The Medium

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the Intel Arc B570 presents a fascinating case study in The Medium, a horror title known for its fixed-camera angles and dual-reality rendering. The measured data reveals a configuration that is consistently playable at lower settings, but which struggles to maintain smooth frame rates as graphical fidelity and resolution increase. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across all tested configurations, examining the roles of the CPU and GPU, and providing clear guidance on how to best utilize this specific hardware combination.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data from The Medium shows a dramatic and predictable impact from resolution scaling, but the rate of that decline reveals crucial information about system bottlenecks. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 78 FPS, a solidly playable figure. Stepping up to 1440p Low drops the average to 66 FPS, a 15.4% decrease. Moving to 4K Low sees a further drop to 52 FPS, which is a 21.2% decline from 1440p. This scaling pattern suggests that while the GPU is being stressed more at higher resolutions, the CPU is still able to keep up with the demands of the game at these lower graphical presets.

However, the scaling behavior changes drastically when the preset is increased. At High settings, the drop from 1080p (35 FPS) to 1440p (29 FPS) is a 17.1% reduction, and the subsequent drop to 4K (23 FPS) is a 20.7% reduction. The situation becomes even more pronounced at Ultra settings. Here, the frame rates are already low at 1080p (28 FPS), and they fall to 23 FPS at 1440p and a mere 18 FPS at 4K. The data indicates that the performance penalty for increasing resolution is consistent in percentage terms across most settings, but the absolute frame rates are so low at the higher presets that the experience becomes untenable.

The most telling insight comes from comparing the 1080p to 4K scaling across presets. At Low, the drop from 78 to 52 FPS is a 33.3% reduction. At High, the drop from 35 to 23 FPS is a 34.3% reduction. This consistency strongly suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting factor across all tested settings. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a smaller performance hit when moving to 4K, as the higher resolution would give the GPU more work to do and potentially allow the CPU to "catch up." Instead, the proportional loss remains steady, indicating that the Intel Arc B570 is saturated at all resolutions, and its workload scales uniformly with the number of pixels rendered. The data points to a GPU-bound configuration in The Medium across the board.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. Its benchmark scores paint a picture of a capable entry-level CPU. For instance, it scores 11,860 points in Cinebench R23 multicore and 1,674 in single-core. Its average benchmark score of 13,494 places it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs, which is a strong showing for its class. The nearest rival, the Intel Core 3 N355, has a nearly identical average score of 13,492, a 0% deltaPct, indicating that these two processors are functionally equivalent in raw compute performance.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU, given the consistent scaling patterns discussed earlier. The game's fixed-camera perspective and slower pacing may not demand the high thread counts that fast-paced action titles do. The i3-12100F's 8 threads are likely sufficient to feed the Arc B570 with draw calls and game logic data without becoming a major constraint, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU has less work to do. The single-thread performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 1,932 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 893, is robust enough for most game engines.

However, it is important to consider the CPU's overall standing. While it performs admirably in synthetic benchmarks, its 4-core/8-thread configuration is its limiting factor. The 3DMark max-threads score of 4,023 is only marginally higher than the 8-thread score of 4,026, confirming that the CPU has no additional headroom beyond its 8 threads. In The Medium, this likely means that while the CPU doesn't bottleneck the GPU at the tested settings, it also doesn't provide any extra performance headroom for future titles with heavier multithreading requirements. The data suggests the i3-12100F is a competent partner for the Arc B570 in this specific game, but it is not the star of the show.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the clear workhorse in this configuration for The Medium. Based on the Xe2-HPG architecture, it features 2,304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs. It comes equipped with 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The GPU's clock speeds are fixed at 2500 MHz for both base and boost. Its average benchmark score of 20,556 places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, scoring 20,534 (a 0.1% deltaPct), indicating near-identical general compute performance.

In The Medium, the Arc B570's performance is the primary determinant of the frame rates. The measured data shows a clear hierarchy based on the game's presets. At 1080p, the GPU can deliver an average of 78 FPS on Low, but this drops significantly as the preset increases, falling to 49 FPS on Medium, 35 FPS on High, and 28 FPS on Ultra. This steep decline with increasing graphical complexity indicates that the game's Ultra preset, which likely includes more demanding lighting, shadow, and post-processing effects, is particularly taxing on the B570's compute and memory subsystems.

The GPU's memory configuration is also a key factor. The 10 GB VRAM buffer is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at all but the most demanding settings. However, at 4K, the combination of higher resolution and higher presets likely pushes the VRAM usage to its limits. While the data doesn't show an explicit VRAM capacity issue, the extremely low average FPS of 18 at 4K Ultra suggests the GPU is overwhelmed. The 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth might also become a limiting factor when the game needs to stream high-resolution textures. Overall, the data indicates that the Arc B570 is a mid-range performer that can handle The Medium at 1080p and 1440p with adjusted settings, but it is not designed for 4K gaming at high fidelity.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in The Medium?*

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo achieves consistently playable frame rates across multiple presets. At 1080p, Low produces 78 FPS, Medium 49 FPS, and High 35 FPS. The 2560x1440 and 3840x2160 resolutions result in frame rates that are mostly below 60 FPS, even on Low.

