The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title from 2021, presents a demanding workload that pushes the Intel Core i7-13700K and Intel Arc B570 combination to its limits. The measured data reveals a system where the graphics card is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strong multi-threaded performance ensures the frame rate scales predictably with settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and presets, interprets the GPU and CPU roles based on their specifications, and contextualizes the combo’s rank against other tested hardware pairings.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear and consistent pattern of frame rate degradation as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 78 at 1080p to 66 at 1440p, a decrease of 12 frames, and then to 52 at 4K, another 14-frame drop. This scaling indicates that even at the lowest graphical preset, the Intel Arc B570 is becoming increasingly saturated as pixel count rises. The transition from 1080p to 1440p represents a 15% performance hit, while the jump to 4K from 1440p is a 21% reduction, showing that the rendering load grows faster than the GPU’s ability to process it.

At High settings, the pattern is similar but with a steeper absolute decline. The average FPS goes from 35 at 1080p to 29 at 1440p and then to 23 at 4K. This represents a 17% drop from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a 21% drop from 1440p to 4K. The Medium preset shows the most consistent frame pacing, with averages of 49, 41, and 32 FPS across the three resolutions, and the measured minimum and maximum values (41-56 at 1080p, 35-47 at 1440p, 27-37 at 4K) indicate that the frame time variance remains controlled even as the load increases.

Ultra settings produce the lowest frame rates, with averages of 28, 23, and 18 FPS for 1080p, 1440p, and 4K respectively. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is an 18% reduction, and from 1440p to 4K is a 22% reduction. This consistent percentage-based scaling across all presets strongly suggests that the limiting component is the GPU’s raw pixel throughput rather than the CPU’s processing power. The Intel Core i7-13700K, with its 16 cores and 24 threads, is not impeding the frame rate at any resolution; the bottleneck is the Arc B570’s rendering capability, which is being taxed proportionally to the number of pixels being drawn.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570’s specifications directly explain the measured performance ceilings. The GPU features 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units, with a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz. This configuration yields a pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s. These figures indicate a mid-range part that is capable of 1080p and 1440p gaming but struggles with 4K, particularly on higher presets. The 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus provides 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for the game’s assets at 1080p and 1440p but becomes a limiting factor at 4K where the larger frame buffer demands more data throughput.

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 20556 places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (with a deltaPct of 0.1, meaning the Arc B570 is essentially tied) and the Intel Arc A750 (deltaPct of -0.1). This positioning confirms that the Arc B570 is a performance peer to those parts, which typically target 1440p gaming. The measured FPS data aligns with this: at 1440p Medium, the combo achieves 41 FPS, which is playable but not smooth, while at 1080p Medium it hits 49 FPS. The GPU’s 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the raw horsepower behind these numbers, and the 5 nm process node from TSMC allows for this performance within a 150 W TDP.

The memory subsystem is a critical factor. With 10 GB of VRAM, the card has enough capacity for the game’s textures at 1080p and 1440p, but the 160-bit bus width and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth are relatively narrow compared to higher-end parts. This is evident in the 4K results, where the average FPS at High settings (23) is barely above the minimum playable threshold, and at Ultra (18) it falls below. The data suggests that the GPU’s render output units and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints at 4K, while at lower resolutions, the shading units and texture rate are sufficient to keep up with the CPU’s frame delivery.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and acceptable frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 78 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors, but the Medium preset at 49 FPS offers a better balance of visual fidelity and smoothness. The Medium preset also has the benefit of measured minimum and maximum values (41-56 FPS), indicating stable frame pacing without severe dips. High at 35 FPS is playable on a standard 60 Hz display but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. Ultra at 28 FPS is not recommended for a consistently smooth experience.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 66 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play, but the Medium preset at 41 FPS is the best compromise for single-player horror, where atmosphere and detail matter more than raw speed. The High preset at 29 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 23 FPS is below the threshold for comfortable gameplay. The data indicates that Medium is the sweet spot for 1440p, as it provides a playable frame rate while maintaining the visual effects that The Medium relies on for its horror atmosphere.

For 3840x2160, the results are less encouraging. The Low preset averages 52 FPS, which is the only setting that achieves a smooth experience at this resolution. Medium drops to 32 FPS, which is marginally playable but with noticeable stutter, and High and Ultra at 23 and 18 FPS respectively are not viable for sustained gameplay. The recommendation for 4K is to use Low settings or to consider reducing the resolution to 1440p. The data shows that the Arc B570 is not a 4K-capable card for this title, as even the lowest preset cannot consistently hold 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-13700K and Intel Arc B570 combination ranks 2321 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium, placing it in the bottom 20% of all systems tested. This low rank is primarily due to the GPU’s mid-range performance, as the CPU is a high-end part that would typically be paired with a more powerful graphics card. The combo’s rank reflects the fact that the Arc B570 is the limiting factor, and the system’s overall score is dragged down by the GPU’s inability to push higher frame rates at the resolutions and settings where the CPU could easily deliver more.

