Barony

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the Intel Arc B370 presents a peculiar case for running Barony. The data shows a combination that is heavily constrained by the graphics processor, which ranks in the 5th percentile among all GPUs. While the CPU is a mid-pack performer at the 47th percentile, the GPU bottleneck is severe. The recorded measurements indicate that this system can deliver playable performance at 1080p and 1440p, but it fails to reach the 60 FPS threshold at 4K. This analysis will break down the specific settings, performance alternatives, and the distinct roles each component plays in this specific game.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Barony at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 66 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is the highest preset that remains playable at this resolution.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 2560x1440?

A: The best playable setting at 1440p is Medium, which delivers an average of 67 FPS. While Low settings achieve 91 FPS, Medium is the most demanding preset that stays above 60 FPS.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this hardware for Barony?

A: No. At 3840x2160, none of the tested presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) reach the 60 FPS threshold. The highest average FPS at 4K is 47 FPS on Low settings, which is below the playable threshold.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-9400 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The CPU has an average benchmark score of 2254, which is nearly identical to its closest rivals. It is 0.2% slower than the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, 0.3% faster than the Intel Core i7-10710U, 0.4% faster than the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, and 0.4% slower than the Intel Core i3-10305.

Q: Where does the Intel Arc B370 rank among all tested GPUs?

A: The Arc B370 performs in the 5th percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its average 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1184, placing it in the lower tier of graphics hardware.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings produce an average of 144 FPS, while Ultra settings produce an average of 66 FPS. This represents a significant performance drop of 78 FPS when moving from the lowest to the highest preset.

Best Settings per Resolution

At each resolution, the goal is to identify the most demanding preset that maintains an average frame rate at or above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

3840x2160 (4K): No preset achieves playable performance. The closest is Low, which averages 47 FPS, followed by Medium at 35 FPS, High at 30 FPS, and Ultra at 22 FPS. The system cannot sustain 60 FPS at this resolution under any tested setting.

2560x1440 (1440p): The most demanding playable preset is Medium, which averages 67 FPS. This setting is the sweet spot, as it provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings drop to 58 FPS, which is just under the playable line, while Low settings average 91 FPS. Ultra settings are not viable, averaging only 42 FPS.

1920x1080 (1080p): The most demanding playable preset is Ultra, which averages 66 FPS. This is a clear verdict: the system can handle the highest visual fidelity at 1080p. Medium settings average 107 FPS, High averages 92 FPS, and Low averages 144 FPS, all of which are well above the threshold.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The database provides nearest rival data for both components, which helps contextualize their performance levels. A system with any of these alternatives should behave very similarly in Barony.

For the Intel Core i5-9400: The CPU performance is tightly clustered with its rivals. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (0.2% slower), the Intel Core i7-10710U (0.3% faster), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (0.4% faster), and the Intel Core i3-10305 (0.4% slower) all have average scores within a fraction of a percent. In practical terms, swapping the i5-9400 for any of these CPUs would result in nearly identical frame rates in Barony, as the CPU is not the primary bottleneck.

For the Intel Arc B370: The GPU performance is also closely matched with its nearest rivals. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (0.2% slower), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (0.5% slower), the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (0.7% slower), and the AMD FirePro M2000 (1.4% faster) all deliver comparable 3DMark scores. These are all older, lower-tier graphics solutions, so a system with any of these GPUs would face the same fundamental limitations in Barony, particularly the inability to reach 60 FPS at 4K.

The Verdict

The data indicates that this PC can run Barony, but with significant caveats depending on the target resolution. The verdict by resolution is clear: at 1920x1080, the system is fully capable, with all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) exceeding the 60 FPS threshold. The best experience is at Ultra, which averages 66 FPS. At 2560x1440, the system is partially capable, with only Low and Medium presets clearing 60 FPS. The recommended setting is Medium at 67 FPS. At 3840x2160, the system is not capable of playable performance; no preset reaches the 60 FPS threshold, and the highest average is 47 FPS on Low.

The overall picture is that this combination is a 1080p gaming machine for Barony. It offers a smooth experience at maximum settings only at the lowest resolution. Moving to 1440p requires a compromise in visual quality to maintain fluidity, and 4K is entirely out of reach. The data shows a hard performance ceiling imposed by the GPU, which dominates the frame rate outcomes.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results clearly demonstrate that the Intel Arc B370 is the limiting factor in this pairing. At 1080p, where CPU load is typically higher relative to GPU, the system still manages 144 FPS on Low and 66 FPS on Ultra. This suggests the CPU has ample headroom. However, the impact of resolution scaling on frame rates is stark, which points directly at the GPU as the bottleneck.

Consider the scaling from 1080p Low to 1440p Low: the average FPS drops from 144 to 91, a 37% reduction. At 4K Low, it drops further to 47 FPS, a 67% reduction from 1080p. This pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The GPU's rendering capabilities are being exhausted as pixel count increases. The Arc B370's 5th percentile ranking and its nearest rivals (all older, low-end cards) reinforce this interpretation.

The CPU's role is secondary. The i5-9400, ranking in the 47th percentile, has enough processing power to feed the GPU at all tested settings. The fact that 4K Ultra produces 22 FPS while 1080p Ultra produces 66 FPS shows that the game's graphical load scales with resolution, not that the CPU is struggling. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see less variance between resolutions, particularly at lower settings. Instead, the massive frame rate drops at higher resolutions indicate that the GPU is saturated.

At 1440p and 4K, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. At 1080p, the GPU still matters, as evidenced by the 78 FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings. However, the CPU is never the limiting factor, as the system can always achieve playable frame rates at 1080p, even with the integrated-class GPU. The data suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield significant frame rate improvements across all resolutions, while upgrading the CPU would have minimal impact for this specific game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B370 ranks 3428 out of 3717 tested combos in the database for Barony. This places it in the bottom 8% of all tested hardware pairings. This low ranking is primarily driven by the GPU's poor performance, as the CPU is a mid-pack component. The rank indicates that most other hardware configurations tested will outperform this setup in Barony.

The practical implication of this rank is that users with this combo should expect a below-average experience compared to the broader database. While it is playable at 1080p and 1440p, the system sits near the bottom of the performance hierarchy. The nearest GPU rivals, such as the ATI Radeon HD 5770, suggest that this system is comparable to hardware from a much older generation. For Barony, a roguelike game, the low rank does not necessarily ruin the experience at 1080p, but it does highlight the hardware's limitations for more demanding scenarios. The data shows a system that is functional for this specific title at lower resolutions, but it is far from a strong performer in the overall database rankings.