The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title from 2021, presents a unique challenge for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and Intel Arc B370 combination. The benchmark data reveals a system that is consistently constrained by its graphics processor, with performance figures that place it in the lower percentile of tested hardware configurations. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates to understand where the bottleneck lies and what playable settings, if any, this combo can achieve.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a stark and predictable decline as resolution increases, which is the first clear indicator of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 46 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings, the average drops to 39 FPS, a reduction of roughly 15%. This is a moderate hit, suggesting the GPU is still managing the workload but with less headroom. The final step to 3840x2160 at Low settings yields 30 FPS, another significant drop of about 23% from the 1440p figure.

This scaling pattern is typical of a system where the graphics card is the limiting factor. The Intel Arc B370, with its low performance percentile, is clearly struggling to fill the increasing number of pixels. The trend becomes more pronounced at higher quality settings. At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 29 at 1080p, to 24 at 1440p, and finally to 19 at 4K. The progression from High settings shows an even steeper decline: 21 FPS at 1080p, 17 at 1440p, and 14 at 4K. The data indicates that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck; if it were, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions as the GPU work increases, but here the frame rate is nearly halved from 1080p to 4K on the Low preset. The scaling confirms that the Arc B370's rendering capabilities are exhausted quickly, and the CPU's headroom is largely irrelevant at these frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 7 9700F and Arc B370 ranks 2681 out of 2911 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the bottom 8% of all systems tested, a position that aligns with the GPU's dismal 5th percentile ranking among all GPUs. The CPU, by contrast, sits in the 94th percentile, highlighting a massive disparity in capability between the two components. The combo's rank is almost entirely dictated by the GPU's performance.

This rank is not a reflection of the CPU's capability. The Ryzen 7 9700F is a high-end desktop processor, but it is paired with a mobile-class integrated GPU. In this configuration, the CPU is effectively waiting for the GPU to finish its work. The data suggests that the Arc B370's nearest rivals are all legacy or low-power parts, such as the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M, which are generations old. This places the B370 in a performance class that is fundamentally unsuited for the demands of a game like The Medium at high resolutions. The system's overall rank is a direct consequence of this GPU bottleneck, and any analysis of the combo must start with this fundamental imbalance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo can achieve in The Medium?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 46 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F or the Intel Arc B370 the limiting factor?

A: The Intel Arc B370 is the clear limiting factor. The CPU ranks in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 5th percentile. Also, frame rates drop significantly as resolution increases, which is characteristic of a GPU bottleneck.

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K resolution?

A: Technically yes, but not at a playable frame rate. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 11 on Ultra to 30 on Low, with the Medium preset yielding 19 FPS. These figures are all below the threshold for a smooth experience.

Q: How does the performance at 1080p Medium compare to 1440p Low?

A: They are very similar. The 1080p Medium preset produces an average of 29 FPS, while the 1440p Low preset produces an average of 39 FPS. The 1440p Low setting is actually significantly faster, indicating that lowering the quality preset has a larger impact on performance than lowering the resolution.

Q: What is the most demanding setting preset at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the most demanding, producing an average of 16 FPS. This is lower than the High preset's 21 FPS and the Medium preset's 29 FPS.

Q: Does the data include any minimum FPS figures?

A: Yes, minimum FPS is only provided for the Medium preset at all three resolutions. At 1080p, the minimum is 24 FPS; at 1440p, it is 21 FPS; and at 4K, it is 16 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete matrix of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. The most favorable result is at 1920x1080 with Low settings, where the average FPS reaches 46. This is the only configuration that approaches a playable frame rate. The next best result is also at 1080p, but with the Medium preset, where the average drops to 29 FPS, with a minimum of 24 and a maximum of 33. The High preset at 1080p yields 21 FPS, and the Ultra preset yields only 16 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance degrades further. The Low preset averages 39 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 1080p Low figure. The Medium preset at this resolution averages 24 FPS (minimum 21, maximum 28). High and Ultra settings produce averages of 17 FPS and 14 FPS, respectively. At 4K resolution, the results are largely unplayable. The Low preset is the only one to reach 30 FPS, while the Medium preset drops to 19 FPS (minimum 16, maximum 22). The High preset averages 14 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 11 FPS. The data shows a clear trend: to get closer to 60 FPS, the user must sacrifice both resolution and visual quality, and even then, the target is not met.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the dominant factor in this system's performance. Its specifications paint a clear picture of a low-power, integrated-class part. The GPU has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz, but its memory is listed as "System Shared," meaning it relies on the main system RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. The memory bandwidth is also listed as "System Dependent," which further indicates it is not a high-performance discrete solution. The GPU features 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 render output units, along with 10 ray tracing cores.

Its benchmark results are equally telling. The GPU scores 1184 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all significantly older and less capable parts, such as the ATI Radeon HD 5770 and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M. This level of performance is entirely inadequate for a modern game like The Medium at high settings. The low FP32 performance of 6.144 TFLOPS and the 25W TDP confirm that this is a power-constrained part. The data shows that the GPU's limited fillrate and compute power are the direct cause of the low frame rates observed, especially at higher resolutions. The system's reliance on shared memory further compounds the issue, as it introduces potential latency and bandwidth bottlenecks that a dedicated VRAM solution would not have.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only viable configuration for The Medium is the Low preset at 1080p, which delivers an average of 46 FPS. While this is not a locked 60 FPS, it is the most playable option available. The 1440p Low preset is also a consideration, averaging 39 FPS, but it offers a higher resolution at the cost of a lower frame rate. For a smoother experience, 1080p Low is the better choice.

The Medium preset is not recommended for a good experience. At 1080p, it averages 29 FPS, which is a significant drop from the Low preset. The minimum FPS of 24 also indicates potential for noticeable stuttering. At 1440p and 4K, the Medium preset averages 24 FPS and 19 FPS, respectively, which are firmly in unplayable territory. High and Ultra presets should be avoided entirely, as they produce average frame rates in the teens or low 20s even at 1080p. The data consistently shows that the quality preset has a much larger impact on performance than resolution, so users should prioritize the Low preset to achieve the best frame rate. The system is not capable of delivering a high-fidelity experience in this game, and the settings must be set to the absolute minimum to achieve acceptable performance.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is a high-performance desktop processor that is severely underutilized in this configuration. It features 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The processor has a 65W TDP and is built on a 4nm process. Its benchmark scores are strong, with a Passmark single-thread score of 4691 and a multithread score of 36470. It ranks in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-14700K and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, both of which are high-end desktop parts.

However, this CPU power is irrelevant to the gaming performance in this case. The data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU's high performance does not translate to higher frame rates because the GPU cannot keep up with the rendering demands. The CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data, but it is spending most of its time idle, waiting for the GPU to complete its tasks. The measured FPS figures are a direct result of the GPU's limitations, not the CPU's. The 32 MB of shared L3 cache and the dual-channel DDR5 memory support (with 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth) are more than sufficient for gaming, but they cannot compensate for the GPU's lack of processing power. In essence, the Ryzen 7 9700F represents a massive over-investment in CPU for a system with this GPU, and its capabilities are wasted in this pairing for this specific game.