The Medium

The Medium, a fixed-camera horror title from 2021, presents a unique challenge for the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the Intel Arc B390 integrated graphics. The measured data reveals a configuration that is severely constrained by its graphics solution, with performance figures that place it in the bottom percentile of tested hardware combinations. This analysis breaks down the specific FPS measurements, the roles of the CPU and GPU, and what the resolution scaling tells us about the system's fundamental limitations.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance rank of this CPU and GPU combo in The Medium?

A: The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2581 out of 2911 tested combos in this game. This places it in the bottom 11% of all systems benchmarked, indicating a very low-performance tier for this title.

Q: How does the Arc B390's benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B390's average 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1482. This is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460), and 2.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446).

Q: What is the best average FPS achieved at 1080p, and at what settings?

A: The highest average FPS at 1920x1080 is 51, which is achieved with the Low settings preset. This is the only setting level at this resolution that approaches a playable frame rate for most users.

Q: Is there a significant performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: Yes, the difference is substantial. At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers an average of 43 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to an average of just 15 FPS. This represents a 65% reduction in frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-core performance compare to its closest competitor?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062. This is effectively tied with the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, which scores 46030, a difference of only 0.1%. It is also 0.1% behind the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098).

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the measured data shows a minimum FPS of 18 and a maximum of 24, resulting in an average of 21 FPS. This indicates significant frame pacing issues at this resolution and setting.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, and its performance in The Medium is the primary bottleneck for this system. The data clearly shows that this GPU is not designed for high-end gaming, as its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This is a very low score, and its nearest rivals are all older, low-end NVIDIA parts like the GeForce GT 520MX (1463) and GeForce 800M (1460), which it only marginally outperforms.

The GPU's specifications highlight its integrated nature. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units. Its boost clock is rated at 2500 MHz, but this is an integrated part with no dedicated memory. The memory size, type, and bus width are all listed as "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's DDR5 memory, with bandwidth that is "System Dependent." This is a critical limitation for a game like The Medium, which often uses high-resolution textures. The lack of dedicated VRAM forces the GPU to compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth, which can cause severe stuttering and low frame rates, particularly at higher resolutions and settings.

The benchmark results confirm this limitation. The GPU's pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, which are modest figures. In the game's measured FPS, the GPU's weakness is exposed across all resolutions. Even at 1080p, the highest average FPS is only 51 on Low settings. The data suggests that the Arc B390 is a capable part for basic desktop tasks and light gaming, but it is not suited for demanding horror titles like The Medium. The performance is consistently low, with the Ultra preset at 4K yielding an average of just 12 FPS, which is far below the threshold for a smooth experience. The architecture supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, but the raw processing power is insufficient to take advantage of it in this game.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable, but steep, decline in performance as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. This scaling pattern is a clear indicator that the Intel Arc B390 is the limiting component in this system. When the resolution increases, the number of pixels the GPU must render grows exponentially, placing a much heavier load on the graphics processor while the CPU's workload remains relatively static.

At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 51 at 1920x1080 to 43 at 2560x1440, a 15.7% decrease. Moving from 1440p to 4K (3840x2160), the average FPS falls from 43 to 34, a 20.9% decrease. This trend continues with the Medium preset, which shows a drop from 32 FPS at 1080p to 27 FPS at 1440p, and then further down to 21 FPS at 4K. The most dramatic scaling is seen at the High and Ultra presets. At High settings, the frame rate goes from 23 FPS at 1080p to 19 FPS at 1440p and finally to 15 FPS at 4K. Similarly, the Ultra preset sees a reduction from 18 FPS at 1080p to 15 FPS at 1440p and then to 12 FPS at 4K.

This pattern, where performance degrades with every step up in resolution, is classic GPU-bound behavior. A CPU-bound scenario would show much smaller differences between 1080p and 4K, as the CPU would be the limiting factor. Here, the consistent drops indicate that the Arc B390's rendering capabilities are being exhausted. The fact that the system can only muster a 51 FPS average at 1080p Low, and that this drops by nearly 50% at 4K Low, suggests that the integrated GPU is struggling to fill pixels. The data implies that for this combo, 1080p is the only viable resolution, and even then, only at the lowest settings can a semi-playable frame rate be achieved. Higher resolutions are simply too demanding for the GPU to handle.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and Intel Arc B390 combination is ranked 2581 out of 2911 tested combos for The Medium. This rank places it in the bottom 11% of all systems, confirming that this is a very low-performance configuration for this specific game. This is a stark contrast to the CPU's own performance percentile, which is in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. The massive gap between the CPU's strong relative standing and the combo's weak overall rank underscores the GPU's role as the dominant performance limiter.

