The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D paired with the integrated Intel Arc B370 graphics delivers a fundamentally GPU-limited experience in The Medium. Across all tested resolutions and settings, frame rates remain low, with the combination never achieving a playable 60 FPS average. The data indicates that the Intel Arc B370, which sits in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, is the primary bottleneck, while the Ryzen 5 7500X3D's 89th percentile CPU performance is largely left underutilized. This results in a configuration that is only viable for low-resolution, low-detail gaming in this specific title.

Resolution Scaling

The benchmark data shows a steep and consistent performance drop as resolution increases, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound workload. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 46 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings reduces the average to 39 FPS, a decline of 7 FPS. At 3840x2160, the average falls further to 30 FPS, representing a 16 FPS drop from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern confirms that the rendering pipeline is saturated long before the CPU can become a limiting factor.

The trend is even more pronounced at higher graphical presets. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 21 FPS at 1080p to 17 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 14 FPS at 4K. The transition from 1080p to 4K at High settings results in a 33% reduction in average FPS. With Ultra settings, the numbers are even lower, starting at 16 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 14 FPS at 1440p, and bottoming out at 11 FPS at 4K. The difference between Low and Ultra settings at any given resolution is substantial, highlighting that the Intel Arc B370's fill rate and shading power are severely insufficient for this game's demands.

The frame time data for Medium settings provides additional insight into the consistency of performance. At 1920x1080, the average is 29 FPS with a minimum of 24 FPS and a maximum of 33 FPS. This 9 FPS spread indicates noticeable stutter and inconsistent frame pacing. At 2560x1440, the average drops to 24 FPS with a wider spread of 21 to 28 FPS. At 3840x2160, the average is 19 FPS with a range of 16 to 22 FPS. The data suggests that as resolution increases, the GPU is not only producing fewer frames but also struggling to maintain a stable output, which would likely manifest as a jerky and uncomfortable gameplay experience.

The overall picture is one of a hard performance ceiling. Because the frame rates at 1080p are already so low, the scaling to higher resolutions is almost linear, showing no signs of CPU involvement. If the processor were the constraint, we would expect to see similar frame rates across resolutions, but the data clearly shows a continuous decline. This indicates that the Intel Arc B370 is the definitive limiting component in this configuration for The Medium.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested processor and graphics card combinations, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D with the Intel Arc B370 ranks 2681st out of 2911 combos for The Medium. This places it in the bottom 8% of all tested systems, a position that reflects the GPU's very low benchmark scores. The Arc B370's average benchmark score is 1184, and it outperforms only a handful of much older, lower-end parts like the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M.

The ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's performance class. While the CPU is a strong performer, the overall combo rank is dragged down by the integrated graphics solution. The data shows that the Ryzen 5 7500X3D's nearest rivals in CPU benchmark scores, such as the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H and the Intel Core i9-13950HX, would not be able to rescue this combination from a low ranking because the bottleneck lies entirely elsewhere. The 2681st rank signifies that for this specific game, users would need to select a system with a much more powerful discrete graphics card to achieve a frame rate that is considered acceptable for smooth gameplay.

This rank is not a reflection of the CPU's capability but rather a stark illustration of the performance gap between a high-end desktop processor and an entry-level integrated GPU. The combo rank serves as a warning to anyone considering this pairing for gaming, as the data indicates that the GPU will severely limit the experience in graphically demanding titles like The Medium. The deltaPct values for the GPU's rivals show that the Arc B370 is clustered with parts that are over a decade old, confirming its position at the very bottom of the performance spectrum.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 46 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D has an average benchmark score of 44573. This places it 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H, 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core i9-13950HX, and 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385. It trails the Intel Core i5-14600 by 0.7%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data strongly indicates that the Intel Arc B370 GPU is the limiting factor. Frame rates drop consistently as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, which is a clear sign of GPU saturation. The CPU's high benchmark percentile (89th) versus the GPU's very low percentile (5th) further confirms this bottleneck.

Q: What are the average frame rates at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 resolution with Medium settings, the combo achieves an average of 24 FPS, with a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 28 FPS.

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations for The Medium?*

A: This specific CPU and GPU combination ranks 2681st out of 2911 tested combos for this game, placing it in the bottom 8% of all systems.

