The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and Intel Arc B570 pairing presents a study in balance and limitation within The Medium. The data shows a combo that can deliver playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but which falls short of the demanding 4K Ultra experience. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, exploring how resolution scaling, CPU capabilities, and settings choices define the experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, clearly identifying the Intel Arc B570 as the primary bottleneck at higher settings. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 78 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops this to 66 FPS, and at 4K it falls further to 52 FPS. This scaling pattern—a 15% drop from 1080p to 1440p and another 21% from 1440p to 4K—indicates that even at Low settings, the GPU is becoming increasingly saturated as pixel count rises.

The situation becomes more pronounced at higher quality presets. At Medium settings, the average frame rates are 49 FPS at 1080p, 41 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K here is a substantial 35%, showing that the combination of higher resolution and increased graphical fidelity places significant strain on the GPU. The High preset follows a similar trajectory, with 35 FPS at 1080p, 29 FPS at 1440p, and 23 FPS at 4K.

The most demanding scenario, Ultra settings, pushes the system to its limits. At 1080p, the average FPS is already a marginal 28. This falls to 23 FPS at 1440p and a nearly unplayable 18 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is a drastic 36% reduction in performance. This data strongly suggests that the Arc B570's 10 GB of memory and 160-bit bus, while capable at lower resolutions, cannot sustain the rendering load required for 4K Ultra in this title. The GPU’s 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is simply insufficient for the highest fidelity at that pixel density.

Interestingly, the scaling between 1080p and 1440p is less severe than the scaling from 1440p to 4K at most settings. For example, at High settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 17%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 21%. This suggests that the GPU can handle the initial increase in resolution with relative grace, but the jump to 4K represents a more significant hurdle, likely due to the massive increase in pixel count exceeding the memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The data clearly indicates that for a smooth 4K experience, users must significantly lower graphical settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its performance metrics, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 11838 and a single-core score of 1541, indicate a capable mid-range desktop CPU. With a 75th percentile ranking against all CPUs, it is by no means a weak link, but its role in The Medium is secondary to the GPU in most scenarios.

The benchmark results suggest that at 1080p Low, where the average FPS is 78, the CPU's 12 threads are likely sufficient to keep up with the game's logic and feed the GPU. The Passmark multithread score of 21858 and the 3DMark 16-thread score of 5582 show a processor that can handle multi-threaded workloads. However, the game's performance scaling is more closely tied to the GPU's rendering capabilities, as evidenced by the frame rate drops when resolution increases.

The CPU's influence becomes more apparent when considering the frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the measured data includes a minimum FPS of 41 and a maximum of 56. This variance of 15 FPS could be attributed to moments where the CPU is tasked with processing complex game logic or streaming assets, but it is not a catastrophic bottleneck. The Ryzen 5 5600X's single-thread performance, as shown by its 3DMark single-thread score of 917, is robust enough for most game scenarios.

In contrast, the GPU's performance metrics, such as a Passmark G3D score of 14195 and a 65th percentile ranking, put it in a lower tier relative to the CPU. The data suggests that the Ryzen 5 5600X is not the limiting factor in this pairing for The Medium. Instead, the Intel Arc B570 dictates the performance ceiling. At 4K Ultra, where the average FPS is 18, the CPU is almost certainly idle waiting for the GPU to finish rendering each frame. The combo's overall rank of 2321 out of 2911 tested combinations further reinforces that this pairing is not optimized for maximum performance in this specific game, with the GPU holding it back.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this combo in The Medium?*

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 78, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X or the Intel Arc B570 the primary bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the Intel Arc B570 is the primary bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions and settings, as frame rates scale down significantly with increased resolution while the CPU's performance metrics remain relatively strong.

*Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K with playable frame rates?*

A: At 4K, the average FPS is 52 on Low settings and 32 on Medium settings. It is only at the High (23 FPS) and Ultra (18 FPS) presets that the frame rate drops below generally acceptable playability thresholds.

Q: How does the performance at 1080p Medium compare to 1440p Medium?

