The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F paired with the Intel Arc B580 delivers a playable experience in The Medium only at the Low preset, and only at 1080p and 1440p resolutions. At 4K, no settings configuration reaches the 60 FPS threshold, with the best result being 56.2 FPS at Low. This combination ranks in the 23rd percentile of tested configurations for this game, indicating that while it can run the title, it does so with significant graphical compromises.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU and GPU in this system each sit near distinct performance peers based on aggregate benchmark scores. The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, with an average benchmark score of 24,964, is nearly identical in performance to the Intel Core i7-11850H, which scores 24,935 (a 0.1% difference). The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F scores 25,005, putting it 0.2% ahead of the 7500F, while the Intel Core i7-13620H (24,911) trails by 0.2% and the Intel Core 5 210H (24,872) trails by 0.4%. In practical terms, swapping the 7500F for any of these rivals would yield virtually indistinguishable frame rates in The Medium, as the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at most settings.

On the GPU side, the Intel Arc B580’s average benchmark score of 23,021 places it in a tight cluster with several older and newer cards. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP scores 23,061, just 0.2% higher, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 scores 22,895, which is 0.6% lower. Interestingly, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 scores 23,172, only 0.7% above the B580, and the NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23,249, 1% higher. This suggests that in The Medium, the Arc B580’s performance is comparable to a wide range of GPUs from different generations and tiers, meaning users with those cards can expect similar frame rates at identical settings.

Given the measured FPS data, the nearest GPU rivals would produce nearly identical results. For instance, at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the 88.3 FPS average would likely shift by less than a frame per second if swapping to an RTX 3080 or RX 580 2048SP. The same applies to CPU swaps: since the 7500F’s nearest rivals are within 0.4% in aggregate score, the 76.5 FPS at 1440p Low and 56.2 FPS at 4K Low would remain essentially unchanged. Hardware buyers seeking similar performance in this specific title should consider these alternatives as direct substitutes.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the data shows no playable settings. The highest average FPS achieved is 56.2 at Low, which falls short of the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium yields 33.8 FPS, High 27.1 FPS, and Ultra 21.1 FPS. Consequently, there is no "best" setting for 4K because none are viable for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the only playable configuration is Low, which produces an average of 76.5 FPS. This clears the 60 FPS threshold by a comfortable margin of 16.5 FPS. Medium drops to 48.1 FPS, High to 31.7 FPS, and Ultra to 24.1 FPS, all below the playable line. The best setting that maintains 60 FPS or above is therefore Low, with the measured average of 76.5 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the situation improves slightly. Low settings deliver an average of 88.3 FPS, which is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS. Medium averages 53 FPS, High 38.4 FPS, and Ultra 33 FPS, all failing to reach the threshold. Thus, 1080p Low is the only viable option, and it provides a 28.3 FPS headroom over the minimum playable frame rate.

For users prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate, the data indicates that stepping up from Low to Medium at any resolution costs roughly 20-30 FPS. At 1080p, going from Low to Medium reduces the average from 88.3 to 53 FPS, a 40% drop. At 1440p, the same transition drops from 76.5 to 48.1 FPS, a 37% decrease. These steep falloffs suggest the Arc B580 struggles with the game’s higher preset demands, making Low the only realistic choice for smooth gameplay.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals that the GPU is the dominant factor in The Medium’s performance across all resolutions, with the CPU playing a secondary role. This is evident from the frame rate scaling between resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080 Low, the system produces 88.3 FPS, but at 2560x1440 Low, it drops to 76.5 FPS, a 13.4% reduction. Moving to 3840x2160 Low yields 56.2 FPS, a further 26.5% drop from 1440p. This steep decline with increasing resolution is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the Arc B580’s rendering throughput is the limiting factor.

The preset scaling further confirms the GPU bottleneck. At 1080p, raising settings from Low to Medium reduces FPS from 88.3 to 53, a 40% loss. At 1440p, the same preset change drops from 76.5 to 48.1, a 37% loss. At 4K, Low to Medium falls from 56.2 to 33.8, a 40% decline. The consistency of these percentage drops across resolutions indicates that the GPU’s compute and memory bandwidth are saturated regardless of pixel count, while the Ryzen 5 7500F has ample headroom to feed the graphics card.

