The Medium

# The Medium with AMD Ryzen 7 5700 + Intel Arc B570

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a playable but resolution-sensitive experience in The Medium, a horror title released on 2021-01-27. The combo ranks 2321st out of 2911 tested combinations, placing it in the lower third of all systems evaluated. The CPU sits at the 78th percentile among all processors, while the GPU holds the 65th percentile among all graphics cards, suggesting the graphics subsystem is the primary constraint in this pairing. Measured frame rates range from 18 FPS at 4K Ultra to 78 FPS at 1080p Low, with the system showing a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution and quality settings increase.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression across resolutions reveals a system that is heavily GPU-limited at higher pixel counts. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 35 at 1920x1080 to 29 at 2560x1440, then further to 23 at 3840x2160. This represents a 17% decline from 1080p to 1440p, and a 34% decline from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, with the 1440p to 4K transition (a 2.25x increase in pixel count) producing only a 21% frame rate reduction, indicating that other bottlenecks begin to emerge at lower resolutions.

Low settings tell a similar story but with higher absolute numbers. The system achieves 78 FPS at 1080p Low, 66 FPS at 1440p Low, and 52 FPS at 4K Low. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 15%, while the 1080p to 4K drop is 33%. At Medium settings, which include measured minimum and maximum frame times, the averages are 49 FPS at 1080p, 41 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K. The minimum FPS values at Medium settings are 41 at 1080p, 35 at 1440p, and 27 at 4K, showing that the frame time consistency scales with resolution as well.

Ultra settings produce the steepest curve: 28 FPS at 1080p, 23 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 4K decline of 36% is the largest of any preset, suggesting that Ultra settings amplify the GPU's workload disproportionately. The data indicates that the Intel Arc B570's 10 GB of GDDR6 memory and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game's demands, but the raw compute throughput of 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 becomes the limiting factor as resolution climbs. The 2500 MHz base and boost clocks remain constant, meaning the GPU is running at its maximum potential across all tested configurations.

How This Combo Ranks

With a combo rank of 2321 out of 2911 tested combinations, this system sits at approximately the 20th percentile of all CPU-GPU pairings evaluated in The Medium. This places it firmly in the lower performance tier, though the individual components tell a more nuanced story. The AMD Ryzen 7 5700's average benchmark score of 25517 places it at the 78th percentile among CPUs, with its nearest rivals being the Intel Xeon D-2752TER (25530, -0.1% delta), the AMD Ryzen 5 6600H (25550, -0.1% delta), the AMD Ryzen 5 7640U (25485, +0.1% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 7 5825U (25446, +0.3% delta). This puts the CPU in a competitive position against other mid-range processors, with performance differences of less than 0.5% among its closest competitors.

The Intel Arc B570's average benchmark score of 20556 places it at the 65th percentile among GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, +0.1% delta), the Intel Arc A750 (20582, -0.1% delta), the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480, +0.4% delta), and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X (20662, -0.5% delta). The GPU's standing is slightly weaker than the CPU's relative position, which aligns with the observed frame rates being GPU-bound. The gap between the CPU's 78th percentile and the GPU's 65th percentile suggests that the processor has headroom that the graphics card cannot fully utilize in this title.

The combination rank of 2321 out of 2911 indicates that despite having a solid CPU and a capable GPU individually, the pairing does not synergize as well as many other combinations tested. This is likely due to the game's specific rendering characteristics, which appear to favor different hardware configurations than what this system provides. The measured data confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor in most scenarios, as evidenced by the significant frame rate drops at higher resolutions and settings.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture with the BMG-G21 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process by TSMC with 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die. The GPU operates at a fixed 2500 MHz for both base and boost clocks, with memory running at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The 10 GB GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus provides 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves adequate for The Medium's requirements across all tested settings.

The GPU's compute capabilities include 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, 80 render output units, and 18 ray tracing cores. The pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s scale directly with clock speed, and the FP32 throughput of 11.52 TFLOPS (with FP16 at 23.04 TFLOPS via 2:1 ratio) represents the theoretical peak. In practice, the measured frame rates suggest that The Medium exercises the GPU heavily, with the 4K Ultra preset producing only 18 FPS — a clear indication that the game's visual effects at maximum quality exceed what this GPU can deliver at high pixel counts.

The GPU's benchmark scores show strong compute performance: 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2649, Geekbench OpenCL score of 83514, and Geekbench Vulkan score of 96844. The PassMark G3D score of 14195 and GPU Compute score of 7281 further characterize the card's capabilities. The DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) API support and Vulkan 1.4 compliance ensure compatibility with modern titles, though the game's performance indicates that raw throughput, not feature support, is the limiting factor. The 150 W TDP and 450 W suggested PSU requirement position this as a mainstream card, and its 272 mm length requires adequate case clearance but no unusual mounting considerations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce 78 FPS average, providing a smooth experience for the game's horror atmosphere. Medium settings average 49 FPS with a minimum of 41 FPS and maximum of 56 FPS, offering a balanced experience. High settings drop to 35 FPS average, while Ultra settings bottom out at 28 FPS. The frame time spread at Medium settings (41-56 FPS) indicates reasonable consistency, though the 15 FPS range between minimum and maximum suggests some scene-to-scene variability.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales predictably downward. Low settings maintain 66 FPS average, which remains playable. Medium settings average 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS and maximum of 47 FPS, representing a 16% reduction from the 1080p Medium result. High settings yield 29 FPS average, and Ultra settings drop to 23 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a 12 FPS spread between minimum and maximum, similar to the 1080p result, indicating that the game's frame time consistency is maintained as resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings average 52 FPS, which is still playable but shows a 21% drop from 1080p Low. Medium settings average 32 FPS with a minimum of 27 FPS and maximum of 37 FPS, representing the lowest playable configuration. High settings produce 23 FPS average, and Ultra settings fall to 18 FPS, which is below acceptable playability thresholds for most users. The Medium preset at 4K shows a 10 FPS spread between minimum and maximum, the tightest of any resolution, suggesting that the GPU is consistently saturated rather than experiencing intermittent spikes.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain smooth gameplay?

