The Medium

The Intel Core i7-12700K and Intel Arc B570 combination delivers a playable but heavily constrained experience in The Medium, with performance collapsing at higher resolutions and settings. The data shows a system where the GPU is the clear bottleneck, but the CPU provides enough headroom to avoid becoming a limiting factor at any tested setting. This pairing ranks in the 20th percentile of tested combos, indicating that while it can run the game, it does so with significant compromises at 4K and at Ultra presets across all resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, which is a classic indicator of GPU-bound rendering. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 78 FPS at 1920x1080 to 66 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 12 FPS, and then further down to 52 FPS at 3840x2160. This progression shows that the Arc B570 is struggling to maintain throughput as pixel count rises, with the jump from 1440p to 4K costing an additional 14 FPS on top of the 1080p to 1440p drop.

The scaling pattern becomes even more pronounced at higher quality presets. At Medium settings, the average FPS falls from 49 at 1080p to 41 at 1440p, and then to 32 at 4K. The High preset shows a similar trend: 35 FPS at 1080p, 29 FPS at 1440p, and 23 FPS at 4K. This consistent degradation across all settings confirms that the rendering load is scaling almost linearly with resolution, and the GPU has no spare capacity to absorb the extra pixel workload.

Ultra settings amplify the problem dramatically. The game drops to 28 FPS at 1080p, 23 FPS at 1440p, and a mere 18 FPS at 4K. The difference between 1080p and 4K at Ultra is a 10 FPS loss, which is proportionally similar to the losses seen at other presets but starts from a much lower baseline. These numbers suggest that the Arc B570's 10 GB of VRAM and 160-bit memory bus are insufficient to feed the rendering pipeline efficiently at 4K, particularly with the higher texture and shading demands of the Ultra preset.

The data indicates that 1080p is the only resolution where this combo can consistently hit playable frame rates, and even then only at Low or Medium settings. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 15-20% performance across all presets, while the jump to 4K costs an additional 20-25%. This scaling behavior points directly at the GPU as the limiting component, as the CPU's performance metrics suggest it has significant headroom to handle the increased draw calls and physics calculations that come with higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the primary constraint in this pairing, and its specifications explain the measured results. The GPU features 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output pipelines, with a boost clock of 2500 MHz. This configuration delivers 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, which is modest for modern games but should be adequate for a horror title like The Medium at lower settings. However, the memory subsystem appears to be a weak point: 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus provides 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is likely insufficient for the game's high-resolution textures and effects.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it at the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (deltaPct of 0.1% higher) and the Intel Arc A750 (deltaPct of 0.1% lower). This indicates that the B570 sits in the mid-range tier, capable of handling esports titles and older games well but struggling with demanding modern releases at high resolutions. The measured FPS in The Medium aligns with this assessment: the GPU can push 78 FPS at 1080p Low but falls to 18 FPS at 4K Ultra, showing that its compute and bandwidth resources are quickly exhausted.

The GPU's clock behavior is notable: both base and boost clocks are fixed at 2500 MHz, which means there is no dynamic overclocking headroom to compensate for increased load. This flat clock curve likely contributes to the consistent frame rate drops seen across resolutions, as the GPU cannot ramp up its speed to offset the higher pixel count. The 150 W TDP and 450 W suggested PSU indicate a power-efficient design, but this efficiency comes at the cost of raw performance when the game demands more from the silicon.

The VRAM capacity of 10 GB is a double-edged sword. At 1080p and 1440p, this is generally sufficient for The Medium's textures, allowing the GPU to operate without swapping assets to system memory. However, at 4K, the game's higher resolution textures and larger render targets likely exceed the 10 GB capacity, forcing the GPU to use slower memory paging, which contributes to the sub-30 FPS results at High and Ultra presets. The 380.0 GB/s bandwidth is also a limiting factor here, as the GPU cannot fetch texture data quickly enough to keep the shading units busy.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K provides a strong foundation for this gaming combo, with specifications that far exceed what The Medium requires. The CPU has 12 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its 25 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache ensure that game logic, AI routines, and asset streaming have ample fast storage. The CPU's performance metrics place it at the 84th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35287, putting it slightly ahead of the Intel Core i5-13600T (deltaPct of -0.1%) and the Intel Core i7-12700KF (deltaPct of -0.2%).

In multi-threaded workloads, the i7-12700K scores 19784 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 9979 in 3DMark max threads, indicating strong parallel processing capability. However, The Medium is not a highly multi-threaded game, and the CPU's single-thread performance is more relevant. The processor scores 1850.5 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 1043 in 3DMark single thread, figures that are more than adequate for the game's rendering thread and physics calculations. The 5.00 GHz boost clock ensures that the primary game thread can execute quickly, minimizing any potential CPU bottleneck.

