Barony

# Barony with Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + Intel Arc B390

Barony is a roguelike that demands consistent frame delivery, and the measured data for this Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the Intel Arc B390 shows a system that scales predictably with resolution but struggles to hold high frame rates at 4K. The Intel Arc B390, operating as an integrated graphics solution with system-shared memory, is the clear bottleneck in this pairing, while the 10-core Intel Core Ultra 5 225 provides more than enough headroom at lower resolutions. The benchmark results indicate this combo is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming, with 4K requiring significant settings compromises to remain playable.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance drop as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, which is typical for a system where the GPU is the limiting factor. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers an average of 102 FPS, which is a solid, playable experience for a roguelike. Moving to 1440p at the same High preset, the average falls to 64 FPS — a 37% reduction from 1080p. At 4K High, the average plummets to 34 FPS, representing a 67% drop from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern indicates that the Intel Arc B390's rendering capabilities are quickly overwhelmed by the pixel count increase.

The Low settings preset tells a similar story. At 1080p Low, the system produces 159 FPS average, which is excellent for fast-paced roguelike gameplay. At 1440p Low, that drops to 100 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 53 FPS. The gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low is 37%, while the gap between 1440p and 4K at Low is 47%. This shows that even at the lowest settings, the GPU cannot maintain high frame rates at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings, but the 4K jump is disproportionately punishing.

Looking at the Medium preset, which has full min/max data available, the pattern continues. At 1080p Medium, the average is 118 FPS with a minimum of 101 FPS and maximum of 136 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 75 FPS with a range of 64 to 86 FPS. The 4K Medium average is 39 FPS, with minimum 33 FPS and maximum 45 FPS. The minimum frame rates at 4K Medium (33 FPS) are below the threshold for smooth gameplay in a roguelike, where reaction times matter. The data shows that 4K is only viable at Low settings, where the 53 FPS average is playable but far from ideal.

The resolution scaling behavior points squarely at the GPU as the limiting component. The Intel Arc B390 has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units. Its FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS. These specifications, combined with the system-shared memory architecture, explain why the GPU struggles as resolution increases. The CPU, with its 10 cores and 10 threads, is not the constraint here, as evidenced by the relatively smaller performance gap between resolutions at lower settings where the CPU would have more influence.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process. It features 12 ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GPU's memory is system-shared, meaning it uses the same DDR5 memory as the CPU, with bandwidth that is system-dependent. This shared memory arrangement is a fundamental limitation for high-resolution gaming, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth.

The benchmark data for the Arc B390 shows a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This is a very low ranking, confirmed by its nearest rivals: the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (score 1463, deltaPct 1.3), NVIDIA GeForce 800M (score 1460, deltaPct 1.5), NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (score 1446, deltaPct 2.5), and NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (score 1443, deltaPct 2.7). The Arc B390's score is only 1.3% higher than the GT 520MX, which is a legacy mobile GPU. This positions the Arc B390 at the very bottom of the GPU performance spectrum, which is consistent with its role as an integrated solution rather than a discrete card.

The GPU's clock behavior is notable: a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. This 8.3x boost ratio is typical of modern integrated GPUs that conserve power at idle but ramp up under load. The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s. These figures, while modest, are adequate for 1080p gaming at lower settings. The FP16 performance is 15.36 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio), which doubles the FP32 figure but is rarely utilized in gaming workloads.

The GPU's TDP is 80 W, which is relatively high for an integrated solution but reflects the performance demands of the Xe3-LPG architecture. The fact that this is an IGP with no power connectors and portable-device-dependent display outputs suggests it is designed for mobile or compact desktop systems. In the context of Barony, a roguelike with primarily CPU-bound logic and relatively simple graphics, the GPU's limitations manifest primarily at higher resolutions and settings, where the fill rate and memory bandwidth become insufficient.

The measured FPS data confirms that the GPU dictates performance in most scenarios. At 1080p Low, the 159 FPS average suggests the GPU is capable of handling the game's basic rendering tasks efficiently. However, the drop to 34 FPS at 4K High indicates that the GPU's 24 ROPs and system-shared memory cannot keep up with the increased pixel load. The Vulkan 1.4 support is beneficial for modern game engines, but it does not compensate for the fundamental hardware limitations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on TSMC's 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration provides strong single-thread and multi-thread performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 scores: 25891 multi-core and 3655 single-core. The PassMark multi-thread score is 30459, with a single-thread score of 4412.

In the context of Barony, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, entity updates, and procedural generation — all of which are single-thread or lightly-threaded workloads. The Core Ultra 5 225's high boost clock of 4.90 GHz ensures that single-threaded performance is excellent, which is crucial for a roguelike where frame times can spike during complex calculations. The PassMark find prime numbers score of 358 and extended instructions score of 27162 indicate strong computational capabilities for game logic.

The CPU's overall benchmark profile places it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 36938. Its nearest rivals show minimal deltas: the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F scores 36945 (deltaPct 0), the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D scores 37018 (deltaPct -0.2), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 scores 37093 (deltaPct -0.4), and the Intel Core i9-12900T scores 37112 (deltaPct -0.5). These results show that the Core Ultra 5 225 is competitive with mainstream desktop CPUs, though it does not lead its class.

