The Medium

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for The Medium on this AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and Intel Arc B370 combination reveals a consistent pattern across all resolutions: performance is heavily constrained, with no preset reaching the 60 FPS playable threshold at any tested setting.

At 3840x2160, the highest resolution measured, the results are as follows. On Low settings, the average frame rate is 30 FPS. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 19 FPS, with a minimum of 16 FPS and a maximum of 22 FPS recorded. High settings produce an average of 14 FPS, while Ultra settings yield just 11 FPS. None of these figures approach the 60 FPS threshold, and even the Low preset at this resolution sits exactly at half the required frame rate.

At 2560x1440, performance improves modestly but remains far below playable levels. Low settings deliver an average of 39 FPS. 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 jump from 4K to 1440p provides roughly a 30% improvement on Low settings, but the absolute numbers still leave the game well short of smooth gameplay.

At 1920x1080, the best-case scenario for this hardware, the results are still disappointing. Low settings average 46 FPS. 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. Even at the lowest resolution and preset combination, the system cannot hit 60 FPS, falling 14 frames short on average.

The data shows a clear and consistent hierarchy: lower resolutions and lower presets improve frame rates, but the ceiling is low across the board. The Medium is a demanding title, and this particular CPU-GPU pairing struggles to keep up even at 1080p with the least demanding settings.

CPU and GPU Roles

Examining the scaling between resolutions and presets helps clarify which component is the limiting factor in this combination. The Intel Arc B370 has a very low benchmark percentile, sitting at 5th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1184 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. Its nearest rivals in the database include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (scoring 1186, a delta of -0.2%), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (scoring 1190, a delta of -0.5%), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (scoring 1192, a delta of -0.7%). These are all legacy or low-power graphics solutions, indicating that the GPU is extremely weak by modern standards.

Meanwhile, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X sits at the 87th percentile among all CPUs, with a robust average benchmark score of 41376. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H (scoring 41263, a delta of 0.3%), the Intel Core Ultra 7 356H (scoring 41215, a delta of 0.4%), and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 440 (scoring 41208, a delta of 0.4%). The CPU is clearly a high-performance part, with 12 cores, 24 threads, and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz.

The performance gap between the two components is stark. When resolution increases from 1080p to 1440p, frame rates drop by roughly 15 to 20% across most presets. When moving from 1440p to 4K, the drop is even more severe, around 25 to 30%. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario: as the number of pixels increases, the graphics processor becomes the bottleneck. The CPU has ample headroom, but the GPU simply cannot process the workload fast enough.

However, the fact that even at 1080p Low settings the system only reaches 46 FPS suggests that the GPU is so weak that it is the dominant constraint at every resolution. The CPU, while powerful, cannot compensate for the graphics card's limitations. The data implies that upgrading the GPU would yield far greater performance gains than upgrading the CPU, which is already well above the 87th percentile of all processors tested.

Best Settings per Resolution

The verdict data from the database explicitly lists no playable settings at any resolution. For 3840x2160, the playable settings array is empty, meaning no preset at 4K reaches 60 FPS. The same is true for 2560x1440: no settings configuration achieves the playable threshold. And at 1920x1080, the best-case resolution, there are still no playable settings.

Given that the playable threshold is defined as 60 FPS, and the highest recorded average frame rate across all measurements is 46 FPS (at 1080p Low), it is impossible to recommend any preset at any resolution for smooth gameplay. Even the least demanding combination, 1080p Low, falls short by 14 frames per second.

For users who are willing to tolerate frame rates below 60 FPS, the most demanding preset that stays closest to the threshold at each resolution would be: at 1080p, Low settings at 46 FPS is the only option above 40 FPS; at 1440p, Low settings at 39 FPS is the highest average; and at 4K, Low settings at 30 FPS is the maximum achievable. But strictly speaking, the database records no configuration that meets the 60 FPS requirement.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide context for what other hardware might behave similarly in this game.

