The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and Intel Arc B570 combination presents a peculiar case for running The Medium, a horror title that demands both substantial GPU throughput and a stable CPU frame-pacing baseline. The measured data shows this pairing is capable of running the game, but only under specific, restrictive conditions that highlight a stark performance cliff between settings presets. While the CPU sits in the 73rd percentile among all processors and the GPU in the 65th percentile, their combined performance in this title places the system at rank 2999 out of 3724 tested combos, indicating that this is a decidedly mid-to-low-tier configuration for this specific workload. The data suggests a system that can deliver a smooth experience only when graphical fidelity is dialed back significantly, making it a viable option for 1080p and 1440p players who prioritize frame rate over visual richness.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run The Medium at 4K resolution?*

A: No. At 3840x2160, the only playable settings are none. The best average FPS at this resolution is 52 on Low settings, but this does not meet the 60 FPS playable threshold. Ultra settings yield only 18 FPS, High produces 23 FPS, and Medium averages 32 FPS (with a minimum of 27 and maximum of 37).

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p gaming?

A: The only playable setting at 2560x1440 is Low, which achieves an average of 66 FPS. Medium drops to 41 FPS (min 35, max 47), High falls to 29 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 23 FPS. Low is the only preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5500 compare to its closest CPU rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500 has an average benchmark score of 19,593. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430, scores 19,617, which is a 0.1% difference. The Intel Core i7-10700F scores 19,499 (0.5% slower), while the Intel Core i5-12500 scores 19,668 (0.4% faster) and the Intel Core i5-11600KF scores 19,723 (0.7% faster). These are essentially performance equals.

Q: What is the GPU's standing relative to other graphics cards?

A: The Intel Arc B570 holds a 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, has an average score of 20,534, which is 0.1% faster. The Intel Arc A750 scores 20,582 (0.1% faster), while the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20,480) and AMD Radeon R9 M390X (20,662) are 0.4% slower and 0.5% faster, respectively.

*Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for The Medium at 1080p?*

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck. At 1920x1080, dropping from Low to Medium reduces the average FPS from 78 to 49, a 37% performance loss. The CPU’s single-thread score of 2319 in Cinebench R23 is adequate for this title, but the GPU’s raw throughput dictates the frame rate ceiling across all settings.

Q: Does the game's performance scale linearly with resolution?

A: No, the scaling is steep. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 78 at 1080p to 66 at 1440p, then to 52 at 4K. This represents a 33% performance drop from 1080p to 4K on the same preset, showing that the Arc B570's 10 GB memory buffer and bandwidth are heavily taxed as pixel count increases.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and the Intel Arc B570 in The Medium is clear from the FPS scaling patterns. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 78 FPS on Low settings, which suggests the CPU can feed frames at a rate exceeding the 60 FPS target. However, when the preset is raised to Medium, the average drops to 49 FPS—a 37% reduction that cannot be attributed to CPU limitations, as the Ryzen 5 5500’s multi-threaded score of 16,429 in Cinebench R23 is more than sufficient for a horror title with limited simulation complexity. The bottleneck is unequivocally the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth.

As resolution increases, the GPU's role becomes even more dominant. At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields 66 FPS, but Medium falls to 41 FPS (a 38% drop), and High plummets to 29 FPS. At 3840x2160, the pattern intensifies: Low averages 52 FPS, Medium 32 FPS, High 23 FPS, and Ultra 18 FPS. The data shows that each step up in settings roughly halves the performance, which is characteristic of a GPU that is being pushed beyond its comfortable operating envelope in terms of pixel fill rate and texture throughput.

The CPU's contribution is more evident in the minimum FPS figures. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 41 FPS, while at 1440p Medium, the minimum is 35 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it drops to 27 FPS. These minimums are likely tied to the GPU's inability to sustain frame times under load, not CPU thread scheduling. The Ryzen 5 5500’s 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, provide enough headroom to avoid being the limiting factor, even when the GPU is struggling. The data implies that overclocking the CPU would yield negligible gains, whereas any GPU upgrade would provide immediate, measurable improvements.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand database of tested hardware combinations, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and Intel Arc B570 achieves a rank of 2999 out of 3724 combos for The Medium. This places it in the bottom 20% of all tested configurations, which is a surprising result given that both components are relatively modern. The CPU's 73rd percentile ranking among all CPUs and the GPU's 65th percentile ranking do not translate to a strong in-game performance, highlighting that The Medium is a title that punishes mid-range hardware severely at higher presets.

