The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X combined with the Intel Arc B580 delivers a mid-range setup for The Medium, with benchmark results that show a clear performance ceiling tied to the graphics card rather than the processor. The data shows this combination ranks in the 2,848th position out of 3,724 tested combos, placing it in the lower half of the field, but the combo's performance profile is very sensitive to the preset selection: the data shows a 60 FPS threshold that is only achievable at lower presets, with the Ultra preset falling below that mark at every resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in The Medium?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 87.8 at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. At the same resolution, the Medium preset delivers 56.1 FPS, High delivers 38.3 FPS, and Ultra delivers 33.2 FPS.

Q: At which resolutions does this combo clear the 60 FPS playability threshold?

A: The verdict data lists only 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 as playable, each with the Low preset only. At 1920x1080 Low, the average FPS is 87.8; at 2560x1440 Low, it is 74.2. At 3840x2160, no settings are listed as playable.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to the Low preset at 2560x1440?

A: The Low preset at 2560x1440 achieves an average of 74.2 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at the same resolution drops to an average of 25.8 FPS, which is below the threshold and represents roughly a 65% reduction in average FPS.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested CPU-GPU combinations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 2,848th out of 3,724 tested combinations. This places it in the lower quartile of the tested field, indicating that a significant portion of other hardware combos achieve higher average FPS in The Medium.

Q: What are the closest CPU rivals to the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X based on average benchmark scores?

A: The nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and Intel Core i5-12600K, both with an average score of 27,578 and a delta of 0.2% from the 7600X's average score of 27,636. The AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE is slightly ahead with a delta of -0.3%, while the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 trails by 0.4%.

Q: What is the closest GPU rival to the Intel Arc B580 based on average benchmark scores?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 has an average score of 23,172, which is 0.7% higher than the Arc B580's 23,021. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP is 0.2% lower, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 is 0.6% higher, and the NVIDIA P106-100 is 1% lower.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and Intel Arc B580 combination sits at rank 2,848 out of 3,724 tested combos in The Medium. This position within the bottom quarter of all results suggests that while the hardware is functional, its performance profile is not competitive with the top tier of configurations. The percentile data for the individual components reinforces this picture: the CPU ranks at the 79th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks at the 68th percentile among all GPUs. In a game like The Medium, where the GPU is typically the limiting factor at higher resolutions, the GPU's lower relative standing compared to the CPU explains why the combo's overall rank is lower than the CPU's percentile would suggest.

The gap between the combo's rank and the component percentiles indicates that the pairing does not boost the GPU's performance to match the CPU's capability. The CPU's average benchmark score of 27,636 is close to its nearest rivals, with the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and Intel Core i5-12600K both scoring 27,578, a mere 0.2% difference. The GPU's average score of 23,021 is similarly clustered, with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 at 23,172 (0.7% higher) and the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP at 23,061 (0.2% lower). These narrow margins suggest that swapping the CPU or GPU for a nearby alternative would produce negligible changes in overall benchmark scores, but the measured FPS data in The Medium shows that settings choices have a far larger impact than component selection.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for The Medium spans three resolutions and four presets each, with average FPS values reported for all configurations. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 87.8 FPS, which is the highest figure recorded across the entire test matrix. The Medium preset at the same resolution drops to 56.1 FPS, a reduction of 31.7 FPS from Low. High settings yield 38.3 FPS, and Ultra falls to 33.2 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p represents a drop of 54.6 FPS, or roughly 62% of the Low preset's performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 74.2 FPS, still above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium dips to 47.8 FPS, High to 33.2 FPS, and Ultra to 25.8 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 48.4 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only one that approaches playability, averaging 58.4 FPS, just below the 60 FPS threshold. Medium drops to 33.5 FPS, High to 25.1 FPS, and Ultra to 21.6 FPS. The resolution scaling from 1080p to 4K at the Low preset reduces average FPS from 87.8 to 58.4, a decline of 29.4 FPS. At the Ultra preset, the same resolution scaling reduces FPS from 33.2 to 21.6, a smaller absolute drop but a proportionally similar reduction in performance.

