Barony

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT delivers a robust performance profile in Barony, a roguelike title where frame rates scale dramatically with resolution and settings. The dataset shows this combination handling the game with significant headroom at lower resolutions, while 4K Ultra presents the only scenario that drops below the 60 FPS threshold. This analysis breaks down the measured results, contextualizes the hardware against its nearest rivals, and provides actionable settings guidance based strictly on the observed data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and pronounced scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At the High preset, the transition from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 sees average frame rates drop from 219 FPS to 138 FPS, a reduction of 81 FPS. Moving further to 3840x2160, the average falls to 72 FPS. This trajectory indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions, as the workload on the rendering pipeline increases significantly with pixel count.

The scaling behavior is even more dramatic at the Low preset. At 1080p, the combo achieves an exceptional 344 FPS average. This drops to 217 FPS at 1440p and then to 113 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is substantial, representing a 67% reduction in frame rate. This steep decline strongly suggests that even at the lowest settings, the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth become the bottleneck as resolution climbs, rather than the CPU struggling to feed frames.

At the Medium preset, the measured data includes minimum and maximum FPS values, offering deeper insight. At 1080p, the average is 256 FPS with a minimum of 217 FPS and a maximum of 294 FPS. At 1440p, the average drops to 161 FPS with a tighter range of 137 to 185 FPS. The 4K Medium result shows an average of 84 FPS, with a minimum of 72 FPS and maximum of 97 FPS. The narrowing of the FPS range at higher resolutions indicates that the system is becoming more consistently GPU-bound, reducing the variance caused by CPU-driven frame spikes.

The Ultra preset exhibits the steepest scaling curve. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 157 FPS, which falls to 99 FPS at 1440p and finally to 52 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is the only data point in the entire set that falls below the 60 FPS playability standard, suggesting that this configuration is simply not suitable for maximum settings at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra shows a 67% performance loss, mirroring the Low preset’s percentage drop, which confirms that resolution is the dominant factor in performance degradation once the preset’s base load is established.

Overall, the data indicates that the RX 6700 XT has ample power for 1080p and 1440p gaming in Barony, but the 4K resolutions require significant settings compromises to maintain high frame rates. The pattern is consistent: each step up in resolution yields a roughly 30-40% reduction in average FPS, regardless of the preset, which points to a highly predictable GPU-limited scaling model.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i3-12100F and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT combination holds a combo rank of 1949 out of 3717 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the 47th percentile of all configurations, meaning roughly 53% of tested combos deliver higher average frame rates in this specific game. This mid-pack ranking is a reflection of the hardware balance: the GPU is capable, but the CPU, while competent, does not push the combo into the upper echelons of performance.

Contextualizing this rank against the individual component standings provides clarity. The CPU’s average benchmark score is 13494, placing it at the 68th percentile against all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core 3 N355 (score 13492, delta 0%), the Intel Core i5-9500 (score 13452, delta 0.3%), and the Intel Core 5 120UL (score 13594, delta -0.7%). The i3-12100F sits nearly exactly at parity with these chips, with deltas under one percent, indicating that its compute capabilities are solidly average for its tier. This CPU performance is sufficient to drive high frame rates, but it does not provide the extreme single-threaded headroom seen in top-tier processors.

The GPU’s average benchmark score is 27425, landing at the 72nd percentile against all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile (score 27435, delta 0%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (score 27565, delta -0.5%), and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 (score 27839, delta -1.5%). The RX 6700 XT performs within 1.5% of these rivals, showing that its raw graphics processing power is competitive with some very high-end desktop and mobile parts from NVIDIA. This suggests the GPU is punching above its weight in terms of raw compute, yet the combo’s overall rank is dragged down by the CPU’s more modest standing.

