Barony

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT paired with the Intel Arc B390 in Barony places this combination at rank 2601 out of 2935 tested combos, putting it in the bottom 12% of the database for this specific roguelike. This is a lopsided pairing: the CPU is a strong desktop part with an 81st percentile ranking among all processors, while the GPU sits at the 9th percentile among all graphics cards, and the measured frame rates reflect that bottleneck clearly. The data shows a system that can deliver playable performance at 1080p and even 1440p on lower settings, but the integrated-class GPU limits the experience at higher resolutions and quality presets. For a game like Barony, which is a roguelike rather than a fast-paced competitive shooter, the practical question is whether the frame rates stay above acceptable thresholds, and the answer depends heavily on where you set the resolution and quality dials.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of 2935 tested combinations, this pairing lands at rank 2601, which places it in the lower percentile of tested combos for Barony. The overwhelming factor dragging this rank down is the GPU. The Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482 across all tested workloads, and its percentile ranking against all GPUs is only 9. That means roughly 91% of graphics cards in the database outperform it on general compute metrics. Its nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark list are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX with a score of 1463 (a 1.3% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M at 1460 (1.5% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM at 1446 (2.5% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 at 1443 (2.7% delta). The Arc B390 is marginally ahead of these older, low-end parts, but the deltas are small, indicating it is in the same performance class as decade-old entry-level GPUs.

On the CPU side, the Ryzen 7 5800XT is a different story. Its average benchmark score is 29879, with an 81st percentile ranking among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H at 29868 (0% delta), the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS at 29955 (-0.3% delta), the AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS at 29955 (-0.3% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X at 29713 (0.6% delta). These are all mobile or lower-tier desktop chips, and the 5800XT essentially matches or slightly exceeds them, despite being a desktop part with higher power limits. The CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo; the benchmark results indicate the GPU is responsible for the low rank. In a game like Barony, which is not graphically demanding by modern standards, the GPU still becomes the wall at higher settings, and the combo rank reflects that the system as a whole is only suited for modest graphical loads.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer, built on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz, with a TDP of 105 W. It supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration with a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, and it has 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU uses the AMD Socket AM4 and has 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes. It was released on 2024-07-30 with a launch MSRP of $249. Its benchmark scores are solid: Cinebench R23 multi-core at 23794 and single-core at 3359, Cinebench R20 multi-core at 9993 and single-core at 1410, and 3DMark single-thread at 959 with max-thread at 7680.

For Barony, the CPU's role is primarily to keep the game logic, procedural generation, and AI calculations running smoothly. The game is a roguelike, which means it relies heavily on turn-based or semi-real-time logic, pathfinding, and random dungeon generation rather than complex physics or particle effects. An 8-core, 16-thread CPU with a 4.80 GHz boost clock is more than sufficient for this workload. The single-thread performance is particularly relevant, as many roguelike engines are not heavily multithreaded. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3359 indicates strong per-core throughput, which should handle Barony's logic without stutter. The multi-core scores, such as Cinebench R23 multi-core at 23794, show that even if the game does spawn background threads for generation or pathfinding, the CPU has headroom. The data suggests the CPU is never the bottleneck in this pairing; even at 1080p Low where the average FPS reaches 159, the CPU is still delivering frames that the GPU can render, meaning the CPU has spare capacity.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, with the chip codenamed Panther Lake, built on a 3 nm process at Intel. It has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. Its base clock is 300 MHz with a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The memory is system-shared, meaning it uses the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM, and the memory bandwidth is system dependent. The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Its TDP is 80 W, and it is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no dedicated power connectors. The only benchmark listed is 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 with a score of 1482, which places it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs.

In Barony, the GPU's role is to render the 3D environment, which for a roguelike often includes voxel-based or low-poly dungeons, lighting effects, and particle effects for spells or explosions. The Arc B390's boost clock of 2500 MHz is high for an integrated part, but the 1536 shading units are few compared to discrete GPUs, and the system-shared memory means the GPU must compete with the CPU for bandwidth. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher settings and resolutions. For example, at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 24, which is below the playable threshold for most users. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 159, which is smooth, but that is the lowest graphical load. The GPU's performance scales predictably with settings, but the ceiling is low. The 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482, compared to rivals like the GT 520MX at 1463, indicates that the Arc B390 is only marginally faster than a GPU from over a decade ago, so it should be treated as a budget or entry-level solution for gaming.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160) and four settings (Low, Medium, High, and Ultra), with average FPS reported for all, and minimum and maximum FPS reported only for Medium settings.

