The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and Intel Arc B570 pairing in The Medium presents a study in system balance, where the GPU’s performance ceiling is clearly defined by both resolution and the game’s demanding visual presets. Benchmark results show this combo landing at rank 2321 out of 2911 tested configurations, placing it in the lower-middle tier of systems for this specific horror title. The data reveals a configuration that can achieve playable frame rates, but only when settings are managed carefully, particularly at higher resolutions.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It operates with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, and is manufactured on a 7 nm process by TSMC. The CPU features a cache hierarchy that includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and a shared 32 MB L3 cache. Its memory support is DDR4 with a dual-channel bus, providing a theoretical bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s.

In the context of The Medium’s measured results, the CPU appears to provide a stable foundation that does not bottleneck the GPU at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves an average of 78 FPS, which is the highest recorded in the dataset. However, as resolution increases, the frame rates drop significantly, indicating that the workload shifts heavily onto the GPU. The processor’s multi-threaded capabilities, as shown in its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 18,309, are more than sufficient for a game like this, which typically relies on a few primary threads rather than scaling across all 12 threads.

The Ryzen 5 5600 ranks in the 74th percentile among all CPUs based on its average benchmark score of 20,468. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V with an average score of 20,454, a delta of just 0.1%, and the AMD Ryzen 5 8500G at 20,425, a 0.2% delta. These close margins suggest that the 5600 is positioned in a highly competitive performance tier for general processing tasks. In this game, the CPU’s role is to feed the Arc B570 with enough data to keep it busy, and the data suggests it does so effectively, as the frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are consistent with GPU-bound behavior rather than CPU limitations.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B570 is the dominant component in this pairing, built on the Xe2-HPG architecture and the BMG-G21 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process. It features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The GPU’s clocks are set at a base of 2500 MHz and a boost of 2500 MHz, with memory running at an effective 19 Gbps. It includes 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output pipelines, along with 18 ray tracing cores.

The GPU’s performance in The Medium is the primary determinant of the system’s frame rates. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 49, which is a playable level for a horror game that emphasizes atmosphere over fast action. However, at 4K Ultra, the average FPS plummets to 18, which is far below the threshold for smooth gameplay. This sharp decline suggests that the B570’s 10 GB VRAM and 380 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the highest settings at 4K, where texture detail and memory pressure are at their peak.

The Arc B570 ranks in the 65th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 20,556. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile at 20,534 (0.1% delta), the Intel Arc A750 at 20,582 (-0.1% delta), and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X at 20,662 (-0.5% delta). This places it in the middle of the pack, with performance that is competitive with mobile variants of higher-end desktop cards but not with current-generation high-end desktop GPUs. The data confirms that the B570 is a capable mid-range GPU, but it must be paired with appropriate settings to deliver a good experience in this title.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of degradation as resolution increases, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 78 at 1080p to 66 at 1440p, a 15% reduction, and then to 52 at 4K, a 33% reduction from the 1440p figure. This scaling is relatively linear, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU has ample headroom to maintain its performance.

At Medium settings, the frame rates follow a similar trajectory: 49 FPS at 1080p, 41 FPS at 1440p (a 16% drop), and 32 FPS at 4K (a 22% drop from 1440p). The scaling is less steep than at Low, which suggests that the additional GPU workload from higher settings is compressing the performance envelope. At High settings, the drop is more pronounced: 35 FPS at 1080p drops to 29 FPS at 1440p (-17%) and further to 23 FPS at 4K (-21%). At Ultra, the numbers are consistently low, with 28 FPS at 1080p, 23 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K.

The data shows that the gap between 1080p and 4K averages is roughly 50% across all settings, which is a textbook example of a GPU-bound workload. The CPU’s contribution is consistent, and the frame rate variance is almost entirely attributable to the GPU’s ability to fill pixels at higher resolutions. This means that for users seeking higher frame rates, reducing resolution is more effective than tweaking CPU-related settings.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance for this combo. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 49 with a minimum of 41 and a maximum of 56, which provides a smooth experience for a game that relies on tension and pacing rather than twitch reflexes. The 41 FPS minimum ensures that there are no severe dips that could break immersion.

At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 47. This is still playable, though the lower minimum might be noticeable in busy scenes. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 32 FPS, which is borderline for a horror game, as stutter can detract from the atmosphere.

The Low preset is the only way to achieve higher frame rates, with 78 FPS at 1080p and 66 FPS at 1440p. However, this comes at the cost of visual quality, which may not be acceptable for a game that uses lighting and shadow to create dread. The High preset at 1080p yields 35 FPS, which is below the desired 60 FPS threshold, and the Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it only reaches 28 FPS at 1080p.

The optimal choice is Medium at 1080p or 1440p, depending on the user’s display. For a strict 60 FPS target, the Low preset at 1080p is the only viable option, but for a 30 FPS target, Medium at 1440p is the best compromise.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 + Intel Arc B570 configuration ranks 2321 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the 20th percentile of all systems measured. This is a lower-mid-tier result, indicating that while the system is functional, it does not deliver the high frame rates that many other configurations achieve in this title.

This ranking is surprising given the individual performance of the components. The CPU is in the 74th percentile, and the GPU is in the 65th percentile, but the combination does not scale to a higher overall position. This suggests that The Medium is particularly demanding on the GPU, and the B570’s performance is the limiting factor. The rank implies that many other CPU-GPU pairings, even those with slightly weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs, outperform this system in this specific game.

The data indicates that this combo is better suited for less demanding titles or for users who prioritize 1080p gaming with moderate settings. In The Medium, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates at higher resolutions, which is reflected in its low rank.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The following table details the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings combination:

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

| 1920x1080 | Low | 78 | | |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 49 | 41 | 56 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 35 | | |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 28 | | |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 66 | | |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 41 | 35 | 47 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 29 | | |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 23 | | |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 52 | | |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 32 | 27 | 37 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 23 | | |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 18 | | |

At 1080p, the system achieves its best results at Low, with 78 FPS, but even at Medium, it maintains a respectable 49 FPS. The High preset drops to 35 FPS, and Ultra falls to 28 FPS, showing that the GPU’s performance degrades quickly as settings increase.

At 1440p, the frame rates are consistently lower, with Low at 66 FPS, Medium at 41 FPS, High at 29 FPS, and Ultra at 23 FPS. The pattern is similar to 1080p, but the overall performance is reduced by roughly 20-30%.

At 4K, the system is clearly overburdened, with Low at 52 FPS, Medium at 32 FPS, High at 23 FPS, and Ultra at 18 FPS. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 27, which indicates that there are moments of significant stutter, making this resolution only viable at Low settings. The data confirms that this combo is best used at 1080p with Medium settings, or at 1440p with Low settings, for an acceptable gaming experience in The Medium.