The data shows no min or max FPS values recorded; only averages are available for analysis. The absence of min/max figures means the data cannot speak to frame time consistency or stutter behavior, which is relevant for a horror game where smoothness can be critical to the experience. However, the average FPS values across presets reveal a consistent pattern: the Low preset is the only one that reliably approaches or clears the 60 FPS threshold, and even that depends on resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and Intel Core i5-12600K are nearly identical in average benchmark scores, differing by only 0.2% from the Ryzen 5 7600X. The AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE is a slight outlier on the positive side, scoring 27,712 (0.3% higher), while the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 scores 27,535 (0.4% lower). These rivals would behave essentially the same in The Medium, given that the game's measured FPS is more sensitive to GPU load and preset selection than to small CPU score variations. The CPU's 79th percentile ranking and 6-core/12-thread configuration suggest that it is not the bottleneck in most scenarios, so switching to any of these near-identical rivals would not meaningfully change the FPS numbers.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is the closest rival in average score at 23,172, which is 0.7% higher than the Arc B580's 23,021. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP scores 23,061 (0.2% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 scores 22,895 (0.6% higher), and the NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23,249 (1% lower). These rivals would produce FPS values within a small margin of the Arc B580 in The Medium, meaning the playability verdict would remain unchanged: 1080p Low and 1440p Low would still clear 60 FPS, while 4K would not. The data does not include specific rival FPS measurements for this game, so the analysis relies on the average benchmark scores to infer behavioral similarity.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS data across resolutions and presets indicates that the GPU is the dominant factor in The Medium's performance for this combo. At 1920x1080, the CPU's single-thread strength, evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 1,060 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1,965, is sufficient to feed the GPU at the Low preset, where 87.8 FPS is achieved. As resolution increases to 2560x1440 and 3840x2160, the GPU's workload grows, and the FPS drops accordingly: at Low settings, 1440p yields 74.2 FPS and 4K yields 58.4 FPS. This resolution scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the CPU's performance headroom is not the limiting factor.

The preset scaling reinforces the GPU-bound conclusion. At 1920x1080, moving from Low to Medium reduces FPS by 31.7, from Medium to High by 17.8, and from High to Ultra by 5.1. At 2560x1440, the same transitions yield drops of 26.4, 14.6, and 7.4 FPS. At 3840x2160, the drops are 24.9, 8.4, and 3.5 FPS. The largest FPS reductions occur when moving from Low to Medium at any resolution, which suggests that the Medium preset introduces significant GPU load increases. The CPU's role is more evident at lower resolutions where the GPU is less saturated, but even at 1080p Low, the 87.8 FPS figure is modest compared to what high-end CPUs could theoretically push, indicating that the GPU's 13.67 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is the binding constraint.

The Verdict

This PC can run The Medium, but only under specific conditions. The verdict data lists 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 as playable, each with the Low preset only, achieving average FPS of 87.8 and 74.2 respectively. Both clear the 60 FPS threshold. At 3840x2160, no settings are playable, with the Low preset averaging 58.4 FPS, just shy of the threshold. The Ultra preset at any resolution fails to reach 60 FPS, with the best Ultra result being 33.2 FPS at 1080p.

The practical takeaway is that the combo delivers a playable experience at 1080p and 1440p, but only when the preset is set to Low. Medium settings at 1080p produce 56.1 FPS, which is below the threshold, and every other preset at every resolution falls further behind. For a horror game like The Medium, which relies on atmosphere and pacing, the 60 FPS threshold is a reasonable target, and this combo meets it only at the lowest visual quality settings. Users seeking higher visual fidelity will need to accept sub-60 FPS performance or consider that the GPU, ranked at the 68th percentile, is the limiting component.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best settings that stay at or above 60 FPS are the Low preset, which delivers an average of 87.8 FPS. The Medium preset at 56.1 FPS falls below the threshold, so Low is the only playable option at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is again the best, averaging 74.2 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 47.8 FPS, confirming that Low is the maximum playable setting.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves 60 FPS. The Low preset averages 58.4 FPS, which is close but still below the threshold. The Medium preset at 33.5 FPS, High at 25.1 FPS, and Ultra at 21.6 FPS are all well below playability. The data shows no playable settings for 4K, so users at this resolution must either lower the resolution or accept frame rates below the 60 FPS target.