The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title from 2021, presents a unique challenge for the Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the Intel Arc B370. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings are consistently low, indicating a system where the graphics processor is the primary constraint. This analysis examines the collected data to understand the performance characteristics of this specific hardware combination, focusing on how the CPU and GPU interact under the game's demands.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals a clear bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 46 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low reduces that to 39 FPS, a decline of 7 FPS. At 4K Low, the average falls to 30 FPS. This pattern—a roughly 15-20% performance loss at each higher resolution step—indicates that the rendering pipeline is heavily dependent on the GPU's fill rate and pixel processing capabilities.

The scaling becomes more pronounced at higher graphical presets. At Medium settings, the average frame rate goes from 29 FPS at 1080p to 24 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 19 FPS at 4K. The High preset shows a similar trajectory: 21 FPS at 1080p, 17 FPS at 1440p, and 14 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, yields only 16 FPS at 1080p, 14 FPS at 1440p, and 11 FPS at 4K.

These numbers suggest that the Intel Arc B370 is the limiting component. The CPU, with its 16 cores and 24 threads, is unlikely to be the primary bottleneck in a game like The Medium, which typically relies more on GPU throughput for its fixed-camera scenes and pre-rendered backgrounds. The consistent FPS drop across all settings levels when resolution increases points directly to the GPU struggling to manage the pixel count, rather than a CPU limitation that would manifest more uniformly regardless of resolution.

The data shows that 4K is not a viable option for this combination, even at Low settings where the average FPS sits at 30. The difference between 1080p and 4K at Low settings is a 16 FPS drop, which is substantial. For a smoother experience, the lower resolutions are mandatory, but even 1080p High only reaches 21 FPS, indicating that the GPU's performance ceiling is quite low for this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a high-end desktop processor from the Raptor Lake architecture, featuring 16 cores and 24 threads. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 30,745 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,116 in single-core. These scores place it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, indicating strong overall processing power.

Despite this robust CPU performance, the measured FPS in The Medium does not reflect a CPU-bound scenario. The frame rates are consistently low across all resolutions, which would not be the case if the CPU were the limiting factor. A powerful CPU like the i7-13700K would typically maintain higher frame rates at lower resolutions (1080p) if the game were CPU-dependent. Instead, we see only 46 FPS at 1080p Low, which is far below what this CPU could theoretically support in a well-optimized title.

The game's reliance on the GPU is further evidenced by the scaling pattern. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect similar frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, as the CPU's workload would not increase significantly with resolution. However, the data shows a clear decline, which is the signature of a GPU limitation. The CPU's role here is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, but the Arc B370 is unable to keep up with the rendering demands, leaving the i7-13700K's potential untapped.

The 3DMark multi-threaded scores for the CPU, such as 12,412 for max threads, show it can handle heavy computational loads. Yet, in this game, the hardware combo's performance is capped by the GPU. The data indicates that the i7-13700K is not the source of the low frame rates; rather, it is a capable processor that is waiting on the graphics card to finish its work.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and Intel Arc B370 ranks 2681 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the bottom 8% of all combinations tested, which is a poor result. This low ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data, which shows the system struggling to maintain playable frame rates at any settings.

This ranking is particularly striking when considering the CPU's individual performance. The i7-13700K is a top-tier processor, but it is paired with a GPU that ranks in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. The Intel Arc B370's average benchmark score is 1,184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, and its nearest rivals include older cards like the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which has a deltaPct of -0.5% compared to the Arc B370. This indicates that the GPU's performance level is similar to hardware from over a decade ago.

The combo's rank of 2681 suggests that, in the context of all tested hardware pairs, this specific CPU-GPU match is exceedingly weak for this game. The high-end CPU cannot compensate for the low-end GPU's limitations. The data implies that this configuration is not suitable for The Medium, as the GPU is a severe bottleneck that drags the entire system's performance down to the bottom tier.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at performance across all combinations of resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at 46. The Medium preset follows at 29 FPS, with a minimum of 24 and maximum of 33. High drops to 21 FPS, and Ultra falls to 16 FPS. None of these averages reach the 60 FPS threshold typically desired for smooth gameplay, and even the minimum FPS for Medium is below 30.

