Barony

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread desktop processor based on the Comet Lake architecture, built on Intel's 14 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with 12 MB of shared L3 cache. For a roguelike like Barony, which typically relies on single-threaded performance for game logic and simulation, the CPU's single-core capabilities are relevant. The 3DMark single-thread benchmark score of 688 and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1453 indicate a modest level of per-core performance. However, the benchmark data shows that the processor holds a percentile rank of 73 against all CPUs, suggesting it is far from a bottleneck in most scenarios. Its multi-threading capabilities, evidenced by the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10297, ensure that background tasks and any auxiliary threads in the game are handled without issue. Given that Barony is a roguelike with turn-based or real-time combat that is not heavily physics-dependent, the 12 threads of the i5-10400F are more than sufficient to keep up with the demands of the game, allowing the GPU to become the primary determinant of frame rates in this configuration.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-10400F compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-10400F has an average benchmark score of 14168, placing it just 0.4% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7552 (avg score 14115) and 0.8% behind the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (avg score 14277). It trails the Intel Core i5-8500 by 1.1% (avg score 14332) and the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546 by 1.2% (avg score 14336). These tight margins indicate the CPU is positioned consistently with other mid-range parts.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile, and what does that mean for Barony?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 sits in the 79th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 34780. This high percentile suggests it is a powerful graphics card that will rarely be the limiting factor in a lightweight title like Barony, which is reflected in the measured FPS figures exceeding 200 at 1080p in most settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the frame rates in Barony?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary driver of performance. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 440.5 FPS, while at 4K with Ultra settings, it drops to 64.3 FPS. This massive swing, driven by resolution and graphical load, is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU's consistent single-thread scores suggest it is not struggling to feed the GPU.

Q: How does the system's performance rank among all tested combinations in Barony?

A: This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks 579th out of 1702 total combos tested for the game. This places it in the top third of all configurations, a strong result given that the CPU is a 10th-generation part.

Q: What is the GPU's raw compute capability, and how does it relate to the high FPS?

A: The RX 9070 has a peak FP32 throughput of 36.13 TFLOPS and a texture rate of 564.5 GTexel/s. These figures, combined with its high passmark G3D score of 25381, explain why the card can push frame rates well beyond 200 FPS at 1440p, as the pixel and texture processing power is substantial for a game with Barony's visual fidelity.

Q: In 3DMark's Steel Nomad test, how does the RX 9070 stack up against its listed rivals?

A: The RX 9070 scores 6290 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. This is not directly comparable to the average scores of its nearest rivals (NVIDIA A2, Quadro GV100, etc.) which are based on a different benchmark suite, but the GPU's overall average score of 34780 is only 0.2% lower than the NVIDIA A2 and 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon HD 7970, showing it is a top-tier performer.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern across resolutions. At 1080p, the system is delivering massive headroom, with frame rates ranging from 203.3 FPS on Ultra to 440.5 FPS on Low. Moving to 1440p, the frame rates remain exceptionally high but show a clear decline: the Low setting drops from 440.5 FPS to 281.2 FPS, a 36% reduction, while the Ultra setting falls from 203.3 FPS to 127.5 FPS, a 37% reduction. This proportional decrease in performance as pixel count increases confirms that the GPU's fill rate and bandwidth are being taxed more heavily, but the i5-10400F is still able to supply the frames without becoming a bottleneck.

At 4K, the trend continues but with a more pronounced impact on the higher settings. The Low preset at 4K still achieves 143.6 FPS, which is a 49% drop from the 1080p Low result. The Ultra preset, however, takes a steeper hit, falling to 64.3 FPS from 203.3 FPS at 1080p, a 68% decline. This non-linear scaling at 4K Ultra suggests that the GPU's compute resources are being saturated, particularly with the increased shading and texture work required. The fact that the Low preset at 4K (143.6 FPS) is still faster than the High preset at 1440p (179.4 FPS) but slower than the Medium preset at 1440p (207.4 FPS) indicates that the resolution is the dominant factor, but the settings multiplier significantly impacts the GPU's ability to keep up with 4K demands.

