Barony

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. For a roguelike like Barony, the data shows that this CPU configuration is more than sufficient to keep up with the graphics card. The CPU’s benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11912 and a single-core score of 1681, indicate strong per-thread performance. In Barony, which is not a heavily threaded title, the single-core strength is what matters most for maintaining high frame rates, as the game’s logic and entity updates typically rely on a few primary threads. The 12 MB of shared L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores, reducing latency that could otherwise cause frame hitches.

The CPU’s 3DMark scores reinforce this picture: a single-thread score of 893 and a 2-thread score of 1659 show that the processor scales well with a small number of active threads, which is exactly the workload pattern Barony presents. The 4-thread score of 2859 is notably higher than the 2-thread score, suggesting that the game can utilize more than two cores if needed, but the jump from 4-thread to 8-thread (4026) is modest, confirming that the game does not require all 8 threads to perform well. The CPU sits at the 72nd percentile among all tested CPUs, which is respectable, but its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (only 0.1% slower on average) and the Intel Core i7-7700K (1.8% slower). This means the i3-12100F’s performance is competitive with much more expensive parts, at least in aggregate benchmarks, though the real-world gaming results will depend on the specific title.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i3-12100F a bottleneck for the RTX 2060 SUPER in Barony?

A: No. At 1080p Low settings, the combo produces 288.9 FPS average, which is far beyond any display's refresh rate. Even at 1080p Ultra, it holds 131 FPS, indicating the CPU is not limiting performance at these settings; the GPU is the primary driver of frame rate differences as resolution increases.

Q: How does this CPU compare to the Intel Core i7-7700K in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13516, while the i7-7700K scores 13280, making the i3-12100F 1.8% faster on average. This is a remarkable result given the i3 has fewer cores, but it benefits from a newer architecture and higher single-thread performance.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gaming with this combo?

A: At 3840x2160, the High preset yields 61.1 FPS, which is playable. The Medium preset drops to 67.5 FPS, while Low jumps to 96.6 FPS. Ultra is the only preset that falls below 60 FPS at 41.8 FPS, so High or Medium are the recommended choices for a smooth 4K experience.

Q: Does the RTX 2060 SUPER’s 8 GB VRAM cause issues at 4K in Barony?

A: The data does not indicate any VRAM-related stuttering or failures. The measured average FPS at 4K Ultra is 41.8, which is a performance drop, but this is more likely due to the GPU’s raw compute limits (7.181 TFLOPS FP32) rather than memory capacity, as even the lowest settings at 4K produce 96.6 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 1241 out of 1702 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. This rank is influenced by the GPU’s age and the CPU’s modest core count, but the actual measured performance in Barony is strong at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the GPU’s percentile ranking among all tested GPUs?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER is at the 63rd percentile, with an average benchmark score of 19774. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN, is only 0.3% slower, showing that the 2060 SUPER still holds its own against older high-end cards.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo delivers 186.1 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 High drops the average to 112.7 FPS, a 39.4% reduction, which is a typical scaling factor for a GPU like the RTX 2060 SUPER. At 3840x2160 High, the average falls to 61.1 FPS, another 45.8% drop from 1440p. This steep decline is characteristic of a system where the graphics card is the limiting component at higher resolutions.

The same pattern holds across all settings presets. For Low settings, 1080p yields 288.9 FPS, 1440p yields 179.1 FPS, and 4K yields 96.6 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is a 46.1% drop, almost identical to the High preset’s drop. This consistency suggests that the CPU is not introducing a bottleneck at any resolution; if it were, we would see the FPS gap between 1440p and 4K narrow as the CPU becomes less of a factor. Instead, the linear degradation points to the GPU’s pixel throughput limits.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling: 131 FPS at 1080p, 82.1 FPS at 1440p, and 41.8 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is nearly half of the 1080p result, which is expected given the 4x increase in pixel count. The fact that the 1080p Ultra frame rate (131 FPS) is still well above 60 FPS indicates that the CPU can handle the game’s logic even with maximum graphical load, but the GPU struggles to keep up at higher resolutions. This is a balanced pairing for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but 4K Ultra is only for those who accept sub-60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Barony, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER achieves a rank of 1241 out of 1702 total combinations. This places it in the 27th percentile of all tested combos, meaning roughly 73% of other pairings perform better. The rank is a composite measure that considers both CPU and GPU capabilities, and the result is largely driven by the GPU’s mid-range standing (63rd percentile) and the CPU’s lower core count.

