Barony

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 paired with the Intel Core i5-12400 presents a fascinating case in Barony, a roguelike that seems far more demanding than its genre peers suggest. The measured data shows a combo that scales dramatically with resolution, moving from a triple-digit powerhouse at 1080p to a borderline playable experience at 4K Ultra. The benchmark results indicate a system where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as pixel count rises, while the CPU's 6-core/12-thread configuration proves more than adequate even at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are stark and reveal a component hierarchy that shifts completely across the resolution spectrum. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 315 FPS, which is an exceptional figure that suggests the CPU and GPU are both operating well within their comfort zones. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 199 FPS — a 36.8% reduction that still leaves plenty of headroom for high-refresh-rate displays. However, the jump to 4K Low produces 104 FPS, which represents a 67% drop from the 1080p baseline. This pattern accelerates with higher settings: at Ultra, the progression goes from 144 FPS at 1080p, to 91 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 48 FPS at 4K.

The scaling behavior indicates that at 1080p, the system is not fully GPU-bound, as evidenced by the massive 315 FPS ceiling at Low settings. The i5-12400's single-thread performance, measured at 910 in 3dmark_single_thread and 3456 in passmark_single_thread, appears sufficient to feed the GPU at these frame rates. However, the 4K results tell a different story. The RX 9060's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus width, which provides 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth, start to show their limitations. The 4K Ultra result of 48 FPS is particularly telling — it suggests the GPU is struggling with the fill-rate demands, given its 64 ROPs and 191.4 GPixel/s pixel rate.

What makes this scaling interesting is the non-linear nature of the drops. Between 1080p and 1440p at High settings, the drop is from 201 to 127 FPS (36.8% reduction), while between 1440p and 4K at High, it's from 127 to 66 FPS (48% reduction). This increasing penalty at higher resolutions points to the GPU's memory bandwidth and pixel throughput becoming the limiting factors. The 4K Medium result, with an average of 77 FPS and a minimum of 66 FPS, shows that even mid-tier settings at 4K push the RX 9060 to its limits.

GPU Role

The RX 9060's specifications paint a picture of a card designed for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K being a stretch goal. Its 1792 shading units and 112 TMUs provide solid compute throughput, evidenced by its 21.43 TFLOPS FP32 performance. The boost clock of 2990 MHz and game clock of 2400 MHz indicate a card that can sustain high frequencies, but the 8 GB VRAM capacity becomes a concern at higher resolutions and settings. The measured data supports this: at 4K Ultra, the combo achieves only 48 FPS, which is likely impacted by both compute limits and memory pressure.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 59th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 16014. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, scores 16129 (0.7% higher), while the AMD Radeon RX 7700 scores 15852 (1% lower). This positioning suggests the RX 9060 is a mid-range performer that can handle most games at 1440p but will struggle with 4K enthusiast settings. The 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 3322 and geekbench_opencl score of 88183 provide additional context for its compute capabilities.

The VRAM situation is particularly relevant for Barony's texture-heavy environments. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, the card has enough capacity for 1080p and 1440p gaming without issue, but 4K textures and high settings can quickly consume available memory. The 288.0 GB/s bandwidth, while respectable for a 128-bit bus, is 10.9% lower than what a 256-bit bus would provide at the same memory clock. This bandwidth limitation likely contributes to the aggressive FPS drops at 4K, especially when comparing the 66 FPS High result to the 77 FPS Medium result — the difference between these settings is smaller than expected, suggesting memory bandwidth constraints rather than pure compute limits.

FAQ

Q: Is the RX 9060 capable of 4K gaming in Barony?

A: The data shows 4K is possible but marginal. At 4K High, the combo achieves 66 FPS average, while 4K Ultra drops to 48 FPS. Medium settings at 4K produce 77 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS, suggesting that 4K is playable only with settings compromises.

Q: How does the i5-12400 perform in Barony at high frame rates?

A: The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads appear sufficient for Barony's demands. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 315 FPS, which indicates the CPU is not a bottleneck at standard resolutions. The single-thread performance, evidenced by the 3dmark_single_thread score of 910, supports this capability.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The data suggests 1440p is the sweet spot. At 1440p High, the combo achieves 127 FPS, and at 1440p Medium, it reaches 148 FPS with a minimum of 126 FPS. These figures provide smooth gameplay without the performance degradation seen at 4K.

Q: How does the GPU's memory configuration affect performance?

A: The 8 GB GDDR6 memory with a 128-bit bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth appears adequate for 1080p and 1440p but limits 4K performance. The significant FPS drops at 4K, particularly from Medium to High settings (77 to 66 FPS), suggest memory bandwidth constraints.

Q: What settings should be avoided at 4K?

A: Ultra settings at 4K should be avoided, as they produce only 48 FPS. Even High settings at 4K yield just 66 FPS. The data indicates that 4K Medium (77 FPS) is the highest playable setting at this resolution.

Q: Is this combo better or worse than the RTX 3060 Ti pairing?

