Barony

# Barony with Intel Core i5-10400F + AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT delivers a thoroughly capable Barony experience, with the data showing average framerates that remain comfortably above 60 FPS at 4K High settings and exceed 130 FPS at 1080p Ultra. The combination ranks 2428th out of 3717 tested combos in this game, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the benchmark database. The measured results reveal a system that scales predictably across resolutions, with the CPU becoming an increasingly relevant factor as resolution drops, while the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory interface prove sufficient for the roguelike's demands at every tested setting level.

Resolution Scaling

The framerate progression from 1080p to 4K shows classic GPU-bound scaling behavior, but with notable headroom that suggests the CPU is doing more work than one might expect. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 190 at 1920x1080 to 120 at 2560x1440 (a 37% reduction) and then to 63 at 3840x2160 (a 48% further reduction). This steepening curve indicates that the Radeon RX 6650 XT becomes the primary limiter as pixel count rises, with the 4K result at High settings sitting just above the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider the floor for smooth gameplay.

The Low settings data tells a more CPU-centric story. At 1080p Low, the system produces 298 FPS average, which drops to 188 at 1440p and 98 at 4K. The 4K Low result being only 63 FPS below the 1080p Low figure, while the 4K High result is 127 FPS below its 1080p counterpart, reveals that the GPU is far less stressed at Low settings across all resolutions. This suggests that at 1080p Low, the Intel Core i5-10400F's six cores and twelve threads are likely approaching their limit, as the framerate ceiling appears constrained by CPU throughput rather than GPU fill rate.

Medium settings provide the most granular view of scaling, with the only complete min/max data in the entire dataset. At 1080p Medium, the average is 222 FPS with a minimum of 188 and maximum of 255. Moving to 1440p Medium yields 140 FPS average (119 min, 161 max), and 4K Medium produces 73 FPS average (62 min, 84 max). The min-to-max spread tightens as resolution increases — from a 67 FPS range at 1080p to a 42 FPS range at 1440p and a 22 FPS range at 4K — indicating that higher resolutions smooth out frametime variance by making the GPU the consistent bottleneck.

Ultra settings represent the most demanding configuration tested, and the scaling here is the most aggressive. The 1080p Ultra average of 136 FPS drops to 86 FPS at 1440p (37% reduction) and then to 45 FPS at 4K (48% reduction from 1440p). The 4K Ultra result falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making it the only tested configuration where the system cannot maintain a playable average. This pattern confirms that Ultra settings at 4K exceed what the RX 6650 XT can deliver, while the 1080p and 1440p Ultra results remain well within acceptable ranges.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F brings six cores and twelve threads with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, built on Intel's 14 nm Comet Lake architecture. Its benchmark profile shows strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10283 and a Passmark multithread score of 12115, but the single-thread results are comparatively modest — Cinebench R23 singlecore at 1451 and Passmark single_thread at 2541. This combination of solid multi-core throughput and moderate single-core strength is well-suited to a roguelike like Barony, which typically relies more on consistent frame pacing than on extreme per-thread performance.

The CPU's 3DMark scores reveal its scaling characteristics: 1350 for 2 threads, 2560 for 4 threads, 3929 for 8 threads, and 4735 for max threads. The jump from 8 threads to max threads (12 threads) is only 17%, indicating diminishing returns beyond eight threads. In Barony, where the game engine likely doesn't scale perfectly across all twelve threads, this means the i5-10400F's performance in the 4-to-8 thread range is the most relevant metric. The 4-thread score of 2560 and 8-thread score of 3929 suggest that the CPU can handle the game's logic and draw call processing without becoming a severe bottleneck, particularly at higher resolutions where the GPU takes on more of the workload.

The CPU's 68th percentile ranking against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14185, places it in a competitive position. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6756E (0.2% higher), Intel Core 7 160UL (0.3% lower), AMD EPYC 7552 (0.5% higher), and AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (0.6% lower). These tiny deltas indicate that the i5-10400F sits in a tightly packed performance cluster, meaning that small architectural differences among these processors would have negligible impact on Barony's framerate. The data shows that at 1080p Low, where the CPU is most likely to be the limiting factor, the system still achieves 298 FPS, suggesting that the i5-10400F has ample headroom for this game's CPU demands.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT, built on the 7 nm Navi 23 chip with RDNA 2.0 architecture, provides 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 280.3 GB/s of bandwidth. Its memory configuration is notable for Barony because roguelike environments with procedurally generated content can place significant demands on texture streaming and asset loading. The 8 GB capacity is sufficient across all tested settings, and the 280.3 GB/s bandwidth supports the high framerates observed at 1080p and 1440p without obvious stuttering or texture pop-in.

The GPU's clock profile shows a base clock of 2055 MHz, a game clock of 2410 MHz, and a boost clock of 2635 MHz, with memory running at 2190 MHz (17.5 Gbps effective). These clocks translate into a pixel rate of 168.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 337.3 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 10.79 TFLOPS. For Barony's visual style — which uses blocky, retro-inspired graphics rather than photorealistic rendering — these specifications are more than adequate, and the data confirms this with 4K High averaging 63 FPS.

