Barony

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT delivers exceptional performance in Barony, a roguelike that is clearly not demanding on modern hardware. The data indicates that this combination can push frame rates well beyond the 144Hz threshold at 1080p, making it an excellent choice for high-refresh-rate monitors. The primary bottleneck analysis reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the 6-core processor provides ample headroom for the game's logic. This analysis will break down the optimal settings, the role of each component, and how this specific combo ranks against other tested configurations.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the High preset is the clear recommendation across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, the High preset achieves an average of 228.3 FPS, which is 63.9 FPS higher than the Ultra preset at 164.4 FPS. This difference is significant, as it allows the system to comfortably saturate a 240Hz display, whereas Ultra would be more suited to a 144Hz panel. The visual jump from High to Ultra is typically minimal in a stylized roguelike, but the performance cost is a 28% reduction in frame rate.

Moving to 2560x1440, the High preset still delivers a stellar 147.6 FPS average. This is more than sufficient for a smooth experience on a 1440p high-refresh-rate monitor. The Ultra preset at this resolution drops to 104 FPS, which is still playable but sacrifices the fluidity that High provides. At 4K (3840x2160), the High preset manages a respectable 75.7 FPS, ensuring a playable experience, though users prioritizing maximum frame rates should consider the Medium preset at 91.1 FPS. The Low preset, while delivering 121.7 FPS at 4K, is not recommended as it negates the visual benefits of the hardware without providing a meaningful advantage over High at lower resolutions.

The data strongly suggests that the Medium preset is a fallback option, not a primary choice. It offers a 19.3% performance increase over High at 4K (91.1 FPS vs. 75.7 FPS) but does so at the cost of visual quality. Given that High already exceeds 60 FPS at 4K and 144 FPS at 1440p, there is little reason to compromise. The optimal experience is unequivocally the High preset, with Ultra reserved for users who prioritize absolute graphical fidelity over frame rate headroom, particularly at 1080p where 164.4 FPS is still exceptionally high.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is the dominant factor in these results, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K. The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is more than adequate for Barony, which is not a texture-heavy title. The GPU's clock speeds are notably high, with a base clock of 2150 MHz and a boost clock of 2600 MHz, allowing for rapid shader execution.

The card's 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs are responsible for the raw pixel-pushing power. The data shows that the GPU's performance scales predictably with resolution, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. For instance, the High preset at 1080p achieves 228.3 FPS, while at 4K it drops to 75.7 FPS, a reduction of 66.8%. This indicates that the GPU is working at capacity at higher resolutions, and the CPU is not limiting the frame rate. The RX 6750 XT's position in the benchmark database is strong, sitting at the 79th percentile of all GPUs, and it outperforms the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 by 1.3% in the average benchmark score (35327 vs. 35787, with a deltaPct of -1.3 for the RTX 3080, meaning the RX 6750 XT is ahead). This performance headroom ensures that Barony runs flawlessly, with the GPU providing more than enough compute power to handle the game's particle effects and procedural generation without strain.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are substantial and reveal a clearly GPU-limited system. At the High preset, the transition from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 results in a 35.3% decrease in average FPS (from 228.3 to 147.6). The further step to 3840x2160 yields another 48.7% decrease (from 147.6 to 75.7). This pattern is consistent across all settings, with the Low preset dropping from 361.4 FPS at 1080p to 227.3 FPS at 1440p and finally to 121.7 FPS at 4K.

These numbers indicate that the rendering load is scaling almost linearly with the pixel count, which is characteristic of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU, an Intel Core i5-11400F, is not the limiting factor until frame rates reach extreme levels. At 1080p with the Low preset, the system achieves 361.4 FPS, which may begin to challenge the CPU's single-threaded capabilities. However, at more realistic settings like High, the CPU has ample headroom. The data suggests that Barony is not a CPU-intensive game, and the RX 6750 XT is the component that dictates performance across all resolutions. Users with 4K displays will find the High preset (75.7 FPS) to be the sweet spot, while 1080p users can enjoy over 200 FPS on High, making the GPU the definitive performance driver.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 144Hz monitor at 1440p?

