Barony

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for Barony across three resolutions reveal a system that is heavily CPU-bound at lower resolutions, with the GPU only beginning to assert itself as the primary limiter at 4K. At 1080p with Low settings, the combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti produces 575.1 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 362.2 FPS, a reduction of roughly 37%, while 4K Low yields 191.1 FPS. These are massive performance cliffs that point directly at the processor as the bottleneck at lower resolutions; the RTX 5070 Ti is nowhere near its limits when rendering Barony's simple roguelike visuals at 1080p.

The scaling pattern changes character when the graphics load increases. At Ultra settings, the spread from 1080p to 4K is much tighter: 263.2 FPS at 1080p, 169 FPS at 1440p, and 89.8 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p Ultra is 94.2 FPS, while the drop from 1440p to 4K Ultra is 79.2 FPS. This suggests that at Ultra, the rendering workload is substantial enough to engage the GPU more meaningfully, though even here the frame rates remain extraordinarily high for a game of this genre.

The data indicates that Barony is not a demanding title for modern hardware. Even the most punishing configuration tested — 4K Ultra — maintains an average of 89.8 FPS, which is well above standard 60 Hz display refresh rates. The inverse is also telling: at 1080p Low, the system delivers 575.1 FPS, a figure that exceeds the refresh rate of virtually all consumer monitors. This means the limiting component shifts depending on settings and resolution. At 1080p and 1440p, the Core i3-12100F's four physical cores are likely saturating before the GPU can demonstrate its full capability. At 4K, the RTX 5070 Ti's rendering pipeline becomes the more relevant constraint, particularly at Ultra where pixel throughput demands increase.

Comparing the High preset across resolutions provides a clean view of this transition. High at 1080p runs at 366.6 FPS, at 1440p it drops to 233.8 FPS, and at 4K it settles at 118.6 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is about 36%, while from 1440p to 4K it is about 49%. The larger relative drop at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU is taking on more responsibility as pixel count rises. For a game like Barony, which relies on procedural generation and tile-based rendering rather than photorealistic assets, the RTX 5070 Ti is effectively overkill at 1080p and 1440p; only at 4K does it start to work in a meaningful way.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process node. Its base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz define its single-thread capability, which is critical for a roguelike where game logic, pathfinding, and procedural generation often run on one or two primary threads. The benchmark scores support this: the 3dmark single-thread score is 893, while the 2-thread score is 1659, and the 4-thread score rises to 2859. The jump from 2 to 4 threads is substantial, but the 8-thread score of 4026 shows diminishing returns beyond 4 threads, reinforcing that this CPU's performance ceiling is tied to its physical core count.

In Barony, the CPU's role is pronounced. The measured frame rates at 1080p Low — 575.1 FPS — are far beyond what the RTX 5070 Ti would need to render, indicating that the processor is feeding frames as fast as it can. The 3dmark max-threads score of 4023 is nearly identical to the 8-thread score, suggesting that the processor does not gain meaningful performance from hyper-threading in this workload. This aligns with Barony's design as a roguelike that typically uses a limited number of threads for simulation and AI.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 72 among all processors places it in the upper tier of desktop chips, and its average benchmark score of 13516 puts it within 0.1% of the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i7-1250U. These comparisons are instructive: the i3-12100F competes with much more expensive parts on synthetic benchmarks, but in a game like Barony, its 4-core design is sufficient because the game does not scale heavily across many threads. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 11912 and single-core score of 1681 further illustrate that this chip has solid per-thread performance, which is what matters most for maintaining high frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios.

The practical implication for Barony is that the i3-12100F will not be the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where the GPU takes over, but at lower resolutions the CPU's 4 cores may cap performance. The data shows that at 1080p Ultra, the system hits 263.2 FPS, which is still exceptionally high but well below the 575.1 FPS seen at Low settings. This gap is not due to the CPU alone — the GPU is also working harder at Ultra — but the CPU's single-thread performance will dictate the absolute ceiling.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU built on TSMC's 5 nm process, with 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die. It features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock runs at 2295 MHz with a boost of 2452 MHz, and memory operates at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). These specifications place it in the upper echelon of consumer graphics cards, with a percentile ranking of 87 among all GPUs and an average benchmark score of 52086.

