Barony

# Barony Performance Analysis: Intel Core i5-12400 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090

The data shows a system that is massively overqualified for Barony, a roguelike title from 2015, with the RTX 4090 delivering frame rates that exceed 600 FPS at 1080p on Low settings. This combination sits at rank 155 out of 3,717 tested combos in this game, placing it in the top 4% of all configurations. The bottleneck behavior shifts dramatically across resolutions, with the CPU taking a dominant role at 1080p and the GPU becoming increasingly relevant as resolution climbs to 4K. The measured results reveal that this pairing produces playable frame rates at every resolution and settings combination tested, with the lowest recorded average being 100 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a system that transitions from CPU-bound to GPU-bound as pixel count increases. At 1080p Low, the system produces 645 FPS, which drops to 418 FPS at 1440p and further to 219 FPS at 4K — a 66% reduction from 1080p to 4K. This pattern indicates that at lower resolutions, the Intel Core i5-12400's six cores and twelve threads are the limiting factor, as the RTX 4090 has ample headroom to render frames far faster than the CPU can feed it.

The scaling behavior becomes more pronounced at higher settings. For Ultra settings, the average frame rates are 303 FPS at 1080p, 191 FPS at 1440p, and 100 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra is 37%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 48%. This steeper decline at higher resolutions and settings confirms the GPU is taking on more of the workload, though the RTX 4090's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensure that even at 4K Ultra the system never falls below triple-digit frame rates.

Comparing High settings across resolutions, the frame rates go from 423 FPS at 1080p to 267 FPS at 1440p to 140 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 4K drop of 67% at High settings is nearly identical to the 66% drop observed at Low settings, suggesting that Barony's rendering workload scales consistently with pixel count rather than settings complexity. The only settings that produce meaningful resolution scaling differences are Medium and Ultra, where the 4K results of 163 FPS and 100 FPS respectively show the GPU beginning to assert its influence.

The data indicates that for players targeting 4K, the RTX 4090 still has substantial headroom, as even the most demanding preset (Ultra) delivers 100 FPS. At 1440p, all settings exceed 191 FPS, and at 1080p, every setting surpasses 303 FPS. The limiting component at 1080p is clearly the CPU, given that the i5-12400's 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and multi-thread score of 5,890 cannot keep pace with the GPU's frame generation capability at lower pixel counts.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 serves as the rendering powerhouse in this configuration, and its specifications align with the measured results. With 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 render output units, the GPU has the raw compute capacity to handle Barony's relatively modest visual demands with ease. The 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 1,290.2 GTexel/s texture rate provide more than enough throughput for a roguelike that emphasizes procedural dungeon generation over photorealistic rendering.

The GPU's memory subsystem is notably overprovisioned for this title. The 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus delivers 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which explains why even at 4K Ultra, the system maintains 100 FPS average. Barony's texture and geometry requirements are unlikely to stress this memory configuration, and the measured frame rates support this conclusion — the gap between Low and Ultra settings at 4K is 119 FPS (219 vs. 100), indicating that settings changes impact GPU workload but never approach the card's limits.

Clock speeds of 2,235 MHz base and 2,520 MHz boost contribute to the GPU's ability to maintain high frame rates across all tested configurations. The 443.5 GPixel/s pixel rate and 1,290.2 GTexel/s texture rate ensure that even at 4K resolution, where pixel throughput demands are highest, the card delivers smooth performance. The RTX 4090's 128 ray tracing cores are present but likely underutilized in Barony, which does not appear to rely heavily on ray-traced effects based on the measured performance.

The GPU's benchmark scores contextualize its position in the broader market. With a PassMark G3D score of 38,194 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 9,223, the RTX 4090 ranks in the 88th percentile among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 60,347 is nearly identical to the Intel Arc Pro A60 at 60,326 (0% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 at 60,140 (0.3% delta), though this parity in synthetic benchmarks does not translate to gaming performance where the RTX 4090's architecture advantages become apparent. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 255,416 and Vulkan score of 271,631 further demonstrate the card's compute capabilities.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 plays a critical role in this system's performance, particularly at lower resolutions where frame rates exceed what the GPU can render. With 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Alder Lake architecture, this CPU provides solid multi-threaded performance for a game that may not fully utilize all available threads. The base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz enable responsive single-threaded performance, which is often critical in roguelike titles that rely on game logic and procedural generation.

The CPU's benchmark results show a processor that performs admirably for its class. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15,989 and single-core score of 2,257 indicate strong computational capability, while the Geekbench multi-core score of 8,564 and single-core score of 1,848 confirm balanced performance across workloads. The PassMark multi-thread score of 18,747 and single-thread score of 3,456 show that the CPU ranks in the 72nd percentile among all processors, placing it above average but not at the top tier.

The 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core provide sufficient data locality for Barony's procedural generation algorithms. The 10 nm process node and 65 W TDP indicate an efficient design that maintains high clock speeds without excessive power draw. The CPU's memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 through a dual-channel interface offers flexibility, though the measured frame rates suggest that memory bandwidth is not a limiting factor in this game.

