The Medium

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the Intel Arc B370 is a combination that lands in the lower echelon of tested hardware for The Medium, a horror title released in early 2021. The data shows a system that is severely constrained by its graphics solution, struggling to maintain playable frame rates even at 1080p. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, focusing on how the GPU's shared-memory architecture and the CPU's six-core design interact with the game's demanding visuals.

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

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) built on Intel's Xe3-LPG architecture, fabricated on a 3 nm process. Its specifications are modest, with 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output pipelines. The chip includes 10 ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6. However, the most critical limitation for gaming is its memory configuration: the GPU uses System Shared memory, meaning its VRAM size, type, and bus width are all listed as "System Shared." The memory bandwidth is also "System Dependent," which ties performance directly to the CPU's dual-channel DDR4 memory bus, rated at 42.7 GB/s.

Clock speeds for the Arc B370 are listed with a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2400 MHz. The pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance at 6.144 TFLOPS. These figures place the GPU in the 5th percentile of all GPUs in the benchmark database. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks (3DMark Steel Nomad DX12) are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, ATI Radeon HD 5770, and AMD Radeon HD 7650M, all with average scores within a fraction of a percent of the Arc B370's 1184. This context is crucial: the Arc B370 is competing with hardware from over a decade ago in raw compute, which explains its poor showing in The Medium.

In The Medium, the GPU's role is the primary bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 46 FPS, but this drops sharply with any increase in graphical load. The game's fixed-camera angles and pre-rendered-style environments put a heavy load on fill rate and memory bandwidth, both of which are weak points for an IGP relying on shared system memory. The 25 W TDP and lack of dedicated power connectors confirm this is designed for low-power, portable devices, not high-end gaming. The data indicates that the Arc B370's shared memory architecture is a fundamental constraint, as even modest settings changes cause disproportionate frame rate penalties.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B370 ranks 2681 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the bottom 8% of all systems benchmarked for this specific title, a position that reflects the GPU's severe limitations rather than the CPU's capabilities. The data shows this is not a balanced pairing; the i5-9400 is a mid-range desktop processor from 2018, while the Arc B370 is an entry-level integrated solution from a much later generation.

To put the GPU's performance in perspective, its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 puts it in the 5th percentile overall. Its nearest rivals are all legacy or low-end parts: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (score 1186, delta -0.2%), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (score 1190, delta -0.5%), AMD Radeon HD 7650M (score 1192, delta -0.7%), and AMD FirePro M2000 (score 1168, delta 1.4%). These deltas are negligible, meaning the Arc B370's raw compute performance is statistically identical to these ancient parts. In The Medium, this translates to a system that can only handle the game at its lowest settings and resolution.

The combo rank of 2681 indicates that in nearly every other tested configuration, users will get better performance in this game. The fact that this rank is so low, despite the CPU being a reasonably capable six-core part, underscores that the GPU is the limiting factor. Even the most efficient CPU cannot compensate for a graphics solution that lacks the dedicated memory bandwidth and processing power required by a modern horror title like The Medium. The data suggests that this combo is only viable for users who are willing to play at 1080p Low and accept significant compromises in visual fidelity and frame stability.

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

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At Low settings, the average frame rates are 46 FPS at 1920x1080, 39 FPS at 2560x1440, and 30 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 15% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 23% drop from 1440p to 4K. The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 35%. This scaling is relatively linear, which is typical when the GPU is the primary bottleneck and the CPU has headroom.

However, the picture changes dramatically at higher settings. At Medium settings, the averages are 29 FPS at 1080p, 24 FPS at 1440p, and 19 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are similar (17% and 21%), but the absolute numbers are already below playable thresholds. At High settings, the averages are 21 FPS at 1080p, 17 FPS at 1440p, and 14 FPS at 4K. At Ultra settings, the averages are 16 FPS at 1080p, 14 FPS at 1440p, and 11 FPS at 4K.

