The Medium

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for this combination shows a system that struggles to maintain playable performance in The Medium at every tested resolution. None of the twelve tested configurations reach the 60 FPS playable threshold, and the highest average frame rate observed is 46 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The overall pattern is consistent: this hardware pairing falls far short of smooth gameplay across the board.

At 3840x2160, the results are uniformly poor. With Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 11 FPS, which is effectively a slideshow. High settings improve only marginally to 14 FPS average. Medium settings produce 19 FPS average, with minimum and maximum readings of 16 FPS and 22 FPS respectively. Low settings double the performance to 30 FPS average, yet even this best-case 4K result remains half of the 60 FPS target. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 19 FPS, indicating that settings scaling has a significant impact, but the starting point is too low for any preset to be viable.

Moving to 2560x1440, the situation improves but remains unplayable. Ultra settings average 14 FPS, High settings average 17 FPS, and Medium settings average 24 FPS with minimum and maximum readings of 21 FPS and 28 FPS. Low settings deliver 39 FPS average, the highest result at this resolution, but still 21 FPS below the playable threshold. The scaling from Low to Ultra here spans 25 FPS, showing that the GPU is heavily burdened by the higher preset levels even at a mid-range resolution.

At 1920x1080, the best results in the entire dataset appear, but they still miss the mark. Low settings reach 46 FPS average, the single highest measurement recorded for this combo. Medium settings drop to 29 FPS average, with minimum and maximum readings of 24 FPS and 33 FPS. High settings fall further to 21 FPS average, and Ultra settings bottom out at 16 FPS average. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 30 FPS, the largest settings spread in the dataset, yet even the best preset cannot bridge the 14 FPS gap to 60 FPS.

The data shows a consistent hierarchy across all resolutions: Low settings always deliver the highest frame rates, followed by Medium, then High, then Ultra. The minimum and maximum readings, where recorded, show narrow bands around the averages. For example, at 1920x1080 Medium, the 24 FPS minimum and 33 FPS maximum bracket the 29 FPS average tightly, suggesting relatively stable, if low, frame delivery. The absence of recorded minimum and maximum values for Low, High, and Ultra presets at most resolutions limits deeper variance analysis, but the averages alone make the verdict clear.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The database places this CPU and GPU pairing in a specific performance neighborhood based on comparable hardware. For the AMD Ryzen 5 3600, the nearest rivals by average benchmark score are the Intel Core i7-1260P, which scores 0.2% higher, and the AMD EPYC 7742, also 0.2% higher. On the opposite side, the Intel Core i5-11400 scores 0.2% lower, and the AMD EPYC 7573X also scores 0.2% lower. These deltas are minuscule, meaning any of these processors would deliver essentially identical CPU-bound behavior in The Medium. The Ryzen 5 3600 sits at the 71st percentile among all CPUs tested in the database, so it is not a weak processor in general terms, but this game's demands expose its limits when paired with this GPU.

For the Intel Arc B370, the nearest rivals paint a stark picture. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 0.2% higher, the ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 0.5% higher, and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 0.7% higher. The AMD FirePro M2000 sits 1.4% lower. These are older, low-end graphics solutions from a different era, and their proximity to the Arc B370 in benchmark scores explains why this combo ranks so poorly. The Arc B370 sits at the 5th percentile among all GPUs in the database, a very low positioning that aligns with the measured FPS results. Users coming from any of these rival GPUs would experience nearly identical frame rates, meaning an upgrade to the Arc B370 would not change gameplay in The Medium.

The practical implication is that anyone considering this combo should expect performance equivalent to hardware from roughly a decade ago. The CPU is comparatively strong, but the GPU anchors the entire experience at the bottom of the performance spectrum. In game terms, the bottleneck is overwhelmingly the graphics card, not the processor, as the CPU's 71st percentile ranking versus the GPU's 5th percentile ranking makes clear.

Best Settings per Resolution

The playable threshold in the database is defined as 60 FPS, and the verdict data shows that no settings combination at any resolution reaches this level. For 3840x2160, the playable settings list is empty, and no best settings value exists. The highest average FPS at this resolution is 30 FPS on Low settings, which is 30 FPS below the threshold, so there is no configuration to recommend.

For 2560x1440, the playable settings list is also empty. The best result is 39 FPS average on Low settings, still 21 FPS short of 60 FPS. Again, no best settings value is recorded because none qualify.

For 1920x1080, the pattern holds with an empty playable settings list. Low settings deliver 46 FPS average, the closest any configuration comes to the threshold, but it remains 14 FPS below playable. The database records no best settings for this resolution either, because the criterion of staying at or above 60 FPS is never met.

In practical terms, a player using this combo would have to accept well below the playable threshold at any resolution. The least bad option is 1920x1080 with Low settings at 46 FPS average, but even that falls short. Every other preset at every resolution delivers lower averages, with the worst being 3840x2160 Ultra at 11 FPS. The data does not support any settings recommendation that satisfies the 60 FPS requirement.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 60 FPS on any settings?

