The Medium

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for this combination in The Medium shows a consistently sub-60 FPS experience across every resolution and preset tested. At 3840x2160, the average framerate ranges from 12 FPS on Ultra to 34 FPS on Low, with Medium landing at 21 FPS average, 18 FPS minimum, and 24 FPS maximum. High settings produce 15 FPS average at 4K, while Ultra drops to 12 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 22 FPS, indicating a steep performance cost for higher visual fidelity.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern repeats with slightly better numbers. Low settings deliver 43 FPS average, Medium reaches 27 FPS average with 23 FPS minimum and 31 FPS maximum, High produces 19 FPS, and Ultra falls to 15 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 28 FPS, showing that resolution scaling affects the performance spread. At 1920x1080, Low settings achieve 51 FPS average, which is the highest recorded number for this combo. Medium at 1080p delivers 32 FPS average, 27 FPS minimum, and 37 FPS maximum. High settings produce 23 FPS, and Ultra drops to 18 FPS.

The minimum and maximum framerate data is only recorded for Medium settings across all three resolutions, which limits direct comparison for frame pacing on other presets. However, the available min/max figures show a roughly 6 FPS variance at each resolution for Medium, suggesting relatively consistent frame delivery rather than severe stuttering. Across all resolutions, the climb from Low to Ultra consistently reduces average FPS by roughly 55 to 65 percent, and no preset at any resolution reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Best Settings per Resolution

The database shows that no settings preset at any resolution achieves the 60 FPS playable threshold for this hardware combination. At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that comes closest to playable is Low at 34 FPS average, but this still falls 26 FPS short of the threshold. The verdict field confirms no playable settings exist at 4K, with bestSettings listed as null. At 2560x1440, Low produces 43 FPS average, the highest recorded figure at this resolution, yet it remains 17 FPS below the 60 FPS target. Again, the verdict records no playable settings at 1440p.

At 1920x1080, Low settings deliver 51 FPS average, which is the best result for this combo in the entire dataset. This is 9 FPS below the 60 FPS threshold, meaning even the lowest fidelity preset at the lowest tested resolution cannot reach playable framerates. The verdict for 1080p also lists no playable settings and a null bestSettings value. Since the playableThresholdFps is defined as 60 in the database, the conclusion is straightforward: this CPU and GPU pairing cannot run The Medium at a playable level under any of the tested configurations. The closest option would be 1080p Low at 51 FPS, but that remains below the established threshold, and users seeking higher visual quality would face substantially lower performance, with 1080p High at 23 FPS and 1080p Ultra at 18 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals that the GPU is the dominant bottleneck in this pairing. The Intel Arc B390 has a percentile ranking of 9 among all GPUs, placing it in the bottom tenth of tested graphics hardware. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and GT 710, which are entry-level discrete GPUs from previous generations. The Core i5-12400, by contrast, sits at the 72nd percentile among all CPUs, a substantially stronger relative position. This disparity in component strength is reflected in the measured FPS data.

When resolution drops from 3840x2160 to 1920x1080 at Low settings, average FPS improves from 34 to 51, a 50 percent gain. This improvement is almost entirely attributable to reduced GPU workload, since lower resolutions decrease pixel fill requirements. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is unlikely to be stressed by The Medium's rendering demands at these settings. The CPU's benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15989 and a single-core score of 2257, indicate a capable processor for gaming workloads. The GPU's modest FP32 throughput of 7.680 TFLOPS and 1536 shading units, combined with its system-shared memory interface, limits its ability to maintain high framerates even at lower resolutions.

The scaling between presets further supports this interpretation. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium drops FPS from 51 to 32, a 37 percent reduction. Moving from Medium to High drops to 23, another 28 percent reduction. These large preset-to-preset swings are characteristic of GPU-bound scenarios, where increased shader complexity and texture detail directly impact the graphics processor's throughput. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS deltas between presets would be smaller, as CPU workload remains constant regardless of visual settings. The resolution scaling also points to GPU dominance: at Medium settings, the FPS drops from 32 at 1080p to 27 at 1440p to 21 at 4K, a clear linear relationship with pixel count that a CPU bottleneck would not produce.

FAQ

Q: Can this combination reach 60 FPS in The Medium at any resolution?

A: No. The highest recorded average FPS across all tested resolutions and presets is 51 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. Every other configuration falls below that, and none reach the database's 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best playable setting for this combo?

A: There is no playable setting. The database records no playable settings at any resolution, with the verdict fields listing null values for bestSettings and avgFpsAtBest across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482, which is 1.3 percent higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5 percent higher than the GeForce 800M, 2.5 percent higher than the GT 625 OEM, and 2.7 percent higher than the GT 710. All of these are near the bottom of the GPU percentile rankings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 18683, placing it within 0.7 percent of the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 (18811) and 0.9 percent of the Intel Core i3-14100F (18519). It is also effectively tied with the AMD EPYC 7643 and Intel Core i7-1355U, with deltas of -0.1 and -0.3 percent respectively.

Q: What framerates can be expected at 1080p Medium settings?

A: The recorded data shows 32 FPS average, 27 FPS minimum, and 37 FPS maximum at 1920x1080 with Medium settings. This is the only preset at any resolution where min/max figures are available alongside the average.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the low performance?

A: The GPU is the primary limiting factor. The Arc B390 ranks at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, while the Core i5-12400 ranks at the 72nd percentile among all CPUs. The large FPS drops between presets and across resolutions indicate GPU-bound rendering.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the GPU, the nearest rivals in the database are all NVIDIA discrete graphics cards from older generations. The GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, which is 1.3 percent lower than the Arc B390's 1482. The GeForce 800M scores 1460, 1.5 percent lower. The GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, 2.5 percent lower, and the GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, 2.7 percent lower. These four GPUs would behave similarly to the Arc B390 in The Medium, meaning all would likely fall below the 60 FPS threshold at every tested resolution and preset. The delta percentages are small, within 3 percent of the Arc B390's score, so users with any of these GPUs should expect nearly identical framerates in this title.

For the CPU, the nearest rivals show a tighter cluster around the Core i5-12400's average score of 18683. The AMD EPYC 7643 scores 18697, just 0.1 percent higher. The Intel Core i7-1355U scores 18730, 0.3 percent higher. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 scores 18811, 0.7 percent higher, and the Intel Core i3-14100F scores 18519, 0.9 percent lower. Since the CPU is not the bottleneck in this game, swapping among these processors would have minimal impact on the measured FPS. The performance would remain GPU-limited, and the recorded framerates would stay essentially unchanged regardless of which of these CPUs is paired with the Arc B390.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and Intel Arc B390 ranks 3314 out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the bottom 11 percent of all configurations in the database. This low ranking is consistent with the measured framerates, which never reach the 60 FPS playable threshold at any resolution. The GPU's 9th percentile standing among all GPUs drags the combo down despite the CPU's more respectable 72nd percentile ranking. The CPU contributes positively to the overall system capability, but the GPU's limited throughput prevents the pairing from achieving playable performance in this title.

The rank position indicates that roughly 410 tested combinations deliver worse results, meaning a small subset of hardware is even less capable. However, the overwhelming majority of tested combos outperform this pairing in The Medium. For context, the GPU's nearest rivals are all entry-level or legacy NVIDIA parts, and none of those would be expected to improve the ranking. The CPU's nearest rivals, including the Core i3-14100F and Ryzen AI 5 330, would not change the outcome either, since the bottleneck lies with the graphics processor. Users seeking playable performance in The Medium would need to consider a substantially stronger GPU, as the recorded data shows no path to 60 FPS with this combination.