The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X paired with the Intel Arc B570 produces a specific performance profile in The Medium, a horror title that stresses both CPU and GPU depending on the settings chosen. The measured frames per second across three resolutions and four quality presets reveal a system that is consistently capable at lower settings but struggles to maintain playable rates at higher fidelity, particularly at 4K. This analysis breaks down the measured data to explain where the bottleneck lies and what users can expect from this configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking pattern in the data is how severely average frame rates collapse as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 78 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops that to 66 FPS, a 15.4% decrease. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls to 52 FPS, which is 33.3% below the 1080p result. This scaling is typical of a GPU-bound scenario: the Arc B570's rendering workload grows with pixel count, and the frame rate drops accordingly.

The pattern intensifies at higher quality presets. At Medium settings, the descent from 49 FPS at 1080p to 41 FPS at 1440p to 32 FPS at 4K represents a 34.7% total reduction from the baseline. High settings show a similar trajectory: 35 FPS at 1080p, 29 FPS at 1440p, and 23 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings are the most punishing, with 28 FPS at 1080p falling to 23 FPS at 1440p and finally 18 FPS at 4K. The gap between Low and Ultra at any given resolution is substantial, but the resolution scaling itself is consistent across presets.

This behavior indicates that the limiting component is the graphics card. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect frame rates to remain relatively flat as resolution increases, since the CPU workload per frame stays roughly constant. Instead, the data shows a steady decline in performance with every step up in resolution. The Arc B570's 10 GB of GDDR6 memory and 160-bit bus width, which deliver 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth, are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p work, but at 4K the memory subsystem and the GPU's compute units are overwhelmed.

The 4K results deserve special attention. Even at Low settings, the combo only manages 52 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold many users consider smooth. At Medium, 4K drops to 32 FPS, and at High it falls to 23 FPS. Ultra at 4K is nearly unplayable at 18 FPS. For this reason, the data suggests that 4K is not a viable target for this combination unless the user is willing to accept Low settings and even then, the experience will not be consistently fluid.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is a high-end desktop processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 4 architecture. Its base clock is 4.50 GHz with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, it posts a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 19088 and a single-core score of 1987. The 3DMark 16-thread score is 8859, and the 2-thread score is 2112, indicating strong scaling from two to sixteen threads.

In The Medium, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU's limitations. The frame rates at 1080p Low (78 FPS) and 1440p Low (66 FPS) are high enough that the CPU is clearly not preventing the system from reaching playable levels. The fact that performance drops so dramatically when quality settings increase at the same resolution — from 78 FPS at Low to 28 FPS at Ultra at 1080p — points directly at the GPU as the performance ceiling.

That said, the CPU's capabilities are not irrelevant. The Ryzen 7 7700X's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 83.2 GB/s of dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth provide a solid foundation for feeding the GPU. The processor's percentile rank of 85 among all CPUs indicates it is in the top 15% of available processors, and its nearest rivals — the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, Intel Core 7 250H, AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350, and Intel Core Ultra 9 185H — are all within 0.7% of its average benchmark score. This proximity suggests that swapping to any of those CPUs would yield nearly identical results in The Medium, further confirming that the GPU is the deciding factor.

The measured FPS data never shows a scenario where the CPU would be the bottleneck, since even the lowest frame rates (18 FPS at 4K Ultra) are far below what this processor is capable of producing. The CPU's role is to provide consistent frame pacing and avoid dips, which the benchmark's minimum FPS values partially reflect. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 41 FPS against an average of 49; at 1440p Medium, the minimum is 35 against an average of 41; at 4K Medium, the minimum is 27 against an average of 32. These minimums track the averages proportionally, indicating no unexpected CPU stalls.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 as the only resolution where the system consistently exceeds 60 FPS, and only at Low settings (78 FPS). At Medium, 1080p yields 49 FPS, and at High it drops to 35 FPS. 1440p and 4K produce lower frame rates across all settings.

Q: How does the Arc B570 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534) and 0.4% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480). It is 0.1% lower than the Intel Arc A750 (20582) and 0.5% lower than the AMD Radeon R9 M390X (20662). These deltas are negligible, indicating near-identical raw performance.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 7700X a bottleneck at any settings?

A: No. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K at every quality setting indicate a GPU bottleneck. The CPU's high synthetic scores, including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 19088 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 1090, show it has ample headroom for this game.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS at Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum is 41 FPS and the maximum is 56 FPS. At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum is 35 FPS and the maximum is 47 FPS. At 3840x2160 Medium, the minimum is 27 FPS and the maximum is 37 FPS. No min or max data is available for Low, High, or Ultra presets.

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

A: The combo ranks 2321 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the 20th percentile of all tested systems. This low ranking reflects the GPU's struggle with higher resolutions and settings, despite the CPU's strong performance.

Q: Does the CPU's launch MSRP affect its performance?

A: No. The launch MSRP of $399 is a pricing fact, but performance is determined by the measured benchmarks. The CPU's 85th percentile rank among all CPUs and its clock speeds are the relevant performance indicators.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2321 out of 2911 tested combinations places this system in the lower third of all configurations tested for The Medium. This is a surprisingly low position given the individual components' strengths. The Ryzen 7 7700X is a top-tier CPU with an 85th percentile rank, and the Arc B570 sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs. Yet, the combination yields a rank that suggests many weaker components produce better results in this specific game.