A: No. The recorded data shows that no settings combination at any resolution reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest average frame rate is 46 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: What is the best performance this combo can achieve?

A: The highest recorded average is 46 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next best results are 39 FPS at 2560x1440 Low and 30 FPS at 3840x2160 Low.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to other GPUs in the database?

A: The Arc B370 sits at the 5th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, ATI Radeon HD 5770, and AMD Radeon HD 7650M, all within 0.7% of its benchmark score.

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 compare to other CPUs in the database?

A: The Ryzen 5 3600 sits at the 71st percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-1260P and AMD EPYC 7742 at 0.2% higher, and the Intel Core i5-11400 and AMD EPYC 7573X at 0.2% lower.

Q: Which resolution gives the highest average frame rate?

A: 1920x1080 with Low settings gives the highest average at 46 FPS. For Medium settings, 1920x1080 delivers 29 FPS, which is higher than the Medium results at both higher resolutions.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor?

A: The database rankings indicate the GPU is the primary limit. The Arc B370 ranks at the 5th percentile among GPUs, while the Ryzen 5 3600 ranks at the 71st percentile among CPUs, showing a large gap in relative performance.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and the Intel Arc B370 becomes clear when examining the scaling of frame rates across resolutions and settings. The CPU's benchmark profile is respectable for its generation, with a 71st percentile ranking among all CPUs and multi-threaded scores such as 15045 in Cinebench R23 and 17700 in PassMark multithread. The GPU, by contrast, ranks at the 5th percentile among all GPUs with a single recorded benchmark score of 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. This enormous gap in relative standing points to the GPU as the dominant constraint.

Resolution scaling in the measured data supports this interpretation. At Low settings, the frame rates are 46 FPS at 1920x1080, 39 FPS at 2560x1440, and 30 FPS at 3840x2160. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 7 FPS, and from 1440p to 4K is 9 FPS. These reductions track with the increasing pixel count that the GPU must render, a classic sign of GPU-bound performance. At Medium settings, the averages are 29 FPS at 1080p, 24 FPS at 1440p, and 19 FPS at 4K, showing a similar step-down pattern. The consistent degradation with resolution indicates that the graphics card's fill rate and shading capacity are exhausted well before the CPU becomes a factor.

Settings scaling reinforces this conclusion. At 1920x1080, moving from Low to Medium costs 17 FPS, from Medium to High costs 8 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs 5 FPS. The largest single drop occurs between Low and Medium, which is where the GPU's limited shading units and texture units are first overwhelmed. At 2560x1440, the Low to Medium drop is 15 FPS, and at 4K it is 11 FPS. In every case, the biggest penalty comes from the first step above Low, suggesting the GPU cannot handle the added workload of even moderate preset levels.

The CPU's role is comparatively minor. The Ryzen 5 3600 with 6 cores and 12 threads, boosting to 4.20 GHz, is capable of feeding frames far faster than this GPU can produce them. The single-threaded scores, such as 2124 in Cinebench R23 and 2562 in PassMark single thread, are adequate for the game's logic and draw call processing. The fact that frame rates collapse so dramatically with both resolution increases and preset increases, while the CPU remains a mid-pack performer, means the Arc B370 is the binding constraint at every resolution tested. A stronger GPU paired with this same CPU would likely produce substantially higher frame rates, whereas a stronger CPU paired with this same GPU would not.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this combination at 3439 out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the bottom 8% of all tested hardware pairings, a position consistent with the GPU's 5th percentile standing and the sub-60 FPS results across every settings and resolution combination.

The rank of 3439 means that 285 tested combos perform worse, while 3438 perform better. Given the measured data, this low ranking is unsurprising. The combination cannot reach the playable threshold at any resolution, with the best case being 46 FPS at 1080p Low. Even the weakest presets at the lowest resolution fall short, and the Ultra preset at 4K produces just 11 FPS average.

The CPU's contribution to this ranking is muted. At the 71st percentile among all CPUs, the Ryzen 5 3600 is not the reason for the poor outcome. The GPU, at the 5th percentile, drags the entire combo down. The nearest GPU rivals are all legacy parts from the HD 5000 and HD 7000 era, which historically would struggle with a 2021 horror title like The Medium. The data confirms that this pairing is only suitable for players willing to accept well below playable performance, and the database's verdict list contains no playable settings at any resolution.

In the context of all tested combos, 3439 of 3724 is a decisive bottom-tier result. The gap between this combo and the upper portion of the ranking is immense, as even the best measured frame rate of 46 FPS does not meet the 60 FPS threshold that defines playability in this database. For anyone evaluating this hardware pairing, the rank and the FPS data together tell a consistent story: this is not a viable configuration for The Medium.