Barony

The Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination delivers exceptional performance in Barony, ranking in the top 4% of all tested configurations. The data shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions but reveals interesting CPU limitations at 1080p, where frame rates exceed what most displays can showcase.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, running on the Intel Socket 1700 platform. Its base clock of 2.50 GHz boosts up to 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. In Barony, a roguelike title with relatively modest processing demands, this CPU configuration proves more than sufficient, as evidenced by benchmark results showing the chip performing within 0.2% of the Intel Core i7-8700 and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i5-11600K in average benchmark scores.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities, measured at 5,890 in 3dMark max threads and 15,935 in Cinebench R23 multicore, provide ample headroom for Barony's game logic and entity management. Single-thread performance, reflected in a 3dMark single-thread score of 910 and a passmark single-thread score of 3,456, is particularly relevant for roguelike titles where turn-based calculations and procedural generation often rely on single-core efficiency. The processor's 77th percentile ranking among all CPUs further contextualizes its position as a solid mid-range performer that does not bottleneck the RTX 5080 in this specific game.

At 1080p resolution, the CPU's influence becomes more apparent. The fact that frame rates scale dramatically from 406.5 FPS at High settings to 638.6 FPS at Low settings suggests that at lower graphical loads, the CPU is still capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to maintain extremely high frame rates. However, the gap between 1080p and 1440p results indicates that the CPU is not the primary limiting factor in this configuration — the GPU takes over as the bottleneck as resolution increases.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is a flagship Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, featuring 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die. With 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus delivering 960.0 GB/s bandwidth, this card has substantial memory resources for Barony's relatively simple graphical demands. The GPU's boost clock of 2617 MHz and base clock of 2295 MHz, combined with 10,752 shading units, 336 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, provide raw compute power that the game clearly leverages.

The RTX 5080's memory capacity of 16 GB is far beyond what Barony requires, which explains why the game runs at such high frame rates even at 4K resolution. The GPU's 89th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 59,188, places it in the upper echelon of graphics hardware. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks — the Intel Arc A570M at 1.6% lower, the Intel Arc Pro A60 at 1.9% higher — are substantially different in class, but the data shows the RTX 5080's dominance in real-world gaming scenarios is more pronounced.

The GPU's 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 293.1 GPixel/s pixel rate directly contribute to the high frame rates observed in Barony. At 4K Ultra settings, the card still manages 99.1 FPS, demonstrating that even the most demanding preset in this game does not stress the RTX 5080 to its limits. The GPU's passmark G3D score of 36,565 and 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 8,637 reinforce its position as a top-tier performer.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 4K resolution, the High preset delivers 136 FPS, which is 37% faster than Ultra and 14% slower than Medium. Given that Barony is a roguelike where visual fidelity matters less than smooth gameplay, the High preset at 4K represents the best balance — it maintains well above 120 FPS while offering improved visuals over Medium.

At 1440p, the High preset achieves 257.1 FPS, which is comfortably above refresh rate limits of most monitors. The Ultra preset at 185.8 FPS still provides excellent performance, but the 27% gap between High and Ultra suggests diminishing returns. For 1080p users, even Ultra settings deliver 294 FPS, making the choice less critical. The data indicates that High settings provide the most consistent experience across all resolutions, with the smallest relative performance penalty when moving from 1440p to 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 67th out of 1,702 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the top 3.9% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the GPU's dominance in the pairing, as the CPU's 77th percentile standing among processors is offset by the graphics card's 89th percentile position. The combination outperforms systems with more powerful CPUs but weaker GPUs, underscoring that Barony's performance is primarily graphics-driven at higher resolutions.

The rank also highlights the efficiency of pairing a mid-range CPU with a high-end GPU. While the Core i5-12400's average benchmark score of 19,850 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-9700's 19,831 (0.1% difference), the RTX 5080's benchmark scores completely overshadow any CPU differences. In Barony, this combo achieves frame rates that would likely be unattainable with a lower-tier GPU, regardless of CPU choice.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU as the primary limiting component. At High settings, performance drops from 406.5 FPS at 1080p to 257.1 FPS at 1440p (a 37% reduction) and then to 136 FPS at 4K (a 47% further reduction). This pattern is consistent with GPU-bound behavior, where increased pixel count directly impacts rendering load.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more dramatic: 638.6 FPS at 1080p falls to 399.2 FPS at 1440p (37.5% drop) and 211.3 FPS at 4K (47% drop from 1440p). The consistent percentage drops across settings suggest that the CPU is not introducing additional bottlenecks at lower resolutions. The Ultra preset shows the steepest decline, from 294 FPS at 1080p to 185.8 FPS at 1440p (36.8% drop) and 99.1 FPS at 4K (46.7% drop), indicating that the most demanding settings place proportionally more load on the GPU.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo handle Barony at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the data shows an average of 99.1 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

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

A: The Intel Core i5-12400 scores within 0.2% of the Intel Core i7-8700 and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i5-11600K in average benchmark scores, showing near-parity with older i7 models.

Q: What is the best resolution for maximum frame rates?

A: At 1080p, the combo achieves 638.6 FPS on Low settings and 406.5 FPS on High, making it ideal for competitive play or high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: Is 16 GB of VRAM sufficient for Barony?

A: Yes, the RTX 5080's 16 GB GDDR7 memory is more than adequate for Barony, as evidenced by high frame rates even at 4K Ultra settings.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: It ranks 67th out of 1,702 combos, placing it in the top 3.9% of all systems tested in Barony.

Q: What settings provide the smoothest experience at 1440p?

A: High settings deliver 257.1 FPS at 2560x1440, which is 38% faster than Ultra and provides an excellent balance of visual quality and performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 638.6 FPS average
• Medium: 475.1 FPS average
• High: 406.5 FPS average
• Ultra: 294 FPS average

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 399.2 FPS average
• Medium: 297.9 FPS average
• High: 257.1 FPS average
• Ultra: 185.8 FPS average

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 211.3 FPS average
• Medium: 157.5 FPS average
• High: 136 FPS average
• Ultra: 99.1 FPS average

The measured data shows consistent scaling across all settings increments, with Low to Medium typically providing a 25-35% performance uplift, Medium to High a 14-16% reduction, and High to Ultra a 27-31% reduction. This pattern holds across all three resolutions, confirming the GPU-bound nature of the workload and the predictable performance envelope of this combination.