Barony

# Barony with Intel Core i5-11400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

Barony, a roguelike from 2015, presents an interesting case for hardware analysis because its performance profile reveals a system that is rarely the bottleneck at lower resolutions but becomes increasingly GPU-bound as pixel count climbs. The measured data for this Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti combination shows a clear progression: at 1080p the frame rates are extremely high, suggesting the CPU has ample headroom, while at 4K the GPU's limitations become apparent. The combination ranks 1192 out of 1702 tested combos in this game, placing it in the lower-middle tier of tested systems, which is notable given how well the individual components perform in synthetic benchmarks. This ranking suggests that Barony's engine may not fully utilize the hardware's capabilities, or that the game's workload favors certain architectural traits that this pairing does not emphasize.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals where the bottleneck shifts. At 1080p Low, the system produces 286.9 FPS, but at 4K Low, that number falls to 96.1 FPS — a reduction of approximately 66%. This scaling pattern indicates that at 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-limited or engine-limited, since even the lowest settings produce such high frame rates that the GPU is not being fully exercised. The jump from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings shows a drop from 286.9 to 182.8 FPS, which is a 36% reduction, while the move from 1440p to 4K at Low drops from 182.8 to 96.1 FPS, a 47% reduction. This accelerating decline as resolution increases is classic GPU-bound behavior.

Looking at High settings, the pattern continues: 185 FPS at 1080p, 113.9 FPS at 1440p, and 62.4 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 38% and 45% respectively, showing that the GPU becomes progressively more dominant. At Ultra settings, the 1080p result of 132.9 FPS drops to 82.2 FPS at 1440p (38% reduction) and then to 43.5 FPS at 4K (47% reduction). The consistency of these percentage drops across different settings presets suggests that the rendering pipeline scales predictably with resolution, and the GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed more heavily as pixel count increases. The data implies that for 4K gaming, this combo is marginal even on Low settings, while 1440p offers a more balanced experience where the CPU and GPU share the workload more equitably.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1192 out of 1702 tested combinations places this system in the 30th percentile of all tested combos for Barony. This is a surprisingly low ranking considering the individual component performance. The Intel Core i5-11400F holds a 75th percentile ranking among all CPUs, and the RTX 3060 Ti sits at the 69th percentile among GPUs. When both components are above average, one would expect the combination to rank higher than 30th percentile in a specific game. This discrepancy suggests that Barony's engine either does not scale well with the hardware's strengths or that the game has a specific bottleneck that this pairing does not address effectively.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U with a deltaPct of 0, the Intel Core i7-1260P at -0.2%, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U at -0.2%. These rivals are all mobile or low-power parts, which indicates that the i5-11400F's desktop performance is being compared against more efficient but similarly scoring chips. The GPU's nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 6700M at -0.2%, the AMD Radeon RX 6600 at -0.5%, and the AMD Radeon 890M at -0.5%. These are all lower-tier or mobile GPUs, suggesting the RTX 3060 Ti is competitive with but not superior to a broad range of graphics solutions. The combination's rank of 1192 out of 1702 suggests that in Barony specifically, the system performs below what its component-level benchmarks would predict, possibly due to the game's roguelike nature not being particularly demanding on modern multi-core processors or high-end GPUs.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has 4864 shading units, 152 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units, with base and boost clocks of 1410 MHz and 1665 MHz respectively. In Barony, the GPU's role becomes increasingly critical as resolution increases. At 1080p, the GPU is barely stressed — even at Ultra settings, the system produces 132.9 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors. However, at 4K, the GPU's limits become evident: Ultra settings produce only 43.5 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target that many players consider the minimum for smooth gameplay.

