Barony

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER presents a fascinating study in bottleneck dynamics within the roguelike title Barony. This combination, ranking 216th out of 1702 tested combos, demonstrates exceptional raw frame rates, yet the data reveals a clear shift in performance limitations depending on resolution and settings. The benchmark results show a system capable of triple-digit frame rates at 4K, which balloons to over 550 FPS at 1080p with low settings, indicating that the GPU is the primary driver of performance at higher resolutions, while the CPU's 4 cores become increasingly relevant as the resolution drops.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking observation in the measured data is the dramatic scaling of average FPS as resolution decreases. At Ultra settings, the average frame rate nearly triples when moving from 4K to 1080p: 82.8 FPS at 3840x2160 jumps to 162 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally reaches 252.2 FPS at 1920x1080. This scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets, with the Low preset showing the most extreme range, from 181.9 FPS at 4K up to 553.8 FPS at 1080p. Such a steep increase in performance at lower resolutions strongly suggests that the system is heavily GPU-bound at 4K, where the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's rendering workload dominates, while the CPU has more headroom to push frames at lower pixel counts.

The delta between 1440p and 1080p is particularly telling. For High settings, the FPS increases from 224.4 to 350.3, a gain of over 55%. This disproportionate jump compared to the 4K-to-1440p transition (116.6 to 224.4, roughly 92% increase) hints that the CPU begins to exert a greater influence at 1080p. The game's roguelike nature, often involving procedural generation and many on-screen entities, may create CPU-bound scenarios at lower resolutions where the GPU is no longer the limiting factor. The data implies that at 4K, the GPU is working near its limits, but at 1080p, the i3-12100F's four physical cores are being pushed harder to feed the GPU with frames.

CPU Role

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. Its 12 MB of shared L3 cache and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory make it a versatile entry-level chip. In synthetic benchmarks, the i3-12100F scores 11,912 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 1,681 in single-core, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, has a nearly identical average benchmark score, with a deltaPct of -0.1, though that rival is a workstation-class chip with far more cores.

In the context of Barony, the CPU's role appears to be critical at high frame rates. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (553.8 FPS) is exceptionally high, suggesting that the game is well-optimized for multi-threading, allowing the 8 threads to be utilized effectively. However, the 4-core limit may create a ceiling in scenarios with numerous enemies or complex AI calculations. The benchmark data shows that the CPU's single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread score of 893) is strong, which is beneficial for a game that may rely heavily on a main game logic thread. The fact that the combo ranks 216th out of 1702 suggests that while this CPU is competent, other combinations with higher-core-count processors likely achieve even higher frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is a formidable GPU, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 672.3 GB/s. Its 8448 shading units and 96 ROPs, coupled with a boost clock of 2610 MHz, deliver substantial raw compute power. The GPU's 44.10 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate make it well-suited for modern game rendering. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 31,811 in Passmark G3D and 223,091 in Geekbench OpenCL, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, with a very close rival being the NVIDIA CMP 50HX with a deltaPct of -0.7.

The GPU's influence is most evident at 4K resolution, where the workload is immense. The benchmark results show that at 4K Ultra, the system achieves 82.8 FPS, which is more than double the 1080p Ultra score of 252.2 FPS, highlighting the GPU's scaling capability. The 16 GB VRAM is also a significant asset, likely preventing any memory-related bottlenecks at high resolutions and texture settings. Given that the GPU is rated as end-of-life, its performance here is still impressive, and the data suggests it is the dominant component in this pairing, particularly at 4K where the CPU's limitations are less apparent.

How This Combo Ranks

In the broader context of all tested combinations for Barony, the i3-12100F + RTX 4070 Ti SUPER combo holds a rank of 216 out of 1,702, placing it in the top 13% of all systems. This ranking is notable given the CPU's budget-oriented positioning, suggesting that the GPU is doing most of the heavy lifting to achieve such a high position. The fact that it ranks higher than 1,486 other combinations indicates that this pairing is more than capable of delivering a premium gaming experience in this title.

The ranking also implies that the bottleneck is not severe enough to drag the system down significantly. While a more powerful CPU might push the combo higher in the rankings, the i3-12100F's strong single-thread performance and 8 threads are sufficient for Barony's engine. This suggests that the game is not heavily multi-threaded, as the 4-core CPU is able to keep up with the GPU's output at most settings. The data indicates a well-balanced system for this specific title, with the GPU being the performance anchor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 553.8 at Low to 252.2 at Ultra, with High at 350.3 and Medium at 411.4. These numbers indicate that even at the highest settings, the system maintains a very high frame rate, far exceeding the requirements of most high-refresh-rate monitors. Moving to 2560x1440, the scores drop proportionally: Low hits 349.9 FPS, Medium 262.5 FPS, High 224.4 FPS, and Ultra 162 FPS. This resolution still offers excellent performance, with even Ultra settings remaining comfortably above 144 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system begins to show more strain. The Low preset still delivers a very playable 181.9 FPS, but Ultra drops to 82.8 FPS, which is below the threshold for high-refresh-rate 4K gaming. High settings at 4K achieve 116.6 FPS, while Medium provides 138 FPS. The data shows a clear trend: the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases, indicating that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck at 4K. The measured results demonstrate that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is capable of handling 4K High settings with ease, but Ultra settings may require some compromises for those seeking the highest frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combination achieves in Barony?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 553.8, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested systems in Barony?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER combination ranks 216th out of 1,702 tested combos.

Q: Is the system capable of 4K gaming in Barony?

A: Yes, the system can run 4K at an average of 82.8 FPS on Ultra settings, and it delivers 116.6 FPS on High settings.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 350.3 at 1080p to 116.6 at 4K, representing a significant decrease of about 67%.

Q: Which component appears to be the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU becomes more of a limiting factor at 1080p, as the GPU has more headroom, and the gap between 1440p and 1080p FPS is larger than the gap between 4K and 1440p.

Q: Does the GPU have enough VRAM for this game?

A: The GPU has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory, which is more than sufficient for a game like Barony, especially given the high frame rates observed at all resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's display and performance goals. For 1080p owners with a high refresh rate monitor (144Hz or higher), the High preset at 350.3 FPS provides an excellent balance between visual quality and frame rate, easily maxing out most displays. The Medium preset at 411.4 FPS is also a strong choice, offering a slight performance boost with likely minimal visual compromise. For those with 1440p displays, the High preset at 224.4 FPS is the best recommendation, as it delivers smooth gameplay while maintaining high visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 162 FPS is also viable for 144Hz monitors.

At 4K, the choice becomes more nuanced. The High preset at 116.6 FPS is the recommended sweet spot, providing a great experience on 120Hz displays. The Medium preset at 138 FPS is also excellent, offering a higher frame rate with potentially minor visual trade-offs. The Ultra preset at 82.8 FPS is playable but may not be ideal for competitive play or very demanding users. In all cases, the Low preset is recommended only for users seeking absolute maximum frame rates, as the visual quality loss is likely significant compared to the performance gains. The data clearly shows that High or Medium settings at any resolution provide the best overall experience for this hardware combination in Barony.