Barony

Barony, the roguelike title from 2015, proves to be exceptionally undemanding on modern hardware, and the pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 delivers frame rates that far exceed display refresh rate capabilities at virtually every setting. The data reveals a configuration that is almost entirely GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet still capable of producing triple-digit frame rates even at 4K with maximum settings. This analysis breaks down the measured performance data, contextualizes the combo’s standing within the broader database, and provides actionable settings guidance based strictly on the empirical results.

Resolution Scaling

The performance delta between 1080p and 4K is stark, revealing a system that scales predictably with pixel count. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 320.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 204.9 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 107.5 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 66.5% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, a significant but expected decline for a game that is visually simple by modern standards. The drop from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep, a 47.5% decrease, indicating that the RTX 5070’s 192-bit memory bus and 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth are being saturated by the four-fold increase in pixel count from 1080p.

Examining the Low preset provides a clearer picture of the CPU’s role. At 1920x1080 Low, the combo achieves 508.7 FPS, which drops to 319.8 FPS at 1440p and 166.3 FPS at 4K. The 1080p Low result is likely approaching the ceiling of what the i5-12400F can feed, as the 6-core, 12-thread processor with a 4.40 GHz boost clock becomes the limiting factor at such absurd frame rates. The data suggests that at 1080p Low, the CPU is the bottleneck; the frame rate is so high that the GPU has idle cycles waiting for draw calls. This is corroborated by the fact that the 1080p Low result is 58.6% higher than the 1080p High result, a larger gap than what pure GPU load would typically explain.

The Medium preset shows a more balanced scaling curve: 375.4 FPS at 1080p, 235.9 FPS at 1440p, and 125.6 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops from 1080p to 1440p (37.2%) and from 1440p to 4K (46.8%) are more consistent, suggesting that Medium settings distribute load more evenly between the CPU and GPU across resolutions. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, yields 230 FPS at 1080p, 144.8 FPS at 1440p, and 76.5 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is the only sub-100 FPS figure in the entire dataset, indicating that even this powerful combination can be brought to its knees by the most demanding settings at maximum resolution. Overall, the scaling behavior points to a GPU that is exceptionally strong for this title, with the CPU only becoming a constraint at 1080p on the lowest presets.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 achieves a rank of 380 out of 1702 combos for Barony. This places it in the top 22.3% of all tested configurations, a strong showing that underscores the effectiveness of this pairing for this particular game. The rank is likely buoyed by the GPU’s raw compute power and the CPU’s sufficient single-thread performance, which is critical for a roguelike that may rely heavily on game logic and procedural generation.

The CPU’s benchmark scores provide context for its contribution to this rank. The i5-12400F has an average benchmark score of 19221, placing it in the 77th percentile against all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-8700K, has a nearly identical average score of 19210, a delta of just 0.1%. This indicates that the i5-12400F’s processing power is on par with a previous-generation flagship, despite its more modest launch MSRP of $174. The Geekbench single-core score of 2221 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2332 are strong indicators that the CPU can handle the per-thread demands of game logic, while the multi-threaded scores (Cinebench R23 multicore: 16518) ensure it won’t be a bottleneck in less optimized scenarios.

On the GPU side, the RTX 5070 posts an average benchmark score of 41687, placing it in the 83rd percentile against all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 5300, has a score of 41610 (delta 0.2%), while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 scores 41441 (delta 0.6%). This is remarkable: the RTX 5070, a current-generation card, benchmarks within 0.6% of the RTX 3090, a previous-generation flagship with a much larger die. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5077 and Passmark G3D score of 29137 further confirm its high-end positioning. The fact that this combo ranks in the top quarter of all tested pairings reflects the GPU’s dominance in this workload, as the CPU is not a limiting factor except in the most extreme low-resolution cases.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo in Barony?

A: The highest average frame rate is 508.7 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low preset.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K with the Ultra preset?

A: Yes, the data shows an average of 76.5 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations in Barony?

