The Medium

The Intel Arc B390, paired with the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X, delivers a fundamentally constrained experience in The Medium. The benchmark data shows a combination that ranks in the bottom 11% of all tested configurations, with performance figures that struggle to maintain playable frame rates even at the lowest settings. The GPU, operating as an integrated processor, is the primary bottleneck, while the CPU provides ample headroom that the graphics solution cannot utilize. The following analysis breaks down the measured results, the roles of each component, and the practical settings for this specific build.

FAQ

*Q: What is the overall performance ranking of the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X + Intel Arc B390 combo in The Medium?*

A: The combination ranks 2581 out of 2911 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 11% of all configurations. This indicates that it is not a viable high-performance option for this title.

Q: How much faster is the Ryzen 5 7600X compared to its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X?

A: The Ryzen 5 7600X has an average benchmark score of 27636, which is only 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X's score of 27578. The performance difference is negligible.

*Q: What is the best average FPS recorded for this combo in The Medium?*

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 51 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

*Q: What is the worst average FPS recorded for this combo in The Medium?*

A: The lowest average frame rate is 12 FPS, recorded at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings. This is far below playable thresholds.

Q: Does the GPU have dedicated video memory?

A: No, the Intel Arc B390 uses "System Shared" memory, with its bandwidth dependent on the system's main memory. This is a key factor in its performance limitations.

Q: What are the core and thread counts for the CPU in this combo?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X features 6 cores and 12 threads, with base and boost clocks of 4.70 GHz and 5.30 GHz, respectively.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the decisive factor in the disappointing performance of this combo. Its integrated nature, with system-shared memory and a 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs, fundamentally limits its ability to render The Medium at acceptable speeds. The GPU's benchmark score of 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad places it just 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, a clear indicator of its low-end positioning. The data shows that the GPU's performance is the primary bottleneck, as the frame rates collapse under the load of higher resolutions and settings.

The graphics processor, built on Intel's Xe3-LPG architecture, has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. While the boost clock is respectable, the 1536 shading units and 24 ROPs are simply insufficient for the demands of a modern horror title. The GPU's compute capabilities, rated at 7.680 TFLOPS for FP32, are not effectively translated into frame rates, as the measured results show a maximum average of 51 FPS only at the lowest settings and resolution. The shared memory architecture is a critical weakness, as the bandwidth is "System Dependent," meaning the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory access, further hampering performance.

The benchmark results illustrate a clear pattern: the GPU is overwhelmed at 4K, with average frame rates dropping to 15 FPS at High settings and 12 FPS at Ultra. Even at 1080p, the GPU cannot maintain a smooth experience, with a High settings average of just 23 FPS. The 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate and 120.0 GTexel/s texture rate are theoretical maximums that the memory subsystem and the chip's overall design cannot sustain in a real-world gaming scenario. The combination of a weak memory interface and a low number of execution units makes the Arc B390 a fundamentally unsuitable part for anything beyond the most basic graphical tasks.

CPU Role

In contrast to the GPU, the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X is a high-performing component that is heavily underutilized in this pairing. The data shows the CPU has an average benchmark score of 27636, which places it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs. This is a significant mismatch; the processor is capable of far more than the Arc B390 can deliver. The 6-core, 12-thread Zen 4 architecture, with its 4.70 GHz base and 5.30 GHz boost clocks, provides more than enough processing power for the game's logic and physics.

The CPU's performance is demonstrated by its strong synthetic benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15236 and a single-core score of 1965. These results are 0.2% higher than its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-12600K, and 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 5800. In the context of The Medium, the CPU is not the limiting factor. The processor's substantial L3 cache of 32 MB and dual-channel DDR5 memory support further ensure that it can feed data to the GPU without becoming a bottleneck. However, this headroom is irrelevant when the GPU cannot process the data quickly enough.

