Barony

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti delivers a fascinating performance profile in Barony, a roguelike title from 2015. The benchmark data reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions but exhibits surprising CPU limitations at 1080p. This combination of a 6-core processor with a high-end Ampere graphics card creates a scenario where the scaling behavior across settings and resolutions tells a clear story about which component is driving the frame rate.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a dramatic and consistent drop as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Low settings, the frame rate falls from 471.4 FPS at 1080p to 298.9 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 157.1 FPS at 4K. This represents a 67% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is a substantial performance penalty that indicates the GPU is being pushed progressively harder. The pattern holds across all quality presets, with High settings dropping from 301.8 FPS at 1080p to 189.6 FPS at 1440p and 100.4 FPS at 4K.

The scaling behavior suggests that at 1080p, the system is likely hitting a ceiling imposed by the CPU. The 471.4 FPS result at Low settings is extraordinarily high, and the fact that it does not scale proportionally to the 4K results implies that the 6-core/12-thread processor is struggling to feed frames fast enough at lower resolutions. When moving to 4K, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor, as evidenced by the 157.1 FPS result at Low settings, which is more than 3 times lower than the 1080p Low score. This is a classic sign of a system where the RTX 3080 Ti is capable of massive throughput, but the CPU cannot keep up at lower resolutions.

The data also reveals that the gap between settings widens at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 259.9 FPS (471.4 vs 211.5), while at 4K, the same comparison shows a difference of only 84.7 FPS (157.1 vs 72.4). This compression of performance at 4K further confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck at that resolution, as the additional load from higher settings cannot be compensated for by the CPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a Rocket Lake processor with 6 cores and 12 threads, running at a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark results show a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14372 and a single-core score of 2029, placing it in the 75th percentile of all CPUs. The 3DMark results are telling: a single-thread score of 868 and a max-thread score of 5652, which indicates that the processor's strength lies in multi-threaded workloads, but its single-thread performance is comparatively modest.

In Barony, the CPU's role appears to be significant at 1080p, where the frame rates exceed 300 FPS on High settings. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 1691 suggests that the game may not be fully utilizing all 12 threads, potentially relying on fewer cores for its primary logic. This could explain why the 471.4 FPS result at Low settings seems to plateau — the CPU's per-core performance, reflected in the Geekbench single-core score of 1979, becomes the limiting factor when the GPU is not under heavy load.

The L3 cache of 12 MB shared across the cores is a notable feature, as Barony is a roguelike that likely benefits from fast access to procedural generation data. The processor's memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s over dual-channel DDR4 could also play a role, though the game's modest requirements from 2015 suggest that this is not a primary bottleneck. The data indicates that the CPU is sufficient for 1440p and 4K gaming, where the GPU takes over, but it cannot sustain the extreme frame rates that the RTX 3080 Ti is capable of at 1080p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is a formidable graphics card based on the GA102 chip with 10,240 shading units and 112 ROPs. Its memory configuration is a highlight: 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus, delivering 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The card's boost clock of 1665 MHz and FP32 performance of 34.10 TFLOPS place it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, with a PassMark G3D score of 26896.

The GPU's role in Barony is clearly dominant at higher resolutions. At 4K, the card produces 100.4 FPS on High settings and 72.4 FPS on Ultra, which are respectable numbers for a demanding resolution. The memory bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s is likely sufficient for the game's textures, as the 12 GB VRAM capacity should prevent any capacity-related stuttering even at Ultra settings. The pixel rate of 186.5 GPixel/s and texture rate of 532.8 GTexel/s suggest that the card has ample fill rate for the roguelike's visual effects.

However, the GPU's performance at 1080p is constrained by the CPU, as evidenced by the fact that the 471.4 FPS result at Low settings is only 1.6 times higher than the 298.9 FPS at 1440p, despite the resolution being 2.25 times smaller. This indicates that the RTX 3080 Ti is not being fully utilized at 1080p, and its true potential is only realized at 1440p and 4K. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 171798 and OpenCL score of 191309 confirm that the card has substantial compute capabilities, but these are not fully leveraged in this title at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti ranks 417th out of 1702 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the top 24.5% of all configurations. This is a strong position, but it is not the top tier, which suggests that other CPU and GPU pairings can achieve higher frame rates in this specific game.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 75th versus the GPU's 83rd percentile indicates that the processor is the weaker link in this pairing. The nearest rivals for the CPU include the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U with an average score of 17189 (0% delta) and the Intel Core i7-1260P at 17212 (-0.2% delta), which are both comparable in overall performance. For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 is the closest rival with an average score of 41441 (-0.5% delta), followed by the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 at 41610 (-0.9% delta).

The rank of 417 out of 1702 indicates that there are 416 combinations that perform better, likely featuring higher-end CPUs alongside comparable or better GPUs. The data suggests that the RTX 3080 Ti is not the limiting factor in this ranking, as its performance is close to the RTX 3090. Instead, the i5-11400F's modest single-thread performance and 6-core configuration likely prevent this combo from achieving a higher rank in a game that appears to be CPU-sensitive at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's performance across three resolutions and four quality settings. At 1920x1080, the results are: 471.4 FPS on Low, 348.8 FPS on Medium, 301.8 FPS on High, and 211.5 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show a steady decline as quality increases, with the step from Low to Medium representing a 122.6 FPS drop, while the step from High to Ultra is a 90.3 FPS drop.

At 2560x1440, the performance is still very high but shows clear scaling: 298.9 FPS on Low, 219.5 FPS on Medium, 189.6 FPS on High, and 134.7 FPS on Ultra. The percentage differences between settings are more consistent here, with Ultra being 55% of the Low score, compared to 45% at 1080p. This suggests that the GPU is becoming more of a factor at 1440p, as the CPU is less likely to be the bottleneck.

At 3840x2160, the results are: 157.1 FPS on Low, 112.5 FPS on Medium, 100.4 FPS on High, and 72.4 FPS on Ultra. The scaling here is the most predictable, with each step up in quality costing approximately 20-30 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 72.4 FPS is still playable, but it represents a 70% reduction from the 1080p Low score. Overall, the data shows that this system is capable of very high frame rates at all resolutions and settings, with the caveat that 1080p results are CPU-limited.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, even Ultra settings deliver 211.5 FPS, which is far above any display's refresh rate. The data shows that High settings at 301.8 FPS provide a 42% improvement over Ultra, making it the best choice for players who want maximum smoothness without sacrificing visual quality. Medium at 348.8 FPS is another strong option, offering a 14% improvement over High.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset at 134.7 FPS is still well above 120 FPS, making it a viable choice for high-refresh-rate monitors. However, High settings at 189.6 FPS provide a 40% improvement and are recommended for competitive play or for those who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 219.5 FPS offers an additional 16% gain over High, which may be preferable for players with 240Hz displays.

At 3840x2160, the recommended settings depend on the display's refresh rate. For 60Hz displays, Ultra at 72.4 FPS is perfectly playable and provides the best visual experience. For 120Hz displays, High at 100.4 FPS is the better choice, as it maintains fluid motion while still offering good visual quality. The Medium preset at 112.5 FPS is a compromise that falls between the two, and Low at 157.1 FPS is only recommended for players who prioritize maximum frame rate over everything else.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest frame rate this combo achieves in Barony?

A: The highest measured frame rate is 471.4 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Is the system CPU-bound or GPU-bound at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the system is GPU-bound, as evidenced by the scaling from 157.1 FPS on Low to 72.4 FPS on Ultra, which indicates the RTX 3080 Ti is the limiting component.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance affect the game?

A: The i5-11400F's 3DMark single-thread score of 868 and Geekbench single-core score of 1979 suggest that its per-core performance limits frame rates at 1080p, where it cannot keep up with the GPU's capabilities.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 417th out of 1702 tested combinations in Barony, placing it in the top 24.5% of all setups.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 Ti's 12 GB VRAM sufficient for Ultra settings?

A: The measured results show that Ultra settings are playable at all resolutions, with 72.4 FPS at 4K, indicating that the 12 GB GDDR6X memory is adequate for this game.

Q: What is the best quality preset for 1440p gaming?

A: At 2560x1440, High settings at 189.6 FPS provide the best balance, offering a 40% improvement over Ultra at 134.7 FPS while maintaining excellent visual quality.