The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Intel Arc B570 combination in The Medium presents a compelling case study in system bottlenecking. The data shows a processor with immense headroom paired with a graphics card that is clearly the limiting factor, creating a performance profile that scales almost exclusively with graphical settings and resolution. This analysis dissects the measured FPS data to understand how these components interact, where the system's strengths and weaknesses lie, and what the numbers reveal about the gaming experience.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a desktop-class processor built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge), featuring 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock is listed at 4.70 GHz with a boost clock of 5.20 GHz, and it carries a TDP of 120 W. This is a high-end CPU with a substantial cache hierarchy, including 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a massive 96 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores exceptionally well, achieving a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23230 and a single-core score of 2080. Its average benchmark score of 39768 places it in the 87th percentile of all CPUs, according to the data.

Despite this raw power, the measured FPS in The Medium indicates that the CPU is not the primary driver of performance. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 78 FPS. When the resolution increases to 1440p at the same Low settings, the FPS drops to 66. At 4K with Low settings, it falls to 52 FPS. This consistent decline with increasing resolution is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU is capable of feeding frames far faster than the GPU can render them, even at the lowest resolution tested.

The data suggests that the 9800X3D's role here is to provide a stable, unconstrained platform. Its high single-thread performance (Geekbench single-core score of 2964) and robust multi-threading (Passmark multithread score of 40009) ensure that it will not introduce stutters or frame dips that could be misattributed to the graphics card. The performance headroom is so vast that the game's engine is likely not stressing the CPU at all. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 with an average score of 40081, are all within a 0.8% performance delta, confirming that the 9800X3D is operating in a tier where small CPU differences have negligible impact on this particular game's frame rates. The bottleneck is unequivocally elsewhere.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Analyzing the measured data, the choice of settings preset is a trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, yielding only 28 FPS at 1080p, 23 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K. These numbers are below the threshold for a playable experience, indicating that the Arc B570 cannot handle the maximum settings in this title. The High preset is an improvement, but still falls short of smooth gameplay, delivering 35 FPS at 1080p, 29 FPS at 1440p, and 23 FPS at 4K. These frame rates are playable but not ideal for a game that may require quick reactions.

The Medium preset offers a significant jump in performance. At 1080p, it achieves an average of 49 FPS, with a minimum of 41 FPS and a maximum of 56 FPS. At 1440p, the average drops to 41 FPS (min 35, max 47), and at 4K, it averages 32 FPS (min 27, max 37). The Low preset is the only one that consistently pushes frame rates into a highly fluid territory. It achieves 78 FPS at 1080p, 66 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K.

Considering the data, the Medium preset appears to be the best compromise. It provides a substantial improvement over Low in visual quality while maintaining an average frame rate that is respectable, especially at 1080p and 1440p. The minimum FPS values for Medium (41 at 1080p, 35 at 1440p) suggest that while there are dips, they are not catastrophic. For the most responsive experience, Low is the only preset that delivers near-60 FPS or higher at all resolutions tested. The data does not support using High or Ultra, as the performance cost is too severe for the incremental visual benefit.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The FPS scaling across resolutions is a clear indicator of the system's bottleneck. At Low settings, the frame rate goes from 78 FPS at 1080p, to 66 FPS at 1440p, to 52 FPS at 4K. This is a drop of approximately 15% from 1080p to 1440p, and another 21% from 1440p to 4K. At Medium settings, the trend is similar: 49 FPS at 1080p, 41 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K. The scaling is not perfectly linear, but the performance degrades consistently as the pixel count increases.

This pattern is the definitive evidence that the Intel Arc B570 is the limiting component. A CPU-bound system would show relatively stable frame rates as resolution increases, because the CPU's workload (draw calls, physics, game logic) remains constant. The fact that performance drops so dramatically with each step up in resolution means the GPU is running out of pixel-pushing capability. At 4K, the GPU is rendering four times the pixels of 1080p, and the data shows it simply cannot keep up, particularly at higher settings where the shader and fill-rate demands are more intense. The drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low is 26 FPS, while the drop from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra is only 10 FPS (from 28 to 18). The smaller absolute drop at Ultra is likely due to the frame rate already being so low that the GPU is hitting a performance floor, but the relative impact is still severe. The data points exclusively to the GPU as the performance limiter.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2321 out of 2911 combos for The Medium. This places it in the lower percentile of all tested systems, indicating that while it is far from the worst, it is not a high-performing combination for this specific game. The rank is heavily influenced by the GPU, as the CPU is a top-tier component. The fact that this combo ranks so low suggests that many other systems, likely with more powerful graphics cards, achieve significantly higher frame rates.

