Barony

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Barony, with the data showing that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as resolution climbs. The measured results indicate a system that is well-balanced for high-refresh-rate gaming at mainstream resolutions, though 4K Ultra demands more than this combination can consistently provide.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is typical for a system where the GPU is the dominant bottleneck at higher pixel counts. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 280 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 177 FPS, a 37% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls to 92 FPS, which is a 67% drop from the 1080p Low figure.

This scaling behavior reveals that the RX 5700 XT is heavily taxed by the jump to 4K, even at Low settings. The difference between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings is 103 FPS, while the difference between 1440p and 4K at Low settings is 85 FPS. The percentage drop per resolution step increases as you go higher, indicating that the GPU's pixel throughput is the limiting factor rather than the CPU.

At High settings, the pattern continues. The system produces 179 FPS at 1080p, 113 FPS at 1440p, and 59 FPS at 4K. The 4K High result is just below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for smooth gameplay. This suggests that while the i5-11400F provides enough processing power to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, the RX 5700 XT's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K with elevated graphical detail.

The Ultra preset tells a similar story. At 1080p, the combo manages 128 FPS average, which drops to 81 FPS at 1440p and 42 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is the only measured configuration that falls below 60 FPS, and it is also the only one that is not playable by typical standards. The data suggests that the RX 5700 XT's 9.754 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 64 ROPs are simply not enough to handle 4K Ultra in this title.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Barony?

A: The data shows 4K results ranging from 42 FPS on Ultra to 92 FPS on Low. Only the Low preset achieves a comfortable frame rate above 60 FPS. Medium settings at 4K produce 69 FPS average with a minimum of 58 FPS, which is borderline playable but not consistently smooth.

Q: What is the best resolution for this system?

A: The 1440p results are strong across all settings. The weakest 1440p result is 81 FPS on Ultra, while Low settings reach 177 FPS. This resolution offers a good balance between visual fidelity and performance, with all presets staying well above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 5700 XT compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 16361, which puts it just 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and 0.3% behind both the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell and the AMD Radeon PRO W7500. It sits 0.9% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D V2.

Q: Is the Core i5-11400F a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The 280 FPS result at 1080p Low suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough frames to saturate the RX 5700 XT. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 868 and 16-thread score of 5619 indicate strong per-core performance that keeps up with the GPU at lower resolutions.

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

A: The measured average is 179 FPS. This is well above the refresh rate of most monitors and indicates the system has headroom for more demanding scenes, though no minimum FPS data is provided for this configuration.

Q: How does the i5-11400F rank among all CPUs?

A: The CPU sits in the 71st percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17177. This places it 0.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7H12 and 0.6% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U, while trailing the Intel Core i5-12450H by 0.4% and the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G by 0.6%.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT ranks 2760 out of 3717 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which is somewhat surprising given the strong raw FPS numbers at 1080p and 1440p. The ranking reflects that many other tested systems achieve higher frame rates in this title, likely due to more powerful GPUs or CPUs.

The rank position suggests that while this combo delivers playable performance at most settings below 4K Ultra, it is not among the top performers in the database. The 4K Ultra result of 42 FPS drags down the overall standing, as does the 59 FPS average at 4K High. Systems that can maintain 60+ FPS at 4K with higher settings will naturally rank above this combination.

Considering the individual component rankings, the CPU's 71st percentile placement is respectable, but the GPU's 59th percentile shows there is more headroom for improvement on the graphics side. The combo's rank of 2760 out of 3717 means roughly 74% of tested configurations outperform it in Barony, which aligns with the GPU being a mid-range part by current standards.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 280 FPS, which is the maximum measured across all configurations. Medium settings average 209 FPS with a minimum of 177 FPS and a maximum of 240 FPS. High settings average 179 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 128 FPS. All 1080p presets remain far above the 60 FPS threshold, making this resolution the most comfortable for high-refresh-rate displays.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the GPU beginning to work harder. Low settings average 177 FPS, which is a 37% reduction from 1080p. Medium settings average 132 FPS with a minimum of 112 FPS and a maximum of 151 FPS. High settings average 113 FPS, and Ultra settings average 81 FPS. Every 1440p preset stays above 60 FPS, with the lowest minimum being 112 FPS on Medium.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings average 92 FPS, which is the only 4K preset that exceeds 60 FPS by a comfortable margin. Medium settings average 69 FPS with a minimum of 58 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS, placing it right at the edge of playability. High settings average 59 FPS, just below the 60 FPS target. Ultra settings average 42 FPS, which is the lowest result in the entire dataset.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data across all three resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 177-240 FPS, at 1440p it is 112-151 FPS, and at 4K it is 58-79 FPS. This data shows consistent frame pacing with no extreme dips, suggesting stable performance rather than occasional stutters.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This Rocket Lake architecture chip operates on the Intel Socket 1200 platform with a 65 W TDP. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU demonstrates balanced performance across thread counts. The 3DMark scores show a progression from 868 in single-thread to 5619 in 16-thread tests, with 4-thread scoring 3171 and 8-thread scoring 4691. This scaling indicates that the CPU handles both lightly-threaded and heavily-threaded workloads competently, which is relevant for a roguelike like Barony that may not utilize all 12 threads efficiently.

The Cinebench results reinforce this picture. R15 multicore scores 1445 while single-core scores 204. R20 multicore scores 6022 and single-core scores 850. R23 multicore scores 14340 and single-core scores 2024. The ratio between multi and single-core scores suggests good scaling across cores, meaning the CPU can handle both the game logic and background tasks without creating a bottleneck.

PassMark results show a multithread score of 16908 and a single-thread score of 2981. The find prime numbers test scores 51, which is notably low and suggests this particular workload is not well-optimized for the architecture. However, integer math scores 57624 and floating point math scores 34127, indicating strong arithmetic performance that benefits gaming workloads.

The CPU's role in Barony becomes apparent when examining the FPS scaling. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 280 FPS, which is high enough that the CPU's per-core performance is likely a contributing factor. The boost clock of 4.40 GHz provides the single-thread speed needed for game logic, while the 12 threads ensure the system does not stutter when background processes compete for resources.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to 1440p as the sweet spot for this combination, with all four presets delivering average frame rates above 80 FPS. For players prioritizing smooth gameplay, 1440p High at 113 FPS average offers a strong balance between visual quality and performance. Those with 144 Hz monitors can consider 1440p Medium at 132 FPS, which also shows a minimum of 112 FPS, ensuring consistent frame delivery.

At 1080p, the system has substantial headroom. The Ultra preset at 128 FPS is the most demanding option and still maintains high frame rates. Players with 240 Hz displays could target 1080p Low at 280 FPS, though this sacrifices visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 209 FPS with a minimum of 177 FPS is a strong choice for high-refresh-rate gaming without compromising too much on detail.

For 4K, the options are more limited. Low settings at 92 FPS is the only preset that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. Medium settings at 69 FPS average with a 58 FPS minimum is borderline, and it may result in occasional dips below the refresh threshold. High and Ultra at 59 FPS and 42 FPS respectively are not recommended for smooth gameplay.

The data suggests that 4K should be reserved for slower-paced or turn-based sections of Barony, while 1440p High or 1080p Ultra provide the best combination of visual quality and performance for most players. The Medium preset at 1440p offers the most consistent frame pacing according to the min/max data, with a minimum of 112 FPS that ensures no significant drops during intense gameplay moments.