The Medium

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for this combination of Intel Core i7-12700KF and Intel Arc B390 shows a system that consistently falls far below the 60 FPS playability threshold in The Medium. Across all tested resolutions and presets, the average frame rates remain in the low double digits to mid-50s at best, with no configuration reaching a playable average.

At 3840x2160, the highest preset, Ultra, delivers an average of 12 FPS. High settings produce 15 FPS on average. Medium settings improve this to 21 FPS, with a minimum of 18 FPS and a maximum of 24 FPS. Low settings are the best option at this resolution, yielding an average of 34 FPS. None of these figures approach the 60 FPS target, and even the most forgiving preset falls short by a substantial margin.

Moving to 2560x1440, the situation improves slightly but remains firmly unplayable. Ultra settings average 15 FPS. High settings average 19 FPS. Medium settings deliver an average of 27 FPS, with a minimum of 23 FPS and a maximum of 31 FPS. Low settings reach 43 FPS on average. While the Low preset at 1440p is the closest any setting comes to playability in the entire dataset, it still misses the 60 FPS mark by 17 frames per second.

At 1920x1080, the best-case scenario for this hardware, results are still disappointing. Ultra settings average 18 FPS. High settings average 23 FPS. Medium settings produce 32 FPS on average, with a minimum of 27 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS. Low settings deliver the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo: 51 FPS. Even at 1080p with the lowest quality preset, the system cannot maintain 60 FPS. The gap between the best recorded average (51 FPS) and the playability threshold (60 FPS) is 9 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern: as resolution decreases and settings are lowered, frame rates rise, but the ceiling of this hardware in The Medium is simply too low. The Intel Arc B390, with its modest 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, is the primary constraint. The Intel Core i7-12700KF is not the bottleneck; its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore result of 28838 and a Passmark multithread score of 34092, indicate strong processing capability. The measured FPS figures reflect a GPU-limited scenario across every configuration.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run The Medium at 1080p with any settings?

A: No. At 1920x1080, the best average frame rate recorded is 51 FPS on Low settings. The playable threshold is 60 FPS, and even the lowest preset at the lowest resolution fails to reach it. Medium settings at 1080p average only 32 FPS.

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves in The Medium?

A: The highest average frame rate in the recorded data is 51 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration that comes close to the 60 FPS threshold, but it still falls short.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark performance?

A: The Intel Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. This is 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1443). The performance deltas are very small, indicating these GPUs cluster closely together.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The recorded data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The Intel Core i7-12700KF has a percentile ranking of 85 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35365. The GPU, in contrast, sits at the 9th percentile among all GPUs with an average score of 1482. The FPS figures are uniformly low, which is consistent with a GPU bottleneck.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average frame rate is 27 FPS, with a minimum of 23 FPS and a maximum of 31 FPS. This is not playable by the 60 FPS standard.

Q: Does lowering the resolution to 4K help or hurt performance compared to 1080p?

A: Lowering the resolution helps. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average FPS is 34. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 51. The trend holds across all presets: 1080p consistently outperforms 1440p, which outperforms 4K. For example, at High settings, 1080p averages 23 FPS, 1440p averages 19 FPS, and 4K averages 15 FPS.

Best Settings per Resolution

The database records no playable settings for any resolution. The playable threshold is 60 FPS, and no measured configuration reaches it. For the purposes of this section, the most demanding preset that comes closest to 60 FPS is listed, but it must be clearly stated that none achieve playability.

At 3840x2160, the best recorded result is Low settings, which produces an average of 34 FPS. This is 26 FPS short of the threshold. Medium settings at this resolution average 21 FPS, High averages 15 FPS, and Ultra averages 12 FPS. None are viable.

At 2560x1440, the best recorded result is also Low settings, with an average of 43 FPS. This is 17 FPS short of the threshold. Medium settings average 27 FPS, High averages 19 FPS, and Ultra averages 15 FPS. Again, none are viable.

At 1920x1080, the best recorded result is Low settings, with an average of 51 FPS. This is 9 FPS short of the threshold. Medium settings average 32 FPS, High averages 23 FPS, and Ultra averages 18 FPS. This is the closest any configuration comes to playability, but it still fails to meet the 60 FPS requirement.

In summary, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS does not exist for this hardware in The Medium. The verdict data confirms this, listing no playable settings for any resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i7-12700KF, based on average benchmark score, are all very close in performance. The Intel Core i7-13700T has an average score of 35403, which is 0.1% higher than the i7-12700KF's 35365. The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35305, 0.2% lower. The Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35428, 0.2% higher. The Intel Core i7-12700K scores 35287, 0.2% lower. In practical terms, any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in The Medium, as the GPU is the limiting factor. Swapping among these processors would not meaningfully change the measured FPS.

For the Intel Arc B390, the nearest rivals are all older NVIDIA entries with very similar 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 scores. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, 1.3% lower than the Arc B390's 1482. The NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1460, 1.5% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, 2.5% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, 2.7% lower. These deltas are negligible in real-world gaming terms. A system using any of these GPUs would produce almost the same FPS in The Medium as the Intel Arc B390. The recorded results would remain below 60 FPS at all resolutions and presets.

The combination of a strong CPU and a weak GPU is the defining characteristic of this pairing. Users with any of the rival CPUs listed above would see no improvement, and users with any of the rival GPUs would see no meaningful difference either. The bottleneck is firmly on the graphics side.

The Verdict

This PC cannot run The Medium at a playable level. The verdict data for this combo lists no playable settings at any resolution. The playable threshold is 60 FPS, and the highest average frame rate recorded anywhere is 51 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

At 3840x2160, no preset comes close. The best average is 34 FPS on Low. At 2560x1440, the best average is 43 FPS on Low. At 1920x1080, the best average is 51 FPS on Low. Even the most favorable configuration, 1080p with the lowest quality preset, falls 9 FPS short of the threshold. All other settings and resolutions yield significantly lower results, ranging from 12 FPS at 4K Ultra to 32 FPS at 1080p Medium.

The GPU is the primary reason for this failure. Its 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs and its 3DMark score of 1482 place it in the lowest tier of graphics hardware. The CPU, by contrast, is more than capable, with an 85th percentile ranking and strong multi-threaded scores. But in The Medium, the CPU's capability is irrelevant because the GPU cannot render frames fast enough.

For a game like The Medium, which is a horror title with demanding visuals, this pairing is not viable for 60 FPS gaming. Users would need to accept frame rates in the 30 to 50 range on Low settings at 1080p, and even that is not guaranteed to be smooth. The recorded minimum of 27 FPS at 1080p Medium indicates that frame pacing could also be an issue in demanding scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of Intel Core i7-12700KF and Intel Arc B390 ranks 3314 out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium. That places it in the bottom 11% of all configurations in the database. The rank reflects the GPU's severe performance limitation, as the CPU alone would rank much higher given its 85th percentile standing.

The data shows that this combo is firmly in the lower tier of systems tested for this game. Of the 3724 combinations recorded, only 410 perform worse. The overwhelming majority of tested systems deliver better frame rates. This is consistent with the GPU's 9th percentile ranking, which indicates that nearly all other GPUs in the database outperform it.

The practical implication is straightforward: if you are building a system for The Medium, this GPU choice will hold back the entire rig. The CPU has headroom to spare, but it will never be utilized in this game because the GPU cannot keep up. The measured FPS across all resolutions and presets confirms that this combo is not suitable for the game's 60 FPS target. Users seeking playable performance would need to consider a significantly more powerful graphics solution.