At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the average FPS ranges from 73 at Ultra to 159 at Low. Specifically, Low averages 159 FPS, Medium averages 118 FPS with a minimum of 101 and a maximum of 136, High averages 102 FPS, and Ultra averages 73 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium is 41 FPS, from Medium to High is 16 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 29 FPS. All of these are playable, with even Ultra staying above 60 FPS. The minimum FPS at Medium is 101, which is well above any stutter threshold, indicating consistent performance.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops noticeably. Low averages 100 FPS, Medium averages 75 FPS with a minimum of 64 and a maximum of 86, High averages 64 FPS, and Ultra averages 46 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is significant: Low goes from 159 to 100 (a 59 FPS drop), Medium from 118 to 75 (a 43 FPS drop), High from 102 to 64 (a 38 FPS drop), and Ultra from 73 to 46 (a 27 FPS drop). At 1440p, Ultra is below 60 FPS, and even High is right at 64 FPS, which is borderline.

At 3840x2160, the performance falls below playable thresholds for most settings. Low averages 53 FPS, Medium averages 39 FPS with a minimum of 33 and a maximum of 45, High averages 34 FPS, and Ultra averages 24 FPS. Only Low approaches playability at 53 FPS, but it is still below the 60 FPS target that many gamers prefer. Medium, High, and Ultra are all below 40 FPS, with Ultra at 24 FPS, which is a slideshow for any action. The minimum FPS at Medium is 33, which indicates significant frame drops during intense moments.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals that the GPU is the primary limiting component. From 1080p Low at 159 FPS to 1440p Low at 100 FPS is a 37.1% drop, and from 1440p Low to 4K Low at 53 FPS is a 47% drop. The total drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low is 66.7%. For Medium settings, the drop from 1080p at 118 FPS to 1440p at 75 FPS is 36.4%, and to 4K at 39 FPS is 67%. High settings drop from 102 FPS at 1080p to 64 FPS at 1440p (37.3% drop) and then to 34 FPS at 4K (66.7% total drop). Ultra settings drop from 73 FPS at 1080p to 46 FPS at 1440p (37% drop) and then to 24 FPS at 4K (67.1% total drop).

The consistency of the percentage drops across settings is telling. For each setting, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 37%, and the drop from 1440p to 4K is roughly 47% to 50%. This suggests that the GPU is scaling with the pixel count, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would not drop as much when increasing resolution, because the CPU would still be able to prepare the same number of frames. The fact that the FPS drops proportionally with resolution means the Arc B390 is rendering every pixel, and its limited shading units and system-shared memory are saturated at higher resolutions. The drop from 1080p to 4K is approximately two-thirds for all settings, which aligns with the fact that 4K has four times the pixels of 1080p, and the GPU cannot keep up with that workload.

The limiting component is clearly the GPU. The CPU has headroom, as evidenced by the high FPS at 1080p Low (159 FPS), which is likely near the engine's frame cap or the CPU's ability to feed the GPU, but at higher resolutions the GPU's rendering speed is the wall. If this system were paired with a discrete GPU, you would expect the FPS to stay much closer to the 1080p Low numbers across resolutions, but the Arc B390's integrated nature caps the pixel throughput.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the best experience balances frame rate with visual quality. The data shows that at 1080p, all settings are playable, with Ultra at 73 FPS being the lowest. For a roguelike where you might be staring at a single screen for extended periods, 73 FPS is acceptable, but High at 102 FPS offers a smoother experience with only a minor visual downgrade. Medium at 118 FPS is even smoother, and the minimum FPS of 101 ensures no stutter. Given that the GPU is the bottleneck, choosing High or Medium at 1080p is the sweet spot: High provides good visual fidelity while staying above 100 FPS, and Medium offers a safety margin with a minimum of 101 FPS.

At 1440p, the options narrow. High at 64 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 46 FPS is below the playable threshold for most users. Medium at 75 FPS with a minimum of 64 FPS is the best choice for 1440p, as it stays above 60 FPS and provides a reasonable visual experience. Low at 100 FPS is smoother but sacrifices too much visual quality for a game that may have text or UI elements that benefit from higher settings. The recommendation is to use Medium at 1440p if you insist on that resolution, but the data suggests that 1080p is the native resolution for this combo.

At 4K, no setting is truly playable. Low at 53 FPS is below 60 FPS, and Medium, High, and Ultra are all below 40 FPS. The minimum FPS at Medium is 33, which will cause noticeable hitches. The data indicates that 4K should be avoided entirely with this GPU. If you have a 4K display, the best approach is to run the game at 1080p or 1440p and let the display scale, or accept that Barony at 4K will be a subpar experience.

The overall recommendation is to run Barony at 1080p with Medium or High settings. Medium gives you 118 FPS average with a 101 FPS minimum, which is fluid and responsive. High gives you 102 FPS average, which is still excellent and offers better shadows and textures. If you prefer higher visual fidelity and can tolerate 73 FPS, Ultra at 1080p is viable, but the jump from High to Ultra costs 29 FPS, which is a significant drop for marginal visual gains. The measured data shows that the GPU's performance degrades quickly as settings increase, so sticking to Medium or High is the safest way to maintain a consistent frame rate. For 1440p, Medium is the only setting that stays above 60 FPS, and for 4K, the combo is not recommended at any setting. The system is best used as a 1080p machine for this game, and the CPU's strength is wasted at higher resolutions because the GPU cannot keep up.