The Medium

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers a compelling, high-refresh-rate experience in The Medium, but the data reveals a specific performance ceiling. This combination ranks in the 96th percentile of all tested configurations, placing it firmly in the enthusiast tier where the GPU is the primary driver of frame rates, yet the CPU’s 24 cores and 32 threads ensure it never becomes a bottleneck.

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. It operates with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, which is the highest single-core boost in this data set. The processor also features a substantial 36 MB of shared L3 cache, alongside 2 MB of L2 cache per core and 80 KB of L1 cache per core. This raw compute capability is reflected in its synthetic benchmarks, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5 and a single-core score of 2262.5, as well as a Geekbench multi-core score of 21697.

For The Medium, a horror title that relies on fixed camera angles and scripted sequences, the CPU’s role is less about brute-force physics and more about maintaining consistent frame pacing. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 196 FPS, but at 4K with Ultra settings, it drops to 47 FPS. This scaling pattern indicates that the game is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions and quality presets, but the CPU’s strong single-core performance (boost clock of 6.00 GHz) is sufficient to feed the RTX 5080 at lower resolutions where the GPU has headroom. The processor’s 125 W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory (dual-channel) are typical for this class, but the benchmark results confirm that the i9-14900K is not the limiting factor in this pairing.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy of settings, and the optimal choice depends on your target resolution and refresh rate. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 124 FPS average with a minimum of 105 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS. This is the sweet spot for smooth gameplay on a standard 144 Hz monitor, as it nearly doubles the 70 FPS achieved on Ultra while maintaining a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 1080p produces 89 FPS, which is playable but leaves performance on the table for a game that does not demand extreme visual fidelity.

Moving to 1440p, the Medium preset again proves to be the most balanced, yielding 104 FPS average with a minimum of 89 FPS and a maximum of 120 FPS. This is a strong result for 1440p gaming, especially considering that the High preset drops to 75 FPS and Ultra falls to 59 FPS. The Low preset at 1440p hits 167 FPS, but the visual quality trade-off is significant for a horror game where atmosphere matters. At 4K, the Medium preset is the only viable option for a smooth experience, with an average of 82 FPS and a minimum of 70 FPS. The High preset at 4K produces 59 FPS, which is borderline, while Ultra drops to 47 FPS and Low jumps to 131 FPS. For the best experience across all resolutions, the Medium preset offers the highest average FPS with a minimum above 70 FPS, making it the recommended starting point.

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

The data shows a clear and predictable FPS drop as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 196 at 1080p to 167 at 1440p (a 14.8% drop) and then to 131 at 4K (a 21.6% drop from 1440p). This scaling is consistent with the RTX 5080’s 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth, which are being utilized more heavily at higher pixel counts. However, the drop is not linear, indicating that the GPU’s compute units (10752 shading units, 336 TMUs, 112 ROPs) are the limiting factor rather than memory bandwidth.

At Medium settings, the pattern is similar: 124 FPS at 1080p, 104 FPS at 1440p, and 82 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 16.1% and 21.2% respectively, suggesting that the GPU is scaling as expected with pixel count. At High settings, the FPS drops from 89 at 1080p to 75 at 1440p (15.7% drop) and then to 59 at 4K (21.3% drop). The Ultra preset shows the largest absolute drop: 70 FPS at 1080p, 59 FPS at 1440p, and 47 FPS at 4K. This indicates that the RTX 5080 is being pushed to its limits at Ultra, and the CPU’s strong single-core performance (boost clock of 6.00 GHz) is not able to compensate for the GPU’s workload. The data clearly shows that the RTX 5080 is the primary limiting component in this pairing, as the FPS scales inversely with resolution in a predictable manner across all settings.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 136th out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the top 3.6% of all configurations. This is an exceptional result, but it is importantly the CPU’s own percentile ranking is 95th out of all CPUs, while the GPU ranks 87th out of all GPUs. This suggests that the combo’s rank is slightly higher than either component’s individual percentile, indicating that the pairing is well-balanced for this game.

