Barony

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a stark contrast in component classes, a configuration that yields highly specific performance characteristics in the roguelike title Barony. The CPU is a modern 6-core, 12-thread Zen 4 part, while the GPU is an integrated-class solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system where the graphics processor is the dominant constraint, yet the interaction between these two components produces a playable, if not consistently smooth, experience depending on the user's target resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The data from Barony shows a clear and predictable performance degradation as resolution increases, but the severity of the drop highlights the GPU's limitations. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 159 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings drops the average to 100 FPS, a 37% reduction. Scaling further to 2160p (4K) yields 53 FPS, which is another 47% drop from the 1440p figure and a 67% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This pattern is consistent across all settings presets, indicating that the rendering load is scaling heavily with pixel count.

This steep decline in frame rate suggests that the Intel Arc B390's fillrate and compute resources are being saturated quickly. Even at the lowest settings, the GPU must process four times the pixels at 4K compared to 1080p. The fact that performance nearly halves at each resolution step, rather than showing a more moderate decline, points to a scenario where the GPU is the primary limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the frame rate to remain relatively flat when lowering resolution, as the CPU's workload would be unchanged. Instead, the consistent and large FPS drops confirm that the Arc B390 is working at its maximum capacity even at 1080p, and every additional pixel pushes it further past its comfort zone.

The scaling from Medium to High settings at the same resolution is also telling. At 1440p, the average frame rate drops from 75 FPS on Medium to 64 FPS on High, a 14.7% performance penalty. At 4K, the same settings change results in a drop from 39 FPS to 34 FPS, a 12.8% reduction. This relatively moderate cost for the High preset compared to the resolution scaling shows that the GPU is more sensitive to pixel throughput than to the added visual complexity of the higher setting level, further reinforcing that raw pixel fill is the primary bottleneck for this combo.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is a system-shared memory GPU, meaning its performance is heavily intertwined with the system's memory bandwidth and latency. With a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, the GPU has a wide clock range, but its physical resources are limited. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output pipelines. These specifications, combined with its 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, place it firmly in the entry-level segment, a position corroborated by its 9th percentile ranking among all tested GPUs.

In Barony, the GPU's role is decisive. The measured average frame rates, from a high of 159 FPS at 1080p Low to a low of 24 FPS at 4K Ultra, show that the Arc B390 is the component that dictates the playable limits of this system. The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and GeForce 800M, which have average scores within 1.5% of the Arc B390. This context is crucial; the Arc B390 is not in the same performance class as even mid-range discrete GPUs, and its performance in Barony reflects this. The data indicates that the GPU's memory bus width and bandwidth, listed as "System Shared" and "System Dependent," respectively, are likely significant contributors to the performance ceiling, as the shared memory architecture can struggle with the bandwidth demands of higher resolutions.

The GPU's 24 ROPs are a particularly low count, which directly impacts pixel fill rate. This explains the dramatic FPS drops at 4K, where the ROPs and the system memory bandwidth are overwhelmed. The GPU's performance is not a matter of clock speed being too low; rather, the sheer amount of pixel processing required at high resolutions outstrips its available hardware resources. The data shows that the Arc B390 provides a playable experience only at lower resolutions and settings, and its role is to be the limiting factor in this pairing.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution. The primary goal is to maintain a frame rate that is smooth for the fast-paced, grid-based action of a roguelike. The data provides clear guidance for each scenario.

For 1080p gaming, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The average FPS of 118 with a minimum of 101 FPS ensures that the game remains fluid during complex scenes, while still providing a significant visual upgrade over the Low preset. While the High preset at 102 FPS is also playable, the Medium preset's higher minimum frame rate provides a more consistent experience. The Low preset at 159 FPS is exceptionally fast but may sacrifice too much visual fidelity for the slight benefit over Medium.

At 1440p, the situation becomes more constrained. The Medium preset is the highest setting that can maintain an average FPS above 60, hitting 75 FPS. The High preset, at 64 FPS, is just barely above the 60 FPS threshold but may dip below it in more demanding moments, as evidenced by the Medium preset's minimum of 64 FPS. Therefore, the Medium preset is the recommended choice for a stable 1440p experience. The Low preset at 100 FPS is viable for players who prioritize frame rate above all else, but Medium provides a better visual experience without sacrificing the 60 FPS target.

