Barony

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT paired with the Intel Core i5-11400F delivers exceptional performance in Barony, a roguelike that scales aggressively with both resolution and settings. The measured data shows this combination ranks 508th out of 1702 tested combos, placing it in the top 30% of all systems, with frame rates that remain fluid even at 4K Ultra. This pairing leverages a strong 6-core, 12-thread processor with a high-end GPU to produce results that are consistently above 60 FPS across all tested configurations, making it a very capable setup for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a clear pattern: Barony is highly sensitive to resolution changes, with the GPU becoming the primary limiting factor as pixel count increases. At 1080p, the system produces massive frame rates, with Low settings hitting 466.3 FPS and even Ultra maintaining a robust 213.4 FPS. Moving to 1440p, the frame rates scale down proportionally, with Ultra dropping to 132.8 FPS and Low still achieving 298.2 FPS. The most significant drop occurs when jumping to 4K, where the Ultra preset falls to 68.2 FPS, a 68% reduction from the 1080p Ultra result.

This scaling behavior indicates that at 1080p, the Core i5-11400F is able to feed the GPU adequately, but the RX 9070 XT is not being fully utilized until higher resolutions. The difference between 1080p Low (466.3 FPS) and 1440p Low (298.2 FPS) is a 36% reduction, while the jump from 1440p Low to 4K Low (154.5 FPS) shows a 48% reduction. This suggests that the GPU’s render output units and shading units are the bottleneck at 4K, as the frame rate drops more steeply than the resolution increase alone would predict.

The data shows that the RX 9070 XT’s 128 ROPS and 4096 shading units are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 4K Ultra setting (68.2 FPS) is where the card starts to struggle relative to its lower-resolution performance. The transition from High to Ultra at each resolution also shows a consistent penalty, with Ultra being roughly 28-30% slower than High across all resolutions. This indicates that Ultra settings introduce significant graphical workload increases that disproportionately affect frame rates, making High the more balanced choice for higher resolutions.

FAQ

*Q: Is the Core i5-11400F sufficient for Barony at high frame rates?*

A: Yes, the data shows the 6-core, 12-thread processor with a 4.40 GHz boost clock is capable of feeding the GPU well enough to achieve 295.7 FPS at 1080p High and 190.8 FPS at 1440p High. The processor’s 3DMark single-thread score of 868 and multi-thread score of 5652 indicate strong performance that does not bottleneck the GPU at these settings.

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Barony?*

A: 1440p High offers the best balance, delivering 190.8 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and only 35% slower than the 1080p High result. At 4K High, the system still manages 97.4 FPS, which is playable, but the frame rate is less consistent relative to lower resolutions.

Q: How does the RX 9070 XT perform at 4K in this game?

A: The RX 9070 XT achieves 97.4 FPS on High and 68.2 FPS on Ultra at 4K. The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with 644.6 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient to handle 4K textures, but the GPU’s raw compute power (48.66 TFLOPS FP32) limits Ultra settings to just above 60 FPS.

Q: Does the game favor the CPU or GPU based on the measured data?

A: The data shows the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, as frame rates scale linearly with resolution. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high (up to 466.3 FPS on Low) that the CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads become more relevant, but the processor’s 12 MB of shared L3 cache helps maintain smooth performance.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Low settings produce 298.2 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 132.8 FPS. This represents a 55% reduction in frame rate, indicating that Ultra settings are significantly more demanding on the GPU’s shading units and texture rate.

*Q: Is this combo good for competitive play in Barony?*

A: Yes, with 295.7 FPS at 1080p High and 190.8 FPS at 1440p High, the system provides more than enough headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors. Even at 4K High, the 97.4 FPS result exceeds the refresh rate of most standard displays.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F plays a supporting role in Barony’s performance, but its specifications are well-matched to the GPU. With 6 cores and 12 threads, this Rocket Lake processor operates at a base clock of 2.60 GHz and boosts up to 4.40 GHz, providing sufficient single-thread and multi-thread performance for a roguelike that relies on consistent frame pacing. The CPU’s 3DMark scores show a single-thread result of 868 and a max-thread score of 5652, which places it at the 75th percentile of all CPUs.

