Barony

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a remarkably consistent performance profile in Barony, exhibiting a clear sensitivity to both resolution and graphical preset that points to a well-balanced pairing for this roguelike title. Across the measured spectrum, the combination transitions from extreme high-refresh-rate territory at 1080p to a playable, visually rich experience at 4K, with the data indicating that the GPU becomes the dominant limiting factor as resolution scales upward.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable and substantial performance drop as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, a pattern that firmly establishes the Intel Arc B570 as the primary performance bottleneck at higher pixel counts. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 156 FPS at 1080p to 99 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 57 FPS, and then further down to 52 FPS at 4K. This represents a steep decline, with the 4K figure being roughly one-third of the 1080p performance, clearly demonstrating the immense pixel throughput demands placed on the GPU at Ultra HD resolution.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets, though the magnitude of the drop varies with the intensity of the graphical workload. For Low settings, the transition from 1080p to 1440p sees a drop from 245 FPS to 154 FPS, a 91 FPS decrease, while moving to 4K brings the average down to 81 FPS. This 4K Low result is still highly playable, but the 164 FPS gap between 1080p and 4K Low is the largest absolute drop in the dataset, indicating that even at the lowest graphical fidelity, the GPU's rendering capabilities are severely taxed by the 4K resolution's sheer number of pixels.

The Medium preset tells a similar story, with frame rates declining from 182 FPS at 1080p to 115 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 60 FPS at 4K. Notably, the 4K Medium result includes the only min/max frame data in the entire set, showing a range from 51 FPS to 69 FPS, which suggests a degree of frame time variance at this demanding configuration. The Ultra preset exhibits the most dramatic relative drop, falling from 112 FPS at 1080p to 71 FPS at 1440p, and then to just 37 FPS at 4K. This 4K Ultra figure is the lowest measured result in the entire benchmark suite, highlighting that this configuration is not suitable for maximum settings at the highest resolution.

The data strongly suggests that at 1080p, the system is not purely GPU-limited, as the massive frame rates (up to 245 FPS on Low) indicate that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU sufficiently. However, the rapid and consistent decline in FPS as resolution increases points to the GPU's pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth becoming the constraining factors, a conclusion supported by the GPU's specifications and its performance in synthetic benchmarks.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570, built on the Xe2-HPG architecture, is the decisive component in determining the performance ceiling at higher resolutions and settings. Its memory configuration of 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s, which is a critical resource for handling the texture and geometry data required at 4K resolution. The benchmark results indicate that this bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming but becomes a limiting factor at 4K, especially when combined with higher detail presets that demand more memory and bandwidth.

The GPU's clock behavior is notable for its consistency, with both base and boost clocks locked at 2500 MHz. This fixed clock speed means that performance scaling is entirely dependent on the architecture's efficiency and memory subsystem rather than dynamic clock boosts. With 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units, the B570's raw compute throughput is substantial, as reflected in its 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 performance and its pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s. This pixel rate is particularly relevant for understanding 4K performance, as the GPU must fill over 8 million pixels per frame at that resolution.

The Arc B570's synthetic benchmark scores provide context for its gaming performance. Its Passmark G3D score of 14195 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2649 place it in a competitive position, with its average benchmark score of 20556 being nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which shows a deltaPct of only 0.1%. This close alignment in synthetic tests suggests that the B570's gaming performance in Barony is representative of its overall capabilities, with the game's engine effectively utilizing the GPU's resources.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility are relevant for a modern title, ensuring that the hardware can leverage the latest rendering features. However, the measured FPS data shows that even with these modern APIs, the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, particularly at Ultra settings where the average FPS drops to 37. This indicates that while the GPU is capable for mainstream gaming, it is not designed for maximum fidelity at extreme resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance for this specific CPU-GPU combination varies significantly depending on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset offers an excellent experience with an average of 156 FPS, providing a significant margin above the 144 Hz refresh rate common in gaming monitors. The Ultra preset at 1080p also delivers a smooth 112 FPS average, making it a viable option for users who prioritize visual fidelity over maximum frame rates. For competitive play, the Low preset's 245 FPS average is exceptional, though it comes at the cost of visual detail.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the recommended choice, delivering an average of 99 FPS, which is suitable for most gaming scenarios, including those with 100 Hz or 120 Hz displays. The Medium preset at 1440p provides a slightly lower but still very playable 115 FPS average, while the Ultra preset's 71 FPS average is acceptable but may not be ideal for fast-paced action. The Low preset at 1440p achieves 154 FPS, but the visual quality reduction may be too significant for many players.