The rank suggests that most other combinations, including those with older or less capable individual parts, manage to outperform this setup in practice. This is likely due to the Arc B570's 10 GB memory buffer being insufficient for the game's high-resolution textures, or perhaps the game's engine having poor optimization for Intel's Xe2 architecture. The 18 RT cores and 80 ROPs on the GPU are not being fully utilized, as the game's fixed camera angles and pre-rendered backgrounds place more emphasis on raw fill rate than ray tracing. The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p Low settings, where it can deliver 78 FPS, but anything beyond that sees a rapid decline into unplayable territory. This rank is a cautionary tale about how synthetic benchmarks do not always predict real-world gaming performance.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 5 5500's nearest rivals are all within a 0.7% performance delta, meaning that swapping to any of these would yield virtually identical frame rates in The Medium. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 (avg score 19,617) is the closest match, followed by the Intel Core i5-12500 (19,668) and the Intel Core i7-10700F (19,499). The Intel Core i5-11600KF (19,723) is the fastest of the group, but the difference is negligible for gaming. If a user were to upgrade from any of these CPUs to the Ryzen 5 5500, they would see no measurable improvement or loss in this title.

On the GPU side, the Intel Arc B570's nearest rivals present an interesting set of alternatives. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (avg score 20,534) is the closest match, though it is a laptop part. The Intel Arc A750 (20,582) is actually slightly faster by 0.1%, which suggests that a desktop A750 might offer a marginal FPS boost in The Medium. The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20,480) and AMD Radeon R9 M390X (20,662) are also in the same performance bracket, but these are older workstation and mobile GPUs, respectively. For a desktop user, the Arc A750 stands out as the most logical alternative, as it would likely produce frame rates within 1-2 FPS of the B570 across all settings. The data shows that this performance class is tightly packed, with no single component offering a significant advantage.

Measured FPS Breakdown

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 52 FPS average. This is the only setting that comes close to playability, but it still falls short of the 60 FPS threshold.
• Medium: 32 FPS average, with a minimum of 27 and maximum of 37 FPS. This is a 38% drop from Low.
• High: 23 FPS average. The game becomes a slideshow at this setting.
• Ultra: 18 FPS average. Unplayable.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 66 FPS average. This clears the 60 FPS target, making it the only playable preset at this resolution.
• Medium: 41 FPS average, with a minimum of 35 and maximum of 47 FPS. A 38% reduction from Low.
• High: 29 FPS average. Not playable.
• Ultra: 23 FPS average. Not playable.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 78 FPS average. This is the best-case scenario for this combo, providing a smooth experience.
• Medium: 49 FPS average, with a minimum of 41 and maximum of 56 FPS. A 37% drop from Low.
• High: 35 FPS average. Borderline playable, but below the 60 FPS target.
• Ultra: 28 FPS average. Not playable.

The pattern is consistent: each settings tier increases the GPU load by roughly 30-40%, and the Arc B570 simply does not have the headroom to maintain 60 FPS beyond Low at any resolution. The 4K Medium figures (min 27, max 37) show that the frame pacing is erratic, which would be noticeable as stutter during gameplay.

The Verdict

Can this PC run The Medium? The answer is a conditional yes. According to the verdict data, the system provides playable settings (defined as those achieving an average of 60 FPS or higher) only at two specific configurations: 2560x1440 on Low settings (66 FPS) and 1920x1080 on Low settings (78 FPS). At 3840x2160, there are no playable settings, meaning the game cannot run at a playable frame rate at 4K, even on the lowest preset.

For players who are willing to accept Low visual quality, this combo is viable for 1080p and 1440p gaming. At 1080p, the 78 FPS average provides headroom above the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring minimal frame drops. At 1440p, the 66 FPS average is tighter but still adequate. However, the data shows that any attempt to increase settings beyond Low results in a sub-60 FPS experience, with Medium presets hovering in the 41-49 FPS range, which is playable but not smooth. The GPU's 10 GB VRAM is likely a limiting factor for higher presets, as the game's horror environments and lighting effects consume significant memory.

This is a system for players who value frame rate over graphical fidelity. The Ryzen 5 5500 provides enough CPU power to avoid bottlenecks, but the Intel Arc B570's mid-tier performance caps the experience. The verdict is clear: stick to Low settings at 1080p or 1440p, and the game will run smoothly. Anything higher will require a GPU upgrade.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, there are no settings that achieve 60 FPS or higher. The best average FPS is 52 on Low, which is below the playable threshold. Players at this resolution would need to consider lowering the resolution or upgrading the GPU.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low, with an average of exactly 66 FPS. This is the only playable option, and it provides a 6 FPS buffer above the target. Medium drops to 41 FPS, which is a significant step down.

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that clears 60 FPS is also Low, with an average of 78 FPS. This provides a comfortable 18 FPS cushion, allowing for occasional dips without dropping below the threshold. Medium falls to 49 FPS, which is not playable by the defined standard.

In both playable cases, Low is the only setting that works, which means users must disable most visual enhancements to enjoy the game. The data suggests that the Arc B570's 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is insufficient for higher presets, and the 160-bit memory bus (380 GB/s bandwidth) cannot feed the game's textures fast enough at higher resolutions. For the best experience, players should set the game to Low at 1080p for maximum smoothness, or 1440p if they prefer a sharper image and can tolerate the tighter frame pacing.