The Medium

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for this combination in The Medium shows a consistently challenging performance profile across all tested resolutions and settings. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 11 FPS, the High preset averages 14 FPS, the Medium preset averages 19 FPS with minimum and maximum readings of 16 FPS and 22 FPS respectively, and the Low preset reaches an average of 30 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is substantial, with the Low preset delivering roughly 2.7 times the frame rate of the Ultra preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern repeats with slightly better absolute numbers. Ultra averages 14 FPS, High averages 17 FPS, Medium averages 24 FPS with a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 28 FPS, and Low averages 39 FPS. The scaling from 4K to 1440p is consistent: each preset gains approximately 3 to 9 FPS when resolution drops, but none of these figures approach a fluid experience.

At 1920x1080, the best results in the dataset appear. Low averages 46 FPS, Medium averages 29 FPS with a 24 FPS minimum and 33 FPS maximum, High averages 21 FPS, and Ultra averages 16 FPS. Even at the most common gaming resolution, the Low preset remains below the 60 FPS threshold, and the Ultra preset delivers less than one third of that target. The minimum and maximum readings for Medium at 1080p indicate that frame times are relatively stable, but the overall performance level is simply too low for smooth gameplay.

The absence of minimum and maximum values for most presets in the dataset suggests that only the Medium preset was recorded with full frame time data. That said, the average values alone are sufficient to establish the general performance envelope: this combination sits far below playable frame rates in every configuration tested.

How This Combo Ranks

The database places this combination at rank 3439 out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium. That places it in the bottom 8 percent of all recorded configurations, a position that aligns with the measured FPS data. The GPU component, the Intel Arc B370, sits at the 5th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D, sits at the 95th percentile among all CPUs. This extreme mismatch between a top-tier processor and a very low-tier graphics solution explains the overall ranking.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the database include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 with an average score of 1186, which is 0.2 percent higher than the Arc B370's score of 1184. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, 0.5 percent higher, and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192, 0.7 percent higher. The AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168, which is 1.4 percent lower. These comparisons place the Arc B370 in the company of integrated and legacy mobile graphics solutions from more than a decade ago, which contextualizes its poor showing in The Medium.

The CPU, by contrast, is surrounded by other high-end processors. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 scores 75738, just 0.1 percent lower than the 9950X3D's 75779 average benchmark score. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755X3D scores 75716, also 0.1 percent lower, while the AMD EPYC 8224P scores 75582, 0.3 percent lower, and the Intel Core Ultra 9 285 scores 75488, 0.4 percent lower. The CPU is not the limiting factor in this pairing; it has ample headroom that the GPU cannot utilize.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor in this combination is stark. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D, with its 16 cores and 32 threads, a boost clock of 5.70 GHz, and 128 MB of L3 cache, is among the most capable processors in the database. Its benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multicore result of 42018 and a Geekbench single-core score of 3064, place it at the 95th percentile of all CPUs. In The Medium, however, these CPU capabilities are largely irrelevant because the Intel Arc B370, an integrated graphics solution with a 25 W TDP and system-shared memory, cannot render the game at competitive frame rates regardless of resolution or preset.

The scaling data makes this clear. When resolution drops from 3840x2160 to 1920x1080, the Low preset improves from 30 FPS to 46 FPS, a gain of 16 FPS. The Medium preset improves from 19 FPS to 29 FPS, a gain of 10 FPS. The High preset improves from 14 FPS to 21 FPS, a gain of 7 FPS. The Ultra preset improves from 11 FPS to 16 FPS, a gain of 5 FPS. These improvements are entirely attributable to reduced pixel count, which lessens the load on the GPU's 20 ROPs and 1280 shading units. The CPU's role remains constant across these tests; it is never the bottleneck.

