The Medium

The Intel Core i5-12400F and Intel Arc B370 combination delivers a fundamentally constrained experience in The Medium, with benchmark data placing this pairing near the bottom of the database. The measured results show a system that is heavily GPU-limited, where even the most aggressive settings reductions only yield marginal playability. The data indicates a rank of 2681 out of 2911 tested combos, underscoring that this hardware configuration is not suited for the game’s demanding fixed-camera rendering and volumetric effects.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake-S family, running on the Intel Socket 1700 platform. It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, drawing a 65 W TDP. The chip is built on Intel’s 10 nm process and features 18 MB of shared L3 cache, with 1.25 MB of L2 per core and 80 KB of L1 per core. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory through a dual-channel interface, though the memory bandwidth is not quantified in the data.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-12400F shows solid single-threaded performance with a 3dmark single-thread score of 909 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1680. Multi-threaded results are also respectable, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 12380 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 9472. The processor’s 3dmark 16-thread score of 5895 and max-thread score of 5912 indicate that it can handle heavily threaded workloads without significant scaling drop-off.

Despite the CPU’s capability, the measured FPS data in The Medium reveals that the processor is not the primary bottleneck. At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 46 FPS, which is the highest average recorded across all tested configurations. When moving to 1080p Medium, the average drops to 29 FPS, and at High it falls to 21 FPS. These numbers suggest that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU is capable of feeding the graphics card more frames than it can render. The CPU’s 73rd percentile ranking among all processors further confirms that it is a mid-to-upper-tier part, whereas the GPU sits at the 5th percentile, creating a stark imbalance in this pairing.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, fabricated on a 3 nm process. It operates at a base clock of 300 MHz with a boost clock of 2400 MHz, and its memory is system-shared, meaning the VRAM size, type, and bus width are all dependent on the host system’s RAM configuration. The GPU features 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 render output units, along with 10 ray tracing cores. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, and has a 25 W TDP with no dedicated power connectors.

In synthetic testing, the Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it at the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which scores 1186 (a delta of -0.2%), and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 with a score of 1190 (a delta of -0.5%). These are legacy parts from over a decade ago, yet the Arc B370 performs in the same range, indicating a severe performance deficit for a modern game like The Medium.

The GPU’s memory being system-shared is a critical factor in the measured results. The game’s fixed-camera angles and high-resolution textures require significant memory bandwidth, which is system-dependent and not dedicated. This likely contributes to the dramatic FPS drops as resolution increases. At 4K Ultra, the system averages only 11 FPS, while at 1080p Low it reaches 46 FPS. The scaling pattern suggests that the GPU’s rendering capabilities, not the CPU, cap the frame rate at every resolution and settings level.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best average FPS this combination can achieve in The Medium?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 46, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration in the measured data that approaches playability, though it still falls short of a smooth 60 FPS target.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 0.2% lower than the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186) and 0.5% lower than the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190). It is 1.4% ahead of the AMD FirePro M2000, which scores 1168.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400F a bottleneck in this system?

A: No, the data indicates the CPU is not the limiting factor. The i5-12400F ranks in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs and has a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 12380, while the GPU ranks in the 5th percentile. The FPS drops align with GPU workload increases, not CPU limitations.

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

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings yield an average of 46 FPS, while Ultra settings yield just 16 FPS. This represents a 30 FPS difference, or a 65% reduction in average frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest preset.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K resolution compared to 1080p?

A: At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average FPS is 30, whereas at 1920x1080 with Low settings, it is 46. This is a 16 FPS drop, or a 35% reduction, when moving from 1080p to 4K at Low settings.

Q: Are there any settings where the system maintains a consistent frame rate without large drops?

A: The only configuration with min and max FPS data is Medium settings across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the range is 24 to 33 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 21 to 28 FPS; and at 4K Medium, it is 16 to 22 FPS. These ranges show a relatively tight variance, but all are well below playable thresholds.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data for The Medium reveals a consistent pattern of performance degradation as both resolution and settings are increased. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the system achieves its best results. Low settings produce an average of 46 FPS, which is the only figure above 40 FPS in the entire dataset. Medium settings drop the average to 29 FPS, with a minimum of 24 and a maximum of 33. High settings further reduce the average to 21 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 16 FPS. This progression shows a steep decline of 30 FPS between Low and Ultra at 1080p.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance decreases across all presets. Low settings yield an average of 39 FPS, a 7 FPS reduction compared to 1080p Low. Medium settings average 24 FPS, with a range of 21 to 28 FPS. High settings drop to 17 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 14 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 25 FPS, slightly smaller than at 1080p but still substantial.

