Barony

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a highly unusual performance profile in Barony, one that is defined by stark contrasts across resolutions and settings. The data reveals a system that can deliver very high frame rates at 1080p, yet struggles significantly at 4K, painting a picture of a component pairing where the GPU becomes an overwhelming bottleneck at higher resolutions. This analysis will break down the measured FPS, examine the roles of the CPU and GPU, and contextualize the combo's overall ranking.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is severe and immediate, indicating a hard ceiling imposed by the Intel Arc B390. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 159 FPS, which seems respectable. However, moving to 1440p at the same settings, the average drops to 100 FPS, a 37% reduction. The 4K Low figure falls further to 53 FPS, which is a 67% decline from the 1080p baseline. This steep curve is characteristic of a GPU that is running out of pixel-pushing capability as the resolution increases.

The pattern holds across all settings. For High settings, the average FPS drops from 102 at 1080p to 64 at 1440p and then to 34 at 4K. This consistent, dramatic scaling points directly at the graphics card as the limiting factor. The CPU, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is likely not being fully stressed at these resolutions; instead, the GPU's fill rate and shading power are being saturated. The data suggests that 1080p is the only resolution where this combo can consistently provide a high-refresh-rate experience, and even then, only at lower settings.

The scaling between Medium and High settings is also informative. At 1080p, the gap between Medium (118 FPS) and High (102 FPS) is 16 FPS. At 1440p, it's 11 FPS (75 vs 64), and at 4K it's only 5 FPS (39 vs 34). This narrowing gap at higher resolutions further confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck; as resolution increases, the cost of each setting increase becomes relatively smaller compared to the cost of the resolution itself. The Ultra preset, however, is the most demanding, causing the average FPS to plummet to 73 at 1080p, 46 at 1440p, and a nearly unplayable 24 at 4K. The data clearly indicates that this is a 1080p-oriented pairing.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Arc B390 capable of running Barony at 4K resolution?

A: Technically, yes, but the experience is generally poor. The data shows an average of 34 FPS on High settings and 53 FPS on Low settings at 3840x2160. However, the Ultra preset drops to just 24 FPS, which is below a playable threshold for most users.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo?

A: The benchmark results clearly indicate that 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution. At this resolution, all settings presets are playable, with the Low preset averaging 159 FPS and even the Ultra preset averaging 73 FPS. This is the only resolution where the combo consistently delivers smooth frame rates.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: The difference is substantial. The Low preset averages 159 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 73 FPS. This represents a 54% decrease in average frame rate when moving from Low to Ultra, showing the significant cost of the highest visual quality settings.

Q: Does the CPU or the GPU act as the primary bottleneck in this game?

A: The performance scaling strongly suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions. The average FPS drops dramatically as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. The CPU, with its high PassMark scores, appears to have enough headroom to keep up at lower resolutions.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals in terms of raw GPU benchmark score?

A: The Arc B390's average benchmark score of 1482 is only 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX's score of 1463. It is 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M and 2.5% higher than the GeForce GT 625 OEM. This indicates it sits in a very low performance tier relative to other GPUs.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among all tested combinations in Barony?

A: The combo is ranked 2601 out of 2935 tested combinations. This places it in the lower 12th percentile of all tested systems, indicating that while it can play the game, most other tested combos deliver better performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this hardware combination is found at 1080p. The Ultra preset, while visually appealing, is demanding and yields an average of 73 FPS. For players prioritizing a high refresh rate, the Low preset at 1080p provides the highest performance at 159 FPS. The Medium preset offers a strong balance, delivering 118 FPS, which is likely sufficient for a smooth experience on most displays.

At 1440p, the choices become more constrained. The High preset averages 64 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The Medium preset at 75 FPS is a better option here, but the Low preset stands out as the best for maintaining higher frame rates, averaging 100 FPS. This suggests that for 1440p, players should prioritize lowering settings to maintain fluidity.

