Barony

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the Intel Arc B580 presents a distinctive configuration for Barony, a 2015 roguelike whose low system demands contrast sharply with the high-end CPU and mid-range GPU. The measured frame rates reveal a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the processor’s immense headroom ensures that even the most taxing settings remain fluid. This analysis dissects the benchmark data to clarify how each component contributes to the final experience, placing the results within the context of other tested combinations.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K clearly identifies the Intel Arc B580 as the primary bottleneck, with the CPU’s influence diminishing as pixel count rises. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 277 FPS, a figure that drops to 175 FPS at 1440p and further to 91 FPS at 4K. This represents a 67% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, a steep curve that indicates the GPU is being saturated well before the processor’s limits are approached.

The scaling pattern becomes even more telling when examining the High preset. Here, the average frame rate falls from 177 FPS at 1080p to 112 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 58 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is particularly severe, amounting to a 48% decrease, which underscores the Arc B580’s struggle with the pixel throughput required at 3840x2160. In contrast, the transition from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings only costs 102 FPS, suggesting that the GPU has more headroom at lower resolutions before hitting its architectural ceiling.

The limiting component is unequivocally the graphics card. With a 24-core, 24-thread processor clocked up to 5.80 GHz, the CPU is never the constraint in this title. The data confirms this: at 1080p Low, where CPU overhead typically matters most, the system still produces 277 FPS, a figure that far exceeds the refresh rate of most displays. As resolution increases, the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth become the deciding factors, and the Arc B580’s 456.0 GB/s bandwidth and 13.67 TFLOPS FP32 throughput are simply insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achievable with this combo?

A: The highest recorded average is 277 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This drops to 206 FPS at Medium and 177 FPS at High for the same resolution.

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

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K with Medium settings, the average FPS is 68, with a minimum of 58 and maximum of 78. High settings yield 58 FPS, while Ultra drops to 42 FPS. Low settings at 4K reach 91 FPS, indicating playable performance only on lower presets.

Q: How does the CPU’s core count affect performance in this game?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus features 24 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.80 GHz. For Barony, this configuration provides substantial overhead; the game does not appear to stress the CPU, as evidenced by the high frame rates even at 1080p.

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

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 175 FPS, while Ultra drops to 80 FPS. This represents a 54% reduction in average frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest preset.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Barony?

A: The combo ranks 2194th out of 2935 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle percentile. This ranking reflects the GPU’s modest performance relative to other configurations in the database.

Q: Is the Arc B580’s VRAM sufficient for this game’s settings?

A: The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus. For Barony, this capacity is ample across all tested settings, as the game’s roguelike visuals do not appear to exceed this allocation, even at 4K Ultra.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a desktop processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, built on a 3 nm process with 17,800 million transistors. Its 24 cores and 24 threads, combined with a 36 MB shared L3 cache, deliver exceptional multi-threaded performance, as reflected in its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731 and Passmark multi-thread score of 60,860. In Barony, however, this compute power is largely underutilized.

The game’s engine, dating from 2015, does not appear to scale with the CPU’s thread count. The benchmark results show that frame rates are dictated almost entirely by the GPU, regardless of resolution. At 1080p Low, the system produces 277 FPS, but this is not a CPU limit—it is a rendering limit. The processor’s single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7,303 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4,823, ensures that even the game’s main thread is never starved.

The 125W TDP and dual-channel DDR5 memory support (115.2 GB/s bandwidth) provide a solid foundation, but these specifications do not translate into meaningful frame rate advantages in Barony. The processor’s 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84,003, puts it in the top tier of available hardware. Yet, when paired with the Arc B580, the CPU’s capabilities are effectively masked by the GPU’s constraints, particularly at higher resolutions where the graphics card becomes the sole limiting factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The dataset provides 12 measured configurations across three resolutions and four settings, with average frame rates and, for Medium presets, minimum and maximum values.

At 1920x1080, the scaling is steep and consistent. Low settings yield 277 FPS, Medium drops to 206 FPS (with a minimum of 175 and maximum of 237), High reaches 177 FPS, and Ultra falls to 127 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 150 FPS, or 54%, indicating that Barony’s visual upgrades at 1080p come at a significant cost to frame rate. The Medium preset’s variance of 62 FPS between minimum and maximum suggests some scene-dependent complexity, but the averages remain high enough for smooth gameplay on any display.

