The Medium

The data for The Medium with the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Intel Arc B570 presents a compelling case study in system bottlenecking. The measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and settings reveal a configuration that is clearly constrained by the graphics card, yet the specific pattern of performance degradation tells a more nuanced story about where the limits truly lie.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, indicating a GPU-bound scenario. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 78 at 1920x1080 to 52 at 3840x2160, a 33% reduction. This scaling is significant but not catastrophic; the game remains playable at 4K Low. However, the situation deteriorates rapidly as settings are increased. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 35 at 1080p to 23 at 4K, a 34% decrease that pushes the experience below the threshold of smooth gameplay.

The most telling data point is the Medium preset, which has complete min and max FPS data. At 1920x1080, the average is 49 FPS with a minimum of 41. At 2560x1440, the average falls to 41 FPS with a minimum of 35. By 3840x2160, the average plummets to 32 FPS with a minimum of 27. This progressive decline with each resolution step suggests that the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth of the Intel Arc B570 are being taxed heavily. The 160-bit memory bus and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth are likely the limiting factors, as higher resolutions demand more data throughput.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly harsh at Ultra settings, where the average FPS drops from 23 to 18. This 22% reduction on top of an already-low frame rate confirms that Ultra is not a viable setting at any resolution for this combo. The data implies that the GPU's compute capabilities, such as its 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 performance, are insufficient to handle the increased shader complexity at 4K Ultra. The resolution scaling pattern shows a classic GPU bottleneck, but the absolute numbers are low enough to suggest that even at 1080p, the Arc B570 is struggling to maintain high frame rates in this horror title.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the clear limiting component in this system. Its 10 GB of GDDR6 memory and 160-bit bus width are the primary specifications that correlate with the observed performance. The memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s is moderate by modern standards, and the data suggests that this is what prevents the card from maintaining higher frame rates at 4K. The boost clock of 2500 MHz is fixed, meaning there is no dynamic overclocking headroom to compensate for increased load.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it at the 65th percentile among all tested GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 20556 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which scores 20534, a delta of just 0.1%. This close grouping with mobile parts and older desktop cards like the Intel Arc A750 (20582, -0.1% delta) indicates that the Arc B570 is positioned as a mid-range performer. The measured FPS in The Medium confirms this positioning, as the card delivers playable frame rates at 1080p Low and Medium but falls short of 60 FPS in most scenarios.

The VRAM capacity of 10 GB is not directly the issue, as the game's settings do not appear to exceed this limit based on the data. However, the combination of a 160-bit bus and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth creates a bottleneck that is exacerbated by higher resolutions. The data implies that the GPU's memory subsystem is the critical constraint, particularly when comparing the 4K Low result of 52 FPS to the 4K High result of 23 FPS. The 29 FPS difference shows that the card's shading units (2304) and texture mapping units (144) are also being overwhelmed by the increased graphical fidelity. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 14195 and DirectX 12 score of 72 provide additional context, suggesting that while the card can handle modern APIs, its raw rasterization performance is limited.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D with the Intel Arc B570 ranks at 2321 out of 2911 combos in The Medium. This places it in the bottom 20% of all tested configurations, which is surprising given the CPU's strength. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is a high-end processor, but its performance is being completely masked by the GPU's limitations.

The combo rank of 2321 suggests that most other hardware pairings deliver better performance in this specific game. This is a direct consequence of the GPU bottleneck, as the CPU's potential is never fully utilized. The CPU's 83rd percentile ranking among all CPUs versus the GPU's 65th percentile ranking highlights the mismatch. The data indicates that this combination is poorly balanced for The Medium, as the GPU cannot keep pace with the CPU's capabilities. The rank also implies that users with a less powerful CPU but a more powerful GPU would likely see better results, as the game is more dependent on graphics processing than on CPU compute.

The delta between the combo rank and the individual component percentiles is telling. The CPU is in the top 17% of all processors, while the GPU is in the bottom 35% of all graphics cards. This significant gap is the primary reason for the low combo ranking. The data suggests that for this specific game, the GPU is the deciding factor, and the CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads are largely irrelevant to the final frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 78 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for any configuration. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 49 FPS, with a minimum of 41 and a maximum of 56. The High preset averages 35 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 28 FPS. This 1080p data shows a clear hierarchy, with Low being the only setting that approaches the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 66 FPS, a 15% drop from 1080p. The Medium preset averages 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 47. The High preset averages 29 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 23 FPS. The 1440p data shows that Low remains playable, but Medium dips below the ideal range for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 52 FPS, which is still technically playable but with noticeable dips. The Medium preset averages 32 FPS, with a minimum of 27 and a maximum of 37. The High preset averages 23 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 18 FPS. The 4K data is stark: only the Low preset provides a frame rate above 30 FPS, and even that is marginal.

