The Medium

The Medium is a fixed-camera horror title that stresses both CPU and GPU through its dual-reality rendering mechanic, and the combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X with the Intel Arc B370 delivers a playable but heavily constrained experience. Benchmark data for this pairing, measured directly rather than estimated, shows that the system struggles to maintain fluid frame rates at most settings, with the GPU acting as the primary bottleneck. The Ryzen 5 5600X provides ample processing headroom, but the Arc B370’s modest graphics throughput and shared memory architecture cap performance well below what the CPU can support. This analysis examines the measured FPS across resolutions and presets, the role of each component, and how this combo ranks against the broader field of tested configurations.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average frame rate this combo achieves in The Medium?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 46, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At 2560x1440 with Low settings, the average drops to 39 FPS, and at 3840x2160 with Low settings, it falls to 30 FPS.

Q: How does the combo perform at Ultra settings across different resolutions?

A: At Ultra settings, the measured average FPS is 16 at 1920x1080, 14 at 2560x1440, and 11 at 3840x2160. All three results are below the 30 FPS threshold generally considered acceptable for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the only setting preset that consistently exceeds 30 FPS on average?

A: The Low preset is the only one that breaks the 30 FPS average barrier, and only at 1920x1080 (46 FPS) and 2560x1440 (39 FPS). At 3840x2160, even Low settings only reach a 30 FPS average.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 2681 out of 2911 tested combos, placing it in the bottom portion of the database. This rank reflects the measured FPS data across all resolutions and settings, with the GPU’s low percentile score being a major factor.

Q: What is the GPU’s percentile ranking compared to all GPUs?

A: The Intel Arc B370 sits at the 5th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the ATI Radeon HD 5770, both scoring within 0.5% of the Arc B370.

Q: Does the CPU hold back the GPU in this game?

A: Benchmark data indicates the CPU is not the limiting factor. The Ryzen 5 5600X has a 75th percentile ranking among all CPUs, and its multi-threaded scores (e.g., 11838 in Cinebench R23) are far above what a low-end GPU pairing would need, so the GPU’s 5th percentile score is the clear constraint.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer, on a 7 nm TSMC process. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. This CPU supports DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus and a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, and it connects via PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes. In The Medium, the CPU’s role is to handle the game’s logic, AI, and the dual-scene rendering that occurs when the game shows two simultaneous worlds. The 12 threads are sufficient to manage these tasks without becoming a bottleneck, as evidenced by the CPU’s benchmark performance.

The Ryzen 5 5600X performs well above the level needed for this game. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 11838, and its single-core score is 1541, indicating strong per-thread performance that is critical for game logic. In 3DMark tests, the CPU scores 5582 for 16 threads and 917 for single-thread, showing a scalable design. The PassMark multi-thread score is 21858, with a physics score of 1316 that is relevant for in-game physics calculations. These numbers place the CPU in the 75th percentile of all CPUs, meaning it outperforms three-quarters of the processors in the database. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H (21749, delta 0.1%) and the Intel Core i7-11700 (21891, delta -0.5%), both of which are within a fraction of a percent of the 5600X’s average of 21771.

In The Medium, the CPU’s high single-thread and multi-thread scores ensure that frame rates are not limited by processor throughput. The measured FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings is 46, and the drop to 39 FPS at 2560x1440 and 30 FPS at 3840x2160 at the same settings shows a clear GPU-bound trend. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would remain relatively flat across resolutions, as the processor work would stay constant. Instead, the sharp decline with increasing resolution points to the GPU’s inability to keep up, not the CPU. The CPU’s 32 MB L3 cache and dual-channel memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s are more than adequate for a game like The Medium, which does not require extreme memory throughput. Overall, the Ryzen 5 5600X provides a stable foundation, but its performance is wasted in this pairing because the GPU cannot translate that headroom into higher frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a clear hierarchy: Low settings provide the only playable experience, Medium is borderline, and High or Ultra are not viable at any resolution. Starting with 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 46 FPS, which is smooth enough for a horror game that relies on atmosphere rather than twitch reflexes. The Medium preset drops to 29 FPS on average, with a minimum of 24 FPS and a maximum of 33 FPS, which is marginally below the 30 FPS target and may cause noticeable stutter during scene transitions. High settings at 1920x1080 average 21 FPS, and Ultra averages 16 FPS, both of which are too low for consistent gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the situation worsens. Low settings average 39 FPS, which is playable but not ideal, as the lower resolution helps the GPU keep up. Medium settings average 24 FPS, with a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 28 FPS, which is uncomfortable for extended sessions. High averages 17 FPS, and Ultra averages 14 FPS, making them effectively unplayable. At 3840x2160, Low settings average 30 FPS exactly, which is the bare minimum for playability, but any higher settings collapse: Medium averages 19 FPS, High averages 14 FPS, and Ultra averages 11 FPS.

