The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the Intel Arc B370 is a combination that struggles significantly with The Medium. The data shows a system that cannot reach a 60 FPS average at any tested resolution or preset, with performance falling well short of the playable threshold across the board.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 (4K), the recorded data shows this combo is heavily constrained. The Low preset produces an average of 30 FPS. Medium yields an average of 19 FPS, with a minimum of 16 FPS and a maximum of 22 FPS. High drops to an average of 14 FPS, while Ultra falls to an average of 11 FPS. No min or max values were recorded for Low, High, or Ultra at this resolution, which suggests the frame pacing is consistently poor rather than spiky.

Moving down to 2560x1440 (1440p), performance improves but remains far from smooth. The Low preset reaches an average of 39 FPS. Medium delivers an average of 24 FPS, with a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 28 FPS. High drops to an average of 17 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at an average of 14 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 25 FPS, showing that the graphics presets have an enormous impact on this hardware.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the results are the best this combo can offer, but they still miss the mark. The Low preset achieves an average of 46 FPS. Medium returns an average of 29 FPS, with a minimum of 24 FPS and a maximum of 33 FPS. High produces an average of 21 FPS, while Ultra falls to an average of 16 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra here is 30 FPS, and even the best-case Low preset is 14 FPS short of the 60 FPS target.

Best Settings per Resolution

The verdict data indicates that no settings at any resolution clear the 60 FPS threshold. The playable settings list is empty for all three resolutions, and the best settings field is null in every case. This means there is no recommended preset to suggest for a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the highest average recorded is 30 FPS on Low. That is the fastest this combo can run at 4K, but it is exactly half of the playable threshold. At 2560x1440, the Low preset again provides the best average at 39 FPS. At 1920x1080, Low is still the top performer with an average of 46 FPS. In every scenario, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS simply does not exist, because no preset reaches that level.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded data shows that the Intel Arc B370 is the dominant bottleneck in this pairing. The Ryzen 5 9600X is a strong processor, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17528.5 and a single-core score of 2183.5, plus a PassMark single-thread score of 4570. Its percentile ranking against all CPUs is 81, indicating it sits well above the median. The GPU, however, has a percentile ranking of just 5 against all GPUs, and its only recorded 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1184. That places it in the company of very old discrete parts; its nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 with a delta of -0.2% and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 with a delta of -0.5%. This is not a GPU built for modern gaming loads.

The scaling between resolutions confirms GPU-bound behavior. From 1080p Low at 46 FPS to 1440p Low at 39 FPS, the drop is 7 FPS, or about 15%. From 1440p Low to 4K Low, the drop is another 9 FPS, reaching 30 FPS. Similarly, Medium presets scale from 29 FPS at 1080p to 24 FPS at 1440p to 19 FPS at 4K, a steady decline of 5 FPS per step. If the CPU were the limiting factor, resolution changes would have a smaller effect on frame rates. The consistent losses as resolution increases point directly at the GPU's fill rate and shading capacity, which are limited by its 1280 shading units and 20 ROPs.

The CPU's role is more visible in the fact that even at 1080p Low, the average is only 46 FPS. A faster GPU would likely push this combo closer to the target, but the CPU itself is not the issue. The Ryzen 5 9600X has a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, 6 cores and 12 threads, and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus. It is far more capable than the GPU. The data indicates that lowering resolution does help, but the GPU simply runs out of headroom before the CPU becomes relevant.

The Verdict

This PC cannot run The Medium at a playable level according to the database's 60 FPS threshold. The verdict by resolution is clear: at 3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080, the playable settings list is empty. There is no preset that delivers 60 FPS or higher.

The best recorded result is 46 FPS at 1080p Low, which is 14 FPS below the target. At 1440p, the best is 39 FPS on Low, and at 4K, the best is 30 FPS on Low. Every other preset falls further behind. The Medium is a horror game that relies on atmosphere and fixed camera angles, but even a slower-paced title cannot feel smooth at these frame rates. The combination of the Ryzen 5 9600X and Intel Arc B370 is fundamentally mismatched for this workload, with the GPU holding the entire system back.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo can achieve in The Medium?

A: The highest recorded average is 46 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

Q: Does this system reach the 60 FPS playable threshold at any resolution?

A: No. The database shows no playable settings at 3840x2160, 2560x1440, or 1920x1080, because all presets fall below 60 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals in the database?

A: The Intel Arc B370 has an average benchmark score of 1184. Its closest rival, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, scores 1186, which is 0.2% higher. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, 0.5% higher, and the AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168, 1.4% lower.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The Ryzen 5 9600X ranks at the 81st percentile among all CPUs, while the Intel Arc B370 ranks at the 5th percentile among all GPUs. Frame rates drop consistently as resolution increases, which is a GPU-bound behavior.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 46 FPS while the Ultra preset averages 16 FPS, a difference of 30 FPS.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested systems for this game?

A: This combo ranks 3439 out of 3724 tested combinations in The Medium, placing it in the lower portion of the database.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and Intel Arc B370 combination holds the rank of 3439 out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium. That places it in the bottom 8% of all systems in the database for this specific game. The CPU is not the reason for this low standing, as the Ryzen 5 9600X performs admirably in synthetic tests, sitting 0.2% above the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE and only 0.5% below the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H in average CPU score. The GPU, however, is a severe drag, with its 5th percentile ranking and a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184 that aligns it with graphics hardware from over a decade ago.

For a builder considering this pairing, the data is unambiguous. The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated-class GPU with a 25W TDP and system-shared memory, and it is not suitable for a game like The Medium at any resolution. The Ryzen 5 9600X deserves a discrete graphics card with far more shading units and memory bandwidth to produce playable results. As configured, this system is only useful for very low-end or non-gaming tasks, and The Medium will remain a slideshow regardless of settings.