At 3840x2160, the highest resolution, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 30 FPS, which is the best result at this resolution. Medium settings average 19 FPS, with a range of 16 to 22 FPS. High settings drop to 14 FPS, and Ultra settings reach a low of 11 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 19 FPS, indicating that the GPU’s rendering limits are being approached.

Across all resolutions, the Medium settings preset is the only one with full min and max FPS data. The data shows that at 1080p Medium, the min FPS is 24 and the max is 33; at 1440p Medium, the min is 21 and the max is 28; and at 4K Medium, the min is 16 and the max is 22. These ranges suggest that frame pacing is relatively stable, but the absolute values are too low for a smooth experience. No other preset includes min or max values, leaving only average FPS for comparison.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling behavior in The Medium provides clear evidence that the Intel Arc B370 is the dominant bottleneck. From 1080p to 4K at Low settings, the average FPS drops from 46 to 30, a 16 FPS reduction or 35% decrease. At Medium settings, the drop is from 29 FPS at 1080p to 19 FPS at 4K, a 10 FPS reduction or 34% decrease. High settings see a drop from 21 FPS to 14 FPS, a 7 FPS reduction or 33% decrease. Ultra settings drop from 16 FPS to 11 FPS, a 5 FPS reduction or 31% decrease.

These percentage drops are relatively consistent across all settings presets, hovering around 31% to 35% from 1080p to 4K. This uniform scaling suggests that the GPU is being saturated at every resolution, and the frame rate is primarily determined by the number of pixels being rendered rather than any CPU-side limitation. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively flat as resolution increases, since the CPU workload would stay the same while the GPU takes on more pixel processing. Instead, the FPS scales downward with resolution, confirming the GPU is the limiting component.

The absolute FPS values reinforce this conclusion. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 46 FPS, which is the ceiling for this hardware. Even at the lowest settings and resolution, the GPU cannot push past this point. As resolution increases, the GPU’s pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth are stretched further, causing the FPS to drop proportionally. The 4K results, which max out at 30 FPS on Low settings and 11 FPS on Ultra, indicate that the Arc B370 is simply not capable of handling the game’s rendering demands at higher resolutions, regardless of the CPU’s readiness.

The system-shared memory further exacerbates the scaling issue. As resolution increases, the GPU requires more memory bandwidth to access textures and frame buffers, but since the memory is system-dependent, it likely competes with the CPU for the same resources. This could explain the steep drop at 4K, where the average FPS falls below 20 for all settings except Low.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the only settings preset that approaches a playable experience is Low at 1920x1080, which achieves an average of 46 FPS. This is the highest average recorded in the entire dataset and is the only configuration that stays above 30 FPS. While 46 FPS is not ideal for a smooth experience, it is significantly better than any other option. The next closest is Low at 2560x1440, which averages 39 FPS, but this comes at a higher resolution with a 7 FPS penalty.

For users who prioritize resolution over frame rate, Low at 2560x1440 offers a 39 FPS average, which may be preferable for those with a 1440p display. However, the data shows that this comes at a 15% performance cost compared to 1080p Low. At 4K, Low settings produce an average of 30 FPS, which is technically playable on some displays but likely to feel choppy in a horror game that relies on atmospheric tension and smooth camera transitions.

The Medium settings preset, which has full min and max FPS data, does not provide a better experience. At 1080p Medium, the average is 29 FPS with a range of 24 to 33 FPS. This is a 37% reduction from Low settings, and the minimum FPS of 24 suggests that frame drops will be noticeable during intense scenes. At 1440p and 4K Medium, the averages fall to 24 and 19 FPS respectively, making them less viable options.

High and Ultra settings are not recommended under any circumstances. At 1080p High, the average is 21 FPS, and at Ultra it drops to 16 FPS. At 1440p, High averages 17 FPS and Ultra 14 FPS. At 4K, High averages 14 FPS and Ultra 11 FPS. These figures are well below the threshold for a playable experience, and the data does not include min or max values for these presets, suggesting that frame pacing may be even less stable.

Given the data, the optimal configuration is 1920x1080 with Low settings, as it provides the highest average FPS and the least demanding workload for the GPU. Users with 1440p displays can consider Low settings as a compromise, but the 39 FPS average may not be worth the reduction in visual quality. For this hardware combination, the data clearly indicates that sacrificing resolution and settings is necessary to achieve the best possible frame rate in The Medium.