The Medium

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the Intel Arc B370 produces frame rates that fall far below the 60 FPS threshold in The Medium across every resolution and settings combination tested. The recorded data shows average frame rates ranging from 11 FPS at 4K Ultra to 46 FPS at 1080p Low, with no configuration reaching the playable threshold. This analysis examines the measured performance data for this specific CPU and GPU combination.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160 (4K), the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS does not exist. Every settings level fails to reach the threshold. The highest recorded average at 4K is 30 FPS on Low settings. Medium averages 19 FPS with minimums of 16 FPS and maximums of 22 FPS. High averages 14 FPS, and Ultra averages 11 FPS. None of these approach 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the situation mirrors 4K. No preset achieves 60 FPS. Low settings produce an average of 39 FPS, which is the best result at this resolution. Medium averages 24 FPS with a range of 21 to 28 FPS. High averages 17 FPS, and Ultra averages 14 FPS. The gap between the best and worst presets is 25 FPS, but even the best remains well below the playable threshold.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is again absent. Low settings deliver the highest average at 46 FPS. Medium averages 29 FPS with minimums of 24 FPS and maximums of 33 FPS. High averages 21 FPS, and Ultra averages 16 FPS. The best case, 46 FPS at Low, still falls 14 FPS short of the 60 FPS target. The recorded data indicates that this combination cannot achieve a playable experience at any resolution with any settings preset.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results reveal that the GPU is the dominant constraint in this pairing. The Intel Arc B370 has a percentile ranking of 5 among all GPUs, placing it near the bottom of the database. Its single recorded 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1184. The CPU, by contrast, ranks at the 71st percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 17177. This massive disparity in relative performance suggests the GPU becomes the limiting factor before the CPU's capabilities are exhausted.

Evidence from the scaling between resolutions supports this interpretation. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings reduces the average FPS from 46 to 39, a drop of 7 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 4K at Low settings reduces the average from 39 to 30, another drop of 9 FPS. At Medium settings, the progression is 29 FPS at 1080p, 24 FPS at 1440p, and 19 FPS at 4K. Each resolution increase imposes a consistent penalty, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario where pixel count directly drives the workload.

The CPU's multi-threaded performance, measured at 14340 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 6022 in Cinebench R20 multi-core, indicates that it has sufficient processing headroom for this horror title. The game's demands at 1080p Low still produce only 46 FPS, and the CPU's single-thread score of 2024 in Cinebench R23 suggests it is not the bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would show less variation across resolution changes, because the CPU workload would remain similar while the GPU workload scales with pixel count. Instead, the data shows clear resolution-based scaling, pointing to the GPU as the primary constraint.

The Intel Arc B370 operates with system-shared memory and a system-dependent bandwidth, which further compounds its limitations. Its pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s are modest figures for modern gaming, and its FP32 throughput of 6.144 TFLOPS is low compared to what the database shows for other GPUs. The combination of these factors means that even at 1080p, the GPU cannot maintain the frame rates needed for smooth gameplay.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-11400F, based on average benchmark scores, include the AMD EPYC 7H12 with a score of 17120 and a delta of 0.3 percent, the Intel Core i5-12450H with a score of 17239 and a delta of -0.4 percent, the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G with a score of 17278 and a delta of -0.6 percent, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U with a score of 17074 and a delta of 0.6 percent. These deltas are all within one percent of the i5-11400F's average score of 17177, meaning that swapping the CPU for any of these alternatives would produce nearly identical performance in CPU-bound scenarios. Since this game is GPU-bound at the tested settings, changing the CPU among these rivals would likely have minimal impact on the measured frame rates.

The nearest rivals for the Intel Arc B370 paint a more revealing picture. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 has an average score of 1186 and a delta of -0.2 percent. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 has a score of 1190 and a delta of -0.5 percent. The AMD Radeon HD 7650M has a score of 1192 and a delta of -0.7 percent. The AMD FirePro M2000 has a score of 1168 and a delta of 1.4 percent. These GPUs are all from older generations, and their scores cluster tightly around the Arc B370's 1184. This indicates that the Arc B370 performs at a level comparable to decade-old discrete graphics solutions. Users coming from any of these older GPUs would see similar frame rates in The Medium, with differences of less than one percent in most cases.

The stark contrast between the CPU's rivals and the GPU's rivals highlights the imbalance in this pairing. The CPU sits alongside modern processors like the Core i5-12450H and Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G, while the GPU competes with hardware from an earlier era. This mismatch explains why the measured FPS values are so low despite the CPU having adequate compute resources.

The Verdict

The verdict for this combination is clear: it cannot run The Medium at 60 FPS at any resolution. The verdictByResolution data shows empty playable settings lists for 3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080. The best settings value is null for each resolution, and the average FPS at best is also null. This means the database records no configuration that meets the playable threshold of 60 FPS.

