The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title, proves exceptionally demanding on this particular hardware pairing. The data shows the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and Intel Arc B370 combination struggles to maintain playable frame rates across most configurations, with performance placing it at rank 2681 out of 2911 tested combos. This places the system in the bottom 8 percent of tested configurations, indicating that this is a low-end experience for this specific game. The following analysis breaks down the measured results to determine the most viable settings and the hardware bottlenecks that define this pairing's performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based strictly on the measured FPS data, the only configuration that approaches a playable experience is the Low preset at 1080p. The data shows a 46 FPS average at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which is the only result above the 30 FPS threshold across the entire test matrix. This makes the Low preset at 1080p the clear recommendation for any user seeking the best balance between visual fidelity and smooth gameplay, though even this result sits below the 60 FPS standard many players prefer.

The Medium preset at 1080p delivers a 29 FPS average, with measured dips to 24 FPS and peaks at 33 FPS. This is technically playable but sits right at the edge of acceptable performance. The frame time variance indicated by the 24-33 FPS range suggests inconsistent pacing, which can feel worse than a stable lower frame rate in a game with The Medium's cinematic, fixed-camera style. Users prioritizing stability over visual quality should stick with Low, while those willing to accept occasional stutter may find Medium acceptable.

At higher resolutions, the situation becomes significantly worse. The 1440p Low preset manages a 39 FPS average, which is playable but noticeably less smooth than the 1080p Low result. However, the 1440p Medium preset drops to 24 FPS, and 4K Low falls to 30 FPS. The Ultra preset is essentially unplayable across all resolutions, with results ranging from 16 FPS at 1080p down to 11 FPS at 4K. The data indicates that High settings offer no meaningful advantage over Medium, with results of 21 FPS at 1080p, 17 FPS at 1440p, and 14 FPS at 4K — all well below playable thresholds.

The recommendation hierarchy is clear: 1080p Low is the primary choice, 1440p Low is a secondary option for users with higher-resolution displays who can tolerate lower frame rates, and everything else should be avoided. The Medium preset at 1080p is the only other configuration that merits consideration, and only for users who prioritize visual detail over frame rate stability.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the primary performance limiter in this configuration. The GPU's specifications paint a picture of a low-power integrated solution rather than a discrete gaming card. The 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 render output units are modest numbers, and the 25 W TDP confirms this is an energy-efficient part designed for basic graphics tasks rather than demanding gaming workloads. The 3 nm process node and Xe3-LPG architecture (Panther Lake) represent modern technology, but the implementation is clearly constrained by power and thermal limits.

The Arc B370's clock behavior is notable: a 300 MHz base clock that boosts to 2400 MHz. This wide boost range suggests the GPU can ramp up significantly under load, but the sustained performance in The Medium indicates thermal or power throttling likely prevents sustained high clocks during extended gaming sessions. The 6.144 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 48.00 GPixel/s pixel rate are theoretical maxima that the measured results suggest are rarely achieved in practice.

Memory configuration is a critical weakness. The Arc B370 uses system shared memory, with the bus width and bandwidth both listed as system dependent. In a system with the Ryzen 5 2600, which supports dual-channel DDR4 with a memory bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s, the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory access. This shared memory architecture creates a significant bottleneck, particularly at higher resolutions where texture memory demands increase. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places the GPU in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, and the nearest rivals (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, ATI Radeon HD 5770, AMD Radeon HD 7650M, AMD FirePro M2000) are all legacy parts from a previous era, confirming this GPU's position as a very low-end solution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and Intel Arc B370 configuration ranks 2681 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium. This places the system in the bottom 8 percent of all tested hardware combinations, indicating that this pairing is severely underpowered for this particular game. The rank reflects the GPU's limitations more than the CPU's, as the processor is a far more capable component relative to its peers.

The CPU alone performs near the middle of the pack, with an average benchmark score of 21484 and a 75th percentile ranking among all CPUs. The nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V (0.2 percent ahead), Intel Core i9-11900H (0.5 percent ahead), Intel Xeon D-1746TER (0.7 percent behind), and AMD EPYC 9454 (1.2 percent ahead). These small deltaPct values indicate the Ryzen 5 2600 is well within the normal performance range for processors, with no significant outliers in either direction.

In contrast, the GPU sits at the 5th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1184. The nearest rivals are all within 1.4 percent of the Arc B370's score, but these are all legacy parts from the HD 5000/7000 series era. The massive disparity between the CPU's mid-pack performance and the GPU's bottom-quintile performance means the GPU is overwhelmingly the limiting factor in this combination. The combo rank of 2681 reflects this GPU bottleneck, as the system's overall gaming performance is dragged down by the graphics solution's inability to keep pace with even modest rendering demands.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a consistent pattern of GPU-bound performance across all resolutions and settings. At 1080p, the results range from a 46 FPS average on Low to a 16 FPS average on Ultra. The Medium preset delivers 29 FPS with a documented range of 24 to 33 FPS, while High achieves only 21 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steep performance cliff: 46 to 29 to 21 to 16 FPS, representing a 65 percent drop from the lowest to highest quality settings.

