Barony

The Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination delivers exceptional performance in Barony, a roguelike title that is far more dependent on raw frame throughput than complex AI simulations. The data shows this pairing ranks 883rd out of 3717 tested combos, placing it in the top quartile of all systems evaluated for this game. With the RTX 4070 providing substantial graphics horsepower and the i3-12100F offering solid single-threaded capability, the system is well-positioned to exploit the game's relatively modest demands. However, the performance scaling across resolutions reveals a nuanced story about where the bottleneck lies, particularly at 1080p where the CPU's four physical cores begin to show their limits.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor from the Alder Lake-S architecture, 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 a TDP of 58 W. The CPU features an 80 KB L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB L2 per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, the processor achieves a single-thread score of 893 in 3DMark, 1674 in Cinebench R23, and 3444 in Passmark. Its multi-threaded performance is represented by scores of 4051 in 3DMark 16-thread and 11860 in Cinebench R23 multicore. The CPU sits at the 68th percentile versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13494.

In Barony, the game's design as a roguelike means it does not scale heavily with core count. The data demonstrates this clearly: at 1080p with Low settings, the system produces 469 FPS, which is extraordinarily high and suggests the CPU is the limiting factor at this resolution. The i3-12100F's single-thread performance, while respectable, is not class-leading; it trails the Intel Core 3 N355 by 0% in average benchmark score, but is ahead of the Intel Core i5-9500 by 0.3% and the Intel Core i7-1250U by 1.1%. The 4.30 GHz boost clock is crucial for maintaining high frame rates in a game that appears to rely on a primary simulation thread. The data shows that at 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 296 FPS, and at 4K Low to 155 FPS, indicating that as resolution increases, the load shifts away from the CPU. At 1080p, the CPU's 4-core, 8-thread configuration is sufficient to feed the RTX 4070, but the benchmark results suggest that a processor with higher single-thread performance would yield even higher frame rates at this resolution.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, using the AD104 chip fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process. It features 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output pipelines, along with 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1920 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz, with memory clocked at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). It has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The card's compute capabilities include 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s. In synthetic benchmarks, the GPU achieves a Passmark G3D score of 26927 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 174152, placing it at the 81st percentile versus all GPUs.

In Barony, the RTX 4070's role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the system delivers 71 FPS, which is a substantial drop from the 99 FPS at 4K High. This scaling indicates that the GPU is heavily tasked at 4K, but the game is not particularly demanding for a card of this caliber. The RTX 4070's 12 GB of VRAM is more than adequate for Barony, which likely does not require significant memory capacity. The data shows that the GPU is capable of maintaining high frame rates even at 4K, with 155 FPS at Low settings. The card's boost clock of 2475 MHz is instrumental in sustaining these frame rates, as the game appears to benefit from raw GPU throughput. Compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 4070's average benchmark score of 37648 puts it 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla P4, 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, and 1.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile. These deltas are small, suggesting that the RTX 4070 is a well-balanced card for this title.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution scaling that shifts the bottleneck from CPU to GPU. At 1080p Low, the system produces 469 FPS, which is extraordinarily high and indicates that the CPU is the primary limiter. Moving to 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 296 FPS, a 37% reduction. At 4K Low, the frame rate further drops to 155 FPS, a 48% reduction from 1440p. This scaling is consistent with GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions, as the RTX 4070's fill rate and memory bandwidth become the constraining factors.

When looking at High settings, the pattern is similar but with lower absolute frame rates. At 1080p High, the system achieves 299 FPS, which drops to 189 FPS at 1440p High (a 37% reduction) and 99 FPS at 4K High (a 48% reduction from 1440p). This consistent percentage drop across settings suggests that the GPU is the limiting component at 1440p and 4K, while the CPU remains the bottleneck at 1080p. The data for Medium settings shows a similar trend: 349 FPS at 1080p, 220 FPS at 1440p (a 37% drop), and 115 FPS at 4K (a 48% drop from 1440p). The Ultra settings exhibit the same scaling pattern, with 215 FPS at 1080p, 135 FPS at 1440p (a 37% drop), and 71 FPS at 4K (a 47% drop from 1440p). This consistent scaling across all settings indicates that the game's rendering pipeline is well-optimized and that the bottleneck shift is predictable. The data strongly suggests that at 1080p, the i3-12100F is holding back the RTX 4070, as frame rates exceed what the GPU is likely capable of at that resolution. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and the system's performance is more evenly balanced.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average FPS is 469, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is an exceptionally high frame rate that indicates the CPU is the limiting factor at this resolution, as the GPU is likely capable of even higher output.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13494, which is 0% different from the Intel Core 3 N355 (13492), 0.3% higher than the Intel Core i5-9500 (13452), and 1.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-1250U (13351). These differences are minimal, indicating similar CPU performance across these models.