The CPU’s capability is demonstrated by its benchmark scores: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22,799 and a single-core score of 3,218. These figures place it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, suggesting it can handle the game’s logic and draw calls without becoming a constraint. The FPS differences between resolutions are almost entirely attributable to the GPU’s pixel throughput and fill rate limits. For instance, the Arc B580’s pixel rate is 213.6 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 427.2 GTexel/s, which are fixed hardware limits that directly impact higher resolution rendering.

At 4K, the GPU’s limitations become stark. Even at Low settings, the system only manages 56.2 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. This indicates that the B580’s 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering in The Medium, regardless of the CPU’s capabilities. Conversely, at 1080p Low, the 88.3 FPS result shows the GPU can handle the workload when pixel count is reduced, and the CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads are more than adequate. The data strongly suggests that upgrading the CPU would yield negligible gains, while upgrading the GPU would directly improve frame rates at all resolutions and settings.

The Verdict

This PC can run The Medium, but only under specific conditions. The verdict by resolution is clear: at 3840x2160, there are no playable settings, as even Low averages 56.2 FPS, which is 3.8 FPS below the 60 FPS playable threshold. At 2560x1440, the system is playable only on Low settings, delivering an average of 76.5 FPS. At 1920x1080, it is also playable only on Low, with an average of 88.3 FPS.

The data indicates that the system fails to clear 60 FPS at any resolution with Medium or higher presets. At 1080p Medium, the average is 53 FPS, which is 7 FPS short of playable. At 1440p Medium, it drops to 48.1 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it falls to 33.8 FPS. High and Ultra presets are even less viable, with the best High result being 38.4 FPS at 1080p and the best Ultra result being 33 FPS at 1080p.

For a playable experience, users must accept Low settings. At 1080p, the 88.3 FPS average provides a smooth experience with 28.3 FPS of headroom. At 1440p, the 76.5 FPS average is also playable, though with less headroom. At 4K, the 56.2 FPS average at Low is borderline and may be acceptable to some users who tolerate sub-60 FPS, but it does not meet the defined playable threshold. The system is therefore best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming with Low settings, where it performs adequately but cannot utilize higher graphical presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across all resolutions and settings. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset yields an average of 21.1 FPS, High 27.1 FPS, Medium 33.8 FPS, and Low 56.2 FPS. None of these averages approach the 60 FPS threshold, and the jump from Medium to Low (33.8 to 56.2 FPS) represents a 66% improvement, highlighting how sensitive the game is to preset changes at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 24.1 FPS, High 31.7 FPS, Medium 48.1 FPS, and Low 76.5 FPS. The progression shows a clear pattern: each step down from Ultra to Low approximately doubles the frame rate. The gap between Medium and Low is 28.4 FPS, which is the difference between unplayable and playable. The 76.5 FPS at Low is 16.5 FPS above the threshold, making it the only viable option at this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 33 FPS, High 38.4 FPS, Medium 53 FPS, and Low 88.3 FPS. The Medium preset at 53 FPS is 7 FPS short of playable, but Low provides a comfortable 88.3 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is minimal (38.4 vs 33 FPS), suggesting diminishing returns at the top end of the settings scale. The data shows that the system’s performance is heavily dependent on resolution and preset, with the GPU being the primary determinant of frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and Intel Arc B580 combination ranks 2,857 out of 3,724 tested combos for The Medium, placing it in the lower 23% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the GPU’s limitations with this specific title, as the CPU’s 77th percentile standing does not compensate for the graphics card’s 68th percentile performance. The combination’s rank suggests that most other hardware pairings tested by the database deliver better frame rates in this game.

The rank is consistent with the measured FPS data, which shows the system struggling to maintain playable frame rates at higher settings. Given that the Arc B580’s nearest rivals include the RTX 2080 and RTX 3080, the ranking indicates that even GPUs with similar aggregate scores may perform better in The Medium due to driver optimizations or architectural differences. The combo’s position at 2,857 of 3,724 means that only 867 tested combinations performed worse, underscoring that this is a below-average setup for this game.

For context, the CPU’s nearest rivals (i7-11850H, Ryzen 5 8400F) would not change the ranking significantly, as they differ by less than 0.4% in aggregate score. The GPU’s rivals, such as the RX 580 2048SP or RTX 3080, might shift the ranking by a few dozen positions, but the overall conclusion remains the same: this is a low-tier configuration for The Medium. The rank of 2,857 out of 3,724 is a clear signal that users should expect to play at Low settings and lower resolutions, as the hardware lacks the headroom for higher presets.