Barony

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 paired with the Intel Arc B370 lands near the bottom of the tested combo list for Barony, a roguelike that appears far more demanding on the graphics side than its genre might suggest. This pairing ranks 2701 out of 2935 tested combinations, placing it in the lowest percentile of systems evaluated for this title. The combination of a capable six-core Zen 3 processor with a modest integrated-class GPU produces playable frame rates at 1080p, but the experience degrades sharply as resolution increases. The data shows a system that can handle the game at lower settings and standard HD resolutions, yet struggles to maintain smooth performance at 1440p or 4K, particularly when visual quality is pushed beyond medium presets.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 2701 out of 2935 tested configurations places it in the bottom 8 percent of all systems benchmarked for Barony. This is a low position, and the benchmark results confirm why. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 144 FPS average, which is excellent, but that figure drops dramatically as settings and resolution climb. The GPU’s percentile ranking against all GPUs is 5, meaning it performs better than only 5 percent of the graphics cards in the database. This is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU is comparatively much stronger.

The Ryzen 5 5600 itself sits in the 74th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20468. Its nearest rivals in CPU performance are the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V with an average score of 20454 (0.1 percent lower), the AMD Ryzen 5 8500G at 20425 (0.2 percent lower), the AMD EPYC 9454P at 20422 (0.2 percent lower), and the AMD EPYC 7713 at 20363 (0.5 percent lower). This places the CPU in a strong position relative to the rest of the market, but the GPU drags the overall system down considerably. The Arc B370’s average benchmark score is just 1184, with its nearest rivals being the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 at 1186 (0.2 percent higher), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 at 1190 (0.5 percent higher), the AMD Radeon HD 7650M at 1192 (0.7 percent higher), and the AMD FirePro M2000 at 1168 (1.4 percent lower). These are all older, low-end parts, which contextualizes the GPU’s performance class.

In Barony specifically, the combo rank is not just about raw compute. The game’s roguelike nature often involves procedural generation and complex logic, but the benchmark data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor in most scenarios. At 1080p Low, the system hits 144 FPS, suggesting the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at that level. However, at 4K Ultra, the average drops to 22 FPS, a figure that is nearly unplayable. The rank reflects this overall weakness, and users should expect this combo to be suited only for lower-resolution or lower-settings gameplay in Barony.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the decisive component in this pairing. It is built on the Xe3-LPG architecture, using a 3 nm process from Intel, and is classified as an IGP (integrated graphics processor). Its base clock is 300 MHz, boosting to 2400 MHz. The memory configuration is system shared, meaning the GPU uses the system’s main memory rather than dedicated VRAM. Its bandwidth is system dependent, and the memory bus width is likewise shared. This is a significant limitation for a game like Barony, which may require frequent texture streaming and memory access.

The GPU has 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster operation units. It also includes 10 ray tracing cores, although Barony is not a title that would typically leverage ray tracing given its release in 2015. The pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s. Floating point performance is rated at 6.144 TFLOPS for FP32 and 12.29 TFLOPS for FP16 (2:1 ratio). The GPU’s TDP is 25 W, and it has no power connectors, reinforcing its integrated nature. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API compatibility is not an issue.

In Barony, the GPU’s shared memory architecture shows its impact in the measured FPS. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 144 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 66 FPS. This 54 percent reduction from Low to Ultra at the same resolution indicates that the GPU’s shading and memory bandwidth are stretched by higher settings. The boost clock of 2400 MHz helps at lower resolutions, but the lack of dedicated VRAM becomes a bottleneck at higher settings and resolutions. The system shared memory is dependent on the CPU’s memory bandwidth, which for this CPU is 51.2 GB/s over a dual-channel DDR4 bus. This is a hard ceiling for the GPU’s data throughput.

The GPU’s benchmark score of 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 places it at the 5th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, scores 1186, only 0.2 percent higher. This shows that the Arc B370 is competing with integrated and older discrete parts from over a decade ago. For Barony, this means the GPU can handle the game at lower settings, but it is not designed for high-fidelity or high-resolution gaming. The 4K results confirm this: even at Low settings, the average FPS is 47, which is below the 60 FPS threshold most players prefer.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combo in Barony is at 1080p with Low settings, where the average frame rate is 144 FPS. This provides a smooth, responsive experience that is ideal for a roguelike where quick reactions matter. The 1080p Medium preset delivers 107 FPS average, with a minimum of 91 FPS and a maximum of 123 FPS. This is still very playable and offers better visual quality without a significant performance hit. For players who prioritize visual fidelity over raw frame rate, 1080p High yields 92 FPS average, which is acceptable but not as fluid.

At 1440p, the situation changes. The Low preset averages 91 FPS, which is good, but the Medium preset drops to 67 FPS, with a minimum of 57 FPS. This is near the edge of playability for some users, though the minimum FPS suggests occasional dips that could be noticeable. The High preset at 1440p averages 58 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 42 FPS. For a game like Barony, where enemy patterns and environmental hazards require precision, frame rates below 60 FPS at 1440p may be less desirable. The recommendation is to stick with 1080p for the most consistent experience, or use 1440p Low if a higher resolution is preferred.

