The Medium

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents an extreme mismatch in The Medium. The CPU is a top-tier desktop processor, while the GPU is an integrated-class part with a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. The recorded frame rates confirm this: no settings combination at any resolution reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best case scenario is 51 FPS average at 1080p with Low settings, which falls short of the target. The data indicates that this configuration is not suitable for playing The Medium at a smooth frame rate, regardless of resolution or quality preset.

Best Settings per Resolution

The most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS does not exist for this hardware combination. The database records show that at every resolution, from 1920x1080 up to 3840x2160, the average frame rate drops below the 60 FPS threshold even on the lowest settings.

At 1920x1080, the highest recorded average is 51 FPS, achieved with Low settings. This is the closest any configuration comes to the playable threshold. The Medium preset at this resolution yields an average of 32 FPS, while High produces 23 FPS and Ultra drops to 18 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers an average of 43 FPS. The Medium preset averages 27 FPS, with High at 19 FPS and Ultra at 15 FPS. None of these approach the 60 FPS target.

At 3840x2160, the situation worsens further. Low settings produce an average of 34 FPS, Medium averages 21 FPS, High averages 15 FPS, and Ultra falls to 12 FPS. The verdict data confirms that there are no playable settings at any resolution, meaning no preset combination clears the 60 FPS bar.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results indicate that the Intel Arc B390 is the overwhelming bottleneck in this pairing. The i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5 and a single-core score of 2262.5. This CPU ranks in the 95th percentile of all processors, showing it has far more computational headroom than the game requires. The GPU, by contrast, sits in the 9th percentile, and its performance ceiling is reflected in the low frame rates.

The scaling between resolutions shows that the GPU is saturated even at 1080p. Dropping from 1920x1080 Low (51 FPS) to 2560x1440 Low (43 FPS) represents a 15.7% reduction in frame rate for a 77.8% increase in pixel count. This indicates that the GPU is struggling with the increased fill-rate demands. The same pattern appears at Medium settings: 32 FPS at 1080p falls to 27 FPS at 1440p, a 15.6% drop.

The gap between Low and Medium settings at the same resolution is also revealing. At 1080p, Low averages 51 FPS while Medium averages 32 FPS, a 37.3% performance loss. This large delta suggests that the GPU has very limited headroom for additional shading and texture work. The CPU's role is minimal here; even if the i9-14900K were replaced with a much weaker processor, the frame rates would likely remain similar because the GPU is already the limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is pushed even harder. Low settings average 34 FPS, which is 33.3% lower than the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset at 4K averages 21 FPS, with a minimum of 18 FPS and a maximum of 24 FPS. These numbers confirm that the Arc B390's 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate are insufficient for this game's demands at higher resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: No. The recorded data shows no playable settings at any resolution. The best result is 51 FPS average at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this configuration can achieve?

A: The maximum recorded average is 51 FPS, observed at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. All other settings and resolutions produce lower averages.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482. It is 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M, 2.5% ahead of the GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% ahead of the GT 710.

Q: Is the CPU powerful enough for this game?

A: Yes, the Intel Core i9-14900K is not the limiting factor. It scores 39399.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2262.5 in single-core, placing it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. The GPU is the bottleneck.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 2560x1440 with Medium settings?

A: The average is 27 FPS, with a minimum of 23 FPS and a maximum of 31 FPS. This is well below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: Low settings average 51 FPS, while Ultra averages 18 FPS. This represents a 64.7% reduction in average frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest quality preset.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i9-14900K has an average benchmark score of 79097. The nearest rival is the Intel Core i9-14900KF, which scores 79371, a difference of 0.3%. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus scores 79574, 0.6% higher. The AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80041, which is 1.2% higher. On the lower side, the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77740, 1.7% lower. All of these processors would behave nearly identically in The Medium, as the game's frame rates are entirely constrained by the GPU.

For the GPU, the Intel Arc B390 scores 1482 on the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. Its nearest rivals are all older NVIDIA parts. The GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, 1.3% lower. The GeForce 800M scores 1460, 1.5% lower. The GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, 2.5% lower, and the GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, 2.7% lower. Any of these GPUs would produce similar sub-60 FPS results in The Medium, as they all fall within a narrow performance band. The data suggests that swapping the Arc B390 for any of these alternatives would not meaningfully change the playability outcome.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the recorded average frame rates are as follows. Low settings produce 51 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 32 FPS, with a minimum of 27 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS. High settings average 23 FPS. Ultra settings average 18 FPS. No preset at this resolution reaches the 60 FPS target.

At 2560x1440, the results are lower across the board. Low settings average 43 FPS. Medium settings average 27 FPS, with a minimum of 23 FPS and a maximum of 31 FPS. High settings average 19 FPS. Ultra settings average 15 FPS. The highest value here, 43 FPS, is still 28.3% below the playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates drop further. Low settings average 34 FPS. Medium settings average 21 FPS, with a minimum of 18 FPS and a maximum of 24 FPS. High settings average 15 FPS. Ultra settings average 12 FPS. The 4K results show the GPU is completely overwhelmed, with even the lowest quality preset failing to maintain a playable frame rate.

The overall pattern is consistent: the Intel Arc B390 cannot deliver 60 FPS in The Medium at any resolution or settings level. The i9-14900K's substantial computational resources go largely unused because the GPU's 1536 shading units and 24 ROPs are insufficient for the game's rendering demands.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: this PC cannot run The Medium at 60 FPS. The verdict by resolution shows that there are no playable settings at 3840x2160, 2560x1440, or 1920x1080. The best possible outcome is 51 FPS at 1080p with Low settings, which still falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

The Intel Core i9-14900K is more than capable for this title, but the Intel Arc B390 is the limiting factor. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile, and its nearest rivals, including the GeForce GT 710 and GT 520MX, are all similarly low-powered parts. The measured frame rates reflect this: even at the lowest resolution and quality settings, the GPU cannot reach the target.

Users seeking to play The Medium with this CPU would need a substantially more powerful graphics solution. The current configuration, ranked 3314 out of 3724 combos in the game's database, is not viable for smooth gameplay at any resolution.