The Medium

The Medium presents a significant challenge for the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and Intel Arc B580 combination, with benchmark results showing a system that is heavily constrained by graphics processing power at higher resolutions. The measured frame rates across all settings and resolutions indicate that this pairing, while functional, requires careful settings management to achieve a playable experience.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a pronounced and predictable decline in performance as resolution increases, which is classic behavior for a GPU-bound scenario. At the Low settings preset, the average frame rate drops from 88 FPS at 1920x1080 to 74 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 14 FPS, and then further down to 58 FPS at 3840x2160, another 16 FPS drop. This scaling pattern shows that the Intel Arc B580 is the primary limiting factor, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames at lower resolutions.

Moving to the Medium preset, the same trend is visible but with a steeper decline. The average FPS falls from 55 at 1080p to 47 at 1440p, and then to 37 at 4K. The High preset follows a similar trajectory, with averages of 40, 33, and 26 FPS across the three resolutions. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, yielding only 31 FPS at 1080p, 26 FPS at 1440p, and a nearly unplayable 21 FPS at 4K.

The percentage differences highlight the scaling efficiency. From 1080p to 1440p at Low, the drop is approximately 16%, while from 1440p to 4K, the drop is approximately 22%. For the Medium preset, the drops are 15% and 21% respectively. This suggests that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and processing power are being saturated as pixel count increases, with the 4K resolution being particularly punishing. The minimal FPS data available for the Medium preset shows a consistent gap between average and minimum, indicating frame pacing issues under load, especially at 4K where the minimum is 31 FPS against an average of 37 FPS.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is the cornerstone of this configuration’s performance, and its specifications directly explain the observed results. The GPU operates with a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz, which is a high frequency for this class of hardware. However, the sheer workload of The Medium at higher settings overwhelms the processing units. The 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s, which is sufficient for 1080p but becomes a bottleneck as resolution increases and texture memory demands grow.

The GPU’s architecture, Xe2-HPG on a 5 nm process, includes 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. These figures translate to a pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s. In practice, these raw capabilities are insufficient for the game’s heavy effects at 4K, where the Ultra preset only achieves 21 FPS. The FP32 performance of 13.67 TFLOPS is the theoretical ceiling, but the measured data shows that real-world performance is far below this peak due to the complexity of the rendering pipeline.

The GPU’s percentile ranking versus all GPUs is 68, placing it in the upper third of available hardware. Its average benchmark score is 23021, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 with a deltaPct of -0.7, meaning the Arc B580 scores 0.7% lower on average. This context is crucial: the Arc B580 is positioned close to high-end cards from the previous generation, yet in The Medium, it struggles at 4K, suggesting the game’s engine is particularly demanding on the specific features of this GPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal balance between visual quality and playability is found at the Medium preset for 1080p and 1440p. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers an average of 55 FPS with a minimum of 47 FPS, which provides a smooth and responsive experience for a horror title where frame drops can be disorienting. The Low preset at 1080p yields 88 FPS, but the visual compromise is likely too severe for a game that relies heavily on atmosphere and lighting.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset remains the best choice, with an average of 47 FPS and a minimum of 40 FPS. This is just at the edge of acceptable smoothness, but it is playable. The High preset at 1440p drops to 33 FPS, which is noticeably less fluid. At 3840x2160, no preset provides a truly smooth experience. The Low preset at 58 FPS is the only option above 30 FPS, but it sacrifices significant visual detail. The Medium preset at 4K, with an average of 37 FPS and a minimum of 31 FPS, is borderline, but it is likely to feel inconsistent during intense scenes.

The data suggests that users should prioritize the Medium preset. It offers a substantial improvement over Low in terms of visual fidelity while maintaining frame rates that are at least playable. The High and Ultra presets are only viable for screenshots or scenarios where frame rate is not a priority. The Ultra preset, with its 21 FPS average at 4K, is effectively unplayable and should be avoided entirely on this hardware.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and Intel Arc B580 achieves a rank of 2819 out of 3724 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the bottom quartile of all tested configurations, which is a sobering statistic. This ranking is not a reflection of the CPU’s capability, but rather the GPU’s inability to keep pace with the game’s demands at higher settings.