A: At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 49, while at 1440p Medium it is 41 FPS. This represents a 16% decrease in performance when moving from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: The average FPS at 1440p Low is 66, while at 1440p Ultra it is 23 FPS. This is a 65% reduction in average frame rate when switching to the highest quality preset.

Q: Based on the data, what is the most consistent performance profile for this combo?

A: The 1080p Medium setting offers a good balance, with an average FPS of 49 and a narrow range between the minimum and maximum FPS (41-56), indicating relatively stable performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2321 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the lower 20th percentile of all systems tested, suggesting that it is a mid-to-low-tier performer for this specific title. The ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's limitations at higher settings, as the CPU is comparatively more powerful.

The Intel Arc B570's nearest rivals provide context for its performance. It sits within 0.1% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and is 0.1% faster than the Intel Arc A750. It is also 0.4% faster than the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M and 0.5% slower than the AMD Radeon R9 M390X. These are all relatively close scores, indicating that the Arc B570 is in a competitive performance bracket, but none of these rivals are known for high-end 4K gaming performance.

Similarly, the CPU's nearest rivals show it is a solid mid-range performer. The Ryzen 5 5600X is 0.1% faster than the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, 0.5% slower than the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U, and 0.5% slower than the Intel Core i7-11700. It is also 0.6% faster than the AMD EPYC 9554P. These marginal differences confirm that the CPU is not the differentiator in this combo's ranking; the GPU's inability to maintain high frame rates at demanding settings is what drags the overall rank down. The data shows that users with this combo will be in the lower half of the performance spectrum for The Medium.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo depends on the user's resolution and preference for visual fidelity versus frame smoothness. The data shows a clear trade-off: higher settings significantly reduce the average FPS.

For a target of 60 FPS or higher, the only viable option is 1080p with Low settings, which yields an average of 78 FPS. At 1440p, even Low settings only produce an average of 66 FPS, which is playable but not a locked 60 FPS experience. For users who can tolerate a lower frame rate, 1440p Low is a viable alternative.

For a more balanced visual and performance profile, the 1080p Medium setting is the best choice. It provides an average FPS of 49, which is reasonably smooth, and the data shows a fairly stable range between 41 and 56 FPS. This suggests a consistent experience without major stutters. At 1440p, the Medium preset drops to an average of 41 FPS, which is still playable for many, but the minimum FPS of 35 might be noticeable in slower-paced scenes.

The High and Ultra presets are not recommended for a smooth experience at any resolution. At 1080p High, the average is only 35 FPS, and at 1440p High it falls to 29 FPS. The Ultra preset is even more demanding, with a 28 FPS average at 1080p and an 18 FPS average at 4K. These settings are only suitable for users who prioritize visual fidelity above all else and are willing to accept a significant reduction in frame smoothness. The data strongly suggests that for a playable experience, users should stick to Low or Medium settings at 1080p or 1440p, with 1080p Medium being the sweet spot for this hardware combination.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a comprehensive breakdown of the measured average FPS for the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and Intel Arc B570 in The Medium, organized by resolution and settings.

1920x1080:

• Low: The average FPS is 78. This is the highest performance point in the dataset.
• Medium: The average FPS is 49. The minimum FPS is 41, and the maximum FPS is 56, showing a stable frame delivery.
• High: The average FPS drops to 35.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 28, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

2560x1440:

• Low: The average FPS is 66, a 15% decrease from the 1080p Low score.
• Medium: The average FPS is 41. The minimum FPS is 35, and the maximum FPS is 47.
• High: The average FPS is 29.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 23, indicating a very demanding preset at this resolution.

3840x2160:

• Low: The average FPS is 52, showing that even at the lowest settings, 4K is demanding for this GPU.
• Medium: The average FPS is 32. The minimum FPS is 27, and the maximum FPS is 37.
• High: The average FPS falls to 23.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 18, making this setting essentially unplayable.

This data confirms that the Intel Arc B570's performance degrades significantly as resolution and settings increase. The only configuration that consistently delivers a high frame rate is 1080p Low. For a more balanced experience, 1080p Medium or 1440p Low are the most practical choices, while 4K gaming is only feasible on the Low preset.