The Medium

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded measurements for this configuration show a consistent pattern across all three resolutions: the Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the Intel Arc B390 falls well short of the 60 FPS playability threshold in every preset tested. The data reveals a steep performance cliff as settings increase, with even the lowest quality preset struggling to approach playable frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the results are particularly constrained. The Low preset delivers an average of 34 FPS, which is the highest recorded figure at this resolution. Dropping to Medium yields 21 FPS on average, with minimum and maximum readings of 18 and 24 FPS respectively. High settings produce just 15 FPS on average, while Ultra bottoms out at 12 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra represents a 22 FPS average difference, indicating that this GPU configuration cannot sustain interactive frame rates at 4K regardless of quality level.

Moving to 2560x1440, the situation improves modestly but remains far from playable. Low settings reach 43 FPS on average, the best result in the entire dataset. Medium averages 27 FPS with a range of 23 to 31 FPS. High dips to 19 FPS, and Ultra falls to 15 FPS. The scaling from 4K to 1440p at Low settings yields a 9 FPS improvement, while at Ultra the gain is only 3 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns as resolution decreases for this particular hardware pairing.

At 1920x1080, the configuration records its highest absolute performance. Low settings achieve 51 FPS on average, which is 8 FPS above the 1440p Low result and 17 FPS above 4K Low. Medium averages 32 FPS with minimum and maximum values of 27 and 37 FPS. High settings produce 23 FPS, and Ultra reaches 18 FPS. Even at 1080p with the lowest quality preset, the average remains 9 FPS below the 60 FPS threshold that defines playability in this database.

The frame time data, where available, shows tight ranges at Medium settings. At 4K Medium, the 18 to 24 FPS spread indicates relatively consistent frame pacing, while at 1440p Medium the 23 to 31 FPS range and at 1080p Medium the 27 to 37 FPS range suggest the GPU is the limiting factor rather than CPU bottlenecks. No minimum or maximum values were recorded for Low, High, or Ultra presets, leaving only averages for those configurations.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results indicate that the Intel Arc B390 is the dominant constraint in this pairing across all resolutions. The integrated graphics solution, based on the Xe3-LPG architecture with 1536 shading units and 24 ROPs, delivers a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, which places it in the 9th percentile among all tested GPUs. This extremely low graphics performance ceiling shapes every measured frame rate.

Resolution scaling provides evidence of GPU limitation. From 1080p Low at 51 FPS to 1440p Low at 43 FPS, the drop is 15.7 percent, and continuing to 4K Low at 34 FPS represents a further 20.9 percent decline. These proportional reductions align with pixel count increases, confirming that the GPU is saturated even at the least demanding preset. The CPU, with 14 cores and 20 threads based on Raptor Lake architecture, has substantial headroom that remains unused under these graphics-bound conditions.

Preset scaling reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium reduces average FPS from 51 to 32, a 37.3 percent decrease. From Medium to High, the average drops to 23 FPS, another 28.1 percent reduction. At 1440p and 4K, similar proportional declines appear, with Low to Medium reductions of 37.2 percent and 38.2 percent respectively. These consistent percentage drops across resolutions indicate that the GPU's fixed processing resources, not memory bandwidth or CPU throughput, determine performance.

The CPU's benchmark profile supports this conclusion. The Core i5-14600K achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491 and a single-core score of 2064, with a Geekbench multi-core result of 16673. Its 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs contrasts sharply with the GPU's 9th percentile, creating a severe imbalance. For a game like The Medium, which requires sustained rendering throughput, the CPU can prepare frames far faster than the GPU can process them, leaving the graphics unit as the sole performance barrier.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of 3724 tested combinations for The Medium, this pairing ranks 3314th. That places it in the bottom 11 percent of all configurations, a position consistent with the GPU's low percentile standing. The rank reflects the combined effect of a strong CPU and a very weak GPU, where the GPU's limitations dominate the final outcome.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the database illustrate its performance tier. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, which is 1.3 percent below the Arc B390's 1482. The GeForce 800M sits 1.5 percent lower at 1460, the GT 625 OEM is 2.5 percent behind at 1446, and the GT 710 trails by 2.7 percent at 1443. These are legacy entry-level discrete GPUs, and the Arc B390 edges them out by single-digit percentage margins, confirming its placement at the very bottom of the graphics performance spectrum.

