The Medium

FAQ

Q: Can this PC configuration run The Medium at 60 FPS at any resolution?

A: No. The recorded data shows that at every resolution tested (1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160), the highest average FPS reached is 46, which occurs at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The playable threshold is 60 FPS, and this combo never reaches it.

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

A: The best recorded average FPS is 46, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At Medium settings on the same resolution, the average drops to 29 FPS, with a minimum of 24 and a maximum of 33 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Arc B370 has an average benchmark score of 1184. Its nearest rival, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, scores 1186, which is 0.2% higher. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190 (0.5% higher), the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192 (0.7% higher), and the AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168 (1.4% lower).

Q: What is the combo rank of this system among all tested configurations for The Medium?

A: The combo ranks 3439 out of 3724 tested combinations. This places it in the bottom portion of all tested systems, consistent with the low frame rates observed across all settings and resolutions.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700KF a strong CPU relative to other processors?

A: Yes. The CPU sits in the 94th percentile among all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 70163. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, scores 69996 (0.2% lower), while the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K scores 70879 (1% higher).

Q: Does the system perform better at 4K or 1080p in this game?

A: It performs better at 1080p. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 46. At 2560x1440 with Low settings, it drops to 39 FPS. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, it falls to 30 FPS. Higher settings at each resolution show progressively lower performance.

Similar Performance Alternatives

GPU-side alternatives: The Intel Arc B370's benchmark performance places it in the 5th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 1184. The nearest rivals in the database are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, 0.2% faster), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, 0.5% faster), AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, 0.7% faster), and AMD FirePro M2000 (1168, 1.4% slower). Systems using any of these GPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in The Medium, meaning all would fail to reach 60 FPS at any resolution. The differences between these GPUs are smaller than the margin of error, so swapping between them would not change the playability verdict.

CPU-side alternatives: The Intel Core i7-14700KF ranks in the 94th percentile among all CPUs with an average score of 70163. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (69996, 0.2% lower), AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875, 0.4% lower), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69515, 0.9% lower), and Intel Core Ultra 7 265K (70879, 1% higher). These CPUs are essentially equivalent in raw compute performance. Since the bottleneck in this system is the GPU, swapping the CPU for any of these alternatives would not meaningfully change The Medium's frame rates. The GPU is the limiting factor across all resolutions and settings.

Combined perspective: A system with any of these CPUs paired with the Intel Arc B370 would produce results nearly identical to what the database records for this combo. Conversely, pairing the Core i7-14700KF with any of the GPUs listed as rivals would produce similar or slightly worse frame rates. The performance gap between the CPU and GPU in this pairing is extreme: the CPU sits in the 94th percentile while the GPU sits in the 5th percentile. This mismatch means the GPU determines playability entirely.

Best Settings per Resolution

3840x2160 (4K): No settings preset achieves 60 FPS. The highest recorded average is 30 FPS at Low settings. Medium settings produce 19 FPS (min 16, max 22), High settings produce 14 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 11 FPS. The most demanding preset that stays closest to 60 FPS is Low at 30 FPS, but it still falls 30 FPS short of the threshold.

2560x1440 (1440p): No settings preset reaches 60 FPS. Low settings deliver 39 FPS, which is the best result at this resolution. Medium settings drop to 24 FPS (min 21, max 28), High settings produce 17 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 14 FPS. The gap between Low and the 60 FPS target is 21 FPS.

1920x1080 (1080p): No settings preset reaches 60 FPS. Low settings provide 46 FPS, the highest recorded value across the entire test matrix. Medium settings produce 29 FPS (min 24, max 33), High settings deliver 21 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 16 FPS. Even at the lowest settings and lowest resolution, the system falls 14 FPS short of the playable threshold.

Summary of best results: The best playable configuration is 1920x1080 with Low settings at 46 FPS average. The second-best result is 2560x1440 with Low settings at 39 FPS. For users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, Medium settings at 1080p (29 FPS) or Low settings at 4K (30 FPS) are the most balanced options, but neither approaches a comfortable playable experience.

The Verdict

The verdict is clear: this system cannot run The Medium at 60 FPS at any resolution or preset. The verdictByResolution data shows no playable settings at 3840x2160, 2560x1440, or 1920x1080. The playable threshold is 60 FPS, and the best recorded result is 46 FPS at 1080p Low.

