Barony

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the Intel Arc B370 ranks 2701st out of 2935 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the 8th percentile of all configurations. This is a low position, but the data shows the combination is still capable of delivering playable frame rates at most settings, with the CPU demonstrating significant headroom while the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 2701 out of 2935 places it in the bottom 8% of all tested hardware pairings for Barony. This low standing is driven almost entirely by the GPU component, which itself ranks in the 5th percentile among all tested graphics cards based on its average benchmark score of 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. The CPU, by contrast, ranks in the 90th percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 48618. This discrepancy between the two components’ relative standing explains why the overall combo rank is so low: the processor is a high-end part, but the graphics solution is entry-level.

In terms of the CPU’s nearest rivals, the data shows the Core i5-14600K is essentially tied with several other processors. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48698, which is 0.2% higher, while the AMD EPYC 4345P scores 48470, which is 0.3% lower. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX sits 0.7% behind, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 sits 0.8% ahead. These deltas are all within a single percentage point, indicating that the i5-14600K’s compute performance is on par with a cluster of mid-to-high-end server and mobile parts.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are all legacy or low-end parts, which underscores the Arc B370’s position. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186, the ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192 — each within 0.7% of the B370’s score. The AMD FirePro M2000 trails by 1.4% with a score of 1168. These comparisons reveal that while the Arc B370 is a modern integrated solution, its raw graphics throughput is comparable to discrete GPUs from over a decade ago.

FAQ

Q: Does the Intel Core i5-14600K bottleneck the Intel Arc B370 in Barony?

A: No. The CPU ranks in the 90th percentile, while the GPU ranks in the 5th percentile. The measured FPS scaling across resolutions shows the GPU is the limiting factor, as performance drops significantly when resolution increases.

Q: What is the best resolution to play Barony with this combo?

A: At 1920x1080, all four settings presets deliver playable frame rates, with Low hitting 144 FPS and Ultra hitting 66 FPS. At 2560x1440, Low and Medium are playable at 91 FPS and 67 FPS respectively, but High drops to 58 FPS and Ultra falls to 42 FPS.

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

A: Barely. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset reaches a playable 47 FPS. Medium averages 35 FPS, High averages 30 FPS, and Ultra drops to 22 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the Arc B370 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its closest competitor, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, scores 1186, a 0.2% difference. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190 (0.5% higher), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192 (0.7% higher).

Q: Is the Core i5-14600K a high-performance processor relative to other CPUs?

A: Yes. Its average benchmark score of 48618 places it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are all within 0.8% of its score, including the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H and the AMD EPYC 4345P.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 1440p at Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the average FPS is 107 with a minimum of 91 and maximum of 123. At 2560x1440 Medium, the average drops to 67 with a minimum of 57 and maximum of 78. This represents a 40 FPS reduction, or roughly a 37% performance loss.

Resolution Scaling

Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound performance. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 144 FPS, which drops to 91 FPS at 1440p and then to 47 FPS at 4K. This is a 67% reduction from 1080p to 4K. For Medium settings, the progression is 107 FPS at 1080p, 67 FPS at 1440p, and 35 FPS at 4K — a 67% drop as well. High settings show 92 FPS at 1080p, 58 FPS at 1440p, and 30 FPS at 4K, a 67% decline.

The consistency of this scaling — roughly two-thirds performance loss from 1080p to 4K across all settings — indicates that the Arc B370’s rendering throughput scales predictably with pixel count. This is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the CPU has ample headroom to feed the graphics pipeline. The 14-core, 20-thread i5-14600K with its 5.30 GHz boost clock is not the limiting factor here.

At 1080p, the jump from Low to Ultra costs 78 FPS (from 144 down to 66 FPS). At 1440p, the same settings swing costs 49 FPS (91 down to 42 FPS). At 4K, it costs 25 FPS (47 down to 22 FPS). The diminishing absolute cost at higher resolutions further confirms that the GPU is saturated; at 4K, even the lowest settings push the GPU hard, so the relative impact of raising quality settings shrinks.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce an average of 144 FPS. Medium averages 107 FPS, with a minimum of 91 and maximum of 123. High averages 92 FPS. Ultra averages 66 FPS. All four presets are above the 60 FPS threshold, making 1080p a fully playable resolution for this setup.

At 2560x1440, performance becomes more variable. Low averages 91 FPS, which remains smooth. Medium averages 67 FPS, with a minimum of 57 and maximum of 78, putting it right at the edge of smooth playability. High averages 58 FPS, which is slight below 60. Ultra averages 42 FPS, which may feel sluggish for fast-paced roguelike gameplay.

