The Medium

The Medium is a horror title that clearly favors GPU capability, and this specific pairing of an AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D with an Intel Arc B390 produces playable results only at the lowest settings and resolution. The measured data shows that this combination ranks 2581 out of 2911 tested combos, placing it in the bottom tier of systems for this game. With the Intel Arc B390 being an integrated graphics solution that shares system memory, the performance ceiling is inherently limited, and the strong eight-core CPU cannot compensate for the GPU bottleneck that appears across nearly every resolution and preset tested.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of what this combo can achieve, and the results are not encouraging for anyone seeking high-fidelity horror experiences. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo reaches an average of 51 FPS, which is the only configuration in the entire dataset that approaches smooth gameplay. The next step up, 1920x1080 Medium, drops to 32 FPS average with a minimum of 27 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS, which is technically playable but will feel stuttery during tense moments. High settings at 1080p yield 23 FPS, and Ultra drops to 18 FPS, both of which are below acceptable thresholds for a game that relies on atmosphere and timing.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset manages 43 FPS average, which is marginal but shows the resolution scaling cost. Medium at 1440p falls to 27 FPS, High to 19 FPS, and Ultra to 15 FPS. At 3840x2160, even Low settings only produce 34 FPS, with Medium at 21 FPS, High at 15 FPS, and Ultra at 12 FPS. The pattern is consistent: this combo is only viable at Low settings, and even then, only at 1080p does it clear the 50 FPS threshold.

The recommendation based on the data is straightforward: use Low settings at 1920x1080 for the best experience. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 19 FPS (from 51 to 32), which is a 37% performance hit for what is likely a modest visual improvement in a horror game where lighting and shadows matter. If the user must play at 1440p, Low settings at 43 FPS is the only reasonable option, but the data suggests that 1080p Low is the sweet spot for this hardware combination. Ultra settings should be avoided entirely, as they produce single-digit-to-low-20s FPS across all resolutions, which is unplayable for a game requiring timing-based interactions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process node. Its performance profile is extremely limited, as evidenced by its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, which places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals in the benchmark database are all legacy NVIDIA parts: the GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463 (1.3% lower), the GeForce 800M scores 1460 (1.5% lower), the GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446 (2.5% lower), and the GeForce GT 710 scores 1443 (2.7% lower). This places the Arc B390 just slightly ahead of those decade-old parts, which contextualizes its gaming performance.

The GPU's clock speeds show a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2500 MHz, which is a wide range that suggests aggressive power management. The memory configuration is entirely system-shared, meaning there is no dedicated VRAM; the GPU uses whatever system memory is available, and bandwidth is system-dependent. This is a critical limitation for The Medium, which is a game that loads large environments and textures. The shading units count 1536, with 48 texture mapping units and 24 render output units, plus 12 ray tracing cores. The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance at 7.680 TFLOPS.

The measured FPS data reflects this hardware profile. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 23 FPS, which indicates that the GPU is struggling with the game's rendering demands. The lack of dedicated VRAM means that texture streaming and memory bandwidth contention with the CPU could compound the issue, though the exact impact cannot be quantified from the given data. The GPU's TDP is 80 W, which is low for a graphics solution, but since it is an IGP, it shares power and thermal budget with the CPU. The data shows that the Arc B390 is the primary bottleneck in this combo, as the CPU is far more capable relative to its peers.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D is a Zen 3 part based on the Vermeer architecture, manufactured on TSMC's 7 nm process. It has 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. The cache configuration includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and a large 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is a key feature for gaming performance. The CPU supports DDR4 memory in dual-channel configuration with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, and it uses the AMD Socket AM4 platform with PCIe Gen 4. The TDP is 105 W, and the CPU has a locked multiplier.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 5700X3D shows strong multi-threaded performance. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 22366, and the single-core score is 3157. Geekbench multicore reaches 11086, with single-core at 1849. PassMark multithread score is 26318, and the average benchmark score across all tests is 24709, placing it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. The nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X3D with an average score of 24728 (0.1% higher), the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX at 24822 (0.5% higher), the Intel Core i5-12450HX at 24576 (0.5% lower), and the Intel Core i5-11600 at 24563 (0.6% lower). This indicates that the 5700X3D is a solid mid-range performer, with performance essentially on par with those rivals.

However, in The Medium, the CPU's potential is largely untapped. The measured FPS data shows that the combo's performance is GPU-limited across all settings and resolutions. For example, at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 51 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 18 FPS, which is a 65% reduction. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain more consistent across settings. The fact that FPS scales dramatically with settings and resolution indicates that the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU's 16 threads and high L3 cache are not enough to overcome the GPU's low compute throughput.