In Barony, the GPU's role is secondary at lower resolutions but becomes primary at 4K Ultra. The measured frame rates show that at 1080p Low, the RTX 5070 Ti is barely challenged, producing 575.1 FPS. Even at 4K Low, it manages 191.1 FPS, which is far above playable thresholds. The GPU's 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for Barony's texture and asset requirements, and the 896.0 GB/s memory bandwidth ensures no bandwidth bottleneck at any tested setting.

The GPU's benchmark comparisons are revealing. It scores within 0% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 (52085 vs. 52086), and is 0.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7700S. This parity with the previous generation's high-end card suggests that the RTX 5070 Ti is a strong performer, though Barony does not stress it enough to differentiate it from its rivals. The PassMark G3D score of 32974 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6604 confirm its high-end positioning, but in a game like Barony, the GPU's raw power is only fully utilized at 4K Ultra.

At 4K Ultra, the RTX 5070 Ti delivers 89.8 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 263.2 FPS at 1080p Ultra. This 64% reduction in frame rate reflects the GPU's increasing workload as resolution climbs. The pixel rate of 235.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 686.6 GTexel/s are the relevant specifications here; at 4K, the GPU must process four times the pixels of 1080p, and the data shows it handles this comfortably, maintaining near-90 FPS. The 43.94 TFLOPS of FP32 compute provides ample shading power for Barony's visual effects, which are modest compared to modern AAA titles.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of performance across settings and resolutions, and the optimal choice depends on the display's refresh rate. For 1080p users with a 240 Hz monitor, the High preset at 366.6 FPS is the sweet spot — it delivers frame rates that exceed most high-refresh displays while providing better visual quality than Low. The Low preset at 575.1 FPS is only necessary for the most extreme high-refresh panels, and even then, the visual trade-off may not be worth it for a game with Barony's art style. Medium at 424.9 FPS is also viable, but High offers a better balance of quality and speed.

For 1440p, the High preset at 233.8 FPS is ideal for 240 Hz displays, while Medium at 270.8 FPS provides even more headroom. The Ultra preset at 169 FPS is still excellent for 144 Hz monitors and offers the best visual fidelity. At 1080p, the Ultra preset at 263.2 FPS is also viable for 240 Hz panels, making it a reasonable choice for users who prioritize image quality. The data suggests that High is the most versatile preset across resolutions, as it maintains high frame rates at all three tested resolutions while offering better visuals than Medium.

At 4K, the High preset at 118.6 FPS is the recommended choice for 120 Hz displays, while Ultra at 89.8 FPS is suitable for 60-90 Hz monitors. The Low preset at 191.1 FPS is unnecessary at 4K unless the user has a very high refresh rate display, which is rare at this resolution. Medium at 143.4 FPS offers a middle ground for 144 Hz 4K panels, though the visual difference between Medium and High in Barony may be minimal given the game's stylized graphics. The data indicates that High is the best overall preset for this combination, offering the most consistent experience across all resolutions without sacrificing significant visual quality.

FAQ

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average is 366.6 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings. This is well above the refresh rate of most monitors, making it suitable for 240 Hz displays.

Q: Is the RTX 5070 Ti overkill for Barony?

A: At 1080p and 1440p, the GPU is not fully utilized, as evidenced by the 575.1 FPS at 1080p Low. Only at 4K Ultra does the GPU become the primary bottleneck, delivering 89.8 FPS, which still exceeds 60 FPS.

Q: How does the Core i3-12100F perform in Barony?

A: The CPU's 4 cores and 8 threads are sufficient for Barony's workload. Its 3dmark max-threads score of 4023 is nearly identical to its 8-thread score, indicating that the game does not benefit from additional threads.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p?

A: High settings at 2560x1440 deliver 233.8 FPS, which is ideal for 240 Hz displays. Medium at 270.8 FPS offers more headroom, while Ultra at 169 FPS is still excellent for 144 Hz monitors.

Q: Can I run Barony at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the measured average is 89.8 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is playable on 60-90 Hz displays, though High settings at 118.6 FPS may be better for 120 Hz monitors.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13516, which is 0.1% below the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i7-1250U. It also leads the Intel Core i3-10105 by 0.6% and the Intel Core i7-7700K by 1.8%.