On the CPU side, the Core i5-14600K's nearest rivals show near-identical compute performance. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48698, just 0.2 percent higher. The AMD EPYC 4345P reaches 48470, 0.3 percent lower. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX scores 48287, 0.7 percent below, while the Core Ultra 5 245 achieves 48995, 0.8 percent higher. These delta values are all under one percent, meaning any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates when paired with the same GPU. The bottleneck lies entirely with the graphics subsystem.

The Verdict

This PC cannot run The Medium at playable frame rates at any resolution or preset combination. The verdict by resolution is unambiguous: 3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080 all have zero playable settings, defined by the database as configurations achieving at least 60 FPS on average.

At 4K, the best recorded average is 34 FPS on Low settings, which is 26 FPS below the threshold. Medium reaches 21 FPS, High 15 FPS, and Ultra 12 FPS. At 1440p, Low hits 43 FPS, still 17 FPS short of playability, while Medium, High, and Ultra produce 27, 19, and 15 FPS respectively. At 1080p, Low achieves 51 FPS, a 9 FPS deficit, with Medium at 32 FPS, High at 23 FPS, and Ultra at 18 FPS. No configuration crosses the 60 FPS line.

The data shows that even the least demanding preset at the lowest resolution leaves a significant gap to playability. The Arc B390's integrated design, with system-shared memory and a 3 nm Panther Lake chip, cannot deliver the rendering throughput required by The Medium's horror environments. Users seeking to play this title would need substantially different hardware, as this combination falls short across the board.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in The Medium?

A: The maximum recorded average is 51 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This remains below the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: Does lowering resolution help this configuration reach playable performance?

A: No. The data shows improvements from resolution scaling, such as 34 FPS at 4K Low rising to 51 FPS at 1080p Low, but no resolution or preset combination reaches 60 FPS.

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

A: The Intel Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX is 1.3 percent lower, the GeForce 800M is 1.5 percent lower, the GT 625 OEM is 2.5 percent lower, and the GT 710 is 2.7 percent lower.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The Core i5-14600K ranks in the 90th percentile among CPUs, while the Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile among GPUs. Frame rates scale proportionally with resolution changes, indicating graphics-bound performance.

Q: What preset provides the most consistent frame pacing?

A: Medium settings have recorded minimum and maximum values. At 3840x2160, the range is 18 to 24 FPS. At 2560x1440, it is 23 to 31 FPS. At 1920x1080, it is 27 to 37 FPS.

Q: What is the overall ranking of this combo for The Medium?

A: It ranks 3314th out of 3724 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 11 percent of all configurations in the database.

Best Settings per Resolution

No playable settings exist for this configuration. The database defines playability as an average of at least 60 FPS, and the highest recorded average across all resolutions and presets is 51 FPS at 1920x1080 Low. At 3840x2160, the best preset is Low at 34 FPS. At 2560x1440, Low achieves 43 FPS. At 1920x1080, Low reaches 51 FPS. Since none of these meet the 60 FPS threshold, there are no recommended settings that satisfy the playability criterion. Users must accept frame rates well below target or pursue alternative hardware.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals all fall within one percent of the Core i5-14600K's average benchmark score of 48618. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48698, the AMD EPYC 4345P scores 48470, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX scores 48287, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores 48995. Any of these processors would yield essentially identical frame rates in The Medium when paired with the same GPU, since the graphics unit dictates performance.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are all legacy NVIDIA parts with marginally lower scores. The GeForce GT 520MX at 1463, GeForce 800M at 1460, GT 625 OEM at 1446, and GT 710 at 1443 all sit within 2.7 percent of the Arc B390's 1482. These alternatives would produce similar sub-60 FPS results across all resolutions and presets. The data indicates that upgrading the GPU alone would be necessary to achieve playable performance, as the current graphics solution operates at a tier far below the demands of The Medium.