Barony

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a distinctive performance profile in Barony, a roguelike title from 2015. The measured data reveals a combo that is heavily influenced by resolution and settings, with the GPU acting as the primary scaling factor at higher loads. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results across resolutions, settings, and component roles to provide a clear picture of what this hardware combination offers.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 shows a predictable and significant drop in frame rates, but the pattern reveals important details about the system's bottleneck. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 156 at 1080p to 99 at 1440p, and finally to 52 at 4K. This represents a 66.7% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is a steep decline that points to the GPU being the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The step from 1080p to 1440p costs 57 FPS, while the step from 1440p to 4K costs another 47 FPS, showing a nearly linear degradation as pixel count increases.

The Low settings preset tells a similar story but with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 245 FPS, which drops to 154 FPS at 1440p and 81 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is 66.9%, nearly identical to the High preset's decline. This consistency suggests that the scaling behavior is stable across settings, with resolution being the dominant variable. The fact that even at 4K Low the system maintains 81 FPS indicates that the GPU has enough headroom to handle the game's demands when graphical effects are minimized.

Medium settings follow the expected curve, with 182 FPS at 1080p, 115 FPS at 1440p, and 60 FPS at 4K. The 4K Medium result includes a minimum FPS of 51 and a maximum of 69, showing a 18 FPS variance that suggests occasional dips below the average. Ultra settings produce the most demanding scenario, with 112 FPS at 1080p, 71 FPS at 1440p, and 37 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 37 FPS is the lowest recorded value in the entire dataset, indicating that this configuration pushes the GPU close to its limits.

The scaling data shows that the CPU is not the primary constraint in this game. The Ryzen 9 9900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, has ample processing power to feed the Arc B570 at all resolutions. The consistent FPS drops as resolution increases are classic signs of GPU-bound performance. At 1080p, the high frame rates (245 FPS on Low) suggest the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output, but the GPU becomes the bottleneck as pixel count rises. The data indicates that for smooth 4K gameplay, users would need to stick to Low or Medium settings, while 1080p and 1440p offer more flexibility.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture and features a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz. It has 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications directly influence the game's performance, particularly at higher resolutions where memory bandwidth becomes critical. The GPU's 2304 shading units and 80 ROPs help determine its fill rate, which is rated at 200.0 GPixel/s. The texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s is supported by 144 TMUs.

In Barony, the GPU's role is evident from the FPS scaling. At 4K Ultra, the 37 FPS average suggests the GPU is fully saturated, while at 1080p Low, the 245 FPS shows it has significant headroom. The 10 GB VRAM capacity is likely sufficient for this game, as Barony is a roguelike with relatively modest texture requirements compared to modern AAA titles. The memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s appears adequate for the game's needs, as the performance drops are more consistent with compute or shading limitations rather than memory constraints.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (deltaPct 0.1) and the Intel Arc A750 (deltaPct -0.1), showing that the B570 sits in a competitive mid-range position. The PassMark G3D score of 14195 and DirectX 11 score of 118 provide additional context for its raw capabilities, though these synthetic tests do not perfectly translate to Barony's specific workload.

The GPU's power characteristics, with a TDP of 150 W and a suggested PSU of 450 W, are not directly reflected in the FPS data but indicate that the card is designed for mainstream systems. The 19 Gbps effective memory clock and 2375 MHz memory clock contribute to the 380.0 GB/s bandwidth, which is a key factor in maintaining frame rates at higher resolutions. The data shows that the GPU is the limiting component in this combo for most settings above 1080p, as evidenced by the steep FPS declines when moving to 1440p and 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, all settings presets are playable, with Low at 245 FPS, Medium at 182 FPS, High at 156 FPS, and Ultra at 112 FPS. For competitive or fast-paced gameplay, the High preset at 156 FPS offers a good balance between visual quality and performance, while Ultra at 112 FPS is still smooth and provides the best visuals. The Medium preset at 182 FPS is a strong choice for those prioritizing higher frame rates without sacrificing too much visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts. The High preset delivers 99 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, but the Ultra preset drops to 71 FPS, which may be acceptable for slower-paced roguelike gameplay. The Medium preset at 115 FPS is the best balance point, offering a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while maintaining reasonable visual quality. The Low preset at 154 FPS is the best choice for those who prefer maximum fluidity, but the visual compromise may not be worth it for a game like Barony where atmospheric details matter.

At 3840x2160, the options are more limited. The Low preset at 81 FPS is the only setting that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS, while Medium at 60 FPS is right at the threshold. The High preset at 52 FPS and Ultra at 37 FPS are below ideal playability, though some players may find them acceptable for turn-based or slower gameplay. The data suggests that 4K users should stick to Low or Medium settings to ensure smooth performance, with Medium providing a better visual experience at the cost of a 21 FPS drop from Low.

The measured rows show that the Medium preset consistently offers a good middle ground across all resolutions. At 1080p, it provides 182 FPS with a minimum of 155 FPS and maximum of 209 FPS, showing reasonable stability. At 1440p, Medium hits 115 FPS with a minimum of 98 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS target. At 4K, Medium achieves 60 FPS with a minimum of 51 FPS, which is the only preset at this resolution that maintains playable frame rates. For users who want a consistent experience across resolutions, Medium is the recommended setting.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Barony?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 245, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is followed by 182 FPS at 1080p Medium and 156 FPS at 1080p High.

Q: Is 4K gameplay viable with this CPU and GPU combination?