The best experience for this combo is to use the Low preset at 1920x1080, which delivers the highest average FPS of 46. If the user prefers a higher resolution, 2560x1440 with Low settings at 39 FPS is a reasonable compromise, but the frame rate drops below 30 FPS at 4K even on Low. The Medium preset is not recommended because it fails to hit 30 FPS at any resolution, with the best case being 29 FPS at 1920x1080. The measured minimum FPS for Medium settings at 1920x1080 is 24 FPS, which means the game will dip into the low 20s during heavy scenes, potentially breaking immersion. For a horror game where timing is less critical than visual clarity, the Low preset at 1080p is the only choice that offers a consistent frame rate above 40 FPS. The data suggests that users should avoid High and Ultra entirely, as the GPU’s 5th percentile ranking cannot handle the graphical load.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and Intel Arc B370 ranks 2681 out of 2911 tested combinations in The Medium, placing it in the bottom 8% of the database. This rank is driven almost entirely by the GPU’s weak performance, as the CPU is in the 75th percentile of all processors. The combo’s position among 2911 total combos means that 230 combinations perform worse, but the overwhelming majority of systems tested achieve higher frame rates. The rank reflects the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, with the highest average of 46 FPS at 1080p Low being far below what many other combos achieve at higher settings.

To contextualize this rank, consider the GPU’s nearest rivals. The Intel Arc B370 has an average benchmark score of 1184, with a percentile rank of 5. Its closest competitors are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (score 1186, delta -0.2%), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (score 1190, delta -0.5%), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (score 1192, delta -0.7%). These are all legacy or low-power parts from over a decade ago, which illustrates how far behind the Arc B370 is in raw graphics performance. The only rival that scores lower is the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168, delta 1.4%), but the delta is small. This GPU ranking directly translates to the combo’s overall rank in The Medium, as the game’s rendering demands overwhelm the Arc B370’s 1280 shading units and 20 ROPs.

The CPU’s ranking does not help the combo’s position. The Ryzen 5 5600X ranks in the 75th percentile, with an average benchmark score of 21771, but its nearest rivals (e.g., Intel Core i7-11700 at 21891) are all within 0.6% of its score, showing that the CPU is competitive with mid-range processors. However, in a game like The Medium, the GPU is the determining factor for frame rates, and the combo’s rank of 2681 reflects that the GPU cannot deliver playable performance beyond Low settings. The data shows that this combo is suited for very low graphical demands, and users should not expect to run the game at higher presets. The rank is a clear indicator that this is a bottom-tier configuration for this specific title.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is a low-power integrated-class GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by Intel. It has 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 ROPs, along with 10 ray tracing cores. The base clock is 300 MHz, and the boost clock is 2400 MHz, yielding a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 6.144 TFLOPS, with FP16 at 12.29 TFLOPS (2:1). Crucially, the memory is system shared, meaning the GPU uses the CPU’s DDR4 memory rather than dedicated VRAM, with bandwidth described as system dependent. This shared memory architecture is a significant limitation, as it competes with the CPU for bandwidth and introduces latency.

In The Medium, the GPU’s role is to render the game’s environments, characters, and the dual-reality effect where two scenes are displayed simultaneously. The game’s fixed-camera angles and pre-rendered backgrounds reduce some load, but the dual-scene mechanic effectively doubles the rendering work in certain sections. The Arc B370’s 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is insufficient for this task at higher settings. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places the GPU in the 5th percentile, and its nearest rivals are all older, less capable parts. The shared memory system, with no dedicated VRAM, means that texture loading and frame buffering rely on system memory, which is slower than dedicated GDDR6 or GDDR5.

