The Medium

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for The Medium with the Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B370 shows a system that struggles to maintain playable frame rates across all tested configurations. The measurements cover three resolutions and four quality presets, and the pattern is consistent: this combo falls well short of the 60 FPS threshold in every scenario.

At 3840x2160, the results are uniformly poor. The Low preset delivers an average of 30 FPS, which is the best outcome at this resolution. Medium drops to 19 FPS average, with minimums of 16 FPS and maximums of 22 FPS. High falls further to 14 FPS average, and Ultra bottoms out at 11 FPS average. None of these settings approach the playable threshold, and even the Low preset at 4K is only half of what would be considered smooth.

Moving to 2560x1440, the picture improves slightly but remains far from acceptable. Low settings produce an average of 39 FPS, the highest recorded for this combo at any resolution. Medium averages 24 FPS, with a range of 21 to 28 FPS. High drops to 17 FPS average, and Ultra manages only 14 FPS average. The gap between Low and Medium is substantial, roughly 15 FPS, which suggests the Arc B370 is particularly sensitive to the incremental rendering demands of The Medium's medium-quality assets.

At 1920x1080, the system still cannot reach 60 FPS. Low settings yield 46 FPS average, which is the single best result in the entire dataset. Medium averages 29 FPS, with minimums of 24 FPS and maximums of 33 FPS. High averages 21 FPS, and Ultra averages 16 FPS. The trend across resolutions is linear and predictable: each step up in resolution or settings costs roughly 5 to 10 FPS, and the hardware simply lacks the headroom to compensate.

The min and max data points, where recorded, show tight frame time consistency. The Medium preset at 1080p ranges only from 24 to 33 FPS, and at 1440p it ranges from 21 to 28 FPS. This indicates the bottleneck is steady rather than spikey, which points to a sustained GPU limitation rather than transient CPU stalls. The i5-9400, a 6-core, 6-thread part with a 2.90 GHz base and 4.10 GHz boost clock, is not the limiting factor here; the Arc B370's 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput and 20 ROPs simply cannot feed the frame buffer fast enough at these settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this specific CPU and GPU combination at 3439 out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium. That places it in the bottom 8 percent of all systems measured. This is a stark result, and it aligns with the individual component percentiles. The Intel Core i5-9400 sits at the 47th percentile among all CPUs, which is roughly mid-pack, while the Intel Arc B370 sits at the 5th percentile among all GPUs. The GPU is the anchor dragging this pairing down.

The i5-9400's average benchmark score across Cinebench and Geekbench tests is 2254. Its nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 at 2259 (0.2 percent faster), the Intel Core i3-10305 at 2264 (0.4 percent faster), the Intel Core i7-10710U at 2248 (0.3 percent slower), and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 at 2246 (0.4 percent slower). These deltas are negligible, meaning the CPU is squarely average for its generation, but that does not matter here. The Arc B370's average benchmark score is 1184, which is the entire story.

The Arc B370's nearest rivals paint a grim picture. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186 (0.2 percent faster), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190 (0.5 percent faster), the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192 (0.7 percent faster), and the AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168 (1.4 percent slower). These are legacy and low-end mobile parts from over a decade ago. The Arc B370 is effectively competing with hardware that predates modern game engines, which explains why The Medium, a 2021 title with demanding fixed-camera rendering, runs so poorly.

The combo rank of 3439 is not a surprise given the GPU's 5th percentile standing. The i5-9400 is adequate, but the Arc B370 is not. In the context of the full database, this system is outclassed by roughly 92 percent of other tested configurations for this game.

Best Settings per Resolution

No resolution and setting combination in the measured data reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdict fields for all three resolutions list no playable settings, and the best settings fields are null. This is a definitive result: the system cannot deliver smooth gameplay at 3840x2160, 2560x1440, or 1920x1080, regardless of preset.

