Barony

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 presents a compelling picture for Barony. At 1080p, the system is clearly CPU-bound at lower settings, delivering an average of 234.4 FPS on Low. This drops to 148.6 FPS on High, indicating that while the GPU is being utilized more, the processor still has ample headroom. The real story emerges at 4K, where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. The average frame rate plummets from 148.6 FPS at 1080p High to 47.1 FPS at 4K High, a 68% reduction that underscores the heavy pixel-pushing demand on the GTX 1070's 256-bit memory interface and 8 GB of GDDR5. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep; the drop from 95.2 FPS to 47.1 FPS at High settings represents a 50% performance loss, confirming that the Pascal architecture is struggling with the sheer fill-rate requirements of 3840x2160. Conversely, the jump from 1080p to 1440p is far less punishing, with only a 36% reduction in frame rate, suggesting that 1440p is the practical ceiling for this combo if you want to maintain high refresh rates.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a classic CPU-GPU handoff as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the i5-12400's six P-cores are doing most of the heavy lifting. The 234.4 FPS average on Low is a clear indicator of a CPU-limited scenario, as the GTX 1070 is not being taxed to its full potential. Moving to Medium and High yields 173.4 FPS and 148.6 FPS, respectively, showing a graceful degradation that is still far above the 60 FPS threshold. This is the sweet spot for competitive play, where the 12 threads of the i5-12400 ensure no physics or AI hiccups.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, the balance shifts. The 149.1 FPS on Low still suggests CPU headroom, but the gap narrows. The High preset's 95.2 FPS is a solid result, while Ultra drops to 65.9 FPS. The performance delta between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 56%, which is a much larger spread than at 1080p (55% difference between Low and Ultra). This widening gap indicates the GPU is starting to become the limiting factor, as the pixel shaders and ROPs of the GTX 1070 are working harder.

At 3840x2160, the GTX 1070 is unequivocally the bottleneck. Even on Low, the average FPS drops to 80.5, which is a 46% reduction from the 1080p Low result. High settings yield 47.1 FPS, and Ultra plunges to a barely playable 34.8 FPS. The scaling here is brutal: the difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 57%, demonstrating that the GPU's compute resources are saturated. The 8 GB of VRAM is not necessarily the issue at these settings for a title like Barony, but the raw compute power of the GP104 chip is insufficient to maintain high frame rates at this resolution. The data strongly suggests that 4K is only viable with significant settings compromises, and even then, the experience will be sub-60 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

For a 60 FPS target, the data points to a clear strategy. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 148.6 FPS, which is more than double the target. Even the Ultra preset at 105.7 FPS provides a comfortable margin, making it the best choice for visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness. The i5-12400 has the single-thread performance to push these high frame rates, as indicated by its strong Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2249.

At 1440p, the High preset's 95.2 FPS is the optimal balance. Ultra at 65.9 FPS is acceptable for a slower-paced roguelike, but Medium at 108.1 FPS offers a more responsive experience. Given that Barony is a first-person roguelike where a single mistake can end a run, prioritizing frame rate consistency is prudent. The 1440p High setting provides a 58% performance headroom over the 60 FPS target, which is ideal for avoiding frame-time spikes. Low at 149.1 FPS is overkill and sacrifices too much visual detail for a marginal competitive advantage.

At 4K, the options are limited. The Low preset's 80.5 FPS is the only setting that clears the 60 FPS bar, but it does so with a significant visual penalty. Medium at 55.8 FPS is just shy of the target, and High at 47.1 FPS is playable but not ideal. For the best experience at this resolution, the data suggests using the Low preset to maintain a playable frame rate, or accepting the Medium preset's slight dip below 60 FPS for better image quality. The Ultra preset at 34.8 FPS is not recommended for any serious play. The verdict is clear: 1440p High is the "best experience" setting, offering high visual quality with a robust frame rate.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Barony at 4K 60 FPS?*

A: No. The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 80.5 on Low, but this drops to 47.1 on High and 34.8 on Ultra. The GPU is the limiting factor at this resolution, and no settings combination achieves a stable 60 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400 a bottleneck for the GTX 1070?

A: At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU is not a bottleneck. The 234.4 FPS result at 1080p Low shows the processor can feed the GPU far more frames than it can render. However, at 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting component, so the CPU's performance is irrelevant to the final frame rate.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 144Hz monitor?

