Barony

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a highly unusual combination for Barony, a roguelike title from 2015. The benchmark data reveals a system where the integrated graphics solution on the Intel chip is the overwhelming performance bottleneck, creating a distinct pattern of frame rate scaling that is heavily dependent on resolution and settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep and consistent decline as resolution increases, which is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo produces 102 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops that to 64 FPS, a 37% reduction. Pushing further to 3840x2160 yields only 34 FPS, which is a 67% drop from the 1080p figure. This pattern of losses is far too steep to be attributed to CPU limitations; it clearly points to the Intel Arc B390's rendering pipeline being saturated.

The trend holds across all settings. On Low, the system goes from 159 FPS at 1080p to 100 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 53 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K on Low settings is a 47% performance loss, which is substantial. Even on Medium, where we have the most complete data, the frame rate falls from 118 FPS at 1080p to 75 FPS at 1440p, and then to 39 FPS at 4K. The consistent ~50% performance hit when moving from 1440p to 4K across settings suggests the GPU is hitting a hard architectural limit, likely related to its memory interface or shading throughput.

This behavior implies that the limiting component is almost entirely the GPU. The Ryzen 7 5700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is more than capable of feeding frames at these rates. The fact that the 4K Ultra preset is the only configuration to drop below 30 FPS (at 24 FPS) reinforces this. The GPU's fill rate and pixel processing capabilities are being overwhelmed by the sheer number of pixels at 3840x2160, regardless of the graphical complexity. The data suggests that for a smooth experience, users should consider 1080p as the primary target for this IGP, as it is the only resolution where all presets remain playable.

Settings Recommendations

Given the data, the optimal balance of visual quality and performance is found at 1920x1080 with High settings. This configuration delivers 102 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The step up to Ultra at the same resolution costs 29 FPS (down to 73 FPS), a 28% performance penalty that may not justify the marginal visual gains in a game like Barony, which has a stylized aesthetic.

For users who prioritize maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p is the only configuration that approaches high refresh rate territory, hitting 159 FPS. However, this comes at the cost of visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 1080p offers a more balanced experience at 118 FPS, which is still 16 FPS faster than High. Considering the data, High is the sweet spot for most users, as it provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium while maintaining a frame rate that is more than sufficient for the game's turn-based or real-time combat mechanics.

At 2560x1440, the situation becomes more demanding. The High preset produces 64 FPS, which is playable but noticeably less smooth than 1080p. The Medium preset is the safest choice for 1440p, offering 75 FPS and a solid experience. Moving to 4K is not recommended based on the data, as even the Low preset only achieves 53 FPS, and the Medium preset dips to 39 FPS with a minimum FPS of 33, which is likely to cause visible stuttering. The Ultra preset at 4K is effectively unplayable at 24 FPS. The data clearly indicates that 1080p High is the best overall experience, with 1440p Medium as a viable alternative for users with higher-resolution displays who can tolerate slightly lower frame rates.

FAQ

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

A: Technically yes, but the experience is poor. The best 4K result is 53 FPS on Low settings. On Medium, the average drops to 39 FPS with a minimum of 33 FPS, and on High it falls to 34 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only one that dips below 30 FPS, at just 24 FPS.

Q: What is the highest frame rate achievable with this hardware?

A: The maximum measured average FPS is 159, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This is the only configuration in the data that exceeds 150 FPS.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 5700X or the Intel Arc B390 the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The frame rate scales heavily with resolution and settings, dropping from 102 FPS at 1080p High to 34 FPS at 4K High. A CPU bottleneck would show less variance across resolutions.

Q: What is the best setting for a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: At 1920x1080, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) achieve average FPS above 60, with the High preset at 102 FPS being the best balance. At 2560x1440, only the Low (100 FPS) and Medium (75 FPS) presets comfortably exceed 60 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High in terms of performance?

A: The performance cost is significant. At 1080p, Ultra is 29 FPS slower than High (73 vs 102 FPS). At 1440p, the gap is 18 FPS (46 vs 64 FPS). At 4K, the gap narrows to 10 FPS (24 vs 34 FPS), but both are below playable thresholds.

Q: Why is the 4K performance so low even on Low settings?

