The Medium

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a highly constrained experience in The Medium, a horror title that demands significant hardware resources. The measured data reveals a system that struggles to maintain playable frame rates across most settings, with the combination ranking in the bottom tier of tested configurations. The Arc B390, operating as an integrated graphics solution, is the dominant limiting factor, as the CPU's relatively strong multi-threaded scores cannot compensate for the GPU's low output. This analysis will explore the measured FPS data, the roles of each component, and what the resolution scaling indicates about where the performance bottleneck truly lies.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal experience is found at the Low preset across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 51 FPS, which is the only setting at any resolution that approaches a smooth, playable frame rate. The Medium preset at the same resolution drops to 32 FPS, while High yields 23 FPS and Ultra falls to 18 FPS. The data clearly shows a steep performance cliff as settings increase, making Low the only viable choice for responsive gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset still manages an average of 43 FPS, which remains within the range of playability for a slower-paced horror title, though it is noticeably less fluid than 1080p Low. The Medium preset at 1440p produces 27 FPS, which is borderline, and both High (19 FPS) and Ultra (15 FPS) are not recommended for any sustained play. For 4K resolution, the situation is dire: even the Low preset only reaches 34 FPS, and Medium drops to 21 FPS, making 4K unsuitable for this combination regardless of settings.

The data implies that users should prioritize the Low preset as the baseline. The jump from Low to Medium costs roughly 19 FPS at 1080p (51 to 32), a 37% reduction, which is a significant trade-off for marginal visual improvements. The measured minimum FPS for Medium at 1080p is 27, indicating that even this setting experiences dips into stutter territory. For a game that relies on atmosphere and tension, consistent frame pacing is critical, and the data suggests that only the Low preset provides a stable enough foundation. Pushing to High or Ultra is not advisable, as the average FPS drops below 24, which is typically considered the threshold for cinematic but not interactive frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its benchmark data shows a capable budget processor, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11860 and a single-core score of 1674. In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU, but the core count and clock speeds still influence the minimum frame rate stability.

The game's genre, horror, often involves complex scripting and AI-driven events, which can tax the CPU. The i3-12100F's 4 cores and 8 threads are sufficient for the game's logic, but the measured FPS data does not show a scenario where the CPU is the primary bottleneck. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 4051 and the PassMark multi-thread score of 14015 indicate that the processor can handle parallel workloads, but the single-thread performance (PassMark single-thread score of 3444) is more relevant for game logic. The data suggests that the CPU is not holding back the system in most cases; rather, the GPU's low output is the ceiling.

However, the CPU's role becomes more apparent when examining the delta between Low and High settings. At 1080p, dropping from High (23 FPS) to Low (51 FPS) yields a 28 FPS improvement, which is a GPU-driven change. The CPU's 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4/DDR5) provide adequate bandwidth for feeding the GPU, but the Arc B390's "System Shared" memory architecture means the CPU and GPU are competing for the same memory resources. This shared memory setup can introduce latency, which the CPU's clock speeds cannot fully mitigate. In essence, the i3-12100F is doing its job, but it is paired with a GPU that cannot translate its throughput into high frame rates.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the clear bottleneck in this configuration. It is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. Its clock speeds are listed as a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2500 MHz, but the memory is "System Shared" with "System Dependent" bandwidth, meaning it relies on the system's RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. This is a fundamental limitation for a game like The Medium, which likely requires substantial memory bandwidth for its high-resolution textures and effects.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is a mere 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are legacy mobile parts like the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (score 1463, deltaPct 1.3) and the GeForce 800M (score 1460, deltaPct 1.5). This comparison is damning: the Arc B390 performs at a level comparable to integrated graphics from over a decade ago. With 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, the architectural specs suggest a low-end part, and the measured FPS confirms this.

The GPU's role is to render the frame, and its output is the primary determinant of the FPS figures. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 18, which is unplayable. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1080p (51 to 18 FPS) is a 65% reduction, indicating that the GPU's fill rate and shader throughput are overwhelmed by the game's higher fidelity settings. The 12 RT cores are present, but the FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS is insufficient for the game's rendering demands at higher presets. The data strongly suggests that the Arc B390 is a component designed for basic productivity or light gaming, not for a demanding title like The Medium.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2581 out of 2911 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the bottom 11% of all configurations, indicating that nearly 89% of other systems perform better. This rank is a reflection of the GPU's severe limitations, as the CPU itself is not a low-end part. The i3-12100F's percentile versus all CPUs is 68, meaning it outperforms a majority of processors, but the GPU's 9th percentile ranking drags the overall combo down.