This rank of 2819 out of 3724 means that approximately 76% of the tested combos perform better in this specific game. The data indicates that this pairing is more suited to less demanding titles or to playing The Medium at lower resolutions and settings. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 23021 is respectable, but the game-specific performance shows that synthetic benchmarks do not always translate to real-world gaming results.

The CPU’s benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 17528.5 and a single-core score of 2183.5. Its percentile versus all CPUs is 81, which is high. However, in this game, the CPU’s performance is not the limiting factor. The combo rank is a direct consequence of the GPU’s frame delivery, which is why the system falls so far down the list despite having a capable processor.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge. It has a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, which provides excellent single-threaded performance. The CPU’s benchmark scores confirm its strength: a Geekbench single-core score of 2923 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 1253. This indicates that the CPU is more than capable of handling the game’s logic and physics calculations.

In The Medium, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and process game state. The data shows that the CPU has significant headroom, as the frame rates are consistently limited by the GPU. For example, at 1080p Low, the CPU can push 88 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 21 FPS, which is a purely GPU-bound scenario. The CPU’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth ensure that data is fed to the GPU without stuttering.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in benchmark scores include the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H with a deltaPct of -0.5, indicating the 9600X scores 0.5% higher on average. This puts the CPU in a strong position, but it is underutilized in this game due to the GPU bottleneck. The CPU’s 65W TDP and 4 nm process node suggest it runs efficiently, leaving thermal headroom for sustained boosts during long gaming sessions. For this specific title, the CPU is not the concern; it is the GPU that requires adjustment.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play The Medium with this combo?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the most practical resolution. At the Medium preset, it achieves an average of 55 FPS, which is the highest playable frame rate with moderate visual quality. 2560x1440 is also viable at Medium with 47 FPS, but 3840x2160 is only playable at Low settings.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B580 sufficient for 4K gaming in The Medium?

A: No, the measured results show that 4K gaming is not a smooth experience. The best 4K result is 58 FPS at Low settings, while Medium drops to 37 FPS and Ultra falls to 21 FPS. The GPU lacks the raw power to maintain high frame rates at this resolution with higher presets.

Q: How does the CPU affect performance in this game?

A: The CPU has minimal impact on the frame rates in the measured data. The Ryzen 5 9600X has a high single-core score of 2923 in Geekbench, which is more than sufficient. The frame rates scale directly with resolution and settings, indicating a GPU bottleneck rather than a CPU limitation.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers an average of 74 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers only 26 FPS. This is a 48 FPS difference, representing a 65% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings.

Q: Is the Medium preset a good choice for this hardware?

A: Yes, the Medium preset offers the best balance. At 1080p, it provides 55 FPS with a minimum of 47 FPS, and at 1440p, it provides 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS. These are the only presets that maintain an average above 40 FPS at these resolutions.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 2819 out of 3724 total tested combinations. This places it in the lower quartile of all systems tested in The Medium, indicating that this pairing is not optimal for this specific game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table presents the exact average FPS figures from the measured data, organized by resolution and settings preset.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|---|---|---|

| 3840x2160 | High | 26 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 58 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 37 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 21 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 33 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 74 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 47 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 26 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 40 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 88 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 55 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 31 |

Additional detail is available for the Medium preset, which includes minimum and maximum frame rates. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset shows a minimum of 47 FPS and a maximum of 64 FPS. At 2560x1440, the minimum is 40 FPS and the maximum is 54 FPS. At 3840x2160, the minimum is 31 FPS and the maximum is 42 FPS. This data indicates that frame pacing is consistent enough to avoid major hitches, but the gap between average and minimum widens at higher resolutions, suggesting increased strain on the GPU.

The progression from 1080p to 4K at each setting shows a clear and consistent pattern of degradation. For High settings, the frame rate drops from 40 to 33 to 26 FPS across the three resolutions. For Low settings, the drop is from 88 to 74 to 58 FPS. This data confirms that the Intel Arc B580 is the definitive performance ceiling, and users must accept lower settings to achieve higher resolutions.