Barony

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a highly unusual performance profile in Barony, a 2015 roguelike. The data shows a system where a top-tier desktop processor is coupled with an integrated-class GPU, resulting in a combination that ranks in the bottom 12% of all tested configurations. The benchmark results indicate that the gaming experience is dictated almost entirely by the graphics solution, creating a bottleneck that prevents the CPU from stretching its legs.

FAQ

*Q: What is the overall rank of this CPU and GPU combination in Barony?*

A: This combo is ranked 2601 out of 2935 tested combinations, placing it in the 89th percentile of all combos from the bottom, meaning it is outperformed by the vast majority of systems in the database.

Q: How does the GPU's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B390's average benchmark score is 1482. It is marginally faster than its nearest rivals, with a 1.3% lead over the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, a 1.5% lead over the NVIDIA GeForce 800M, and a 2.7% lead over the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710.

Q: What kind of frame rate can I expect at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 102 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings. This is a very playable frame rate for the game's genre, though it is far from the maximum potential of the CPU.

Q: Is the CPU's performance a limiting factor in this game?

A: No. The Intel Core i7-13700K has a very high average benchmark score of 46881 and is a top-tier processor, ranking in the 89th percentile against all CPUs. The limiting factor is the GPU, which ranks in the 9th percentile against all GPUs.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average frame rate drops from 100 FPS on Low settings to 46 FPS on Ultra settings. This represents a 54% decrease in performance when moving to the highest quality preset.

Q: How does the game perform at 4K resolution?

A: Performance at 3840x2160 is demanding for this GPU. The average frame rate ranges from 53 FPS on Low settings down to 24 FPS on Ultra settings, with the High preset yielding an average of 34 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data for this specific combination suggests that the "Medium" preset offers the most balanced experience, particularly when considering frame time consistency. While the "Low" preset at 1080p achieves a very high average of 159 FPS, the jump to "Medium" still provides an excellent 118 FPS average while likely improving visual fidelity. More importantly, the "Medium" preset is the only one at any resolution with recorded minimum and maximum frame rate data, showing a stable range (e.g., 101-136 FPS at 1080p and 64-86 FPS at 1440p). This consistency is more valuable than a raw average, suggesting that the "Medium" preset avoids the severe performance dips that may occur on other settings.

Moving to "High" settings yields a significant performance cost. At 1080p, the average drops from 118 FPS on "Medium" to 102 FPS on "High," a decrease of 16 FPS. At 1440p, the same settings transition results in a drop from 75 FPS to 64 FPS, and at 4K, it falls from 39 FPS to 34 FPS. The "Ultra" preset appears to be too demanding for this GPU. The average frame rates at 24 FPS (4K), 46 FPS (1440p), and 73 FPS (1080p) are lower than the "High" preset's results and may introduce noticeable stutter, making it the least desirable option for smooth gameplay. Given these figures, "Medium" is the recommended preset for a consistent and responsive experience across all resolutions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the primary determinant of performance in this configuration. This integrated graphics processor, based on the Xe3-LPG architecture and manufactured on a 3 nm process, has a very low average benchmark score of 1482. This places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are all legacy NVIDIA parts like the GeForce GT 520MX and GeForce GT 710, which it only beats by a margin of 1.3% to 2.7%. Its specifications confirm its entry-level positioning; it operates at a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with a TDP of only 80 W.

Crucially, the Arc B390 uses "System Shared" memory, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM. This has a profound impact on performance, as the GPU must share the system's main memory bandwidth, which is described as "System Dependent." The data shows that the GPU's performance is the bottleneck at every resolution. For instance, at 1080p, the difference between "Low" and "Ultra" settings is 86 FPS (from 159 to 73). This scaling is typical of a GPU that is heavily constrained by memory bandwidth and raw shader throughput, rather than a CPU limitation.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Barony, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-13700K and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2601 out of 2935. This places it in the bottom 12% of all systems, a position that is primarily a consequence of the GPU's low performance percentile (9th). The CPU, in contrast, is a high performer, ranking in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. This creates a stark imbalance. The combo's rank is not a reflection of the CPU's capabilities but rather a clear demonstration of how a weak GPU can anchor an otherwise powerful system.

