Barony

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the Intel Arc B370 delivers a highly unusual performance profile in Barony, a roguelike title that is not graphically demanding by modern standards. This combination ranks 2701st out of 2935 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 8% of all configurations. The data reveals a system where an exceptionally powerful CPU is paired with a GPU that ranks in the 5th percentile of all graphics cards, creating a bottleneck that defines the entire gaming experience.

FAQ

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations in Barony?*

A: The combination ranks 2701st out of 2935 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 8% of all systems tested. This is primarily due to the Intel Arc B370's performance level, which sits at the 5th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 144 FPS. This is the only configuration in the measured data that reaches or exceeds 144 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Arc B370's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 is nearly identical to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, -0.2%), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, -0.5%), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, -0.7%). It is only 1.4% ahead of the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168).

Q: What is the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 High, the average FPS is 92. At 3840x2160 High, the average FPS drops to 30. This represents a 67% reduction in frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Does the Ryzen 7 9700X provide enough CPU performance for this game?

A: Yes. The CPU's single-threaded performance is exceptionally strong, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 1280 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2211. The game's performance is overwhelmingly limited by the GPU, not the CPU.

Q: At 1440p, what is the difference between Low and Ultra settings?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce an average of 91 FPS, while Ultra settings produce an average of 42 FPS. This is a 49 FPS difference, or a 54% reduction in frame rate from Low to Ultra.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the decisive performance limiter in this configuration. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are all legacy parts from the early 2010s. The GPU's specifications reflect its integrated nature: it operates with system-shared memory, a base clock of 300 MHz, and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. Its pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 6.144 TFLOPS.

The data indicates that this GPU is capable of rendering Barony at playable frame rates only at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, it achieves 144 FPS, which suggests it can handle the game's relatively simple geometry. However, the GPU's 20 ROPs and 40 TMUs become a significant constraint as resolution and settings increase. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is just 22 FPS, which is a 85% reduction from the 1080p Low result. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU that runs out of fillrate and memory bandwidth as pixel count grows.

The GPU's architecture is Xe3-LPG, built on Intel's 3nm process, and it includes 10 ray tracing cores. However, these features do not translate into competitive performance in this title. The GPU's 1280 shading units are simply insufficient to maintain high frame rates at higher resolutions. The average FPS at 1440p High is 58, which is playable, but the jump to 4K High results in a 30 FPS average, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The data shows a GPU that is fundamentally underpowered for 4K gaming in this title, regardless of the CPU's capabilities.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is in a completely different performance class than its GPU counterpart. With 8 cores and 16 threads, it offers substantial multi-threaded capability, but its single-threaded performance is what matters most for Barony. The CPU achieves a 3DMark single-thread score of 1280 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2211, placing it in the 86th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-14901E (deltaPct 0.1%), AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (0.1%), and Intel Core 5 211E (0.3%), all of which have nearly identical average benchmark scores.

The CPU's base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz provide ample processing power for the game's logic and AI systems. Its 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB of L2 cache per core ensure that frequently accessed data is readily available. The fact that this CPU is not the bottleneck is evident from the FPS data: the frame rates scale almost entirely with resolution and GPU load, not with CPU-intensive tasks. The CPU's passmark single-thread score of 4654 and geekbench single-core score of 3023 further confirm its capability.

In Barony, a roguelike with turn-based or real-time dungeon crawling, the CPU handles game state calculations, procedural generation, and entity updates. The Ryzen 7 9700X's 16 threads are more than sufficient for these tasks. The benchmark results show that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the CPU does not become a limiting factor. The FPS at 1080p Low (144) is identical to what would be expected from the GPU's maximum output, indicating the CPU is never the constraint. The CPU's 65W TDP and 4nm process node make it an efficient choice, but in this pairing, its power is largely wasted because the GPU cannot take advantage of it.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 144 FPS, Medium settings produce 107 FPS (with min/max of 91/123), High settings produce 92 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 66 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is a 37 FPS drop, while the step from Medium to High is a 15 FPS drop. The step from High to Ultra is a 26 FPS drop, showing that Ultra settings impose a heavier penalty.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly. Low settings yield 91 FPS, Medium settings yield 67 FPS (min/max 57/78), High settings yield 58 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 42 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium at 1440p is 24 FPS, while the difference between Medium and High is 9 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is 16 FPS. These numbers show that the GPU's limitations become more pronounced as resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings produce 47 FPS, Medium settings produce 35 FPS (min/max 30/41), High settings produce 30 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 22 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 12 FPS, from Medium to High is 5 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 8 FPS. The 4K results are consistently below 50 FPS, even at Low settings, which indicates the GPU is severely underpowered for this resolution.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each doubling of resolution from 1080p to 1440p reduces FPS by roughly 35-40%, and the jump from 1440p to 4K reduces FPS by another 45-50%. The minimum FPS values are only recorded for Medium settings, with 91 FPS at 1080p, 57 FPS at 1440p, and 30 FPS at 4K. These minimums indicate that frame pacing is consistent at lower resolutions but becomes more erratic as the GPU approaches its limits.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2701st out of 2935 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the bottom 8% of all systems. This low ranking is directly attributable to the Intel Arc B370's performance, which ranks in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. The GPU's average benchmark score of 1184 is nearly identical to that of the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190), and AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192). These are all legacy parts that are over a decade old.

In contrast, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X ranks in the 86th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37943. Its nearest rivals, the Intel Core i9-14901E (37911), AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (37904), and Intel Core 5 211E (37829), all have scores within 0.4% of the 9700X. This extreme disparity between CPU and GPU performance is the defining characteristic of this combo.

The ranking of 2701 out of 2935 means that 234 other tested combos perform worse in this game. This is surprising given the CPU's strength, but it underscores the extent to which the GPU drags down the overall result. In a game like Barony, which is not heavily GPU-dependent, one might expect the CPU to compensate for a weak GPU. However, the data shows that the GPU is so underpowered that it cannot even leverage the CPU's capabilities to achieve competitive frame rates at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, Low settings deliver 144 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. Medium settings at 107 FPS offer a good balance between visual quality and smoothness, while High settings at 92 FPS are still playable. Ultra settings at 66 FPS are acceptable but represent a significant visual quality gain for a 41 FPS reduction from Low.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings at 67 FPS provide the best experience, as they maintain a frame rate above 60 FPS while offering better visuals than Low (91 FPS). High settings at 58 FPS are playable but may feel less smooth, while Ultra at 42 FPS is below the threshold for comfortable gameplay. Low settings at 91 FPS are the smoothest option but require a significant visual compromise.

At 3840x2160, no setting provides a consistently smooth experience. Low settings at 47 FPS are the only option that approaches playability, but the frame rate is still below 50 FPS. Medium settings at 35 FPS and High at 30 FPS are marginal at best, while Ultra at 22 FPS is not recommended. For 4K gaming, the data suggests that users should either accept Low settings or reduce the resolution.

The best overall experience is at 2560x1440 with Medium settings, which delivers 67 FPS average with a minimum of 57 FPS. This combination provides a frame rate that is smooth enough for most players while maintaining a reasonable level of visual fidelity. At 1080p, Medium settings at 107 FPS are also an excellent choice, offering a high frame rate with better visuals than Low.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU as the clear limiting component. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 92 at 1080p to 58 at 1440p and then to 30 at 4K. This represents a 37% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 48% reduction from 1440p to 4K. At Low settings, the scaling is similar: 144 FPS at 1080p, 91 FPS at 1440p, and 47 FPS at 4K. This is a 37% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 48% drop from 1440p to 4K.

The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings indicates that the GPU is operating at its fillrate limit. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively constant across resolutions, as the CPU's workload does not scale with pixel count. Instead, the FPS scales almost linearly with the number of pixels, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. From 1080p (1920x1080 = 2.07 million pixels) to 1440p (2560x1440 = 3.69 million pixels), the pixel count increases by 78%. The FPS drops by 37%, which is less than proportional, suggesting some headroom at 1080p. From 1440p to 4K (3840x2160 = 8.29 million pixels), the pixel count increases by 125%, and the FPS drops by 48%, which is more proportional.

The data shows that the GPU's performance degrades more rapidly at higher resolutions, confirming that it is the limiting factor. The Ryzen 7 9700X, with its high single-threaded performance, is never the constraint in this game. The 4K results, with a maximum of 47 FPS at Low settings, demonstrate that this combo is not suitable for 4K gaming in Barony. The 1080p and 1440p results are more reasonable, but the overall ranking of 2701 out of 2935 combos reflects the GPU's fundamental weakness.