Q: Is the RTX 4070's 12 GB of VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: The data shows that the game runs at 71 FPS at 4K Ultra settings, which is a playable frame rate. The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory with 504.2 GB/s bandwidth is more than adequate for Barony, as the game does not appear to be VRAM-intensive based on the measured performance.

Q: What is the frame rate at 1440p High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the system achieves an average of 189 FPS. This is a very high frame rate that would be well-suited for high-refresh-rate monitors. The minimum FPS was not recorded for this configuration, but the average suggests consistent performance.

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

A: The combination ranks 883rd out of 3717 tested combos, placing it in the top 24% of all systems. This rank reflects the overall performance of the combo across all measured resolutions and settings, indicating that it is a strong performer.

Q: Does the game scale well with CPU single-thread performance?

A: The data suggests that at 1080p Low, the CPU is the bottleneck, with the system achieving 469 FPS. Since the i3-12100F has a single-thread score of 1674 in Cinebench R23, and the game appears to be heavily dependent on single-thread performance, a CPU with a higher single-thread score would likely yield even higher frame rates at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 883rd out of 3717 tested combos in Barony. This places the combo in the top 23.8% of all systems tested, which is a strong result for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU. The rank reflects the system's ability to deliver high frame rates across all resolutions and settings. The data shows that the combo is particularly strong at 1440p, where it achieves 189 FPS at High settings and 135 FPS at Ultra settings. At 1080p, the system's performance is limited by the CPU, but it still manages to produce 299 FPS at High settings and 215 FPS at Ultra. At 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, but the system still delivers 99 FPS at High and 71 FPS at Ultra, which are playable frame rates. The rank of 883 indicates that while this is not a top-tier system, it is significantly above average for this game. The CPU's percentile rank of 68 and GPU's percentile rank of 81 suggest that the GPU is the stronger component in this pairing, which is reflected in the resolution scaling analysis. The combo's performance is more consistent with systems that have stronger CPUs, as the i3-12100F's 4-core, 8-thread configuration is adequate but not exceptional for this game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, the system delivers 299 FPS at High settings and 215 FPS at Ultra settings. The Ultra setting offers a 28% reduction in frame rate compared to High, but both are well above 144 Hz, making Ultra the best choice for maximum visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. At 1440p, High settings produce 189 FPS, while Ultra produces 135 FPS. The 54 FPS difference between these settings is significant, and for players with 144 Hz monitors, High settings are recommended to maintain a consistently high frame rate. At 4K, High settings produce 99 FPS, while Ultra produces 71 FPS. The 28 FPS drop from High to Ultra makes High the recommended setting for 4K, as it provides a better balance between visual quality and performance. The data for Low and Medium settings shows that these are not necessary for this combo, as even Ultra settings at 4K produce playable frame rates. The Medium settings at 1440p produce 220 FPS, which is only 31 FPS higher than High, suggesting that the visual quality difference is not worth the performance cost. Overall, the recommended settings are Ultra at 1080p, High at 1440p, and High at 4K, based on the measured average FPS and the desire to maintain frame rates above 60 FPS at all resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Barony with this combo is presented below, organized by resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 469 FPS at Low settings, 349 FPS at Medium settings (with a minimum of 296 and maximum of 401), 299 FPS at High settings, and 215 FPS at Ultra settings. The Medium settings row is the only one at this resolution with min/max data, showing a 105 FPS range between minimum and maximum frame rates. At 2560x1440, the system achieves 296 FPS at Low settings, 220 FPS at Medium settings (with a minimum of 187 and maximum of 253), 189 FPS at High settings, and 135 FPS at Ultra settings. The Medium settings show a 66 FPS range between minimum and maximum. At 3840x2160, the system achieves 155 FPS at Low settings, 115 FPS at Medium settings (with a minimum of 98 and maximum of 132), 99 FPS at High settings, and 71 FPS at Ultra settings. The Medium settings show a 34 FPS range between minimum and maximum. This data shows that the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent across all settings, with an approximate 67% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K at each settings level. The min/max data for Medium settings at each resolution provides insight into frame time consistency, with the 1080p Medium settings showing the largest range of 105 FPS, indicating more variable frame times at lower resolutions where the CPU is more involved.