Barony

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance tier of the Intel Core i7-13700K + Intel Arc B370 combo in Barony?

A: This combination ranks 2701 out of 2935 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 8% of all tested configurations. The data confirms this is a low-performing pairing for this game, primarily driven by the GPU's limited capabilities.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its closest rivals in raw GPU benchmarks?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its nearest rival, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, scores 1186 (0.2% higher), while ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190 (0.5% higher) and AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192 (0.7% higher). AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168 (1.4% lower).

Q: What is the CPU's standing relative to all other processors?

A: The Core i7-13700K sits in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46881. Its closest rival, AMD Ryzen 9 5900, scores 46971 (0.2% higher), while AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47022 (0.3% higher). AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX scores 46654 (0.5% lower) and Intel Xeon w3-2535 scores 46653 (0.5% lower).

Q: What are the GPU's core specifications?

A: The Arc B370 features 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, 20 render output units, and 10 ray tracing cores. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz, with a 25 W TDP. Its memory is system shared, meaning bandwidth is system dependent.

Q: What is the best average FPS achieved at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 144 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At Medium settings, the average drops to 107 FPS, at High it reaches 92 FPS, and at Ultra it falls to 66 FPS.

Q: Does the game run at 4K with this combo?

A: Yes, but barely. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 22 FPS, High averages 30 FPS, Medium averages 35 FPS, and Low averages 47 FPS. The Medium preset provides the only 4K row with min/max data: 30 FPS minimum and 41 FPS maximum.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the clear performance bottleneck in this pairing. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, meaning 95% of tested graphics cards perform better. The GPU's nearest rivals—ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, ATI Radeon HD 5770, and AMD Radeon HD 7650M—are all legacy parts from a different era, underscoring how far behind modern standards this integrated solution sits.

The GPU operates with system shared memory, which means its bandwidth is entirely dependent on the host system's memory configuration. This is a critical limitation for a game like Barony, where frame rates scale significantly with resolution. The 6.144 TFLOPS FP32 compute figure and 48.00 GPixel/s pixel rate are modest, but the real constraint emerges when examining the measured FPS: at 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 22 FPS average, which is effectively unplayable. The GPU's 25 W TDP and IGP slot width indicate it is an integrated part, not a discrete card, which explains its performance class.

The boost clock of 2400 MHz is respectable for an integrated GPU, but the architecture (Xe3-LPG) is clearly not designed for high-end gaming. The ray tracing cores (10) and DirectX 12 Ultimate support are present, but their practical benefit in Barony is minimal given the raw throughput limitations. The data shows a consistent pattern: as resolution increases, the GPU's insufficiency becomes more pronounced, with 4K High (30 FPS) delivering half the frame rate of 1080p High (92 FPS).

How This Combo Ranks

This specific configuration ranks 2701 out of 2935 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the bottom 8% of all pairings. This ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU's 5th percentile standing. The CPU, by contrast, sits in the 89th percentile, creating a massive imbalance between the two components.

The combo rank of 2701 means that 234 other combinations performed worse, but the overwhelming majority of tested systems delivered better results. When examining the GPU's nearest rivals, the delta percentages are remarkably tight—all within 1.4% of the Arc B370's score—suggesting that any of those alternatives would produce nearly identical frame rates in this game. The CPU's nearest rivals show similar clustering: the Ryzen 9 5900, Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375, Ryzen 9 7845HX, and Xeon w3-2535 are all within 0.5% of the i7-13700K's average score.

The practical implication is that swapping the CPU for any of its nearest rivals would change Barony's performance negligibly, while swapping the GPU for something even marginally better could yield meaningful improvements. The data does not include alternative GPU benchmarks, but the pattern is clear: this combo's ranking is a GPU-limited outcome, not a CPU-limited one.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers playable results across most presets. Low settings produce 144 FPS average, which is the highest figure in the entire dataset. Medium settings drop to 107 FPS, with a minimum of 91 and maximum of 123. High settings average 92 FPS. Ultra settings average 66 FPS, which remains smooth but shows a significant drop from Low.

At 2560x1440, the performance declines noticeably. Low settings average 91 FPS, Medium averages 67 FPS (minimum 57, maximum 78), High averages 58 FPS, and Ultra averages 42 FPS. The step from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 37-43% of the frame rate across presets.

