The Medium

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the Intel Arc B570 presents a distinct performance profile in The Medium, a horror title known for its dual-reality rendering. The data indicates a configuration that is heavily constrained by the graphics card at higher resolutions, while the processor's strength becomes more apparent only at the lowest settings. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, contextualizes the hardware's standing, and offers practical guidance based solely on the provided benchmark results.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, confirming that the Intel Arc B570 is the primary limiting component in this configuration. At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the system produces an average of 49 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops the average to 41 FPS, a reduction of approximately 16%. The jump to 3840x2160 is far more punishing, with the average falling to 32 FPS—a 35% decrease from the 1440p result and a 35% decrease from 1080p. This pattern indicates that the GPU's pixel throughput is exhausted quickly as resolution scales, with the 160-bit memory bus and 10 GB of GDDR6 proving insufficient to maintain fluid performance at 4K.

The scaling behavior differs across quality presets. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 78 FPS at 1080p to 66 FPS at 1440p (an 15% decline), and then to 52 FPS at 4K (a 21% decline from 1440p). This suggests that even when the render load is minimized, the GPU remains the bottleneck; the CPU's 24 cores and 24 threads are not the limiting factor here. Conversely, at Ultra settings, the system struggles mightily at every resolution: 28 FPS at 1080p, 23 FPS at 1440p, and just 18 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset appears to introduce effects that overwhelm the Arc B570's 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 18 ray tracing cores, making the game unplayable at all tested resolutions.

The delta between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 50 FPS (78 vs. 28), which highlights the immense cost of the highest quality settings. At 4K, that delta narrows to 34 FPS (52 vs. 18), but the absolute numbers are so low that neither setting offers a viable experience. The data strongly suggests that 1080p is the intended operating range for this combo, with 1440p being a stretch target only for users willing to accept lower fidelity. The 4K results, with a maximum average of 52 FPS on Low, are marginal at best and unsuitable for consistent gameplay.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the system achieves consistently playable frame rates across multiple presets. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 49 FPS average, while Low reaches 78 FPS. The 1440p results are playable only on Low (66 FPS) and Medium (41 FPS), while 4K is largely unplayable except for the Low preset at 52 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its nearest rivals in general GPU performance?

A: The Arc B570's average benchmark score of 20556 places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, scores 20534, a delta of just 0.1% in favor of the Intel card. The Intel Arc A750 is effectively tied with a -0.1% delta, scoring 20582. This indicates the B570 is positioned within a narrow performance band around these competitors.

Q: Is the CPU holding back the GPU in this game?

A: No. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a top-tier processor with a 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores only 0.2% higher on average. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a clear GPU bottleneck, as the CPU's 5.80 GHz boost clock and 36 MB of L3 cache are more than sufficient for this title's demands.

Q: What is the highest quality preset that maintains a 60+ FPS average?

A: None of the measured presets achieve a 60 FPS average. The closest is the Low preset at 1920x1080, which averages 78 FPS. At 1440p, Low averages 66 FPS, and at 4K, Low averages 52 FPS. For a 60 FPS target, users must select Low at 1080p or 1440p, as all other presets fall short.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations for this game?

A: This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2321 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the bottom 20% of all configurations, reflecting the GPU's modest standing despite the powerful CPU.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum frame rates for the Medium preset?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the measured minimum FPS is 41 and the maximum is 56, with an average of 49. At 2560x1440, the minimum is 35 and the maximum is 47, averaging 41. At 3840x2160, the minimum is 27 and the maximum is 37, averaging 32. These ranges show a consistent ~15 FPS spread between min and max, indicating stable frame pacing without severe spikes.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the decisive component in this configuration's gaming performance. With 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, the card offers a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. This memory subsystem is a likely culprit for the poor high-resolution performance, as The Medium's dual-world rendering likely requires significant texture and buffer storage. The 4K results, where the average FPS drops to as low as 18 on Ultra, suggest that the GPU's memory capacity and bandwidth are overwhelmed. The 12 GB or larger frames from rival cards would likely fare better, but the data here shows the B570 hitting a hard wall.

The GPU's clock speeds are unremarkable, with both base and boost set at 2500 MHz. This fixed clock rate, combined with the 150 W TDP, means the card does not have significant thermal headroom to dynamically overclock itself in demanding scenes. The 18 ray tracing cores are present, but the Ultra preset's ray-traced effects (if enabled) likely contribute to the 23 FPS average at 1440p and 28 FPS at 1080p. The card's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures feature compatibility, but the raw throughput of 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 is insufficient for high-fidelity ray tracing.

