The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D paired with the Intel Arc B580 places 1313th out of 1689 tested combinations in The Medium. This position places the combo in the lower third of the database, indicating that while it can run the game, it does so with significant compromises at higher graphical presets. The ranking reflects a system that is more capable at lower settings and resolutions, where the hardware can maintain playable frame rates, rather than a high-end configuration suited for maximum visual fidelity.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1313 out of 1689 tested combinations places it in the 22nd percentile of all systems tested for this title. This is a modest result, suggesting the pairing is not optimized for The Medium’s demands. The CPU itself holds an 82nd percentile rank among all processors, showing strong general processing power, but the GPU’s 66th percentile rank among all graphics cards indicates it is the more limiting factor in this pairing. The data suggests that the system’s performance is constrained by the graphics card, as the CPU has ample headroom for gaming workloads. The ranking implies that users will need to adjust settings significantly to achieve a smooth experience, and even then, the system may struggle at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture and features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 456.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. Its base and boost clocks are both set at 2670 MHz. With 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output pipelines, the card offers a theoretical FP32 performance of 13.67 TFLOPS. The 20 ray tracing cores support hardware-accelerated ray tracing, but the measured frame rates suggest that this feature is not usable at playable speeds in The Medium. The GPU’s memory capacity is substantial for the game’s needs, but the raw compute power appears insufficient for high-detail rendering at demanding resolutions. The card’s performance in synthetic benchmarks, such as a Passmark G3D score of 15748, places it in a mid-range tier, which aligns with the measured in-game results.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Low preset provides the only consistently playable experience across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 90.1 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. At 2560x1440, the Low preset drops to 71.4 FPS, still a very good result. Even at 3840x2160, the Low preset manages 58 FPS, which is playable. The Medium preset offers a significant visual upgrade but comes with a substantial performance cost, yielding 53.8 FPS at 1080p, 45.4 FPS at 1440p, and 39.1 FPS at 4K. While these are technically playable, they are far less stable. The High preset is only viable at 1080p with an average of 38.6 FPS, but this is marginal for a game that may require quick reactions. The Ultra preset is not recommended, as it produces unplayable frame rates at every resolution, including a low 30.7 FPS at 1080p. For the best balance, the Low preset is the clear choice, with Medium being an option for users who prioritize visuals over a higher frame rate at 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a clear picture of the system’s capabilities across three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 90.1 on Low, 53.8 on Medium, 38.6 on High, and 30.7 on Ultra. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a performance drop of 59.4 FPS, indicating that the GPU is heavily taxed by the higher detail settings. Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 71.4 on Low, 45.4 on Medium, 32.6 on High, and 28.7 on Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra here is 42.7 FPS, a smaller absolute difference than at 1080p, which suggests that the resolution increase is already limiting performance. At 3840x2160, the averages are 58.0 on Low, 39.1 on Medium, 26.2 on High, and 22.6 on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 35.4 FPS, showing that at 4K, the system is so constrained by the resolution that the difference between settings becomes less impactful. The data shows a consistent pattern where the Low preset is the only tier that maintains a high frame rate.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and reveals the bottleneck. At the Low preset, the system delivers 90.1 FPS at 1080p, 71.4 FPS at 1440p, and 58.0 FPS at 4K. This represents a 35.6% decrease in frame rate from 1080p to 4K. For the Medium preset, the drop is from 53.8 FPS at 1080p to 39.1 FPS at 4K, a 27.3% decrease. The High preset sees a drop from 38.6 FPS to 26.2 FPS, a 32.1% decrease. The Ultra preset drops from 30.7 FPS to 22.6 FPS, a 26.4% decrease. The relatively consistent percentage drops across settings indicate that the GPU is the primary limiting component. A more CPU-bound scenario would show a smaller performance hit at higher resolutions, as the CPU workload would remain constant. Here, the GPU’s fill rate and shading power are clearly being overwhelmed by the increasing pixel count, confirming that the Intel Arc B580 is the performance ceiling for this combo in The Medium.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and setting for this combo in The Medium?

A: The data indicates that 1920x1080 with the Low preset provides the best experience, achieving an average of 90.1 FPS. This is the only configuration that consistently delivers a high frame rate.

Q: Can this system run the game at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at the Low preset, which achieves an average of 58 FPS. All other settings at 4K produce averages below 40 FPS, which is not ideal for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is the Ultra preset ever playable?

A: No. The Ultra preset yields an average of 30.7 FPS at 1080p, 28.7 FPS at 1440p, and 22.6 FPS at 4K. These results are below the threshold for a comfortable gaming experience.

Q: How does the system perform at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the Low preset is the best option with 71.4 FPS. The Medium preset is also playable at 45.4 FPS, but the High and Ultra presets drop to 32.6 and 28.7 FPS, respectively.

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

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU has a high benchmark percentile, but the frame rates drop significantly as resolution increases, which is a sign of a GPU bottleneck.

Q: What is the impact of moving from 1080p to 4K on the Low preset?

A: The average frame rate drops from 90.1 FPS at 1080p to 58.0 FPS at 4K, a decrease of 32.1 FPS. This shows a significant performance cost for the higher resolution.