The Medium

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the Intel Arc B370 produces a playable experience in The Medium only at the lowest settings and resolution, with a dramatic performance cliff as graphical demands increase. The data shows this combination is heavily GPU-limited, struggling to maintain fluid frame rates at 1080p and becoming effectively unplayable at 4K. This pairing ranks in the bottom 8% of all tested combinations, making it a configuration suited only for low-detail gaming.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is severe, revealing a component bottleneck that is almost entirely on the graphics side. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 46 FPS at 1920x1080 to 39 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 7 FPS, and then to 30 FPS at 3840x2160, a further 9 FPS drop. This linear degradation pattern is typical of a system where the GPU's rendering throughput is the limiting factor; the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames, but the Arc B370 simply cannot process the increased pixel count.

The scaling becomes even more punishing at higher settings. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings reduces the average from 21 FPS to 17 FPS, and at 4K it plummets to 14 FPS. The Medium preset tells a similar story, with averages of 29 FPS at 1080p, 24 FPS at 1440p, and 19 FPS at 4K. The delta between 1080p and 4K at Medium settings is a 10 FPS loss, which represents a 34% decrease in performance. This indicates that the graphics card's fill rate and shading power are exhausted quickly as resolution increases, with no sign of a CPU-induced plateau.

At Ultra settings, the situation is dire across the board. The average frame rate at 1080p is 16 FPS, which drops to 14 FPS at 1440p and 11 FPS at 4K. The performance ceiling is so low that even the 1080p result is below the threshold for acceptable playability. The data strongly suggests that the Intel Core i5-12400's six cores and 12 threads are not the constraint; the single-threaded performance and multi-core capabilities are more than sufficient for this title. Instead, the Arc B370's limited 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 20 ROPs are the definitive bottlenecks, making the GPU the sole determinant of frame rates in this configuration.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, and its performance in The Medium reflects its entry-level positioning. With a boost clock of 2400 MHz and 1280 shading units, the GPU's theoretical peak is 6.144 TFLOPS, a figure that places it near the bottom of the discrete GPU hierarchy. The benchmark data confirms this, as its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184 puts it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and ATI Radeon HD 5770.

The GPU's memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the host system's RAM for frame buffering. This architecture is inherently bandwidth-limited, as the memory bandwidth is "System Dependent" rather than dedicated. In a game like The Medium, which features fixed camera angles and detailed environments, this shared memory setup likely contributes to the low average frame rates observed. The data shows that even at Low settings, the GPU cannot maintain 60 FPS at any resolution, maxing out at 46 FPS at 1080p.

The VRAM capacity is also "System Shared," which can lead to contention with the CPU for memory resources. However, the frame time data, where available, shows relatively stable minimums. For instance, at 1080p Medium, the min FPS is 24 and the max is 33, indicating a 9 FPS variance. At 1440p Medium, the min is 21 and max is 28, a 7 FPS variance. This suggests that while the GPU is slow, it is not stuttering due to memory swapping; it is simply rendering frames at a low, consistent rate. The 25 W TDP of the Arc B370 reinforces its status as a low-power, integrated part, and the results show it is outclassed by the demands of this horror title.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this CPU and GPU combo?

A: The best result in the measured data is 46 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

*Q: Can this system run The Medium at 4K resolution?*

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it produces an average of 30 FPS. At Medium, High, and Ultra settings, the average frame rates are 19 FPS, 14 FPS, and 11 FPS respectively, which are below playable thresholds.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184 is 0.2% lower than the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570's 1186, and 0.5% lower than the ATI Radeon HD 5770's 1190. It is 1.4% faster than the AMD FirePro M2000, which scores 1168.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400 a bottleneck for the Intel Arc B370 in this game?

A: No. The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's average benchmark score is in the 72nd percentile, while the GPU is in the 5th percentile. The frame rates scale directly with resolution and settings, a hallmark of GPU limitation.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 46 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers 16 FPS. This is a 30 FPS difference, showing that the Ultra preset demands nearly three times the GPU performance.

Q: Does the combo rank well among all tested systems for this game?

A: No, it ranks 2681 out of 2911 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 8% of all configurations for The Medium.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400 + Intel Arc B370 combination ranks 2681 out of 2911 tested combos for The Medium, placing it in the 8th percentile of all systems. This is a very low standing, indicating that the vast majority of other tested hardware configurations deliver higher frame rates. The ranking is not surprising given the GPU's individual percentile of 5, which drags the overall combo down despite the capable CPU.

The CPU itself is a strong performer, with an average benchmark score of 18683, which places it in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7643, which scores 18697 and is 0.1% faster, and the Intel Core i7-1355U, which scores 18730 and is 0.3% faster. The Intel Core i3-14100F is 0.9% slower with a score of 18519. This data confirms that the processor is not the source of the low ranking; it has ample compute headroom.

The disparity between the CPU's high percentile and the GPU's low percentile explains the combo's poor standing. In gaming, the frame rate is dictated by the weakest link in the chain, and the Arc B370 is a very weak link. The measured FPS data shows that even at the lowest settings, the GPU cannot deliver a smooth 60 FPS experience. For context, the GPU’s nearest rivals are all older, low-end parts, with the ATI Radeon HD 5770 being a notable comparison. This combination is effectively a CPU with modern processing power paired with a GPU that is nearly a decade behind in raw rendering capability, resulting in a system that is unsuitable for demanding titles like The Medium.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the only viable settings for a playable experience are at the Low preset. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 46 FPS, which is the only configuration that approaches acceptable smoothness. The Medium preset at 1080p produces 29 FPS, which is borderline, but the Low preset is the safest recommendation for consistent performance. The data shows that any attempt to increase resolution or settings results in a significant drop in frame rate.

The Low preset at 2560x1440 delivers 39 FPS, which is playable for a slow-paced horror game, but the 1080p Low setting is superior. At 4K, the Low preset drops to 30 FPS, which is the minimum threshold for playability, but the frame pacing may suffer given the GPU's limitations. Therefore, the best experience is achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This setting balances visual fidelity with the GPU's capabilities, providing a stable baseline above the 30 FPS mark.

The Medium preset is not recommended for general play, as the 29 FPS average at 1080p is below the ideal smoothness target, and the min FPS of 24 indicates potential dips into stutter territory. High and Ultra presets are not viable at any resolution, as they all produce averages below 22 FPS. To summarize, users should prioritize resolution over settings; running at 1080p Low provides the highest and most stable frame rate, while any higher settings or resolutions will degrade the experience significantly.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the exact measured average frame rates for the Intel Core i5-12400 and Intel Arc B370 combination.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 46 FPS average
• Medium: 29 FPS average (min 24, max 33)
• High: 21 FPS average
• Ultra: 16 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 39 FPS average
• Medium: 24 FPS average (min 21, max 28)
• High: 17 FPS average
• Ultra: 14 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 30 FPS average
• Medium: 19 FPS average (min 16, max 22)
• High: 14 FPS average
• Ultra: 11 FPS average

The data reveals a consistent pattern: for every settings increase, there is a substantial penalty. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium costs 17 FPS, from Medium to High costs 8 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs 5 FPS. The scaling is similar at 1440p, where Low to Medium costs 15 FPS, and at 4K, where Low to Medium costs 11 FPS. The min and max FPS values for Medium settings show a variance of 9 FPS at 1080p and 7 FPS at 1440p, indicating that while the frame rate is low, it is relatively stable without major hitches. The overall picture is clear: this hardware combination is only capable of low-fidelity gaming in The Medium.