At 3840x2160, the results become marginal. Low settings average 47 FPS, Medium averages 35 FPS (minimum 30, maximum 41), High averages 30 FPS, and Ultra averages 22 FPS. The 4K Ultra figure is below common playability thresholds, and even Low settings struggle to maintain 60 FPS. The Medium preset is the only 4K row with complete min/max data, showing a 30 FPS floor that would cause visible stutter in fast-paced gameplay.

The pattern across all resolutions is consistent: Low settings provide roughly double the frame rate of Ultra. At 1080p, the gap is 144 vs 66 FPS; at 1440p, it is 91 vs 42 FPS; at 4K, it is 47 vs 22 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor, as reducing graphical load directly translates to higher frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU-bound nature of this combo. At High settings, 1080p yields 92 FPS, 1440p yields 58 FPS, and 4K yields 30 FPS. This represents a 37% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 67% drop from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is roughly inverse to pixel count: 1440p has 1.78x the pixels of 1080p, and 4K has 4x the pixels.

At Low settings, the scaling is similar but slightly more favorable: 144 FPS at 1080p, 91 FPS at 1440p, and 47 FPS at 4K. The 4K figure is 33% of the 1080p figure, which is close to the theoretical 25% if the GPU were perfectly pixel-bound. The deviation suggests some overhead or inefficiency at higher resolutions.

The data indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor in resolution scaling. If the CPU were the bottleneck, frame rates would remain similar across resolutions as the GPU becomes less loaded. Instead, the proportional drops confirm that the GPU's rendering throughput is the primary constraint. The 3DMark score of 1184 (5th percentile) supports this interpretation: the GPU simply cannot push enough pixels at higher resolutions.

At 4K, even Low settings (47 FPS) fail to reach 60 FPS, meaning the only way to achieve smooth gameplay at that resolution would be to reduce internal resolution or accept sub-60 frame rates. The Medium preset's 30 FPS minimum at 4K highlights the risk of frame time spikes in demanding scenes.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB L1 per core, 2 MB L2 per core, and 30 MB shared L3 cache. Memory support includes both DDR4 and DDR5 in dual-channel configuration.

Benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 30745, Geekbench multicore scores 19429, and Passmark multithread scores 45887. Single-thread performance is also solid, with Cinebench R23 singlecore at 2116 and Geekbench singlecore at 2529. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking places it well above average.

In Barony, however, the CPU's capabilities are largely underutilized. The game is a roguelike, which typically has modest CPU demands, and the measured FPS pattern shows the GPU as the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the 144 FPS figure suggests the CPU can handle high frame rates, but the GPU cannot sustain them at higher settings. The 3DMark multi-threaded scores (10717 for 16 threads, 12412 for max threads) indicate substantial headroom that Barony does not exploit.

The CPU's nearest rivals—all within 0.5% in average benchmark score—confirm that this processor is not a differentiator in this game. Swapping to any of those alternatives would produce nearly identical results. The CPU's role is to feed the GPU with enough data to avoid frame drops, and given the GPU's limitations, the CPU is never the bottleneck. The 30 MB L3 cache and high boost clock help in CPU-bound scenarios, but Barony presents no such scenario with this GPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and frame rate preference. For 1080p, the High preset at 92 FPS average provides a balanced experience—smooth enough for most players while maintaining visual quality. The Medium preset at 107 FPS offers a better frame rate with minimal visual compromise, and its minimum of 91 FPS ensures consistent performance. The Ultra preset at 66 FPS is playable but represents a significant frame rate sacrifice for marginal visual gains. Low at 144 FPS is ideal for competitive play or high refresh rate displays.

For 1440p, the Low preset at 91 FPS is the only option that exceeds 60 FPS comfortably. Medium at 67 FPS (minimum 57) is usable but approaches the edge of smoothness. High at 58 FPS and Ultra at 42 FPS are below the 60 FPS threshold and may feel sluggish in fast-paced combat. Players at 1440p should prioritize Low or Medium settings.

For 4K, no preset achieves 60 FPS. Low at 47 FPS is the most playable option, while Medium at 35 FPS (minimum 30) and High at 30 FPS are marginal. Ultra at 22 FPS is not recommended for active gameplay. Given the GPU's 5th percentile ranking, 4K gaming with this combo is only viable at Low settings and even then falls short of smooth performance.

The data suggests that the best overall experience is 1080p with Medium settings: 107 FPS average with a 91 FPS minimum provides a comfortable margin above common stutter thresholds. For players who prioritize visual fidelity, 1080p High at 92 FPS is a reasonable alternative. At higher resolutions, the GPU's limitations become too pronounced to recommend anything above Low or Medium settings.