The key insight from this data is that the frame rate penalty for increasing resolution is consistent across all settings, suggesting that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are exhausted at any resolution above 1080p. The i5-9400, with its 6 cores and 6 threads boosting up to 4.10 GHz, is not the limiting factor here; if it were, we would see a larger drop in performance at lower resolutions where the CPU has to feed more frames. Instead, the data shows that even at 1080p Low, the system only reaches 46 FPS, which is far below what a modern CPU should be able to push. This indicates that the Arc B370 is saturated at even the lowest load, and any increase in resolution or settings directly reduces the frame rate.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it achieves an average of 46 FPS. At Medium settings, the average drops to 29 FPS, and at High it falls to 21 FPS. For a stable experience, 1080p Low is the only viable option.

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

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its nearest rivals are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, -0.2%), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, -0.5%), AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, -0.7%), and AMD FirePro M2000 (1168, 1.4%). This means it performs nearly identically to these legacy parts.

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

A: Based on the measured data, Low settings at 1920x1080 is the only preset that provides an average FPS above 30. At 2560x1440 Low, the average is 39 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Low, it is 30 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: No. The data shows that the frame rate scales consistently with resolution and settings, which is a GPU-bound pattern. The Intel Core i5-9400 has 6 cores and 6 threads with a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, which is sufficient for this workload. The Arc B370's shared memory and low compute power are the limiting factors.

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems in The Medium?*

A: It ranks 2681 out of 2911 combos, placing it in the bottom 8% of all configurations tested for this game.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B370's memory configuration a problem?

A: Yes. The GPU uses System Shared memory, with its bandwidth listed as "System Dependent." This means it relies on the CPU's dual-channel DDR4 memory bus (42.7 GB/s), which is insufficient for high-resolution textures and effects in a game like The Medium.

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

The measured FPS data for this combo in The Medium is as follows:

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 46 FPS average
• Medium: 29 FPS average, 24 FPS minimum, 33 FPS maximum
• High: 21 FPS average
• Ultra: 16 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 39 FPS average
• Medium: 24 FPS average, 21 FPS minimum, 28 FPS maximum
• High: 17 FPS average
• Ultra: 14 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 30 FPS average
• Medium: 19 FPS average, 16 FPS minimum, 22 FPS maximum
• High: 14 FPS average
• Ultra: 11 FPS average

The data shows a clear hierarchy: Low settings are the only playable option, and even then, only at 1080p with an average of 46 FPS. At Medium settings, the average drops below 30 FPS at all resolutions, making the game feel stuttery. High and Ultra settings are effectively unplayable, with averages in the teens or low 20s. The minimum FPS values, where available, show that frame pacing is also an issue, with the 1080p Medium setting dipping to 24 FPS and 1440p Medium dipping to 21 FPS. This indicates that the system struggles to maintain consistent frame delivery, likely due to the shared memory bandwidth being saturated.

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

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a desktop processor from the Coffee Lake Refresh generation, built on a 14 nm process. It has 6 cores and 6 threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. The CPU supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s, and it uses a PCIe Gen 3 interface with 16 lanes. Its L3 cache is 9 MB shared, and it has 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2 per core. The processor is unlocked? No, the multiplier is locked, and it has a TDP of 65 W.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-9400 scores 6629 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 935 in single-core. Its Geekbench scores are 5141 multi-core and 1389 single-core. The average benchmark score is 2254, placing it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (score 2259, delta -0.2%), Intel Core i7-10710U (score 2248, delta 0.3%), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (score 2246, delta 0.4%), and Intel Core i3-10305 (score 2264, delta -0.4%). These deltas are all within a fraction of a percent, meaning the i5-9400's performance is essentially identical to these parts in mixed workloads.

In The Medium, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU. The game's performance is clearly limited by the Arc B370, as evidenced by the consistent frame rate drops across resolution and settings changes. The i5-9400's 6 cores and 4.10 GHz boost clock are more than adequate to handle the game's logic and physics, especially at the low frame rates this combo produces. The data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the system only manages 46 FPS. This suggests that the CPU is not waiting for the GPU to finish rendering; rather, the GPU is the bottleneck that prevents the CPU from ever being fully utilized. The CPU's memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s is also the ceiling for the GPU's shared memory, which is a fundamental limitation that no amount of CPU processing power can overcome. In this pairing, the i5-9400 is a competent processor that is handicapped by an extremely weak graphics solution.