The data implies that the CPU is "wasted" in this configuration for this game. The 9800X3D is likely ranked in the top percentile in pure CPU benchmarks, but its contribution to the in-game result is capped by the Arc B570's performance. The combo's rank is a reflection of the weakest link in the chain. The performance is not competitive with systems that pair this CPU with a higher-end GPU, but it also demonstrates that the CPU provides a stable foundation that does not hinder the GPU's output. The ranking highlights a significant imbalance; the system's potential is locked behind the graphics card's limitations.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B570 is a graphics card based on the Xe2-HPG architecture (Battlemage), manufactured on a 5 nm process. It features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz, with 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. Its synthetic benchmark scores are moderate, with a Passmark G3D score of 14195 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 96844. Its average benchmark score of 20556 places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rival is the Intel Arc A750, which has a nearly identical average score (20582, a -0.1% delta).

In The Medium, the GPU's performance is the primary constraint. The data shows that even at the lowest settings, the card cannot maintain a locked 60 FPS at 1440p (66 FPS average) or 4K (52 FPS average). The 10 GB of VRAM is likely sufficient for this title at the tested resolutions, but the raw compute power is insufficient for higher settings. The card's 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 performance appears to be the limiting factor, especially when the game's rendering load increases with settings like shadows, textures, and post-processing effects. The GPU's role is to be the definitive bottleneck, and its performance across the measured settings presets shows a clear ceiling that the CPU cannot overcome. The card ranks in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, which aligns with the combo's mid-to-low tier ranking, confirming that the GPU's capabilities are the deciding factor in this system's overall performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for a smooth experience with this CPU/GPU combo?

A: Based on the measured data, the Low preset is the only one that consistently provides high frame rates. It achieves an average of 78 FPS at 1080p, 66 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset offers a better visual experience but drops to averages of 49, 41, and 32 FPS at the same resolutions.

Q: Why does the frame rate drop so much when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: The frame rate drops significantly with increasing resolution because the Intel Arc B570 is the limiting component. The data shows a clear pattern of performance degradation as pixel count increases, which is the classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU, while powerful, cannot compensate for the GPU's inability to render more pixels.

*Q: Is this a good combination for playing The Medium at 4K?*

A: No, the data does not support 4K gaming with this combo. At 4K, the highest average frame rate achieved is 52 FPS on Low settings, but this drops to 32 FPS on Medium, 23 FPS on High, and 18 FPS on Ultra. These frame rates are below what is generally considered a smooth gaming experience.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its direct rivals?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D has an average benchmark score of 39768. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 with a score of 40081 (0.4% higher) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 with a score of 40048 (0.7% higher). These differences are minuscule, indicating all these CPUs offer similar raw processing power.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium settings preset?

A: At the Medium preset, the minimum FPS recorded is 41 at 1080p, 35 at 1440p, and 27 at 4K. These figures suggest the game can experience noticeable stutters, particularly at higher resolutions.

Q: Is this combo's performance worse than most other tested systems?

A: Yes, the data shows this combo ranks 2321 out of 2911 tested combinations for The Medium. This places it in the bottom 20% of all systems, indicating that most other tested hardware configurations achieve better frame rates in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The following table details the exact average FPS values measured for this system configuration. Minimum and maximum FPS values are only provided for the Medium settings preset.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS | Minimum FPS | Maximum FPS |

| :--------- | :------- | :---------- | :---------- | :---------- |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 18 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | High | 23 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 32 | 27 | 37 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 52 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 23 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 29 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 41 | 35 | 47 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 66 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 28 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 35 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 49 | 41 | 56 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 78 | - | - |