The discrepancy likely stems from the game's demanding nature at higher settings. The Medium is a horror title that uses fixed camera angles and pre-rendered backgrounds, which can be particularly taxing on GPU memory and fill rate. The Arc B570's 10 GB VRAM and 80 ROPs may be insufficient for the game's Ultra preset, which delivers only 28 FPS at 1080p. The game appears to favor GPUs with higher rasterization throughput, and the Arc B570's 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 performance is modest compared to what the game demands.

The nearest CPU rivals all have average scores within 0.7% of the Ryzen 7 7700X, so swapping the CPU would not meaningfully change the combo rank. The GPU is the differentiator. The Arc B570's nearest rivals — the RTX 3070 Mobile, Arc A750, Quadro M4000M, and Radeon R9 M390X — have nearly identical average benchmark scores, yet their in-game performance could vary due to driver optimizations and architectural differences. The data indicates that this specific CPU-GPU pairing does not unlock any special advantage in The Medium, leaving it ranking lower than the sum of its parts might suggest.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture, codenamed Battlemage, and is manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It has 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units. Its base and boost clocks are both 2500 MHz, and it features 18 ray tracing cores. The GPU's memory subsystem consists of 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus, providing 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

In The Medium, the GPU's role is dominant. The measured FPS data shows that the Arc B570 is the primary limiter across all resolutions and settings. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 14195 and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2649 indicate moderate performance, but the game's demands exceed what this card can deliver at higher quality levels.

The VRAM capacity of 10 GB is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the game's textures and effects likely exceed this buffer, causing the performance to drop to 23 FPS at High and 18 FPS at Ultra. The GPU's pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s are theoretical maximums that the game does not allow it to reach in practice. The FP32 compute of 11.52 TFLOPS is the raw number, but the game's shader complexity appears to be the limiting factor.

The GPU's 65th percentile rank among all GPUs is respectable, but its nearest rivals' average scores are within 0.5%, meaning the Arc B570 does not have a distinct performance edge. In The Medium, this translates to frame rates that are playable only at Low or Medium settings at 1080p, with Medium yielding 49 FPS and Low yielding 78 FPS. The GPU's 150 W TDP and dual-slot design are not relevant to the performance data, but they indicate the card is a mainstream offering rather than a high-end solution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low produces an average of 78 FPS, Medium produces 49 FPS with a minimum of 41 and a maximum of 56, High produces 35 FPS, and Ultra produces 28 FPS. The frame rate drops by 29 FPS going from Low to Medium, another 14 FPS from Medium to High, and 7 FPS from High to Ultra. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p is a 64.1% reduction.

At 2560x1440, the numbers shift downward. Low averages 66 FPS, Medium averages 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 47, High averages 29 FPS, and Ultra averages 23 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings: Low drops 12 FPS, Medium drops 8 FPS, High drops 6 FPS, and Ultra drops 5 FPS. This shrinking delta at higher settings suggests the GPU is already saturated at 1440p Ultra, where the 23 FPS result is only 5 FPS below the 1080p Ultra score.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes marginal. Low averages 52 FPS, Medium averages 32 FPS with a minimum of 27 and a maximum of 37, High averages 23 FPS, and Ultra averages 18 FPS. The 4K Low score of 52 FPS is the only 4K result above 30 FPS, and it is still below the 60 FPS target. The 4K Medium minimum of 27 FPS indicates that even the average frame rate masks occasional dips below playable levels.

The complete dataset shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can achieve 78 FPS at Low and 49 FPS at Medium. At 1440p, only Low settings provide a smooth experience at 66 FPS. At 4K, no setting provides consistently smooth gameplay, with the best result being 52 FPS at Low.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the recommended approach for this combo is to prioritize resolution over quality. At 1920x1080, Medium settings provide the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, with an average of 49 FPS and a minimum of 41 FPS. This is above the 30 FPS playability threshold and approaches the 60 FPS smoothness target. Low settings at 1080p achieve 78 FPS but sacrifice visual quality. High and Ultra at 1080p drop to 35 and 28 FPS respectively, which are not ideal for a smooth experience.

At 2560x1440, the options are more constrained. Low settings yield 66 FPS, which is smooth, but Medium drops to 41 FPS. The minimum of 35 FPS at Medium suggests some scenes may feel stuttery. High at 29 FPS and Ultra at 23 FPS are below the 30 FPS threshold and are not recommended for active gameplay. For users who prioritize resolution, 1440p Low is the only setting that provides a consistently smooth frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the data does not support any setting for a good experience. Low settings produce 52 FPS, which is playable but not smooth, while Medium, High, and Ultra produce 32, 23, and 18 FPS respectively. The 4K Medium minimum of 27 FPS indicates that even the average score overstates the experience. Users with a 4K display should either lower the resolution to 1440p for a better frame rate or accept that this game will not run well at 4K on this hardware.

The optimal configuration from the measured rows is 1920x1080 with Medium settings. This preset delivers an average of 49 FPS with a minimum of 41 FPS, which is the highest quality setting that maintains a minimum above 40 FPS. For users who prefer higher resolutions, 1440p Low at 66 FPS is the next best option. The data clearly shows that this combo is not suited for Ultra settings at any resolution, with the best Ultra result being 28 FPS at 1080p.