The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D paired with the Intel Arc B370 presents a stark example of system bottlenecking in The Medium. The benchmark data shows a configuration where the processor's immense capability is completely overshadowed by the graphics solution's limitations. The measured frames per second (FPS) across all resolutions and presets are consistently low, indicating that this pairing is not suitable for playable framerates in this title under any tested setting.

Settings Recommendations

The data reveals a clear hierarchy among the four tested presets, but the playable threshold is a critical filter. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 46 FPS, which is the only measured result that approaches a generally acceptable level of smoothness. The Medium preset at the same resolution drops to 29 FPS, a significant 17 FPS decline that pushes the experience into a stuttery territory. The High preset yields 21 FPS, and Ultra falls to 16 FPS, both of which are not viable for a horror game requiring precise timing and atmospheric tension.

Moving to 2560x1440, the situation worsens. The Low preset averages 39 FPS, which is a substantial drop from the 1080p Low result and still below the 46 FPS baseline. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 24 FPS, and the High and Ultra presets plummet to 17 and 14 FPS respectively. At 3840x2160, even the Low preset struggles to maintain 30 FPS, with Medium at 19 FPS, High at 14 FPS, and Ultra at 11 FPS.

The data suggests a clear recommendation: for the only acceptable experience, users must select the Low preset at 1920x1080. This setting provides an average FPS of 46, which is more than double the 21 FPS achieved at High settings on the same resolution. While the Low preset is the only choice for a semblance of playability, it is important to note that even this setting does not guarantee a consistently smooth experience, as the minimum FPS data is not available for this specific configuration. The gap between Low and Medium at all resolutions is substantial, suggesting that the graphics card lacks the raw throughput to handle the increased rendering load of higher presets.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the definitive limiting factor in this configuration. Its benchmark profile, with an average 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184, places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, a remarkably low standing. The nearest rivals to this card are legacy parts such as the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the ATI Radeon HD 5770, with performance deltas of -0.2% and -0.5% respectively. This places the B370's performance in the field of graphics hardware from over a decade ago, which is consistent with its very low FPS results in The Medium.

The card's specifications further explain its poor performance. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz, with a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s. Its FP32 performance is rated at 6.144 TFLOPS. The memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it does not have its own dedicated VRAM. This forces the system to rely on the main system memory for graphics data, a design that is typically much slower than dedicated graphics memory. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which is a qualitative acknowledgement that its performance is tied to the system's RAM and memory controller, a factor that would be a severe handicap in a game like The Medium that likely requires high memory bandwidth for its streaming and rendering techniques.

The data shows a direct correlation between the GPU's low standing and the game's poor performance. For instance, the FPS drop from Low to Medium at 1920x1080 is 46 to 29 FPS, a 17 FPS reduction, which indicates the GPU is being overwhelmed by the increased graphical complexity. The card's 5th percentile ranking and its proximity in performance to the ATI Radeon HD 5770 in the 3DMark test are strong indicators that it is not designed for modern, graphically intensive gaming.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Intel Arc B370 ranks at 2681 out of 2911 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the bottom 8% of all system configurations tested, underscoring how poorly this pairing performs for this specific title. This low ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU, as the CPU is a top-tier part. The CPU's own benchmark data shows it is in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 75779, and its nearest rivals are all within a 0.4% performance delta. The CPU is not the bottleneck; it is being held back by the GPU.

The rank of 2681 out of 2911 is a definitive statement about the system's overall capability. When a top-tier CPU is paired with a bottom-tier GPU, the resulting system's gaming performance is dictated by the weakest link. The data shows that this combination is not just below average but is positioned in the lowest tier of all tested combinations. This is a clear demonstration that for gaming, the GPU is the primary driver of performance, and even the most powerful CPU cannot compensate for a severely underpowered graphics card.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system's performance across all tested scenarios. The results are uniformly low, with the highest average FPS being 46 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The lowest average FPS is 11 at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows:

• Low: 46 FPS average
• Medium: 29 FPS average, with a minimum of 24 FPS and a maximum of 33 FPS
• High: 21 FPS average
• Ultra: 16 FPS average

At 2560x1440, the results are:

