The Medium

The Medium presents an interesting stress profile for the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti combination. The benchmark data shows a fixed-camera horror title that scales in a predictable but revealing way across resolutions and presets. At 1080p, the system delivers high frame rates, but as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the primary constraint, with the CPU maintaining a strong supporting role. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, component roles, and ranking within the broader database of tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K follows a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At 1080p with Medium settings, the average FPS is 113, and this drops to 95 at 1440p and 74 at 4K. The percentage decline between these steps is substantial: moving from 1080p to 1440p reduces performance by approximately 16%, and moving from 1440p to 4K reduces it by another 22%. This consistent drop indicates that the game's rendering load scales heavily with pixel count, which is expected for a title with fixed camera angles and detailed environments.

Looking at the High preset, the scaling is even more pronounced. The average FPS at 1080p High is 81, which falls to 68 at 1440p (a 16% drop) and then to 53 at 4K (a 22% drop from 1440p). The 4K High result of 53 FPS is the first indicator that this combo, while powerful, cannot maintain a smooth 60 FPS at maximum resolution with high quality settings. The Ultra preset tells a similar story: 64 FPS at 1080p, 54 FPS at 1440p, and 42 FPS at 4K. The gap between High and Ultra at each resolution is roughly 15-20 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset introduces significant extra shading or post-processing work that taxes the GPU.

The Low preset shows the most dramatic scaling. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 180, which is likely near the engine's frame rate ceiling or the display's refresh limit. At 1440p, it drops to 152, and at 4K it falls to 119. The 4K Low result of 119 FPS is still far above what most displays can show, but the pattern reveals that even at the lowest settings, resolution scaling has an impact. The data suggests that at 1080p Low, the system is no longer purely GPU-bound; the CPU and memory subsystem may be contributing to the ceiling, as the jump from 1080p to 1440p is only 28 FPS while the jump from 1440p to 4K is 33 FPS.

The limiting component shifts with resolution. At 1080p, the high frame rates across all presets indicate that the RTX 5070 Ti is not fully saturated, and the i9-14900K's strong single-thread performance is likely keeping the frame pipeline fed. At 4K, the GPU's pixel throughput becomes the clear bottleneck, as evidenced by the sub-60 FPS results on High and Ultra presets. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is not the issue here; rather, it is the raw compute and fill rate required to push 8.3 million pixels per frame with high-quality effects.

GPU Role

The RTX 5070 Ti is the dominant factor in this game's performance, particularly at higher resolutions. Its 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for The Medium's texture streaming and fixed-camera scenes. The GPU's 70 RT cores and 280 tensor cores are relevant for the game's use of ray-traced reflections and shadows, though the benchmark data does not isolate those effects. The clock speeds of 2295 MHz base and 2452 MHz boost are modest for a high-end card, but the Blackwell 2.0 architecture's efficiency allows it to deliver competitive frame rates.

The benchmark results show that the GPU's performance ceiling is reached at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS is 42. This is a demanding scenario, and the card's 43.94 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is insufficient to maintain a smooth experience at that preset. At 4K Medium, the average FPS rises to 74, which is more acceptable but still below the 90+ FPS that many gamers prefer for fluid camera movement. The 4K Low preset, at 119 FPS, demonstrates that the GPU can handle the resolution when effects are minimized, but the visual quality trade-off is severe.

Comparing the GPU's benchmark scores to its nearest rivals provides context. The RTX 5070 Ti's average benchmark score is 49957, which is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 at 50001 (a -0.1% delta) and the Intel Arc A550M at 49737 (a 0.4% delta). The RX 6900 XT scores 50951 (a -2% delta), and the RX 6800 XT scores 48477 (a 3.1% delta). These deltas indicate that the RTX 5070 Ti sits in a competitive position, but its performance in The Medium is not exceptional relative to these older cards. The GPU's 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs suggests it is a strong performer, but not a top-tier one, which aligns with the measured frame rates in this title.

