Barony

Barony, a roguelike from 2015, presents an interesting case for the Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the Intel Arc B370. The measured data shows a combination that is heavily constrained by the graphics processor, particularly at higher resolutions. The Intel Core i5-11400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, provides a solid foundation, but the Arc B370, operating as an integrated graphics processor, becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution scales. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates to understand where this configuration stands and how to get the most out of it.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combination in Barony depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 144 FPS, which is an exceptional result for a fast-paced roguelike, ensuring maximum fluidity. The Medium preset at 1080p is also highly viable, with an average of 107 FPS and a minimum of 91 FPS, offering a smooth experience with better visual fidelity. The High preset at 92 FPS average is likewise very playable. The Ultra preset, at 66 FPS average, is still smooth but sacrifices a significant amount of performance for marginal visual gains; given the genre's focus on gameplay clarity, the drop from 107 FPS to 66 FPS is a steep price to pay for the Ultra settings.

For users with a 2560x1440 monitor, the situation changes. The Low preset is the clear recommendation to maintain high fluidity, with an average of 91 FPS. The Medium preset, with an average of 67 FPS and a minimum of 57 FPS, is the highest setting that can deliver a consistently smooth experience, though it dips below the 60 FPS threshold on occasion. The High preset at 58 FPS average is borderline, and the Ultra preset, at 42 FPS average, falls below what is generally considered acceptably smooth for a roguelike where quick reactions are essential.

At 3840x2160, the Arc B370 is severely overburdened. The Low preset, at an average of 47 FPS, is the only setting that provides a playable, though not ideal, frame rate. The Medium preset averages just 35 FPS, and the High preset drops to 30 FPS. The Ultra preset is effectively unplayable at an average of 22 FPS. The data clearly indicates that 4K resolution is beyond the practical capabilities of this hardware for a good experience, even at the lowest settings.

The best experience per the measured rows is found at 1080p with the Medium or High presets. These settings provide a high average frame rate that takes advantage of the CPU's capabilities while preserving visual quality. If maximum frame rate is the absolute priority, the Low preset at 1080p is the top choice. At 1440p, the Medium preset is the sweet spot, balancing visuals and performance. For 4K, the Low preset is the only feasible option, but users should consider lowering the resolution for a better experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Rocket Lake generation, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its performance profile, as measured by benchmarks like Cinebench R23, shows a multicore score of 14340 and a single-core score of 2024. This level of single-threaded performance is typically more than sufficient for a game like Barony, which is a roguelike and not known for being heavily multi-threaded. The data suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor in this configuration.

This is supported by the frame rate patterns. At 1080p with the Low preset, the average FPS is 144, which is a very high number that suggests the CPU is capable of feeding frames to the GPU at a fast rate. However, as the resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the average FPS drops significantly even at the same Low preset (91 FPS and 47 FPS, respectively). This drop is not due to the CPU, as its workload remains relatively constant across resolutions. Instead, it is a clear indicator that the graphics processor is becoming the primary bottleneck, unable to keep up with the increased pixel count.

The CPU's 12 MB of shared L3 cache and 12 threads provide ample resources for the game's logic and the overhead of driving the integrated GPU. The processor's 71st percentile ranking among all CPUs further confirms that it is a capable part. The nearest rivals, such as the AMD EPYC 7H12 (0.3% higher avg score) and the Intel Core i5-12450H (0.4% lower avg score), show that the i5-11400F is in a solid performance tier. In this specific game, the CPU's role is to provide a stable foundation that allows the GPU to be the sole determinant of performance scaling with resolution.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It has 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs. Its clock speeds are a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2400 MHz. Critically, its memory is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM. This makes its bandwidth "System Dependent," which is a significant performance constraint. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad benchmark score is 1184, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a low-performance part.

The measured FPS data in Barony is a direct reflection of the Arc B370's capabilities. The GPU is clearly the limiting component in this system. This is evident from the scaling of frame rates with resolution. At 1080p Low, the GPU manages 144 FPS, but this drops to 91 FPS at 1440p and 47 FPS at 4K. This is a typical pattern for a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering workload increases exponentially with pixel count, and the GPU's fixed processing power cannot keep up. The Arc B370's nearest rivals in terms of its 3DMark score are all older, low-end parts like the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (0.5% faster) and the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (0.2% faster), which reinforces its position at the very bottom of the performance spectrum.

The fact that the GPU is an integrated part on an IGP slot width, with a TDP of just 25 W, further underscores its limitations. It has no dedicated memory bus width or bandwidth, instead relying on the system's shared memory, which is a major bottleneck for games. The performance data shows that while the GPU can handle Barony at low resolutions and settings, it simply does not have the raw throughput or memory bandwidth to maintain high frame rates at 1440p or 4K. The jump from 47 FPS at 4K Low to 91 FPS at 1440p Low is a 44 FPS difference, highlighting the steep performance cost of rendering four times the pixels.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Barony smoothly at 4K resolution?

A: No. The measured data shows that at 3840x2160, even the Low preset only achieves an average of 47 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 35 FPS, and the High and Ultra presets are at 30 FPS and 22 FPS, respectively. These frame rates are below what is generally considered smooth for a fast-paced roguelike.

