The Medium

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a striking imbalance in The Medium. The data shows a top-tier 16-core processor driving an integrated graphics solution that ranks in the 9th percentile among all GPUs. This results in a system that is unequivocally limited by its graphics component, making settings and resolution choices critical for achieving any playable state.

Settings Recommendations

Benchmark results indicate that the Low preset is the only viable option for a consistent experience across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 51 FPS, which is the only configuration in the entire dataset to exceed the 50 FPS threshold. Moving up to Medium at the same resolution drops the average to 32 FPS, representing a 37% performance hit. While 32 FPS might be tolerable in a slower-paced horror title, the data suggests it is a significant compromise.

The gap between Low and Medium widens further at higher resolutions. At 2560x1440, Low produces 43 FPS, while Medium falls to 27 FPS. At 3840x2160, the difference is even more stark: Low averages 34 FPS, whereas Medium plummets to 21 FPS. The High and Ultra presets are largely non-starters for this configuration. At 1080p, High yields only 23 FPS and Ultra drops to 18 FPS. These frame rates fall below what is generally considered a playable baseline, indicating that the visual fidelity gains from these presets are not worth the severe performance degradation.

The data clearly points to Low as the best experience for this combo. It is the only preset that provides a playable frame rate at 1080p and maintains a reasonable 34 FPS at 4K. For users who prioritize visual quality over smoothness, the Medium preset at 1080p offers a playable, albeit less fluid, 32 FPS. However, the measured min FPS of 27 at this setting suggests potential for noticeable stutter in demanding scenes. The recommendation is to start with Low and only experiment with Medium if the player is comfortable with frame rates in the low 30s and high 20s.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process. Its performance profile in this game is severely constrained. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This is reflected in its nearest rivals, which are all legacy NVIDIA parts like the GeForce GT 710 and GT 625 OEM, highlighting its position at the very bottom of the performance spectrum.

The Arc B390's memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's main DDR5 memory. While the Ryzen 9 9950X3D supports dual-channel DDR5 with a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s, the GPU's own memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent." This dependency on shared memory is a critical bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions and settings where the demand for memory bandwidth increases. The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2500 MHz, do not compensate for its limited memory subsystem and low compute resources.

The GPU's FP32 performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS, a figure that seems inadequate for the demands of The Medium at 4K, where the Ultra preset averages only 12 FPS. The data suggests that the GPU, not the CPU, is the definitive limiting factor. The frame rates scale almost linearly with resolution and settings changes, which is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound scenario. The 12 ray tracing cores are present, but their performance is so low that enabling any ray-traced effects would likely cripple the frame rate further, though the data does not include specific RT benchmarks for this game.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and consistent across all settings, reinforcing the GPU-bound nature of this combo. At the Low preset, the average FPS falls from 51 at 1920x1080 to 43 at 2560x1440, a 16% decrease. Scaling further to 3840x2160 results in 34 FPS, a 33% drop from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern shows that even at the lowest settings, the GPU struggles to keep up with the increasing pixel count.

The impact of resolution is even more pronounced at higher settings. For the Medium preset, the drop from 1080p (32 FPS) to 1440p (27 FPS) is 16%, and then to 4K (21 FPS) is a 34% drop from the 1080p figure. The High preset sees a similar trend, with frame rates falling from 23 FPS at 1080p to 19 FPS at 1440p and finally to 15 FPS at 4K. These figures suggest that the game is heavily reliant on fill rate and memory bandwidth, which are the Arc B390's weakest attributes.

The data implies that resolution is a more significant lever than settings for this configuration. Going from 1080p Low to 4K Low costs 17 FPS. In contrast, going from 1080p Low to 1080p Ultra costs 33 FPS. This indicates that while both settings and resolution have a major impact, the sheer pixel throughput required at 4K is an insurmountable challenge for this iGPU. Players should treat 1080p as the primary target, with 1440p being a possibility only on the Low preset. The 4K results are largely academic, demonstrating the hardware's limits rather than providing a playable experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the measured average frame rates for the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Intel Arc B390 combination in The Medium.

At 1920x1080, the results are:

• Low: 51 FPS average.
• Medium: 32 FPS average (min 27, max 37).
• High: 23 FPS average.
• Ultra: 18 FPS average.

At 2560x1440, the results are:

• Low: 43 FPS average.
• Medium: 27 FPS average (min 23, max 31).
• High: 19 FPS average.
• Ultra: 15 FPS average.