A: Yes, but only with reduced settings. At 3840x2160, the Low preset delivers 81 FPS and Medium delivers 60 FPS, both being playable. High and Ultra presets drop to 52 FPS and 37 FPS respectively, which may be too low for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the Arc B570 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534) and 0.1% lower than the Intel Arc A750 (20582). It also sits close to the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480) and AMD Radeon R9 M390X (20662).

Q: What is the FPS difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 156 at 1920x1080 to 52 at 3840x2160, a reduction of 104 FPS or 66.7%. This indicates the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values recorded for Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 155. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 98. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 51. These values show the frame time variance at each resolution.

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

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X with Intel Arc B570 ranks 2344 out of 2935 tested combos, placing it in the lower-mid range of all configurations tested for this game.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge. It has a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a 120 W TDP. The CPU features 64 MB of L3 cache and 1 MB of L2 cache per core, along with 80 KB of L1 cache per core. This configuration provides substantial processing power that is well-suited for gaming workloads, as evidenced by its benchmark scores.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 9 9900X achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32172 and a single-core score of 2253. The Geekbench multicore score is 22174 with a single-core score of 3010. These numbers indicate strong multi-threaded performance, which is beneficial for games that can utilize multiple cores. The PassMark multithread score of 54643 and single-thread score of 4672 further confirm its capabilities. The CPU's percentile rank of 92 among all CPUs places it in the top 8% of processors, showing it is a high-end part.

The CPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the AMD EPYC 9015 (score 57555, deltaPct -0.1) and the Intel Core i9-14900 (score 58115, deltaPct -1.1). The EPYC 7313 (score 57399, deltaPct 0.2) and Xeon Platinum 8260M (score 58323, deltaPct -1.4) are also close. These comparisons show that the Ryzen 9 9900X performs within a narrow range of these server and desktop processors, indicating its high level of processing power.

In Barony, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU. The FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the system achieves 245 FPS, suggesting the CPU is not a bottleneck at this resolution. The consistent FPS drops as resolution increases are typical of GPU-bound scenarios. The CPU's 3DMark scores, including 12552 for 16 threads and 1286 for single thread, indicate it can handle the game's logic and AI calculations without issue. The data suggests that the Ryzen 9 9900X provides ample headroom for this game, and any performance limitations are due to the Arc B570 rather than the processor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at 245, with no minimum or maximum recorded. Medium settings produce 182 FPS average, with a minimum of 155 and maximum of 209. High settings achieve 156 FPS average, while Ultra settings deliver 112 FPS average. This shows a clear progression where each step up in settings costs approximately 30-60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably. Low settings average 154 FPS, which is a 37.1% decrease from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings average 115 FPS, with a minimum of 98 and maximum of 132, showing a 17 FPS variance. High settings average 99 FPS, a 36.5% decrease from 1080p High. Ultra settings average 71 FPS, a 36.6% decrease from 1080p Ultra. The percentage drops are consistent across settings, ranging from 36.5% to 37.1%, indicating uniform scaling with resolution.

At 3840x2160, the performance is significantly lower. Low settings average 81 FPS, a 47.4% decrease from 1440p Low. Medium settings average 60 FPS, with a minimum of 51 and maximum of 69, a 47.8% decrease from 1440p Medium. High settings average 52 FPS, a 47.5% decrease from 1440p High. Ultra settings average 37 FPS, a 47.9% decrease from 1440p Ultra. The 4K results show that the GPU struggles to maintain high frame rates at this resolution, with even Low settings failing to exceed 100 FPS.

The data reveals that the Medium preset has the most complete dataset, with minimum and maximum FPS recorded at all three resolutions. This allows for a more detailed analysis of frame time consistency. At 1080p, the range is 54 FPS (155 to 209), at 1440p the range is 34 FPS (98 to 132), and at 4K the range is 18 FPS (51 to 69). The narrowing range at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU becomes more consistently loaded, reducing frame time variance. The lowest recorded FPS in the entire dataset is 37 at 4K Ultra, while the highest is 245 at 1080p Low.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X with Intel Arc B570 ranks 2344 out of 2935 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the 79.9th percentile of all configurations tested. This means that roughly 80% of tested combos perform better than this one, which is a significant finding given the high-end nature of the CPU. The ranking suggests that the Arc B570 is the limiting factor, as the Ryzen 9 9900X is a top-tier processor that would rank much higher when paired with a more powerful GPU.

The combo's rank of 2344 indicates that it is in the lower-mid range of performance for this game. This is surprising given the CPU's strong benchmark scores and the GPU's mid-range positioning. The data suggests that Barony may favor certain GPU architectures or drivers, and the Arc B570's performance in this specific title does not fully reflect its synthetic benchmark scores. The GPU's percentile rank of 65 among all GPUs suggests it should perform better, but the actual game results show it falls short of expectations.

The ranking also implies that other combinations of CPUs and GPUs have achieved better results in Barony. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the EPYC 9015 and Core i9-14900, when paired with different GPUs, would likely rank higher. The combo's position at 2344 out of 2935 means that only 591 tested combos perform worse, which is a small fraction of the total. This puts the Ryzen 9 9900X + Arc B570 in the bottom 20% of tested configurations, despite the hardware's individual capabilities.

The disparity between the CPU's high percentile rank (92nd) and the combo's lower rank (79.9th percentile) highlights the GPU's role in limiting overall performance. The data indicates that the Arc B570, while capable in synthetic benchmarks, does not translate its performance effectively to Barony. This is an important consideration for users who may be considering this GPU for roguelike games or other titles with similar graphics requirements. The combo's ranking serves as a cautionary note about the GPU's real-world gaming performance relative to its theoretical capabilities.