A: At 1080p, the High preset's 148.6 FPS is just above the 144 Hz threshold, making it the best option. At 1440p, the Low preset's 149.1 FPS is the only one that reaches that mark, but the Medium preset at 108.1 FPS is a more practical choice for a 100-120 Hz monitor.

Q: How does the GTX 1070's VRAM affect performance in this game?

A: The 8 GB of GDDR5 memory is adequate for all tested settings. The performance drops at 4K are due to the GPU's compute throughput (6.463 TFLOPS FP32) and memory bandwidth (256.3 GB/s), not a lack of VRAM capacity.

Q: How does this combo compare to the GTX 1650 SUPER?

A: The GTX 1070 has an average benchmark score of 12331, which is 1.4% higher than the GTX 1650 SUPER's score of 12504 (deltaPct -1.4 for the 1070). The 1070 is the slightly faster card, but they are very close in overall performance.

Q: Is the i5-12400's 65W TDP a concern for thermals?

A: No. The 65W TDP is a modest figure for a 6-core processor. Given the high frame rates achieved in this test, the CPU is not being pushed to its thermal limits in Barony, so a standard air cooler is sufficient.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 ranks 1452 out of 1702 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the lower 15th percentile of all configurations, which is a direct consequence of the aging GPU. The CPU is a strong performer—its average benchmark score of 19850 puts it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, with a 0.1% lead over the Intel Core i7-9700 and a 0.4% lead over the Intel Core i5-11600K. However, the GTX 1070's average score of 12331 places it in the 51st percentile of all GPUs, dragging the composite ranking down.

The data suggests that this combo is severely held back by the graphics card. The i5-12400 is capable of far higher frame rates, as evidenced by the 1080p Low result of 234.4 FPS. In a game like Barony, which is not graphically demanding, the GPU is the primary constraint on the overall experience. The rank indicates that while the CPU is a modern, capable part, the GPU is a legacy component that prevents the system from reaching the upper echelons of performance. The 1440p High result of 95.2 FPS is respectable, but it is clear that this is a mid-range setup by modern standards, not a high-end one.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 serves as the definitive performance ceiling for this configuration. Its role is characterized by its Pascal architecture, built on a 16 nm process at TSMC, with 7,200 million transistors on a 314 mm² die. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1506 MHz and a boost clock of 1683 MHz, with memory running at 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective). These clocks are modest compared to modern cards, but they are the driving force behind the measured results.

The 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth. In Barony, this memory configuration is sufficient; the frame rate drops at 4K are not caused by VRAM exhaustion but by the GPU's raw compute. The 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 64 ROPs are responsible for the pixel throughput. The pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s and texture rate of 202.0 GTexel/s are the metrics that dictate the 4K performance. The 47.1 FPS at 4K High is a direct result of these limits. The GPU's DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4 API support ensures it can handle the game's rendering calls, but the hardware is simply outmatched at higher resolutions. The data shows that the GTX 1070 is a 1080p and 1440p card; its 51st percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms it is an average performer today.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Ultra: 105.7 FPS
• High: 148.6 FPS
• Medium: 173.4 FPS
• Low: 234.4 FPS

At 1080p, the combo excels. The Low preset's 234.4 FPS is the highest recorded in the entire dataset for this system, showcasing the CPU's strength. The spread from Low to Ultra is 128.7 FPS, indicating that the GPU has enough headroom to handle a wide range of settings without significant frame rate collapse.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Ultra: 65.9 FPS
• High: 95.2 FPS
• Medium: 108.1 FPS
• Low: 149.1 FPS

1440p is the practical limit for this setup. The High preset's 95.2 FPS is a strong result, and even Ultra clears the 60 FPS line. The Low preset's 149.1 FPS shows the GPU can still perform well when the visual load is reduced, but the performance gap between Low and Ultra has grown to 83.2 FPS, highlighting the GPU's increasing workload.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Ultra: 34.8 FPS
• High: 47.1 FPS
• Medium: 55.8 FPS
• Low: 80.5 FPS

4K is a struggle. Only the Low preset manages to stay above 60 FPS. The Medium preset's 55.8 FPS is nearly playable, but the High and Ultra presets fall well below the threshold. The data shows a 45.7 FPS difference between Low and Ultra, which is the smallest absolute spread across the resolutions, indicating that the GPU is saturated and cannot be "saved" by lowering settings as much as at lower resolutions. The i5-12400's role here is minimal; it simply waits for the GTX 1070 to finish rendering each frame.