The data shows that the CPU's nearest rivals (Intel Core 3 N355, Intel Core i5-9500, etc.) have similar average scores, but the GPU's nearest rivals are all legacy NVIDIA parts from the GT 500M and 800M series. This juxtaposition highlights the imbalance of the system: a modern, capable CPU is crippled by an integrated GPU that cannot deliver even entry-level discrete performance. In the context of The Medium, this combo is effectively a low-spec integrated solution, and the rank reflects that reality. Users with this configuration would be hard-pressed to find a worse result without using significantly older hardware.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear pattern of GPU limitation. At the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 51 at 1080p to 43 at 1440p and then to 34 at 4K. This represents a 33% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is a typical scaling curve for a GPU-bound scenario. However, at the Medium preset, the drop is from 32 FPS at 1080p to 27 FPS at 1440p and 21 FPS at 4K, a 34% reduction. The High preset shows a drop from 23 FPS at 1080p to 19 FPS at 1440p and 15 FPS at 4K, a 35% reduction.

The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings indicates that the GPU is the limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively flat as resolution increases, since the CPU's workload is resolution-independent. Instead, the FPS scales down with pixel count, which is a hallmark of GPU-bound performance. The data implies that the Arc B390's fill rate is saturated at 1080p, and increasing the resolution to 1440p or 4K only exacerbates the issue. The measured minimum FPS for Medium at 1080p is 27, which is already low, and the lack of min/max data for other settings suggests that the average is likely representative of a consistently low frame rate. The resolution scaling confirms that no amount of CPU headroom can overcome the GPU's fundamental lack of rendering power.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 51 FPS, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. The Medium preset averages 32 FPS with a minimum of 27 and a maximum of 37, showing some variance but still in a playable range for a slow-paced game. The High preset drops to 23 FPS, and Ultra falls to 18 FPS, both of which are below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 43 FPS, which is still usable, but the Medium preset averages 27 FPS with a minimum of 23 and a maximum of 31. The High preset averages 19 FPS, and Ultra averages 15 FPS, making these settings impractical. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 34 FPS, which is the only 4K setting that approaches playability, but it is still below the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset averages 21 FPS with a minimum of 18 and a maximum of 24, while High averages 15 FPS and Ultra averages 12 FPS.

The data shows a clear hierarchy: Low is the only setting that provides a consistent experience, and 1080p is the only resolution where the average exceeds 50 FPS. The Medium preset's measured minimums (27 FPS at 1080p, 23 FPS at 1440p, 18 FPS at 4K) indicate that frame drops are frequent enough to cause noticeable stutter, particularly in a horror game where smooth camera movements are essential. The absence of min/max data for Low, High, and Ultra settings suggests that the benchmark may have only recorded averages for those configurations, but the Medium data points to a system that is stretched thin even at its most stable setting.

FAQ

Q: What is the best setting to use for this CPU/GPU combo in The Medium?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 is the only configuration that delivers an average FPS above 50 (51 FPS). At 1440p, Low still achieves 43 FPS, but 1080p Low is the most reliable for maintaining playable frame rates.

Q: Why does the combo rank so low compared to other systems?

A: The combo ranks 2581 out of 2911, placing it in the bottom 11%. This is primarily due to the Intel Arc B390's GPU performance, which sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 68th percentile.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The FPS scales down consistently with resolution (33-35% drop from 1080p to 4K), which is a signature of GPU-bound performance. The CPU's benchmark scores are relatively strong, but the GPU cannot translate them into higher frame rates.

Q: Can this system handle 4K resolution at any setting?

A: No. At 4K, the Low preset averages 34 FPS, which is the best case, but this is still below the 60 FPS target and is not smooth. Ultra at 4K averages only 12 FPS, making it unplayable.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 is only 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463) and 2.7% higher than the GeForce GT 710 (1443). These are all legacy low-end parts, indicating the B390's performance level.

Q: What is the impact of the shared memory architecture on performance?

A: The GPU's memory is listed as "System Shared" with "System Dependent" bandwidth, meaning it uses the system's RAM. This is a significant limitation compared to dedicated VRAM, as it reduces memory bandwidth and can cause the CPU and GPU to compete for resources, which the measured low FPS figures reflect.