The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title from 2021, presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core i5-14400F and Intel Arc B580 combination. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a configuration that is heavily influenced by graphics load, with the CPU providing a stable foundation. This analysis breaks down the benchmark data to show where the bottleneck lies and how to best configure the game for this specific hardware pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is severe, indicating that the Intel Arc B580 is the primary limiting factor. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 39.4 FPS at 1920x1080 to 32.1 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 7.3 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 27.8 FPS. This scaling pattern shows a 29% performance loss from 1080p to 4K at High settings, a clear sign that the GPU is saturated as pixel count increases.

The trend is even more pronounced at Ultra settings. The game runs at 28.5 FPS at 1080p, drops to 26.5 FPS at 1440p, and finally reaches a nearly unplayable 19.3 FPS at 4K. The difference between 1080p and 4K at Ultra is a 9.2 FPS loss, demonstrating that the highest preset places an enormous strain on the graphics processor. The data suggests that the Arc B580's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth are not sufficient to maintain fluid frame rates when the game’s visual fidelity is maxed out at higher resolutions.

Interestingly, the scaling at Low settings tells a different story. At 1080p Low, the configuration achieves 89.4 FPS. At 1440p Low, it still manages 74.9 FPS, and at 4K Low, it holds at 60.8 FPS. This is a much gentler decline, with only a 32% drop from 1080p to 4K. This indicates that when the graphical load is reduced, the system is better able to keep up, though the GPU still governs the final performance ceiling. The frame rate at 4K Low is still higher than at 1080p Ultra, underscoring how much headroom the GPU has when settings are optimized.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F provides a robust processing foundation for The Medium. With 10 cores and 16 threads, the processor has ample resources for the game's logic and asset streaming. Its boost clock of 4.70 GHz ensures strong single-thread performance, which is often critical for game simulation and camera movement in titles like this. The benchmark data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this pairing; the heavy frame rate drops are directly tied to resolution and settings, which are GPU-bound tasks.

The processor's synthetic benchmarks reinforce its capability. A Cinebench R23 multicore score of 21914 and a single-core score of 3093 indicate a high level of performance. This is further supported by its 88th percentile ranking against all CPUs, showing it outperforms the vast majority of processors on the market. The nearest rivals, including the Intel Core i7-12800H and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645, have nearly identical average benchmark scores, with deltaPct values of 0 and 0.2, respectively. This places the i5-14400F in a performance tier where it should not create a bottleneck in a game like The Medium, which does not typically stress CPUs to the same extent as the GPU.

Given its strong benchmark scores, the CPU's role is to feed the Arc B580 with enough data to render frames. The fact that the 1080p Low result reaches 89.4 FPS shows that the processor can handle high frame rates. The performance ceiling is consistently imposed by the graphics card, as evidenced by the drastic scaling with resolution. The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory also contribute to a responsive system, but the measured FPS data points to the GPU as the component dictating playability.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is the decisive component in this configuration. Its performance, as measured in The Medium, is moderate and heavily dependent on the chosen settings. At 1080p High, the GPU produces 39.4 FPS, which is playable but not smooth. The card’s 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 20 ray tracing cores are not enough to handle the game’s high preset at a consistent 60 FPS. The GPU's 66th percentile ranking versus all GPUs places it in the mid-range tier, and the benchmark results confirm this positioning.

The memory subsystem of the Arc B580, with 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, provides a 456.0 GB/s bandwidth. This is a substantial amount of memory, but the game’s demands at higher settings still overwhelm it. The drop from 53.7 FPS at 1080p Medium to 28.5 FPS at 1080p Ultra shows a stark performance penalty for the highest visual quality. This suggests that the combination of shading units, TMUs, and ROPs is not sufficient to process the increased effects and geometry at the Ultra preset.

In comparison to its nearest rivals, the Arc B580 sits close to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, with a deltaPct of -0.7, meaning the RTX 4060 is slightly faster in synthetic benchmarks. However, in this specific game, the Arc B580’s measured results are what matter. The data shows that to get a playable frame rate above 60 FPS, the settings must be lowered to Low. At 1440p High, the GPU produces 32.1 FPS, which is not ideal for a smooth experience. The GPU is clearly the bottleneck, as reducing resolution from 4K to 1080p at the same settings only yields a modest improvement in FPS, indicating that the card is struggling with the compute load at all resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal way to play The Medium with this hardware is to prioritize the Low preset for a fluid experience. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 89.4 FPS, which is well above the standard 60 FPS target. This setting provides the smoothest gameplay and avoids the performance dips seen at higher presets. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 53.7 FPS, which is close but not consistently above 60 FPS, making Low the safer choice for a locked frame rate.

For users with a 1440p monitor, the Low preset is also the recommended starting point, delivering 74.9 FPS. This is a playable frame rate that makes the game feel responsive. The High preset at 1440p drops to 32.1 FPS, which is too low for comfortable play. At 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option, as it produces 60.8 FPS, while the Medium preset falls to 33.6 FPS, and High drops to 27.8 FPS. The Ultra preset should be avoided entirely, as it fails to reach 30 FPS at any resolution, with a low of 19.3 FPS at 4K.

The data suggests that the game’s High and Ultra presets are too demanding for the Arc B580. The step from Low to Medium is significant, dropping performance by about 40% at 1080p, from 89.4 to 53.7 FPS. The jump to High is another 26% reduction. This indicates that the Low preset is the sweet spot for this GPU, as it allows the hardware to run the game at a frame rate that is both smooth and responsive, without the stutter and lag that would occur at higher settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play The Medium at with this hardware?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Low settings provides the highest average frame rate at 89.4 FPS. For a balance of visual quality and performance, 2560x1440 with Low settings is also viable, achieving 74.9 FPS.

Q: Can the Intel Arc B580 run The Medium at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it averages 60.8 FPS. At Medium settings, the frame rate drops to 33.6 FPS, and at High settings to 27.8 FPS, making those presets less suitable for smooth play.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest competitors?

A: The Intel Core i5-14400F has an average benchmark score of 32508, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-12800H (32513) and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 (32446), with deltaPct values of 0 and 0.2, respectively. It is also slightly ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 250, which has a deltaPct of -0.2.

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

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The frame rate drops significantly as resolution increases, from 89.4 FPS at 1080p Low to 60.8 FPS at 4K Low, while the CPU’s strong benchmark scores suggest it is not limiting performance.

Q: What settings should be used for a consistent 60 FPS experience?

A: To achieve a consistent 60 FPS, the Low preset is required. At 1080p, it yields 89.4 FPS, and at 1440p, it yields 74.9 FPS. The Medium preset falls below 60 FPS at 1080p, with an average of 53.7 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU's performance compare to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060?

A: In synthetic benchmarks, the Intel Arc B580 has an average score of 23021, which is 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060's score of 23181. This indicates they are closely matched in overall performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table presents the exact average frame rates measured for this configuration.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS |

| :--------- | :------- | :---------- |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 19.3 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 27.8 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 33.6 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 60.8 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 26.5 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 32.1 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 47.8 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 74.9 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 28.5 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 39.4 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 53.7 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 89.4 |

The data confirms a linear scaling of performance with graphical complexity. The Ultra preset is consistently the most demanding, with the lowest frame rates across all resolutions. Low settings offer the highest performance, making it the only preset that consistently delivers frame rates above 60 FPS. This breakdown provides a clear roadmap for users seeking to prioritize either visual fidelity or smooth gameplay with the Intel Core i5-14400F and Intel Arc B580.