The CPU's release date is January 7, 2024, and it has a launch MSRP of $249. It is an active production part, and its benchmark scores suggest it would be a capable gaming CPU in a system with a more powerful discrete GPU. For this specific combo, the CPU is effectively wasted in The Medium, as the game's performance is dictated entirely by the Arc B390's capability.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this pairing in The Medium is 2581 out of 2911 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 11% of all systems. This rank reflects the severe GPU bottleneck that dominates performance. The CPU alone ranks in the 77th percentile among all CPUs, but the GPU ranks in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, and the combo's performance is dragged down by the weakest link.

Looking at the measured FPS data, the combo's best result is 51 FPS at 1080p Low, which is a playable frame rate but only at the lowest quality settings. At 1080p Medium, which would be a more realistic minimum for modern gaming, the combo only achieves 32 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS target that many players expect, and it is also below the 30 FPS minimum that some might tolerate for a horror game. The rank of 2581 out of 2911 confirms that most other tested systems perform better, and the delta between this combo and higher-ranked systems is likely substantial, though the exact figures are not provided.

The nearest rival GPUs to the Arc B390 are all from the early 2010s, which puts this combo's gaming performance in historical context. The GT 710, for instance, was a budget card from 2014, and the Arc B390 only beats it by 2.7% in the 3DMark benchmark. This means that in The Medium, the combo's performance is roughly comparable to a system from a decade ago, despite the modern CPU. The CPU's high benchmark scores do not translate to gaming performance when paired with such a weak GPU.

The data shows that this combo is not suitable for The Medium at any setting above Low, and even at Low, the experience will be compromised. The rank of 2581 out of 2911 is a clear indicator that users should not expect acceptable performance from this pairing for this game.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the combo achieves 51 FPS at 1080p, 43 FPS at 1440p, and 34 FPS at 4K. This represents a 16% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 33% drop from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is relatively mild, which is unusual for a GPU-bound scenario, but it indicates that the GPU is already struggling at 1080p and cannot maintain performance as pixel count increases.

At Medium settings, the FPS drops from 32 at 1080p to 27 at 1440p to 21 at 4K. This is a 16% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 34% drop from 1080p to 4K. The minimum FPS at Medium settings also scales down, from 27 at 1080p to 23 at 1440p to 18 at 4K, showing that the lower bounds of performance are also affected. At High settings, the FPS is 23 at 1080p, 19 at 1440p, and 15 at 4K, representing a 17% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 35% drop from 1080p to 4K. At Ultra settings, the FPS is 18 at 1080p, 15 at 1440p, and 12 at 4K, with drops of 17% and 33% respectively.

The resolution scaling pattern suggests that the GPU is the limiting component, but the relatively modest percentage drops (compared to what a discrete GPU might show) indicate that the game is also CPU-limited to some degree at higher settings. However, the more likely explanation is that the Arc B390's shared memory architecture means that increasing resolution taxes the system memory bandwidth, which is already constrained. The data shows that the FPS drops are consistent across all settings, with roughly a 16-17% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 33-35% reduction from 1080p to 4K, regardless of quality preset. This consistency points to a fixed bottleneck, likely the GPU's compute throughput or memory bandwidth, rather than a settings-dependent limitation.

For players, the implication is clear: playing at 1080p is the only viable option, and even then, only Low settings produce acceptable frame rates. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Low settings costs 17 FPS, which is a significant loss for a game that already struggles to reach 60 FPS. The data suggests that the combo is not capable of delivering a consistent experience at any resolution above 1080p, and even at 1080p, the user must accept Low settings for playable performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo in The Medium?

A: The data shows that Low settings at 1920x1080 produce an average of 51 FPS, which is the highest measured average across all configurations. Medium settings at the same resolution drop to 32 FPS, so Low is the only preset that approaches smooth gameplay.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested systems in The Medium?

A: The combo ranks 2581 out of 2911 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 11% of all systems. This low rank is primarily due to the Intel Arc B390's limited performance, as the CPU ranks in the 77th percentile among all CPUs.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this combo?

A: The GPU is clearly the bottleneck. The CPU has a high average benchmark score of 24709, while the GPU scores only 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad, placing it in the 9th percentile. The FPS scaling with settings and resolution confirms that the GPU limits performance.

Q: Can this combo play The Medium at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 with Low settings, the combo achieves 43 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. Medium settings at 1440p drop to 27 FPS, and higher settings are below 20 FPS. The data suggests that 1440p is only viable at Low settings, and even then, it is a compromise.

Q: What FPS can be expected at 4K with this combo?

A: At 3840x2160, the best result is 34 FPS at Low settings. Medium settings produce 21 FPS, High produces 15 FPS, and Ultra produces 12 FPS. None of these are recommended for a playable experience, as even Low settings at 4K are below the 60 FPS target.

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

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad, which is 1.3% higher than the GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M, 2.5% higher than the GeForce GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% higher than the GeForce GT 710. These are all legacy GPUs, indicating the Arc B390 is a very low-performance part.