A: The RX 9060 scores 0.7% lower than the RTX 3060 Ti in average benchmark scores (16014 vs 16129). However, the measured FPS results in Barony show the RX 9060 delivering playable performance at most settings, suggesting the slight benchmark deficit does not translate to a major gameplay disadvantage.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the data points to Medium settings at 1440p as the optimal configuration. The 1440p Medium result of 148 FPS average, with a minimum of 126 FPS, provides smooth gameplay while maintaining reasonable visual fidelity. This represents a 16.5% improvement over High settings at the same resolution (127 FPS) while being only 25.7% below Low settings (199 FPS).

At 1080p, High settings at 201 FPS are the recommended choice for users with high-refresh-rate monitors. This setting provides excellent frame rates while avoiding the visual degradation of Low settings. The Ultra setting at 1080p, achieving 144 FPS, is also viable but offers diminishing returns over High. For users prioritizing maximum visual quality, 1080p Ultra at 144 FPS provides a good experience.

For 4K users, Medium settings at 77 FPS are the only sensible option. The jump from Medium to High at 4K results in an 14.3% FPS drop (77 to 66 FPS), which is significant given the marginal visual improvements High settings typically offer. 4K Low at 104 FPS is also playable but sacrifices too much visual quality. The data clearly indicates that 4K Ultra should be avoided entirely due to the 48 FPS result falling below playable thresholds.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1704 out of 2935 tested combinations in Barony, placing it in the 42nd percentile of all tested systems. This mid-tier ranking is somewhat surprising given the strong 1080p and 1440p results, but it reflects the system's weaknesses at 4K Ultra settings. The ranking suggests that while this combo excels at mainstream resolutions, it falls behind systems with more powerful GPUs when pushed to enthusiast settings.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 72nd among all CPUs (with an average benchmark score of 18683) is notably higher than the GPU's 59th percentile ranking (average benchmark score of 16014). This discrepancy suggests the GPU is the limiting factor in this combo. The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7643 (0.1% lower score) and Intel Core i7-1355U (0.3% lower), while the GPU's nearest rivals include the RTX 3060 Ti (0.7% higher) and RX 7700 (1% higher). This data indicates that the combo's ranking is held back by the GPU's mid-range positioning rather than any CPU deficiency.

The 2935 total combinations tested provide context for this ranking. Being in the 42nd percentile means this combo outperforms 58% of tested systems, which is respectable for a mid-range configuration. The ranking would likely improve significantly if the test suite weighted 1080p and 1440p results more heavily, as the combo's performance at these resolutions is exceptional.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data provides a comprehensive picture of the combo's performance across all tested scenarios. At 1080p, the results range from 315 FPS at Low settings to 144 FPS at Ultra, with Medium at 235 FPS (minimum 199, maximum 270) and High at 201 FPS. These figures demonstrate that the combo is more than capable of driving high-refresh-rate displays at 1080p, with even the most demanding settings remaining well above 144 FPS.

At 1440p, the performance remains strong but shows expected scaling. Low settings produce 199 FPS, while Medium delivers 148 FPS (minimum 126, maximum 170). High settings achieve 127 FPS, and Ultra drops to 91 FPS. This resolution represents the best balance of visual quality and performance, with High settings providing smooth 120+ FPS gameplay.

The 4K results show significant degradation. Low settings achieve 104 FPS, Medium produces 77 FPS (minimum 66, maximum 89), High drops to 66 FPS, and Ultra falls to 48 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 4K (104 to 48 FPS) is much wider than at 1080p (315 to 144 FPS), indicating that the GPU's limitations become progressively more pronounced as resolution increases. The minimum FPS values at Medium settings across all resolutions (199 at 1080p, 126 at 1440p, 66 at 4K) show that frame pacing remains consistent, with no major stuttering issues.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400's contribution to Barony's performance is best understood through its multi-threaded capabilities and how they interact with the GPU. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads, based on the Alder Lake architecture, provide robust multi-threading performance as evidenced by the cinebench_r23_multicore score of 15989 and geekbench_multicore score of 8564. These results indicate the CPU can handle Barony's simulation and AI workloads without becoming a bottleneck.

The CPU's boost clock of 4.40 GHz is particularly important for Barony, which likely benefits from high single-thread performance. The 3dmark_single_thread score of 910 and passmark_single_thread score of 3456 demonstrate strong single-core capabilities. This is reflected in the measured data: at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 315 FPS, which would not be possible if the CPU were limiting frame rates. The passmark_multithread score of 18747 and 3dmark_max_threads score of 5890 further confirm the CPU's ability to handle concurrent workloads.

The CPU's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core provide ample caching for game assets, reducing memory access latency. The dual-channel memory support, while not specifying bandwidth, allows for sufficient data transfer to the GPU. The CPU's 65 W TDP and 10 nm process node indicate efficient power consumption, which is beneficial for maintaining consistent clock speeds during extended gaming sessions. Overall, the i5-12400 proves to be a capable partner for the RX 9060, with its performance ceiling not being reached until frame rates exceed 300 FPS at 1080p.