The Medium

The Medium with the Intel Core i7-14700K and Intel Arc B580 presents a clear picture of GPU-bound performance scaling, where the Arc B580’s capabilities are the primary constraint across all tested resolutions. The data shows a consistent and predictable drop in average frame rates as resolution increases, with the most demanding settings yielding sub-30 FPS results at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance curve as resolution scales from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 89.7 FPS at 1080p to 74.2 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of approximately 17%, and then to 55.7 FPS at 4K, a further 25% drop from the 1440p figure. This trajectory indicates that even at the lowest graphical fidelity, the rendering load at 4K is substantially heavier, cutting the 1080p performance by over a third.

Moving to Medium settings, the frame rates are 54.6 FPS at 1080p, 44.2 FPS at 1440p, and 36.2 FPS at 4K. The scaling here is more linear, with each step up in resolution costing roughly 8-10 FPS. At High settings, the pattern continues: 41.7 FPS at 1080p, 34.0 FPS at 1440p, and 25.9 FPS at 4K. The most demanding configuration, Ultra, produces 30.3 FPS at 1080p, 26.0 FPS at 1440p, and 21.1 FPS at 4K, showing a narrowing gap between resolutions as the settings become the dominant bottleneck.

The delta between 1080p and 4K at each setting tier is revealing. At Low, the difference is 34.0 FPS; at Medium, it is 18.4 FPS; at High, it is 15.8 FPS; and at Ultra, it is only 9.2 FPS. This compression of the resolution scaling at higher settings strongly suggests that the GPU’s compute and memory subsystems are being saturated, making the resolution increase less impactful when the per-pixel workload is already intense. The data indicates that the limiting component is unequivocally the GPU, as the Intel Core i7-14700K’s 20 cores and 28 threads provide ample headroom for this horror title, which does not appear to be CPU-bound at any resolution tested.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580’s specifications directly explain the observed performance ceilings. With a 12 GB GDDR6 memory pool on a 192-bit bus, the GPU delivers 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a substantial amount of memory throughput, yet the 4K High and Ultra results of 25.9 FPS and 21.1 FPS, respectively, show that the architecture is struggling to maintain playable frame rates when the pixel count and shader complexity are high. The GPU’s base and boost clock are both 2670 MHz, which is a modest frequency for a modern discrete card, and the 2560 shading units are tasked with processing the game’s fixed-camera environments and volumetric effects.

The benchmark scores position the Arc B580 in a specific performance tier. Its percentile vs all GPUs is 66, placing it above the median but far from the top. The nearest rival data shows it performing within a narrow band of comparable parts: it is 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon 760M, 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA P106-100, 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, and 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile. These deltas are minor, suggesting that the Arc B580’s raw compute in synthetic tests is competitive with those parts. However, the in-game results for The Medium indicate that real-world performance can be more sensitive to driver optimization and specific game engine demands.

The FP32 throughput of 13.67 TFLOPS and the 20 ray tracing cores are relevant for a game like The Medium, which uses a dual-reality mechanic that can leverage such features. The memory clock is listed as 2375 MHz, translating to 19 Gbps effective, which supports the 456.0 GB/s bandwidth figure. This bandwidth is likely a key factor in the 4K Low result of 55.7 FPS, which is the only 4K configuration that approaches a smooth experience, suggesting that when texture and shading loads are reduced, the memory subsystem can keep up with the demand. The GPU’s DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) is fully utilized here, as the game is a DirectX 12 title, and the data implies that the Arc B580’s Xe2-HPG architecture is being pushed to its limits in this specific workload.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience balances playability with visual fidelity. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 54.6 FPS, which is a smooth and responsive frame rate for a horror game that relies on atmosphere rather than fast-paced action. The Low preset at 89.7 FPS is technically the smoothest, but the visual compromise is likely too significant for a game that uses lighting and shadow to build tension. The High preset at 41.7 FPS is playable, but the Medium setting provides a better margin for drops during intense scenes, even if min FPS data is not available.

At 2560x1440, the situation becomes tighter. The Medium preset yields 44.2 FPS, which is acceptable for a slower-paced title, but the Low preset’s 74.2 FPS offers a much safer buffer. The High preset at 34.0 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 26.0 FPS is not recommended for a consistent experience. For 4K, the data is stark: only the Low preset at 55.7 FPS is above the 30 FPS threshold, while Medium (36.2 FPS), High (25.9 FPS), and Ultra (21.1 FPS) all fall into undesirable territory. The recommendation is to use Medium at 1080p for the best balance, Low at 1440p for a stable frame rate, and Low at 4K if resolution is the priority, accepting a significant reduction in visual quality.

The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a dramatic cost. At 1080p, the jump from Low to Ultra costs 59.4 FPS (from 89.7 to 30.3), which is a 66% reduction. This highlights that the Ultra preset is exceptionally demanding and offers diminishing returns for the frame rate penalty. The Medium preset is the sweet spot in the data, providing a 25% performance uplift over High at 1080p (54.6 vs 41.7) while likely maintaining most of the visual enhancements.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and Intel Arc B580 ranks 1324 out of 1689 tested combos for The Medium. This places it in the bottom 22% of all configurations, which is a low standing for a modern CPU and a current-generation GPU. The ranking reflects the GPU’s relative weakness in this title, as the CPU’s individual performance percentile is 96, indicating it is in the top 4% of all processors tested. The GPU’s percentile is 66, which is significantly lower and drags the overall combo ranking down.

The combination’s rank suggests that while the CPU is more than capable of feeding the GPU, the Arc B580 is the limiting factor. The CPU’s average benchmark score is 70074, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44534, which are top-tier results. The GPU’s average benchmark score is 23021, which is modest. The delta between the CPU’s high percentile and the GPU’s mid-range percentile explains why this combo does not rank higher. In The Medium, the engine is likely not utilizing the full potential of the i7-14700K, as the game is not CPU-intensive, and the bottleneck is entirely on the rendering side.

The nearest rivals for the GPU provide context: the RTX 4060 is only 0.7% faster in average benchmark score, yet the combo rank is likely influenced by how each GPU handles this specific game’s shaders and memory access patterns. The data shows that this combo is not well-suited for high-refresh-rate or high-resolution play in The Medium, and users seeking better performance would need to either lower settings substantially or consider a different GPU. The rank of 1324 out of 1689 is a clear signal that this is a mid-to-low tier pairing for this particular game, despite the CPU’s strength.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p with High settings?

A: The average frame rate at 2560x1440 with High settings is 34.0 FPS. This is a playable but not smooth experience, indicating the GPU is a limiting factor at this resolution.

Q: How does the Arc B580 compare to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Arc B580’s average benchmark score is 23021, which is 0.7% lower than the RTX 4060’s score of 23181. This places them in the same performance tier, though in-game results may vary.

Q: Is the 4K Ultra preset viable for this combo?

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 21.1 FPS, which is well below the threshold for a consistent, playable experience. The Low preset at 4K achieves 55.7 FPS, which is the only viable 4K option.

Q: What is the best setting for a smooth 1080p experience?

A: The Medium preset at 1080p yields 54.6 FPS, providing a good balance between visual quality and performance. The Low preset is faster at 89.7 FPS, but the Medium preset offers a significantly better visual experience for a modest frame rate cost.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for The Medium?

A: This combination ranks 1324 out of 1689 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 22%. This low rank is primarily due to the GPU’s performance, as the CPU ranks in the 96th percentile among all processors.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory bandwidth and clock speed?

A: The Intel Arc B580 has a memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s, with a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz. The memory runs at 2375 MHz, which translates to 19 Gbps effective.