• Low: 39 FPS average
• Medium: 24 FPS average, with a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 28 FPS
• High: 17 FPS average
• Ultra: 14 FPS average

At 3840x2160, the results are:

• Low: 30 FPS average
• Medium: 19 FPS average, with a minimum of 16 FPS and a maximum of 22 FPS
• High: 14 FPS average
• Ultra: 11 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern of performance degradation as both resolution and settings increase. The Medium preset is the only one with min/max FPS data, showing a range of 24-33 FPS at 1080p, 21-28 FPS at 1440p, and 16-22 FPS at 4K. This suggests that the frame pacing is somewhat consistent, but the overall level is too low for a satisfying experience. The jump from Low to Medium is particularly punishing, with a 17 FPS drop at 1080p, a 15 FPS drop at 1440p, and an 11 FPS drop at 4K. This indicates that the Medium preset introduces a significant rendering load that the GPU cannot handle.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best performance I can expect from this system in The Medium?*

A: The highest average FPS measured is 46, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset. This is the only configuration that comes close to a playable framerate.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the performance is severely limited. The Low preset averages 30 FPS, but the Medium preset drops to 19 FPS, High to 14 FPS, and Ultra to 11 FPS. None of these are suitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D or the Intel Arc B370 the bottleneck?

A: The benchmark data indicates the Intel Arc B370 is the bottleneck. The CPU is in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 5th percentile. The system's performance is consistent with the GPU's low benchmark scores.

Q: Why is the performance so low compared to other systems?

A: The system ranks 2681 out of 2911 tested combos for The Medium. This low rank is primarily due to the GPU, whose nearest rivals in benchmark scores are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and ATI Radeon HD 5770, both of which are significantly outdated.

Q: Is there a significant difference between the Low and Medium presets?

A: Yes, the difference is substantial. At 1920x1080, the average FPS drops from 46 on Low to 29 on Medium, a 37% reduction in performance. This suggests that the Medium preset adds a considerable load that the GPU cannot handle.

Q: Does the GPU have dedicated video memory?

A: No, the Intel Arc B370 uses "System Shared" memory. This means it relies on the system's main memory for graphics data, rather than having its own dedicated VRAM, which is a major performance limitation.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a high-end desktop processor with 16 cores and 32 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture. Its base clock is 4.30 GHz, and it can boost up to 5.70 GHz. The CPU has a substantial 128 MB of L3 cache. Its benchmark scores are exceptional, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42018 and a single-core score of 2259. It sits in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 and the Intel Core Ultra 9 285, are within a 0.4% performance delta.

Given this immense processing power, the CPU is not the limiting factor in The Medium. The FPS data shows no sign of CPU limitation, such as a plateau in performance that would occur if the processor were maxed out. In fact, the performance is consistently low across all resolutions, which is the classic signature of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU's role here is to be ready and waiting, its vast resources unused, while the GPU struggles to render each frame. The 16 cores and 32 threads are more than sufficient for a game like The Medium, leaving the CPU to easily feed the GPU with data, but the GPU's inability to process that data quickly enough is what caps the framerate. The data suggests that this processor has immense untapped potential that is completely wasted in this configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear and consistent scaling pattern as resolution increases. At Low settings, the average FPS is 46 at 1080p, 39 at 1440p, and 30 at 4K. This represents a 15% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 23% drop from 1440p to 4K. At Medium settings, the average FPS is 29 at 1080p, 24 at 1440p, and 19 at 4K, showing a similar proportional decline.

This scaling behavior is a strong indicator of a GPU-bound system. As resolution increases, the number of pixels the GPU must render grows exponentially. A system that is CPU-bound would show a much smaller performance drop when moving to higher resolutions, because the CPU's workload would not increase as dramatically. Here, the FPS drops significantly with each resolution increase, which demonstrates that the GPU is working at its maximum capacity and is unable to keep up with the increased pixel workload. The system is not limited by the CPU's ability to prepare frames, but by the GPU's ability to render them. The 1080p to 4K drop is substantial, with the Low preset falling from 46 to 30 FPS, a 35% decrease, and the Medium preset falling from 29 to 19 FPS, a 34% decrease. This consistent proportional decline across different settings reinforces that the GPU's rendering throughput is the primary constraint.