Q: What is the best settings preset for the highest possible frame rate?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 yields the highest average frame rate in the data, at 144 FPS. This is the only setting combination in the measured results that reaches this level of performance.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-11400F or the Intel Arc B370 the main bottleneck in Barony?

A: The data indicates the Intel Arc B370 is the clear bottleneck. Evidence for this comes from the frame rate scaling: at Low settings, the average FPS drops from 144 at 1080p to 91 at 1440p and 47 at 4K. This significant drop with increasing resolution is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario, as the CPU's workload does not scale in the same way.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: Its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184 is very close to the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which is 0.5% faster, and the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which is 0.2% faster. The AMD FirePro M2000 is 1.4% slower. This places the Arc B370 in the same performance class as these legacy, low-end cards.

Q: Is the Medium preset a good choice for this system?

A: Yes, but primarily at 1080p and 1440p. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset achieves an average of 107 FPS with a minimum of 91 FPS, which is an excellent experience. At 2560x1440, it averages 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS, which is playable. At 4K, the Medium preset's 35 FPS average is not recommended.

Q: Does the CPU's performance vary significantly from its direct competitors?

A: No. The Intel Core i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17177. Its nearest rivals, the AMD EPYC 7H12, Intel Core i5-12450H, and AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G, have average scores of 17120, 17239, and 17278, respectively. The performance deltas are all under 1%, meaning they are effectively equivalent in performance.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Barony demonstrates a classic case of GPU-bound scaling. As the resolution increases, the average frame rate drops consistently and dramatically, indicating that the Intel Arc B370's rendering capabilities are the primary limiting factor.

From 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, there is a substantial performance hit. At the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 144 to 91, a decrease of 53 FPS. At Medium, it drops from 107 to 67, a 40 FPS loss. At High, it drops from 92 to 58, a 34 FPS loss. This trend continues when moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160. The Low preset at 4K averages 47 FPS, compared to 91 FPS at 1440p. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 35 FPS from 67 FPS at 1440p.

The pattern is clear: the higher the preset, the steeper the relative drop when moving to a higher resolution, because the GPU is already struggling with the visual workload. The difference between 1080p and 4K at the Low preset is a 97 FPS drop (from 144 to 47 FPS), representing a performance reduction of about 67%. This dramatic scaling confirms that the system is not CPU-limited; if it were, the frame rates would remain relatively stable across resolutions, as the CPU's job of processing game logic and geometry does not change with the output pixel count. The Intel Core i5-11400F is likely capable of far higher frame rates than the Arc B370 can deliver, as evidenced by the high 144 FPS at 1080p Low. The resolution scaling is thus a direct measure of the integrated GPU's limitations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete breakdown of measured average frame rates for the Intel Core i5-11400F and Intel Arc B370 in Barony.

1920x1080

• Ultra: The average frame rate is 66 FPS.
• High: The average frame rate is 92 FPS.
• Medium: The average frame rate is 107 FPS, with a minimum of 91 FPS and a maximum of 123 FPS.
• Low: The average frame rate is 144 FPS.

2560x1440

• Ultra: The average frame rate is 42 FPS.
• High: The average frame rate is 58 FPS.
• Medium: The average frame rate is 67 FPS, with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS.
• Low: The average frame rate is 91 FPS.

3840x2160

• Ultra: The average frame rate is 22 FPS.
• High: The average frame rate is 30 FPS.
• Medium: The average frame rate is 35 FPS, with a minimum of 30 FPS and a maximum of 41 FPS.
• Low: The average frame rate is 47 FPS.

This data reveals a clear hierarchy. At every resolution, the Low preset offers the highest frame rate, and the Ultra preset offers the lowest. The Medium preset provides a balanced option with recorded minimum and maximum values, which gives a sense of frame time consistency. For instance, at 1080p Medium, the frame rate stays between 91 and 123 FPS, showing a stable experience. At 4K Medium, the frame rate fluctuates between 30 and 41 FPS, indicating a less consistent and more demanding situation for the GPU. The overall pattern is a consistent, step-wise decrease in performance as both resolution and graphical fidelity increase.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-11400F and Intel Arc B370 combination ranks 2701 out of 2935 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the bottom 8% of all tested systems, which is a very low position. This ranking is almost entirely attributable to the graphics processor. The CPU, the Intel Core i5-11400F, is a mid-range part that performs well in general benchmarks, sitting in the 71st percentile of all CPUs. However, the GPU, the Intel Arc B370, is a low-power integrated part that ranks in the 5th percentile of all GPUs.

This massive disparity in the component performance tiers is reflected in the overall system ranking. The combo's rank is pulled down by the GPU's inability to render the game at high frame rates, especially at higher resolutions. While the CPU is capable of providing a good gaming experience, the GPU's performance ceiling limits the entire system. The measured FPS data supports this, as the system is clearly GPU-bound. The ranking of 2701 out of 2935 is a direct consequence of the Arc B370's performance class. For comparison, the GPU's nearest rivals are all older, low-end discrete cards like the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which are not known for high-performance gaming. This combination's rank indicates that while it is a functional system for basic tasks and playable at low resolutions in Barony, it is not competitive with the vast majority of other tested configurations for gaming performance.