At 2560x1440, the performance degrades further. Low settings yield an average of 39 FPS, which is the only preset at this resolution to break 30 FPS. Medium averages 24 FPS (min 21, max 28), High averages 17 FPS, and Ultra averages 14 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 15 FPS, showing a significant performance hit from increasing graphical fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the results are largely unplayable. Low settings produce an average of 30 FPS, which is borderline. Medium averages 19 FPS (min 16, max 22), High averages 14 FPS, and Ultra averages 11 FPS. The difference between 1080p Low (46 FPS) and 4K Low (30 FPS) is 16 FPS, demonstrating the heavy toll that 4K resolution takes on the GPU.

The data shows a clear pattern: for every preset, the FPS decreases as resolution increases. The most playable configuration is 1080p Low at 46 FPS, but even this is not ideal. The Medium preset at 1080p, with an average of 29 FPS, is the best balance of quality and performance, but it still falls short of a smooth 30 FPS average. The minimum FPS values for Medium settings (24 at 1080p, 21 at 1440p, 16 at 4K) indicate that there are noticeable frame dips that could affect gameplay.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the clear bottleneck in this system. Its specifications are modest: 1,280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output units. It has 10 ray tracing cores and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. The GPU's memory is "System Shared," meaning it uses the system's RAM rather than dedicated VRAM, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." This design choice often leads to lower performance compared to dedicated graphics memory.

The GPU's pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s, with an FP32 performance of 6.144 TFLOPS. These numbers are low by modern standards, which is reflected in its 5th percentile ranking among all GPUs. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 1,184 points. Its nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (deltaPct -0.2%) and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (deltaPct -0.5%), both of which are legacy parts.

The GPU's performance in The Medium is severely inadequate. The low FPS at all resolutions and settings is directly attributable to the Arc B370's inability to process the game's graphics efficiently. The shared memory architecture likely contributes to the poor results, as the GPU must contend with the CPU for memory bandwidth. The game's demand for fill rate and pixel processing exceeds what this GPU can deliver, resulting in the low measured frame rates.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 46, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-13700K or the Intel Arc B370 the limiting factor?

A: The data indicates the Intel Arc B370 is the limiting factor. The FPS drops consistently as resolution increases, which is a GPU bottleneck, not a CPU one.

Q: Can this system play The Medium at 4K?

A: At 4K, the highest average FPS is 30 on Low settings. Medium settings yield 19 FPS, High yields 14 FPS, and Ultra yields 11 FPS. This is not a playable experience.

Q: How does the Arc B370's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1,184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its nearest rival, the ATI Radeon HD 5770, scores 1,190, which is a deltaPct of -0.5%, meaning the Arc B370 is slightly slower.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 2681 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the bottom tier of all tested systems.

Q: Are there any settings where the average FPS exceeds 60?

A: No. The maximum average FPS recorded is 46 at 1080p Low. No tested configuration reaches 60 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal configuration for this hardware is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which provides an average of 46 FPS. This is the only setting that offers a reasonably smooth experience, though it still falls short of the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset at 1080p yields a 29 FPS average, which is playable but with noticeable stutters, as the minimum FPS dips to 24.

For players who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, the Medium preset at 1080p is the best option. It offers a significant improvement over Low in terms of graphical fidelity while maintaining an average FPS that is close to 30. The High and Ultra presets are not recommended, as they drop the average FPS to 21 and 16, respectively, which will result in a choppy experience.

At 1440p and 4K, the data suggests that only the Low preset is worth considering. At 1440p Low, the average FPS is 39, which is acceptable for a slower-paced horror game. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 30, which is borderline. Higher settings at these resolutions result in average FPS below 25, which is not recommended. The Ultra preset should be avoided entirely, as it produces the lowest frame rates across all resolutions, with a minimum of 11 FPS at 4K.