Barony

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the Intel Arc B370 produces a distinctive performance profile in Barony, one that is heavily dictated by resolution and settings. The measured data shows a system that is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p but becomes increasingly constrained as the resolution climbs, revealing a clear bottleneck that shifts depending on the workload. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, component roles, and ranking to provide a precise picture of what this combo delivers.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data shows a steep and consistent performance drop as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 92 FPS at 1080p to 58 FPS at 1440p, a 37% reduction, and then to 30 FPS at 4K, a further 48% drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern is a classic indicator that the Intel Arc B370's rendering capabilities become the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. The transition from 1080p to 1440p alone cuts the frame rate by over a third, which is a severe penalty that points directly to the GPU struggling with the increased pixel count.

The scaling behavior is even more pronounced at the lower settings. With Low settings, the system achieves 144 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 91 FPS at 1440p and then to 47 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low result is particularly telling: despite the minimal graphical workload, the average frame rate is still less than a third of the 1080p Low result. This indicates that at 4K, the Arc B370 is saturated regardless of the settings applied. The gap between Low and High settings narrows as resolution increases: at 1080p, the difference is 52 FPS (144 vs 92), but at 4K, the difference shrinks to just 17 FPS (47 vs 30). This convergence is a strong sign that the pixel throughput of the GPU is the hard ceiling at 4K, making the settings menu almost irrelevant at that resolution.

The data suggests that 1440p is a transitional point. At this resolution, the frame rate is still playable, but the system is clearly working harder. The Medium preset at 1440p produces an average of 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS, showing that the combo can hold a respectable frame rate with some headroom, but not without significant drops from the 1080p figures. The overall trend is unambiguous: this is a 1080p-centric configuration, with 1440p being a compromise and 4K being a last resort for playability.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its benchmark results show a strong single-threaded capability, with a 3dmark_single_thread score of 893 and a passmark_single_thread score of 3444. In a game like Barony, which is a roguelike and typically not heavily threaded, this single-core strength is the most relevant metric. The CPU’s 12 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory provide a solid foundation for feeding the GPU.

The CPU's performance appears to be sufficient to keep up with the GPU at lower resolutions. The jump from 66 FPS at Ultra 1080p to 144 FPS at Low 1080p suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor at 1080p; the GPU is the one dictating the frame rate based on the graphics load. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a plateau in frame rates as settings are lowered, but the data shows a continuous increase, indicating that the i3-12100F has headroom to spare at this resolution. The 3dmark_max_threads score of 4023, which is nearly identical to the 8-thread score of 4026, confirms that the processor is effectively utilizing all its available threads, but the workload in Barony is likely not stressing all of them.

However, the CPU's role becomes more passive at higher resolutions. As the frame rate drops to 30 FPS at 4K High, the CPU is likely spending more time idle, waiting for the GPU to complete its rendering tasks. The data does not show any signs of CPU-induced stuttering or frame rate caps, which would manifest as inconsistent performance across different settings at the same resolution. Instead, the consistent scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution points to a system where the GPU is the primary performance arbiter, with the i3-12100F providing a stable and capable platform that does not interfere with the graphics card's output.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated GPU (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz, and it operates with System Shared memory, meaning its bandwidth is system dependent. The GPU’s raw compute is rated at 6.144 TFLOPS for FP32, and it has 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs. Its 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, which is very low, and its nearest rivals are older discrete cards like the ATI Radeon HD 5770 and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M.

This GPU's performance is clearly the defining factor in this combo's Barony results. The frame rates at 1080p are respectable, with the Low preset hitting 144 FPS, which is a strong result for an IGP. However, the performance collapses as the resolution increases, and the data shows that the GPU is completely overwhelmed at 4K. The 4K Medium result has a minimum of 30 FPS and a maximum of 41 FPS, indicating significant frame pacing issues and an inability to maintain a stable output. This is consistent with a GPU that has a very low fill rate and limited memory bandwidth, as the 20 ROPs and System Shared memory setup are not designed for high-resolution rendering.

The GPU's low percentile ranking (5th) is a direct reflection of its position in the market. In the context of this game, the Arc B370 is able to handle the low graphical complexity of Barony at 1080p, but it lacks the raw throughput to scale up. The 4K Ultra result of 22 FPS confirms this limitation, as even the highest settings result in a nearly unplayable frame rate. The data shows that the GPU's role is to provide a playable experience at lower resolutions, but it struggles to do so at 1440p and fails to provide a consistent experience at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i3-12100F and Intel Arc B370 combination ranks 3428 out of 3717 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the bottom 8% of all tested systems, which is a very low ranking that reflects the GPU's weak performance. The CPU itself is not the cause of this low rank; the i3-12100F has a percentileVsAllCpus of 68, meaning it performs better than 68% of all CPUs in general benchmarks. This suggests that the combo's poor ranking is almost entirely attributable to the Intel Arc B370, which has a percentileVsAllGpus of 5.