The GPU's benchmark standing reinforces this view. Scoring 14195 in Passmark G3D, the B570 sits in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A750, is a direct predecessor with a -0.1% delta, meaning the B570 is barely faster than the older card. The NVIDIA RTX 3070 Mobile is essentially tied at +0.1% delta. This indicates the B570 is a mid-range performer, and in a CPU-heavy title like The Medium, it becomes the limiting factor. The CPU's Passmark multithread score of 60860 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 51731 are top-tier, but they do not translate to higher FPS when the GPU is saturated.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured FPS data, the only sensible settings are the Low or Medium presets at 1920x1080. The Low preset delivers 78 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and it leaves headroom for background tasks. The Medium preset at 49 FPS is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action, though The Medium's slower horror pacing makes it tolerable. For users with a 1440p monitor, the Low preset at 66 FPS is the best option, as the Medium preset at 41 FPS introduces noticeable judder. The High preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it only achieves 35 FPS at 1080p and 29 FPS at 1440p, failing to maintain a consistent 30 FPS at the latter.

The Ultra preset is effectively unplayable, with averages of 28 FPS at 1080p and 18 FPS at 4K. The data suggests that users should avoid Ultra entirely and instead favor Medium for a balance of visual quality and performance. At 1080p, the jump from Low to Medium costs 29 FPS (78 to 49), which is a significant sacrifice for improved textures and effects. However, the Medium preset's minimum of 41 FPS ensures it stays above 30 FPS, preventing stutter. At 1440p, the Medium preset's minimum of 35 FPS is still acceptable for a horror game, but the average of 41 FPS leaves little margin for demanding scenes.

For 4K, the Low preset at 52 FPS is the only viable choice, but the visual compromise is substantial. The Medium preset at 32 FPS is borderline, with a minimum of 27 FPS that will cause noticeable frame drops. The recommendation is clear: prioritize 1080p with Medium settings for the best experience, or 1440p with Low settings if resolution is more important than detail. The High preset offers no tangible benefit over Medium, as the FPS difference is minimal (35 vs. 49 at 1080p) while the visual upgrade is likely marginal.

How This Combo Ranks

This configuration of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2321 out of 2911 tested combos in The Medium. This places it in the bottom 20% of all tested systems, which is a surprising result given the CPU's top-tier status. The ranking underscores the GPU's dominance in determining game performance. The CPU's 96th percentile standing among all processors is negated by the B570's 65th percentile GPU ranking. The combo outperforms only 590 other configurations, indicating that most systems with a comparable or better GPU will deliver higher frame rates.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the data—the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and AMD EPYC variants—all have similar average scores (within 1.3% delta), but these comparisons are irrelevant for gaming since the GPU is the bottleneck. The combo's rank is not a reflection of the CPU's capability but rather the GPU's limited headroom. In a title like The Medium, which relies heavily on GPU memory and shading, the B570's 10 GB VRAM and 11.52 TFLOPS are insufficient to leverage the CPU's 24 cores and 5.80 GHz boost clock. The rank of 2321 suggests that users seeking better performance should focus on upgrading the GPU, as the CPU is unlikely to be a limiting factor in any scenario.

The low rank also indicates that this is not a balanced pairing for this specific game. The CPU is overqualified relative to the GPU, and the system would benefit from a more powerful graphics card to unlock the CPU's potential. However, for users who own this combo, the measured FPS data provides a clear picture of what to expect: playable performance only at low resolutions and settings. The rank serves as a cautionary note that high-end CPU investment does not guarantee high frame rates if the GPU is undersized.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS dataset for this combo in The Medium is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: Average 78 FPS
• Medium: Average 49 FPS, Minimum 41 FPS, Maximum 56 FPS
• High: Average 35 FPS
• Ultra: Average 28 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: Average 66 FPS
• Medium: Average 41 FPS, Minimum 35 FPS, Maximum 47 FPS
• High: Average 29 FPS
• Ultra: Average 23 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: Average 52 FPS
• Medium: Average 32 FPS, Minimum 27 FPS, Maximum 37 FPS
• High: Average 23 FPS
• Ultra: Average 18 FPS

The pattern across all presets is consistent: each step up in quality costs roughly 10-15 FPS at 1080p, with diminishing returns at higher resolutions. The Low preset is the only one that maintains a 60+ FPS average, and only at 1080p and 1440p. The Medium preset provides the only min/max data points, showing a stable ~15 FPS frame-time variance. The High and Ultra presets lack min/max data, but their low averages suggest significant frame drops. The 4K results are uniformly poor, with even the Low preset falling below 60 FPS. This breakdown confirms that the system is best suited for 1080p gaming, with 1440p viable only on Low settings. The data offers no scenario where Ultra settings are playable, and High is marginal at best.