The data shows that the limiting component shifts with resolution. At 1080p, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, as even the most demanding preset yields over 200 FPS. At 4K, the GPU is still the primary limiter, but the margin is much tighter. The CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions where the frame rates exceed 400 FPS, but even then, the i5-10400F's single-thread score of 1453 in Cinebench R23 suggests it can handle the game's logic. The overall picture is that this combo is exceptionally well-balanced for Barony at 1440p, where it delivers between 127.5 FPS (Ultra) and 281.2 FPS (Low), and remains playable at 4K on lower settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

Starting with 1080p, the baseline resolution, the system delivers outstanding performance across all settings. At Low settings, the average frame rate is 440.5 FPS, which is the highest measured in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield 328 FPS, while High settings produce 285.1 FPS. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, still manages an average of 203.3 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the RX 9070 is never stressed, and the i5-10400F is capable of feeding it enough data to maintain triple-digit frame rates even on the highest preset.

Moving to 1440p, the performance remains excellent but shows the expected decline from the increased pixel count. Low settings at 1440p average 281.2 FPS, which is a 36% drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings average 207.4 FPS, High settings average 179.4 FPS, and Ultra settings average 127.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 153.7 FPS, which is a larger absolute difference than at 1080p (237.2 FPS), but the relative scaling is consistent. This suggests that the GPU's architecture, with its 128 ROPS and 224 TMUs, is efficiently handling the increased workload.

At 4K, the data shows the most significant performance variations. Low settings at 4K average 143.6 FPS, which is still a very playable frame rate for a roguelike. Medium settings average 106.9 FPS, High settings average 92.3 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 64.3 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 55% reduction in performance (from 143.6 FPS to 64.3 FPS), which is steeper than the 37% reduction seen at 1440p (from 281.2 FPS to 127.5 FPS). This indicates that at 4K, the GPU's 16 GB of VRAM and 644.6 GB/s bandwidth are being pushed harder, and the settings are having a more pronounced effect on the frame rate. The High and Ultra settings at 4K are the only instances in the entire dataset where the average FPS falls below 100, confirming that 4K Ultra is the most demanding scenario for this combo.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is the star of this configuration, and its specifications directly explain the measured frame rates. Built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a 4 nm process from TSMC, the GPU features 3584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 128 raster operation units. Its boost clock of 2520 MHz and game clock of 2070 MHz are relatively high, allowing it to sustain strong performance under load. The memory subsystem is equally robust, with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. This memory capacity is more than sufficient for Barony, which is not a texture-heavy game, and the bandwidth ensures that the GPU is never starved for data.

The GPU's synthetic benchmarks underscore its capability. It scores 25381 in Passmark's G3D test and 133741 in Geekbench's OpenCL test, with a Vulkan score of 165532. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, it scores 6290. These numbers place it in the 79th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 34780. When compared to its nearest rivals, the RX 9070 is within 0.8% of the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 and just 0.2% behind the NVIDIA A2, showing it is a top-tier part despite being a mainstream release. The GPU's pixel rate of 322.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 564.5 GTexel/s are the key factors that allow it to maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions.

In the context of Barony, the GPU's role is to render the game's simple 3D environments and effects. The data shows that the GPU is never the limiting factor at 1080p or 1440p, as frame rates exceed 127 FPS even on the most demanding presets. At 4K Ultra, the GPU does become the bottleneck, as the frame rate drops to 64.3 FPS, but this is a playable level for a game like Barony. The GPU's 36.13 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is more than enough for the game's shaders, and its 56 ray tracing cores are unused in this title. Overall, the RX 9070 provides a level of performance that far exceeds the requirements of Barony, making the CPU the more balanced component in this pairing. The GPU's launch MSRP is 549 USD, which reflects its high-end positioning.