The Medium

# The Medium with Intel Core i5-12600KF + Intel Arc B370

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the Intel Arc B370 represents a peculiar combination in The Medium: a capable 10-core desktop processor driving an integrated-class graphics solution. The measured frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings presets place this combo at rank 2681 out of 2911 tested combinations, putting it in the bottom 8% of all systems. This is a configuration where the GPU is unambiguously the limiting factor — the CPU's 3.70 GHz base and 4.90 GHz boost clocks are never remotely stressed by the game's rendering demands, while the Arc B370's shared memory architecture and mobile-oriented design cap performance at levels typical of entry-level hardware from over a decade ago.

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

The Intel Core i5-12600KF brings substantial processing resources to this pairing. With 10 physical cores and 16 threads, it offers a hybrid Alder Lake configuration that can handle heavily threaded workloads with ease. The 3.70 GHz base clock and 4.90 GHz boost clock provide strong single-thread performance, as reflected in benchmark scores of 1016 in 3dmark single-thread, 1386 in Cinebench R20 single-core, and 3302 in Cinebench R23 single-core. These figures indicate the CPU is more than capable of feeding any graphics solution in this game.

Multi-threaded results reinforce this picture. The CPU scores 7956 in 3dmark 16-thread, 7952 in 3dmark max-threads, 23391 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, and 12137 in Geekbench multi-core. The 20 MB shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 per core provide ample on-die storage for game assets and instruction streams. In The Medium, a horror title that relies on fixed camera angles and scripted sequences rather than complex physics simulations, the CPU's role is primarily to maintain a stable frame pacing floor — and with performance this far above what the GPU can deliver, the CPU simply never becomes a bottleneck.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 79 versus all CPUs means it outperforms roughly four-fifths of all processors in the database. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Core i9-10900K at 27872 (a -0.3% delta), the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE at 27712 (a +0.3% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D at 27896 (a -0.3% delta). This places the i5-12600KF in the same performance tier as a previous-generation flagship and a current-generation gaming-focused X3D chip, confirming that the CPU is not the constraint here. In this game's measured results, the CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads deliver far more headroom than the 1280 shading units of the Arc B370 can utilize. The 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier are irrelevant to the game's performance profile; the data shows the CPU is effectively idle relative to the GPU's workload.

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

The Intel Arc B370 is the dominant factor in this combo's low ranking. This is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture on Intel's 3 nm process, with a 25 W TDP and no dedicated memory — it uses "System Shared" memory with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." The GPU's base clock is 300 MHz with a boost clock of 2400 MHz, and it features 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output units. The 10 ray tracing cores are present but contribute little at these performance levels.

The GPU's benchmark results are stark. In 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 1184, placing it at the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 at 1186 (-0.2%), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 at 1190 (-0.5%), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M at 1192 (-0.7%). These are all legacy discrete GPUs from approximately 2010-2011, which contextualizes the Arc B370's performance class: it trades blows with hardware that is over a decade old. The 6.144 TFLOPS FP32 and 12.29 TFLOPS FP16 compute figures are theoretical maximums that the shared memory bandwidth and 20 ROPs cannot sustain in real-world gaming.

In The Medium, the GPU's limitations are immediately visible. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo averages 46 FPS — the only playable result in the entire measured set. Every other resolution/settings combination falls below 40 FPS, with Ultra presets dropping to 16 FPS at 1080p, 14 FPS at 1440p, and 11 FPS at 4K. The 48.00 GPixel/s pixel rate and 96.00 GTexel/s texture rate are insufficient for the game's fixed-camera horror rendering, which includes volumetric fog, dynamic lighting, and dual-world rendering sequences that double the scene complexity. The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4 compatibility are irrelevant when raw throughput is this constrained.

FAQ

*Q: Is this combo capable of running The Medium at 1080p?*

A: At the Low preset, the measured average is 46 FPS at 1920x1080, which is technically playable. However, the Medium preset drops to 29 FPS, High to 21 FPS, and Ultra to 16 FPS at the same resolution, so playability is limited to the lowest settings.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27799, which is within 0.3% of the Intel Core i9-10900K (27872), AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (27896), and AMD Ryzen 7 6800U (27887). It edges out the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE (27712) by 0.3%.

*Q: What is the best settings preset for this hardware in The Medium?*

A: Based on measured data, the Low preset at 1920x1080 provides the only average above 40 FPS at 46 FPS. At 2560x1440 Low, the average is 39 FPS, which is borderline playable. No other preset at any resolution exceeds 30 FPS average.

Q: How does the Arc B370 rank among all GPUs?

A: The Arc B370 is at the 5th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1184. Its closest rival is the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which scores 1186 and is effectively identical in performance.

