Barony

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the Intel Arc B580 delivers a strong performance profile in Barony, a roguelike title that scales well across resolutions and settings. The data shows this combination is capable of very high frame rates at 1080p and remains playable even at 4K, though the demands of higher resolutions and ultra presets reveal clear performance boundaries. This analysis walks through the data to show exactly how the CPU and GPU contribute to the results, how the combo ranks among tested configurations, and which settings provide the most consistent experience.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor from the Coffee Lake Refresh generation, built on Intel's 14 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, drawing a 65 W TDP. The processor sits on the Intel Socket 1151 platform and supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with a memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. Its cache layout includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 9 MB of shared L3 cache, which is a modest but adequate pool for a roguelike workload.

The CPU's benchmark data indicates a mid-range standing. In Cinebench R23, the i5-9400 scores 6629 points in multi-core and 935 in single-core tests. Its Geekbench scores are 5141 multi-core and 1389 single-core. The average benchmark score sits at 2254, placing the processor in the 47th percentile among all CPUs. Compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-9400 is essentially tied with the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which scores 2259 with a deltaPct of -0.2, and the Intel Core i7-10710U, which scores 2248 with a deltaPct of 0.3. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 is also close at 2246 with a deltaPct of 0.4. This places the i5-9400 in a tightly contested performance band for its generation.

In the context of Barony, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage game logic, which for a roguelike is often less demanding than the graphics pipeline. The 6 physical cores with 6 threads provide enough parallelism for the game's procedural generation and entity simulation. The boost clock of 4.10 GHz is more relevant for single-threaded tasks, and the single-core Cinebench R23 score of 935 suggests adequate per-core performance. The data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the combo reaches 277 FPS, which is far beyond typical display refresh rates and indicates the CPU is not a limiting factor at lower loads. At higher resolutions, the frame rate drops, but this is more attributable to the GPU, as detailed in the next section. The 42.7 GB/s memory bandwidth is sufficient for this title, as the game does not appear to be bandwidth-sensitive based on the scaling patterns.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B580 is the graphics card in this pairing, based on the Xe2-HPG architecture with the BMG-G21 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It packs 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. The GPU operates at a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz, with memory clocked at 2375 MHz, which translates to 19 Gbps effective. The shader configuration includes 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units, along with 20 ray tracing cores. The compute throughput is rated at 13.67 TFLOPS for FP32 and 27.34 TFLOPS for FP16 with a 2:1 ratio.

The GPU's benchmark scores show a slightly above-average standing. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 3068. Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan scores are 92821 and 109672 respectively. Passmark G3D reports 15748, with a GPU compute score of 7729. The average benchmark score is 23021, placing the B580 in the 68th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, which scores 23061 with a deltaPct of -0.2, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, which scores 22895 with a deltaPct of 0.6. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is also nearby at 23172 with a deltaPct of -0.7. This suggests the B580 trades blows with older high-end cards and newer mid-range parts.

For Barony, the GPU's 12 GB VRAM is more than ample, as the game's visual demands are modest. The high memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s helps maintain texture throughput at higher resolutions. The pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s support the frame rates seen in the data. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 42 FPS, which indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck at the highest settings. The B580's 2670 MHz clock is relatively high, but the architecture's raw throughput is what determines the scaling. The 190 W TDP and suggested 450 W PSU are relevant for system planning, but not for in-game performance directly. The data shows a clear GPU-bound pattern at higher resolutions, where the CPU's load decreases relative to the GPU's.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B580 ranks 2789 out of 3717 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the 75th percentile of all configurations, meaning it outperforms roughly three-quarters of the systems tested for this game. This rank is a holistic measure that accounts for both CPU and GPU contributions across varied settings and resolutions.

The rank of 2789 out of 3717 suggests that while the combo is solidly mid-to-upper tier, it is not among the top performers. This is expected given that the i5-9400 is an older, end-of-life CPU from 2018, and the B580, while newer, is positioned in the mid-range segment. The combo's performance is likely held back by the CPU's 47th percentile standing in synthetic benchmarks, but the GPU's 68th percentile helps boost the overall result. The deltaPct values for the CPU's rivals are all within 0.4% of its average score, indicating that swapping the i5-9400 for a comparable chip would yield negligible changes in Barony. Similarly, the GPU's rivals are within 1% of its average score, so the combo's rank is stable relative to nearby alternatives.

The data shows that this combo excels at 1080p, where the GPU is not overtaxed, but falls behind top-tier systems at 4K Ultra. The rank reflects a balanced pairing: the CPU provides enough headroom to avoid bottlenecking at lower resolutions, while the GPU handles the graphics workload up to a point. The 3717 tested combos include both newer and older hardware, and this pairing's position suggests it is a competent but not flagship-level setup. For a roguelike like Barony, which often favors responsiveness over raw fidelity, this rank indicates a good experience for most players.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a detailed view of how this combo performs across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the combo delivers high frame rates across all settings. On Low, it averages 277 FPS. Medium settings yield 206 FPS, with a minimum of 175 and maximum of 237. High settings produce 177 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 127 FPS. These numbers show that at 1080p, the combo is rarely stressed, even at Ultra, which remains well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates scale down but remain strong. Low settings average 175 FPS. Medium settings average 130 FPS, with a minimum of 111 and maximum of 150. High settings average 112 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 80 FPS. The data shows a consistent pattern: each increase in settings level reduces the average FPS by roughly 20-30 FPS at this resolution. The minimum FPS for Medium is 111, which indicates that even in demanding scenes, the combo stays above 60 FPS, making 1440p a viable target for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 3840x2160, the highest resolution tested, the combo begins to show its limits. Low settings average 91 FPS, which is playable. Medium settings average 68 FPS, with a minimum of 58 and maximum of 78. High settings average 58 FPS, which is borderline for smooth gameplay. Ultra settings drop to 42 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and may feel less fluid. The data shows that at 4K, the combo is best suited for Low or Medium settings if a consistent 60 FPS is desired, while High and Ultra are more demanding.

The full breakdown reveals that the combo's sweet spot is 1080p and 1440p, where it maintains high average FPS across all settings. At 4K, the user must prioritize either visual quality or frame rate, as the gap between Low and Ultra is significant, from 91 FPS down to 42 FPS.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a clear pattern of diminishing returns, with the frame rate dropping most steeply at higher settings. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 277 at 1080p to 175 at 1440p, a drop of 102 FPS, and then to 91 at 4K, another drop of 84 FPS. This represents a 67% reduction from 1080p to 4K. At Medium settings, the average FPS falls from 206 at 1080p to 130 at 1440p, a drop of 76 FPS, and then to 68 at 4K, another drop of 62 FPS, for a 67% reduction overall. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 177 at 1080p to 112 at 1440p, a drop of 65 FPS, and then to 58 at 4K, another drop of 54 FPS, for a 67% reduction. At Ultra settings, the average FPS falls from 127 at 1080p to 80 at 1440p, a drop of 47 FPS, and then to 42 at 4K, another drop of 38 FPS, for a 67% reduction.

This consistent 67% reduction in FPS from 1080p to 4K across all settings indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component. The pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, and the GPU's workload scales accordingly. The CPU's performance, which is relatively constant across resolutions, is not the bottleneck here. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would remain similar regardless of resolution, but the data shows a strong dependence on resolution. The B580's 456.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 213.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are the key factors in this scaling, as higher resolutions require more memory throughput and pixel fill.

The data also shows that the drop from 1440p to 4K is slightly larger than the drop from 1080p to 1440p in absolute terms, but the percentage reduction is consistent. This suggests the GPU's processing power is the main constraint. For users with a 1080p monitor, the combo offers ample headroom, but for 4K displays, the GPU's limits become apparent, especially at higher settings. The scaling pattern is a classic sign of a GPU-bound system at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience depends on the target resolution and the user's preference for frame rate versus visual quality. At 1920x1080, all settings provide playable frame rates, with Ultra at 127 FPS being more than sufficient for smooth gameplay. However, Medium at 206 FPS offers a better balance for high-refresh-rate monitors, as the jump from Medium to Ultra costs 79 FPS, which is a significant drop. For most users at 1080p, Medium or High is recommended, as they deliver high FPS with minimal visual compromise.

At 2560x1440, the data shows that High at 112 FPS is a solid choice, providing a smooth experience that exceeds 60 FPS. Ultra at 80 FPS is also playable, but the drop from High to Ultra is 32 FPS, which may not justify the visual gains for all users. Low at 175 FPS is unnecessarily high for most displays, so Medium at 130 FPS is a good middle ground. For 1440p, High is the recommended preset, as it offers a good balance between visual fidelity and performance.

At 3840x2160, the choices are more constrained. Low at 91 FPS is the only preset that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS, making it the safest choice for a smooth experience. Medium at 68 FPS, with a minimum of 58 FPS, is borderline and may dip below 60 FPS in demanding scenes. High at 58 FPS and Ultra at 42 FPS are below the 60 FPS target, which could lead to noticeable stuttering. For 4K, Low is recommended for consistent performance, while Medium is acceptable for users who prioritize visuals over a strict 60 FPS target.

Overall, the data suggests that the combo is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p with High settings, where it delivers high frame rates without pushing the GPU to its limits. At 4K, users should accept lower settings to maintain playability.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 127 FPS.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K with Medium settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 68, with a minimum of 58 and a maximum of 78.

*Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations in Barony?*

A: The combo ranks 2789 out of 3717 tested combos, placing it in the 75th percentile.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at higher resolutions?

A: The data shows a consistent 67% FPS drop from 1080p to 4K across all settings, indicating the GPU is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for the Intel Core i5-9400?

A: The average benchmark score for the Intel Core i5-9400 is 2254, which places it in the 47th percentile among all CPUs.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth of the Intel Arc B580?

A: The Intel Arc B580 has a memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s, supported by 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus.