The Medium

Can the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F paired with the Intel Arc B570 deliver a playable experience in The Medium? Benchmark data indicates a highly constrained outcome, with the combination only clearing the 60 FPS threshold at the lowest settings across most resolutions. The pairing ranks in the 2999th position out of 3724 tested combos, placing it in the lower 20% of the database. This is a configuration that struggles under load, and the measured frame rates reflect a system that is fundamentally limited at higher fidelity levels.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo reveals a stark performance ceiling. At 3840x2160, the game is largely unplayable, with average frame rates falling well below the 60 FPS target across all tested presets. The Ultra preset delivers an average of 18 FPS, a figure that indicates severe frame pacing issues. Dropping to High only raises the average to 23 FPS. The Medium preset provides a slightly more stable experience with an average of 32 FPS, alongside a minimum of 27 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS. Even the Low preset, which is the least demanding, only manages an average of 52 FPS, still 8 FPS short of the playable threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440 shows improvement but remains marginal. The Ultra preset produces an average of 23 FPS, and High is only slightly better at 29 FPS. The Medium preset reaches an average of 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS. The Low preset is the sole playable option at this resolution, achieving an average of 66 FPS. This is the first setting that crosses the 60 FPS line, though it does so without a large margin for demanding scenes.

At 1920x1080, the pattern repeats, but the frame rates are higher. The Ultra preset remains demanding, with an average of 28 FPS. The High preset averages 35 FPS, which is still not smooth. The Medium preset is closer, with an average of 49 FPS, a minimum of 41 FPS, and a maximum of 56 FPS. The Low preset is the definitive playable setting here, delivering an average of 78 FPS. This is the best performance the combo can offer, with a comfortable buffer above the 60 FPS threshold.

The data shows a consistent scaling pattern: dropping from Ultra to Low at 1080p improves the average frame rate from 28 FPS to 78 FPS, a gain of 50 FPS. The gap between Medium and Low is particularly large at every resolution, suggesting a significant increase in GPU load at the medium preset that this hardware cannot handle efficiently.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling between resolutions and presets indicates that the Intel Arc B570 GPU is the primary bottleneck. The CPU, an AMD Ryzen 7 9700F with 8 cores and 16 threads, ranks in the 94th percentile among all CPUs, indicating it has substantial headroom. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.2% faster), Intel Core i7-14700KF (0.2% slower), and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.7% faster), all of which are high-end processors. This suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor.

The GPU, however, only ranks in the 65th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals—the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (0.1% faster), Intel Arc A750 (0.1% slower), NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (0.4% faster), and AMD Radeon R9 M390X (0.5% slower)—are a mix of mobile and older desktop parts, indicating the B570's performance class. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 1440p and then to 4K are severe. For example, at the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 78 at 1080p to 66 at 1440p, and then down to 52 at 4K. This is a clear sign that the GPU's rendering throughput, not the CPU's processing power, dictates the final frame rate.

The CPU’s role becomes more apparent when looking at the minimum FPS figures. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 41 FPS, and at 1440p Medium, it is 35 FPS. These drops are proportional to the resolution increase, reinforcing that the GPU is saturated. The CPU is likely capable of feeding the GPU at these settings, but the GPU cannot render the frames fast enough. The data suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield significant gains, while upgrading the CPU would produce negligible improvements in this specific game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2999 out of 3724 combos places it in the bottom quintile of all tested configurations. This is a low position, indicating that a majority of other CPU-GPU pairings outperform it in The Medium. The rank is driven almost entirely by the GPU's performance ceiling, as the CPU is a top-tier part. The GPU's 65th percentile ranking, combined with the CPU's 94th percentile, creates a significant imbalance. The system is effectively GPU-bound at all times.

The benchmark scores support this interpretation. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 14195 and its average benchmark score of 20556 are modest. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2649 is also low, which is indicative of its real-world gaming performance. The CPU, in contrast, has a PassMark multithread score of 36470 and an avgBenchmarkScore of 69996, which are strong figures. This disparity means the combo is not well-balanced for a demanding title like The Medium.

