The Medium

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the Intel Arc B570 presents a fascinating case study in The Medium, a horror title that clearly demands more from the GPU than the CPU. The measured data reveals a system that is decisively capable at lower resolutions and settings, but which struggles to maintain playable framerates as graphical demands escalate. This analysis breaks down the exact performance metrics, component roles, and practical implications for anyone considering this specific hardware combination.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark results for The Medium show a clear and consistent pattern across all three tested resolutions: performance scales dramatically with the graphics preset, and the gap between Low and Ultra settings is substantial. At 3840x2160 (4K), the combo begins at an average of 52 FPS on Low, which is the only setting in this resolution that approaches playability. Moving to Medium drops the average to 32 FPS, with a minimum of 27 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS. High settings see a further decline to 23 FPS average, and Ultra bottoms out at just 18 FPS. The 4K data clearly indicates that this hardware is not suited for high-fidelity gaming at this resolution, as even the Low preset's 52 FPS average falls short of the 60 FPS playable threshold.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the situation improves but remains challenging. The Low preset delivers an average of 66 FPS, which is the only setting at this resolution to clear the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings produce an average of 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS. High settings drop to 29 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 23 FPS. The 1440p results show a similar scaling pattern to 4K, with each step up in preset costing roughly 10-12 FPS on average, but the starting point on Low is just high enough to be playable.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the same hierarchy holds, but the absolute numbers are higher. The Low preset achieves an average of 78 FPS, comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings yield 49 FPS average, with a minimum of 41 FPS and a maximum of 56 FPS. High settings produce 35 FPS average, and Ultra drops to 28 FPS. The 1080p data shows that the combo can handle the game at its lowest visual quality, but any attempt to increase graphical fidelity results in sub-60 FPS performance. Across all resolutions, the gap between Low and Ultra is consistent, with Ultra typically delivering less than half the average FPS of Low.

The min and max FPS figures provided for Medium settings at each resolution offer insight into frame pacing. At 4K Medium, the range of 27 to 37 FPS indicates a relatively narrow band, suggesting consistent but low performance. At 1440p Medium, the 35 to 47 FPS range shows slightly more variance, while at 1080p Medium, the 41 to 56 FPS range reveals the greatest fluctuation. This pattern suggests that as resolution decreases, the system has more headroom, but the frame time variance increases, which could lead to noticeable stutter even when average FPS is higher.

FAQ

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

A: No. The data shows no playable settings at 3840x2160. The best result is 52 FPS average on Low, which still falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Ultra settings produce an average of only 18 FPS.

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

A: The only playable setting at 2560x1440 is Low, which achieves an average of 66 FPS. All other presets—Medium, High, and Ultra—fall below 60 FPS, with averages of 41, 29, and 23 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the 1080p Medium preset compare to Low?

A: At 1920x1080, Medium delivers 49 FPS average, which is 29 FPS lower than the Low preset's 78 FPS average. However, Medium does provide min and max figures of 41 and 56 FPS, indicating that while it is not playable by the 60 FPS threshold, it offers a more stable experience than the unmeasured ranges of Low.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B570 the bottleneck in this system?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary constraint. The CPU, Intel Core i5-13400F, has a benchmark percentile of 77 and a multi-core score of 22604 in Cinebench R23, while the GPU's percentile is 65. The dramatic FPS drops across increasing presets and resolutions, which primarily affect GPU workload, point to the Arc B570 as the limiting factor.

Q: What performance can I expect on Ultra settings at any resolution?

A: Ultra settings are not playable at any resolution. The best Ultra result is 28 FPS average at 1080p, followed by 23 FPS at 1440p and 18 FPS at 4K. These figures are all less than half of the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Does the combo rank well compared to other tested systems?

A: No. The combo ranks 2999 out of 3724 tested combinations, placing it in the lower 20th percentile of all systems tested for this game. This rank reflects the difficulty the hardware has in achieving playable framerates at higher settings.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear division of labor between the Intel Core i5-13400F and the Intel Arc B570 in The Medium. The CPU, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, is demonstrably capable of handling the game's logic and physics. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22604 and single-core score of 3191 place it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, indicating strong processing power. The GPU, however, with a 65th percentile ranking and a Passmark G3D score of 14195, is less robust relative to its peers.

The evidence for GPU dominance comes from the scaling pattern. When moving from 1080p to 1440p, the Low preset FPS drops from 78 to 66, a 15% decrease, while the Medium preset drops from 49 to 41, an 18% decrease. When moving from 1440p to 4K, the Low preset drops from 66 to 52, a 21% decrease, and Medium drops from 41 to 32, a 22% decrease. This consistent degradation as resolution increases—which increases pixel count and thus GPU workload—indicates that the Arc B570 is processing pixels at its maximum capability. The CPU, meanwhile, likely has headroom, as the framerate changes correlate with GPU-centric workload changes rather than CPU-bound tasks.

