The Medium

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 1080p with playable performance?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo averages 88.2 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium settings at the same resolution average 56.7 FPS, just below the threshold.

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Low settings at 2560x1440 average 75.4 FPS, making it the only preset at that resolution that clears 60 FPS. Medium drops to 48.2 FPS, and High falls to 32.5 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in overall benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17177, placing it in the 71st percentile of all CPUs. It sits within 0.6% of the AMD EPYC 7H12 (17120) and within 0.4% of the Intel Core i5-12450H (17239).

Q: What GPU performance tier does the Intel Arc B580 belong to?

A: The Arc B580 has an average benchmark score of 23021, placing it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (23061, 0.2% slower) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22895, 0.6% faster).

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this configuration?

A: Only at Low settings. At 3840x2160 with Low, the system averages 60.3 FPS, barely clearing the threshold. Medium averages 37.8 FPS, and High averages 24.1 FPS, making higher presets impractical at this resolution.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested system configurations in The Medium?

A: This CPU and GPU pairing ranks 2817 out of 3724 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database for this specific game.

Best Settings per Resolution

1920x1080: The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low, with an average of 88.2 FPS. Medium settings average 56.7 FPS, which falls short of the 60 FPS threshold.

2560x1440: The only preset clearing 60 FPS is Low, averaging 75.4 FPS. Medium averages 48.2 FPS, High averages 32.5 FPS, and Ultra averages 24 FPS.

3840x2160: Low is the sole playable preset, averaging 60.3 FPS. Medium drops to 37.8 FPS, High to 24.1 FPS, and Ultra to 21.6 FPS.

The pattern across resolutions is consistent: Low settings provide comfortable headroom above 60 FPS at every resolution, while Medium presets fall below the threshold at all three. At 1080p, Medium is close (56.7 FPS), but not enough to qualify as playable by the database standard.

Similar Performance Alternatives

CPU side: The Intel Core i5-11400F's average benchmark score of 17177 places it in a tight cluster of similar performers. The AMD EPYC 7H12 scores 17120, a 0.3% difference. The Intel Core i5-12450H scores 17239, 0.4% higher. The AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G scores 17278, 0.6% higher. The Intel Core Ultra 7 164U scores 17074, 0.6% lower. In practical terms, any of these processors would deliver nearly identical frame rates in The Medium, as the game's CPU load at these settings does not appear to differentiate among them meaningfully.

GPU side: The Intel Arc B580's average benchmark score of 23021 aligns closely with several alternatives. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP scores 23061, a 0.2% difference. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 scores 22895, 0.6% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 scores 23172, 0.7% higher. The NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23249, 1% higher. A system builder swapping the Arc B580 for any of these cards would observe essentially equivalent performance in The Medium, given the sub-1% score deltas.

The data suggests that the CPU and GPU each sit in performance neighborhoods where direct rivals produce nearly indistinguishable results. For The Medium specifically, the bottleneck characteristics would remain similar whether using the i5-11400F or any of its nearest rivals, and the same applies to the Arc B580 versus its closest GPU competitors.

The Verdict

This system can run The Medium, but with significant preset limitations. At 1920x1080, the verdict is clear: Low settings deliver 88.2 FPS, and Medium nearly makes the cut at 56.7 FPS. For a smoother experience with visual headroom, Low is the safe choice, while players willing to accept a small dip below the threshold can consider Medium.

At 2560x1440, the system clears 60 FPS only on Low settings with 75.4 FPS. Medium at 48.2 FPS and High at 32.5 FPS indicate that this resolution demands substantial graphical compromises. The jump from Low to Medium costs 27.2 FPS, a steep penalty that suggests the GPU is the limiting factor here.

At 3840x2160, Low settings average 60.3 FPS, just barely clearing the threshold. This is the definition of a marginal pass: any scene complexity increase could push it below 60. Medium at 37.8 FPS and High at 24.1 FPS are not viable for smooth gameplay. The verdict for 4K is that the system can technically run the game, but only with the lowest possible preset and minimal margin.

The recorded data indicates that the playable settings list for every resolution contains only Low. This is a system that prioritizes frame rate over visual fidelity, and users should set expectations accordingly.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals which component dominates in The Medium. At 1920x1080, the gap between Low (88.2 FPS) and Ultra (30.9 FPS) spans 57.3 FPS, a 65% drop from the lowest preset to the highest. At 2560x1440, the same comparison shows Low at 75.4 FPS and Ultra at 24 FPS, a 51.4 FPS spread. At 3840x2160, Low averages 60.3 FPS while Ultra averages 21.6 FPS, a 38.7 FPS spread.

The pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases points to the GPU as the primary constraint. When moving from 1080p Low to 4K Low, the frame rate drops from 88.2 to 60.3 FPS, a 27.9 FPS reduction despite identical settings. This resolution penalty is characteristic of GPU-bound workloads. The CPU's role remains relatively constant across resolutions, as the i5-11400F's six cores and twelve threads provide sufficient throughput for the game's logic at all tested settings.

The preset scaling reinforces this interpretation. At any given resolution, increasing graphical fidelity from Low to Ultra produces a dramatic frame rate decline, which is the signature of a GPU-limited scenario. The CPU's 3dmark single-thread score of 868 and multi-thread score of 5652 indicate a processor capable of feeding the GPU without becoming the primary bottleneck in this title.

For The Medium specifically, the data shows that resolution and preset choices affect performance primarily through GPU load. Players seeking higher frame rates should first reduce graphical settings rather than upgrading the CPU, as the recorded measurements demonstrate that the Arc B580's rendering throughput dictates the achievable performance envelope.

How This Combo Ranks

This configuration ranks 2817 out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the 75th percentile of the database. In other words, roughly one-quarter of tested systems perform worse, while three-quarters perform better. This positioning reflects the combination of a mid-range CPU and a GPU that sits near several older high-end cards in raw benchmark scores.

The rank is consistent with the measured frame rates. The system clears 60 FPS only at Low settings across all resolutions, which puts it below the median of tested systems that can handle Medium or High presets at playable frame rates. However, the 2817 ranking also indicates that a substantial number of tested configurations struggle more severely, particularly at higher resolutions.

For context, the CPU's 71st percentile ranking among all processors and the GPU's 68th percentile ranking among all graphics cards suggest a balanced pairing, but The Medium's demanding rendering workload pushes the combo down relative to other tested systems. The game's horror genre and fixed-camera presentation may place unusual stress on certain rendering paths, but the database measurements show that this particular CPU and GPU combination delivers playable performance only with substantial graphical compromises.

The practical takeaway: this combo can run The Medium, but it belongs to the lower tier of tested systems for this title. Users should target Low settings and accept that higher presets will require sacrificing frame rate.