The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title that stresses the GPU heavily, and the combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and Intel Arc B580 produces a wide range of performance depending on how you configure it. The data shows that this pairing is capable of delivering smooth gameplay, but only if you are willing to adjust settings significantly from the highest presets. The measured results reveal a clear hierarchy where the graphics card becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions and quality levels, while the processor provides ample headroom even at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, confirming that the Intel Arc B580 is the limiting factor in this build. At Medium settings, the average frame rate falls from 57.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 47.2 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 18%. Moving further up to 3840x2160, the average drops to 35.2 FPS, which is about 39% lower than the 1440p result and 61% lower than the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU’s compute and memory resources are being saturated as pixel count increases, leaving the CPU with significant spare capacity.

The trend is even more pronounced at High settings, where the frame rate goes from 41.9 FPS at 1080p to 32.5 FPS at 1440p, and then to 28.3 FPS at 4K. The difference between 1080p and 4K here is a 32% loss, which is relatively smaller in percentage terms than the Medium preset, but the absolute values are all below the 60 FPS threshold. At Ultra settings, the situation becomes dire: 32.3 FPS at 1080p, 24.3 FPS at 1440p, and 18.7 FPS at 4K. The scaling between 1440p and 4K at Ultra is a 23% drop, showing that the GPU is struggling to maintain even playable frame rates at the highest quality levels.

Low settings present a different picture, as the Arc B580 manages to deliver 90.1 FPS at 1080p, 72.7 FPS at 1440p, and 60.6 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 19%, and from 1440p to 4K is 17%, which suggests that at Low settings the GPU is still the bottleneck, but the load is more manageable. The fact that 4K Low achieves just over 60 FPS while 1080p Ultra only reaches 32.3 FPS highlights how much headroom exists in the settings options. The benchmark results indicate that resolution scaling is not linear, and the biggest gains come from reducing quality rather than resolution.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture and features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 2375 MHz with 19 Gbps effective speed, and the GPU has a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz. These specifications are directly relevant to the measured results, as the 12 GB frame buffer is sufficient for 4K textures, but the raw throughput of 13.67 TFLOPS FP32 is what limits performance in this game. The GPU’s percentile rank of 66 against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23021, places it just behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, which scores 23181 with a deltaPct of -0.7. This close margin in synthetic benchmarks does not translate to consistent frame rates in The Medium, as the game’s fixed-camera angles and heavy post-processing effects demand more from the shading units.

The Arc B580’s 2560 shading units and 80 ROPs are tasked with rendering the game’s volumetric lighting and reflective surfaces, which explains why the Ultra preset at 4K yields only 18.7 FPS. The GPU’s performance in DirectX 12, as measured by the 3DMark Steel Nomad test with a score of 3068, is indicative of its capability in modern APIs, but The Medium’s engine appears to be particularly sensitive to the GPU’s memory bandwidth. At 1080p Medium, the frame rate of 57.6 FPS suggests that the 456.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for lower resolutions, but as the resolution increases, the demand for texture streaming and pixel fill rate outpaces the GPU’s ability to keep up. The 20 ray tracing cores are present, but the benchmark data does not include ray tracing results, so their impact on this game is not quantified in the measured FPS.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Medium at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. The data shows 90.1 FPS at 1080p Low, 72.7 FPS at 1440p Low, and 60.6 FPS at 4K Low. At Medium settings, the frame rates fall to 57.6 FPS at 1080p, 47.2 FPS at 1440p, and 35.2 FPS at 4K, so 60 FPS is not achievable at that preset.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combination?

A: For a smooth experience, 1080p Medium is the highest quality preset that comes close to 60 FPS, with 57.6 FPS. If you need a locked 60 FPS, 1440p Low at 72.7 FPS or 1080p Low at 90.1 FPS are better choices. 4K is only viable at Low settings, where it hits 60.6 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580 compare to the RTX 4060 in this context?

A: In synthetic benchmarks, the Arc B580 scores 23021 on average, while the RTX 4060 scores 23181, a deltaPct of -0.7%. This indicates they are nearly identical in raw compute, but the measured FPS in The Medium shows that the Arc B580 requires lower settings to maintain similar frame rates.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in this game?

