Barony

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread desktop processor from the Alder Lake generation, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with 12 MB of shared L3 cache. For a roguelike title like Barony, the CPU's role is often more about maintaining consistent frame pacing than raw throughput, and the data here shows this chip is far from a bottleneck. Its benchmark percentiles place it in the 72nd percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13516. In the context of its nearest rivals, it sits just 0.1% behind the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (which scores 13534), and it is 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i7-1250U (13462). It also leads the Intel Core i3-10105 by 0.6% and the Intel Core i7-7700K by 1.8%. These are marginal deltas, indicating that the i3-12100F delivers performance squarely in the upper-midrange tier of desktop chips.

The single-threaded performance is particularly relevant for Barony, which often involves physics calculations and game logic that do not scale perfectly across many cores. With a 3DMark single-thread score of 893 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1681, the processor exhibits strong per-core capabilities. The multi-threaded scores, such as the 3DMark 16-thread score of 4051 and the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11912, reveal that while the core count is limited to four, the high clock speeds compensate effectively. In this specific game, the combination of a 4-core design with high boost clocks means the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the frame rates at 1080p. The processor's 58 W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory, with a dual-channel memory bus, ensure that it does not starve the system of data, though the game’s performance at higher resolutions will shift the bottleneck to the graphics card.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is the graphical powerhouse in this pairing, built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 22 chip, manufactured on TSMC's 7 nm process. It features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s. The GPU’s base clock is 2150 MHz, with a game clock of 2495 MHz and a boost clock of 2600 MHz. It has 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units. The GPU sits in the 79th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35327. Its nearest rivals show tight competition: it is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5600M (35264), 0.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile (35435), 0.9% behind the AMD Radeon 880M (35646), and 1.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (35787). These small deltas suggest the RX 6750 XT is a highly competitive mid-to-high-end card, though it trails the older RTX 3080 slightly in raw compute.

For Barony, the GPU's role is heavily influenced by the settings and resolution. The card’s 12 GB VRAM is ample for the game's textures, which are not particularly demanding at Ultra settings but still benefit from the headroom. The memory clock of 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) and the 192-bit bus width provide sufficient bandwidth for the frame rates observed. The GPU's compute capabilities, such as 13.31 TFLOPS FP32 and 26.62 TFLOPS FP16, are more than adequate for a roguelike, where the visual fidelity is typically less complex than AAA titles. The data shows that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 53.7, indicating that the card's rasterization power is being fully utilized. At lower settings, the GPU easily pushes hundreds of frames per second, demonstrating that the card is not a bottleneck until the resolution and settings are maximized. The DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4 compatibility ensure modern API efficiency, which is reflected in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2548.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of scaling from 1080p to 4K, highlighting the transition from a CPU-bound scenario at lower resolutions to a GPU-bound one at higher resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 362.5 FPS, which is a massive frame rate that suggests the CPU is the primary driver, as the GPU has ample headroom. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 228.6 FPS, a 36.9% decrease, which indicates the GPU is starting to take on more work. At 4K Low, the average is 118.5 FPS, a further 48.1% drop from 1440p. This trend shows that while the GPU is capable, the resolution scaling has a significant impact on frame rates.

When comparing the High settings across resolutions, the pattern is similar but with lower absolute numbers. At 1080p High, the system averages 231.6 FPS, which is still exceptionally high. At 1440p High, it averages 143.4 FPS, a 38.1% reduction. At 4K High, the average is 78 FPS, a 45.6% reduction from 1440p. This indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at 4K High, as the frame rate drops below the 100 FPS threshold. The Ultra settings tell a more dramatic story. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 167.9 FPS, which is still smooth. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 103.5 FPS, a 38.4% decrease. At 4K Ultra, the average falls to 53.7 FPS, a 48.1% decrease from 1440p. The data shows that the scaling from 1080p to 4K is not linear; the frame rate drops are more severe at higher resolutions, confirming that the RX 6750 XT is the primary bottleneck at 4K Ultra. The 4K Ultra result of 53.7 FPS is the only setting where the system dips below 60 FPS, suggesting that for this combination, 4K Ultra is a demanding target, while 1440p Ultra remains a viable option.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT achieves a rank of 828 out of 1702 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the upper half of the database, specifically around the 51st percentile (828 divided by 1702). The ranking indicates that this pairing is solid for the game, though it is not at the top tier. The rank is influenced by the CPU's moderate core count, which does not provide the same multi-threaded headroom as higher-end processors, and the GPU's strong but not flagship-level performance. The data shows that the combo is more competitive at lower resolutions, where the CPU can keep up, but it falls behind other combos at 4K Ultra, where the GPU's limitations become apparent.

In the context of the nearest rival CPUs, the i3-12100F’s performance is comparable to much more expensive parts, but the combo rank suggests that the GPU is the more significant factor in determining overall game performance. The RX 6750 XT's average benchmark score of 35327 is close to that of the RTX 3080 (35787), but the RTX 3080 typically pairs with stronger CPUs, which may push those combos higher in the ranking. The combo rank of 828 out of 1702 also indicates that there are many combinations that perform better, likely due to more powerful GPUs or CPUs with higher core counts. However, for a roguelike like Barony, which does not heavily utilize multi-threading, this pairing provides a balanced experience, with the GPU handling the graphical load and the CPU handling the game logic efficiently. The rank is a reflection of the overall system balance, and the data suggests that this combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, but it is not optimized for 4K Ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the system's performance across three resolutions and four settings. Starting with 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance. At Low settings, the average FPS is 362.5, which is the highest of any configuration tested. Medium settings yield an average of 267.9 FPS, a 26.1% drop from Low. High settings produce an average of 231.6 FPS, a 13.5% drop from Medium. Ultra settings bring the average to 167.9 FPS, a 27.5% drop from High. This shows that even at Ultra, the system maintains a frame rate well above 140 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but scales down accordingly. Low settings average 228.6 FPS, which is still very high. Medium settings average 169.4 FPS, a 25.9% drop from Low. High settings average 143.4 FPS, a 15.3% drop from Medium. Ultra settings average 103.5 FPS, a 27.8% drop from High. The 1440p Ultra result of 103.5 FPS is just above the 100 FPS mark, indicating that the system can handle 1440p Ultra with high refresh rates, though not at the extreme levels seen at 1080p. Finally, at 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. Low settings average 118.5 FPS, which is still playable. Medium settings average 88.7 FPS, a 25.1% drop from Low. High settings average 78 FPS, a 12.1% drop from Medium. Ultra settings average 53.7 FPS, a 31.2% drop from High. The 4K Ultra result is the only configuration that falls below 60 FPS, suggesting that users aiming for 4K Ultra will need to adjust settings or accept a lower frame rate.