The ranking data tells a story of a mismatch. The CPU is a competent mid-range part, with an avgBenchmarkScore of 13494, placing it in the same league as the Intel Core i5-9500 (13452, deltaPct of 0.3) and the Intel Core 3 N355 (13492, deltaPct of 0). In contrast, the GPU's avgBenchmarkScore of 1184 is nearly identical to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, deltaPct of -0.2) and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, deltaPct of -0.5). This means that the system's overall performance in Barony is dragged down by the GPU, which is a legacy-class component in terms of its 3D rendering capabilities.

The combo rank of 3428 out of 3717 is a clear indicator that this is not a system built for high-end gaming. The results in Barony confirm this, as the system can only achieve high frame rates at 1080p with lower settings. The data suggests that if a user were to pair this CPU with a more capable GPU, the ranking would improve dramatically, as the CPU has the headroom to support a much faster graphics card. As it stands, the combo is firmly in the lower tier of performance, and the measured frame rates in this game align perfectly with that ranking.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and the desired frame rate. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, the data shows that 1080p is the only viable resolution. At 1080p, the Medium preset achieves an average of 107 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 1080p still delivers a very playable 92 FPS average, making it a good choice for those who want a balance between visual quality and performance.

For users with a 1440p monitor, the data suggests that the High preset is not a good option, as it only averages 58 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p is the better choice, with an average of 67 FPS and a minimum of 57 FPS. This is right at the edge of playability for a 60 Hz display, but it is the highest settings level that consistently stays above the 60 FPS mark. The Low preset at 1440p offers a much higher average of 91 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors, but sacrifices visual fidelity.

At 4K, the data indicates that the system is not capable of a consistent 60 FPS experience. The Low preset is the only option that provides a playable frame rate, with an average of 47 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 35 FPS, and the High preset to 30 FPS, making them poor choices for gameplay. For the best experience at 4K, the Low preset is recommended, as it provides the highest average frame rate and avoids the frame pacing issues seen in the Medium preset, which has a minimum of 30 FPS. Overall, the recommended settings are: 1080p High for a great visual experience, 1440p Medium for a balanced experience, and 4K Low for a playable but visually compromised experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 60 FPS?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all tested settings except Ultra achieve an average frame rate above 60 FPS. At 2560x1440, only the Low and Medium presets average above 60 FPS, and at 3840x2160, no preset achieves a 60 FPS average.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest rivals in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The Arc B370 has a 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 1184. Its nearest rival, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, has a score of 1186, which is a deltaPct of -0.2. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, with a deltaPct of -0.5, and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192, with a deltaPct of -0.7.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in this system?

A: The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions. The CPU's performance is in the 68th percentile, while the GPU is in the 5th percentile. The frame rate drops significantly from 1080p to 4K, which is a classic sign of a GPU limitation.

Q: What is the average frame rate at 2560x1440 with Ultra settings?

A: The measured data shows that at 2560x1440 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 42 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS mark, indicating that this settings/resolution combination is not ideal for a smooth experience.

Q: Does the game run better at 1080p Low or 4K Low?

A: The data shows a massive difference. At 1080p Low, the average frame rate is 144 FPS, while at 4K Low, it is 47 FPS. This represents a 67% reduction in performance when moving from 1080p to 4K, highlighting the GPU's inability to handle higher resolutions.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among all tested systems in this game?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F and Intel Arc B370 combo ranks 3428 out of 3717 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the bottom portion of the overall performance distribution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average frame rates measured for this combo across all tested resolutions and settings.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 30 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 47 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 35 | 30 | 41 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 22 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 58 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 91 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 67 | 57 | 78 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 42 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 92 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 144 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 107 | 91 | 123 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 66 | - | - |

The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p is the native resolution for this combo, with all presets except Ultra staying above 90 FPS. At 1440p, performance drops by roughly a third, and at 4K, it drops by another third, making the highest settings at 4K nearly unplayable. The minimum FPS values for the Medium presets at each resolution show that the system can experience significant dips, with the 4K Medium preset dipping to exactly 30 FPS, which can cause noticeable stuttering. The maximum FPS values for the Medium presets also show the system's potential, with the 1080p Medium preset peaking at 123 FPS.