A: The Core i7-14700F has 20 cores and 28 threads with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, and its benchmark scores are in the 94th percentile. The data shows that frame rates scale heavily with resolution and settings, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU is not the limiting factor at any measured resolution.

Q: What is the highest quality preset that stays above 30 FPS at 4K?

A: At 4K, the Medium preset produces 35.2 FPS, which is above 30 FPS. The High preset drops to 28.3 FPS, and Ultra falls to 18.7 FPS. Therefore, Medium is the highest quality setting that maintains a playable frame rate at 4K.

Q: How does performance change when moving from Medium to High at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Medium yields 47.2 FPS, while High yields 32.5 FPS, a reduction of 31%. This makes High unsuitable for smooth gameplay, as it falls below the 60 FPS target. Low at 1440p provides 72.7 FPS, offering a better balance.

Settings Recommendations

For a 60 FPS target, the data clearly points to the Low preset as the only reliable option across all resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 90.1 FPS, which provides significant headroom for any frame rate dips. At 1440p Low, the 72.7 FPS result is still comfortably above the target, and even 4K Low at 60.6 FPS just barely makes the cut. If you prefer higher visual fidelity and can tolerate a lower frame rate, the Medium preset at 1080p is the best compromise, delivering 57.6 FPS with noticeably better image quality than Low. The difference between Medium and High is substantial, as High drops to 41.9 FPS at 1080p, so it is not recommended for consistent gameplay. Ultra settings are effectively unplayable at any resolution, with the best result being 32.3 FPS at 1080p. The measured data suggests that the game’s visual leaps between Low and Medium are less impactful on performance than the jump to High, making Medium the sweet spot for quality-conscious players who do not require a perfect 60 FPS lock.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset yields an average of 32.3 FPS, which is the lowest result at this resolution. High settings improve this to 41.9 FPS, while Medium reaches 57.6 FPS. The Low preset is the only one that exceeds 60 FPS, producing 90.1 FPS. The progression from Ultra to Low shows a 64% increase in performance, indicating that the GPU is heavily taxed by the highest quality options.

At 2560x1440, Ultra drops to 24.3 FPS, and High falls to 32.5 FPS. Medium achieves 47.2 FPS, which is the highest non-Low result. Low at 1440p delivers 72.7 FPS, which is a 199% improvement over Ultra. The gap between Medium and High is 31%, making High a poor choice for this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset produces just 18.7 FPS, and High reaches 28.3 FPS. Medium manages 35.2 FPS, which is the only preset above 30 FPS at 4K. Low settings provide 60.6 FPS, which is the only 4K result that meets the 60 FPS standard. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 224%, underscoring the massive performance impact of settings at this resolution.

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 are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 35443 and a single-core score of 5003. The Geekbench multicore result of 16571 and single-core score of 2711 further confirm its strength. The CPU’s percentile rank of 94 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54097, places it just 0.6% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, which scores 54450. This proximity to a high-end rival indicates that the i7-14700F is more than capable of feeding the Arc B580 in this game.

The measured FPS data supports this assessment, as the frame rates at 1080p Low (90.1 FPS) and 1440p Low (72.7 FPS) are high enough that any CPU bottleneck would manifest as inconsistent frame times or lower minimum FPS. Since the data only provides average FPS, the absence of min FPS values means we cannot fully rule out stutters, but the scaling pattern across resolutions strongly suggests a GPU limitation. The CPU’s L3 cache of 33 MB shared and 2 MB per core L2 cache are ample for the game’s asset streaming, and the 65 W TDP allows for sustained boost clocks without thermal throttling in most systems. The i7-14700F’s performance in PassMark multithread (41765) and single-thread (4261) tests indicates that it has the headroom to handle the game’s CPU-side logic, including AI and scripted events, without becoming a limiting factor. In the combo rank for this game, the pair sits at rank 1304 out of 1689 combinations, which reflects the GPU’s mid-range standing rather than any CPU deficiency.