However, the rank does not tell the whole story for this specific game. Barony is a roguelike with relatively simple graphics, so the GPU’s raw power matters less than in modern AAA titles. The measured FPS at 1080p High (186.1 FPS) is higher than what many higher-ranked combos might achieve in more demanding games. The combo’s rank is also pulled down by the fact that the CPU, while fast in single-thread workloads, has only 4 cores, which limits its multi-threaded benchmark scores compared to 8-core or 16-core rivals.

When compared to the GPU’s nearest rivals, the RTX 2060 SUPER is 0.5% faster than the RTX 2070 on average, which is a negligible difference in practice. The CPU’s nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, is essentially tied with the i3-12100F at 0.1% difference, which is remarkable given the Threadripper is a high-end workstation part. This means the combo’s rank is not a reflection of poor individual component performance, but rather the combination of a 4-core CPU with a mid-range GPU, which is a sensible pairing for 1080p gaming.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1470 MHz and a boost clock of 1650 MHz, with 2176 shading units and 64 ROPs. In Barony, the GPU’s role becomes dominant as resolution increases, as evidenced by the FPS scaling discussed earlier. The GPU’s FP32 performance of 7.181 TFLOPS is sufficient for the game’s relatively low graphical demands, but the 4K Ultra preset (41.8 FPS) shows its limits.

The GPU sits at the 63rd percentile among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19774. Its nearest rivals include the GTX TITAN (0.3% slower), the RTX 2070 (0.5% faster), and the Quadro K5200 (0.8% slower). This places the 2060 SUPER in a competitive position against older flagship cards, but it is clearly a step below the RTX 2070 in raw performance. The GPU’s memory capacity of 8 GB is not a limiting factor in Barony, as the game’s texture requirements are modest, but it provides headroom for other titles.

The GPU’s API support includes DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, which ensures compatibility with modern rendering techniques, though Barony does not heavily utilize these features. The GPU’s power draw is rated at 175 W, with a suggested PSU of 450 W, but the measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K. At 1080p, the CPU and GPU are well-balanced, but the GPU’s performance ceiling is reached at 4K Ultra, where the frame rate drops below 60 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers excellent performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 288.9 FPS, which is extremely high and indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor at this resolution. Medium settings yield 211.5 FPS, High settings drop slightly to 186.1 FPS, and Ultra settings still maintain a strong 131 FPS. These numbers suggest that for 1080p gaming, the user can enable Ultra settings and still enjoy a smooth experience on a 144Hz monitor.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates become more moderate but remain playable. Low settings average 179.1 FPS, Medium settings drop to 136.9 FPS, High settings yield 112.7 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 82.1 FPS. The 1440p results show a clear GPU bottleneck, as the gap between Low and Ultra is 97 FPS, which is larger than the 157.9 FPS gap seen at 1080p. This indicates that the GPU is working harder at 1440p, but the system still pushes well above 60 FPS on all presets.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s limits become apparent. Low settings average 96.6 FPS, which is still very playable, but Medium drops to 67.5 FPS, High falls to 61.1 FPS, and Ultra plummets to 41.8 FPS. The 4K results show that the RTX 2060 SUPER is not suited for max settings at this resolution, but High and Medium presets remain viable for a 60Hz display. The data across all resolutions confirms that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K being a compromise between visual fidelity and frame rate.