The CPU itself ranks in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46881. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (deltaPct -0.2) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (deltaPct -0.3), meaning the i7-13700K is slightly ahead of those parts. This high CPU percentile does not translate to a high combo rank because the game is heavily GPU-bound. The 2321st rank out of 2911 combos indicates that most other tested systems have either a more balanced GPU-CPU pairing or a stronger GPU. For context, the combo is in the 79.7th percentile from the bottom, meaning roughly 79.7% of tested systems perform better in this specific game.

The discrepancy between the CPU’s strong standalone score and the combo’s weak game rank highlights the importance of GPU selection. The data shows that the i7-13700K is not the bottleneck, as evidenced by the fact that frame rates scale with resolution and settings in a manner consistent with GPU limitation. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar frame rates across different resolutions at the same settings, which is not the case. The combo rank of 2321 is a direct consequence of the Arc B570’s performance class, which is roughly equivalent to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile or an Intel Arc A750, both of which are mid-range parts.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration delivers strong multi-threaded performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30745 and Geekbench multi-core score of 19429. The single-thread performance is also solid, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2116 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2529.

In The Medium, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic. The measured FPS data suggests that the i7-13700K is more than capable of this task, as the frame rates are consistently limited by the GPU across all resolutions. For example, at 1080p Low, the system achieves 78 FPS, which is a high frame rate that would stress a weaker CPU. The fact that the CPU can sustain this frame rate without bottlenecking indicates that its 16 cores and 24 threads are sufficient for this game’s CPU demands. The 125 W TDP and the ability to boost to 5.40 GHz ensure that the processor can handle bursts of activity without thermal throttling.

The CPU’s benchmark scores provide further context. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 10717 and the max-thread score of 12412 show that the processor scales well with thread count, which is beneficial for games that use multiple cores. The PassMark multi-thread score of 45887 and the data compression score of 595292 indicate strong general-purpose computing capability. However, these scores are not directly relevant to game performance, as The Medium likely uses only a fraction of the available threads. The CPU’s percentile rank of 89 and its average benchmark score of 46881 place it in the top tier of processors, but this does not translate to a top-tier gaming experience when paired with the Arc B570.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS across all settings is as follows: Low 78, Medium 49, High 35, Ultra 28. The Medium preset has a minimum of 41 and a maximum of 56, while the other presets have no recorded min/max values. This data shows a clear linear progression, with each step up in settings costing roughly 14-15 FPS. The 1080p results are the most playable, with Low and Medium both exceeding 45 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS is: Low 66, Medium 41, High 29, Ultra 23. The Medium preset has a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 47. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings, averaging a 15-20% reduction in performance. The 1440p results are suitable for Low and Medium presets, but High and Ultra fall below 30 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS is: Low 52, Medium 32, High 23, Ultra 18. The Medium preset has a minimum of 27 and a maximum of 37. The 4K results are the weakest, with only the Low preset achieving a playable frame rate above 50 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is steeper, with a 20-25% reduction in performance across all settings.

The full data table is as follows:

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 23 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 52 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 32 | 27 | 37 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 18 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 29 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 66 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 41 | 35 | 47 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 23 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 35 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 78 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 49 | 41 | 56 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 28 | - | - |

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in The Medium?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the best resolution, as it achieves playable frame rates on Low (78 FPS) and Medium (49 FPS) presets. 2560x1440 is viable with Low (66 FPS) or Medium (41 FPS), while 3840x2160 only reaches a playable 52 FPS on Low settings.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its nearest rival?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 20556, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and 0.1% lower than the Intel Arc A750. This places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Why does the system perform poorly at 4K Ultra?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 18, which is unplayable. This is due to the GPU’s limited pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and its 10 GB memory capacity, which struggles to handle the increased rendering load at 4K.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-13700K a bottleneck in this game?

A: No. The CPU’s high benchmark scores (e.g., Cinebench R23 multi-core of 30745) and the fact that frame rates scale linearly with resolution indicate that the GPU is the limiting factor, not the CPU.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 2321 out of 2911 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 20% of systems. This low rank is attributed to the GPU’s mid-range performance class.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p Medium setting?

A: The average FPS is 41, with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 47. This is the most balanced setting for 1440p, offering a playable frame rate with moderate visual quality.