This ranking suggests that while the processor is more than capable of handling the game's logic and physics, the integrated graphics solution holds the entire system back. The data implies that this combo is not a viable option for playing The Medium at a satisfactory quality level. The performance is so low that it falls behind the vast majority of other systems that have been benchmarked, including those with much older dedicated graphics cards. The only positive aspect is that the data is measured, confirming that this is a real-world result and not a synthetic estimate.

The 2581st place out of 2911 combos is a clear verdict. It indicates that users with this hardware configuration will have a poor experience with this game, requiring significant compromises in resolution and visual fidelity to achieve even a modest frame rate. The rank is a useful summary metric, but the FPS breakdown provides a more detailed picture of the specific limitations. The data suggests that this combo should be considered for esports or less demanding titles, not for graphically intensive horror games like The Medium.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a desktop processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It features 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This is a powerful CPU, and its benchmark scores reflect its capability. It achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14769 and a single-core score of 2085. Its Passmark multithread score is 37816, and its single-thread score is 4516. These scores place it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46062.

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, AI, and physics calculations. The game's fixed-camera angles often reduce the geometric complexity on screen, but the CPU still needs to manage the game's world state. Given the CPU's high performance percentile, it is highly unlikely to be the bottleneck in this system. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030) and Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098), have nearly identical average scores, indicating that the Core Ultra 5 235 offers a level of processing power comparable to those high-end mobile and desktop parts.

The CPU's capabilities are overshadowed by the GPU's limitations. The data shows that the system's performance is consistently low across all resolutions and settings, which is a signature of a GPU bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar frame rates regardless of resolution, but the FPS drops significantly as resolution increases. The Core Ultra 5 235, with its 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support, is more than sufficient to feed the Arc B390. The processor is ready to deliver far more frames than the GPU can render, but it is held back by the integrated graphics. This pairing effectively wastes the CPU's potential in gaming scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the system's performance across different resolutions and settings. The data is consistent, showing a clear hierarchy where lower resolutions and settings yield higher frame rates.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 51 FPS. This is the only playable configuration. The Medium preset averages 32 FPS, with a minimum of 27 and a maximum of 37. The High preset averages 23 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages just 18 FPS. None of these higher presets offer a smooth experience.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops further. The Low preset averages 43 FPS, which is still somewhat playable but not ideal. The Medium preset averages 27 FPS (min 23, max 31), the High preset averages 19 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 15 FPS. These frame rates are all below the threshold for a comfortable gaming experience.

At 3840x2160, the system is clearly overburdened. The Low preset manages an average of 34 FPS, but the Medium preset drops to an average of 21 FPS (min 18, max 24). The High preset averages only 15 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to an average of 12 FPS. These numbers are effectively unplayable for a game that requires timing and atmospheric tension.

The data shows a clear linear scaling. For example, moving from Low to Ultra at 1080p cuts the frame rate from 51 to 18, a 65% reduction. This suggests that the visual features enabled by the Ultra preset, such as higher shadow quality and more detailed textures, are extremely taxing on the Arc B390. The minimum FPS figures for the Medium settings show that frame pacing can be inconsistent, with the 4K result dipping to 18 FPS. Overall, the measured FPS confirms that this combo is only capable of providing a playable experience at the lowest settings and resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only viable configuration for a remotely playable experience is the Low preset at 1920x1080, which yields an average of 51 FPS. This is the only setting level that approaches a standard 60 FPS target, although it will not hit it consistently. All other settings and resolutions result in average frame rates below 43 FPS, which is generally considered the minimum for a playable game, and many fall into the 12-32 FPS range, which is a slideshow.

The data indicates that the Ultra preset is not a realistic option at any resolution. At its best, it delivers 18 FPS at 1080p, which is far too low for a game that relies on atmosphere and slow-burn tension. The High preset is also not recommended, as it offers only a marginal improvement over Ultra in terms of FPS, but still remains below 23 FPS at 1080p. The Medium preset, while better, still struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, with average figures of 32 FPS at 1080p, 27 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K.

Therefore, the best experience, given the hardware constraints, is to use the Low preset at 1080p. This provides a playable, albeit not visually impressive, experience. Users should avoid 1440p and 4K resolutions entirely, as the performance hit is too severe. The data suggests that even at Low settings, the Arc B390 is pushed to its limits. The recommendation is to accept the low visual fidelity in order to achieve a functional frame rate. There is no setting combination that will provide both high visual quality and smooth performance with this hardware. The system is simply not powerful enough for this game at higher quality levels.