At 3840x2160, only Low settings are truly playable, averaging 47 FPS. Medium averages 35 FPS, with a minimum of 30 and maximum of 41. High averages 30 FPS, which is exactly at the minimum threshold for playable. Ultra averages 22 FPS, which is not suitable for active gameplay.

The data shows that the Medium preset at each resolution has recorded min/max values, while Low, High, and Ultra only list averages. This suggests the test captured more detailed frame time data for the Medium preset. At 1080p Medium, the spread from 91 to 123 FPS indicates some variability, but the average of 107 FPS leaves room for stability. At 1440p Medium, the spread from 57 to 78 FPS is tighter, and the minimum of 57 FPS is just below the 60 FPS target.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience at 1920x1080, the High preset at 92 FPS offers a strong balance between visual quality and performance. Medium at 107 FPS is also excellent, with slightly lower fidelity but a 15 FPS advantage. Ultra at 66 FPS is playable, but the 26 FPS penalty over High may not justify the visual gains given the already-low graphics hardware. Low at 144 FPS is unnecessary for most users, as the extra 52 FPS over Medium provides diminishing returns.

At 2560x1440, Medium at 67 FPS is the recommended choice. It is the only preset that stays above 60 FPS on average, and its minimum of 57 FPS means occasional dips below the target. Low at 91 FPS is the safer option for consistent smoothness, but it sacrifices visual quality. High at 58 FPS and Ultra at 42 FPS are not recommended for sustained gameplay.

At 3840x2160, Low at 47 FPS is the only viable preset. Medium at 35 FPS, High at 30 FPS, and Ultra at 22 FPS all fall below the 30 FPS floor that most players consider acceptable. For 4K, players should stick with Low and accept the reduced fidelity, or drop to 1440p for better results.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset provides the most consistent experience relative to its visual cost. At 1080p it yields 107 FPS, at 1440p it yields 67 FPS, and at 4K it yields 35 FPS. The step from Medium to High costs 15 FPS at 1080p, 9 FPS at 1440p, and 5 FPS at 4K, while the step from Low to Medium costs 37 FPS at 1080p, 24 FPS at 1440p, and 12 FPS at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor from the Core 14th Gen series, built on Intel’s 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache per core. Its benchmark scores are strong: a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 24491, a Geekbench multicore score of 16673, and a Passmark multithread score of 38682.

In Barony, a roguelike game, the CPU’s role is primarily to handle game logic, procedural generation, and AI pathfinding. The data shows that the i5-14600K is far more powerful than needed for this title. The combo rank of 2701 out of 2935 is driven by the GPU, not the CPU. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 144 FPS, which is likely close to the game’s engine limit or a refresh rate cap, not a CPU bottleneck.

The CPU’s nearest rivals — the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, AMD EPYC 4345P, Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX, and Intel Core Ultra 5 245 — all score within 0.8% of the i5-14600K’s average benchmark score of 48618. This suggests that any of these processors would perform nearly identically in Barony when paired with the same GPU. The CPU’s 90th percentile ranking means it is not the constraint in this combo.

The single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2064 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4270, is sufficient for the game’s logic thread. The 14 cores provide ample multi-threading capacity for background tasks, but Barony’s roguelike nature typically does not scale across many cores, so the high boost clock of 5.30 GHz is more relevant than the core count.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Panther Lake chip with Xe3-LPG architecture, manufactured on Intel’s 3 nm process. It has 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 render output units, with 10 ray tracing cores. Its boost clock is 2400 MHz, and it has a TDP of just 25 W. The memory is system shared, meaning the GPU uses the host system’s RAM rather than dedicated VRAM.

In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the Arc B370 scores 1184, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all legacy discrete parts: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, ATI Radeon HD 5770, AMD Radeon HD 7650M, and AMD FirePro M2000. This positioning explains the measured FPS in Barony, which shows the GPU as the clear bottleneck at higher resolutions.

The GPU’s 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 96.00 GTexel/s texture rate are modest by modern standards. In Barony, this translates to playable frame rates at 1080p across all settings, but performance falls rapidly as resolution increases. At 4K, even Low settings only reach 47 FPS, indicating the GPU is being pushed to its limits.

The lack of dedicated VRAM means the Arc B370 relies on system memory bandwidth, which is system dependent. This could contribute to the frame rate variability seen in the Medium preset measurements, where the minimum FPS is notably lower than the average. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 91 FPS versus the average of 107 FPS represents a 15% drop, while at 1440p Medium, the minimum of 57 FPS versus the average of 67 FPS is a similar 15% drop. At 4K Medium, the minimum of 30 FPS versus the average of 35 FPS is a 14% drop, suggesting consistent memory pressure across resolutions.