The data supports this interpretation: at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 78 FPS, which is likely close to the game's engine limit rather than a CPU constraint. Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is clearly struggling at 18 FPS, the CPU is still capable of feeding it frames, as evidenced by the fact that frame rates scale consistently with resolution rather than fluctuating due to CPU stalls. The CPU's 20 threads and high clock speeds mean that background tasks, such as shader compilation or streaming, do not interfere with the game's performance.

The i7-12700K's nearest rivals show it is competitively positioned. It is virtually identical in performance to the i5-13600T (deltaPct of -0.1%) and the i7-12700KF (deltaPct of -0.2%), with all three CPUs having average scores around 35300. This suggests that any of these processors would produce nearly identical results in The Medium, confirming that the CPU is not the differentiator in this combo's rankings. The CPU's DDR4/DDR5 dual-channel memory support also provides flexibility, though the memory bandwidth is not a limiting factor given the game's moderate requirements.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of Intel Core i7-12700K and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2321 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the bottom 20% of systems evaluated. This ranking reflects the GPU's mid-range positioning rather than any CPU deficiency. The data indicates that the i7-12700K is a top-tier processor for gaming, but the Arc B570's performance ceiling prevents this combo from achieving higher placement.

The GPU's 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs is the primary driver of this combo's low standing. When paired with a stronger GPU, the i7-12700K would likely rank much higher, as its CPU performance metrics are competitive with the best available processors. However, in this specific pairing, the GPU's 11.52 TFLOPS of compute and 10 GB memory capacity limit the system to lower presets and resolutions to achieve playable frame rates.

The combo's rank is also influenced by the game's demanding nature. The Medium uses fixed camera angles and pre-rendered backgrounds, which can be surprisingly GPU-intensive due to the high-resolution textures and lighting effects. The Arc B570's 160-bit memory bus and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth may be sufficient for simpler games but struggle with the data throughput required by this horror title's visual style. The 18 FPS result at 4K Ultra is particularly telling, showing that the GPU's resources are completely exhausted at that setting.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of this combo's performance across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 78 FPS on Low, 49 FPS on Medium, 35 FPS on High, and 28 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting has a minimum of 41 FPS and a maximum of 56 FPS, showing some frame pacing variation but generally staying within a playable range. The jump from Low to Medium costs 29 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High costs 14 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs 7 FPS, indicating diminishing returns as settings increase.

At 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably. The system delivers 66 FPS on Low, 41 FPS on Medium, 29 FPS on High, and 23 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting again shows frame time variation with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 12-15% across all settings, which is consistent with the increased pixel count. The High and Ultra presets at this resolution fall below the 30 FPS threshold, making them less suitable for a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles significantly. The results are 52 FPS on Low, 32 FPS on Medium, 23 FPS on High, and 18 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting has a minimum of 27 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS, showing that even the middle ground is marginally playable. The Low preset is the only one that maintains a consistently playable frame rate at 4K, while High and Ultra are effectively unplayable for a game that requires precise timing and atmosphere.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with the Medium preset. This configuration yields an average of 49 FPS, with a minimum of 41 FPS, ensuring that the game remains fluid during tense sequences. The Low preset at 1080p achieves 78 FPS and is the best choice for players who prioritize frame rate stability over visual fidelity, though the visual downgrade may detract from the game's atmospheric horror.

For players with 1440p monitors, the Low preset at 66 FPS is the only setting that consistently stays above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 41 FPS is playable but may cause noticeable stuttering during action-heavy scenes, as the minimum frame rate of 35 FPS approaches the edge of comfort. The High and Ultra presets at 29 FPS and 23 FPS, respectively, are not recommended, as they fall below the 30 FPS threshold and will result in a choppy, unpleasant experience.

At 4K resolution, the Low preset at 52 FPS is the only viable option. The Medium preset at 32 FPS is borderline, with a minimum of 27 FPS that could cause visible frame hits, while High at 23 FPS and Ultra at 18 FPS are unplayable. The data clearly shows that this combo is not suited for 4K gaming in The Medium beyond minimal settings.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as even at 1080p it only achieves 28 FPS, which is below the playability threshold. The performance gap between Medium and High is significant (14 FPS at 1080p), so players should choose Medium to gain a substantial performance boost without sacrificing too much visual quality. The measured minimum frame rates at Medium (41 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p, 27 FPS at 4K) indicate that this preset provides the best balance of smoothness and visual fidelity across all resolutions, making it the default recommendation for this hardware combination.