The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a severely GPU-bound experience in The Medium, with the integrated graphics solution acting as the definitive bottleneck across all tested resolutions. The data indicates that frame rates collapse at higher settings and resolutions, positioning this combo in the bottom tier of all tested configurations, though it remains capable of delivering playable frame rates at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and unequivocally points to the GPU as the limiting factor. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 51 FPS at 1920x1080 to 43 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of approximately 15.7%, before dropping further to 34 FPS at 3840x2160, which represents a 33.3% decline from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a system where the graphics processor is saturated, as the CPU (AMD Ryzen 5 7400F) has ample headroom with its 6 cores and 12 threads.

The scaling becomes even more pronounced at higher settings. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 23 FPS at 1080p to 19 FPS at 1440p (a 17.4% decrease) and then to 15 FPS at 4K (a 34.8% decrease from 1080p). The Medium preset shows a similar trajectory: 32 FPS at 1080p, 27 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, sees the average frame rate fall from 18 FPS at 1080p to 15 FPS at 1440p and finally to 12 FPS at 4K.

What is notable is that the relative performance gap between resolutions narrows as settings increase. At Low settings, the difference between 1080p and 4K is 17 FPS, while at Ultra settings, the difference is only 6 FPS. This suggests that at Ultra settings, the game is already so demanding at 1080p that the additional pixel count at higher resolutions has a diminishing absolute impact, although the percentage drop remains significant. The data shows that the limiting component is unquestionably the Intel Arc B390, as the frame rate scales almost entirely with resolution and settings rather than showing any CPU-related plateau. The Zen 4 architecture of the Ryzen 5 7400F, with its 3.70 GHz base and 4.70 GHz boost clocks, is not the constraint here.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2581 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the 11th percentile of all configurations. This means that roughly 89% of all tested CPU-GPU pairings deliver higher average frame rates in this title. The ranking reflects the fundamental mismatch between a modern desktop processor and an integrated graphics solution that is designed for portability rather than gaming performance.

The CPU itself is a strong performer in general benchmarks, with an average benchmark score of 32750 and a percentile rank of 83 against all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14600T, which scores 32707 (a delta of 0.1% higher), and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H, which scores 32812 (a delta of 0.2% higher). This indicates that the Ryzen 5 7400F is well within the normal range for modern desktop processors, performing almost identically to its direct competitors. However, the GPU tells a different story. The Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482 and a percentile rank of only 9 against all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, which scores 1463 (a delta of 1.3% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710, which scores 1443 (a delta of 2.7% higher). These are legacy or entry-level discrete graphics parts from over a decade ago, underscoring how far behind the Arc B390 is in raw graphics performance.

The discrepancy between the CPU's 83rd percentile ranking and the GPU's 9th percentile ranking creates a situation where the processor is left largely idle while the graphics solution struggles. In The Medium, this combo ranks in the bottom 11.3% of all tested combinations, which is consistent with the GPU's low standing. The data suggests that any meaningful improvement in frame rates would require replacing the graphics solution, as the CPU is not the limiting factor in any of the measured scenarios.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best average frame rate this combo can achieve in The Medium?*

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 51 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration that approaches a smooth 60 FPS target, and it falls short of that mark.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F or the Intel Arc B390 the bottleneck in this game?

A: The Intel Arc B390 is the definitive bottleneck. The GPU's 9th percentile ranking versus the CPU's 83rd percentile ranking, combined with the steep frame rate drops as resolution increases, clearly indicates that the graphics solution limits performance.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in benchmarks, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463) and 2.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446). These are all extremely low-performing parts, with the Arc B390 ranking in the 9th percentile of all GPUs.

*Q: Can this combo run The Medium at 4K resolution?*

A: Technically yes, but not comfortably. At 4K with Low settings, the average frame rate is 34 FPS. At Medium settings, it drops to 21 FPS, and at High and Ultra settings, it falls to 15 FPS and 12 FPS respectively. Only the Low preset approaches playability.

