Barony

Barony, a roguelike from 2015, places minimal graphical demands on modern hardware, but the Intel Core i3-12100F pairing with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 reveals a stark imbalance. The data shows an extreme CPU bottleneck at lower resolutions, while the GPU’s raw power, measured at 56.28 TFLOPS FP32, only becomes fully engaged when pixel count rises. The RTX 5080’s 89th percentile ranking among all GPUs and the i3-12100F’s 72nd percentile among all CPUs set the stage for a benchmark analysis dominated by processor limits rather than graphics throughput.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows that Barony’s performance scales inversely with resolution in a manner that exposes the CPU as the primary constraint. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 637.5 FPS, which is an extraordinarily high figure that far exceeds the refresh rate of any standard display. Moving to 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 404 FPS, a 36.6% reduction, while at 4K Low, it falls to 211.1 FPS, representing a 66.9% decline from the 1080p baseline. These reductions are not linear, indicating that the GPU begins to take on more work as the pixel count increases, but the sheer magnitude of the 1080p numbers suggests the i3-12100F, with its 4 cores and 8 threads, is hitting a ceiling that prevents the RTX 5080 from stretching its legs.

The pattern holds across all settings. At High, the i3-12100F and RTX 5080 deliver 406 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 254.7 FPS at 1440p (a 37.3% reduction) and further to 136.7 FPS at 4K (a 66.3% reduction). The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, shows a similar trajectory: 293.1 FPS at 1080p, 182.5 FPS at 1440p, and 97.8 FPS at 4K. The consistent approximately two-thirds performance loss from 1080p to 4K across all settings indicates that while the GPU is scaling with resolution, it is still not the limiting factor at 1080p. The RTX 5080’s 960.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 16 GB of GDDR7 memory are more than sufficient for Barony’s modest assets, so the CPU’s single-thread performance, evidenced by its 3dmark_single_thread score of 893, becomes the bottleneck.

At 4K, the gap between settings narrows in relative terms. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 113.3 FPS (211.1 vs 97.8), whereas at 1080p, that same gap is 344.4 FPS (637.5 vs 293.1). This compression at higher resolutions is a classic sign of the GPU becoming more relevant, but the fact that even at 4K Ultra the combo maintains 97.8 FPS shows that this pairing never truly stresses the RTX 5080. The data suggests that for any resolution below 4K, the i3-12100F’s multi-threaded capabilities, with a max threads score of 4023, are the hard limit, and only at 4K does the RTX 5080’s 293.1 GPixel/s pixel rate start to matter.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Barony?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 637.5, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the i3-12100F compare to its nearest rival in average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13516. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, scores 13534, which is a -0.1% delta, making the performance nearly identical.

Q: Is the RTX 5080’s performance in Barony limited by its own specifications?

A: No. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo hits 637.5 FPS, which is so high that the CPU is clearly the limiting component. The RTX 5080’s specs, such as 10752 shading units and a 256-bit memory bus, are far beyond what Barony requires.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested combinations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 68th out of 1702 tested combinations in Barony.

Q: Does the 4K Ultra preset deliver a playable frame rate?

A: Yes, the 4K Ultra preset averages 97.8 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How much faster is 1080p Low compared to 4K Ultra?

A: 1080p Low produces 637.5 FPS, while 4K Ultra produces 97.8 FPS. The lower resolution and settings are approximately 6.5 times faster.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of benchmarked systems, this pairing of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 achieves a combo rank of 68 out of 1702 tested combinations in Barony. This places it in the top 4% of all configurations, which is a strong showing for a game that is not graphically intensive. The rank is likely buoyed by the RTX 5080’s massive performance headroom, as the GPU alone sits in the 89th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs. The discrepancy between the two components’ percentiles explains why the combo does not rank higher; the CPU is dragging down the overall result.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in average score—the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, Intel Core i7-1250U, Intel Core i3-10105, and Intel Core i7-7700K—all have average scores within 1.8% of the i3-12100F. This suggests that any of these processors would perform similarly in Barony when paired with a high-end GPU. The i3-12100F’s 4-core, 8-thread configuration, with a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, is sufficient for Barony’s roguelike gameplay, which relies on procedural generation and simulation rather than complex 3D rendering. The combo’s rank of 68 indicates that it outperforms the vast majority of systems, but it is not at the absolute top, which would likely require a more balanced CPU-GPU pairing.

The RTX 5080’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Arc A580 and AMD Radeon Pro W5500X, have average scores within 2.6% of the RTX 5080, but those GPUs are not typically paired with such a low-end CPU. This highlights the unusual nature of this combo: it is a top-tier GPU constrained by an entry-level processor. The data implies that the combo rank is a reflection of the GPU’s dominance, but the CPU prevents it from reaching the upper echelons of the ranking chart.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1080p, the Low preset yields 637.5 FPS, which is overkill for any display, while the Ultra preset still delivers a blistering 293.1 FPS. The data shows that even at 4K, the High preset averages 136.7 FPS, which is far above the standard 60 FPS target. However, the most balanced experience is likely at 1440p with the High preset, which produces 254.7 FPS. This resolution and setting combination provides a significant visual upgrade over 1080p while still offering frame rates high enough to take advantage of high-refresh-rate monitors.

For users with a 4K display, the Ultra preset at 97.8 FPS is the most visually demanding option that remains comfortably playable. The Medium preset at 4K, which averages 157.8 FPS, offers a safer margin for framerate stability, but the High preset at 136.7 FPS is a middle ground that balances visual fidelity and performance. The Low preset at 4K, at 211.1 FPS, provides no tangible benefit over the higher settings, as the GPU is not the bottleneck.

The data suggests that the i3-12100F’s limits are most pronounced at 1080p, where even the Ultra preset cannot push the RTX 5080 to its full potential. Therefore, users should prioritize higher resolutions to shift the load to the GPU. At 1440p, the Medium preset at 298.1 FPS is also a strong choice, offering a substantial improvement over Low without the frame rate drop seen at Ultra. Overall, the recommendation is to use the High preset at 1440p or 4K, as it provides the best balance of image quality and performance, with the knowledge that the CPU will still leave performance on the table at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Barony with the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is as follows.

At 1920x1080, the Low settings preset averages 637.5 FPS. The Medium preset averages 475.9 FPS, which is a 25.4% reduction from Low. The High preset averages 406 FPS, a 36.3% reduction from Low. The Ultra preset averages 293.1 FPS, which is a 54% reduction from the Low baseline. This shows a clear step-down in performance as settings increase, but even the lowest number is far above playable thresholds.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 404 FPS. The Medium preset averages 298.1 FPS, a 26.2% drop from Low. The High preset averages 254.7 FPS, a 37% drop from Low. The Ultra preset averages 182.5 FPS, a 54.8% drop from Low. The relative performance decrease from Low to Ultra is consistent with the 1080p results, indicating that the CPU is still the primary constraint at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 211.1 FPS. The Medium preset averages 157.8 FPS, a 25.2% drop from Low. The High preset averages 136.7 FPS, a 35.2% drop from Low. The Ultra preset averages 97.8 FPS, a 53.7% drop from Low. The percentage reductions from Low to Ultra are similar across all resolutions, suggesting that the scaling of settings is consistent regardless of pixel count. The absolute numbers show that the combo can handle 4K Ultra at nearly 100 FPS, which reflects the RTX 5080’s power, even when paired with a modest CPU.