The discrepancy between the GPU’s 72nd percentile and the combo’s 47th percentile in Barony is telling. It suggests that while the GPU is capable of high frame rates, the game’s engine or the specific workload is not fully utilizing the GPU’s potential, likely due to CPU limitations at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 344 FPS average indicates the CPU must handle a massive number of draw calls and game logic updates, and the i3-12100F’s 4 cores and 8 threads may be reaching their limit in this scenario. The data implies that pairing this GPU with a higher-performing CPU could yield a significantly better combo rank, as the GPU clearly has more performance to give.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications directly explain the measured FPS results. The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s. For a roguelike like Barony, which often involves procedurally generated environments and numerous on-screen entities, this memory capacity is more than sufficient, and the bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and asset loading do not become bottlenecks even at 4K resolutions.

Clock speeds are notably high for this GPU. The base clock is 2321 MHz, with a game clock of 2424 MHz and a boost clock of 2581 MHz. These aggressive clocks, combined with 2560 shading units and 160 texture mapping units, deliver a peak FP32 performance of 13.21 TFLOPS. This raw compute power explains why the card can achieve 157 FPS at 1080p Ultra and 344 FPS at 1080p Low. The GPU is not the limiting factor at these resolutions; instead, the CPU is struggling to keep up with the frame generation demands.

The GPU’s role becomes more critical at 4K. The 4K Ultra average of 52 FPS demonstrates that the card’s pixel throughput is being taxed heavily. With a pixel rate of 165.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 413.0 GTexel/s, the card is capable, but 4K Ultra pushes it to its limits. The 4K Medium result of 84 FPS, with a minimum of 72 FPS, shows that reducing the settings alleviates the load, but the GPU remains the primary determinant of performance. The data suggests that the RX 6700 XT is a high-end performer for 1080p and a strong 1440p card, but it sits at the entry point for smooth 4K gaming, requiring settings adjustments to maintain playability.

The GPU’s benchmark percentile of 72nd against all GPUs, alongside its near parity with the RTX 3090 in average score, underscores its capability. The fact that it can trade blows with a card like the RTX 3090 in synthetic tests, but falls behind in Barony at the combo level, reinforces the notion that the CPU is holding back the overall system. For this game, the GPU’s 12 GB VRAM is a non-issue, and its clock speeds are more than adequate; the bottleneck lies elsewhere.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Barony with this combo for a 144Hz monitor?

A: Based on the data, 2560x1440 at High settings is the optimal choice, delivering an average of 138 FPS, which is close to the 144Hz target. The 1080p High preset offers 219 FPS, but the visual fidelity improvement at 1440p is worth the frame rate trade-off.

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

A: Yes, but with caveats. The 4K Medium preset averages 84 FPS, which is playable. The 4K High preset averages 72 FPS, and 4K Low averages 113 FPS. Only 4K Ultra, at 52 FPS average, falls below the standard 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: Is the Intel Core i3-12100F a bottleneck for the RX 6700 XT in this game?

A: The evidence suggests yes. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 344 FPS, but the GPU’s benchmark percentile (72nd) is much higher than the combo’s game rank (1949 out of 3717). This discrepancy indicates that the CPU’s 4 cores and 8 threads limit the GPU’s potential at lower resolutions where frame rates are extremely high.

Q: How does this combo compare to the CPU’s nearest rivals in terms of overall system performance?

A: The CPU’s nearest rivals, the Intel Core 3 N355 and Intel Core i5-9500, have average benchmark scores within 0.3% of the i3-12100F. This means swapping in those CPUs would result in nearly identical performance in Barony, assuming the same GPU is used.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 217 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 99 FPS. This represents a 54% performance drop for the increased visual quality, which is a significant trade-off. The Medium preset sits in between at 161 FPS.

Q: Are there any frame rate stability issues at specific settings?

A: The data only provides minimum and maximum FPS for the Medium preset. At 4K Medium, the range is 72 to 97 FPS, showing a variance of 25 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is 137 to 185 FPS, a variance of 48 FPS. This suggests that higher resolutions provide more stable frame pacing, likely due to reduced CPU involvement in frame generation.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the best experience balances visual quality with frame rate stability. For 1920x1080, the High preset is the clear winner, delivering an average of 219 FPS. This is well above the 144Hz refresh rate, and the jump to Ultra (157 FPS) does not provide a proportional visual benefit for the 28% performance loss. The Low preset at 344 FPS is excessive for most displays and sacrifices too much visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the High preset again emerges as the recommended setting, with an average of 138 FPS. This is ideal for 144Hz monitors, and it represents a substantial improvement over the Ultra preset’s 99 FPS. The Medium preset at 161 FPS is also viable, but High provides a better visual experience with a still-excellent frame rate. Pushing to Ultra is not recommended, as the frame rate drops below the 120 FPS threshold, which is noticeable in fast-paced gameplay.