Comparing the i5-12400 to its nearest rivals reveals interesting parity in synthetic benchmarks. The AMD EPYC 7643 scores 18,697 (0.1% faster), the Intel Core i7-1355U scores 18,730 (0.3% faster), and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 scores 18,811 (0.7% faster), while the Intel Core i3-14100F scores 18,519 (0.9% slower). This tight grouping indicates that the i5-12400 performs competitively in general benchmarks, though its gaming performance is enhanced by the boost clock and architecture optimizations.

At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 645 FPS, which represents the absolute ceiling of what this CPU can feed to the GPU. The fact that this drops to 423 FPS at High settings and 303 FPS at Ultra settings shows that as GPU workload increases, the CPU bottleneck becomes less severe. This behavior is characteristic of a system where the CPU can produce frames at roughly 600-650 FPS in this title, and any settings that reduce GPU workload will hit this ceiling.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data supports Ultra settings as the optimal choice for this configuration at any resolution, given that even at 4K Ultra the system maintains 100 FPS average. The performance differences between settings are substantial — at 1080p, Low delivers 645 FPS, Medium 493 FPS, High 423 FPS, and Ultra 303 FPS. While the lower settings provide higher frame rates, the 303 FPS at 1080p Ultra is already far beyond what most displays can refresh, making the visual quality improvements at Ultra the sensible choice.

At 1440p, the recommendation shifts slightly. Ultra delivers 191 FPS, which remains well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on high-end monitors. The progression from Low (418 FPS) to Medium (311 FPS) to High (267 FPS) shows that each settings tier costs roughly 50-100 FPS, but even the most demanding preset at 1440p maintains fluid motion. Players with 165 Hz or 240 Hz displays might prefer High settings for the extra headroom, but Ultra remains the best balance of visual fidelity and performance.

The 4K results provide the clearest guidance. Ultra delivers 100 FPS, which is exactly at the threshold for smooth gameplay on 100 Hz displays. High delivers 140 FPS, Medium 163 FPS, and Low 219 FPS. For 4K gaming, Ultra settings are viable for players with 100 Hz displays, while High settings are recommended for those with higher refresh rates. The 40 FPS difference between High and Ultra at 4K (140 vs. 100) represents a meaningful visual quality trade-off, but both remain playable.

The Medium presets show the most consistent frame time behavior, with the only recorded minimum and maximum FPS values: at 1080p Medium, the range is 419 to 567 FPS; at 1440p Medium, 264 to 358 FPS; and at 4K Medium, 138 to 187 FPS. This suggests that Medium settings provide the most stable frame pacing, which could be beneficial for players sensitive to frame time variance. However, given the high absolute frame rates, this stability advantage is unlikely to be perceptible.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Barony at 4K Ultra settings smoothly?

A: Yes, the measured data shows 100 FPS average at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is sufficient for smooth gameplay on 100 Hz displays, and High settings provide 140 FPS for higher refresh rate monitors.

Q: What is the limiting component at 1080p resolution?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400 is the bottleneck at 1080p. The system reaches 645 FPS on Low settings, but the CPU's single-thread and multi-thread performance (3DMark single-thread score of 910, max threads score of 5,890) prevents higher frame rates even though the RTX 4090 has additional rendering headroom.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 60,347, which is virtually identical to the Intel Arc Pro A60 at 60,326 (0% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 at 60,140 (0.3% delta). The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61,896 (2.5% higher), while the AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58,657 (2.9% lower).

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average is 267 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings. This is well above the refresh rate of virtually all gaming monitors, providing significant headroom for consistent frame delivery.

Q: Is the i5-12400 a competitive processor in its price segment?

A: The CPU ranks in the 72nd percentile of all processors with an average benchmark score of 18,683. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7643 (18,697, 0.1% faster), Intel Core i7-1355U (18,730, 0.3% faster), and AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 (18,811, 0.7% faster), showing it performs within 1% of these alternatives.

Q: Does the system show frame time stability at Medium settings?

A: The Medium settings are the only presets with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p, the range is 419-567 FPS; at 1440p, 264-358 FPS; and at 4K, 138-187 FPS. These ranges indicate consistent frame pacing across all resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 645 FPS average
• Medium: 493 FPS average (419 min, 567 max)
• High: 423 FPS average
• Ultra: 303 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 418 FPS average
• Medium: 311 FPS average (264 min, 358 max)
• High: 267 FPS average
• Ultra: 191 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 219 FPS average
• Medium: 163 FPS average (138 min, 187 max)
• High: 140 FPS average
• Ultra: 100 FPS average

The data reveals consistent scaling patterns across all resolutions. At 1080p, the system maintains frame rates from 303 FPS (Ultra) to 645 FPS (Low), demonstrating that the CPU becomes the limiting factor at this resolution. At 1440p, frame rates range from 191 FPS (Ultra) to 418 FPS (Low), showing a more balanced workload between CPU and GPU. At 4K, the range narrows to 100 FPS (Ultra) to 219 FPS (Low), confirming that the GPU is the primary determinant of performance at this resolution.

The performance difference between Low and Ultra settings is consistent across resolutions: 342 FPS at 1080p, 227 FPS at 1440p, and 119 FPS at 4K. This narrowing gap as resolution increases reinforces the conclusion that Barony's settings primarily affect GPU workload, while resolution scaling affects both CPU and GPU demands. The system's rank of 155 out of 3,717 combos (top 4%) reflects the high-end nature of this configuration, and the measured results confirm that it delivers exceptional performance at every settings and resolution combination tested.