The ranking data shows that this is not a configuration for high-refresh-rate or high-fidelity gaming. It is a pairing that can handle esports titles or older games at high frame rates, but for this specific horror title, it falls short. The 2999th rank out of 3724 combos is a clear signal that users should expect significant compromises in visual quality to achieve playable frame rates.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals are all within a 1% performance delta. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX is 0.2% faster, the Intel Core i7-14700KF is 0.2% slower, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X is 0.7% faster, and the Intel Core i7-14700K is 0.9% faster. These processors would all offer nearly identical performance in The Medium, meaning any of them paired with the Arc B570 would yield similar frame rates. The choice between them would come down to platform features rather than gaming performance.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (0.1% faster), Intel Arc A750 (0.1% slower), NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (0.4% faster), and AMD Radeon R9 M390X (0.5% slower). The Intel Arc A750 is particularly relevant, as it is a desktop part from the same manufacturer's previous generation. A system with a Ryzen 7 9700F and an Arc A750 would likely produce frame rates within a fraction of a percent of this combo. The RTX 3070 Mobile is a laptop part, but its desktop equivalent would be notably faster. Still, the data shows that the Arc B570's performance is closely matched by these parts.

Users looking for a different configuration that behaves similarly should consider a CPU from the list above paired with a GPU from the Arc A750's class. The overall frame rates would be nearly identical, with differences of less than 1% in average scores. This implies that the gaming experience in The Medium would be virtually unchanged, with the same resolution and preset limitations.

Best Settings per Resolution

The data identifies a single playable setting for each resolution. At 3840x2160, no preset achieves an average of 60 FPS or higher. The best possible setting is Low, which yields 52 FPS, but this is below the playable threshold. Therefore, 4K is not a viable option for this combo.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only playable option, with an average of 66 FPS. This is the most demanding setting that stays at or above 60 FPS. The Medium preset falls short at 41 FPS, so users must accept low settings to maintain smooth gameplay.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset is again the only playable option, delivering an average of 78 FPS. This provides a more comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold, but still requires the lowest visual quality preset. The Medium preset, at 49 FPS, is not viable for a consistent 60 FPS experience.

The Verdict

The verdict is clear: this PC can run The Medium, but only under strict conditions. According to the verdictByResolution data, the combo is playable at 2560x1440 and 1920x1080, but only with the Low preset. At 1440p, the average FPS is 66, and at 1080p, it is 78. Both clear the 60 FPS threshold.

The system cannot achieve playable frame rates at 3840x2160 under any preset. The highest average FPS at 4K is 52 on Low, which is below the 60 FPS target. The Medium, High, and Ultra presets all produce averages below 35 FPS, making them unsuitable for gameplay.

In summary, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and Intel Arc B570 combination is a low-end gaming setup for this title. It requires the lowest settings at 1080p and 1440p to function. The GPU is the clear limiting factor, and users should not expect to enjoy the game's higher visual fidelity presets with this hardware.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run The Medium at 4K resolution?

A: No. The best average FPS at 3840x2160 is 52 on the Low preset, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. No playable settings exist at this resolution.

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

A: The Low preset is the only playable setting at 2560x1440, delivering an average of 66 FPS. The Medium preset only achieves 41 FPS.

Q: How many FPS does the Medium preset yield at 1080p?

A: The Medium preset at 1920x1080 produces an average of 49 FPS, with a minimum of 41 FPS and a maximum of 56 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck for this game?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck. The CPU ranks in the 94th percentile, while the GPU ranks in the 65th percentile. Frame rates scale heavily with resolution, indicating GPU limitations.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: It ranks 2999th out of 3724 combos, placing it in the bottom quintile of tested configurations.

Q: What is the average FPS on the Low preset at 1080p?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 delivers an average of 78 FPS, which is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo.