Barony

# Barony with Intel Core i5-14600KF + Intel Arc B390

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a distinctive performance profile in Barony, a roguelike title that clearly responds more to settings adjustments than to resolution changes. This combination ranks 2601st out of 2935 tested combos in the game, placing it in the lower percentile of systems overall, yet the measured frame rates show a playable experience at several settings levels. The data reveals a system where the integrated-class GPU becomes the dominant constraint at higher resolutions, while the capable 14-core processor ensures that CPU-side bottlenecks remain largely absent across the tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep and consistent decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, indicating that the Intel Arc B390’s rendering throughput is the primary limiting factor. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 159 FPS at 1080p to 100 FPS at 1440p, then further to 53 FPS at 4K. That represents a 33% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 47% reduction from 1440p to 4K — a scaling curve that suggests the GPU is being pushed progressively closer to its computational ceiling.

The pattern holds across all settings presets. At Medium settings, average FPS falls from 118 at 1080p to 75 at 1440p (a 36% drop), then to 39 at 4K (a 48% drop from 1440p). High settings show 102 FPS at 1080p, 64 at 1440p, and 34 at 4K, with similar percentage declines. The Ultra preset exhibits the most dramatic scaling: 73 FPS at 1080p, 46 at 1440p, and just 24 at 4K. The consistent 45-50% penalty when moving from 1440p to 4K across all settings strongly suggests that pixel throughput — not geometry or shading complexity — is the bottleneck, which aligns with the Arc B390’s modest 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate.

Notably, the difference between 1080p and 1440p is less severe than the jump to 4K, implying that the GPU still has headroom at the lower resolutions. The frame rate deltas between settings presets also shrink as resolution rises: at 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra is 86 FPS, but at 4K that gap narrows to 29 FPS. This convergence indicates that at 4K, the GPU is so saturated that even reducing settings yields diminishing returns — the pixel fill rate becomes the hard ceiling. For a roguelike where reaction time matters less than strategic planning, the 4K results at Medium and High remain usable, but the data clearly identifies the Arc B390 as the limiting component in this pairing.

FAQ

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

A: The measured data shows 1920x1080 as the most favorable resolution, with average FPS ranging from 73 at Ultra to 159 at Low. At 2560x1440, average FPS spans 46 to 100 depending on settings, while 3840x2160 yields only 24 to 53 FPS. The 1080p results provide the only configuration where all settings presets exceed 70 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At Low settings, the average drops from 159 FPS to 53 FPS, a 67% reduction. At Medium, the drop is from 118 FPS to 39 FPS (67% loss). High settings fall from 102 FPS to 34 FPS (67% loss), and Ultra goes from 73 FPS to 24 FPS (67% loss). The consistent 67% reduction across all presets confirms resolution scaling is uniform.

Q: Does the Ultra preset provide a smooth experience at any resolution?

A: At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 73 FPS — the only resolution where Ultra exceeds 60 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 46 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 24 FPS. The 1080p Ultra result is the sole playable Ultra configuration based on the measured data.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals in terms of GPU benchmarks?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX with a score of 1463, which is 1.3% lower. Other close competitors include the GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% lower), the GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% lower), and the GT 710 (1443, 2.7% lower).

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS at Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the measured range is 101 to 136 FPS with an average of 118. At 2560x1440 Medium, the range is 64 to 86 FPS with an average of 75. At 3840x2160 Medium, the range is 33 to 45 FPS with an average of 39. These are the only settings rows with min/max data available.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the frame rates in Barony?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The Intel Core i5-14600KF sits in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, while the Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile of GPUs. The consistent FPS declines with resolution increases, combined with the GPU’s low benchmark standing, point to the Arc B390 as the performance bottleneck.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF provides substantial processing headroom for Barony, a game that appears to place modest demands on the CPU based on the measured frame rates. This processor features 14 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The architecture is Raptor Lake-R, built on Intel’s 10 nm process, with a 24 MB shared L3 cache. These specifications place the CPU in the 90th percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 49394 across multiple tests.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in overall benchmarks include the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49228, just 0.3% lower), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49196, 0.4% lower), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (48995, 0.8% lower). The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 scores 49796, which is 0.8% higher. This clustering indicates that the i5-14600KF performs competitively with a range of modern processors, though none of these rivals are directly tested in Barony with this GPU.

In multi-threaded workloads, the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 and a single-core score of 4594. The Geekbench results show 17085 multi-core and 2445 single-core. These scores suggest strong single-thread performance, which is typically relevant for game logic and physics. However, the measured FPS data in Barony shows that even at 1080p Low — the least GPU-intensive configuration — the average frame rate reaches 159 FPS, which is well below the CPU’s theoretical capability given its high benchmark standing.

The 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier indicate a desktop-class processor designed for sustained performance, but in this pairing, the CPU never becomes the constraint. The evidence is the resolution scaling pattern: if the CPU were limiting, frame rates would remain flat across resolutions. Instead, FPS falls consistently as resolution rises, which is the signature of GPU-bound performance. The CPU’s 20 threads and high boost clock ensure that Barony’s computational demands are comfortably met, leaving the Arc B390 as the definitive bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data supports a clear hierarchy of settings presets for this combo, with the optimal choice depending on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, all four presets deliver playable frame rates, making the decision primarily about visual quality versus headroom. The Medium preset averages 118 FPS with a measured range of 101 to 136 FPS, which provides a smooth experience while maintaining a 45 FPS margin above the Low preset’s 159 FPS average. For players who prioritize frame rate stability, High at 102 FPS is also viable, but Ultra at 73 FPS is the only preset that drops below the 100 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the choices narrow considerably. Low at 100 FPS is the only preset that exceeds the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin. Medium averages 75 FPS with a range of 64 to 86 FPS, which remains playable but with a minimum that approaches the 60 FPS comfort zone. High at 64 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 46 FPS falls below 60 FPS, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay. The data suggests that Medium is the balanced choice at 1440p, offering 75 FPS average with acceptable minimums.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. Low at 53 FPS is the only preset that stays above 50 FPS, while Medium at 39 FPS and High at 34 FPS are below the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra at 24 FPS is effectively unplayable for any action-oriented gameplay. For 4K, Low is the recommended preset, and even then, the 53 FPS average indicates that this resolution is at the edge of the Arc B390’s capabilities. The Medium preset’s measured minimum of 33 FPS at 4K highlights the risk of frame rate dips during intense scenes.

The overall recommendation is to use Medium at 1080p for the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, or to drop to 1440p Medium for a sharper image with 75 FPS. The High preset provides a reasonable middle ground at 1080p, but the Ultra preset should only be considered at 1080p given its 73 FPS average.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core i5-14600KF and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2601st out of 2935 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the bottom 11% of all systems tested. This rank is primarily attributable to the GPU, given that the CPU alone sits in the 90th percentile of all processors. The disparity between the CPU’s strong benchmark standing and the combo’s low game rank underscores the degree to which the Arc B390 limits overall performance.

The GPU’s own benchmark percentile of 9th among all GPUs reinforces this assessment. The Arc B390’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it alongside much older, lower-end parts like the GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% lower) and the GeForce GT 710 (1443, 2.7% lower). In the context of Barony, this means the combo ranks poorly not because of the CPU, but because the GPU cannot push frame rates high enough to compete with systems using more capable graphics hardware.

The rank of 2601 out of 2935 suggests that the vast majority of tested combos outperform this pairing in Barony. However, the measured FPS data shows that the combo is still capable of delivering playable frame rates at 1080p across all settings and at 1440p up to Medium settings. The rank reflects the overall competitiveness of the combo rather than its absolute playability, and the data indicates that for a roguelike game like Barony, the performance is serviceable despite the low ranking.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates are as follows: Low settings produce 159 FPS, Medium produces 118 FPS with a range of 101 to 136 FPS, High produces 102 FPS, and Ultra produces 73 FPS. The Medium preset is the only one with documented minimum and maximum values, showing a spread of 35 FPS between the lowest and highest observed frames.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 100 FPS, Medium at 75 FPS with a range of 64 to 86 FPS, High at 64 FPS, and Ultra at 46 FPS. The Medium preset again shows a 22 FPS spread between its minimum and maximum. The progression from Low to Ultra at this resolution shows a 54 FPS total drop, with the largest single-step decline occurring between High (64 FPS) and Ultra (46 FPS), a 28% reduction.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 53 FPS, Medium at 39 FPS with a range of 33 to 45 FPS, High at 34 FPS, and Ultra at 24 FPS. The Medium preset’s measured range of 12 FPS is the narrowest among all resolutions, indicating that at 4K, the GPU’s consistent saturation produces less frame time variance. The total decline from Low to Ultra at 4K is 29 FPS, which is proportionally similar to the 86 FPS decline at 1080p but represents a smaller absolute range.

The data reveals that the step from Medium to High consistently costs about 15-16% performance at each resolution, while the step from High to Ultra costs about 28-29%. The Low to Medium step costs approximately 26-27% at each resolution. This consistent pattern across resolutions suggests that the Arc B390’s performance scaling with settings is uniform, and the GPU’s fill rate limitations dominate at all tested configurations.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel’s 3 nm process. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, producing a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. Its FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS, with FP16 at 15.36 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio).

The memory configuration is entirely system-shared, with no dedicated VRAM, meaning the memory bus width and bandwidth are system-dependent. This architecture places the Arc B390 in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482 from the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. The TDP is 80 W, and the GPU uses an IGP slot width with no power connectors, making it a low-power integrated solution.

In Barony, the GPU’s role is clearly the determining factor for performance. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU’s fill rate becomes the limiting constraint as resolution increases. At 1080p, the GPU can deliver 159 FPS at Low settings, but at 4K, even Low settings only reach 53 FPS. The 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate is the likely ceiling at 4K, where the GPU must process over 8.3 million pixels per frame — a workload that the data shows it cannot sustain above 53 FPS even at the lowest settings.

The GPU’s nearest rivals in benchmark scores are all older NVIDIA parts: the GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% lower), the GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% lower), the GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% lower), and the GT 710 (1443, 2.7% lower). This positioning indicates that the Arc B390’s raw performance is comparable to entry-level discrete GPUs from a decade ago, which explains its struggles at higher resolutions in Barony. The GPU’s support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 does not compensate for its limited pixel throughput, and the measured frame rates reflect this hardware constraint throughout the resolution range.