The Medium

The Medium presents a demanding environment for this particular hardware pairing, and the measured frames per second (FPS) data reflects a system that is consistently struggling to maintain smooth gameplay. The combination of an AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT processor and an Intel Arc B370 graphics solution delivers performance that sits at the lower end of the database, with the benchmark results clearly indicating that the graphics component is the primary constraint across all tested resolutions and settings. The data shows a clear inverse relationship between graphical fidelity and frame rate, with even the lowest settings failing to provide a consistently smooth experience at standard resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only viable path to a playable experience is to select the Low preset. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 46 FPS, which represents the highest performance level recorded for this combination. This is the only preset that approaches a frame rate suitable for comfortable play. The data shows a stark drop when moving to Medium at the same resolution, with the average falling to 29 FPS. This 17-frame difference illustrates a significant performance cliff, making the Medium preset a poor choice when seeking acceptable smoothness.

The High and Ultra presets at 1920x1080 result in average frame rates of 21 FPS and 16 FPS, respectively. These figures fall well below the threshold for a responsive experience, making them unsuitable for gameplay. At 2560x1440, the Low preset produces an average of 39 FPS, which is lower than the 1080p Low result but still potentially playable for some users. However, the High and Ultra settings at this resolution yield averages of 17 FPS and 14 FPS, which are definitively too low for a positive experience. The data indicates that the Medium preset at 1440p, averaging 24 FPS, is also marginal.

At 3840x2160, all settings are effectively non-playable, with the Low preset averaging only 30 FPS and the Ultra preset dropping to 11 FPS. The benchmark results indicate that the system's performance ceiling is so low that even the lowest preset at 4K cannot guarantee a stable experience. Consequently, the analysis of the measured data strongly suggests that users should select the Low preset at 1920x1080 for the best overall compromise between visual fidelity and frame rate. Raising the settings to Medium or above will result in a substantial performance degradation that is not offset by the graphical improvements, given the hardware's limited capacity.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT is a 6-core, 12-thread processor with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. It belongs to the AMD 5000 series and is built on the Zen 3 architecture with a 7 nm process node. The CPU has a TDP of 65 watts. In terms of synthetic benchmarks, it scores 913 on 3DMark single-thread and 5554 on 3DMark max-threads tests. In the Cinebench R23 test, it achieves a multi-core score of 17272 and a single-core score of 2438. The processor's performance places it in the 74th percentile compared to all other CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20733.

This processor's capabilities are not the limiting factor in The Medium's benchmark results. The data shows that the CPU has a strong multi-threaded performance, and its single-threaded speed is adequate for most games. For this title, the core count and clock speeds are more than sufficient to handle the game's logic and physics. The bottleneck is not in the processor's ability to compute game data. The data indicates that even with high core utilization, the FPS does not improve, confirming that the graphics card is the system's restriction. The measured frames are consistently low across all settings, which is a symptom of a GPU limitation rather than a processor's constraint. The CPU's performance is not degrading the experience; the GPU is.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the clear limiting component in this system. This integrated graphics processor is based on the Xe3-LPG architecture and is fabricated on a 3 nm Intel process. It features 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 ROPs. Its core clocks are a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2400 MHz, with a memory type listed as "System Shared." This indicates that the GPU relies on the system's main memory for its storage, a configuration that often introduces a performance penalty compared to dedicated graphics memory. The card's TDP is a low 25 W, and it is classified as an IGP (Integrated Graphics Processor).

In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the GPU achieves a score of 1184. This places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, a very low standing. Its average benchmark score is 1184. The nearest rivals in terms of performance are very old, low-end discrete graphics cards, such as the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 with a score of 1186. This context shows that the Arc B370's performance is on par with very old, low-end hardware. The 3DMark score directly aligns with the game's performance: the measured FPS is low across all settings and resolutions. The GPU's limited fill rates and memory bandwidth are the primary reasons for the low frame rates. The data shows a clear GPU-bound system.