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

A: At 1920x1080, the average frame rate drops from 46 FPS on Low settings to 16 FPS on Ultra settings, a reduction of 30 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Given the severely limited performance of the Intel Arc B370, the settings recommendations are straightforward: prioritize resolution and preset reductions to approach a playable frame rate. The only configuration that comes close to a playable experience is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which yields an average of 46 FPS. Even this setting may not provide a consistently smooth experience, but it is the only option that breaks the 30 FPS barrier.

For any user, the data suggests that the game should be run at 1920x1080 resolution, as higher resolutions at any setting result in average frame rates below 40 FPS. At 1440p, the best case scenario is 39 FPS on Low settings, but this is a marginal improvement over the 1080p Low result in terms of image quality versus performance trade-off. The 4K resolution is entirely unplayable, with the highest average being 30 FPS on Low settings, which is still below the threshold for acceptable smoothness for most users.

Moving up to Medium settings is not recommended. While it offers a slight visual improvement, the average frame rate at 1080p drops to 29 FPS, and the frame time data shows a minimum of 24 FPS, which would result in frequent and noticeable stutters. High and Ultra settings are not viable at any resolution, with average frame rates ranging from a low of 11 FPS to a high of 21 FPS. The data indicates that these presets should be avoided entirely, as they would result in a slideshow-like experience.

The optimal configuration according to the measured data is 1920x1080 with Low settings. This provides the highest average frame rate and the fewest frame time inconsistencies. Users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate might consider 1440p on Low settings, but the 7 FPS average loss is a significant sacrifice for a modest resolution increase. The performance data makes it clear that this hardware combination is only suitable for playing The Medium at its lowest graphical demands.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 46 FPS on Low, 29 FPS on Medium, 21 FPS on High, and 16 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting at this resolution has a reported minimum of 24 FPS and a maximum of 33 FPS. These numbers show a clear progression of performance loss as visual quality increases, with a 30 FPS difference between the lowest and highest presets.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops further across the board. The average frame rates are 39 FPS on Low, 24 FPS on Medium, 17 FPS on High, and 14 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at this resolution has a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 28 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p results in a 7 FPS loss on Low settings, a 5 FPS loss on Medium, a 4 FPS loss on High, and a 2 FPS loss on Ultra, showing that the absolute penalty decreases as the baseline performance gets lower.

At 3840x2160, the results are the lowest in the entire dataset. The average frame rates are 30 FPS on Low, 19 FPS on Medium, 14 FPS on High, and 11 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum of 16 FPS and a maximum of 22 FPS. This resolution is effectively unplayable, as even the best-case scenario on Low settings barely reaches 30 FPS, and the frame time data for Medium suggests significant instability.

The complete dataset shows a consistent pattern: the Intel Arc B370 is overwhelmed by the demands of The Medium. The gap between Low and Ultra settings is substantial at every resolution, and even the lowest settings fail to deliver a consistently smooth 60 FPS experience. The maximum frame rate recorded in the entire test suite is 33 FPS, which occurs at 1080p on Medium settings, highlighting the hard performance ceiling of this integrated graphics solution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 Raphael architecture. It has a base clock of 4.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.50 GHz, with a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache. Its benchmark scores are strong, with a Passmark multithread score of 25047 and a single-thread score of 3494. These figures place the CPU in the 89th percentile of all processors, indicating that it is more than capable of handling the computational demands of modern games.

However, in this specific configuration, the CPU's role is largely passive. The benchmark data shows that the frame rates are entirely dependent on resolution and settings, which are GPU-centric variables. If the CPU were a limiting factor, we would expect to see frame rates plateau as resolution decreases, but the data shows a continuous increase in FPS from 4K to 1080p. This indicates that the CPU is never the bottleneck; it is always waiting for the GPU to finish rendering frames.

The CPU's strong single-thread performance, as shown by its Passmark score of 3494, is irrelevant in this scenario because the Intel Arc B370's 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is insufficient to feed the CPU with enough work. The GPU's low texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s further confirm its inability to keep up with the game's rendering requirements. The CPU is essentially idle, waiting for the GPU to complete its tasks.

The 96 MB L3 cache on the 7500X3D is a feature designed to improve gaming performance by reducing memory latency. In this case, it provides no tangible benefit because the GPU's performance is so low that the CPU's memory access patterns are not the bottleneck. The data strongly suggests that users would see no difference in frame rates if they swapped this CPU for a significantly weaker model, as long as the GPU remained the same. The CPU's role is to be ready, but the GPU never asks for more.