The closest approach to playability is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which averages 46 FPS. That is 14 FPS below the threshold, and while some players might tolerate it in a slower-paced horror game, the database classifies it as unplayable. At 2560x1440 Low, the average drops to 39 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Low, it falls to 30 FPS. Every step up in resolution costs roughly 7 to 9 FPS at Low settings, which is a steep penalty for a GPU with only 20 ROPs.

For players who insist on running this game on this hardware, 1080p Low is the only configuration that even approaches a smooth experience, and it still misses the mark. The Medium preset at any resolution is far worse, with 1080p Medium averaging only 29 FPS. The data shows no viable path to 60 FPS, so the practical recommendation is to avoid this title on this system or accept a heavily compromised visual experience.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals in the database provide context for what this combo behaves like, but they do not offer a path to playability. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7, Intel Core i3-10305, Intel Core i7-10710U, and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 all sit within 0.4 percent of the i5-9400's average benchmark score. Any of these CPUs paired with the Arc B370 would produce nearly identical results in The Medium, since the GPU is the limiting factor.

On the GPU side, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, ATI Radeon HD 5770, AMD Radeon HD 7650M, and AMD FirePro M2000 are all within 1.4 percent of the Arc B370's benchmark score. These are not realistic alternatives for a modern system, but they illustrate the performance tier this GPU occupies. A system with any of these GPUs would deliver the same sub-60 FPS results in The Medium, provided the CPU is comparable to the i5-9400.

The practical implication is that upgrading the CPU alone would change nothing. Swapping the i5-9400 for a faster part within the same benchmark tier, or even a substantially faster part, would not move the FPS needle because the Arc B370 is saturated. The recorded data shows a GPU-bound scenario across all settings, so any meaningful improvement would require replacing the Arc B370 with a significantly more powerful GPU. The database does not include such a configuration for this game, but the component-level data makes the conclusion straightforward.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run The Medium at 60 FPS on any settings?

A: No. The measured data shows no playable settings at any resolution. The best result is 46 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves?

A: The highest recorded average is 46 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next best is 39 FPS at 2560x1440 Low, followed by 30 FPS at 3840x2160 Low.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The Intel Arc B370 ranks at the 5th percentile among all GPUs, while the Intel Core i5-9400 ranks at the 47th percentile among all CPUs. The GPU's nearest rivals include decade-old ATI Radeon HD 5000-series parts, which confirms its low performance tier.

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

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in the database's benchmark. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 is 0.2 percent faster, the ATI Radeon HD 5770 is 0.5 percent faster, the AMD Radeon HD 7650M is 0.7 percent faster, and the AMD FirePro M2000 is 1.4 percent slower.

Q: Would a better CPU improve the FPS in The Medium?

A: No. The i5-9400's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, are within 0.4 percent of its score. Since the GPU is saturated, CPU upgrades would not meaningfully change the frame rates.

Q: What is the best settings preset to use if someone tries to play anyway?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings give 46 FPS average, which is the least bad option. Medium drops to 29 FPS, High to 21 FPS, and Ultra to 16 FPS. Even the best case does not reach 60 FPS.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: this system cannot run The Medium at a playable frame rate. The verdict by resolution lists no playable settings for 3840x2160, 2560x1440, or 1920x1080. The playable threshold is 60 FPS, and the highest recorded average is 46 FPS at 1080p Low. Every other configuration falls further behind, with 4K Ultra bottoming out at 11 FPS average and 1440p Ultra at 14 FPS average.

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a competent mid-range CPU from 2018, but the Intel Arc B370 is the problem. With a 5th percentile GPU ranking and benchmark scores comparable to ATI Radeon HD 5000-series parts, it is nowhere near sufficient for a game like The Medium. The title's fixed camera angles and layered rendering techniques demand more pixel throughput than this GPU can provide, even at the lowest settings.

For anyone considering this hardware for The Medium, the recorded data says to look elsewhere. The game requires a GPU several tiers above the Arc B370 to hit 60 FPS, and no in-game setting adjustment can bridge the gap. This is a clear case where the hardware falls below the minimum requirements for a smooth experience, and the benchmark results confirm it at every resolution and preset.