The VRAM usage is not a limiting factor in the measured data. The 16 GB capacity is more than sufficient for The Medium, which does not have massive texture packs or open-world streaming demands. The memory bandwidth of 896.0 GB/s is also adequate, as evidenced by the smooth frame rate progression across presets. The GPU's role is clear: it is the primary determinant of frame rate at 1440p and above, while the CPU handles the game's logic and camera system.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo in The Medium?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 180 at 1080p with Low settings. This is followed by 152 FPS at 1440p Low and 119 FPS at 4K Low.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K in The Medium?

A: No, not with High or Ultra settings. The 4K High preset averages 53 FPS, and the 4K Ultra preset averages 42 FPS. To exceed 60 FPS at 4K, the Low preset (119 FPS) or Medium preset (74 FPS) must be used.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 Ti compare to the RX 6900 XT in GPU benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 49957, while the RX 6900 XT scores 50951. The RX 6900 XT is 2% faster in the aggregate benchmark, which is a small but measurable difference.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at 1440p Medium?

A: The 1440p Medium preset has an average FPS of 95, with a minimum of 81 FPS and a maximum of 109 FPS. This indicates a variance of 28 FPS, which is moderate and suggests some scene-dependent stuttering.

Q: Is the i9-14900K bottlenecking the GPU at 1080p Low?

A: The 1080p Low result of 180 FPS is likely near the engine's frame rate cap or the CPU's ability to issue draw calls. The performance does not scale as steeply from 1080p to 1440p (28 FPS drop) as from 1440p to 4K (33 FPS drop), indicating that the CPU is a partial limiter at the lowest resolution and settings.

Q: What is the rank of this CPU+GPU combo in the database for The Medium?

A: The combo ranks 308th out of 3724 tested combinations, placing it in the top 8.3% of all configurations.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti combination ranks 308th out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium. This ranking places it in the top 8.3% of all configurations, which is a strong result but not a top-tier one. The database includes many combinations with more powerful GPUs, such as the RTX 4090 or RTX 5090, which would score higher on 4K Ultra presets. However, the 308th rank is respectable, especially considering that the RTX 5070 Ti is a mid-to-high-end card rather than a flagship.

The ranking relative to the combo's own components is informative. The CPU's percentile vs all CPUs is 95, meaning it outperforms 95% of all processors. The GPU's percentile vs all GPUs is 86, meaning it outperforms 86% of all graphics cards. The gap between these percentiles suggests that the CPU is relatively stronger than the GPU, which is consistent with the game's scaling behavior. At 1080p, the CPU can push high frame rates, but at 4K, the GPU's lower percentile becomes the binding constraint.

In terms of rival combos, the nearest CPU rivals are the Intel Core i9-14900KF (with a -0.3% delta in avg benchmark score) and the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (with a -0.6% delta). These chips perform nearly identically to the i9-14900K, indicating that the CPU choice has minimal impact on the ranking when paired with the same GPU. The GPU rivals include the RX 6900 XT (2% faster) and RX 6800 XT (3.1% slower), which means that swapping the RTX 5070 Ti for an RX 6900 XT would likely improve the ranking slightly, while an RX 6800 XT would hurt it.

The 4K Ultra result of 42 FPS is the primary reason the combo does not rank higher. Many combos in the top 300 likely achieve 60+ FPS at that preset, which requires a GPU with higher raw throughput than the RTX 5070 Ti. The combo's strength is in the medium and high presets, where it delivers playable frame rates at 1440p and 4K, but it falls short of the enthusiast-grade performance needed for maximum settings at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K plays a supporting but essential role in The Medium's performance. With 24 cores and 32 threads, the CPU has immense parallel processing power, but the game's fixed-camera design and linear progression do not heavily utilize many cores. The 6.00 GHz boost clock is more relevant, as it provides the high single-thread performance needed for the game's main thread, which handles camera transitions, scripting, and AI. The 3.20 GHz base clock is sufficient for sustained loads, but the boost clock is what drives the 1080p Low result of 180 FPS.

The CPU's benchmark scores support this analysis. Its Cinebench R23 single-core score is 2262.5, and its Geekbench single-core score is 2655, both of which are very high. The multi-core scores are also strong—39399.5 in Cinebench R23 and 21697 in Geekbench—but these are not fully utilized in The Medium. The game's engine likely uses a few threads for rendering tasks and a few for gameplay logic, which means the CPU's 32 threads are underutilized. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache help reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for the game's streaming of audio and textures.

