The Medium

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X paired with the Intel Arc B370 in The Medium shows a configuration that struggles to maintain playable frame rates at any resolution. The playable threshold for this analysis is 60 FPS, and the measurements fall far short across every tested preset.

At 3840x2160, the highest average frame rate recorded is 30 FPS on Low settings. Medium settings drop to 19 FPS average, with a minimum of 16 FPS and a maximum of 22 FPS. High settings produce only 14 FPS average, while Ultra settings bottom out at 11 FPS average. No minimum or maximum values were recorded for Low, High, or Ultra at this resolution, but the averages alone indicate a severe performance deficit.

Moving to 2560x1440, the results improve modestly but remain well below the 60 FPS target. Low settings deliver 39 FPS average, which is the best result for this resolution. Medium settings average 24 FPS, with a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 28 FPS. High settings average 17 FPS, and Ultra settings average 14 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 25 FPS, showing that the graphics hardware has limited headroom even when settings are reduced.

At 1920x1080, the best average frame rate is 46 FPS on Low settings. This is the highest recorded average across the entire test suite, yet it still sits 14 FPS below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium settings average 29 FPS, with a minimum of 24 FPS and a maximum of 33 FPS. High settings average 21 FPS, and Ultra settings average 16 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p is a drop of 30 FPS, confirming that the preset choice has a substantial impact on performance, but no preset approaches playability.

The pattern across all three resolutions is consistent: even the least demanding preset fails to reach 60 FPS. The data shows a hardware combination that is not capable of delivering a smooth experience in this title, regardless of resolution or quality settings.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals in the database for the CPU and GPU provide context for what similar hardware would behave like in this configuration. The Ryzen 7 5800X sits close to several other processors in average benchmark score. The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H is 0.1% ahead, which is effectively a performance tie. The Intel Xeon Phi 7210 is 0.4% behind, the Intel Core i5-13500HX is 0.5% behind, and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT is 0.6% ahead. These deltas are all within a single percentage point, meaning any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical CPU-bound results in The Medium.

The GPU side tells a very different story. The Intel Arc B370 ranks at the 5th percentile among all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are all older or lower-end parts. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 is 0.2% ahead, the ATI Radeon HD 5770 is 0.5% ahead, the AMD Radeon HD 7650M is 0.7% ahead, and the AMD FirePro M2000 is 1.4% behind. These are all sub-1.5% deltas, so swapping the Arc B370 for any of these alternatives would yield nearly the same frame rates. The implication is clear: the GPU is the dominant bottleneck, and its performance class is far below what The Medium demands for 60 FPS gameplay.

For a builder considering alternatives, the data suggests that upgrading the CPU would do little to change the outcome, since the nearest CPU rivals are within 0.6% of each other. The GPU, however, sits in a performance tier where even its closest competitors are decades-old parts, and none of them would meaningfully improve the frame rates recorded here.

Best Settings per Resolution

The verdict data for this configuration lists no playable settings at any resolution, meaning there is no preset that keeps the game at or above 60 FPS. The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS does not exist for 3840x2160, 2560x1440, or 1920x1080.

The recorded measurements do show which settings produce the least bad results. At 3840x2160, Low settings deliver 30 FPS average, which is the best available option at that resolution, though it is only half the playable threshold. At 2560x1440, Low settings average 39 FPS, again the best option but still 21 FPS short of playability. At 1920x1080, Low settings average 46 FPS, the single highest result in the entire test suite, yet it remains 14 FPS below the target.

Since no preset reaches 60 FPS, the practical recommendation from the data is to avoid this hardware combination for The Medium entirely. Reducing settings to Low provides the highest frame rates, but even that is insufficient for smooth gameplay. Medium settings at any resolution are not worth considering, as they drop averages to between 19 and 29 FPS depending on resolution.

The Verdict

This PC cannot run The Medium at a playable level. The verdict by resolution is unambiguous: there are no playable settings at 3840x2160, at 2560x1440, or at 1920x1080. Every recorded preset at every resolution falls below the 60 FPS threshold, often by a wide margin.

At 3840x2160, the best average is 30 FPS on Low, which is half the required frame rate. At 2560x1440, Low settings reach 39 FPS, which is 21 FPS short. At 1920x1080, Low settings reach 46 FPS, which is 14 FPS short. The gap between the best result and the playable threshold narrows as resolution decreases, but it never closes.

The data indicates that even a substantial reduction in graphical quality cannot compensate for the hardware's limitations in this title. The Medium is a horror game that relies on atmosphere and pacing, and the frame rates recorded here would likely produce a stuttering, uncomfortable experience. The conclusion from the measurements is straightforward: this combination is not suitable for playing The Medium at any resolution or preset.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded data shows that the GPU is the dominant limiting factor in this configuration. The Intel Arc B370 ranks at the 5th percentile among all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are all parts from a much older generation. The CPU, by contrast, is a strong performer. The Ryzen 7 5800X sits at the 81st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29123, and its nearest rivals are all within 0.6% of its score.

The scaling between resolutions and presets reinforces this conclusion. At 3840x2160, the difference between Low and Ultra is 19 FPS (30 FPS down to 11 FPS). At 2560x1440, the difference is 25 FPS (39 FPS down to 14 FPS). At 1920x1080, the difference is 30 FPS (46 FPS down to 16 FPS). The frame rate drops as resolution increases, which is typical of GPU-bound scenarios. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would remain more consistent across resolutions, since the CPU workload does not scale as heavily with resolution.

The resolution scaling also shows the GPU's limits. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at Low settings drops the average from 46 FPS to 39 FPS, a reduction of 7 FPS. Moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 at Low settings drops the average from 39 FPS to 30 FPS, another reduction of 9 FPS. These consistent drops across resolution steps are characteristic of a GPU that is saturated even at the lowest quality settings.

The CPU's role in this game is secondary. The Ryzen 7 5800X has 8 cores, 16 threads, and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, and its benchmark scores are strong, but none of that matters when the GPU cannot render frames fast enough. Benchmark results indicate that the CPU would be capable of feeding a much faster GPU, but with the Arc B370, the system is firmly GPU-limited at every resolution and preset.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and the Intel Arc B370 ranks 3439 out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the bottom 8% of all configurations in the database. The rank reflects the severe GPU bottleneck discussed above: a high-end CPU paired with a very low-end GPU produces a result that is near the bottom of the rankings.

The CPU alone would rank much higher. The Ryzen 7 5800X is at the 81st percentile among all CPUs, and its nearest rivals are all within a fraction of a percent in average score. The GPU, however, is at the 5th percentile among all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are all older parts with similar or slightly better scores. The combination of an 81st percentile CPU with a 5th percentile GPU drags the overall ranking down to the 3439th position.

The data shows that this combo ranks poorly not because the CPU is weak, but because the GPU is far too weak for the demands of The Medium. The recorded frame rates, the verdict by resolution, and the combo rank all point to the same conclusion: the Arc B370 is the limiting component, and no amount of CPU headroom can compensate for it. For anyone considering this pairing, the ranking suggests that the GPU should be the first component replaced, as the CPU is already performing at a level that would support a much faster graphics card.