The Medium

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for this combination shows a very demanding title for the hardware involved. At 3840x2160, the highest resolution tested, the average frame rate never reaches a playable level. With Low settings, the average is 34 FPS. Moving to Medium drops the average to 21 FPS, with a minimum of 18 FPS and a maximum of 24 FPS. High settings produce an average of 15 FPS, and Ultra falls to 12 FPS. The pattern is clear: every step up in visual fidelity costs a significant portion of the already limited frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the situation improves slightly but remains far from smooth. Low settings yield an average of 43 FPS. Medium settings reduce that to 27 FPS, with a minimum of 23 FPS and a maximum of 31 FPS. High settings average 19 FPS, and Ultra drops to 15 FPS. None of these numbers approach the 60 FPS threshold that defines playability in the database.

The 1920x1080 results are the best this combination can offer, but they still fall short. Low settings produce an average of 51 FPS, which is the highest recorded number across all resolutions and settings. Medium settings average 32 FPS, with a minimum of 27 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS. High settings drop to 23 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 18 FPS. Even at the lowest resolution and settings, the average stays below the 60 FPS target.

The data shows a consistent scaling pattern. From 2560x1440 to 1920x1080, the average frame rate increases by roughly 8 to 9 FPS at Low and Medium settings. From 3840x2160 to 2560x1440, the increase is similar, around 9 FPS at Low and 6 FPS at Medium. This indicates that the hardware is heavily loaded at every resolution, with no setting combination providing headroom for smooth gameplay.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves the 60 FPS threshold. The database records no playable settings for this resolution. The best average frame rate is 34 FPS at Low, which is only 57% of the required 60 FPS. Even the least demanding preset leaves the system far from smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the same conclusion applies. No settings preset reaches 60 FPS. The highest average is 43 FPS at Low, which is 72% of the target. Medium, High, and Ultra all produce lower averages, with Ultra at 15 FPS. The gap between the best result and the playable threshold is substantial.

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS does not exist in the recorded data. The verdict field for this resolution lists no playable settings and no best settings. The closest result is Low at 51 FPS, which is 85% of the target. Medium averages 32 FPS, High averages 23 FPS, and Ultra averages 18 FPS. None of these meet the playability criterion.

The practical takeaway is straightforward. This combination cannot maintain 60 FPS at any resolution with any settings preset. The highest recorded average across the entire test matrix is 51 FPS at 1080p Low. Users seeking smooth performance would need to consider lower internal resolutions or accept a frame rate cap below 60.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals which component limits performance. The frame rate drops are consistent when moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 and then to 3840x2160. At Low settings, the averages are 51, 43, and 34 FPS respectively. This is a nearly linear decline with resolution, which points to the GPU as the primary bottleneck. The Intel Arc B390 has a very low benchmark percentile, ranking in the 9th percentile among all GPUs. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1482, which is modest by any measure.

The CPU, an Intel Core i5-9400, sits in the 47th percentile among all CPUs. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 6629 and single-core score is 935. These are mid-range results for a desktop processor from 2018. The CPU has 6 cores and 6 threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.10 GHz. In a game like The Medium, which relies heavily on sustained frame delivery, the CPU is not the primary constraint at these settings.

The evidence for GPU limitation is clear when comparing preset scaling. At 1920x1080, moving from Low to Medium costs 19 FPS, from Medium to High costs 9 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs 5 FPS. The diminishing returns at higher presets are typical of a GPU that is already saturated. The same pattern appears at 2560x1440 and 3840x2160, where the absolute frame rates are lower but the relative drops follow the same shape.

At higher resolutions, the GPU load increases further. The difference between 1080p Low and 4K Low is 17 FPS, a 33% reduction. The CPU's role becomes less significant as resolution rises, because the GPU is doing more work per frame. At 1080p, the CPU has a slightly larger influence, but even there, the measured FPS at Low settings (51) is far below what a 6-core, 6-thread processor with a 4.10 GHz boost should deliver if the GPU were not the limiter.

The data suggests that the Intel Arc B390 is the decisive factor. Its nearest rivals are all low-end NVIDIA parts from a much older generation. The GPU's 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs are simply not enough for a game with The Medium's visual requirements. The CPU, while not fast by modern standards, is not the reason this combination fails to hit 60 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254. The closest competitor is the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which scores 2259, a 0.2% difference. The Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, a 0.3% difference. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, a 0.4% difference. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, a 0.4% difference. Any of these processors would behave nearly identically in this game, since their compute performance is within a fraction of a percent of the i5-9400. The choice of CPU among these options would not change the measured FPS in any meaningful way.

For the GPU, the Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482. The nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, which scores 1463, a 1.3% difference. The NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1460, a 1.5% difference. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, a 2.5% difference. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, a 2.7% difference. These are all extremely old, low-end mobile or OEM parts. The fact that the Arc B390 is within 3% of them in benchmark performance explains why the game runs so poorly. Upgrading or downgrading among these GPUs would produce essentially the same frame rates.

The combination of a mid-range 2018 CPU with a GPU that performs like a decade-old entry-level part creates a system that is wholly inadequate for The Medium. The CPU is not the problem, but it cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations. Users with any of these rival CPUs and the same GPU would see the same results. Users with the same CPU and any of these rival GPUs would also see nearly identical results.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this specific combination at 3314 out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the bottom 11% of all tested systems. The rank reflects the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, and the verdict fields confirm that no playable settings exist at any resolution.

This ranking is consistent with the individual component percentiles. The CPU is in the 47th percentile, which is roughly average for desktop processors. The GPU is in the 9th percentile, which is among the lowest performers in the database. The combination drags the overall rank down because the GPU is so weak. A better GPU would move this combination up significantly, even with the same CPU.

The rank also makes sense given the game's release date. The Medium launched in early 2021, and it was known to be demanding on hardware. The measured data shows that even at the lowest settings and resolution, this combination cannot reach 60 FPS. The rank of 3314 out of 3724 reflects a system that is far below the median for this game.

For context, the best combos in the database likely feature high-end GPUs from the last few years. This combination, with a GPU in the 9th percentile, has no chance of competing with those systems. The 11% gap between this combo and the top of the ranking is almost entirely due to the GPU.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 60 FPS?

A: No. The database records no playable settings at any resolution. The highest average FPS is 51 at 1920x1080 Low, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combination?

A: The best recorded average is at 1920x1080 with Low settings, producing 51 FPS. However, this is still below 60 FPS, so there is no resolution where the game is fully playable.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck. The Intel Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile among GPUs, while the CPU ranks in the 47th percentile. Frame rates decline consistently with resolution, indicating GPU saturation.

Q: How does this combo compare to similar hardware?

A: The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, are within 0.4% in benchmark scores. The GPU's nearest rivals, including the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710, are within 2.7%. Any of these alternatives would produce nearly identical frame rates.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The recorded average is 32 FPS, with a minimum of 27 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS. This is not smooth but is the best balanced preset in terms of visual quality versus performance.

Q: Does lowering the resolution to 720p help?

A: The database does not include measurements below 1920x1080. Based on the scaling pattern from 1440p to 1080p, a lower resolution would likely increase FPS, but no data supports a specific estimate. The trend suggests gains would be modest given the GPU's low performance ceiling.