Q: What is the difference in performance between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 51 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers an average of 18 FPS. This represents a 64.7% reduction in frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest quality preset.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 7400F compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 7400F scores 32750 on average, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i5-14600T (32707) and 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H (32812). The differences are negligible, indicating the CPU is not a differentiator in this combo.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates reveal a consistent pattern across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset produces an average of 51 FPS, which is the only playable result in the entire dataset. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 32 FPS, with a minimum of 27 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS, indicating noticeable frame time variance. High settings at 1080p average 23 FPS, while Ultra settings average 18 FPS, both of which are below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 43 FPS, which is an 8 FPS drop from the 1080p result. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 27 FPS, with a minimum of 23 FPS and a maximum of 31 FPS. High settings at 1440p average 19 FPS, and Ultra settings average 15 FPS. The frame rate drops are consistent with a GPU that is being pushed beyond its capabilities as pixel count increases.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 34 FPS, which is the only 4K result that could be considered borderline playable. The Medium preset at 4K averages 21 FPS, with a minimum of 18 FPS and a maximum of 24 FPS. High settings at 4K average 15 FPS, and Ultra settings average 12 FPS. These numbers indicate that the Intel Arc B390 is not suited for 4K gaming in this title, even at the lowest quality settings.

The only configurations with measured minimum and maximum frame rates are the Medium presets at each resolution. At 1080p, the frame rate ranges from 27 to 37 FPS; at 1440p, it ranges from 23 to 31 FPS; and at 4K, it ranges from 18 to 24 FPS. This data suggests that the Medium preset exhibits the most stable frame delivery relative to its average, with a variance of approximately 10 FPS in each case. The lack of min/max data for other presets makes it impossible to assess their frame time consistency, but the average values alone are sufficient to characterize the overall performance.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process node by Intel. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 300 MHz and boosts up to 2500 MHz, with a TDP of 80 W. Its peak pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 7.680 TFLOPS.

The most critical limitation is the memory configuration. The Arc B390 uses "System Shared" memory, meaning it relies on the system's DDR5 RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which means performance is tied to the memory bandwidth of the host system. In this case, the Ryzen 5 7400F supports dual-channel DDR5 with a bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s, but the GPU's access to this memory is shared with the CPU, creating contention that further reduces effective graphics performance.

The GPU's benchmark score of 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (scoring 1463, 1.3% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (scoring 1460, 1.5% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (scoring 1446, 2.5% higher). These are all ancient or ultra-low-end parts, and the fact that the Arc B390 only marginally outperforms them explains why The Medium runs so poorly. The GPU's boost clock of 2500 MHz is respectable on paper, but the shared memory architecture and low overall compute throughput (7.680 TFLOPS) severely limit its ability to handle modern game workloads.

In The Medium, the GPU's role is entirely dominant. The frame rates scale almost perfectly with resolution and settings, with no evidence of CPU limitation. The Ryzen 5 7400F's strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3072) and multi-thread performance (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21765) are irrelevant here because the GPU cannot render frames fast enough to utilize them. The data shows that the Arc B390 is the sole determinant of performance in this title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the only viable settings for this combo are at Low quality. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average frame rate is 51 FPS, which is the closest to a smooth 60 FPS experience that this hardware can achieve. Even this is not fully stable, as there is no min/max data to confirm frame time consistency, but the average is acceptable for a horror game where atmospheric pacing is more important than twitch reflexes.

The Medium preset at 1080p delivers an average of 32 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target but could be playable for some users who prioritize visual quality over smoothness. However, the measured minimum of 27 FPS suggests that there will be noticeable stutters during demanding scenes. The High and Ultra presets at 1080p, with averages of 23 FPS and 18 FPS respectively, are not recommended for gameplay, as they fall below the threshold for comfortable play.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 43 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 1080p result but still playable. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 27 FPS, which is borderline, and the High and Ultra presets (19 FPS and 15 FPS) are not viable. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 34 FPS, which is the only 4K setting that approaches playability, but the Medium preset (21 FPS) and above are not recommended.

The optimal configuration for this combo is 1080p with Low settings, as it provides the highest average frame rate of 51 FPS. If a user is willing to accept lower frame rates, the Medium preset at 1080p offers a balance between visual fidelity and performance, but the measured minimum of 27 FPS indicates potential stuttering. For anyone seeking a stable experience, sticking to Low settings at 1080p is the only reasonable choice. The data does not support using this combo at resolutions above 1920x1080, as even the Low preset drops below 45 FPS at 1440p and below 35 FPS at 4K.