Q: Does the CPU's 10-core configuration help in this game?

A: The game's measured frame rates are entirely GPU-bound; the CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads never become a limiting factor. The CPU outperforms 79% of all CPUs in the database, while the GPU outperforms only 5% of all GPUs.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 4K with this combo?

A: At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 30 FPS, Medium averages 19 FPS, High averages 14 FPS, and Ultra averages 11 FPS. None of these are smooth experiences for a horror title requiring precise timing.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2681 out of 2911 tested combinations in The Medium, placing it in the bottom 8% of all systems. This ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU; the CPU is a top-tier desktop processor that would rank in the top 21% of all CPUs on its own. The discrepancy between the CPU's 79th percentile and the GPU's 5th percentile creates an extreme bottleneck scenario where the GPU is the sole performance limiter.

The rank of 2681 means that 2680 other system configurations deliver higher average frame rates in this game. Given the measured data, this is unsurprising: the Arc B370's performance is comparable to GPUs from 2010-2011, while The Medium is a 2021 release with demanding visual effects. The combo sits in a class where even low-end discrete GPUs from the past decade would outperform it. The data shows that this pairing is fundamentally mismatched for this game — the CPU's capabilities are wasted, and the GPU cannot deliver playable performance at any preset above Low at 1080p.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the only sensible configuration for this combo is the Low preset at 1920x1080, which yields an average of 46 FPS. This is the only measured result that approaches a smooth experience, and even it has no minimum FPS data recorded, suggesting frame times are inconsistent. The alternative of 2560x1440 Low at 39 FPS average is marginally worse but still within a playable range for a slow-paced horror game, though the lower resolution is preferable for consistency.

The Medium preset is not recommended: it produces 29 FPS at 1080p, 24 FPS at 1440p, and 19 FPS at 4K, with minimums of 24, 21, and 16 FPS respectively — these dips would cause noticeable stutter during scripted sequences. The High preset is worse still, ranging from 21 FPS at 1080p to 14 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is unplayable across the board, with 16 FPS at 1080p, 14 FPS at 1440p, and 11 FPS at 4K. The data clearly indicates that the Low preset is the only viable choice, and even then, users should expect a marginal experience in a game that relies on atmospheric tension and precise timing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured averages are: Low 46 FPS, Medium 29 FPS (with a minimum of 24 and maximum of 33), High 21 FPS, and Ultra 16 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 17 FPS, indicating that the Medium preset introduces rendering features that the GPU cannot handle. The step from Medium to High costs 8 FPS, and High to Ultra costs another 5 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 39 FPS, Medium 24 FPS (minimum 21, maximum 28), High 17 FPS, and Ultra 14 FPS. The resolution increase from 1080p to 1440p costs 7 FPS on Low, 5 FPS on Medium, 4 FPS on High, and 2 FPS on Ultra. The diminishing absolute drops at higher presets reflect that the GPU is already severely limited at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 30 FPS, Medium 19 FPS (minimum 16, maximum 22), High 14 FPS, and Ultra 11 FPS. The 4K resolution costs an additional 9 FPS on Low, 5 FPS on Medium, 3 FPS on High, and 3 FPS on Ultra compared to 1440p. The Low preset at 4K is the only 4K configuration that breaks 30 FPS, and it does so marginally.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU-bound nature of this combo. At Low settings, the average drops from 46 FPS at 1080p to 39 FPS at 1440p (a 15.2% decrease) and then to 30 FPS at 4K (a 23.1% decrease from 1440p). The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 34.8%. This scaling is less steep than would be expected from a purely pixel-bound workload, suggesting that the GPU is constrained by more than just fill rate — likely memory bandwidth from the shared system memory configuration.

At Medium settings, the averages drop from 29 FPS at 1080p to 24 FPS at 1440p (a 17.2% decrease) and then to 19 FPS at 4K (a 20.8% decrease from 1440p), for a total drop of 34.5%. At High settings, the progression is 21 FPS to 17 FPS to 14 FPS, which represents a 33.3% total drop. At Ultra settings, the averages are 16 FPS, 14 FPS, and 11 FPS, a 31.3% total drop.

The fact that the percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is relatively consistent across all presets (ranging from 31.3% to 34.8%) indicates that the GPU is uniformly limited across all settings levels. This is characteristic of a chip that is bottlenecked by its fundamental throughput capabilities rather than by any specific rendering feature. The CPU's performance headroom is confirmed by the fact that even at the lowest resolution and settings, the frame rate never approaches the CPU's capability ceiling — the 46 FPS at 1080p Low is a GPU limit, not a CPU limit. The resolution scaling data thus reinforces the conclusion that the Intel Arc B370 is the single point of failure in this configuration for The Medium.