For 4K, the data shows that no preset achieves a consistently smooth 60 FPS. The Low preset is the only option that provides a playable average frame rate, hitting 53 FPS. This is the recommended setting for 4K, as the Medium preset's 39 FPS and the High preset's 34 FPS are likely to feel sluggish for a game that requires quick reactions. The Ultra preset at 24 FPS is not recommended for active gameplay. Ultimately, players targeting 4K should expect to use the Low preset and accept a sub-60 FPS experience, or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for a much better experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured frame rates for Barony with the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and Intel Arc B390 is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance. With Low settings, the average FPS is 159. The Medium preset yields an average of 118 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 101 FPS and a maximum of 136 FPS. High settings produce an average of 102 FPS. The most demanding Ultra preset results in an average of 73 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably. The Low preset achieves an average of 100 FPS. Medium settings average 75 FPS, with a minimum of 64 FPS and a maximum of 86 FPS. High settings average 64 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to an average of 46 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily strained. The Low preset is the only option to remain near playable, with an average of 53 FPS. The Medium preset averages 39 FPS, with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 45 FPS. High settings drop to an average of 34 FPS. The Ultra preset is the slowest, with an average of only 24 FPS.

These numbers illustrate a clear hierarchy. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is significant, but the gap between 1440p and 4K is even more severe, confirming the GPU's inability to handle the pixel throughput required at 4K. The min and max FPS data for the Medium preset at each resolution also show that frame pacing becomes less consistent as resolution increases, with a wider spread between the minimum and maximum values at 4K compared to 1080p.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Barony at 4K resolution?*

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it achieves an average of 53 FPS. Higher settings at 4K result in averages below 40 FPS, which may not be a smooth experience.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 60 FPS experience at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset is the highest setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS, hitting 75 FPS. The High preset drops to an average of 64 FPS, which is closer to the threshold.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B390's average benchmark score of 1482 is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and 1.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce 800M. It also scores 2.5% higher than the GeForce GT 625 OEM and 2.7% higher than the GeForce GT 710.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the main bottleneck. Frame rates drop significantly with increased resolution, which is a classic sign of a GPU limitation. The CPU is a high-performance part that can easily feed the GPU.

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo can achieve in Barony?*

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 159 FPS, which is achieved at 1080p with Low settings.

Q: What is the performance delta between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the Low preset achieves 159 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 73 FPS, a performance difference of 86 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, running on the AMD Socket AM5 platform. With a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, it is a capable modern CPU. Its benchmark scores are robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22799 and a single-core score of 3218. It also scores 12362 in Geekbench multi-core and 2374 in single-core. The CPU's performance percentile ranks it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a strong performer.

In Barony, the CPU's role is to provide a solid foundation for the GPU. Given that the game is a roguelike, it is likely not heavily threaded, but the Ryzen 5 7500F's high single-core performance ensures that game logic and physics are handled efficiently. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this pairing. If it were, we would see similar FPS numbers across different resolutions, as the CPU's workload would be constant. Instead, the FPS scales inversely with resolution, confirming that the CPU is waiting on the GPU to render frames. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-13620H with a deltaPct of 0.2%, are all within a 0.4% performance margin, showing that the Ryzen 5 7500F is well-matched against contemporary mobile and desktop parts in terms of processing power.

The 65W TDP of the Ryzen 5 7500F also indicates it is an efficient part, which is a good match for a system with a lower-power integrated GPU. The CPU has no integrated graphics of its own, meaning the Arc B390 is the sole display output. The CPU's 32 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support are sufficient to feed the GPU without introducing a performance bottleneck. In this configuration, the CPU is the anchor of the system, providing ample processing headroom while the GPU's capabilities define the overall gaming experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined performance of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and Intel Arc B390 in Barony is ranked 2601 out of 2935 tested combos. This places the system in the bottom 11% of all configurations in the benchmark database. This low ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU. The Ryzen 5 7500F is a high-performing CPU, but it is paired with a GPU that ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. The pairing creates a significant imbalance where the CPU's potential is left untapped.

The ranking indicates that while this combo can run Barony, it does so at a level far below what most other systems achieve. The data shows that the system is only able to provide a smooth experience at 1080p, and even then, only at lower settings. The 2601st rank out of 2935 combos puts it in the company of systems with older or entry-level graphics hardware. The GPU's nearest rivals, which include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and GeForce 800M, are legacy parts, further emphasizing the Arc B390's low standing in the performance hierarchy. This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's limited fillrate and memory bandwidth, as discussed in the previous sections. The CPU, by contrast, holds up its end of the bargain, ensuring that the system's performance is not further degraded by processor limitations.