The Medium

The Medium is a horror title that stresses both the CPU and GPU depending on the settings and resolution chosen. The data for the Intel Core i7-14700F and Intel Arc B570 combo shows a clear performance profile: at 1080p, the system can achieve playable frame rates on lower presets, but the experience degrades rapidly as resolution and graphical fidelity increase. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to understand the balance between the processor and graphics card in this specific configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a significant shift in performance as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the Medium preset, the average frame rate drops from 49 FPS at 1080p to 41 FPS at 1440p, and then falls to 32 FPS at 4K. This represents a 16% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 22% drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling pattern indicates that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the pixel count increase directly impacts the rendering load.

Looking at the Low preset, the same resolution scaling trend is visible but with higher absolute numbers. The average FPS at 1080p Low is 78, which drops to 66 at 1440p and 52 at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 33%, which is less severe than the 35% drop seen at Medium settings. This suggests that at lower settings, the CPU has more headroom to feed the GPU, but the GPU still becomes the bottleneck as resolution climbs.

The High and Ultra presets show even more dramatic scaling. High settings produce 35 FPS at 1080p, 29 FPS at 1440p, and 23 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings produce 28 FPS at 1080p, 23 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset at 4K produces only 18 FPS, which is below playable thresholds. The consistent pattern across all presets indicates that the Arc B570's rendering capabilities are the dominant factor in determining performance at resolutions above 1080p.

The frame time data for Medium settings provides additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 41 and maximum is 56, giving a range of 15 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range tightens to 12 FPS (35 to 47), and at 4K Medium, the range narrows further to 10 FPS (27 to 37). This tightening of the frame time variance at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is consistently saturated, leaving less room for fluctuation. At 1080p, the CPU can occasionally push the GPU harder, creating more variance in frame delivery.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores indicate strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35122 and a single-core score of 4958. The processor ranks in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, making it a high-end part that should not bottleneck most gaming workloads, especially at lower resolutions.

In The Medium, the CPU's role becomes more apparent at 1080p where the GPU is less stressed. The jump from 1080p Low (78 FPS) to 1080p Medium (49 FPS) is a 37% reduction, which is a larger relative drop than the 21% reduction seen from 1440p Low (66 FPS) to 1440p Medium (41 FPS). This indicates that at 1080p, the CPU has more influence on the performance ceiling, as the GPU can process frames faster when the graphical load is lighter. However, even at 1080p, the GPU is still the primary constraint, as the 20-core processor with 28 threads provides ample compute resources for the game's logic.

The processor's 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache help maintain smooth frame delivery in scenes with complex game logic. The benchmark data shows a PassMark multi-thread score of 41317 and a single-thread score of 4257, which places it well above the average CPU. The nearest rival comparison shows the i7-14700F is 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X in average benchmark score, with a deltaPct of 0.6. This level of performance means the CPU is not the limiting factor in The Medium's measured results, even at lower resolutions where frame rates are higher.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2321 out of 2911 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the bottom 20% of all tested configurations, which is a low ranking for a system with such a capable processor. The ranking reflects the GPU's limitations in this specific game, as the Arc B570's performance is the primary constraint on the measured frame rates.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 65 for all GPUs, combined with its average benchmark score of 20556, indicates it is a mid-range graphics card. Its nearest rival comparison shows it is 0.1% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and 0.1% ahead of the Intel Arc A750. This places the Arc B570 in a competitive but not top-tier position. The combo's low rank in The Medium suggests that the game is particularly demanding on the GPU, and the Arc B570's 10 GB of GDDR6 memory and 160-bit bus width may not be sufficient for the game's higher presets.

The combo rank of 2321 out of 2911 is a strong indicator that users should not expect high frame rates in The Medium with this hardware. The data shows that even at 1080p Medium, the system only achieves 49 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider smooth. The low ranking is not a reflection of the CPU, which is a high-end part, but rather a clear signal that the GPU is the bottleneck in this pairing for this particular title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured FPS data shows a range of performance across the four presets. The Low preset delivers 78 FPS average, which is the highest frame rate in the entire dataset. The Medium preset produces 49 FPS average with a minimum of 41 and maximum of 56. The High preset drops to 35 FPS average, and the Ultra preset produces 28 FPS average. This represents a 64% reduction from Low to Ultra at 1080p, showing that the graphical settings have a massive impact on performance at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops across all presets. The Low preset averages 66 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 15% reduction from 1080p Low. The Medium preset averages 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 and maximum of 47. The High preset averages 29 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 23 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1440p is a 65% reduction, very similar to the 1080p scaling, indicating that the GPU is consistently stressed across all settings.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes marginal for most presets. The Low preset averages 52 FPS, which is the only preset at 4K that approaches playable frame rates. The Medium preset averages 32 FPS with a minimum of 27 and maximum of 37. The High preset averages 23 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 18 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 65% reduction, consistent with the other resolutions. The data clearly shows that 4K is only viable at Low settings for this combo, and even then, the frame rate may not be stable enough for all players.

The minimum FPS data for the Medium preset across resolutions shows that the frame rate can dip significantly below the average. At 1080p, the minimum of 41 FPS is 16% below the average. At 1440p, the minimum of 35 FPS is 15% below the average. At 4K, the minimum of 27 FPS is 16% below the average. This consistent variance suggests that the game has moments of heavy load that cause frame drops, which can be noticeable even when the average frame rate is acceptable.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play The Medium with this hardware?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the system can maintain an average above 49 FPS on the Medium preset. At 1440p, the Medium preset drops to 41 FPS, and at 4K, it drops to 32 FPS, so 1080p is the most viable resolution for a smooth experience.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High in terms of performance?

A: The Ultra preset is consistently 20-22% slower than High across all resolutions. At 1080p, Ultra produces 28 FPS versus 35 FPS for High. At 1440p, Ultra produces 23 FPS versus 29 FPS for High. At 4K, Ultra produces 18 FPS versus 23 FPS for High.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the primary limiting factor, especially at higher resolutions. The CPU's high benchmark scores and 91st percentile ranking suggest it has ample headroom, while the GPU's mid-range performance and the significant FPS drops with resolution increases point to the Arc B570 as the bottleneck.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in The Medium?

A: The data shows that 4K is only playable at Low settings, with an average of 52 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 32 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. High and Ultra presets at 4K produce 23 FPS and 18 FPS respectively, which are not playable for most users.

Q: How does the Arc B570 compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 20556 places it 0.1% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and 0.1% ahead of the Intel Arc A750. This suggests the Arc B570 performs similarly to these cards, but the measured FPS in The Medium indicates it struggles with higher presets.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at different resolutions?

A: The Medium preset data shows the frame time variance tightens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the range is 15 FPS (41 to 56). At 1440p, the range is 12 FPS (35 to 47). At 4K, the range is 10 FPS (27 to 37), indicating more consistent but lower frame delivery at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is the most balanced option for this hardware, producing 49 FPS average with a minimum of 41 FPS. This keeps the frame rate above the 30 FPS threshold while providing better visual fidelity than Low settings. The Low preset at 1080p delivers 78 FPS, which is the smoothest experience but sacrifices visual quality. For players who prioritize frame rate stability over graphics, the Low preset at 1080p is the safest choice.

At 1440p, the Medium preset produces 41 FPS average, which is borderline playable but may feel inconsistent in fast-paced scenes. The Low preset at 1440p averages 66 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 1440p gaming. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p produce 29 FPS and 23 FPS respectively, which are too low for a satisfying experience. The data clearly shows that 1440p requires Low settings to maintain playable frame rates.

For 4K, only the Low preset is viable, averaging 52 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 32 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target but may be acceptable for slower-paced horror gameplay. However, the minimum FPS of 27 at 4K Medium suggests that frame drops could be noticeable. The High and Ultra presets at 4K produce 23 FPS and 18 FPS, which are not recommended for any gameplay scenario.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution. Even at 1080p, it only produces 28 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. The visual improvements from High to Ultra likely do not justify the 20% performance penalty. The High preset at 1080p produces 35 FPS, which is also below 60 FPS but may be acceptable for a game like The Medium that has a slower pace. Ultimately, the data suggests that players should use the Low preset for frame rate stability or the Medium preset at 1080p for a balance of visuals and performance.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture and the BMG-G21 chip, using a 5 nm process from TSMC. It features 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster operations pipelines. The GPU has 18 ray tracing cores and operates at a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz. Its memory subsystem consists of 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus, providing 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's specifications place it as a mid-range part, with a PassMark G3D score of 14195 and a percentile ranking of 65 for all GPUs.

The GPU's memory configuration is a critical factor in The Medium's performance. The 10 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for 1080p gaming, but the 160-bit bus width may limit memory bandwidth at higher resolutions. The 380.0 GB/s bandwidth is relatively modest for a modern GPU, and the measured FPS data shows that the GPU struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 1440p and 4K with higher presets. The GPU's FP32 performance of 11.52 TFLOPS and pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s indicate it has moderate compute capabilities that are insufficient for the game's most demanding settings.

The GPU's benchmark scores show it is competitive with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, being 0.1% behind in average score, and 0.1% ahead of the Intel Arc A750. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2649 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 96844 confirm its mid-range positioning. In The Medium, the GPU's role is clearly the limiting factor, as the measured FPS drops significantly with each increase in resolution and preset level. The data shows that the GPU's 10 GB memory and 160-bit bus are not enough to handle the game's higher presets at resolutions above 1080p, making the Arc B570 the primary constraint on the system's overall performance in this title.