A: The measured data shows that 1920x1080 at Low settings achieves 78 FPS average, while Medium settings reach 49 FPS. At 2560x1440, Low settings maintain 66 FPS, and at 3840x2160, Low settings drop to 52 FPS. For consistent 60+ FPS gameplay, 1080p Low is the only tested configuration that exceeds this threshold.

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

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 has an average benchmark score of 25517, placing it at the 78th percentile. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon D-2752TER (25530, -0.1% delta), AMD Ryzen 5 6600H (25550, -0.1% delta), AMD Ryzen 5 7640U (25485, +0.1% delta), and AMD Ryzen 7 5825U (25446, +0.3% delta). All rivals are within 0.3% of the 5700's score.

*Q: Is the Intel Arc B570 capable of running The Medium at 4K?*

A: At 3840x2160, the GPU delivers 52 FPS at Low settings, 32 FPS at Medium, 23 FPS at High, and 18 FPS at Ultra. The only 4K configuration that approaches playability is Low settings at 52 FPS, while Medium at 32 FPS is borderline and High/Ultra are not recommended.

Q: What is the frame time consistency at different settings?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with measured minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p, the range is 41-56 FPS (15 FPS spread); at 1440p, it is 35-47 FPS (12 FPS spread); and at 4K, it is 27-37 FPS (10 FPS spread). Higher resolutions show tighter frame time distribution.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: The combination ranks 2321st out of 2911 tested combinations for The Medium, placing it in the lower third of all systems. The CPU's 78th percentile and GPU's 65th percentile rankings indicate that the GPU is the more limiting component in this pairing.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration and does it affect performance?

A: The Intel Arc B570 has 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus with 380.0 GB/s bandwidth. The memory runs at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The data shows no indication that memory capacity or bandwidth is a limiting factor, as frame rates scale more closely with compute-bound workload at higher settings.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal settings configuration depends on the target resolution and acceptable frame rate. For 1920x1080, Low settings at 78 FPS provide the smoothest experience, while Medium settings at 49 FPS offer a better visual quality to performance trade-off. The Medium preset's minimum of 41 FPS and maximum of 56 FPS indicate acceptable consistency for a horror title where atmosphere matters more than competitive responsiveness. High settings at 35 FPS and Ultra at 28 FPS sacrifice too much smoothness for marginal visual gains.

At 2560x1440, Low settings at 66 FPS provide the best experience, with Medium settings at 41 FPS (minimum 35, maximum 47) serving as a viable alternative for users who prioritize visual fidelity. High settings at 29 FPS and Ultra at 23 FPS fall below the threshold for comfortable gameplay in a game that relies on tense, atmospheric moments. The 1440p Medium configuration offers the best balance between resolution and smoothness for users with displays that support this resolution.

At 3840x2160, Low settings at 52 FPS are the only recommended configuration, as Medium at 32 FPS (minimum 27, maximum 37) may cause noticeable stuttering during intense scenes. High at 23 FPS and Ultra at 18 FPS are not viable for actual gameplay. For users with 4K displays, the data suggests either dropping to 1440p or accepting the visual compromises of Low settings. The measured frame time data at Medium settings across all resolutions shows that the game maintains consistent performance at this preset, making it the safest choice for users who want a balance of quality and stability.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 provides 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, manufactured on a 7 nm process by TSMC with 10,700 million transistors on a 180 mm² die. The processor runs at a base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 4.60 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. It supports DDR4 memory in dual-channel configuration with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth and includes ECC memory support. The CPU connects via PCIe Gen 3 with 20 lanes and uses the AMD Socket AM4 platform.

The CPU's benchmark results demonstrate strong multi-threaded performance: Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20655 and single core score of 2916, Geekbench multicore of 9959 and single core of 1907, and 3DMark 16-thread score of 6628. The PassMark multithread score of 24303 and single-thread score of 3296 further characterize its capabilities. The 16 MB L3 cache and per-core L1 (64 KB) and L2 (512 KB) caches provide adequate data locality for gaming workloads.

In The Medium, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling with resolution and settings. The processor's 78th percentile ranking and its benchmark scores indicate it can deliver sufficient performance for the game's logic and scene management. The data suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this pairing, as frame rates decline proportionally with GPU workload increases. The CPU's 16 threads allow for efficient handling of the game's background processes, but the measured performance ceiling is dictated by the Intel Arc B570's throughput capabilities. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 1762 and 4-thread score of 3382 indicate that even heavily threaded workloads are handled competently, though the game's requirements do not appear to stress the CPU to its limits.