How This Combo Ranks

The system's overall ranking within the database for The Medium is 3439 out of 3724 tested combinations. This places it in the lower 8% of all tested systems, indicating a very poor performance compared to the vast majority of hardware configurations. The combo rank in game is a strong indicator that the experience will be unsatisfactory for most players. The rank is not a reflection of the CPU's capabilities, which are much higher, but rather the GPU's severe limitations. The data in the rankings shows that the system is in the bottom percentile, and the measured FPS data confirms this. The system's performance is firmly in the bottom tier.

Resolution Scaling

The benchmark results show a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 46 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset average drops to 39 FPS, a 7-frame decrease. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 30 FPS, a further 9-frame decline. This shows that the frame rate is heavily dependent on resolution, which is a classic characteristic of a GPU-bound system. The performance drop is not linear; the impact is more significant at higher resolutions because the GPU has to fill more pixels.

The data for the Medium preset shows the same trend. At 1080p it is 29 FPS, at 1440p it is 24 FPS, and at 4K it is 19 FPS. The average FPS decreases as the pixel count increases. This is a clear indicator that the limiting factor is the GPU's pixel throughput. The CPU is not the bottleneck, as the CPU's performance would not scale with resolution in this manner. The GPU's ability to process geometry and shading is overwhelmed at higher resolutions, leading to the observed FPS drops. The scaling factor from 1080p to 4K is consistent across settings, confirming a GPU-bound scenario.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data is the complete set of measured average FPS values across all tested settings and resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the results are:

• Low: 46 FPS
• Medium: 29 FPS (minimum 24, maximum 33)
• High: 21 FPS
• Ultra: 16 FPS

At 2560x1440, the results are:

• Low: 39 FPS
• Medium: 24 FPS (minimum 21, maximum 28)
• High: 17 FPS
• Ultra: 14 FPS

At 3840x2160, the results are:

• Low: 30 FPS
• Medium: 19 FPS (minimum 16, maximum 22)
• High: 14 FPS
• Ultra: 11 FPS

The data shows a consistent pattern. The Low preset is the only one that offers a double-digit frame rate at 1080p. The Medium preset at 1080p is below 30 FPS, which is often considered the minimum playable threshold. At 1440p, the Medium preset is below 25 FPS, making it a poor choice. At 4K, only the Low preset reaches 30 FPS, but it is still at the edge of playability. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, and its lowest average is 11 FPS at 4K. The data shows that even the minimum FPS for the Medium preset (24 FPS) is below the average for the Low preset at the same resolution, highlighting the steep performance penalty of higher settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset to use for this system?

A: The measured data shows that the Low preset at 1920x1080 provides the highest average FPS at 46. The Medium preset at the same resolution drops to 29 FPS, and the High and Ultra are lower at 21 and 16 FPS. For the best performance, the Low preset is the only one that offers a playable frame rate.

Q: Why is the performance so low?

A: The performance is limited by the Intel Arc B370 integrated graphics. Its benchmark score is in the 5th percentile, and its frame rates are very low. The system is not CPU-limited because the processor is in the 74th percentile.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck for this game?

A: No. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT has a strong benchmark score and 6 cores and 12 threads. The frame rates are low across all settings and resolutions, which is a characteristic of a GPU bottleneck.

Q: How does the resolution affect performance?

A: The FPS drops as resolution increases. For example, the Low preset at 1080p is 46 FPS, at 1440p it is 39 FPS, and at 4K it is 30 FPS. This pattern indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, as it can't handle the higher pixel counts.

Q: Is the system ranked well for this game?

A: The system ranks 3439 out of 3724 combinations, which is in the bottom 5th percentile. This indicates that most other hardware combinations will provide better performance in The Medium.

Q: Is there any setting that can provide a smooth experience?

A: The only setting that comes close to a smooth experience is the Low preset at 1920x1080 with an average of 46 FPS. All other settings and resolutions produce averages below 30 FPS, which is generally considered the minimum for a playable experience.