The 3840x2160 resolution presents a more constrained environment. The Low preset delivers the most playable experience with an 81 FPS average, making it the only 4K preset that consistently exceeds 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K averages 60 FPS, but the measured minimum of 51 FPS indicates that frame drops can occur, potentially impacting gameplay smoothness. The High preset at 4K drops to 52 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a smooth experience. The Ultra preset at 4K, with its 37 FPS average, is not recommended for serious gameplay, as the frame rate falls below the threshold for responsive action.

The data indicates that the High preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions, providing a significant visual upgrade over Low while maintaining respectable frame rates. For users with high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors, the Ultra preset is a strong contender, while 4K users will need to compromise with Medium or Low settings to maintain smooth gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-11400F and Intel Arc B570 combination holds a ranking of 2344 out of 2935 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the 80th percentile of all configurations tested. This ranking indicates that while the pairing is capable, it is not among the top-tier setups for this specific game, with a substantial number of more powerful combinations achieving higher frame rates. The rank suggests that users with this hardware should expect solid, mainstream performance rather than current-generation results.

This ranking is somewhat surprising given the strong performance at 1080p, but it is likely influenced by the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions and settings. The combo's performance is likely held back by the Arc B570's 4K capabilities, where it struggles to maintain high frame rates at demanding presets. The CPU, while competent, is not the limiting factor in most scenarios, as evidenced by the high frame rates achieved at 1080p Low settings.

Relative to other tested combos, this pairing sits in the lower-middle portion of the rankings, meaning that a significant majority of systems tested outperform it in this game. This does not diminish the value of the hardware for 1080p gaming, where it performs admirably, but it does indicate that for users targeting 4K or maximum settings, more powerful GPUs would be necessary to achieve higher rankings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F, a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture, plays a supporting role in this configuration, providing sufficient processing power to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at most resolutions. Its base clock of 2.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz offer solid single-thread performance, as reflected in its 3DMark single-thread score of 868 and Cinebench R20 single-core score of 850. These scores indicate that the CPU can handle the game's logic and AI calculations efficiently.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are also robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14340 and a Passmark multi-thread score of 16908. The 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth provide adequate data throughput for the game. The CPU's 71st percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates that it is a mid-range performer, but its capabilities are well-matched to the Arc B570's performance level.

In Barony, the CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the primary bottleneck. At 1080p Low settings, the 245 FPS average suggests that the CPU is capable of driving high frame rates, and the performance scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p indicates that the CPU can handle the increased draw calls associated with higher settings without becoming a limiting factor. The data shows a consistent performance hierarchy across all resolutions and settings, with the GPU becoming the primary constraint as resolution increases, confirming that the CPU is not a significant bottleneck in this pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset provides a comprehensive view of the system's performance across all tested configurations.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 245 FPS, the highest score in the entire benchmark. The Medium preset averages 182 FPS, with a measured range from 155 FPS to 209 FPS. The High preset averages 156 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 112 FPS. These results show that at 1080p, the system delivers excellent performance across all settings, with even the most demanding Ultra preset providing a smooth, high-refresh-rate experience.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 154 FPS, a significant drop from 1080p but still very high. The Medium preset averages 115 FPS, with a range from 98 FPS to 132 FPS. The High preset averages 99 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 71 FPS. The 1440p results demonstrate a clear scaling pattern, with the Ultra preset's 71 FPS being a notable reduction from the 112 FPS at 1080p, indicating the increased GPU load at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 81 FPS, which is the only 4K result above 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 60 FPS, with a range from 51 FPS to 69 FPS, showing some frame time instability. The High preset averages 52 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 37 FPS, which is the lowest result in the entire dataset. The 4K results clearly show the GPU's limitations at this resolution, with only the Low preset providing a consistently playable experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combo in Barony?

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with the High preset averaging 99 FPS. At 1920x1080, the system excels with 156 FPS on High, but 1440p provides a significant visual upgrade while maintaining high frame rates.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Barony?

A: Yes, but with significant compromises. The Low preset at 4K averages 81 FPS, which is playable. The Medium preset averages 60 FPS, but the High and Ultra presets drop to 52 FPS and 37 FPS respectively, making them less suitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Arc B570's average benchmark score of 20556 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which has a deltaPct of 0.1%. It also scores comparably to the Intel Arc A750, with a deltaPct of -0.1%, indicating very similar overall performance.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-11400F a bottleneck for the Intel Arc B570 at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at 1080p, as the system achieves 245 FPS on Low settings and 156 FPS on High settings. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, provide sufficient processing power for this game at this resolution.

Q: What is the lowest frame rate recorded in the entire benchmark?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 37 FPS, recorded at 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra preset. This is the most demanding configuration tested and the only one where the average FPS drops below 40.

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

A: This combination ranks 2344 out of 2935 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle portion of all configurations. This ranking indicates that while the system performs well at mainstream resolutions, it is not among the top performers for this game.