At 1080p, the closest result is 46 FPS on Low settings. This is 14 FPS short of the target. At 1440p, Low settings produce 39 FPS, which is 21 FPS short. At 4K, Low settings produce 30 FPS, which is 30 FPS short. The frame rates at higher settings fall even further behind. For example, 1080p Medium averages 29 FPS, 1440p Medium averages 24 FPS, and 4K Medium averages 19 FPS. The Ultra presets are the worst, with 16 FPS at 1080p, 14 FPS at 1440p, and 11 FPS at 4K.

The data indicates that this PC will not provide a smooth experience for The Medium. Even the lowest settings, which typically provide the largest performance headroom, fail to reach the threshold. Users seeking 60 FPS would need to consider different hardware. The CPU is not the limiting factor, so upgrading the GPU alone might help, but the database shows that the Arc B370's performance is comparable to much older graphics cards, suggesting that a substantial GPU upgrade would be necessary.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across all tested configurations. At 3840x2160, High settings average 14 FPS with no recorded minimum or maximum. Low settings average 30 FPS. Medium settings average 19 FPS, with a minimum of 16 FPS and a maximum of 22 FPS. Ultra settings average 11 FPS. The spread from best to worst at 4K is 19 FPS, from 30 FPS on Low to 11 FPS on Ultra.

At 2560x1440, High settings average 17 FPS. Low settings average 39 FPS. Medium settings average 24 FPS, with a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 28 FPS. Ultra settings average 14 FPS. The spread at 1440p is 25 FPS, from 39 FPS on Low to 14 FPS on Ultra. The Medium settings show a variance of 7 FPS between minimum and maximum, indicating some frame time instability.

At 1920x1080, High settings average 21 FPS. Low settings average 46 FPS. Medium settings average 29 FPS, with a minimum of 24 FPS and a maximum of 33 FPS. Ultra settings average 16 FPS. The spread at 1080p is 30 FPS, from 46 FPS on Low to 16 FPS on Ultra. The Medium settings show a variance of 9 FPS between minimum and maximum, the largest recorded variance across all resolutions and settings.

The data shows a consistent pattern: lower settings improve frame rates, but the improvements are insufficient to reach 60 FPS. The step from Ultra to High at 1080p provides a 5 FPS increase from 16 to 21 FPS. The step from High to Medium provides an 8 FPS increase from 21 to 29 FPS. The step from Medium to Low provides a 17 FPS increase from 29 to 46 FPS. This suggests that the GPU's performance scales roughly linearly with the workload reduction, but the starting point is too low.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-11400F and Intel Arc B370 combination ranks 3439 out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the 92nd percentile of worst-performing combinations, meaning only 285 combos perform worse. The ranking reflects the GPU's extremely low relative performance. The Arc B370's percentile of 5 among all GPUs means it outperforms only about 5 percent of the database's GPU entries. The CPU's percentile of 71 does not compensate for this deficit.

The ranking implies that most other hardware combinations tested in the database achieve higher frame rates in The Medium. The 3439th rank out of 3724 is near the bottom, and the gap between this combo and the median combo is substantial. While the exact score of the median combo is not listed, the percentile data for the GPU alone suggests that this pairing is not suitable for modern gaming workloads. The measured FPS values confirm this, as all configurations fall below 50 FPS, with most falling below 30 FPS.

FAQ

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

A: No. The database records a maximum average of 46 FPS at 1080p on Low settings. The verdictByResolution for 1920x1080 lists no playable settings, and the best settings value is null.

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves at 4K?

A: The best average at 3840x2160 is 30 FPS on Low settings. Medium settings average 19 FPS, High averages 14 FPS, and Ultra averages 11 FPS.

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

A: The Arc B370 has an average benchmark score of 1184. Its nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 at 1186, the ATI Radeon HD 5770 at 1190, the AMD Radeon HD 7650M at 1192, and the AMD FirePro M2000 at 1168. The deltas range from -0.7 to 1.4 percent.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck for this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The Arc B370 ranks at the 5th percentile among GPUs, while the i5-11400F ranks at the 71st percentile among CPUs. Frame rates scale significantly with resolution changes, which is characteristic of GPU-bound performance.

Q: What is the highest recorded FPS across all tested settings?

A: The highest average FPS is 46, recorded at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The highest recorded maximum FPS is 33, also at 1080p on Medium settings.

Q: Does any settings preset at any resolution reach 60 FPS?

A: No. The verdictByResolution shows empty playable settings lists for all three resolutions. The highest average FPS in the entire dataset is 46, which falls short of the 60 FPS playable threshold.