The Medium

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run The Medium at 1920x1080 with Low settings?

A: No. The recorded average FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings is 51 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold used in the database.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combination?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 51, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next closest is 43 FPS at 2560x1440 with Low settings.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rival in raw GPU benchmarks?

A: The Intel Arc B390 scores 1482 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, scores 1463, which is 1.3% lower. The GeForce 800M is 1.5% lower, and the GT 625 OEM is 2.5% lower.

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X rank among all CPUs in the database?

A: The Ryzen 7 3700X sits at the 84th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 34260, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 (34222, 0.1% lower) and the AMD EPYC 4244P (34220, 0.1% lower).

Q: What is the best playable setting at 2560x1440?

A: There is no playable setting at 2560x1440. All presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) produce average FPS values below the 60 FPS threshold, with the highest being 43 FPS at Low.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded at 1920x1080 Medium?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the recorded minimum FPS is 27 and the maximum is 37, with an average of 32 FPS.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold. The closest attempt is Low settings, which delivers an average of 34 FPS. Medium averages 21 FPS, High averages 15 FPS, and Ultra averages 12 FPS. The data indicates that even the least demanding preset leaves the system more than 25 FPS short of the target.

At 2560x1440, the situation is similar. Low settings produce the highest average at 43 FPS, still 17 FPS below the threshold. Medium averages 27 FPS, High averages 19 FPS, and Ultra averages 15 FPS. None of these presets can be recommended for reaching 60 FPS.

At 1920x1080, Low settings again provide the best result with an average of 51 FPS, which is 9 FPS below the playable threshold. Medium averages 32 FPS, High averages 23 FPS, and Ultra averages 18 FPS. The database records no settings combination at any resolution that clears the 60 FPS bar.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results show that the Intel Arc B390 is the dominant limiting factor across all resolutions. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 places it at the 9th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU sits at the 84th percentile. This massive gap in relative standing strongly suggests the GPU is the bottleneck.

Looking at resolution scaling, dropping from 3840x2160 to 1920x1080 at Low settings improves the average from 34 FPS to 51 FPS, a gain of 17 FPS. At Medium settings, the same resolution drop improves the average from 21 FPS to 32 FPS, an 11 FPS gain. These improvements are consistent with GPU-bound behavior: lowering pixel count directly raises frame rates.

Preset scaling within a fixed resolution tells a similar story. At 1920x1080, moving from Low to Medium drops the average from 51 to 32 FPS, a 37% reduction. Moving from Medium to High drops it from 32 to 23 FPS, a 28% reduction. These steep penalties for higher graphical fidelity are typical of a GPU that is already stretched thin.

The CPU's capabilities, including 8 cores and 16 threads with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, are far above what the GPU can feed. The database shows the Ryzen 7 3700X scoring 2092 in Cinebench R15 multicore and 22458 in Passmark multithread. None of the recorded frame rates approach a level where CPU throughput would become the primary constraint. Across all resolutions and presets, the FPS ceiling appears dictated by the GPU's rendering throughput rather than by processor performance.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database's ranking of all tested CPU and GPU combinations for The Medium, this pairing ranks 3314 out of 3724 combinations. That places it in the bottom 11% of tested systems. The rank reflects the severe GPU limitation: even with a strong CPU, the Arc B390 cannot deliver playable frame rates in this title.

The percentile data reinforces this: the GPU sits at the 9th percentile of all GPUs, meaning roughly 91% of tested GPUs outperform it. Meanwhile, the CPU's 84th percentile standing indicates it is not the weak link. The combination's overall rank is therefore dragged down almost entirely by the graphics component.

In practical terms, this ranking means the system is closer in performance to entry-level or legacy hardware than to modern gaming systems. Users comparing this combo to others in the database should expect it to be outclassed by the vast majority of tested configurations for this specific game.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals in the database are tightly clustered. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 scores 34222, just 0.1% below the Ryzen 7 3700X's 34260 average. The AMD EPYC 4244P scores 34220, also 0.1% lower. The Intel Core i5-13450HX scores 34333, which is 0.2% higher. The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H scores 34083, 0.5% lower. Any of these processors would behave nearly identically as the CPU side of this pairing.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are all substantially weaker in absolute terms, but they cluster closely around the Arc B390's score of 1482. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX is 1.3% lower at 1463. The NVIDIA GeForce 800M is 1.5% lower at 1460. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM is 2.5% lower at 1446. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 is 2.7% lower at 1443. These deltas are small, so swapping the Arc B390 for any of these GPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in The Medium.

The practical takeaway is that the GPU's performance class is the determining factor. Whether paired with the Ryzen 7 3700X or any of its nearby rivals, the system will remain below the 60 FPS threshold in this game because the GPU tier is the limiting element.

The Verdict

The recorded data is unambiguous: this PC cannot run The Medium at playable frame rates at any resolution or preset. The verdictByResolution field shows no playable settings for 3840x2160, 2560x1440, or 1920x1080. The playable threshold is 60 FPS, and the highest average FPS recorded across all 12 measurements is 51 FPS at 1920x1080 Low.

At 3840x2160, the best case is Low at 34 FPS average. At 2560x1440, the best case is also Low at 43 FPS. At 1920x1080, Low reaches 51 FPS. Even the most favorable combination of resolution and settings falls 9 FPS short of the target. Medium, High, and Ultra presets at every resolution produce averages between 12 and 32 FPS, far below playable.

The verdict is that this system is not suitable for running The Medium at 60 FPS under any tested configuration. Users seeking smooth gameplay would need to consider a different GPU, as the CPU is not the limiting factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the recorded averages are as follows: Ultra averages 12 FPS, High averages 15 FPS, Medium averages 21 FPS with a minimum of 18 and maximum of 24, and Low averages 34 FPS. Minimum and maximum values are only recorded for the Medium preset at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 15 FPS, High averages 19 FPS, Medium averages 27 FPS with a minimum of 23 and maximum of 31, and Low averages 43 FPS. Again, only Medium includes min and max values.

At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 18 FPS, High averages 23 FPS, Medium averages 32 FPS with a minimum of 27 and maximum of 37, and Low averages 51 FPS. The Medium preset provides the only complete min/max range at this resolution.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: Low settings offer the highest frame rates, followed by Medium, then High, then Ultra. The gaps between presets are large, typically 8 to 13 FPS between consecutive settings levels. The data shows no scenario where the system approaches the 60 FPS target, and the GPU's low benchmark standing explains this consistent shortfall.