A: It ranks 380th out of 1702 tested combos, placing it in the top 22.3% of all configurations in the database.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck at 1080p with Low settings?

A: The data suggests the CPU becomes the limiting factor at 1080p Low, as the frame rate of 508.7 FPS is exceptionally high and likely constrained by the i5-12400F’s single-thread performance rather than the GPU.

Q: What is the performance difference between the High and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 204.9 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 144.8 FPS. This represents a 29.3% reduction in frame rate when moving from High to Ultra.

Q: Does the RTX 5070 benchmark higher than the RTX 3090 in this database?

A: Yes, the RTX 5070 has an average benchmark score of 41687, which is 0.6% higher than the RTX 3090’s score of 41441.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend entirely on the user’s display resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p displays, the High preset offers an overwhelming 320.6 FPS average, which is more than sufficient for any high-refresh-rate monitor. Even the Ultra preset at 1080p yields 230 FPS, making it the best choice for pushing visual fidelity without sacrificing fluidity. There is no practical reason to use Low or Medium at 1080p, as the difference between 375.4 FPS (Medium) and 508.7 FPS (Low) is imperceptible on any current display, while the visual quality hit is significant.

For 1440p, the High preset is the sweet spot, delivering 204.9 FPS. This provides a 41.5% performance headroom over the Ultra preset’s 144.8 FPS, which is still exceptionally smooth. Given that the frame rate at High is already beyond the refresh rate of most 1440p monitors (typically 144Hz to 165Hz), choosing High over Ultra is a prudent way to reduce GPU load and potentially lower power draw, as the RTX 5070 has a 250 W TDP. The Medium preset at 235.9 FPS offers no tangible benefit over High unless the user is chasing absolute maximum frame rates for competitive play.

At 4K, the situation is more nuanced. The Ultra preset averages 76.5 FPS, which is playable on standard 60Hz displays but falls short of high-refresh 4K panels. The High preset at 107.5 FPS is the recommended choice for 4K, as it provides a 40.5% performance increase over Ultra while maintaining high visual quality. This is the only resolution where dropping from Ultra is necessary to achieve a smoother experience. The Low preset at 166.3 FPS and Medium at 125.6 FPS are viable options for 120Hz+ 4K displays, but the visual compromise is substantial. In summary, for a balanced experience across all resolutions, the High preset is the recommended default, with Ultra reserved for 1080p and 1440p users who prioritize image quality over unnecessary frame rate headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset provides a clear matrix of performance across all tested conditions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset leads with 508.7 FPS, followed by Medium at 375.4 FPS, High at 320.6 FPS, and Ultra at 230 FPS. The progression shows a 55.2% drop from Low to Ultra, reflecting the increasing GPU load from higher-quality textures and effects.

At 2560x1440, the order remains consistent: Low at 319.8 FPS, Medium at 235.9 FPS, High at 204.9 FPS, and Ultra at 144.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 54.7%, a slightly smaller percentage difference than at 1080p, which suggests the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor as resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the hierarchy is maintained: Low at 166.3 FPS, Medium at 125.6 FPS, High at 107.5 FPS, and Ultra at 76.5 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 54.0%, continuing the trend of a shrinking relative gap. However, the absolute numbers tell the story: at 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, as even the Low preset cannot reach the 200 FPS mark that was achievable at lower resolutions.

Comparing across resolutions, the 1080p Low result of 508.7 FPS is 3.06 times higher than the 4K Low result of 166.3 FPS. For the Ultra preset, the 1080p result of 230 FPS is 3.01 times higher than the 4K result of 76.5 FPS. This consistent 3x scaling factor across all presets indicates that the performance drop is primarily driven by pixel count, with minimal interference from other factors. The data confirms that this system is exceptionally well-balanced for Barony, delivering playable frame rates even at the most demanding settings, with the only caveat being the need to drop to High preset for a truly smooth 4K experience.