It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 128-bit bus and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 5050 delivers 96 FPS on Low, 60 FPS on Medium, 43 FPS on High, and 34 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting is the only one with variance data, showing a minimum of 51 FPS and maximum of 69 FPS. Low, High, and Ultra have no min/max values in the data, so only averages are available.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 81 FPS on Low, 51 FPS on Medium, 36 FPS on High, and 29 FPS on Ultra. Medium again provides min/max data: 43 FPS minimum and 58 FPS maximum. The 29 FPS Ultra result is just below the 30 FPS threshold, making it marginal.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 64 FPS on Low, 40 FPS on Medium, 29 FPS on High, and 23 FPS on Ultra. Medium has a minimum of 34 FPS and maximum of 46 FPS. Low at 64 FPS is the only setting above 60 FPS at 4K, while High and Ultra are unplayable.

The full breakdown shows a consistent pattern: each settings tier costs roughly 20-25% of the previous tier’s FPS, and each resolution step costs a similar amount. The RTX 5050’s performance ceiling is apparent at 4K, where even Low settings require significant compromises.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and boost clock of 6.00 GHz. Its 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample data for gaming, but The Medium does not appear to stress the CPU heavily. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (96 FPS) is not CPU-bound, as the GPU is still the limiting factor at that resolution.

The CPU’s benchmark scores are strong: Cinebench R23 multicore of 39399.5 and singlecore of 2262.5, Geekbench multicore of 21697 and singlecore of 2655. These figures place it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals are within 1.7% in either direction. The Core i9-14900KF is 0.3% slower, the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus is 0.6% faster, and the EPYC 7413 is 1.2% faster.

In The Medium, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU without bottlenecking. The data shows no evidence of a CPU limitation: even at 1080p Low, where the GPU produces 96 FPS, the frame rate is consistent with GPU-bound behavior. The 24 cores and 32 threads are overkill for this title, which likely uses only a few threads for its fixed-camera rendering. The CPU’s 125 W TDP and 10 nm process are irrelevant to the game’s performance, as the bottleneck is purely on the RTX 5050.

The passmark single-thread score of 4697 and multithread score of 58674 indicate that the CPU can handle any game logic or physics the Medium throws at it, but the measured FPS data confirms that the RTX 5050 is the component that determines playability. Users should not expect CPU upgrades to improve frame rates in this game, as the GPU is the clear limiting factor across all resolutions and settings.