Looking at the CPU’s nearest rivals, the data shows that the i9-14900K is closely matched with the Intel Core i9-14900KF, which has an average score of 79371 and a deltaPct of -0.3%, meaning the KF is slightly faster. The AMD EPYC 7413 has an average score of 80041 and a deltaPct of -1.2%, indicating it is 1.2% faster in synthetic benchmarks. However, these differences are negligible in real-world gaming. The GPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 8060S with a deltaPct of 0.6% (faster) and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE with a deltaPct of -2.2% (slower). The RTX 5080’s average benchmark score of 56083 is within 2% of its closest competitors, but in The Medium, the measured FPS data shows that this combo outperforms the majority of the 3724 tested configurations.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in The Medium?*

A: The data shows that 1440p with Medium settings provides the best balance, with an average FPS of 104 and a minimum of 89. At 4K, the Medium preset is the only option above 60 FPS, with an average of 82.

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

A: The Intel Core i9-14900K has an average benchmark score of 79097. It is 0.3% slower than the Intel Core i9-14900KF (79371), 0.6% slower than the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (79574), and 1.7% faster than the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (77740).

Q: Is the RTX 5080 the bottleneck in this pairing?

A: Yes, the FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K indicates a GPU-bound workload. For example, at Low settings, FPS drops from 196 at 1080p to 131 at 4K, a 33.2% reduction, while the CPU’s strong single-core performance remains constant.

Q: What is the minimum FPS at 4K Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows a minimum FPS of 70 at 4K with Medium settings, with an average of 82 and a maximum of 94.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: It ranks 136th out of 3724 combos, placing it in the top 3.6% of all tested systems for The Medium.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Ultra and Low at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the Ultra preset averages 70 FPS, while the Low preset averages 196 FPS. This is a 126 FPS difference (180% increase), indicating that the RTX 5080 has significant headroom at lower settings.

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

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 196 FPS average
• Medium: 124 FPS average, 105 FPS minimum, 143 FPS maximum
• High: 89 FPS average
• Ultra: 70 FPS average

At 1080p, the RTX 5080 delivers exceptional performance across all settings. The Low preset achieves 196 FPS, which is well beyond any current display refresh rate. The Medium preset provides a smooth 124 FPS with a minimum of 105 FPS, ensuring no noticeable stutters. The High preset drops to 89 FPS, which is still playable but shows a significant 28.2% decrease from Medium. The Ultra preset falls to 70 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold but represents a 43.5% reduction from Medium. For competitive or high-refresh gaming, the Medium preset is optimal, as it offers the best balance of visual quality and performance.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 167 FPS average
• Medium: 104 FPS average, 89 FPS minimum, 120 FPS maximum
• High: 75 FPS average
• Ultra: 59 FPS average

At 1440p, the performance scales down as expected. The Low preset hits 167 FPS, which is still very high and suitable for 144 Hz monitors. The Medium preset delivers 104 FPS with a minimum of 89 FPS, providing a consistent experience above 60 FPS. The High preset drops to 75 FPS, which is a 27.9% decrease from Medium. The Ultra preset falls to 59 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold, making it less ideal for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset is clearly the best choice here, as it maintains a minimum above 85 FPS while delivering good visual quality.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 131 FPS average
• Medium: 82 FPS average, 70 FPS minimum, 94 FPS maximum
• High: 59 FPS average
• Ultra: 47 FPS average

At 4K, the RTX 5080 is pushed harder. The Low preset achieves 131 FPS, which is impressive for 4K and indicates the game is not overly demanding at lower settings. The Medium preset provides 82 FPS with a minimum of 70 FPS, which is the only setting that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The High preset drops to 59 FPS, which is technically playable but may exhibit occasional dips. The Ultra preset falls to 47 FPS, which is not recommended for a smooth experience. For 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation, as it offers a playable frame rate with a minimum above 70 FPS, while the higher presets sacrifice too much performance for marginal visual gains.