Barony

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the Intel Arc B370 is a combination that targets 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it falls short of the 60 FPS threshold at 4K. The recorded data shows a clear performance ceiling for this setup in Barony, a roguelike title that is more demanding than its genre peers. The Arc B370, with its integrated graphics architecture and modest 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184, is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the i5-10400F provides sufficient CPU headroom across all tested settings.

Best Settings per Resolution

The most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS at each resolution is as follows:

• 1920x1080 (1080p): The Ultra preset is the highest playable setting, delivering an average of 66 FPS. This is the only resolution where the full graphics stack is accessible without dropping below the playable threshold.
• 2560x1440 (1440p): The Medium preset is the best playable option, achieving an average of 67 FPS. While the High preset reaches 58 FPS, it falls just short of the 60 FPS target, making Medium the optimal choice for a smooth experience.
• 3840x2160 (4K): No preset meets the 60 FPS threshold. The highest average recorded is 47 FPS on Low settings, which is still below playable. The database lists no playable settings for this resolution.

For players prioritizing visual fidelity at 1080p, Ultra is the clear winner. At 1440p, Medium offers the best balance, as stepping up to High costs 9 FPS on average, which is a significant drop for a marginal visual gain. At 4K, the system is effectively not viable for this game, as even the lowest settings cannot reach 60 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions indicates that the GPU is the dominant limiting factor in Barony. The Arc B370's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, which is exceptionally low. In contrast, the i5-10400F sits in the 68th percentile of all CPUs, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10283 and a single-core score of 1451.

This disparity becomes evident when analyzing the FPS drops. Moving from 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS on Low settings drops from 144 to 91, a 37% reduction. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the Low preset drops from 91 to 47 FPS, a further 48% reduction. These steep declines are classic signs of GPU-bound rendering, where the resolution increase directly taxes the graphics processor's fill rate and shading units.

The CPU's role is less pronounced. The i5-10400F's 6 cores and 12 threads are adequate for the game's logic and physics, as evidenced by the fact that even at 1080p Low, the system achieves 144 FPS, which is likely near the engine's frame rate cap. At higher presets, the gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 78 FPS (144 vs 66), which suggests that the GPU is struggling with the increased shading and texture work, not the CPU. The GPU's pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s are simply too low for 4K workloads, where the fill rate demand quadruples compared to 1080p.

At 1440p, the CPU still has headroom. The Medium preset at 1440p delivers 67 FPS, while the same preset at 1080p delivers 107 FPS. The 40 FPS difference is entirely attributable to the GPU's inability to process pixels as quickly at higher resolutions. Therefore, for overclocking or tweaking, the GPU is the component to focus on, but its integrated nature (IGP bus interface, system shared memory) leaves no room for manual adjustment.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table summarizes the exact average FPS, and where available, minimum and maximum FPS, for each resolution and settings combination:

3840x2160 (4K)

• Ultra: Average 22 FPS. This is the lowest recorded average across all tests.
• High: Average 30 FPS.
• Medium: Average 35 FPS, with a minimum of 30 and a maximum of 41. This shows significant frame time variance, dipping to the edge of playability.
• Low: Average 47 FPS. The best result at this resolution, but still 13 FPS short of the 60 FPS target.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Ultra: Average 42 FPS.
• High: Average 58 FPS. This is tantalizingly close to 60 FPS but does not clear the threshold.
• Medium: Average 67 FPS, with a minimum of 57 and a maximum of 78. The minimum dips below 60, so occasional stutters are possible, but the average is solid.
• Low: Average 91 FPS. A comfortable margin above the threshold.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Ultra: Average 66 FPS. The highest preset is playable, but with no minimum or maximum data recorded, the frame pacing is unknown.
• High: Average 92 FPS.
• Medium: Average 107 FPS, with a minimum of 91 and a maximum of 123. This is the smoothest recorded dataset, with no dips below 90 FPS.
• Low: Average 144 FPS. Likely hitting a frame rate cap, as this is a round number.

The data reveals that the 1080p Medium preset is exceptionally stable, with a 32 FPS spread between minimum and maximum. The 1440p Medium preset has a 21 FPS spread, which is more variable but still acceptable. At 4K, the 11 FPS spread on Medium (30 to 41) indicates that the GPU is struggling to maintain consistent frame times, which can lead to perceptible hitches.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Barony at 60 FPS on a 4K monitor?

A: No. The recorded data shows no playable settings at 3840x2160. The highest average FPS is 47 on Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Even the Medium preset, which has the most data, only averages 35 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Medium preset is the best option, delivering an average of 67 FPS. While the High preset reaches 58 FPS, it does not meet the 60 FPS threshold, so Medium is the highest preset that is considered playable.

Q: How much faster is the 1080p Ultra preset compared to 1440p Ultra?

A: The 1080p Ultra preset averages 66 FPS, while the 1440p Ultra preset averages 42 FPS. This is a 57% increase in average FPS when dropping from 1440p to 1080p at the same settings.

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

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The Arc B370's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile, while the i5-10400F is in the 68th percentile. The steep FPS drops with increasing resolution confirm that the graphics processor is the primary bottleneck.

Q: Does the 1440p Medium preset ever drop below 60 FPS?

A: Yes. The minimum recorded FPS for 1440p Medium is 57, which is 3 FPS below the threshold. However, the average of 67 FPS means that most of the session will be above 60 FPS, with only brief dips.

Q: What is the highest FPS recorded for this combination?

A: The highest average FPS is 144, recorded at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is likely a frame rate cap, as it is a round number and the next lowest preset (Medium) is 107 FPS.

The Verdict

This PC can run Barony at 60 FPS, but only at specific resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, every preset from Low to Ultra clears the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset averages 66 FPS, making it the recommended choice for the best visual experience without sacrificing playability. At 2560x1440, the system is still viable, but only on Low and Medium presets. The Medium preset averages 67 FPS, which is playable, but the minimum of 57 FPS indicates occasional frame dips. The High preset at 1440p is not recommended, as its 58 FPS average falls short of the target.

At 3840x2160, the verdict is clear: this PC cannot run the game at a playable frame rate. No preset achieves 60 FPS, and even the lowest settings only reach 47 FPS. Players with 4K monitors should lower their resolution to 1440p or 1080p to enjoy the game. The data suggests that the Arc B370's integrated design, with system shared memory and a 25 W TDP, is simply not capable of handling 4K rendering for this title. For 1080p gaming, this is a solid combination, but for 4K, it is not suitable.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-10400F and Intel Arc B370 combination ranks 3428 out of 3717 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the bottom 8% of all systems in the database. This low ranking is almost entirely due to the GPU's performance. The Arc B370's nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark database include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (0.2% slower), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (0.5% slower), AMD Radeon HD 7650M (0.7% slower), and AMD FirePro M2000 (1.4% faster). These are all legacy or low-end parts from over a decade ago, confirming that the B370's raw graphics compute is extremely limited.

In contrast, the i5-10400F's nearest CPU rivals are the Intel Xeon 6756E (0.2% faster), Intel Core 7 160UL (0.3% slower), AMD EPYC 7552 (0.5% faster), and AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (0.6% slower). These are all modern or server-class processors, showing that the CPU is not the weak link. The 68th percentile CPU ranking versus the 5th percentile GPU ranking tells the full story: this is a CPU that can handle modern games, paired with a GPU that cannot. The total combo ranking of 3428 out of 3717 reflects the GPU's drag on an otherwise competent processor. For players with this combo, the practical takeaway is to stick to 1080p or modest 1440p settings, as the system's overall standing in the database is defined by its graphics limitations.