The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title, and the combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and Intel Arc B390 produces results that are best described as severely constrained by the graphics side of the equation. The recorded data shows a system that consistently falls far short of the 60 FPS playable threshold across every tested resolution and settings preset. The Arc B390, an integrated graphics solution with a performance profile that places it in the 9th percentile of all tested GPUs, simply does not have the rendering horsepower to handle this game at acceptable frame rates. The following sections break down the measured performance, how this combo ranks, and what the data means for a user considering this pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo reveals a stark picture across all tested configurations. At 3840x2160 (4K), the results are uniformly below playable levels. With Low settings, the average frame rate is 34 FPS. Moving up to Medium settings drops the average to 21 FPS, with a minimum of 18 FPS and a maximum of 24 FPS. High settings yield an average of 15 FPS, and Ultra settings bring the average down to 12 FPS. None of these 4K configurations approach the 60 FPS threshold, and even the best case, Low settings, is only slightly above half of the target.

At 2560x1440, the performance improves but remains critically low. The Low preset produces an average of 43 FPS, which is the highest average recorded for this resolution. Medium settings average 27 FPS, with a minimum of 23 FPS and a maximum of 31 FPS. High settings drop to an average of 19 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages just 15 FPS. The data indicates that even at a lower resolution like 1440p, the system cannot deliver a smooth experience, as the frame rates remain far below the 60 FPS mark.

The 1920x1080 results show the best performance this combo can offer, yet they still fall short. At Low settings, the average FPS is 51, which is the single highest average across all resolutions and presets in the entire dataset. This is the closest the system gets to the 60 FPS target, but it still misses it by a significant margin of 9 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 32 FPS, with a minimum of 27 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS. High settings average 23 FPS, and Ultra settings average 18 FPS. The pattern is consistent: frame rates are heavily dependent on the settings preset, but even the lowest settings combination fails to reach a playable level.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for The Medium, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and Intel Arc B390 ranks at 3314 out of 3724 tested combos. This places it in the bottom portion of the ranking, specifically within the 11th percentile of all combinations tested for this game. This low ranking is almost entirely attributable to the graphics processor, as the Arc B390's average benchmark score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU sits in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs.

The ranking data indicates that this is not a balanced system for this title. The CPU is a high-performing part, but the GPU is a severe bottleneck. The combo's position at 3314 out of 3724 means that a substantial majority of other tested hardware combinations, including those with older or lower-tier discrete graphics cards, are able to achieve better performance in The Medium. The data suggests that the integrated Arc B390 is fundamentally mismatched with the demands of this game, and the overall ranking reflects that limitation.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals in the database provides context for the performance levels involved. For the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F has an average benchmark score of 32750. Its closest competitors are the Intel Core i5-14600T with a score of 32707 and a delta of 0.1%, the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H with a score of 32697 and a delta of 0.2%, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H with a score of 32812 and a delta of -0.2%, and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 with a score of 32662 and a delta of 0.3%. These deltas are all within a fraction of a percent, meaning the processing power of the 7400F is effectively equivalent to these alternatives for this workload.

The GPU tells a different story. The Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482. Its nearest rivals are all much older, low-end discrete parts: the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX with a score of 1463 and a delta of 1.3%, the NVIDIA GeForce 800M with a score of 1460 and a delta of 1.5%, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM with a score of 1446 and a delta of 2.5%, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 with a score of 1443 and a delta of 2.7%. These are all extremely weak GPUs by modern standards, and the fact that the Arc B390 clusters with them in the database confirms that its performance level is comparable to entry-level graphics solutions from over a decade ago. Choosing any of these alternative GPUs would result in a similar inability to run The Medium at playable frame rates.

The Verdict

The verdict from the recorded data is unambiguous: this PC cannot run The Medium at a playable level at any resolution or settings preset. The playable threshold is 60 FPS, and the verdictByResolution data shows an empty list of playable settings for 3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080. There is no configuration that achieves an average of 60 FPS or higher.

The best recorded result across the entire dataset is 51 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This falls short of the target by 9 FPS. At 2560x1440, the best result is 43 FPS at Low settings, and at 3840x2160, the best result is 34 FPS at Low settings. Even if a user were to accept frame rates below the 60 FPS threshold, the experience would be poor, as the frame times are likely to be inconsistent. The data clearly shows that the Intel Arc B390 is far too weak to handle the rendering load of The Medium, and the system should be considered incapable of running this game at playable settings.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance data makes it clear that the GPU is the dominant bottleneck in this system for The Medium. The CPU, the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F, is a 6-core, 12-thread Zen 4 part with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz and a strong average benchmark score of 32750, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. This is a capable processor that would not typically be the limiting factor in a gaming system.

The GPU, on the other hand, is an integrated solution with a 9th percentile ranking and a maximum recorded average FPS of just 51 at 1080p Low settings. The scaling between resolutions confirms this. When moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at Low settings, the average FPS drops from 51 to 43, a reduction of approximately 15.7%. When moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 at Low settings, the average FPS drops from 43 to 34, a reduction of approximately 20.9%. This consistent drop with increasing resolution is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering resolution directly impacts the frame rate because the graphics processor is saturated.

The settings preset also has a significant impact, further reinforcing the GPU bottleneck. At 1920x1080, the average FPS drops from 51 at Low to 32 at Medium, then to 23 at High, and finally to 18 at Ultra. This steep decline with each preset increase shows that the GPU is struggling to handle the additional graphical load, while the CPU has ample headroom. The data indicates that in The Medium, the Arc B390 is the sole determinant of performance, and the Ryzen 5 7400F is effectively idle, waiting on the GPU to deliver frames.

Best Settings per Resolution

Given the verdict that no settings are playable at any resolution, there is no configuration that meets the 60 FPS target. The database records no "best settings" for any resolution because the playableSettings list is empty for all three. However, the data does show the highest average FPS achievable at each resolution, which represents the least demanding preset.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset provides the highest average FPS at 51. This is the best case scenario for this system, but it is still below the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves an average of 43 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Low preset achieves an average of 34 FPS. For a user determined to run this game with this hardware, the only viable approach, based on the data, would be to use the lowest settings at the lowest resolution, and even then, the frame rate will not be smooth. The recorded measurements show that this combo is not suitable for The Medium under any tested condition, and the user would need to consider a different GPU to achieve a playable experience.