Barony

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the Intel Arc B370 lands at rank 2701 out of 2935 tested combos in Barony. That places this configuration in the bottom 8% of all systems tested, a poor showing that reflects the GPU's severe limitations rather than any CPU bottleneck. The Arc B370 sits at the 5th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1184, placing it alongside legacy mobile parts like the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, 0.2% faster) and ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, 0.5% faster). This is not a competitive gaming combination by any stretch; the data shows a system that can manage playable frame rates only at lower resolutions and settings.

The CPU, by contrast, is a strong performer. The Core Ultra 7 265 ranks at the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 64640. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 4464P (64823, 0.3% faster), the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F (64438, 0.3% slower), the AMD EPYC 7343 (64202, 0.7% slower), and the AMD EPYC 9124 (65104, 0.7% faster). The gap between CPU and GPU performance is enormous, and the measured FPS numbers confirm that the graphics processor is the limiting factor in every scenario tested. When a 93rd-percentile CPU is paired with a 5th-percentile GPU, the result is a lopsided system where the processor's capabilities are largely wasted in gaming workloads.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 brings 20 cores and 20 threads to the table, running at a base clock of 2.40 GHz and boosting to 5.30 GHz. This is an Arrow Lake-S desktop part built on a 3 nm process at TSMC, with 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is DDR5 over a dual-channel bus, providing 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The CPU supports PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes and includes integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 32 execution units.

For Barony, a roguelike title, the CPU's single-threaded and multi-threaded performance are both relevant. In Cinebench R23, the chip scores 42216 multi-core and 5960 single-core. Passmark results show 49682 in multi-thread, 4689 in single-thread, and 2923 in physics. These are strong numbers that would typically drive high frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios. However, the measured FPS in this game never approaches what the CPU alone could deliver. The 20 cores and 20 threads are more than sufficient for a roguelike's simulation and game logic, and the 5.30 GHz boost clock ensures responsive single-threaded performance for game logic that relies on a primary thread.

The data indicates the CPU is not the constraint. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 144 FPS, which is the highest measured value across all settings. Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is clearly overwhelmed, the CPU is still capable of feeding the graphics processor as fast as it can render. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking and its proximity to server-class EPYC parts in average benchmark scores underscore that this processor is overqualified for the task. The bottleneck is entirely downstream.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process. It features 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output pipelines, along with 10 ray tracing cores. The base clock is 300 MHz with a boost clock of 2400 MHz. The memory configuration is System Shared, meaning the GPU uses the system's DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM, with bandwidth listed as System Dependent. The pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s, texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance is 6.144 TFLOPS.

This is a low-power part with a 25 W TDP, classified as an IGP with no power connectors. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places it at the 5th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are all legacy or mobile parts: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, 0.2% faster), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, 0.5% faster), AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, 0.7% faster), and AMD FirePro M2000 (1168, 1.4% slower). The B370's performance envelope is roughly equivalent to a mid-range discrete GPU from over a decade ago.

In Barony, this GPU's limitations are stark. The 20 ROPs and 6.144 TFLOPS of compute are simply insufficient for demanding resolutions and settings. The system-shared memory means there is no dedicated VRAM pool, and the bandwidth is dependent on the system's memory configuration, which in this case is DDR5 dual-channel at 102.4 GB/s. The boost clock of 2400 MHz helps at lower resolutions, but the architecture is fundamentally outmatched when pixel count rises. The GPU's 5th percentile ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data, which shows the graphics processor as the clear bottleneck across all tested configurations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers playable frame rates across most settings. Low settings produce 144 FPS average, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield 107 FPS average, with a minimum of 91 and maximum of 123. High settings drop to 92 FPS average. Ultra settings fall to 66 FPS average. These numbers show that at 1080p, the combination can handle the game reasonably well, though Ultra settings begin to strain the GPU.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops are noticeable. Low settings produce 91 FPS average, a 37% reduction from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings deliver 67 FPS average, with a minimum of 57 and maximum of 78. High settings yield 58 FPS average. Ultra settings drop to 42 FPS average. The 1440p results indicate that the GPU is starting to struggle, with even Low settings barely maintaining 90 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the picture becomes grim. Low settings produce 47 FPS average. Medium settings yield 35 FPS average, with a minimum of 30 and maximum of 41. High settings drop to 30 FPS average. Ultra settings fall to 22 FPS average. These numbers are largely unplayable for a smooth experience, with only Low settings approaching acceptable frame rates. The 4K Medium result of 35 FPS average, with a minimum of 30, shows the GPU operating at its limits.

The pattern across all resolutions and settings is consistent: the GPU is the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 144 FPS, but increasing resolution or settings quickly erodes performance. The measured data shows no scenario where the CPU becomes the bottleneck, as even the most demanding GPU settings at 4K Ultra still yield 22 FPS, which is far below what the CPU could deliver.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals the GPU's limitations. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 144 at 1080p to 91 at 1440p and 47 at 4K. That represents a 37% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 67% drop from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the progression is 92 FPS at 1080p, 58 FPS at 1440p, and 30 FPS at 4K. The 4K High result is exactly one-third of the 1080p High result, indicating a near-linear scaling with pixel count.

The scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario. When the GPU is the limiting factor, FPS typically scales inversely with the number of pixels. From 1080p to 4K, the pixel count increases by a factor of 4, and the observed FPS drops by roughly a factor of 3 across most settings. The deviation from perfect 4x scaling is due to the GPU's architecture and the game's rendering characteristics, but the trend is clear: the Arc B370 cannot sustain high frame rates as resolution increases.

At Medium settings, the FPS values are 107 at 1080p, 67 at 1440p, and 35 at 4K. The 4K result is 33% of the 1080p result, again showing near-linear scaling. At Ultra settings, the values are 66 at 1080p, 42 at 1440p, and 22 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is again 33% of the 1080p Ultra result. This consistency across settings strongly indicates that the GPU is the sole limiting component, with the CPU having no measurable impact on the scaling behavior.

The resolution scaling analysis confirms that this system is not suitable for 4K gaming in Barony. Even at Low settings, 47 FPS average is marginal, and at higher settings, the frame rates drop below playable thresholds. The 1440p results are more usable, with Low and Medium settings providing 91 and 67 FPS respectively, but High and Ultra settings at 1440p are borderline. The 1080p results are the only fully satisfactory outcomes, with all settings except Ultra exceeding 90 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall ranking of this CPU+GPU combo in Barony?

A: This combination ranks 2701 out of 2935 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 8% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B370 has an average benchmark score of 1184, which is 0.2% slower than the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186), 0.5% slower than the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190), 0.7% slower than the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192), and 1.4% faster than the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168).

Q: What is the best performing settings and resolution combination for this system?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 144 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next best is 107 FPS at 1080p Medium, followed by 92 FPS at 1080p High.

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

A: The GPU is clearly the bottleneck. The CPU ranks at the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks at the 5th percentile. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows near-linear drops consistent with GPU limitation.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Barony?

A: At 4K, the system achieves 47 FPS average on Low settings, 35 FPS on Medium, 30 FPS on High, and 22 FPS on Ultra. Only Low settings approach playable frame rates, and even those are marginal.

Q: What are the CPU's closest performance rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 (64640 average) is 0.3% slower than the AMD EPYC 4464P (64823), 0.3% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F (64438), 0.7% faster than the AMD EPYC 7343 (64202), and 0.7% slower than the AMD EPYC 9124 (65104).