A: The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated GPU with a 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 places it near the performance of much older discrete cards like the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX. The sheer pixel count at 3840x2160 overwhelms its 24 ROPs and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset provides a clear picture of performance across all tested configurations.

At 1920x1080, the system is most capable. The Low preset yields the highest average FPS at 159. Medium produces 118 FPS, with a minimum of 101 and a maximum of 136. High settings result in 102 FPS. The Ultra preset, while still playable, drops to 73 FPS. This resolution is the only one where every preset maintains an average above 60 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance degrades noticeably. The Low preset still delivers a smooth 100 FPS. Medium is the next best at 75 FPS, with a range of 64 to 86 FPS. High settings dip to 64 FPS, which is right at the edge of the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset falls to 46 FPS, which is bordering on unplayable for fast-paced action.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overburdened. The Low preset is the only one that approaches playability at 53 FPS. Medium drops to 39 FPS, with a minimum of 33 FPS. High settings yield only 34 FPS. The Ultra preset is the worst performer in the entire dataset, averaging just 24 FPS. This resolution is not viable for a consistent gameplay experience with this hardware.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the definitive performance limiter in this configuration. Its benchmark results are exceptionally low, with a percentile ranking of 9 against all GPUs. The 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, which has a score of 1463 and is a 1.3% difference. This places the B390 in the same performance class as decade-old entry-level discrete graphics cards.

The GPU's architecture, Xe3-LPG on a 3 nm process, features 1536 shading units and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. While these specs seem reasonable on paper, the system-shared memory is a critical weakness. The memory type and bus width are both "System Shared," and the bandwidth is "System Dependent." This means the GPU relies on the system's DDR4 RAM, which is a significant bottleneck compared to dedicated VRAM. The 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth of the Ryzen 7 5700X's dual-channel memory controller is shared with the CPU, further limiting the GPU's data access.

The data suggests that the GPU's low fill rate, 60.00 GPixel/s, is the primary reason for the poor 4K performance. At 3840x2160, the GPU must process over 8 million pixels per frame, and its 24 ROPs are insufficient for this task. The FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS is also low by modern standards, but for a 2015 roguelike like Barony, the bottleneck is more likely the memory bandwidth and pixel throughput than raw shader compute.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X is vastly overqualified for this workload, and the data reflects that it is not a limiting factor. With 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, it offers substantial multi-threaded performance. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 13184 and single-core score of 1499 are strong, placing it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs. The nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-12600K, has an identical average benchmark score of 27578, showing this CPU is a solid mid-range performer.

In the context of Barony, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, AI, and physics, which are not typically demanding for a roguelike. The 3.40 GHz base and 4.60 GHz boost clocks provide ample single-thread performance for these tasks. The benchmark data supports this, as the frame rates are consistently high at 1080p, indicating the CPU can easily supply the GPU with data. The fact that the FPS drops proportionally with resolution is a textbook sign of a GPU bottleneck, not a CPU one.

The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache is beneficial for keeping game data close to the cores. However, it is clear from the measured FPS that even at the lowest settings, the CPU has headroom to spare. The system is not CPU-bound in any of the tested scenarios. The only potential CPU involvement is during the 4K Ultra preset at 24 FPS, but even then, the GPU's pixel throughput is so low that it is the clear culprit.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 7 5700X and Intel Arc B390 ranks at 2601 out of 2935 tested combos for Barony. This places it in the bottom 11% of all systems, which is a poor result. The ranking is almost entirely dragged down by the GPU's abysmal performance. The CPU is a top-tier performer in its own right, but the GPU's 9th percentile ranking effectively negates any advantage.

This ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data. The combo is only able to achieve high frame rates at 1080p, and even then, it requires a drop to Low settings to hit 159 FPS. For a game like Barony, which is not graphically intensive, this is a surprisingly low rank. It suggests that the Intel Arc B390 is simply not a suitable component for gaming, even for older or less demanding titles.

The delta between the GPU's nearest rivals further context. The Intel Arc B390 is only 1.3% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, a GPU from over a decade ago. This means the system's performance is comparable to a very old entry-level gaming laptop or desktop. The 2935 total combos tested include many with dedicated graphics cards, so a ranking of 2601 is expected. The data strongly implies that any user considering this combo for gaming should temper their expectations and stick to 1080p with medium-to-high settings for a playable, though not exceptional, experience.