At 2560x1440, the pattern mirrors 1080p but with lower absolute numbers. Low settings produce 175 FPS, Medium averages 130 FPS (with a range of 111 to 150), High reaches 112 FPS, and Ultra drops to 80 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 37% across all settings, consistent with the increased pixel count. The Medium preset’s minimum of 111 FPS still exceeds typical 60Hz refresh rates, making 1440p a viable option for high-refresh monitors.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s limitations become pronounced. Low settings yield 91 FPS, Medium averages 68 FPS (with a minimum of 58 and maximum of 78), High drops to 58 FPS, and Ultra falls to 42 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 58 FPS is borderline for smooth 60Hz playback, while Ultra’s 42 FPS average will be perceptibly stuttery. The transition from High to Ultra at 4K costs 16 FPS, a 28% reduction, highlighting the diminishing returns of the highest preset at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and Intel Arc B580 ranks 2194th out of 2935 tested combos for Barony. This places the system in the 25th percentile, meaning roughly three-quarters of tested configurations deliver higher frame rates in this game. The ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU’s performance class, as the Arc B580 sits in the 68th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 23,021.

The GPU’s nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (average score 23,061, delta -0.2%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (average score 22,895, delta 0.6%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (average score 23,172, delta -0.7%). These deltas are minimal, within a 1% band, indicating that the Arc B580’s raw compute performance is comparable to these older or higher-tier cards. However, in Barony specifically, the combo’s rank suggests that the game’s engine may not fully utilize the Arc B580’s architectural strengths, such as its 20 ray tracing cores or Xe2-HPG features.

The CPU, by contrast, ranks in the 96th percentile, with an average benchmark score of 84,003. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (delta 0.2%), AMD EPYC 4584PX (delta 1.1%), and AMD EPYC 9135 (delta 1.2%), all of which perform within 1.2% of the 290K Plus. This demonstrates that the processor is not the limiting factor in this combo’s ranking; rather, the GPU’s position in the 68th percentile drags the overall system down to 2194th place.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p, the High preset at 177 FPS provides an excellent balance between visual fidelity and performance, exceeding the needs of 144Hz displays. The Ultra preset at 127 FPS is also viable for high-refresh monitors, sacrificing 50 FPS for marginal graphical gains. Low settings at 277 FPS are unnecessary for most users unless targeting extreme frame rates.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 130 FPS is the recommended choice, as it offers a smooth experience on 120Hz or 144Hz monitors while maintaining a minimum of 111 FPS. High at 112 FPS is acceptable for 60Hz displays but may show occasional dips. Ultra at 80 FPS is playable but not ideal for fast-paced roguelike action, where frame consistency matters more than shadows or reflections.

For 4K, the data suggests that Medium settings at 68 FPS are the practical ceiling for smooth gameplay, with a minimum of 58 FPS that stays just above the 60Hz threshold. High at 58 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 42 FPS should be avoided due to perceptible stutter. Low settings at 91 FPS are the most responsive option for 4K, but the visual compromise may be too severe for a game that relies on readability. The best experience per the measured rows is Medium at 1440p, which combines high average frame rates with minimal variance.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is the decisive component in this combo’s Barony performance. Built on the Xe2-HPG architecture with a BMG-G21 chip, the GPU features 2,560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output pipelines. Its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for this game’s texture loads but not for high-resolution rendering at demanding presets.

The GPU’s base and boost clocks are both 2670 MHz, with a pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s. These specifications translate into a 13.67 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, placing the Arc B580 in a performance tier that is competitive with mid-range cards from previous generations. The benchmark results confirm this: at 1080p Low, the GPU can push 277 FPS, but this drops sharply as resolution increases.

The 190W TDP and dual-slot design are modest, but the GPU’s PCIe 4.0 x8 interface may limit bandwidth in some scenarios, though not apparently in Barony. The card’s 68th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23,021, places it just above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (delta 0.6%) and just below the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (delta -0.2%). This positioning explains the 4K performance: the Arc B580 is capable of 1080p and 1440p gaming with ease, but its memory bandwidth and compute throughput are stretched at 3840x2160, particularly on High and Ultra presets. For players seeking a locked 60 FPS at 4K, the GPU would need to operate at Low or Medium settings, as the data clearly shows.