The settings preset also points to GPU limitation. Raising the preset from Low to Medium at any resolution imposes a significant FPS cost, typically around 30-40% performance loss. This is characteristic of a GPU that is being pushed beyond its optimal efficiency range, as more complex shaders and lighting models require additional GPU compute. The CPU's role is likely more relevant at lower resolutions and settings, where the GPU can render frames quickly enough to expose any CPU processing bottlenecks, but the data shows that even at 1080p Low, the 78 FPS average suggests the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output. In essence, this is a GPU-limited configuration for The Medium, where the i5-13400F provides more than enough processing power, but the Arc B570 cannot translate that into high framerates at demanding visual settings.

The Verdict

The question of whether this PC can run The Medium has a nuanced answer based on the verdictByResolution data. At 3840x2160, the answer is a definitive no. There are no playable settings, meaning no preset achieves an average of 60 FPS or higher. The best-case scenario, Low settings, yields only 52 FPS, which falls short of the playable threshold. At 2560x1440, the answer is a conditional yes. The system can run the game at Low settings with an average of 66 FPS, clearing the 60 FPS threshold. However, this is the only playable preset, and any increase to Medium, High, or Ultra results in sub-60 FPS performance. At 1920x1080, the answer is similar but with more headroom. Low settings deliver 78 FPS average, and this is the only playable preset. Medium at 49 FPS, High at 35 FPS, and Ultra at 28 FPS all fall below the threshold.

The verdict is clear: this PC can run The Medium, but only at the lowest graphical settings, and only at 1440p and 1080p resolutions. For users who prioritize smooth gameplay over visual fidelity, the 1080p Low setting offers the best experience with a comfortable 18 FPS margin above the 60 FPS threshold. At 1440p Low, the 6 FPS margin above 60 is slimmer but still playable. The system is not viable for 4K gaming or for any preset above Low at any resolution. The data indicates that this is a configuration suited for budget-conscious gamers who are willing to accept significant visual compromises to achieve playable framerates.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-13400F provide context for CPU performance. The AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS has an average benchmark score of 25284, which is essentially identical to the i5-13400F's 25292, with a delta of 0%. The Intel Core 5 120 and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D both score 25362 and 25365 respectively, showing a minus 0.3% difference, meaning they are marginally faster. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800H scores 25201, a 0.4% difference, placing it slightly behind. These CPUs would all behave similarly in The Medium, as their performance differentials are within a fraction of a percent, and none would significantly alter the GPU-bound framerates observed.

For the Intel Arc B570, the nearest rivals are more varied. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile scores 20534, a 0.1% difference from the Arc B570's 20556, indicating near-identical performance. The Intel Arc A750 scores 20582, a minus 0.1% difference, making it essentially equivalent. The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M and AMD Radeon R9 M390X score 20480 and 20662 respectively, with deltas of 0.4% and minus 0.5%, showing they are within a half-percent of the Arc B570. In practice, any of these GPUs would produce nearly identical FPS results in The Medium, meaning users with these alternatives would see the same playability constraints: 1080p Low at around 78 FPS and 1440p Low at around 66 FPS, with no playable settings at 4K. The similarity in GPU scores, despite some of these being mobile or older parts, underscores that the Arc B570's performance level is what defines this combo's capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2999 out of 3724 tested combinations places it firmly in the lower quartile of systems tested for The Medium. This rank, which is based on the combined performance of the CPU and GPU, reflects the system's inability to handle higher presets. The i5-13400F's 77th percentile CPU ranking suggests the processor is not the weak link; rather, the Arc B570's 65th percentile GPU ranking drags the overall performance down. The rank indicates that 80.5% of tested systems perform better than this combo, which is a significant majority. This positioning is consistent with the measured FPS data, which shows the system struggling to exceed 60 FPS at anything above Low settings. Users considering this combo should understand that while it is capable of running the game, it will do so at the lowest visual quality, and it will be outperformed by a large majority of other tested hardware configurations. The rank serves as a warning that this is not a high-performance pairing for this specific title, despite the CPU's relative strength.

Best Settings per Resolution

Based on the measured FPS data and the 60 FPS playable threshold, the best settings for each resolution are determined by the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, there is no best setting, as no preset achieves 60 FPS. The closest is Low with 52 FPS, but this falls short of the threshold, so the verdictByResolution indicates no playable settings and no best settings recommendation.

At 2560x1440, the best setting is Low, which achieves an average of 66 FPS. This is the only preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold, and it provides a 6 FPS margin. Medium, at 41 FPS, is a substantial drop and not playable, so Low is the definitive choice for this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the best setting is also Low, with an average of 78 FPS. This provides an 18 FPS margin above the threshold, offering the most comfortable playable experience across all resolutions. The next preset up, Medium, falls to 49 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, so Low remains the only viable option.

In summary, the optimal configuration for this combo is 1080p with Low settings, yielding 78 FPS average. For users who prefer a higher resolution, 1440p with Low settings is playable at 66 FPS average, but offers less headroom. No setting at 4K is playable, and no preset above Low is playable at any resolution. The data is unambiguous: this hardware combination is locked into Low settings for The Medium, and users seeking higher visual quality would need to consider alternative GPUs.