*Q: Can this system run The Medium at 60 FPS?*

A: Yes, but only at 1080p with the Low preset, where it hits an average of 78 FPS. At 1440p Low, it averages 66 FPS. No other configuration in the measured data reaches 60 FPS. The 1080p Medium preset comes close with an average of 49 FPS, but it does not meet the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Arc B570's average benchmark score is 20,556. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, scores 20,534, which is a 0.1% deltaPct. This indicates that the two GPUs have nearly identical raw processing power. The Intel Arc A750 is also a close rival, with a score of 20,582, a -0.1% deltaPct from the B570.

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

A: The data strongly suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The percentage drop in FPS from 1080p to 4K is very consistent across all presets (e.g., a 33.3% drop at Low and a 34.3% drop at High). If the CPU were the limiting factor, the performance hit from increasing resolution would be less pronounced, as the GPU would have more work to do.

Q: What is the best graphical preset to use?

A: For a smooth experience, the Low preset is the only option that provides headroom above 60 FPS, achieving 78 FPS at 1080p and 66 FPS at 1440p. The Medium preset offers a playable experience at 1080p with 49 FPS, but the High and Ultra presets result in frame rates below 40 FPS at all resolutions.

Q: Is the 4-core CPU a problem for this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate that the Intel Core i3-12100F has a high average benchmark score for its class. In The Medium, the consistent FPS scaling pattern suggests the CPU is not a limiting factor. The game appears to be more dependent on the GPU's ability to render the complex scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

The specific combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and the Intel Arc B570 ranks 2,321 out of 2,911 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the bottom 20% of all systems tested, which is a telling statistic for a game released in 2021. This ranking underscores that while the individual components are respectable for their respective price points, the overall system is not optimized for this particular title's high demands.

This low ranking is primarily a consequence of the GPU's performance ceiling in this game. The data shows that the Arc B570 is unable to maintain high frame rates at higher settings. The combo's ranking is more a reflection of the game's demanding nature than a failing of the CPU. The i3-12100F's strong CPU benchmark scores, such as its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 11,860 and its 68th percentile ranking, suggest that it is providing adequate support. The bottleneck lies with the GPU, which is being pushed to its limits by The Medium's rendering engine.

The ranking also suggests that many other hardware pairings in the database are better suited to this game. With 2,911 total combinations, a rank of 2,321 means that 590 other combos perform worse. This places the system in the lower tier of performance. For users of this hardware, the data implies that significant compromises in graphical settings are necessary to achieve a smooth experience. The system is not a high-performance gaming rig for this title, but rather a budget-oriented setup that requires careful settings management.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo is found at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This configuration yields an average of 78 FPS, providing a smooth and responsive gameplay experience that is well above the 60 FPS threshold. This should be the default recommendation for any user prioritizing performance. The 1440p Low preset is also viable, with an average of 66 FPS, but it comes with a noticeable 15.4% performance penalty for a modest increase in visual clarity.

For users who desire better visual quality, the 1080p Medium preset is the next step up, offering an average of 49 FPS. While this is below 60 FPS, it is still a playable frame rate for a slower-paced horror game like The Medium. This preset is a reasonable compromise between visual fidelity and smoothness. The 1440p Medium preset, with an average of 41 FPS, is also playable but pushes the system closer to the edge. The High and Ultra presets are not recommended at any resolution, as the data shows they consistently produce average frame rates below 36 FPS, which will likely result in a stuttery and less immersive experience.

The data clearly indicates that the Ultra preset is not feasible for this hardware. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is just 18, making it effectively unplayable. The 1080p Ultra preset is only marginally better at 28 FPS. The performance cost of the Ultra preset's enhanced effects is too high for the Arc B570 to handle. The recommendation is to stick with Low or Medium presets, and to use 1080p as the primary resolution. This approach will ensure that the game remains responsive and enjoyable, leveraging the hardware's strengths while avoiding its weaknesses in this demanding title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete list of measured average FPS values for the Intel Core i3-12100F with Intel Arc B570 in The Medium.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 52 FPS
• Medium: 32 FPS (min 27, max 37)
• High: 23 FPS
• Ultra: 18 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 66 FPS
• Medium: 41 FPS (min 35, max 47)
• High: 29 FPS
• Ultra: 23 FPS

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 78 FPS
• Medium: 49 FPS (min 41, max 56)
• High: 35 FPS
• Ultra: 28 FPS

The data reveals a clear performance tier system. The 1080p Low configuration is the only one that provides a significant FPS buffer above 60. The Medium presets at 1080p and 1440p are in the "playable but not smooth" range of 40-50 FPS. All High and Ultra presets, along with the 4K Medium preset, fall into the territory of 18-35 FPS, where gameplay can feel sluggish. The minimum FPS values recorded for the Medium presets (27 at 4K, 35 at 1440p, and 41 at 1080p) show that the frame rate can dip even lower during intense scenes, reinforcing the need to stick to the recommended settings for a consistent experience.