For 3840x2160, the recommendation shifts to the Medium preset, which yields an average of 84 FPS. This is the highest preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS. The High preset at 72 FPS is also playable, but Medium offers a higher minimum FPS (72 FPS) and a better safety margin for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset is not recommended for 4K, as the 52 FPS average falls below the playability standard. The Low preset at 113 FPS is an option for those prioritizing frame rate over visuals, but Medium offers a better balance of image quality and performance.

The data suggests that the High preset is the “sweet spot” for this combo at 1080p and 1440p, while Medium is the most sensible choice for 4K. The Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p, where the GPU has enough headroom to render it smoothly.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F plays a critical supporting role in this combo, and its specifications reveal why the system behaves as it does. The CPU features 4 cores and 8 threads, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. It has 12 MB of shared L3 cache. These are modest specifications for a modern desktop processor, but they are sufficient for gaming.

The CPU’s benchmark scores show a strong single-threaded capability relative to its multithreaded performance. For instance, in Cinebench R23, the multicore score is 11860, while the singlecore score is 1674. The ratio of these scores indicates that the CPU’s single-threaded performance is its primary strength, which is beneficial for games that rely heavily on a single main thread. The 3DMark scores further illustrate this: the 2-thread score is 1659, while the 4-thread and 8-thread scores are 2859 and 4026, respectively. The scaling from 2 to 8 threads shows diminishing returns, suggesting that the CPU’s 4 physical cores are the workhorses, and the additional threads provide limited benefit.

In Barony, the CPU’s role is to manage game logic, physics, and draw calls. At 1080p Low, the average FPS of 344 indicates that the CPU is generating frames at a very high rate, but this is likely the ceiling. The CPU’s percentile rank of 68th against all CPUs, combined with the combo’s 47th percentile rank, suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor in achieving higher frame rates at lower resolutions. If the CPU were more powerful, the GPU could potentially push even higher FPS numbers.

The CPU’s memory support for DDR4 and DDR5, along with its PCIe Gen 5 interface, means it is not an outdated platform. However, its 4-core design is a limitation for heavily threaded workloads. The nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-9500, which also has 6 cores, show that the i3-12100F’s performance is competitive in synthetic benchmarks, with a delta of only 0.3%. This indicates that for Barony, which may not be heavily multithreaded, the i3-12100F’s core count is not a significant disadvantage, but its overall frame generation ceiling is lower than what the GPU can handle.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: 344 FPS average
• Medium: 256 FPS average (minimum 217, maximum 294)
• High: 219 FPS average
• Ultra: 157 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 217 FPS average
• Medium: 161 FPS average (minimum 137, maximum 185)
• High: 138 FPS average
• Ultra: 99 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 113 FPS average
• Medium: 84 FPS average (minimum 72, maximum 97)
• High: 72 FPS average
• Ultra: 52 FPS average

This breakdown shows a clear hierarchy. At 1080p, all presets are playable, with even the most demanding Ultra preset exceeding 150 FPS. The 1440p results show that the Ultra preset drops below 100 FPS, but all other presets remain above 130 FPS. The 4K results show a more pronounced drop-off, with only the Low and Medium presets staying above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that is not smoothly playable.

The minimum and maximum FPS data for the Medium preset provides insight into frame pacing. At 1080p, the variance is 77 FPS (217 to 294), which is a wide range, indicating that the CPU is causing frame rate fluctuations. At 1440p, the variance narrows to 48 FPS (137 to 185), and at 4K, it narrows further to 25 FPS (72 to 97). This trend confirms that the CPU is the source of frame time inconsistency at lower resolutions, and the GPU becomes the steadying force as resolution increases. This data reinforces the conclusion that the i3-12100F is the bottleneck in this system for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p.