For 4K, the data suggests that this hardware combo is not well-suited for a high-quality experience. The Low preset is the only option that provides a somewhat acceptable average frame rate at 53 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 39 FPS, and High and Ultra are below 35 FPS. The recommendation for 4K is to use the Low preset if it is absolutely necessary to run at that resolution, but the performance data indicates that dropping to a lower resolution will provide a significantly better experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080: The data shows a clear hierarchy across settings. The Low preset produces the highest average at 159 FPS. The Medium preset averages 118 FPS, with a minimum of 101 FPS and a maximum of 136 FPS. High settings average 102 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, bringing the average down to 73 FPS.

2560x1440: Performance takes a significant step down at this resolution. The Low preset averages 100 FPS. The Medium preset averages 75 FPS, with a reported range of 64 to 86 FPS. High settings average 64 FPS. The Ultra preset averages just 46 FPS, which begins to feel less smooth.

3840x2160: This resolution proves to be a major challenge for the GPU. The Low preset averages 53 FPS. The Medium preset averages 39 FPS, with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 45 FPS. High settings average 34 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 24 FPS, which is on the edge of playability and will likely be a stuttering experience.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is unequivocally the limiting component in this pairing. Its performance data, primarily a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This is an exceptionally low score, and its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710, all of which are entry-level or legacy parts. This contextualizes the GPU's role as a basic display adapter rather than a high-performance gaming card.

The GPU's architecture is Xe3-LPG, built on Intel's 3 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with a TDP of just 80 W. The system uses shared memory, meaning the "System Shared" VRAM is dependent on the system's DDR5 memory. While the boost clock is relatively high, the low transistor budget and small number of execution units (1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs) limit its raw throughput. The FP32 performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS.

The impact of this GPU in Barony is clear: it is the main reason for the drastic FPS drops at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra score of 24 FPS is a direct result of the GPU being overwhelmed by the pixel count. Even at 1080p, the difference between Low (159 FPS) and Ultra (73 FPS) shows that the GPU's fill rate is taxed by higher-quality effects. The data implies that for this game, the GPU's capabilities are the primary boundary for the system's performance, and any attempt to increase resolution or settings will be met with a significant penalty.

CPU Role

In stark contrast to the GPU, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is a high-performance processor. Its average benchmark score of 69996 places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. It competes directly with parts like the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.2% faster), Intel Core i7-14700KF (0.2% slower), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.7% faster), and Intel Core i7-14700K (0.9% faster). This positions the 9700F as a top-tier desktop CPU, especially for gaming.

The CPU is a Zen 5 (Granite Ridge) part with 8 cores and 16 threads. It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W. Its cache configuration includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 32 MB of L3 cache. It supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. Its PassMark scores are strong across the board, including a multi-thread score of 36470 and a single-thread score of 4691.

In Barony, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data. Given the GPU's low performance, the CPU is likely never the limiting factor in this scenario. The data shows that the FPS is consistently bound by the GPU's rendering capabilities. The CPU's high single-thread score of 4691 is more than sufficient for the game's logic and AI, and its multi-thread capabilities are largely unutilized in this context. The CPU's high percentile ranking suggests that if paired with a more powerful GPU, the system would see a substantial performance increase, but with the Arc B390, its potential is left untapped.

How This Combo Ranks

The overall ranking of this combo in Barony is 2601 out of 2935 tested combinations. This places it in the bottom 11% of all tested systems. This low rank is entirely consistent with the GPU's performance. The Intel Arc B390's 9th percentile ranking among GPUs is the dominant factor, dragging the entire combo down despite the CPU's excellent 94th percentile ranking.

This ranking has significant implications. It means that the vast majority of other CPU-GPU combinations tested in Barony produce higher frame rates. The combo's performance is a direct reflection of its weakest link. The data suggests that this is a mismatched pairing for gaming purposes, where a high-end CPU is severely handicapped by an entry-level GPU. The CPU is a champion, but the GPU is a chaser, and in this race, the GPU is holding the team back.

The ranking data, when viewed alongside the CPU and GPU benchmark percentiles, tells a clear story. The CPU is in the top 6% of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the bottom 9% of all GPUs. The combo's rank is much closer to the GPU's percentile, confirming that the GPU is the defining factor in the system's overall performance in Barony. This is a textbook example of a bottleneck, where the slowest component determines the system's overall capability.