At 3840x2160, the results are:

• Low: 34 FPS average.
• Medium: 21 FPS average (min 18, max 24).
• High: 15 FPS average.
• Ultra: 12 FPS average.

The 1080p Low result is the only one that clears the 50 FPS mark. The min FPS data points for the Medium preset (27 at 1080p, 23 at 1440p, 18 at 4K) are particularly telling. They indicate that even in less demanding scenes, the frame rate can dip to levels that would be noticeable as stutter, especially in a game like The Medium which relies on atmosphere and tension. The gap between Medium and High settings is substantial, with High costing roughly 28-30% of the frame rate compared to Medium at each resolution. The Ultra preset offers no playable configuration, with its best result being 18 FPS at 1080p.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for this CPU and GPU combo in The Medium?

A: Based on the measured data, the Low preset provides the best playable experience. It is the only preset to achieve an average above 50 FPS, doing so at 1920x1080 with 51 FPS. At higher resolutions, it remains the most viable option, albeit with lower frame rates.

Q: Is this system capable of 4K gaming in The Medium?

A: The data shows that 4K gaming is not a practical option. The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 34 on the Low preset, which, while technically playable, is far from smooth. The Ultra preset at 4K yields an average of only 12 FPS, which is not a playable experience.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals in terms of raw GPU score?

A: The Arc B390's 3DMark Steel Nomad score is 1482. This places it just 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, which scores 1463, and 2.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710, which scores 1443. These rivals are all legacy, low-end parts, underscoring the Arc B390's entry-level positioning.

Q: Why is the frame rate so low even with a high-end CPU like the Ryzen 9 9950X3D?

A: Benchmark results indicate the system is heavily GPU-bound. The game's performance scales dramatically with resolution and settings, which are GPU-centric workloads. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D has 16 cores and a boost clock of 5.70 GHz, but its power cannot compensate for the Arc B390's limited graphics processing capabilities.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Medium presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 51 FPS. The Medium preset averages 32 FPS, which is a 37% reduction in performance. The Medium preset also has a reported minimum FPS of 27, indicating potential for frame drops.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested systems for this game?

A: The combination ranks 2581 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the bottom 11% of all systems, which is consistent with the low GPU percentile and the measured low frame rates.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a flagship desktop processor, and its specifications suggest it is more than capable of handling the CPU demands of The Medium. It features 16 cores and 32 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 4.30 GHz and a boost clock of 5.70 GHz. It also includes a substantial 128 MB of L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, it excels, scoring 42018 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2259 in single-core. Its average benchmark score of 75779 places it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs.

However, the data for this game shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck. The frame rates are consistently low and scale with graphical load, not CPU load. The CPU's nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 (75738, a 0.1% difference) and the Intel Core Ultra 9 285 (75488, a 0.4% difference). This indicates that the 9950X3D is at the top of the CPU performance hierarchy.

The CPU's role in this specific combo is to provide a stable platform for the iGPU. It ensures that the system never stutters due to CPU limitations, but it cannot boost the GPU's performance. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 16374 and max-thread score of 17184 demonstrate immense multi-threading capability, which is irrelevant when the GPU is only producing 15-50 FPS. In this configuration, the CPU is like a high-performance engine in a car with severely restricted tires; it has the power, but it cannot translate that power into forward motion because the limiting factor lies elsewhere.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 2581 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the bottom 11.3% of all systems tested, a ranking that directly reflects the GPU's 9th percentile standing. This is a clear case of a massive bottleneck, where the processor's performance is effectively wasted.

The combo's ranking is not a reflection of CPU inadequacy. If paired with a discrete GPU, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D would likely be among the top performers in this game, given its 95th percentile CPU score. The data indicates that the iGPU is the sole reason for the poor ranking. The GPU's nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce 800M and GT 710, are ancient parts, and the Arc B390's performance is only 1.3% to 2.7% better than these.

This ranking serves as a cautionary tale about hardware pairing. It demonstrates that a high-end CPU cannot compensate for a low-end GPU in a graphically demanding title. While the CPU provides a flawless foundation, the system's overall performance is anchored by the GPU. The 2581st place ranking is a direct consequence of the Arc B390's inability to render the game at acceptable frame rates, regardless of the powerful processor driving it. The data suggests that for any meaningful gaming performance in The Medium, a discrete GPU is a mandatory requirement, and this combo should be considered a platform for non-gaming tasks or for playing games with significantly lower graphical requirements.