For the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, the closest comparable processors in the database are the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H (average score 41263, delta of 0.3%), the Intel Core Ultra 7 356H (average score 41215, delta of 0.4%), and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 440 (average score 41208, delta of 0.4%). The Intel Core i7-14650HX also sits nearby with a score of 41576, which is 0.5% higher. These CPUs all perform within a very narrow band of each other, meaning that swapping the Ryzen 9 5900X for any of these would result in virtually identical CPU-bound behavior in The Medium. Since the GPU is the limiting factor, the choice among these CPUs would have negligible impact on the measured frame rates.

For the Intel Arc B370, the nearest rivals are all legacy GPUs with nearly identical benchmark scores. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186 (0.2% higher), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190 (0.5% higher), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192 (0.7% higher). The AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168, which is 1.4% lower. These GPUs would all deliver essentially the same performance in The Medium, meaning that if a user had any of these graphics cards paired with the Ryzen 9 5900X, the FPS results would be nearly indistinguishable from the Arc B370. The delta percentages are all under 1.5%, so the gaming experience would be equally poor.

The Verdict

Can this PC run The Medium? Based on the recorded data, the answer is a clear no, at least not at the 60 FPS threshold that defines playability in this database.

The verdict by resolution is unambiguous. At 3840x2160, there are no playable settings; the best average FPS is 30 at Low, which is exactly half the required rate. At 2560x1440, again no settings reach 60 FPS, with the best average being 39 FPS at Low. At 1920x1080, the best-case scenario, Low settings produce 46 FPS, which is still 14 FPS short of the threshold.

The game is fundamentally unplayable at a smooth frame rate with this combination. Even at the lowest resolution and lowest preset, the frame rate is below 60 FPS, and the minimum FPS recorded (24 at 1080p Medium) suggests that there are stutters and dips that would further harm the experience. Users would have to accept frame rates in the 30 to 46 FPS range, which is below the standard for smooth action, especially in a horror game where timing and atmosphere matter.

The data strongly indicates that the Intel Arc B370 is the primary bottleneck. Its 5th percentile ranking among all GPUs and its benchmark scores, which rival those of GPUs from over a decade ago, make it unsuitable for modern 3D titles like The Medium. The Ryzen 9 5900X, by contrast, is a high-end CPU that would easily handle the game's CPU demands; the problem is entirely on the graphics side.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database's overall ranking of tested CPU-GPU combinations for The Medium, this pairing sits at rank 3439 out of 3724 combinations. That places it in the bottom 8% of all tested systems, a very poor showing.

To put this in perspective, out of every 100 combinations tested, roughly 92 would perform better than this one. The combination's low rank is driven almost entirely by the GPU, as the CPU is a top-tier part. If the same CPU were paired with a more capable graphics card, the ranking would improve dramatically. But as configured, this system is near the bottom of the table.

The percentile ranking for the GPU alone, 5th percentile, reinforces this conclusion. The Arc B370 is one of the weakest GPUs in the entire database. The CPU's 87th percentile ranking cannot rescue the overall combination when the graphics processing is this limited.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combination in The Medium?

A: The highest average frame rate is 46 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Does this system reach 60 FPS at any resolution or preset?

A: No. The database records no playable settings at any resolution. The 60 FPS threshold is never met, with the closest being 46 FPS at 1080p Low.

Q: Which component is the primary bottleneck for this game?

A: The Intel Arc B370 GPU. Its 5th percentile ranking and benchmark scores comparable to legacy GPUs make it the limiting factor, while the Ryzen 9 5900X sits at the 87th percentile among CPUs.

Q: How does this combination rank among all tested systems for The Medium?

A: It ranks 3439 out of 3724 combinations, placing it in the bottom 8% of all tested systems.

Q: What happens to frame rates when moving from 1080p to 1440p?

A: Frame rates drop noticeably. For example, Low settings go from 46 FPS at 1080p to 39 FPS at 1440p, a decline of about 15%.

Q: Are there any settings at 4K that produce more than 30 FPS?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average is 30 FPS on Low settings. Medium averages 19 FPS, High averages 14 FPS, and Ultra averages 11 FPS.