The data suggests that this combination is severely unbalanced for a game like Barony. The CPU, when compared to its nearest rivals like the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 and the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX, shows a negligible performance difference (a delta of -0.2% and +0.5%, respectively). These are all high-end processors with comparable multi-threaded might. However, the GPU's performance is comparable to parts from over a decade ago. The result is that the system's overall rank is dragged down by the graphics component, highlighting that the GPU is the singular, overwhelming bottleneck.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. In synthetic benchmarks, it performs exceptionally well, with a multi-core score of 30745 in Cinebench R23 and a single-core score of 2116. Its average benchmark score of 46881 places it just ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 and behind the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 by a marginal 0.3%.

However, in Barony, the CPU's immense processing power is largely underutilized. The frame rates at lower resolutions and settings show signs of CPU capability but are still capped by the GPU. For example, at 1080p with "Low" settings, the system reaches an average of 159 FPS. This is a high frame rate, but it is not the multi-hundred FPS figure one might expect from such a powerful processor in a non-demanding, older game. The game's workload, even at 1080p, still places a sufficient load on the GPU to prevent the CPU from being the primary limiting factor. The CPU has ample headroom, as evidenced by its high benchmark scores, but the Arc B390 is unable to feed frames fast enough to fully utilize the processor's potential. The CPU is ready, but the GPU is holding the system back.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates show a clear and consistent performance hierarchy based on resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best results. The "Low" preset achieves an average of 159 FPS. The "Medium" preset averages 118 FPS, with a recorded range of 101 to 136 FPS. The "High" preset drops the average to 102 FPS, and the "Ultra" preset brings it down to an average of 73 FPS. Even at its most demanding 1080p setting, the system remains comfortably playable.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance impact is significant. The "Low" preset still delivers a high average of 100 FPS. The "Medium" preset provides an average of 75 FPS, with a range of 64 to 86 FPS. The "High" preset averages 64 FPS, which is beginning to approach the lower boundary of ideal smoothness for some users. The "Ultra" preset falls to an average of 46 FPS, which may feel less fluid.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily overburdened. The "Low" preset yields an average of 53 FPS. The "Medium" preset averages 39 FPS, with a range of 33 to 45 FPS. The "High" preset drops to an average of 34 FPS, and the "Ultra" preset can only manage an average of 24 FPS. At 4K, the system is only suitable for the "Low" preset if a 60 FPS target is desired, and even that falls short. The data shows a steep decline from 1080p to 4K, with a 53% reduction in average FPS on "High" settings (from 102 to 34) and a 67% reduction on "Low" settings (from 159 to 53).

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals the nature of the bottleneck. On "Low" settings, the average FPS drops from 159 at 1080p to 100 at 1440p, and then to 53 at 4K. This is a performance decrease of 37% from 1080p to 1440p and a further 47% from 1440p to 4K. This pattern is indicative of a GPU-bound scenario, where the cost of rendering each pixel increases dramatically with resolution.

On "High" settings, the trend is similar but with lower absolute numbers. The average FPS is 102 at 1080p, 64 at 1440p, and 34 at 4K. The relative drop from 1080p to 1440p is 37%, and from 1440p to 4K is 47%. This consistent percentage drop across different quality presets strongly suggests that the limiting component is the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth. The CPU, which is powerful enough to handle the game's logic and draw calls, is not the constraint.

The fact that the frame rate scales almost linearly with the number of pixels (1080p has roughly 2 million pixels, 1440p has 3.7 million, and 4K has 8.3 million) confirms this analysis. As the resolution increases, the demand on the GPU's pixel processing capabilities grows proportionally, and the Arc B390 cannot keep up. The Intel Core i7-13700K's role remains static, providing the same level of support, but the GPU's workload becomes the sole determinant of the final frame rate, leading to the sharp decline observed in the data.