The Medium

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the Intel Arc B580 delivers a playable experience in The Medium at 1080p and 1440p, but the data clearly shows that 4K is out of reach for smooth gameplay. This combo ranks in the bottom quarter of tested configurations for this title, indicating that while the CPU is a top-tier performer, the GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck at higher resolutions. The benchmark results provide a clear picture of where this pairing excels and where it falls short, making it a practical choice for 1080p horror gaming rather than a high-resolution powerhouse.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, pointing directly at the GPU as the limiting component. At 1080p with Medium settings, the combo averages 55 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings drops the average to 47 FPS, a decline of roughly 15%. The jump to 4K at Medium settings is far more punishing: the average falls to 37 FPS, which is a 33% reduction from the 1440p result and a 33% drop from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario—the CPU has ample headroom, but the Arc B580’s rendering throughput cannot keep pace with the pixel count increase.

The trend becomes even more pronounced when examining the Low settings preset. At 1080p Low, the system hits 88 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. At 1440p Low, it drops to 74 FPS, still playable but showing the load increasing. At 4K Low, the average plummets to 58 FPS—a 34% reduction from the 1080p result. This indicates that even at the lowest graphical fidelity, the 4K resolution demands more from the GPU than it can efficiently deliver for a locked 60 FPS experience. The data suggests that the i7-13700K is not the constraint here; if it were, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions.

Looking at the High preset, the scaling is similarly aggressive. The system produces 40 FPS at 1080p, 33 FPS at 1440p, and 26 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 4K is a 35% reduction, reinforcing that the Arc B580’s memory bandwidth and shading power are the primary factors limiting performance. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with 31 FPS at 1080p, 26 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K. These numbers confirm that Ultra settings are only viable for sub-30 FPS cinematic play, regardless of resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested CPU and GPU combinations for The Medium, this specific pairing ranks 2819 out of 3724 combos. That places it in the 75th percentile from the bottom, meaning roughly three-quarters of all tested systems deliver higher frame rates in this game. This is a relatively low rank for a combination featuring a high-end 13th-gen Intel CPU, which underscores how heavily the game leans on GPU performance.

The combo’s rank is driven almost entirely by the Arc B580’s standing among GPUs. The card sits in the 68th percentile against all GPUs, which is mid-range territory. Its average benchmark score of 23021 places it in close competition with several older and newer cards. The data shows the Arc B580 is nearly identical in average score to the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (23061, a 0.2% difference) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22895, a 0.6% gap). It also trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 by just 0.7% in average score, which is surprising given the generational gap.

For context, the CPU is in the 89th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46881. This places it slightly below the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (46971, a 0.2% difference) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (47022, a 0.3% difference), while edging out the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (46654, a 0.5% lead) and the Intel Xeon w3-2535 (46653, a 0.5% lead). The rank disparity between the CPU and GPU in this combo explains the overall ranking: the processor is among the best available, but the graphics card drags the combined result down in a GPU-intensive title like The Medium.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is the decisive factor in this combo’s performance. Its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p textures but becomes strained at 4K. The card’s base and boost clocks are both 2670 MHz, and it features 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. These specifications translate to a pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s, which are respectable for the mid-range segment.

The memory configuration is worth noting. With 12 GB of VRAM, the card has enough capacity for The Medium’s high-resolution textures at 1440p, but the 192-bit bus limits how quickly that data can be fed to the GPU cores. The 4K results—26 FPS on High and 37 FPS on Medium—suggest that the bandwidth is the primary bottleneck rather than raw compute. The card’s FP32 performance of 13.67 TFLOPS is adequate for this title, but the data shows that the memory subsystem cannot sustain the throughput required for 4K at playable frame rates.

The Arc B580’s nearest rivals in benchmark scores are a mixed bag. It is essentially tied with the RX 580 2048SP and the RTX 2080, while being slightly behind the RTX 3080. This places it in a strange position: it offers modern features like DirectX 12 Ultimate support and 20 ray tracing cores, but its raw rasterization performance is comparable to cards from several generations ago. In The Medium, which is a fixed-camera horror game with heavy volumetric effects, the GPU’s shading capabilities are tested more than its ray tracing hardware, and the results reflect a mid-range showing.

The card’s power draw is listed at 190 W, with a suggested PSU of 450 W, indicating it is relatively efficient for the performance it delivers. The dual-slot cooler and 272 mm length make it a standard fit for most cases. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU’s performance scales predictably with settings, but the 4K numbers are consistently below 60 FPS, confirming that this is not a 4K-capable card for demanding titles.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run The Medium at 4K 60 FPS?*

A: No. The highest average FPS at 4K is 58 on Low settings, which is close but not a stable 60. On Medium, it drops to 37 FPS, making 4K viable only for low-fidelity, cinematic play.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: The data shows 1080p is the sweet spot. At Medium settings, the combo averages 55 FPS, and at Low settings it reaches 88 FPS. 1440p is playable but with a noticeable dip to 47 FPS on Medium.

Q: How does the Arc B580 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Arc B580’s average benchmark score is 23021, which is within 0.7% of the RTX 3080, 0.6% of the RTX 2080, and 0.2% of the RX 580 2048SP. It performs at a similar level to these cards in synthetic tests.

Q: Is the i7-13700K holding back the GPU?

A: No. The CPU ranks in the 89th percentile and has a high average score of 46881. The FPS drops across resolutions indicate the GPU is the limiting factor, not the processor.

Q: What settings should I use for a smooth experience?

A: For 60 FPS, use Low settings at 1080p (88 FPS) or Low at 1440p (74 FPS). For 50-60 FPS, Medium at 1080p (55 FPS) is the best balance. Avoid Ultra at any resolution, as it only reaches 31 FPS at 1080p.

Q: Does the game use ray tracing effectively on this GPU?

A: The GPU has 20 ray tracing cores, but the measured FPS data does not separate ray tracing performance. The overall scores suggest the rasterization load dominates, and the card’s mid-range standing limits ray tracing capabilities in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a complete picture of this combo’s capabilities across three resolutions and four settings presets. Starting at 1920x1080, the system produces an average of 40 FPS on High, 88 FPS on Low, 55 FPS on Medium, and 31 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 47 FPS and a maximum of 64 FPS, indicating some variance but generally stable performance. The Low preset at 88 FPS is the only configuration that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 33 FPS on High, 74 FPS on Low, 47 FPS on Medium, and 26 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset again shows the full range with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 54 FPS. The 1440p results are roughly 17-20% lower than the 1080p results across all settings, which is a moderate penalty for the higher pixel count. The Low preset at 74 FPS remains the only option for smooth gameplay, while Medium hovers near the edge of playability.

At 3840x2160, the averages drop to 26 FPS on High, 58 FPS on Low, 37 FPS on Medium, and 21 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 31 FPS and a maximum of 42 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable play. The Low preset at 58 FPS is the only 4K setting that approaches a playable frame rate, but it still falls short of a locked 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 21 FPS is effectively a slideshow, confirming that this resolution is not suitable for this GPU.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent pattern: roughly a 30-35% reduction in FPS for each resolution step up. This linear decline is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance, where the CPU’s processing power is underutilized. The i7-13700K’s 16 cores and 24 threads are more than sufficient for this game’s demands, but the Arc B580’s 12 GB of VRAM and 192-bit memory bus simply cannot push the pixel count required for 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and it includes 30 MB of shared L3 cache. These specifications make it a high-end desktop processor, but in The Medium, its role is secondary to the GPU.

Benchmark data shows the i7-13700K is a strong performer. In Cinebench R23, it scores 30745 in multi-core and 2116 in single-core. Geekbench results are 19429 in multi-core and 2529 in single-core. PassMark tests show a multithread score of 45887 and a single-thread score of 4333. These numbers place the CPU in the 89th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46881. Its nearest rivals are all within 0.5% of its score, showing it is competitive with the best processors from AMD and Intel’s own Xeon line.

For The Medium, the CPU’s high single-thread performance is more relevant than its multi-thread capabilities. The game is a horror title with fixed camera angles, which typically relies on a few heavily optimized threads for rendering logic. The i7-13700K’s single-core score of 2116 in Cinebench R23 and 2529 in Geekbench ensures that the CPU will not bottleneck the GPU at lower resolutions. However, the measured FPS data shows that the GPU becomes the constraint as resolution increases, meaning the CPU’s performance headroom is never fully taxed.

The CPU’s 30 MB of L3 cache and 24 threads provide ample resources for background tasks and system overhead while gaming. The data suggests that even with the Arc B580’s mid-range performance, the i7-13700K ensures that frame times remain stable, as evidenced by the Medium preset’s minimum FPS being within 15% of the average. In summary, the CPU is a top-tier component that performs its role flawlessly, but it cannot compensate for the GPU’s limitations in this specific title.