The GPU's 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for Barony at all tested settings, as the game is from 2015 and does not feature the massive texture requirements of modern AAA titles. The memory clock of 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) provides adequate bandwidth for the game's needs. The GPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks shows a PassMark G3D score of 20349 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2626, placing it at the 69th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6700M, scores nearly identically with a deltaPct of -0.2%, meaning the RTX 3060 Ti is essentially tied with that mobile GPU in overall performance. In Barony, the GPU's role is to handle the increasing pixel count as resolution rises, and the data shows that it manages 1080p and 1440p easily but struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K with higher settings presets.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience at each resolution. At 1080p, even Ultra settings produce 132.9 FPS, which is smooth for most displays. However, the jump from High to Ultra at 1080p costs 52.1 FPS (from 185 to 132.9), while the visual difference in a roguelike is likely minimal. For players with 144Hz or higher refresh rate monitors, the Medium preset at 215.3 FPS or even Low at 286.9 FPS would be preferable to maintain maximum smoothness. At 1440p, the High preset at 113.9 FPS offers a good balance, while Ultra at 82.2 FPS is still playable but may not take full advantage of high refresh rate displays. The Medium preset at 133.8 FPS is arguably the sweet spot for 1440p, providing high frame rates without sacrificing too much visual quality.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset at 96.1 FPS is the only setting that maintains a comfortable frame rate above 60 FPS. Medium at 67.8 FPS is playable but close to the edge, while High at 62.4 FPS is barely acceptable and Ultra at 43.5 FPS is not recommended for smooth gameplay. Given that Barony is a roguelike where quick reactions and clear visibility matter, the data suggests that 4K players should use Low or Medium settings, while 1440p players can comfortably use High or Medium, and 1080p players have the freedom to choose any preset based on their monitor's refresh rate and personal preference for visual fidelity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. The Low preset produces 286.9 FPS, which is exceptionally high and indicates that the CPU and GPU are not being stressed. Medium settings yield 215.3 FPS, High settings produce 185 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 132.9 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent decline, with each step up in quality costing roughly 50-70 FPS. At this resolution, the system is clearly capable of driving high refresh rate monitors at any setting, and the roguelike gameplay would benefit from the smoothness of the higher frame rates.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show the GPU beginning to take on more work. Low settings produce 182.8 FPS, Medium yields 133.8 FPS, High delivers 113.9 FPS, and Ultra drops to 82.2 FPS. The percentage drops from 1080p to 1440p are consistent across settings, ranging from 36% at Low to 38% at High and Ultra. This consistency indicates that the rendering workload scales uniformly with resolution, and the GPU's 8 GB memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the increased pixel count without causing any anomalies.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. Low settings produce 96.1 FPS, Medium yields 67.8 FPS, High delivers 62.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 43.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 28.3 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is only 5.4 FPS, suggesting that the High preset adds significant visual effects that cost performance without a proportional frame rate benefit. The Ultra preset at 43.5 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold that most players consider the minimum for acceptable gameplay, making it unsuitable for 4K gaming with this combination.

FAQ

Q: Is this combination capable of 4K gaming in Barony?

A: At 4K, the system produces 96.1 FPS on Low settings, 67.8 FPS on Medium, 62.4 FPS on High, and 43.5 FPS on Ultra. Low and Medium settings are playable, while High is marginal and Ultra falls below 60 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems in Barony?

A: The combination ranks 1192 out of 1702 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle tier of tested systems, despite the individual components ranking at the 75th and 69th percentiles among CPUs and GPUs respectively.

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

A: The data shows that 1440p provides a good balance, with High settings at 113.9 FPS and Medium at 133.8 FPS. At 1080p, all settings produce frame rates above 132.9 FPS, while 4K requires dropping to Low or Medium for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the system produces up to 286.9 FPS on Low settings, indicating that neither the CPU nor GPU is heavily stressed. The Intel Core i5-11400F has 6 cores and 12 threads with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, which is sufficient for the game's demands.

Q: How does the RTX 3060 Ti compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU has an average benchmark score of 25120, with the AMD Radeon RX 6700M scoring 25180 (-0.2% delta), the AMD Radeon RX 6600 scoring 25235 (-0.5% delta), and the AMD Radeon 890M scoring 25246 (-0.5% delta).

Q: What settings should be used for a 144Hz monitor at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Medium settings at 133.8 FPS are close to the 144Hz target, while Low at 182.8 FPS exceeds it. High at 113.9 FPS is below the 144Hz threshold, so Medium or Low would be preferred for maximum smoothness.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Rocket Lake architecture, built on Intel's 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with 12 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU's synthetic benchmarks show a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14372 and a single-core score of 2029, with a PassMark multithread score of 16908 and a single-thread score of 2981. The CPU holds a 75th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17181. In Barony, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, AI, and physics, which for a roguelike released in 2015 are not extremely demanding.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor, as frame rates cap out at 286.9 FPS on Low settings. This cap is likely due to the game engine's single-threaded performance, as the CPU's single-thread score of 868 in 3DMark and 204 in Cinebench R15 indicate that its per-core performance is modest compared to newer architectures. The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U with a deltaPct of 0 and the Intel Core i7-1260P at -0.2%, both of which are mobile processors that achieve similar overall benchmark scores. This suggests that the i5-11400F's desktop advantage is not fully realized in Barony, where the game's engine likely does not utilize all 12 threads effectively.

At higher resolutions, the CPU's role diminishes as the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The consistent frame rate drops from 1080p to 1440p to 4K across all settings presets indicate that the CPU maintains its performance headroom even as the GPU workload increases. The CPU's 65W TDP and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for Barony's requirements, and the 12 MB L3 cache provides adequate data locality for the game's procedural generation systems. The CPU's 3DMark scores show good scaling from 2 threads (1691) to 16 threads (5619), but Barony's performance does not appear to benefit from this multithreading capability, as the frame rates at 1080p are more likely limited by the engine's single-threaded nature than by the CPU's overall throughput.