The min and max FPS data for the Medium preset across all resolutions provides insight into frame pacing. At 1080p, the range is 41-56, a 15 FPS spread. At 1440p, the range is 35-47, a 12 FPS spread. At 4K, the range is 27-37, a 10 FPS spread. This tightening of the frame time distribution at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is consistently hitting its limits, with less variance in the workload. The data implies that the game's rendering complexity does not scale linearly with resolution, but rather hits a hard wall imposed by the GPU's memory bandwidth.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is a formidable processor, but its role in The Medium is largely passive. The CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 4 architecture, provide ample compute power for the game's logic and physics. The 96 MB of shared L3 cache is a standout feature that should help with data-heavy workloads, but the game's performance is not cache-limited based on the measured FPS.

The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16817 and a single-core score of 1713. The Geekbench multi-core score of 15610 and single-core score of 2426 further confirm its strength. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7980 and max-thread score of 7967 show near-linear scaling, indicating that the processor can handle heavy multi-threaded workloads. However, these scores do not translate into higher frame rates in this game because the GPU is the bottleneck.

The CPU's base clock of 4.20 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz are high, but they are not being utilized to their full potential. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 78 FPS, but this is likely limited by the GPU rather than the CPU. The CPU's percentile ranking of 83rd among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 33079, is nearly identical to its nearest rivals. The AMD Ryzen 7 8700G scores 33089 (0% delta), the Intel Core i7-13650HX scores 33089 (0% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX scores 33091 (0% delta). This tight grouping suggests that the 7800X3D is not an outlier in CPU performance, and the game's frame rates are not differentiated by CPU choice.

The CPU's role becomes even more passive when considering the game's genre. Horror titles like The Medium often rely on fixed camera angles and pre-rendered elements, which reduces the CPU's workload. The data confirms this, as the frame rates do not vary significantly based on CPU-bound scenarios. The CPU's 120 W TDP and 5 nm process node make it efficient, but this efficiency does not impact the gaming experience when the GPU is the limiting factor.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 78 at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset. This is the only configuration that comes close to a 60 FPS target, as the next highest is 66 FPS at 2560x1440 Low.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this combination?

A: At 4K, only the Low preset delivers an average FPS above 30, at 52 FPS. The Medium preset averages 32 FPS, while High and Ultra average 23 and 18 FPS, respectively. The data suggests that 4K is only playable at Low settings, and even then, the frame rate is not stable.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its nearest rival in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The Arc B570's average benchmark score is 20556, which is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile at 20534, a delta of 0.1%. It is also very close to the Intel Arc A750 at 20582, with a delta of -0.1%.

*Q: What is the combo's rank among tested systems in The Medium?*

A: The combo ranks 2321 out of 2911 tested combinations. This places it in the bottom 20% of all tested systems, indicating that the GPU is severely limiting overall performance.

Q: Does the CPU's 96 MB of L3 cache impact gaming performance here?

A: The data shows no evidence that the CPU's cache size influences the measured FPS. The CPU's strong benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16817, do not translate to higher frame rates, as the GPU is the bottleneck.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values for the Medium preset at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 35, the average is 41, and the maximum is 47. This data point provides the most complete picture of frame pacing for this combo.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Low preset is the only setting that consistently delivers near-60 FPS gameplay, with an average of 78 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 49 FPS, which is playable but with noticeable frame drops. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 28 FPS, which is not recommended for a smooth experience.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 66 FPS, making it the best choice for a responsive experience. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 41 FPS, which is acceptable for a slower-paced horror game but may feel less fluid. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p, with averages of 29 and 23 FPS respectively, are not recommended.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 52 FPS, which is the only viable option for 4K gaming. The Medium preset at 4K averages 32 FPS, which is playable but requires tolerance for lower frame rates. The High and Ultra presets at 4K, with averages of 23 and 18 FPS, are effectively unplayable.

The data suggests that the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance for most users, but only at 1080p where it averages 49 FPS. At 1440p and 4K, the Low preset is the safest recommendation to maintain a playable frame rate. The Ultra preset is never recommended, as even at 1080p it fails to reach 30 FPS on average. The performance gap between Low and Medium is substantial, with a 37% difference at 1080p (78 vs 49 FPS), indicating that the Medium preset's additional visual effects come at a high cost to the Arc B570. For a horror game where atmosphere matters, the Medium preset at 1080p provides the best compromise, but users with 1440p or 4K displays should prioritize the Low preset for consistent gameplay.