The data indicates that the CPU is effectively idle in this configuration, waiting on the GPU to catch up. The 105W TDP and the ability to boost to 5.30 GHz show that the chip has the capacity for high-performance workloads, but the integrated GPU cannot harness it. This pairing is a classic case of a powerful processor being wasted by an extremely weak graphics solution. In terms of game performance, the CPU's role is relegated to ensuring that it does not add any additional frame time overhead, which it easily achieves, but the GPU's inability to render frames quickly dominates the overall experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and Intel Arc B390 is ranked 2581 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium. This places the configuration in the bottom 11.3% of all systems tested, which is a clear indication of its low performance tier. This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's limitations, as the CPU's high percentile ranking does not translate into a high combo ranking. The data suggests that the combo is not balanced, with the CPU's potential being entirely negated by the GPU's lack of power.

This low rank means that the combo will be outperformed by the vast majority of other configurations. Even entry-level discrete GPUs from previous generations would likely offer a better experience. The performance gap to the next tier of combos is substantial, as the Arc B390's score is only 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, a product from over a decade ago. The combo's rank confirms the fact that the integrated GPU, despite its modern architecture, is not designed for gaming at any resolution above a slideshow pace.

The measured data confirms this low ranking. With no average frame rate exceeding 51 FPS, and that only at the lowest settings, the combo is strictly in the territory of 720p or 1080p low-settings gaming for older or less demanding titles. For a game like The Medium, which has significant rendering demands, the combo is simply out of its depth. The rank of 2581 is not an anomaly but a consistent reflection of the GPU's performance across all tested resolutions and settings, as the frame rates are uniformly low.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the combo's performance across different resolutions and settings. The results show a predictable pattern: performance degrades significantly as resolution and graphical fidelity increase. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves its best results, but they are still poor. With Low settings, the average FPS is 51, which is the only playable result in the entire dataset. Moving to Medium settings drops the average to 32 FPS, with a minimum of 27 and a maximum of 37 FPS. High settings further reduce the average to 23 FPS, and Ultra settings yield an average of just 18 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates become increasingly marginal. Low settings produce an average of 43 FPS, which is still technically playable but not smooth. Medium settings drop to an average of 27 FPS, with a range of 23 to 31 FPS. High and Ultra settings are not viable, with averages of 19 FPS and 15 FPS, respectively. At 3840x2160, the performance is critically low. Low settings average 34 FPS, but the experience is likely to be inconsistent. Medium settings average 21 FPS, with a minimum of 18 and a maximum of 24 FPS. High settings drop to 15 FPS, and Ultra settings are essentially unplayable at an average of 12 FPS.

The data reveals a few key points. The gap between Low and Medium settings is significant, indicating that the game's medium preset introduces a substantial load increase that the GPU cannot handle. For example, at 1080p, the drop from Low to Medium is a 19 FPS decrease (from 51 to 32 FPS), which is a 37% reduction. The frame rate data also shows that the combo can only achieve a 60 FPS target at no point, and it only manages to hit a 30 FPS average at 1080p Low and 1440p Low. The minimum FPS data points, such as the 18 FPS minimum at 4K Medium, show that the experience can suffer from stuttering and frame hitches, making the game feel even worse than the average FPS suggests.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, there is only one practical settings recommendation for this combo. The only configuration that yields a consistently playable frame rate is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which achieves an average of 51 FPS. This should be considered the baseline for any playthrough. While 51 FPS is not ideal, it is the only setting that avoids the sub-30 FPS averages that make the game feel sluggish and unresponsive. All other settings and resolutions produce average frame rates that are below 45 FPS, and most are below 30 FPS.

The 2560x1440 Low setting, with an average of 43 FPS, is a borderline option. It offers a higher resolution but at the cost of a lower frame rate. For a game like The Medium, which relies on atmosphere and smooth camera movement, the higher resolution may not be worth the performance hit. The 1920x1080 Medium setting, with an average of 32 FPS, is the limit of what could be considered a "playable" experience, but it is recommended to avoid this setting due to the significant drop from Low and the potential for frame pacing issues.

All High and Ultra settings are not viable at any resolution. The average frame rates of 23 FPS or lower are too low for a smooth experience, and the 4K Ultra setting's 12 FPS average is effectively a slideshow. Therefore, the recommendation is clear: users should run the game at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This is the only setting that provides a playable experience, and it highlights the severe performance limitations of the Intel Arc B390. Any attempt to increase graphical fidelity will result in a substantial and unacceptable reduction in frame rate.