Barony

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread Alder Lake-S desktop processor with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It carries an 18 MB shared L3 cache and per-core L2 cache of 1.25 MB, with an 80 KB L1 allocation per core. The chip is built on Intel's 10 nm process with a die size of 163 mm² and sits in the 77th percentile of all CPUs tested by this database. Its average benchmark score of 19850 places it nearly dead-even with the Intel Core i7-9700 (19831, deltaPct 0.1) and the Intel Core i7-8700 (19894, deltaPct -0.2). It is also marginally ahead of the Intel Core i5-11600K (19771, deltaPct 0.4) and slightly behind the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX (19928, deltaPct -0.4).

Barony is a roguelike, and roguelikes typically favor high single-thread throughput over massive core counts. The 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2249 reflect a strong per-core foundation. Multi-threaded results are respectable too — Cinebench R23 multicore reaches 15935, and PassMark multithread hits 18747. In the measured FPS data, even at 1080p Low the combo achieves 299.5 FPS average, which indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions. The CPU's 3DMark 16-thread score of 5873 and max-thread score of 5890 are nearly identical, which suggests that scaling beyond 6 cores yields minimal additional headroom in this title. The i5-12400's 65 W TDP and dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 memory support are typical for a mainstream desktop part, and the data shows that its 6-core/12-thread configuration is more than sufficient for Barony's demands.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is a RDNA 3.0 part based on the Navi 33 chip (codename "Hotpink Bonefish"), built on TSMC's 6 nm process with 13,300 million transistors and a 204 mm² die. It carries 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 1980 MHz, the game clock is 2470 MHz, and the boost clock reaches 2755 MHz. Memory runs at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective). The GPU has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 32 ray tracing cores. Pixel rate is 176.3 GPixel/s and texture rate is 352.6 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 22.57 TFLOPS.

The RX 7600 XT sits in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 20146. Its nearest rivals show tight competition: the AMD Radeon RX 460 (20088, deltaPct 0.3) is essentially tied, the RX 7600 (20258, deltaPct -0.6) is slightly ahead, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER (19774, deltaPct 1.9) trails by nearly 2%, and the RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, deltaPct -1.9) leads by a similar margin. In Barony, the GPU's role becomes evident at higher resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, average FPS drops to 44.7, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, while 1080p Ultra reaches 139.2 FPS. The 16 GB VRAM is generous for a roguelike, but the 128-bit bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are the more relevant constraints when pushing 4K resolutions. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 17132 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2348 indicate a mid-range part that handles 1440p comfortably but begins to strain at 4K with higher presets.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo averages 299.5 FPS, dropping to 185.9 FPS at 1440p Low and 100.2 FPS at 4K Low. That is a 66% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a further 46% reduction from 1440p to 4K. For Medium settings, the progression is 222.4 FPS at 1080p, 139 FPS at 1440p, and 71.9 FPS at 4K. High settings show 188.3 FPS at 1080p, 118.2 FPS at 1440p, and 60.9 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings start at 139.2 FPS at 1080p, fall to 88.9 FPS at 1440p, and bottom out at 44.7 FPS at 4K.

These numbers tell a clear story: the GPU is the dominant bottleneck as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the 299.5 FPS result is so high that the CPU's single-thread performance is likely the practical ceiling — but the CPU still delivers enough throughput to keep frame rates far above playable thresholds. The gap between 1080p and 1440p at every settings tier is substantial, and the gap from 1440p to 4K is even steeper. At 4K Ultra, the 44.7 FPS average is the only result below 60 FPS across the entire measured matrix, which strongly indicates that the RX 7600 XT's 128-bit memory interface and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth become limiting factors at that resolution. The data shows a balanced pairing at 1080p and 1440p, where the GPU scales predictably with load, but the 4K Ultra result reveals the GPU's ceiling.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Only at Medium settings and below. The measured 4K Medium average is 71.9 FPS, and 4K Low reaches 100.2 FPS. At 4K High the average is 60.9 FPS — just barely above the threshold — while 4K Ultra falls to 44.7 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: 1440p is the sweet spot. At 1440p High the combo averages 118.2 FPS, and even 1440p Ultra holds 88.9 FPS. At 1080p, results range from 139.2 FPS (Ultra) to 299.5 FPS (Low), which exceeds the refresh rate of most monitors.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-12400's average benchmark score of 19850 is within 0.4% of the i7-9700 (19831), the i7-8700 (19894), and the i5-11600K (19771). It trails the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX (19928) by only 0.4%. These are effectively tied scores.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 7600 XT's average score of 20146 is 0.3% ahead of the RX 460 (20088), 0.6% behind the RX 7600 (20258), 1.9% ahead of the RTX 2060 SUPER (19774), and 1.9% behind the RTX 3070 Mobile (20534).

Q: Is 16 GB of VRAM necessary for Barony?

A: The data does not show VRAM capacity as a limiting factor. The GPU's 16 GB GDDR6 memory with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for all tested settings, but the 128-bit bus width appears to constrain performance at 4K Ultra more than capacity would.

Q: What is the CPU's multi-threaded capability?

A: The i5-12400 scores 15935 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 18747 in PassMark multithread. Its 3DMark 16-thread score of 5873 and max-thread score of 5890 are nearly identical, indicating that 12 threads are adequate for this workload.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400 + AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT combination ranks 1129 out of 1702 tested combos in Barony. That places it in roughly the 66th percentile of all combinations — better than a third of the field, but not a top-tier result. Given that the CPU is in the 77th percentile and the GPU is in the 63rd percentile individually, the combo's aggregate position reflects the GPU pulling the overall ranking down slightly. The rank suggests that there are many faster GPU pairings that would push this combo lower, but also a substantial number of weaker combinations that it outperforms.

The data shows that this pairing is well-matched for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the GPU is the primary driver of performance. At 4K, the combo falls behind because the GPU's memory bandwidth (288.0 GB/s) and 128-bit bus limit throughput. The CPU's strong single-thread scores (910 in 3DMark single-thread, 2249 in Cinebench R23 single-core) ensure that it never becomes the bottleneck in Barony, which is a title that does not appear to scale heavily with multi-threading given the minimal difference between 16-thread and max-thread 3DMark scores. The combo's rank of 1129 out of 1702 indicates a mid-pack result — respectable for mainstream hardware, but not a leaderboard contender.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of settings at each resolution. For 1080p, every preset exceeds 139 FPS, so the choice depends on preference: Ultra at 139.2 FPS is perfectly playable on high-refresh monitors, while High at 188.3 FPS and Medium at 222.4 FPS offer headroom for competitive play. Low at 299.5 FPS is the maximum possible, but the visual trade-off is rarely worth it for a roguelike.

At 1440p, High at 118.2 FPS is the recommended balance — it clears 100 FPS and retains visual quality. Medium at 139 FPS is also strong if you prefer higher frame rates with slightly reduced fidelity. Ultra at 88.9 FPS is acceptable but begins to approach the 90 FPS threshold, and Low at 185.9 FPS is unnecessary unless chasing maximum smoothness.

At 4K, the choices are more constrained. High at 60.9 FPS is borderline playable but risks drops below 60 FPS in demanding scenes. Medium at 71.9 FPS provides a safer margin and is the best balance of quality and performance at this resolution. Low at 100.2 FPS is the only 4K preset that offers substantial headroom, while Ultra at 44.7 FPS is not recommended for smooth gameplay. For the best overall experience, 1440p High or 4K Medium delivers the strongest combination of visual fidelity and frame rate stability.