The CPU's memory support is DDR5 with dual-channel architecture, providing 102.4 GB/s of memory bandwidth. This is shared with the Arc B390's system-shared memory, which means the GPU's memory access is limited by the same bandwidth. In Barony, where the CPU and GPU both require memory access, this shared bandwidth could create contention. However, the measured FPS data suggests that at 1080p and 1440p, the CPU has sufficient headroom to feed the GPU without becoming the bottleneck. The CPU's PCIe Gen 5 support with 20 lanes provides fast data transfer to any discrete GPU, but in this integrated configuration, it is not a factor.

The CPU's role in Barony is best illustrated by the difference between the 1080p Low and 4K Low results. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 159, which is likely near the CPU's frame rate ceiling for the game's logic. At 4K Low, the average drops to 53 FPS solely due to GPU limitations. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect similar FPS across resolutions at the same settings. The data shows that the CPU is more than capable of handling Barony's workload at all tested resolutions, making the GPU the primary constraint.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combo depends heavily on the target resolution. For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 102 FPS average offers an excellent balance of visual quality and performance. The Medium preset at 118 FPS is also viable, with a minimum of 101 FPS ensuring smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 73 FPS average is playable but sacrifices the frame rate headroom that is beneficial in a roguelike where quick reactions are needed. The Low preset at 159 FPS is excessive for the game's requirements, but it demonstrates the CPU's capability at lower resolutions.

At 1440p, the High preset at 64 FPS average is the recommended choice for most players. This provides a substantial visual upgrade over 1080p while maintaining a playable frame rate. The Medium preset at 75 FPS average is also a strong option, with a minimum of 64 FPS ensuring no major drops. The Low preset at 100 FPS is suitable for competitive play or if the user prioritizes frame rate over visuals. The Ultra preset at 46 FPS average is borderline, and the risk of drops below 40 FPS makes it less recommended.

At 4K, the options are limited. The Low preset at 53 FPS average is the only settings configuration that provides a reasonably smooth experience. The Medium preset at 39 FPS average with a minimum of 33 FPS is not recommended for gameplay that requires consistent reactions, as frame times will be inconsistent. The High preset at 34 FPS and Ultra at 24 FPS are not viable for practical gaming. The data suggests that 4K should only be used with Low settings, and even then, the experience will be less fluid than at lower resolutions.

The best overall experience for this combo is 1080p High, which delivers 102 FPS average with no significant frame drops. This configuration leverages the CPU's strong single-thread performance while keeping the GPU within its comfort zone. For users with 1440p monitors, the Medium preset at 75 FPS average provides a good balance, though the High preset at 64 FPS is acceptable for those who prioritize visuals. The Ultra preset should be avoided at all resolutions, as it provides diminishing returns in visual quality while significantly reducing frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + Intel Arc B390 configuration in Barony is 2601 out of 2935 tested combos. This places it in the bottom 11% of all tested combinations, which is consistent with the GPU's low percentile ranking. The GPU's 9th percentile performance is the primary drag on the combo's overall ranking, while the CPU's 85th percentile performance is insufficient to compensate.

This ranking means that the vast majority of tested hardware combinations outperform this setup in Barony. The data indicates that this combo is best suited for users who have no other option than integrated graphics and are willing to play at 1080p or 1440p with reduced settings. The combo's performance is adequate for casual play, but it will not provide a high-refresh-rate experience at higher resolutions.

The gap between the CPU and GPU performance tiers is stark: the Core Ultra 5 225 is a capable mid-range desktop processor, while the Arc B390 is an entry-level integrated GPU. This mismatch means that the combo is inherently limited by its GPU, and any upgrade path would involve adding a discrete GPU to fully utilize the CPU's capabilities. The combo rank of 2601 reflects this imbalance, as systems with similarly capable CPUs but discrete GPUs would rank significantly higher.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Barony at 4K 60 FPS?

A: No. The measured data shows a maximum average of 53 FPS at 4K Low settings. The Ultra preset at 4K averages only 24 FPS, and even the Medium preset averages 39 FPS with a minimum of 33 FPS. The GPU is not capable of sustaining 60 FPS at 4K under any tested settings.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The data indicates 1080p is the optimal resolution. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 102 FPS average, and at 1080p Low, it reaches 159 FPS. The 1440p results are playable at Medium (75 FPS) and High (64 FPS), but 4K is only viable at Low settings with 53 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck. The Intel Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 ranks in the 85th percentile of CPUs. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows significant drops that are characteristic of GPU limitations, not CPU constraints.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 has a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% higher than the GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% higher than the GT 710 (1443). This places it at the entry level of GPU performance.

Q: What settings should I use for the smoothest experience?

A: At 1080p, use the High preset for 102 FPS average, or Medium for 118 FPS with a minimum of 101 FPS. At 1440p, the Medium preset at 75 FPS average is the safest choice. At 4K, only the Low preset at 53 FPS average is recommended.

Q: Does the CPU's 10-core configuration help in Barony?

A: Barony is a roguelike that primarily uses single-threaded game logic. The Core Ultra 5 225's boost clock of 4.90 GHz and single-thread score of 3655 in Cinebench R23 indicate strong single-thread performance, which is more relevant than the core count. The 10 cores provide headroom for background tasks, but they are not directly responsible for the game's frame rates.