Barony

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and Intel Arc B570 pairing delivers a highly playable experience in Barony, with the data indicating that the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all tested resolutions. While the Ultra preset is available, the substantial frame rate cost it imposes makes it difficult to recommend for consistent gameplay. This analysis is based strictly on the measured FPS data provided.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark results clearly point to the Medium preset as the optimal choice for this hardware combination. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers an average of 182 FPS, which is a 62.5% improvement over the High preset's 156 FPS and a 62.5% increase over Ultra's 112 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is smaller, with Low hitting 245 FPS, but the visual fidelity gain from Medium is typically worth the 63 FPS difference for most users.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset maintains a robust 115 FPS average, which remains well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. This is a 16.1% improvement over High's 99 FPS and a 62% improvement over Ultra's 71 FPS. The Medium preset also provides the only complete FPS data set in the measurements, with a minimum of 98 FPS and a maximum of 132 FPS at 1440p, indicating consistent frame delivery without significant dips.

The 3840x2160 resolution tells a similar story. Medium achieves a 60 FPS average, which is the minimum target for a fluid experience, while High falls to 52 FPS and Ultra drops to a stutter-prone 37 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 51 FPS at 4K is the only recorded minimum across all 4K settings, suggesting that while it can dip below 60 FPS, it remains playable. Low at 4K does offer 81 FPS, but the visual compromise is substantial.

The data suggests that Ultra is not a viable setting for this combo. At every resolution, the Ultra preset demands a performance penalty that is disproportionate to its visual gains. At 1080p, Ultra is 38.5% slower than Medium; at 1440p, it is 38.3% slower; and at 4K, it is 38.3% slower. This consistent penalty indicates that the Ultra preset's additional effects are not optimized for the Arc B570's architecture.

For users prioritizing maximum frame rates, Low is the only setting that breaks past 200 FPS at 1080p (245 FPS) and 150 FPS at 1440p (154 FPS). However, the jump from Low to Medium at 1080p retains a 182 FPS average, which is still exceptionally high, making Medium the clear recommendation for the best experience per the measured rows.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570's specifications directly influence these results. The GPU features a 10 GB GDDR6 memory pool on a 160-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is sufficient for Barony's roguelike environments, which typically feature modest texture sizes, but it does not appear to be a bottleneck at the tested settings, as the FPS scaling is consistent with the GPU's compute capabilities.

The B570 operates at a consistent 2500 MHz base and boost clock, which is a relatively modest clock speed. Its rendering capabilities are defined by 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units. These specifications translate to a pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s. In Barony, which is a grid-based roguelike with a top-down perspective, the pixel rate is more critical than texture throughput, and the data shows the GPU handles the load effectively up to the Medium preset.

The GPU's FP32 performance is rated at 11.52 TFLOPS, with FP16 performance at 23.04 TFLOPS (2:1). This compute capability is a strong indicator of the B570's ability to handle the game's shader complexity. The benchmark results show that the GPU is the primary driver of performance differences between presets. Moving from Low to Medium at 1080p reduces FPS from 245 to 182, a 25.7% drop; from Medium to High, it drops from 182 to 156, a 14.3% drop; and from High to Ultra, it drops from 156 to 112, a 28.2% drop. These diminishing returns suggest that the Ultra preset introduces effects that heavily tax the GPU's 80 ROPs.

The B570's performance in the PassMark G3D benchmark, scoring 14195, places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A750 (deltaPct -0.1%) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (deltaPct 0.1%), indicating that its raw performance is closely matched with those components. The measured FPS in Barony reflects this mid-range positioning, as the GPU is capable of high frame rates at lower settings but struggles to maintain them at the most demanding preset.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. At the Medium preset, the average FPS drops from 182 at 1080p to 115 at 1440p (a 36.8% reduction) and then to 60 at 4K (a 47.8% reduction from 1440p). This consistent scaling indicates that the Arc B570 is the limiting component, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed the GPU at all resolutions.

The High preset shows a similar trend: 156 FPS at 1080p, 99 FPS at 1440p (a 36.5% drop), and 52 FPS at 4K (a 47.5% drop from 1440p). The Low preset scales from 245 FPS at 1080p to 154 FPS at 1440p (a 37.1% drop) and 81 FPS at 4K (a 47.4% drop from 1440p). The Ultra preset follows the same pattern: 112 FPS at 1080p, 71 FPS at 1440p (a 36.6% drop), and 37 FPS at 4K (a 47.9% drop from 1440p).

This consistent ~37% drop from 1080p to 1440p and ~47% drop from 1440p to 4K across all presets is a strong indicator that the GPU's pixel fill rate is the primary constraint. The 4K resolution (3840x2160) has 2.25 times the pixels of 1440p (2560x1440), and the measured FPS drops are close to this pixel count ratio, confirming that the game is render-bound rather than CPU-bound at these settings.

