Barony

The benchmark data for Barony with the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 shows a combination that is heavily skewed toward GPU performance, with the processor rarely acting as a limiting factor. The measured frames per second (FPS) indicate that the RTX 5060 handles the game's graphical load with significant headroom at lower resolutions, making the experience exceptionally smooth across all tested settings. This analysis breaks down the scaling behavior, optimal settings, and the specific roles of the GPU and CPU in producing these results.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and clearly identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck in this pairing. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo produces 162.5 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, that figure falls to 56.8 FPS—a reduction of roughly 65%. This steep decline is typical of a game where the render resolution directly taxes the graphics card's fill rate and memory bandwidth.

The scaling pattern across all settings confirms this. At Medium settings, the drop from 269.9 FPS at 1080p to 90.9 FPS at 4K represents a 66% loss, nearly identical to the Ultra preset's proportional decline. The Low preset shows a similar trend, falling from 361.8 FPS at 1080p to 120.4 FPS at 4K, a 67% reduction. This consistency across presets suggests that the RTX 5060's architecture is being uniformly stressed by pixel count rather than by specific effects or shading complexity.

What makes this scaling particularly telling is the comparison between 1440p and 4K. At High settings, 1440p yields 147.8 FPS, while 4K yields 74.9 FPS. The 4K figure is almost exactly half of the 1440p number, which aligns perfectly with the pixel count doubling. This linear relationship indicates that the GPU is operating at full capacity in both cases, with no other component interfering. The data shows that at 1080p and 1440p, the RTX 5060 has enough raw power to push frame rates well beyond 100 FPS on most presets, but 4K represents a territory where only the Low and Medium presets remain comfortably playable.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows reveal that the Ultra preset is the only setting where the combo drops below 60 FPS, occurring at 4K with an average of 56.8 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra still manages 105.3 FPS, and at 1080p it reaches 162.5 FPS. This makes Ultra a viable choice for all resolutions except 4K, where the frame rate falls just short of the 60 FPS threshold.

For players targeting a buttery-smooth experience at 4K, the Medium preset is the sweet spot. It delivers 90.9 FPS at 4K, which is 34.1 FPS higher than Ultra at the same resolution. Dropping to Low at 4K only adds 29.5 FPS over Medium, reaching 120.4 FPS, but the visual cost of Low is unlikely to be worth that gain for most users. The data suggests that High at 4K, with 74.9 FPS, is a strong compromise for those who want better visuals while staying above 60 FPS.

At 1440p, all presets exceed 100 FPS, so the recommendation is straightforward: use Ultra for the best visual quality. The 105.3 FPS at Ultra is well above the refresh rate of most standard monitors, and the step down to High only adds 42.5 FPS, which is unlikely to be perceptible on a typical 144Hz display. At 1080p, every preset is above 160 FPS, making Ultra the obvious choice for competitive play or high-refresh-rate displays, as it still delivers 162.5 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is the dominant component in this configuration, and its specifications explain the observed performance. It features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is sufficient for Barony at all tested resolutions, as the game's roguelike nature does not appear to demand excessive VRAM capacity.

The GPU's clock speeds are notable, with a base of 2280 MHz and a boost of 2497 MHz. These high clocks contribute to the strong raw performance seen in the benchmark results. The card's 3840 shading units and 48 ROPs work together to produce a pixel rate of 119.9 GPixel/s, which is directly relevant to the 4K scaling behavior observed. The texture rate of 299.6 GTexel/s ensures that texture-heavy scenes do not become a separate bottleneck.

The RTX 5060's performance percentile of 73 among all GPUs places it in the upper quarter of graphics cards, and its average benchmark score of 30109 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, which scores 30097 with a 0% delta. This indicates that the RTX 5060 is a capable mid-range performer that can handle Barony's requirements with ease. The card's 145 W TDP and dual-slot design suggest it is an efficient option that does not require exotic cooling, which aligns with its ability to maintain high clock speeds during gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 ranks 818 out of 1702 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the 48th percentile, meaning it performs better than roughly half of all other tested CPU-GPU pairings. This mid-pack ranking is somewhat surprising given the strong FPS numbers, but it reflects the fact that many other combos with higher-end processors or GPUs can achieve even higher frame rates in this title.

