Barony

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K paired with the Intel Arc B370 produces a highly specific performance profile in Barony, landing at rank 2701 out of 2935 tested combinations. This places the combo in the bottom 8% of all systems, a position driven almost entirely by the GPU's integrated-class performance rather than the CPU's substantial compute capabilities. The data reveals a system that can deliver playable frame rates at lower resolutions but struggles to maintain smooth gameplay at higher settings, making it a study in bottleneck dynamics.

FAQ

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

A: The combo ranks 2701 out of 2935 tested combinations, placing it in the 92nd percentile from the bottom. This indicates that the vast majority of tested systems outperform this pairing in this specific title.

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

A: The Arc B370's average benchmark score is 1184. Its closest rival is the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 with a score of 1186, a delta of -0.2%, meaning they are nearly identical in performance. The AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192, putting the Arc B370 0.7% behind it.

Q: What is the best average frame rate achievable at 1080p with this combo?

A: The highest average FPS recorded at 1920x1080 is 144 FPS, which is achieved with the Low settings preset. This is the only measured configuration in the entire dataset to reach or exceed 144 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's single-core performance compare to its multi-core performance relative to rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 7 265K has a Geekbench single-core score of 2713 and a multi-core score of 23085. In the overall average benchmark score, it is 1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and 1.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F.

Q: Is the frame rate at 4K resolution playable with the Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 22. This is below the generally accepted threshold for smooth gameplay, indicating that this settings/resolution combination is not suitable for this hardware.

Q: What is the memory configuration for the Intel Arc B370?

A: The GPU uses System Shared memory, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM of its own. Its memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," and its clocks show a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2400 MHz.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the primary limiting factor in this configuration. It is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a 25 W TDP, and its performance class is reflected in its benchmark scores. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1184, a figure that places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are legacy parts like the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (score 1190) and the AMD FirePro M2000 (score 1168), which clearly establishes its position as an entry-level or legacy-equivalent graphics solution.

The GPU has 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster operation pipelines. Its boost clock of 2400 MHz is relatively high, but the architecture is constrained by its integrated nature. The memory is "System Shared," which means it relies on the system's main DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. This dependency is critical; the effective bandwidth is "System Dependent," meaning performance can vary based on the CPU's memory configuration, which in this case is a dual-channel 102.4 GB/s setup.

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern where the GPU struggles with resolution and settings scaling. At 1080p Low, it manages 144 FPS, but this drops to 66 FPS at Ultra, a 54% reduction. Moving to 4K, the Ultra preset yields only 22 FPS. This demonstrates that the Arc B370's compute and memory bandwidth are insufficient for the demands of higher resolutions and graphical fidelity in Barony, making it the definitive bottleneck in this pairing.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2701 out of 2935 puts it in the bottom 8% of all tested configurations for Barony. This is a poor result, indicating that this system will be outperformed by nearly all others in this database for this game. The ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's low percentile (5th) versus the CPU's high percentile (94th). The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a top-tier processor, but its power is largely untapped because the GPU cannot keep up with its output.

The data shows a massive imbalance. The CPU's average benchmark score is 70879, while the GPU's is 1184. This disparity means that the system's overall gaming performance is capped by the GPU's capabilities. In Barony, which has a mix of 2D and 3D elements, the rendering load is still sufficient to overwhelm the Arc B370 at higher settings. The rank of 2701 serves as a quantitative warning that this is not a balanced gaming platform for this title, and users should expect performance at the low end of the spectrum.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The dataset provides a complete matrix of average FPS across three resolutions and four settings presets. The only rows that include min/max FPS data are the Medium settings, which provide a window into frame time consistency.

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows:

• Low: 144 FPS average (the only row to hit this mark).
• Medium: 107 FPS average, with a minimum of 91 FPS and a maximum of 123 FPS.
• High: 92 FPS average.
• Ultra: 66 FPS average.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally:

• Low: 91 FPS average.
• Medium: 67 FPS average, with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS.
• High: 58 FPS average.
• Ultra: 42 FPS average.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily taxed:

• Low: 47 FPS average.
• Medium: 35 FPS average, with a minimum of 30 FPS and a maximum of 41 FPS.
• High: 30 FPS average.
• Ultra: 22 FPS average.

The 1080p Medium row shows a 91 FPS minimum, which is a playable floor. However, at 1440p Medium, the minimum drops to 57 FPS, which is still acceptable but indicates less headroom. The 4K Medium row has a 30 FPS minimum, which is right at the edge of playability. These min/max figures suggest that the GPU's frame pacing becomes less stable as resolution increases.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. This CPU is a powerhouse in synthetic benchmarks, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35850 and a single-core score of 2020. Its Passmark multithread score is 58594, and its single-thread score is 4928.

In the context of Barony, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic. Given the GPU's limitations, the CPU is likely never the bottleneck. The data supports this: the CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Xeon 6511P, has an average score of 71051, which is only 0.2% different. The Core Ultra 7 265K is 1% ahead of the Core i7-14700KF and 1.3% ahead of the Ryzen 7 9700F. These are marginal differences at the top end of CPU performance.

The CPU's high single-thread performance (Geekbench 2713) is relevant for game physics and logic threads, but since the GPU is the limiting factor, these strengths do not translate into higher FPS. The FPS drops observed when moving from Low to Ultra settings at the same resolution are purely a function of GPU load, not CPU load. The CPU is effectively idling, waiting for the GPU to render each frame.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal balance of visual quality and performance is achieved at 1920x1080 with Medium settings. This configuration yields a 107 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The minimum FPS of 91 ensures that dips are rare and minor. This is the only settings combination that offers both high average performance and a robust minimum frame rate.

The High preset at 1080p is also viable, with a 92 FPS average, but it lacks the min/max data to confirm frame consistency. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 66 FPS, which is still playable but represents a significant 38% performance hit over Medium for likely marginal visual gains in a roguelike title.

At 1440p, the Low preset provides a 91 FPS average, which is acceptable, but Medium drops to 67 FPS and High to 58 FPS. For users who prioritize resolution over settings, 1440p Low is the only sensible choice. At 4K, the Low preset yields 47 FPS, which is borderline, while Medium and High are below 40 FPS. The data suggests that 4K should be avoided entirely unless the user is willing to accept a sub-30 FPS experience on Low settings.

The recommendation is clear: play at 1080p Medium for the best experience. This provides a high frame rate with a safety margin, ensuring the game remains fluid during intense moments. Lowering to 1080p Low will push the average to 144 FPS, which is beneficial for high-refresh-rate displays, but the Medium preset offers a better balance of visual fidelity and speed.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is severe and reveals the GPU as the limiting component. At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 107 at 1080p to 67 at 1440p, a 37% decrease. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the average drops from 67 to 35 FPS, another 48% decrease. The cumulative drop from 1080p to 4K is a 67% reduction in average frame rate.

This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would remain relatively constant across resolutions, as the CPU's workload does not change with resolution. Here, the FPS falls dramatically with each resolution increase, indicating that the Arc B370's fill rate and memory bandwidth are being saturated.

The pixel rate of the GPU is 48.00 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s. At 4K (3840x2160), the number of pixels to render is over four times that of 1080p (1920x1080). The GPU's fixed pixel throughput cannot handle this increase, leading to the observed frame rate collapse. The Ultra preset at 4K (22 FPS) is a clear sign that the GPU is overwhelmed, while the 1080p Low result (144 FPS) shows that it can handle less demanding loads with ease. The data confirms a classic GPU-limited configuration where the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K has ample headroom, but the Intel Arc B370 cannot translate that into higher frame rates at higher resolutions.