The data suggests that there is no sudden cliff at any resolution, but rather a smooth degradation. At 1080p, all presets except Ultra exceed 150 FPS. At 1440p, Medium and Low exceed 100 FPS, while High stays just under 100 FPS. At 4K, only Low exceeds 60 FPS, with Medium exactly at 60 FPS and High and Ultra falling below. This scaling profile indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor, as the FPS drops are purely proportional to the pixel count increase.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance. At 1920x1080, the Low setting achieves an average of 245 FPS, Medium reaches 182 FPS (with a min of 155 and max of 209), High attains 156 FPS, and Ultra drops to 112 FPS. The 1080p results show that the Arc B570 is capable of delivering extremely high frame rates, with even the Ultra preset surpassing 100 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong. Low averages 154 FPS, Medium averages 115 FPS (with a min of 98 and max of 132), High averages 99 FPS, and Ultra averages 71 FPS. The 1440p Medium preset is notably the only one with a complete FPS range, indicating stable performance. The gap between High and Ultra at 1440p is 28 FPS, which is the largest relative difference between those two presets at any resolution.

At 3840x2160, the data shows the GPU's limits. Low averages 81 FPS, Medium averages 60 FPS (with a min of 51 and max of 69), High averages 52 FPS, and Ultra averages 37 FPS. The 4K results are the most critical for understanding the GPU's capabilities. The Medium preset's min FPS of 51 at 4K is the only 4K minimum recorded, and it shows that while the average is 60 FPS, there are occasional dips below that threshold. The Ultra preset's 37 FPS average is below the threshold for acceptable playability in a fast-paced roguelike.

Comparing the presets, the data shows that Low to Medium is the most efficient upgrade path. At 1080p, the FPS drops from 245 to 182 (a 25.7% reduction) for a significant visual improvement. At 1440p, the drop is from 154 to 115 (a 25.3% reduction). At 4K, the drop is from 81 to 60 (a 25.9% reduction). In contrast, High to Ultra is the least efficient, with FPS drops of 28.2% at 1080p, 28.2% at 1440p, and 28.8% at 4K, all for marginal visual gains.

FAQ

Q: What is the best setting for 1080p gameplay with this hardware?

A: The Medium preset provides the best balance, delivering an average of 182 FPS with a minimum of 155 FPS and a maximum of 209 FPS. This is well above the refresh rate of most monitors and retains higher visual quality than Low.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but with limitations. The Medium preset achieves a 60 FPS average at 3840x2160, though the minimum FPS drops to 51. The Low preset is the only setting that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS at 4K, averaging 81 FPS. High and Ultra fall below the 60 FPS target, with averages of 52 and 37 FPS respectively.

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

A: The Ultra preset is significantly more demanding. At 1080p, it is 38.5% slower than Medium (112 FPS vs 182 FPS). At 1440p, it is 38.3% slower (71 FPS vs 115 FPS). At 4K, it is 38.3% slower (37 FPS vs 60 FPS). The performance cost is consistent across all resolutions.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting component. The FPS drops from 1080p to 1440p and from 1440p to 4K are proportional to the increase in pixel count (approximately 37% and 47% respectively), which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D has significant headroom.

Q: What are the minimum FPS figures for the Medium preset?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p, the minimum is 155 FPS and the maximum is 209 FPS. At 1440p, the minimum is 98 FPS and the maximum is 132 FPS. At 4K, the minimum is 51 FPS and the maximum is 69 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: Based on average benchmark scores, the B570 is effectively tied with the Intel Arc A750 (deltaPct -0.1%) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (deltaPct 0.1%). It is slightly ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (deltaPct 0.4%) and slightly behind the AMD Radeon R9 M390X (deltaPct -0.5%).

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a high-end desktop processor with 12 cores and 24 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge). It has a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. Its cache configuration includes 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and a substantial 128 MB of L3 cache. This large L3 cache is a key feature for gaming, as it reduces memory latency and improves data access patterns.

In the context of Barony, the CPU's role is largely to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic. The measured FPS data suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck, as the performance scales consistently with GPU load. The CPU's 3DMark benchmarks are strong: it scores 12490 in the 16-thread test and 13795 in the max-thread test, while its single-thread score is 1269. These scores indicate ample processing power for the game's simulation.

The CPU's average benchmark score is 54762, placing it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in terms of average score include the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (deltaPct -0.6%), the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (deltaPct 1.3%), the Intel Xeon 6505P (deltaPct 2%), and the Intel Core i7-14700F (deltaPct 2.1%). This positioning shows the 9900X3D is competitive with mid-range and high-end Intel offerings.

Given the GPU-bound nature of the game at the tested settings, the CPU's performance is more than sufficient. The FPS differences between presets are entirely attributable to the GPU's workload. Even at 1080p with the Low preset, where the CPU would be most likely to become a limiting factor, the 245 FPS average indicates that the CPU can handle the game's single-threaded and multi-threaded demands without issue. The CPU's high boost clock of 5.50 GHz is particularly beneficial for games like Barony that may have a primary simulation thread.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s (dual-channel DDR5) provides sufficient data throughput for the GPU. The 128 MB L3 cache is a notable advantage, as it can hold a large portion of the game's active data set, reducing the need to access system memory. This cache size is likely a contributing factor to the CPU's ability to maintain high frame rates even when the GPU is not fully saturated. However, the data does not show any scenario where the CPU's capabilities are exceeded, as the FPS scaling is purely linear with resolution changes.