The processor’s 12 MB of shared L3 cache and 80 KB L1 cache per core help reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for the game’s procedural generation and entity updates. The dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth is adequate, though the game does not seem to heavily tax memory bandwidth based on the frame rates observed. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14372 indicates strong sustained performance, which is relevant for Barony’s simulation-heavy gameplay.

The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 466.3 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s practical limit for this game, as the GPU is not fully stressed at that resolution. However, the 4.40 GHz boost clock helps maintain high minimum frame rates, as evidenced by the consistent scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 17181 and its proximity to rivals like the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (17189) and Intel Core i7-1260P (17212) confirm that it is a mid-range performer that does not bottleneck the RX 9070 XT in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 466.3 FPS on Low, 344.7 FPS on Medium, 295.7 FPS on High, and 213.4 FPS on Ultra. These numbers are exceptionally high, indicating that 1080p is well within the GPU’s comfort zone. The step from Low to Medium costs 26% performance, while Medium to High costs 14% and High to Ultra costs 28%, showing that Ultra is the most demanding preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain impressive: 298.2 FPS on Low, 216.4 FPS on Medium, 190.8 FPS on High, and 132.8 FPS on Ultra. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a 36% reduction on Low, 37% on Medium, 35% on High, and 38% on Ultra, which is consistent and indicates GPU-bound behavior at this resolution. The 1440p Ultra result of 132.8 FPS is still very playable for competitive or fast-paced gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the system produces 154.5 FPS on Low, 113.1 FPS on Medium, 97.4 FPS on High, and 68.2 FPS on Ultra. The drop from 1440p to 4K is significant: 48% on Low, 48% on Medium, 49% on High, and 49% on Ultra. This consistent reduction across settings confirms that the RX 9070 XT’s rendering pipeline is the limiting factor at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 68.2 FPS is just above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the only configuration that approaches the lower bound of smooth gameplay.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications directly explain the measured performance. Built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a Navi 48 chip, this GPU features 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 128 ROPS, which are responsible for the high frame rates observed. The boost clock of 2970 MHz and game clock of 2400 MHz, combined with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus (644.6 GB/s bandwidth), provide ample resources for Barony’s visual effects.

The GPU’s 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 7260 and Passmark G3D score of 26795 place it at the 82nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 39647. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 575 (39703) and NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile (39568), showing that it sits in a competitive performance tier. The 48.66 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is harnessed fully at 4K, where the frame rates drop to 68.2 FPS on Ultra, indicating that the GPU’s shading units are the bottleneck.

The 128 ROPS and 380.2 GPixel/s pixel rate are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K Ultra result suggests that the pixel fill rate is stressed at higher resolutions. The 53,900 million transistors on a 357 mm² die, fabricated on a 4 nm process, deliver high efficiency, as evidenced by the steep frame rate scaling. The GPU’s 304 W TDP and 700 W suggested PSU are consistent with its high-end positioning, and the 2x 8-pin power connectors indicate it draws significant power under load.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p High, the system achieves 295.7 FPS, which is more than enough for any refresh rate. At 1440p High, the 190.8 FPS result is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors, and even at 4K High, the 97.4 FPS result is smooth and playable. The Ultra preset, while visually superior, imposes a 28-30% performance penalty at every resolution, making it less suitable for competitive play or higher resolution displays.

For users with a 1080p or 1440p monitor, Medium settings offer a good middle ground, providing 344.7 FPS and 216.4 FPS respectively. These settings reduce the graphical workload on the GPU while maintaining high frame rates. The Low preset, while producing the highest frame rates (466.3 FPS at 1080p and 298.2 FPS at 1440p), is only recommended for esports-level play where every frame counts, as the visual downgrade may not be worth the marginal performance gain beyond 300 FPS.

At 4K, the High preset is the recommended choice, as it delivers 97.4 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset at 4K (68.2 FPS) is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes or background processes. The data suggests that the RX 9070 XT is best utilized at 1440p High or 4K High, where it demonstrates its strengths without being pushed to its limits. For this specific game, the High preset provides the most consistent experience across all resolutions, making it the practical recommendation for most users.