At 1440p, the same settings progression yields 39, 24, 17, and 14 FPS for Low, Medium, High, and Ultra respectively. The Medium preset at this resolution shows a 21 to 28 FPS range. The performance loss from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings: 15 percent for Low (46 to 39), 17 percent for Medium (29 to 24), 19 percent for High (21 to 17), and 13 percent for Ultra (16 to 14). This relatively uniform scaling suggests the GPU is the bottleneck across all quality levels, as the frame rate reductions track closely with the increased pixel count.

At 4K, the results become largely unplayable. Low settings achieve 30 FPS, which is technically playable but marginal. Medium drops to 19 FPS (16 to 22 FPS range), High falls to 14 FPS, and Ultra manages only 11 FPS. The transition from 1440p to 4K represents a much steeper performance cliff: 23 percent for Low (39 to 30), 21 percent for Medium (24 to 19), 18 percent for High (17 to 14), and 21 percent for Ultra (14 to 11). This steeper drop at 4K compared to the 1080p to 1440p transition indicates that the GPU is running out of memory bandwidth or raw compute headroom as resolution increases.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for this GPU and CPU combination in The Medium?

A: The Low preset at 1080p is the only configuration that produces a playable frame rate, averaging 46 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p comes close at 29 FPS but with noticeable frame time variance (24-33 FPS range).

Q: Can this system handle 1440p gaming in The Medium?

A: Only with the Low preset, which achieves 39 FPS average. The Medium preset at 1440p drops to 24 FPS, which is below playable thresholds, and High/Ultra settings produce 17 FPS and 14 FPS respectively.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with the Intel Arc B370?

A: Barely, and only with Low settings, which produce a 30 FPS average. Medium, High, and Ultra settings at 4K yield 19, 14, and 11 FPS respectively, all of which are unplayable.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 2600 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score of 21484 places it within 1.2 percent of its nearest rivals: the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V (0.2 percent ahead), Intel Core i9-11900H (0.5 percent ahead), Intel Xeon D-1746TER (0.7 percent behind), and AMD EPYC 9454 (1.2 percent ahead).

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile relative to all GPUs?

A: The Intel Arc B370 sits in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184. Its nearest rivals are legacy parts like the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and ATI Radeon HD 5770, all within 1.4 percent of its score.

Q: How does this combo rank overall for The Medium?

A: The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and Intel Arc B370 ranks 2681 out of 2911 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 8 percent of all tested hardware configurations for this game.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen+ architecture, built on a 12 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It operates with a 3.40 GHz base clock and 3.90 GHz boost clock, with a 65 W TDP. The processor includes 96 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and 16 MB of shared L3 cache. Its 4,800 million transistors on a 213 mm² die represent a mature design from the 2018 era.

In The Medium, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU's limitations. The processor's benchmark scores indicate it is more than capable of handling the game's logical and physics workloads. The PassMark multithread score of 13160 and Geekbench multicore score of 5648 demonstrate solid multi-threaded performance, while the single-thread scores (2239 PassMark, 1154 Geekbench) are adequate for gaming workloads. The Cinebench R15 scores of 1248 multicore and 157.3 singlecore further confirm this processor's balanced capability.

The memory bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s from dual-channel DDR4 is a potential concern, particularly given the GPU's use of system shared memory. The CPU and GPU both access the same memory pool, and The Medium's fixed-camera scenes with detailed environments can place significant demands on memory bandwidth. However, the measured FPS data shows consistent GPU-bound behavior across all settings, suggesting the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in most scenarios. The processor's 75th percentile ranking and near-identical scores to its nearest rivals (all within 1.2 percent) indicate it is performing as expected for its class, with no thermal or power throttling evident in the data.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K provides clear evidence of the GPU as the limiting component. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 46 FPS at 1080p to 39 FPS at 1440p (a 15 percent reduction) and then to 30 FPS at 4K (a 23 percent reduction from 1440p). This scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU that is running out of fill rate or memory bandwidth as pixel count increases.

The Medium preset shows a similar but slightly steeper pattern: 29 FPS at 1080p, 24 FPS at 1440p (17 percent drop), and 19 FPS at 4K (21 percent drop). The High preset follows with 21, 17, and 14 FPS (19 percent and 18 percent drops), while Ultra produces 16, 14, and 11 FPS (13 percent and 21 percent drops). The consistent 13-19 percent reduction from 1080p to 1440p across all settings, followed by 18-23 percent reductions from 1440p to 4K, indicates the GPU's performance degrades non-linearly with resolution.

This scaling behavior points to a combination of fill rate and memory bandwidth limitations. The Arc B370's 20 ROPs and 48.00 GPixel/s pixel rate are extremely low by modern standards, and the shared system memory architecture limits available bandwidth. The steeper performance drop at 4K suggests the GPU is hitting a hard memory bandwidth wall, as the system's DDR4 memory cannot provide sufficient data throughput for the higher resolution textures and larger framebuffer. The CPU's role in this scaling is minimal, as the Ryzen 5 2600's performance is consistent across resolutions, and the frame rate drops track almost exclusively with pixel count increases. This confirms that any attempt to improve performance in The Medium must focus on the GPU, as the CPU has ample headroom to handle the game's processing demands.