The Medium

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the Intel Arc B570 presents a specific performance profile for The Medium, a horror title that demands consistent frame pacing. The CPU, a 16-core Raptor Lake part with a 5.40 GHz boost clock, places in the 89th percentile among all tested CPUs, while the GPU, based on the Xe2-HPG architecture, sits in the 65th percentile for graphics cards. The measured data for this specific combo indicates that the system is capable of delivering playable frame rates, but only under a narrow set of conditions, primarily at lower graphical presets and resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the processor, the nearest rivals in the benchmark database are all extremely close in aggregate score. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 posts an average score of 46971, which is a 0.2% difference from the i7-13700K’s 46881 average. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (47022) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (46654) are similarly matched, with deltas of -0.3% and 0.5%, respectively. The Intel Xeon w3-2535 also falls within a 0.5% delta at 46653. In practical terms, any of these CPUs would present a nearly identical bottleneck or headroom profile when paired with a given GPU in The Medium, as the game’s frame rates appear to be governed more by the graphics subsystem.

On the graphics side, the Intel Arc B570’s average benchmark score of 20556 is closely mirrored by several competitors. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534) is a 0.1% delta away, making it a near-perfect match. The Intel Arc A750 (20582) and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X (20662) are also within half a percent. The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480) rounds out the group with a 0.4% delta. When considering this combo, swapping the Arc B570 for any of these GPUs would likely yield almost identical frame rates in The Medium, meaning the user should expect the same limitations at 4K and the same playability threshold at 1440p and 1080p on Low settings.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear pattern where the GPU is the dominant constraint for The Medium at all tested resolutions. Starting at 1920x1080, the game shows a distinct scaling curve: Low settings yield an average of 78 FPS, Medium drops to 49 FPS, High to 35 FPS, and Ultra to 28 FPS. This steep decline with increasing preset complexity is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario, as the CPU is capable of far higher throughput than what the graphics card can render. The i7-13700K’s multi-threaded score of 30745 in Cinebench R23 and its Passmark multi-thread score of 45887 indicate substantial headroom that remains largely unused at 1080p.

The pattern intensifies at 2560x1440. Low settings average 66 FPS, Medium falls to 41 FPS, High to 29 FPS, and Ultra to 23 FPS. The percentage drop from Low to Ultra is even more pronounced here than at 1080p, confirming that the Arc B570’s raw pixel-pushing capability is the limiting factor. At 3840x2160, the situation becomes critical: Low settings average 52 FPS, Medium dips to 32 FPS, High to 23 FPS, and Ultra to just 18 FPS. The fact that no preset at 4K achieves the 60 FPS playable threshold strongly indicates that the GPU’s 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 380 GB/s memory bandwidth are insufficient for this title at that resolution. The CPU does not appear to be a factor in the scaling, as the frame rate drops are proportional to the GPU workload increase, not the CPU’s capability.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination ranks 2999 out of 3724 tested configurations in the database for The Medium. This places the system in the lower 20th percentile of all possible pairings, which is notable given that the CPU is in the 89th percentile for processors. The disconnect between the CPU’s high standing and the combo’s low rank underscores the GPU’s role as the primary limiter. A system with a less powerful CPU but a more capable GPU would almost certainly rank higher, as the game’s frame rates would improve. The data shows that this pairing is heavily imbalanced for this title, with the Arc B570 acting as a significant bottleneck that prevents the i7-13700K from demonstrating its full potential in gaming scenarios that demand high graphical fidelity.

The Verdict

According to the verdict by resolution, this PC can run The Medium at 60 FPS or higher, but only under specific conditions. At 3840x2160, there are no playable settings; the best available average is 52 FPS on Low, which falls short of the 60 FPS playable threshold. At 2560x1440, the system clears the threshold only on Low settings, achieving an average of 66 FPS. The same applies to 1920x1080, where Low settings produce an average of 78 FPS. The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low at both 1440p and 1080p. Running the game at Medium, High, or Ultra will result in sub-60 FPS averages at every resolution, with the worst case being 18 FPS at 4K Ultra. Therefore, the system is playable only in a limited configuration.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K?*

A: No. The measured data shows that even at Low settings, the average is 52 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra produce averages of 32, 23, and 18 FPS, respectively.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 2560x1440?

A: The only preset that clears 60 FPS is Low, with an average of 66 FPS. Medium averages 41 FPS, which is below the threshold.

Q: How does the Arc B570 compare to its closest rival in the database?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 20534, which is a 0.1% delta from the Arc B570’s 20556. This means the two GPUs should perform nearly identically in this game.

*Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor for The Medium?*

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The i7-13700K scores in the 89th percentile for CPUs, while the Arc B570 scores in the 65th percentile for GPUs. The frame rate scaling across presets at each resolution is consistent with a GPU-bound workload.

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable at 1920x1080?

A: The maximum average FPS is 78, which occurs on Low settings. Medium drops to 49 FPS, High to 35 FPS, and Ultra to 28 FPS.

Q: Are there any settings at 3840x2160 that reach 60 FPS?

A: No. The highest average at 4K is 52 FPS on Low, and no other preset comes close to the 60 FPS threshold. The verdict by resolution lists no playable settings for 3840x2160.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, there is no preset that meets the 60 FPS threshold; the best available average is 52 FPS on Low, but this is still below the playable mark. For 2560x1440, the best settings that stay at or above 60 FPS are Low, with an exact average of 66 FPS. At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that clears 60 FPS is also Low, achieving an exact average of 78 FPS. No Medium, High, or Ultra settings are viable at any resolution for maintaining the 60 FPS target.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured frame rate data is as follows:

3840x2160:

• High: average 23 FPS
• Low: average 52 FPS
• Medium: average 32 FPS, with a minimum of 27 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS
• Ultra: average 18 FPS

2560x1440:

• High: average 29 FPS
• Low: average 66 FPS
• Medium: average 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS
• Ultra: average 23 FPS

1920x1080:

• High: average 35 FPS
• Low: average 78 FPS
• Medium: average 49 FPS, with a minimum of 41 FPS and a maximum of 56 FPS
• Ultra: average 28 FPS

The data indicates a consistent pattern where Low settings are the only playable option, and only at 1440p and 1080p. The minimum FPS values for Medium settings at each resolution (27 at 4K, 35 at 1440p, 41 at 1080p) show that even the playable Low presets would likely see significant drops during intense scenes, though min/max data for Low is not provided. The average scores for the CPU and GPU, combined with the measured FPS, provide a clear picture of a system that is capable of running the game only at its lowest fidelity settings.