A: The High preset is ideal for this scenario. The measured data shows an average of 147.6 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings, which is comfortably above the 144Hz refresh rate, providing a smooth and responsive experience.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, it can deliver a playable experience. At 3840x2160, the High preset achieves an average of 75.7 FPS, and the Medium preset reaches 91.1 FPS. While not as high as lower resolutions, these frame rates are perfectly playable for a roguelike title.

Q: How does the RX 6750 XT compare to the RTX 3080 in this system?

A: Based on the average benchmark scores, the RX 6750 XT (35327) holds a slight edge over the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (35787), performing 1.3% better. This indicates that the AMD card is a highly competitive choice for this game.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in this game?

A: The benchmark data suggests the CPU is not a primary bottleneck at standard settings. At 1080p High, the frame rate is 228.3 FPS, and at 4K High, it is 75.7 FPS. The consistent scaling with resolution indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, not the Intel Core i5-11400F.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average frame rate in the measured data is 56.3 FPS, which occurs at the 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra preset. This is the most demanding configuration tested and still remains above the 30 FPS playability threshold.

Q: How much faster is the Low preset compared to Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 361.4 FPS, while the Ultra preset reaches 164.4 FPS. This represents a 120% performance increase when using Low settings, though the High preset (228.3 FPS) offers a better balance of quality and speed.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT ranks 810th out of 1702 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the 47.6th percentile of all configurations, meaning it outperforms roughly half of the tested systems. This ranking confirms the balanced nature of the pairing; the CPU is not weak, but it is not a top-tier part, and the GPU, while powerful, is also mid-range in the broader context of all tested hardware.

The 810th rank is influenced by the fact that Barony is not a demanding game, allowing even lower-end GPUs to achieve high frame rates. The RX 6750 XT's 79th percentile ranking among all GPUs is not fully reflected in the combo ranking because the CPU, with a 75th percentile ranking, slightly brings down the overall score. This suggests that the GPU has more headroom than the CPU can fully utilize in this specific title, though the practical impact is minimal given the extremely high frame rates. For users with this combo, the performance is excellent, and the rank is a reflection of the relative strength of the components rather than a measure of playability, which is superb.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with 12 MB of shared L3 cache. In Barony, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, procedural generation, and AI calculations. The benchmark data shows that the CPU is not a limiting factor in most scenarios. For example, the 3DMark max threads score is 5652, and the Cinebench R23 multicore score is 14372, indicating solid multi-threaded performance.

The fact that the frame rates scale so dramatically with resolution (e.g., 228.3 FPS at 1080p High vs. 75.7 FPS at 4K High) confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck, not the CPU. Even at the lowest tested setting (1080p Low), the system achieves 361.4 FPS, which affirms the CPU's ability to feed the GPU. The processor's single-thread performance, with a Passmark single-thread score of 2981, is more than adequate for the game's primary thread. The data clearly indicates that the i5-11400F provides sufficient computational power to avoid bottlenecking the RX 6750 XT in Barony, allowing the GPU to operate at its full potential.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a comprehensive overview of the system's capabilities across different resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance. The Low preset achieves the highest average at 361.4 FPS, followed by the Medium preset at 271.2 FPS. The High preset is next at 228.3 FPS, and the Ultra preset is the slowest at 164.4 FPS. All of these results are well above the threshold for high-refresh-rate gaming.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains very strong. The Low preset averages 227.3 FPS, while the Medium preset reaches 169.6 FPS. The High preset drops to 147.6 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 104 FPS. These numbers show that the GPU is still fully capable of driving high refresh rates at this resolution, with the High preset being the recommended choice for a balance of quality and speed.

At 3840x2160, the system begins to show its limits, though it remains playable. The Low preset achieves 121.7 FPS, the Medium preset 91.1 FPS, and the High preset 75.7 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with an average of 56.3 FPS. This data confirms that the GPU is the primary performance driver, with the CPU providing consistent support across all settings. The High preset at 4K offers a smooth experience, while the Ultra preset is best reserved for less action-heavy moments.