The RX 6650 XT's benchmark results reflect its mid-range positioning. Its Passmark G3D score of 17166 and average benchmark score of 19765 place it at the 65th percentile against all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA Tesla K40m (0.6% lower), AMD FirePro D300 (0.7% higher), AMD FirePro W7000 (0.7% lower), and NVIDIA Quadro K5200 (0.8% higher). These professional-grade cards bracket the RX 6650 XT's performance, but their workstation-oriented designs don't necessarily translate to gaming performance parity. In Barony specifically, the GPU's raw throughput appears to be the dominant factor at 4K, where the framerate drops from 98 FPS at Low to 45 FPS at Ultra — a 54% reduction that tracks closely with the increased shading and texture work required by higher preset levels.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest results across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 298 FPS, Medium settings yield 222 FPS with a minimum of 188 and maximum of 255, High settings reach 190 FPS, and Ultra settings maintain 136 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 162 FPS, representing a 54% reduction in average framerate when moving from the least to most demanding preset. All 1080p configurations exceed 130 FPS, meaning that even Ultra settings provide a high-refresh-rate experience on a 144 Hz monitor.

At 2560x1440, the results remain strong but show the expected drop. Low settings average 188 FPS, Medium settings average 140 FPS (119 min, 161 max), High settings average 120 FPS, and Ultra settings average 86 FPS. The 1440p results keep every preset above 80 FPS, with even Ultra maintaining a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The Medium settings data shows a 42 FPS range between minimum and maximum, which is the tightest spread among all Medium configurations, indicating consistent frame delivery at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the system's limits become apparent. Low settings average 98 FPS, Medium settings average 73 FPS (62 min, 84 max), High settings average 63 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 45 FPS. The 4K results show that Low through High settings remain playable, with the minimum observable framerate at Medium settings being 62 FPS — just above the 60 FPS threshold. Only Ultra settings fall below this threshold, with a 45 FPS average that would be noticeable in fast-paced roguelike combat. The 4K Medium min/max range of 22 FPS is the smallest in the dataset, suggesting that this configuration provides the most stable frame pacing at 4K.

FAQ

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K in Barony?

A: Yes, but not at Ultra settings. The measured data shows 63 FPS average at 4K High, 73 FPS at 4K Medium, and 98 FPS at 4K Low. The 4K Ultra setting drops to 45 FPS average, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best resolution for high-refresh-rate gameplay?

A: At 1080p, all settings exceed 136 FPS, with Low reaching 298 FPS and Medium hitting 222 FPS. At 1440p, all settings stay above 86 FPS, making it viable for 144 Hz monitors at Medium or High settings. Only 4K Ultra falls below 60 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU affect performance at low resolutions?

A: At 1080p Low, the system reaches 298 FPS, suggesting the Intel Core i5-10400F is near its limit for this game's frame generation. The CPU's 4-thread 3DMark score of 2560 and 8-thread score of 3929 indicate that its performance ceiling becomes more relevant as resolution drops and GPU load decreases.

Q: Is 8 GB of VRAM sufficient for Barony at 4K?

A: The data shows no VRAM-related issues across any tested configuration. The RX 6650 XT's 8 GB GDDR6 memory with 280.3 GB/s bandwidth delivers consistent performance at 4K High (63 FPS) and 4K Medium (73 FPS), indicating the memory subsystem is not a bottleneck.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combination ranks 2428th out of 3717 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the upper-middle tier, with the CPU at the 68th percentile against all CPUs and the GPU at the 65th percentile against all GPUs.

Q: What framerate can I expect with V-sync at 144 Hz?

A: At 1080p, every setting from Low to Ultra exceeds 136 FPS, meaning V-sync at 144 Hz would be near-continuously active. At 1440p, High (120 FPS) and Ultra (86 FPS) would dip below 144 FPS, while Low (188 FPS) and Medium (140 FPS) would occasionally or consistently reach the cap.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gaming, Ultra settings at 136 FPS provide the best balance of visual quality and performance, as the framerate remains well above the 60 FPS threshold and is still suitable for high-refresh-rate displays. Players with 144 Hz monitors who prioritize smoothness over visual fidelity can choose Medium settings at 222 FPS, which delivers nearly double the frame rate of Ultra with only a modest reduction in graphical quality. The Low setting at 298 FPS offers marginal benefit over Medium unless maximum frame rate is the sole objective.

At 1440p, High settings at 120 FPS represent the sweet spot, delivering excellent visual quality while maintaining a framerate that exceeds most 60 Hz displays by a factor of two. Ultra settings at 86 FPS are also viable for players who want the highest visual fidelity without sacrificing playability, as the average remains comfortably above 60 FPS. Medium settings at 140 FPS provide a good middle ground for those with 144 Hz monitors, though the difference between Medium and High (20 FPS) is smaller than the gap between High and Ultra (34 FPS).

At 4K, High settings at 63 FPS are the recommended choice, as they barely clear the 60 FPS threshold while providing the second-highest visual quality tier. Medium settings at 73 FPS offer a slightly larger safety margin and the tightest min/max range in the dataset (62 to 84 FPS), making this the most stable 4K configuration for consistent frame pacing. The 4K Ultra setting at 45 FPS should be avoided, as it falls below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The 4K Low setting at 98 FPS is an option for players who prioritize resolution over visual detail, but it sacrifices significant graphical quality for a framerate increase that may not be necessary on a 60 Hz 4K display.