Comparing the i9-14900K to its nearest rivals shows that the CPU is not a differentiator in this game. The i9-14900KF has an average benchmark score 0.3% lower, and the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus is 0.6% lower. These deltas are within the margin of error for real-world gaming performance, so any of these CPUs would yield nearly identical frame rates when paired with the RTX 5070 Ti. The AMD EPYC 7413 is 1.2% lower, and the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is 1.7% higher, but these are server or mobile chips that are not typical gaming choices.

In The Medium, the CPU's role is to maintain a high frame rate ceiling at lower resolutions. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system hits 180 FPS, which is likely a frame rate cap or a CPU limitation. If the CPU were weaker, the 1080p results would be lower, but the 4K results would be unchanged because the GPU is the bottleneck there. The CPU's 125 W TDP and 10 nm process node are not directly relevant to game performance, but they indicate that the chip can sustain high clocks without thermal throttling in most systems.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across 12 configurations. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 180 FPS average, which is the highest of any configuration. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 113 FPS, with a minimum of 96 and a maximum of 130. The High preset averages 81 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 64 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 116 FPS, which shows that the settings have a massive impact on frame rate at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 152 FPS, which is a 28 FPS drop from 1080p. The Medium preset averages 95 FPS, with a minimum of 81 and a maximum of 109. The High preset averages 68 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 54 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 98 FPS, which is smaller than at 1080p but still significant. The 1440p Medium result of 95 FPS is the best balance of smoothness and visual quality, as it exceeds 90 FPS for most displays.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 119 FPS, which is still very playable. The Medium preset averages 74 FPS, with a minimum of 63 and a maximum of 86. The High preset averages 53 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset averages 42 FPS, which is only suitable for slower-paced exploration or if the user tolerates frame rate drops. The spread from Low to Ultra at 4K is 77 FPS, which is the smallest of the three resolutions, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor.

The Medium presets across all resolutions have the most detailed data, as they include minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the range is 96 to 130 FPS, a variance of 34. At 1440p Medium, the range is 81 to 109, a variance of 28. At 4K Medium, the range is 63 to 86, a variance of 23. This trend shows that the frame time consistency improves at higher resolutions because the GPU's workload is more uniform, reducing the likelihood of sudden drops.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests that the Medium preset offers the best experience for most users, as it balances frame rate and visual fidelity across all three resolutions. At 1080p, the Medium preset averages 113 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target and provides a smooth experience on high refresh rate monitors. The 96 FPS minimum ensures that there are no major stutters, and the 86 FPS maximum at 4K Medium shows that the preset scales well.

At 1440p, the Medium preset averages 95 FPS, which is ideal for 144Hz displays. The 81 FPS minimum is still above the 60 FPS threshold, so there are no significant dips. This is the recommended preset for users with 1440p monitors, as the High preset (68 FPS) is playable but has less headroom for demanding scenes, and the Ultra preset (54 FPS) may cause noticeable frame rate drops during camera transitions.

At 4K, the Medium preset averages 74 FPS, which is a solid result for a horror game that does not require competitive frame rates. The 63 FPS minimum is close to the 60 FPS target, but it may dip below during intense particle effects or scripted sequences. The High preset (53 FPS) is not recommended for 4K because it falls below 60 FPS on average, leading to a less fluid experience. The Ultra preset (42 FPS) is only viable if the user prioritizes visual quality over smoothness and can tolerate lower frame rates.

For users with 1080p monitors, the High preset (81 FPS) is a good choice if the Medium preset's visual quality is insufficient. The High preset provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium, and the 81 FPS average is still smooth. The Ultra preset (64 FPS) is also playable at 1080p, but the jump from High to Ultra is not worth the 17 FPS loss, as the visual differences are likely minor in a fixed-camera game. The Low preset is only recommended for competitive or high-refresh-rate gaming, where the 180 FPS average at 1080p is valuable, but the visual quality suffers substantially.