The Medium

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for The Medium with the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and Intel Arc B390 shows a system that struggles to maintain fluid frame rates across all tested configurations. At 3840x2160, the highest resolution measured, the average frame rate ranges from 12 FPS at Ultra settings to 34 FPS at Low settings. The Medium preset at 4K yields an average of 21 FPS, with minimum and maximum readings of 18 FPS and 24 FPS respectively. High settings produce an average of 15 FPS, while Ultra drops to 12 FPS, indicating that the graphics workload at this resolution is far beyond what this combination can handle comfortably.

Moving to 2560x1440, the results improve but remain below playable thresholds. Low settings deliver an average of 43 FPS, while Medium averages 27 FPS with a recorded range of 23 FPS to 31 FPS. High settings yield 19 FPS, and Ultra produces 15 FPS on average. The gap between Low and Medium is 16 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 8 FPS, showing diminishing returns as settings increase.

At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the system reaches its best performance. Low settings achieve an average of 51 FPS, just short of the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium settings average 32 FPS, with minimum and maximum values of 27 FPS and 37 FPS. High settings produce 23 FPS, and Ultra drops to 18 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 1080p at Low settings is an 8 FPS improvement, while at Medium settings the improvement is 5 FPS, indicating that resolution scaling has a measurable but limited effect on this configuration.

The data shows a consistent pattern: every preset at every resolution falls below 60 FPS. The closest approach is 1080p Low at 51 FPS, which is 9 FPS short of the playable threshold. The minimum frame rate data is only available for Medium settings across all three resolutions, with values of 18 FPS at 4K, 23 FPS at 1440p, and 27 FPS at 1080p.

Best Settings per Resolution

The playable threshold is defined as 60 FPS, and the recorded data shows that no preset at any resolution reaches this level. At 3840x2160, even the lowest settings fail to approach playability, with Low averaging 34 FPS. At 2560x1440, the situation is similar, with Low averaging 43 FPS. At 1920x1080, Low averages 51 FPS, which is the highest recorded average across all tested configurations.

Since no settings combination achieves 60 FPS, there is no "best playable preset" to recommend. The database records no playable settings for any resolution. The verdict data confirms this: playableSettings lists are empty for all three resolutions, and bestSettings is null in every case.

For users who prioritize frame rate above visual quality, 1080p Low at 51 FPS is the least demanding configuration that produces the highest average. However, it still falls below the 60 FPS target. At 1440p, Low at 43 FPS is the best option, while at 4K, Low at 34 FPS is the maximum achievable average.

CPU and GPU Roles

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is a high-end desktop processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture. Its benchmark results place it in the 86th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37943. The Intel Arc B390, by contrast, sits in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482 from the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. This enormous disparity in relative standing suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck in this pairing.

The scaling between resolutions supports this interpretation. When moving from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 51 FPS to 43 FPS, an 8 FPS reduction. Moving from 1440p to 4K at Low settings drops from 43 FPS to 34 FPS, another 9 FPS reduction. These consistent reductions across resolutions indicate that the graphics workload scales with pixel count, which points to GPU-bound behavior.

The preset scaling tells a similar story. At 1080p, going from Low to Medium reduces the average from 51 FPS to 32 FPS, a 19 FPS drop. Medium to High drops from 32 FPS to 23 FPS, and High to Ultra drops from 23 FPS to 18 FPS. The largest single reduction occurs when enabling Medium settings, which suggests that certain rendering features at this tier impose a significant load on the graphics hardware.

The CPU's role is less prominent in these results. The Ryzen 7 9700X has strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20485 and a single-core score of 2211. At lower resolutions and settings, where the GPU workload is reduced, the CPU could theoretically become more relevant, but the measured frame rates at 1080p Low (51 FPS) remain well below what this processor is capable of feeding. The data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor across all tested configurations.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, based on average benchmark scores, include the Intel Core i9-14901E with a score of 37911, which is 0.1% behind the Ryzen's 37943. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 scores 37904, also 0.1% behind. The Intel Core 5 211E scores 37829, a 0.3% difference, and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 scores 37804, a 0.4% difference. These processors are statistically near-identical in overall benchmark performance, so any of them paired with the Intel Arc B390 would likely produce similar frame rates in The Medium.

For the Intel Arc B390, the nearest rivals are considerably weaker in relative terms. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, which is 1.3% lower than the Arc B390's 1482. The NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1460, 1.5% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, 2.5% lower, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, 2.7% lower. These GPUs are all in the same performance tier, meaning that swapping the Arc B390 for any of these would result in nearly identical frame rates in this game.

The combination of a top-tier CPU with a low-tier GPU creates an unusual pairing. The CPU's rivals would not change the gaming experience meaningfully, since the GPU is the bottleneck. The GPU's rivals, all of which are close in score, would similarly not alter the outcome. The recorded data indicates that the frame rates are governed almost entirely by the GPU's limited capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 3314 out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the lower portion of the database, with roughly 89% of tested combinations performing better. The ranking reflects the GPU's low percentile standing, as the CPU alone would rank much higher in CPU-only benchmarks.

The percentile positions of the individual components tell a clear story. The CPU sits at the 86th percentile among all CPUs, meaning it outperforms the majority of processors in general benchmarks. The GPU sits at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, meaning it outperforms only a small fraction of graphics cards. The final combo rank of 3314 out of 3724 is heavily influenced by the GPU's weak performance, since the game's frame rates are GPU-limited across all measured settings.

The database shows that this combo is not competitive for The Medium. The rank of 3314 means that 410 tested combinations performed worse, but the vast majority of systems in the database would deliver better results. For a game that requires 60 FPS for playability, this combo falls short in every measured configuration.

The Verdict

The data clearly shows that this PC cannot run The Medium at 60 FPS on any tested setting. The verdict by resolution lists no playable settings for 3840x2160, 2560x1440, or 1920x1080. The best recorded average is 51 FPS at 1080p Low, which is below the 60 FPS threshold by 9 FPS.

At 4K, the highest average is 34 FPS on Low settings, which is far from playable. At 1440p, Low settings produce 43 FPS, still well below the threshold. At 1080p, Low settings produce 51 FPS, the closest result, but it remains short of 60 FPS. Medium settings at 1080p produce 32 FPS, High produces 23 FPS, and Ultra produces 18 FPS. None of these configurations can sustain a smooth experience.

The conclusion is straightforward: the Intel Arc B390 is not powerful enough for this game, regardless of the capable CPU paired with it. Users would need to either reduce resolution below 1080p, which was not tested, or accept frame rates in the 30-50 FPS range at low settings. The 60 FPS target is unattainable with this hardware combination in The Medium.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in The Medium?

A: The highest recorded average is 51 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 60 FPS at 1080p?

A: No. The closest result is 51 FPS at Low settings, which falls 9 FPS short of the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X scores 37943 on average, which is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i9-14901E (37911) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (37904), 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core 5 211E (37829), and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 (37804).

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

A: The Intel Arc B390 scores 1482, which is 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1443).

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1440p?

A: Low settings at 2560x1440 produce the highest average of 43 FPS. Medium averages 27 FPS, High averages 19 FPS, and Ultra averages 15 FPS.

Q: How does resolution scaling affect performance at Low settings?

A: At Low settings, the average frame rate is 51 FPS at 1080p, 43 FPS at 1440p, and 34 FPS at 4K, showing a consistent drop as resolution increases.