Preset scaling tells the same story. At 1920x1080, moving from Low to Medium costs 17 FPS, from Medium to High costs 8 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs 5 FPS. At 3840x2160, the same transitions cost 11 FPS, 5 FPS, and 3 FPS respectively. The diminishing returns of higher presets at higher resolutions are a classic GPU-bound signature. A CPU-bound scenario would show flat frame rates across resolutions or improvements when resolution increases, neither of which appears here. The data indicates that the Arc B370 is the sole performance limiter in every tested configuration.

The Verdict

The verdict is unambiguous: this PC cannot run The Medium at a playable level at any resolution or preset tested. The database defines the playable threshold at 60 FPS, and the highest recorded average across all twelve configurations is 46 FPS at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. The verdictByResolution field lists no playable settings for 3840x2160, 2560x1440, or 1920x1080, and no best settings are recorded for any resolution.

At 3840x2160, the best achievable average is 30 FPS on Low, which is half the playable threshold. At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 39 FPS, still 21 FPS short of 60. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 46 FPS, the closest any configuration comes to the target, but it remains 14 FPS below the threshold. The Medium preset at 1080p, which would be a more reasonable visual baseline, averages only 29 FPS. No combination of resolution and settings in the recorded data reaches 60 FPS, and the Ultra presets at every resolution fall below 20 FPS.

For a game like The Medium, a horror title that relies on atmosphere and visual detail, the Low preset at 1080p would compromise the intended experience, and it still fails to hit the playable threshold. This system is not suitable for running this game.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average is 46 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

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

A: No. The database records no playable settings at 3840x2160, 2560x1440, or 1920x1080. The closest result is 46 FPS at 1080p Low, which is 14 FPS below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in the database. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186 (0.2 percent higher), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190 (0.5 percent higher), the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192 (0.7 percent higher), and the AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168 (1.4 percent lower).

Q: Is the CPU or the GPU the limiting factor in this pairing?

A: The data shows the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU ranks at the 95th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks at the 5th percentile. Frame rates scale with resolution and preset changes, which is characteristic of GPU-bound performance.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra at 1920x1080?

A: The Low preset averages 46 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 16 FPS, a difference of 30 FPS. The Medium preset sits between them at 29 FPS, and High averages 21 FPS.

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

A: It ranks 3439 out of 3724 combos, placing it in the bottom 8 percent of all configurations in the database.

Best Settings per Resolution

The recorded data does not include any configuration that maintains 60 FPS at any resolution. The verdictByResolution field returns no playable settings for 3840x2160, 2560x1440, or 1920x1080, and no best settings are recorded. For reference, the highest average at each resolution is the Low preset: 30 FPS at 3840x2160, 39 FPS at 2560x1440, and 46 FPS at 1920x1080. The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS does not exist in this dataset. Users seeking 60 FPS would need to consider a different GPU, as no amount of settings adjustment within the recorded configurations bridges the gap to the playable threshold.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the GPU side, the nearest rivals to the Intel Arc B370 in the database are all legacy or low-end parts. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186, essentially identical to the Arc B370's 1184. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192. The AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168. Any of these alternatives would behave similarly in The Medium, meaning all would fall far short of 60 FPS at the tested resolutions. The differences among them, ranging from 1.4 percent below to 0.7 percent above the Arc B370, are within the noise of benchmark variation and would not produce meaningfully different frame rates in practice.

For the CPU side, the nearest rivals to the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 with an average score of 75738 (0.1 percent lower), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755X3D at 75716 (0.1 percent lower), the AMD EPYC 8224P at 75582 (0.3 percent lower), and the Intel Core Ultra 9 285 at 75488 (0.4 percent lower). These processors would all deliver essentially identical performance in The Medium when paired with the Arc B370, because the GPU bottleneck would mask any CPU differences. The choice among these CPUs would not change the outcome for this game.

The database's overall ranking of 3439 out of 3724 combos reflects the GPU's position at the 5th percentile. Replacing the Arc B370 with a more capable GPU would be the only path to playable frame rates in The Medium, while swapping the CPU for any of its nearest rivals would leave the results unchanged.