The Medium

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the Intel Arc B580 is a combination that sits at a specific performance tier in the database. The data shows this pairing is heavily limited by the CPU in The Medium, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. While the GPU has the raw compute power to handle the game’s visuals, the measured FPS indicates that the 4-core, 8-thread processor becomes a bottleneck, preventing the system from reaching a smooth 60 FPS at most configurations. The benchmark results suggest this is a pairing for players who are willing to compromise on visual fidelity to achieve playable frame rates.

Best Settings per Resolution

Based on the measured FPS data, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is as follows:

• 3840x2160 (4K): No preset achieves an average of 60 FPS. The highest average recorded is 58 FPS at Low settings, which falls just short of the 60 FPS playable threshold. Therefore, there is no recommended settings preset for this resolution that meets the performance target.
• 2560x1440 (1440p): The Low preset is the only playable option, delivering an average of 74 FPS. This is the most demanding setting that clears the 60 FPS threshold. All other presets (Medium, High, Ultra) produce average frame rates below 60 FPS.
• 1920x1080 (1080p): The Low preset is the only playable option, delivering an average of 88 FPS. Similar to 1440p, this is the only setting that maintains an average above the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset averages 55 FPS, which is below the threshold.

FAQ

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

A: The data indicates no. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS is 58 (on Low settings), which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. High, Medium, and Ultra settings average 26, 37, and 21 FPS respectively.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p gaming?

A: The only playable setting at 2560x1440 is Low, which yields an average of 74 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS for this resolution.

Q: Is the Intel Core i3-12100F a bottleneck for the Intel Arc B580?

A: Benchmark results strongly suggest a CPU bottleneck. The GPU’s average benchmark score (23021) is significantly higher than the CPU’s (13494). In-game, performance drops dramatically with increased graphical load, which indicates the CPU is limiting the frame rate. For instance, at 1080p, dropping from Low (88 FPS) to Medium (55 FPS) causes a 33 FPS loss, a larger drop than would be expected from GPU load alone.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 2819 out of 3724 tested combinations for this game, placing it in the lower 25th percentile of all tested setups. This indicates that while it can run the game, many other hardware pairings deliver better performance.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Medium settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 88 FPS, while Medium averages 55 FPS. This is a difference of 33 FPS. The Medium preset also has a minimum FPS of 47 and a maximum of 64, showing significant frame time variance.

Q: Does the Arc B580’s performance rival that of older high-end GPUs?

A: According to the GPU’s nearest rivals, the Arc B580’s average benchmark score (23021) is within 1% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22895, deltaPct 0.6) and the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (23061, deltaPct -0.2). This suggests its raw compute power is comparable to those cards, though in-game performance is limited by the CPU in this specific test.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data is directly from the measured FPS table. It shows the average, minimum, and maximum frame rates for each resolution and settings preset.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Ultra: Average 21 FPS.
• High: Average 26 FPS.
• Medium: Average 37 FPS, with a minimum of 31 FPS and a maximum of 42 FPS.
• Low: Average 58 FPS.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Ultra: Average 26 FPS.
• High: Average 33 FPS.
• Medium: Average 47 FPS, with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 54 FPS.
• Low: Average 74 FPS.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Ultra: Average 31 FPS.
• High: Average 40 FPS.
• Medium: Average 55 FPS, with a minimum of 47 FPS and a maximum of 64 FPS.
• Low: Average 88 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern: as resolution increases, the average FPS drops across all settings. For example, the Low preset goes from 88 FPS at 1080p to 74 FPS at 1440p and finally to 58 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset shows a similar decline, from 55 FPS at 1080p to 47 FPS at 1440p and 37 FPS at 4K.

The Verdict

This PC configuration can run The Medium, but only under strict conditions. The verdict data is clear:

• 3840x2160: Not playable. No settings preset achieves an average of 60 FPS. The best case is the Low preset at 58 FPS, which is below the playable threshold.
• 2560x1440: Playable only on the Low preset, which achieves an average of 74 FPS. This is the best setting for this resolution.
• 1920x1080: Playable only on the Low preset, which achieves an average of 88 FPS. This is the best setting for this resolution.

The system fails to maintain 60 FPS at Medium, High, or Ultra settings at any resolution. The bottleneck is evident: the GPU is capable of rendering the game, but the CPU and its 4 cores cannot feed it fast enough. For a smooth experience, players must use the Low preset, which sacrifices visual quality for frame rate. At 1080p, the average of 88 FPS is acceptable, but the drop to 55 FPS on Medium is steep, indicating a significant performance cliff.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the nearest rivals of the CPU and GPU, similar performance can be expected from the following hardware.

CPU Alternatives (Intel Core i3-12100F):

• Intel Core 3 N355: This processor has an average score of 13492, which is essentially identical (0% deltaPct) to the i3-12100F. It would likely produce very similar frame rates in The Medium.
• Intel Core i5-9500: With an average score of 13452 (0.3% deltaPct), this older 6-core CPU performs nearly the same in synthetic benchmarks and should offer comparable in-game performance.
• Intel Core 5 120UL: This chip scores 13594 (-0.7% deltaPct), meaning it is slightly slower than the i3-12100F. The difference is negligible in practice.
• Intel Core i7-1250U: Scoring 13351 (1.1% deltaPct), this mobile processor is slightly faster in benchmarks, but the gap is small enough that gaming performance would be very similar.

GPU Alternatives (Intel Arc B580):

• AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP: This GPU has an average score of 23061, which is 0.2% lower than the Arc B580. It would provide nearly identical raw performance.
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080: Scoring 22895 (0.6% deltaPct), this older high-end card is slightly slower than the Arc B580. In this game, it would likely perform within a few FPS of the Arc B580.
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080: With a score of 23172 (-0.7% deltaPct), this GPU is slightly faster. The difference is under 1%, so real-world performance would be comparable.
• NVIDIA P106-100: This card scores 23249 (-1% deltaPct), making it the fastest of the listed rivals, but again by a margin that is unlikely to be noticeable in gameplay.

In practice, any of these combinations would result in a similar experience: playable at Low settings at 1080p and 1440p, but struggling at higher presets due to the CPU limitation.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database for The Medium, the Intel Core i3-12100F + Intel Arc B580 combination ranks 2819 out of 3724 tested combos. This places it in the lower quartile of all tested systems. The ranking reflects the fact that while the GPU is a solid performer for its class (68th percentile of all GPUs), the CPU is also at the 68th percentile of all CPUs. However, the combination of a low-core-count CPU with a high-end GPU is not ideal for this game. The rank of 2819 means that roughly 75% of the other tested hardware combinations deliver better performance in The Medium. This ranking is a direct consequence of the CPU bottleneck observed in the FPS data, which prevents the system from achieving playable frame rates at higher quality settings.