The measured FPS data confirms the GPU’s limitations. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the GPU can manage 46 FPS, but increasing the resolution to 1440p drops that to 39 FPS, and 4K drops it to 30 FPS. This scaling is typical for a GPU with limited memory bandwidth, as higher resolutions demand more memory throughput. At Medium settings, the frame rate falls below 30 FPS at all resolutions (29 FPS at 1080p, 24 FPS at 1440p, 19 FPS at 4K), and the minimum FPS values (24 FPS at 1080p, 21 FPS at 1440p, 16 FPS at 4K) show significant dips. High and Ultra settings are unplayable, with average FPS ranging from 21 to 11. The GPU’s 20 ROPs and 40 TMUs are too few to handle the texture and pixel work required by The Medium’s higher presets, and the 300 MHz base clock means that the GPU relies heavily on its boost clock of 2400 MHz, which it cannot sustain under load.

The GPU’s TDP is 25 W, which is extremely low for a discrete-class part, but it is described as an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with a slot width of IGP and no power connectors. This suggests it is intended for portable devices, not desktop gaming. The system shared memory size and type further reinforce this, as the GPU has no dedicated video memory. In The Medium, this means that the GPU must constantly access system memory over the memory bus, which is a bottleneck. The benchmark data shows that the GPU is the primary constraint in this combo, and its low percentile ranking (5th) accurately predicts the poor frame rates observed. The GPU’s performance is so limited that even the CPU’s strong multi-threaded scores cannot compensate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra), providing a complete picture of performance.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the best result with an average FPS of 46. This is the only setting at this resolution that exceeds 40 FPS, and it is the highest average across all measurements. The Medium preset drops to 29 FPS on average, with a minimum of 24 FPS and a maximum of 33 FPS, showing a narrow band that hovers just below the 30 FPS target. High settings average 21 FPS, which is a significant drop from Medium, indicating that the GPU cannot handle the additional visual effects. Ultra settings average 16 FPS, which is the lowest at 1080p and is unplayable for a horror game that requires steady frame pacing to maintain tension.

At 2560x1440, the pattern repeats but with lower numbers. Low settings average 39 FPS, which is still playable but 7 FPS lower than at 1080p. Medium settings average 24 FPS, with a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 28 FPS, which is a 5 FPS drop from the 1080p Medium result. High settings average 17 FPS, and Ultra settings average 14 FPS, both of which are well below playable thresholds. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is roughly linear in percentage terms, but the absolute numbers remain low. For example, Low settings drop from 46 to 39 FPS (a 15% decrease), while Medium drops from 29 to 24 FPS (a 17% decrease), showing that the GPU’s memory bandwidth constraints become more pronounced at higher resolutions.

At 3840x2160, the results are the worst. Low settings average 30 FPS, which is exactly at the playability threshold, but any higher preset results in unplayable performance. Medium settings average 19 FPS, with a minimum of 16 FPS and a maximum of 22 FPS, showing severe inconsistency. High settings average 14 FPS, and Ultra settings average 11 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium at 4K is a 37% drop in average FPS (30 to 19), which is larger than the corresponding drops at lower resolutions, indicating that the GPU is overwhelmed by the pixel count. The minimum FPS of 16 at 4K Medium is particularly concerning, as it means the game will drop to 16 FPS during intense scenes, making it unplayable.

The data shows a clear trend: Low settings are the only viable option, and even then, only at 1080p or 1440p. The 4K Low result of 30 FPS is marginal, and the minimum FPS is not recorded for Low settings, but the average suggests that users would experience frequent dips below 30 FPS. The Medium preset is consistently below 30 FPS at all resolutions, and High and Ultra are never above 21 FPS. The measured FPS values align with the GPU’s 5th percentile ranking, confirming that the Intel Arc B370 is not designed for demanding titles like The Medium. The combo’s rank of 2681 out of 2911 reflects this reality, and users should expect to play at 1080p Low to achieve a smooth experience, or accept lower frame rates at higher resolutions. The maximum FPS values for Medium settings (33 FPS at 1080p, 28 FPS at 1440p, 22 FPS at 4K) show that the GPU can occasionally hit higher frame rates, but the average and minimum values indicate that these are rare spikes rather than sustained performance.