The ranking is likely dragged down by the CPU's relative position in the broader market. The i5-12400 has a percentile of 77 against all CPUs, which is respectable, but its average benchmark score of 19850 is nearly matched by the Intel Core i7-9700, which scores 19831 with a 0.1% delta. The fact that the CPU is not the limiting factor in Barony means that the combo's rank is primarily determined by the GPU's performance, and the RTX 5060's 73rd percentile among GPUs places it in a crowded field.

It is important to note that the ranking does not diminish the actual playability of this combo. The data shows that the combo achieves playable frame rates at every resolution and preset combination tested, with the sole exception being 4K Ultra, which still manages 56.8 FPS. The rank simply reflects that there are many other combos with more powerful components that can push even higher numbers in this specific game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 plays a secondary but supportive role in this configuration. It features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This Alder Lake-S architecture provides ample processing power for Barony, which is a roguelike that does not appear to be heavily multi-threaded based on the measured results.

The CPU's benchmark scores show strong single-thread performance, which is crucial for game logic and physics. Its 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2249 indicate that it can handle the game's computational demands without bottlenecking the GPU. The multi-threaded performance is also solid, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15935, ensuring that background tasks or additional game systems do not cause frame drops.

The data reveals that the CPU is not a limiting factor in Barony because the FPS scaling with resolution is so consistent. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar FPS numbers across different resolutions at the same settings. Instead, the FPS scales almost perfectly with pixel count, which is a hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario. The i5-12400's boost clock of 4.40 GHz ensures that it can keep up with the RTX 5060's high frame output, even at 1080p Low where the combo reaches 361.8 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all presets. The Low setting produces 361.8 FPS, followed by Medium at 269.9 FPS, High at 228.2 FPS, and Ultra at 162.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 199.3 FPS, showing that the game's graphical fidelity has a substantial impact on performance even at the lowest resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the results show a predictable decline. Low remains the fastest at 229.1 FPS, with Medium at 168.5 FPS and High at 147.8 FPS. Ultra drops to 105.3 FPS, which is still well above the 60 FPS threshold. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 123.8 FPS, indicating that the GPU is being pushed harder as the pixel count increases.

At 3840x2160, the 4K results highlight the GPU's limits. Low produces 120.4 FPS, Medium drops to 90.9 FPS, and High falls to 74.9 FPS. Ultra is the only preset that dips below 60 FPS, with an average of 56.8 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 63.6 FPS difference, which is smaller in absolute terms than at lower resolutions but represents a significant percentage drop. These numbers confirm that the RTX 5060 is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p for this game, with 4K reserved for users who are willing to sacrifice some visual quality for playable frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Barony?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 offers the best balance, with all presets exceeding 100 FPS (Low at 229.1, Medium at 168.5, High at 147.8, Ultra at 105.3).

Q: Can this combo handle 4K Ultra settings?

A: No, the measured 4K Ultra average is 56.8 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS standard. For 4K, the Medium preset at 90.9 FPS is recommended.

Q: How much faster is Low compared to Ultra at 1080p?

A: Low produces 361.8 FPS, while Ultra produces 162.5 FPS, making Low 199.3 FPS faster, or more than double the frame rate.

Q: Which component is the bottleneck in this setup?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor, as evidenced by the consistent FPS drop when moving from 1440p to 4K, which aligns with the pixel count increase.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 5060's average score of 30109 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT's 30097, with a 0% delta, indicating equivalent overall performance.

Q: Is the i5-12400 powerful enough for this game?

A: Yes, the CPU's single-thread score of 2249 in Cinebench R23 and its 6-core, 12-thread design provide more than enough processing power, as the frame rates scale purely with resolution rather than CPU load.