The Medium

FAQ

Q: Can this combination run The Medium at 60 FPS?

A: No. The recorded data shows no settings preset at any resolution reaches 60 FPS. The best result is 46 FPS average at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: What is the strongest result for this CPU and GPU pairing?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 46 at 1920x1080 Low. The next best is 39 FPS at 2560x1440 Low, then 30 FPS at 3840x2160 Low.

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

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D scores 58,386 average. It is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M, 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core i9-14900, and 0.7% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470. The Intel Xeon w5-2545 is 0.2% ahead.

Q: What does the GPU's percentile ranking indicate?

A: The Intel Arc B370 sits at the 5th percentile among all GPUs in the database. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1,184, which places it within 1.4% of the AMD FirePro M2000 and about 0.5% below the ATI Radeon HD 5770.

Q: Does raising the settings from Low to Medium improve FPS consistency?

A: No, it reduces performance. At 1920x1080, Medium yields 29 FPS average with a minimum of 24, versus 46 FPS average on Low. At 2560x1440, Medium drops to 24 FPS average (min 21), and at 3840x2160 it falls to 19 FPS (min 16).

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

A: The benchmark pattern indicates the GPU is the primary constraint. FPS scales heavily with resolution: dropping from 3840x2160 to 1920x1080 at Low settings improves average FPS from 30 to 46. The CPU's high multithreaded score (22,807 in Cinebench R23 multi-core) is not translating into playable frame rates, so the graphics workload dominates.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS data across resolutions and presets shows a clear division of labor. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS is 30 on Low, while Ultra drops to 11. At 2560x1440, Low reaches 39 FPS, and at 1920x1080, Low hits 46. This scaling pattern, where reducing pixel count by half nearly doubles frame rate, points to the GPU as the bottleneck. The Intel Arc B370, with its 6.144 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 25 W TDP, is a low-power integrated-class part. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1,184 places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, which is consistent with the observed frame rates.

The CPU's role becomes evident when comparing settings at the same resolution. At 1920x1080, moving from Low to Medium reduces average FPS from 46 to 29, a 37% drop. From Medium to High, it falls further to 21. This sensitivity to preset quality, even at lower resolutions, indicates that the game's rendering features (shadows, reflections, volumetric effects) are taxing the GPU's fixed-function units. The CPU, with 8 cores and 16 threads based on Zen 5 architecture, has more than enough headroom; its Passmark single-thread score of 4,704 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,228 ensure that CPU-bound scenarios are not the limiting factor.

At higher resolutions, the gap between Low and Ultra widens. At 3840x2160, Low averages 30 FPS while Ultra averages 11, a 63% reduction. At 2560x1440, the same comparison shows 39 versus 14, a 64% drop. This consistent percentage across resolutions suggests that the GPU's shading and pixel throughput are the dominant variables. The CPU does not show signs of stalling; even at 1080p Low, the 46 FPS result is still below the 60 FPS threshold, which would not be the case if the processor were the limiting factor. Therefore, the database indicates that upgrading the GPU would yield the largest FPS gains, while the Ryzen 7 9850X3D is sufficient for this title's CPU demands.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals in the database, several processors would behave similarly. The Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M has an average benchmark score of 58,323, which is 0.1% lower than the Ryzen 7 9850X3D. The Intel Xeon w5-2545 scores 58,504, 0.2% higher. The Intel Core i9-14900 is 0.5% lower at 58,115, and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 is 0.7% higher at 58,826. These deltas are all within 1%, meaning any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in The Medium when paired with the same GPU. The choice among them would not change the playability outcome.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are all older discrete or mobile parts. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1,186, 0.2% higher than the Arc B370. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1,190, 0.5% higher. The AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1,192, 0.7% higher, and the AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1,168, 1.4% lower. These are all within 1.4% of the Arc B370's 1,184 score. In practice, swapping to any of these GPUs would result in similar frame rates in The Medium, all well below the 60 FPS target. The Arc B370's 5th percentile ranking means it competes with hardware from over a decade ago, not modern discrete cards.

The combination of a high-end CPU (92nd percentile) with a bottom-tier GPU (5th percentile) creates a large imbalance. Users coming from a system with a similar GPU, such as the Radeon HD 5770, would see comparable performance. Those upgrading from a stronger GPU would notice the Arc B370 as the clear limiting factor. The database shows that this combo behaves like a CPU-rich, GPU-poor system, and the alternatives listed would not alter that dynamic.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this CPU and GPU pair in The Medium is 3,439 out of 3,724 tested combinations. This places it in the bottom 8% of all tested systems. The rank reflects the GPU's low percentile ranking far more than the CPU's strength. A system with the same CPU but a stronger GPU would rank significantly higher, while a system with a weaker CPU but the same GPU would rank nearly identically, as the game is GPU-bound.

Out of 3,724 combos, only 285 rank lower. This means the majority of tested systems, including those with much older CPUs, outperform this pairing in The Medium because they have more capable graphics hardware. The Arc B370's 5th percentile GPU ranking is the dominant factor. The CPU's 92nd percentile ranking cannot compensate, as the game does not require extreme processor performance at the resolutions tested. The data shows that this combo is best suited for non-gaming workloads or very old, lightweight titles, not a demanding horror game like The Medium.

The Verdict

The recorded data is unambiguous: this PC cannot run The Medium at 60 FPS at any resolution or preset. The verdict by resolution lists no playable settings for 3840x2160, 2560x1440, or 1920x1080. The closest result is 46 FPS average at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which is 14 FPS short of the playable threshold. At 2560x1440 Low, the average is 39 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Low, it is 30 FPS.

The minimum FPS values, where recorded, reinforce the verdict. At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum is 24 FPS, which means the experience will have noticeable stutters. At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum is 21 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Medium, it is 16 FPS. These figures are far below the 60 FPS target and also below the 30 FPS threshold often considered marginally playable. Even the best case, 46 FPS average at 1080p Low, would dip lower during busy scenes, making it an inconsistent experience.

Users seeking to play The Medium would need a substantially more powerful GPU. The CPU is not the issue; the Ryzen 7 9850X3D has ample processing power for this title. The Arc B370, with its integrated-class performance, is the sole reason this system fails to meet the playability standard. The verdict is clear: do not expect a smooth experience with this hardware.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, there is no settings preset that reaches 60 FPS. The highest average is 30 FPS on Low, which is below the threshold. The database shows no playable settings for this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the same applies. The best result is 39 FPS on Low, still 21 FPS short of 60. Medium yields 24 FPS, High 17, and Ultra 14. None are viable.

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS does not exist. The best average is 46 FPS on Low, which is the highest recorded figure for this combo. Medium drops to 29 FPS, High to 21, and Ultra to 16. Since no preset reaches 60 FPS, the practical recommendation would be to use Low settings at 1080p and accept the sub-60 performance, or reduce the resolution further (not tested) to attempt a higher frame rate. However, based on the data, even the lowest settings at the lowest tested resolution cannot hit the playable threshold.