At 4K, the results are poor. The Low preset averages 47 FPS, Medium averages 35 FPS (with a minimum of 30 and maximum of 41), High averages 30 FPS, and Ultra averages 22 FPS. None of these are ideal for a game that benefits from smooth motion. The 4K Medium result shows a minimum of 30 FPS, which is the threshold for console-like playability, but it is not recommended. The best 4K experience is at Low settings, but even that is marginal. For this combo, the optimal settings are 1080p Low or Medium, with 1440p Low as a secondary option for users with higher-resolution displays who can tolerate slightly lower frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the combo’s performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. Starting at 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 144 FPS, which is the highest figure recorded for this combo. The Medium preset averages 107 FPS, with a minimum of 91 FPS and a maximum of 123 FPS. The High preset averages 92 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 66 FPS. This shows a steady decline as settings increase, but all 1080p results are playable, with even the lowest Ultra average of 66 FPS being acceptable for most users.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 91 FPS, a 37 percent drop from the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset averages 67 FPS, with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS. The High preset averages 58 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 42 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 54 percent, similar to the 1080p drop, but the absolute numbers are lower. The Medium preset at 1440p has a minimum of 57 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target, indicating that some scenes may cause noticeable stutter.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 47 FPS, a 48 percent drop from the 1440p Low result. The Medium preset averages 35 FPS, with a minimum of 30 FPS and a maximum of 41 FPS. The High preset averages 30 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 22 FPS. The 4K results are consistently below 60 FPS, and even the Low preset fails to reach 50 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 30 FPS suggests that the game can dip to console-like frame rates, which is not ideal for a fast-paced roguelike. The data indicates that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo, regardless of settings.

The pattern across resolutions is consistent: the GPU is the limiting factor. At 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to push the GPU to higher frame rates, but as resolution increases, the GPU’s shading and memory bandwidth are overwhelmed. The 144 FPS at 1080p Low suggests the CPU can handle the game’s logic, but the GPU cannot sustain that performance at higher resolutions. The lack of dedicated VRAM means that texture and geometry data must be swapped through the system memory bus, which is a bottleneck at higher resolutions where larger buffers are required.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals the limiting component. At 1080p Low, the average is 144 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 91 FPS, a 37 percent reduction. At 4K Low, it drops to 47 FPS, a 48 percent reduction from 1440p and a 67 percent reduction from 1080p. This scaling is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the number of pixels rendered has a direct impact on frame rate. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would not drop as significantly with resolution increases, because the CPU’s workload would remain similar.

The Medium preset shows a similar trend. At 1080p, the average is 107 FPS. At 1440p, it is 67 FPS, a 37 percent drop. At 4K, it is 35 FPS, a 48 percent drop from 1440p. The High preset goes from 92 FPS at 1080p to 58 FPS at 1440p (37 percent drop) to 30 FPS at 4K (48 percent drop). The Ultra preset goes from 66 FPS at 1080p to 42 FPS at 1440p (36 percent drop) to 22 FPS at 4K (48 percent drop). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests that the GPU’s performance scales linearly with pixel count, which is a clear sign that the GPU is the limiting component.

The CPU, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600, is a six-core, 12-thread processor based on Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It has 32 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus. In CPU benchmarks, it scores 18309 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2584 in single-core. These are solid scores, and the CPU’s 74th percentile ranking reflects its capability. In Barony, the CPU is not the bottleneck at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the 144 FPS at 1080p Low. However, at 4K, the GPU’s limitations are so severe that the CPU’s performance is irrelevant.

The resolution scaling data suggests that players with this combo should avoid 4K entirely. Even at Low settings, the 47 FPS average is not ideal for a game that requires precise timing. The 1440p Low result of 91 FPS is more acceptable, but the 1080p Medium result of 107 FPS offers a better balance of visual quality and performance. The limiting component is unequivocally the GPU, and any attempt to improve performance should focus on reducing the GPU’s workload, either by lowering resolution or settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Barony?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 provides the highest frame rates, with the Low preset achieving 144 FPS average and the Medium preset achieving 107 FPS average. At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 91 FPS, but higher settings drop below 60 FPS. 3840x2160 is not recommended, as even the Low preset only averages 47 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B370 has an average benchmark score of 1184, which is 0.2 percent lower than the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570’s 1186, 0.5 percent lower than the ATI Radeon HD 5770’s 1190, and 0.7 percent lower than the AMD Radeon HD 7650M’s 1192. It is 1.4 percent higher than the AMD FirePro M2000’s 1168. These are all older, low-performance parts.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system for Barony?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600, ranks in the 74th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 5th percentile. The FPS drops by roughly 37 percent from 1080p to 1440p and another 48 percent from 1440p to 4K across all settings, indicating a GPU-bound workload.

Q: What settings preset provides the smoothest experience at 1080p?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 delivers the highest average frame rate at 144 FPS. The Medium preset averages 107 FPS, with a minimum of 91 FPS and a maximum of 123 FPS, which is also very smooth. The High preset averages 92 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 66 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Barony?

A: The measured data shows that 4K performance is poor. The Low preset averages 47 FPS, Medium averages 35 FPS, High averages 30 FPS, and Ultra averages 22 FPS. None of these reach the 60 FPS target, and the Medium preset has a minimum of 30 FPS, which may cause noticeable stutter.

Q: How does the CPU’s benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600 has an average benchmark score of 20468. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, scores 20454, which is 0.1 percent lower. The AMD Ryzen 5 8500G scores 20425 (0.2 percent lower), the AMD EPYC 9454P scores 20422 (0.2 percent lower), and the AMD EPYC 7713 scores 20363 (0.5 percent lower). The CPU is clearly not the weak link in this setup.