The Medium

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the Intel Arc B570 is a combination that delivers playable performance only at the lower end of the resolution spectrum in The Medium. The data shows a clear pattern: this system is strictly for 1080p and 1440p gaming at the lowest settings, with 4K resolution being entirely out of reach for a smooth experience. The measured FPS figures indicate that the Arc B570 is the limiting factor, as the CPU’s substantial processing power cannot compensate for the GPU’s frame rate ceilings.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the only setting that maintains an average above the 60 FPS playable threshold is Low, which achieves an average of 78 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at this resolution. Moving up to Medium drops the average to 49 FPS, which falls below the playable line, while High and Ultra yield 35 FPS and 28 FPS respectively.

For 2560x1440, the situation is similar but with a narrower margin. Low is again the only playable preset, delivering an average of 66 FPS. This is just barely above the 60 FPS threshold, meaning there is little headroom for demanding scenes. Medium drops to 41 FPS, High to 29 FPS, and Ultra to 23 FPS, all of which are firmly in unplayable territory.

At 3840x2160, there is no playable setting. The best result comes from Low at 52 FPS, which still falls short of 60 FPS. Medium averages 32 FPS, High averages 23 FPS, and Ultra averages 18 FPS. The verdict data confirms this, listing no playable settings for 4K. The system simply cannot handle this game at 4K with any preset that meets the performance bar.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario at every resolution. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a high-end processor with a 96th percentile ranking against all CPUs, and its nearest rivals—the Core Ultra 9 285K and AMD EPYC 4584PX—are within 0.2% and 1.1% of its average benchmark score. However, this processing power does not translate into high frame rates in The Medium. The bottleneck is clearly the Arc B570, which sits at the 65th percentile among GPUs and is closely matched by the RTX 3070 Mobile and Arc A750.

The scaling between resolutions confirms this. Moving from 1080p Low (78 FPS) to 1440p Low (66 FPS) is a 15.4% drop, and from 1440p Low to 4K Low (52 FPS) is a 21.2% drop. This consistent decline across resolution increases is typical of a GPU-limited system, where the CPU has ample headroom to feed the GPU but the GPU cannot keep up with the pixel count. The frame rate differences between presets at the same resolution further support this: at 1080p, Ultra (28 FPS) is 64.1% slower than Low (78 FPS), a massive gap that reflects the GPU’s inability to handle higher graphical loads.

The CPU’s role here is to ensure that the GPU is not starved of data, and with 24 cores and 24 threads, it certainly does that. But the measured FPS shows that no amount of CPU performance can push the Arc B570 beyond its limits. The game is demanding on the GPU, and the Intel Arc B570, with its 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 380.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, is simply not powerful enough for high or ultra settings at any resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and Arc B570 ranks 2999th out of 3724 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the bottom 19.5% of all system configurations tested for this game. The ranking is a direct reflection of the GPU’s performance, as the CPU is among the top 4% of all processors. The percentile gap between the CPU (96th) and GPU (65th) is stark, and the combo ranking shows that the overall system performance is dragged down by the graphics card.

The GPU’s nearest rivals—the RTX 3070 Mobile (0.1% faster), Arc A750 (0.1% slower), and Quadro M4000M (0.4% faster)—all have similar average benchmark scores around 20,500. This means the Arc B570 is positioned in a mid-range tier of GPUs, and The Medium’s requirements push it to its limits. The combo ranking is not a reflection of the CPU’s capability, but rather a warning that this pairing is unbalanced for this specific game. A stronger GPU would have dramatically improved the ranking.

FAQ

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

A: No. The best 4K result is 52 FPS on Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall further behind at 32 FPS, 23 FPS, and 18 FPS respectively. The verdict data lists no playable settings at 3840x2160.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1440p?

A: Low settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 66 FPS, which is the only preset above the 60 FPS line. Medium drops to 41 FPS, so Low is the sole playable option.

Q: How does the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The CPU’s average benchmark score is 84,003, which is 0.2% higher than the Core Ultra 9 285K and 1.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 4584PX. It is 1.3% higher than the EPYC 9135 but 1.3% lower than the EPYC 7F72.

Q: Is the Arc B570 a bottleneck in this system?

A: Yes. The GPU’s percentile ranking is 65th compared to the CPU’s 96th, and the frame rates in The Medium are consistently low across all resolutions. The GPU’s nearest rivals, like the RTX 3070 Mobile and Arc A750, perform within 0.1% of it, confirming it is a mid-range part that struggles with this game.

Q: What FPS can I expect at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The average is 28 FPS, which is far below the 60 FPS threshold. Even High settings only reach 35 FPS. Only Low settings at 1080p achieve a playable 78 FPS average.

Q: Does the CPU’s performance help with higher settings?

A: No. Despite the CPU’s top-tier benchmark scores, the frame rates are limited by the GPU. For example, moving from Low to Ultra at 1080p drops performance by 64.1%, a GPU-driven change. The CPU cannot overcome this limitation.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system achieves the following averages: Low 78 FPS, Medium 49 FPS (with a minimum of 41 and maximum of 56), High 35 FPS, and Ultra 28 FPS. The Medium setting is the only one with recorded min/max values, showing a 15 FPS fluctuation range.

For 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 66 FPS, Medium 41 FPS (minimum 35, maximum 47), High 29 FPS, and Ultra 23 FPS. The Medium preset again shows a 12 FPS variance between its minimum and maximum.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 52 FPS, Medium 32 FPS (minimum 27, maximum 37), High 23 FPS, and Ultra 18 FPS. The Medium setting has the only recorded min/max data, with a 10 FPS range.

The pattern is consistent across all resolutions: Low is the only setting that approaches or exceeds 60 FPS, and higher presets produce steep declines. The min/max data for Medium settings at each resolution indicates that even the low dips are well below playable, with the best minimum being 35 FPS at 1440p.

The Verdict

This PC can run The Medium, but only at the lowest settings, and only at 1080p and 1440p. The verdict data confirms that at 1920x1080, Low settings are playable with an average of 78 FPS. At 2560x1440, Low is also playable with an average of 66 FPS, but with less headroom. At 3840x2160, there are no playable settings; the best average is 52 FPS on Low.

For a smooth 60 FPS experience, you are restricted to Low settings. If you want to play at Medium or higher, you will need a more powerful GPU. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is more than capable for this game, but the Arc B570 holds the system back. In practical terms, this combo is suitable for 1080p Low or 1440p Low gaming in The Medium, with no room for higher graphical fidelity. The system’s 2999th rank out of 3724 combos reflects this limitation, making it a clear case of a CPU that outclasses its GPU for this title.