The system's performance profile is consistent across resolutions. At 1080p Low, it achieves 46 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 39 FPS. At 4K Low, it falls to 30 FPS. The pattern shows a steady decline as resolution increases, with the GPU struggling more at higher pixel counts.

For users who tolerate frame rates below 60 FPS, the playable experience is limited. At 1080p Medium, the average is 29 FPS with a minimum of 24 FPS, which may be acceptable for a slower-paced horror game. At 1440p Low, the 39 FPS average could be workable. At 4K Low, the 30 FPS average is borderline but may feel choppy.

The core conclusion is that the Intel Arc B370 is far too weak for this game. The CPU is not the bottleneck; the GPU's 5th percentile ranking among all GPUs explains the low frame rates. Even at the lowest settings, the system cannot reach the playable threshold. Users seeking to play The Medium at 60 FPS would need a significantly stronger GPU.

CPU and GPU Roles

1080p analysis: At 1920x1080, the GPU is the clear limiting factor. The CPU sits in the 94th percentile among all CPUs, meaning it has ample headroom for this game. The GPU, in the 5th percentile, cannot keep up. The frame rate scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a drop from 46 FPS to 16 FPS, a 30 FPS difference that directly tracks GPU workload. The CPU has no trouble feeding the GPU at this resolution.

1440p analysis: At 2560x1440, the GPU bottleneck becomes more pronounced. Low settings deliver 39 FPS, down from 46 FPS at 1080p Low. This 7 FPS drop reflects the increased pixel count. Medium settings produce 24 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 14 FPS. The CPU's role diminishes further as the GPU takes longer to render each frame.

4K analysis: At 3840x2160, the GPU is overwhelmingly the limiting factor. Low settings drop to 30 FPS, exactly half of the 60 FPS target. Medium settings produce 19 FPS, High settings produce 14 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 11 FPS. The scaling from 1080p Low (46 FPS) to 4K Low (30 FPS) shows a 35% performance loss, which is consistent with the GPU being the sole constraint.

Resolution scaling insights: The data shows that increasing resolution from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 7 FPS at Low settings (46 to 39 FPS). Increasing from 1440p to 4K costs another 9 FPS (39 to 30 FPS). This pattern indicates that the GPU's fill rate and pixel throughput are the primary constraints. The CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads (as recorded in the database) are more than sufficient for this title, which is a slow-paced horror game rather than a CPU-intensive action title.

Preset scaling insights: At each resolution, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is substantial. At 1080p, the spread is 30 FPS (46 to 16 FPS). At 1440p, the spread is 25 FPS (39 to 14 FPS). At 4K, the spread is 19 FPS (30 to 11 FPS). The shrinking spread at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is saturated even at Low settings, leaving less headroom for higher presets to make a relative impact.

Which component matters more: The GPU matters almost entirely. The CPU's performance is far above what this game requires, as shown by its 94th percentile ranking and high multi-core scores. The GPU's 5th percentile ranking explains the frame rates. Upgrading the CPU would yield no measurable improvement in The Medium. Upgrading the GPU would be the only path toward 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

This combo ranks 3439 out of 3724 tested combinations in The Medium. This places it in the bottom 8% of all tested systems. The rank reflects the GPU's severe limitation: the Intel Arc B370's average benchmark score of 1184 puts it in the 5th percentile among all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are all legacy graphics cards from over a decade ago.

The CPU's ranking does not help the combo's position. The Intel Core i7-14700KF ranks in the 94th percentile among all CPUs, with an average score of 70163. This is a high-end processor by any measure. However, the game's performance is determined by the GPU, and the GPU's low score dominates the combo's overall ranking.

In practical terms, this combo ranks near the bottom of the database for The Medium. Systems with mid-range GPUs from the past several years would rank significantly higher. The gap between this combo and the median tested system is substantial, as evidenced by the fact that no resolution or preset reaches 60 FPS.

For context, the GPU's nearest rivals include the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190 score, 0.5% faster), a graphics card from 2009. This means the Arc B370 performs at a level comparable to GPUs from over a decade ago. The CPU, meanwhile, is a modern 20-core processor. This mismatch produces a system that is severely unbalanced for gaming, and the ranking reflects that imbalance.

Users considering this combo for The Medium should note that the rank is not an artifact of the CPU. The combo rank is 3439 out of 3724, and the GPU's percentile rank is 5. These two numbers tell the same story: the GPU cannot handle this game. The CPU's high percentile rank does not compensate. The recorded frame rates, which never exceed 46 FPS, confirm the ranking's accuracy.