Barony

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a study in contrast: a 6-core, 12-thread Alder Lake CPU designed for mainstream builds, mated to a flagship Blackwell GPU with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory. In Barony, a roguelike that does not demand heavy multi-threaded workloads, this pairing produces exceptional frame rates, but the data reveals a clear bottleneck dynamic. The i5-12400F has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. Its architecture features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. These specifications are adequate for the game's logic, but the real story is how the RTX 5090 D's raw power is held back at lower resolutions.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

Barony is a roguelike, a genre that typically relies on single-threaded performance for game logic, procedural generation, and AI pathfinding. The Intel Core i5-12400F, with 6 cores and 12 threads, is well-suited for this task. Its single-thread benchmark scores are modest but respectable: a 3dmark_single_thread score of 909, a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1680, and a Geekbench single-core score of 1964. These numbers indicate that the CPU can handle the per-frame calculations Barony requires without becoming the primary limiter at higher graphical settings.

However, the CPU's multi-threaded performance, while not the focus, shows its limits. The 3dmark_max_threads score is 5912, and the Cinebench R23 multicore score is 12380. In the context of this game, these figures are more than sufficient. The 3dmark_16_threads score of 5895 suggests that even when all threads are engaged, the CPU delivers consistent throughput. The CPU's percentileVsAllCpus is 73, placing it above the median of all tested processors, but its nearest rivals — the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS (avgScore 19047, deltaPct 0), Intel Core 3 201E (avgScore 19056, deltaPct -0.1), Intel Core i5-1335U (avgScore 18982, deltaPct 0.3), and AMD EPYC 7773X (avgScore 18979, deltaPct 0.3) — are all within a fraction of a percent in average benchmark score. This indicates the i5-12400F is a middle-of-the-pack performer in raw CPU terms, yet it does not drag down the RTX 5090 D in Barony.

The interplay between CPU and GPU becomes evident when examining the measured FPS data. At 4K Ultra, the combo hits an average of 109 FPS. At 1080p Ultra, it reaches 331 FPS. The delta between these resolutions is a matter of GPU load; the CPU is not the bottleneck at Ultra settings. But at 1080p Low, the average FPS jumps to 650, which is a staggering number that approaches the limits of what a 6-core chip can feed to a GPU. The CPU's boost clock of 4.40 GHz is crucial here, as it allows for rapid single-threaded execution to generate frames as fast as the GPU can render them. The data suggests that while the i5-12400F is not a high-end CPU, its clock speeds and architecture are sufficient to keep the RTX 5090 D well-fed in Barony, even at lower settings where the GPU has less work to do.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with High settings for this combo?

A: The measured data shows an average of 292 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings. This is a strong result, indicating that the RTX 5090 D is not being held back by the i5-12400F at this resolution and preset.

Q: How does the i5-12400F compare to its closest CPU rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The i5-12400F has an avgBenchmarkScore of 19039. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, scores 19047, a deltaPct of 0. The Intel Core i5-1335U is 0.3% ahead with a score of 18982, while the AMD EPYC 7773X is also 0.3% ahead. Performance is effectively identical among these four processors.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 D's performance in this game match its GPU benchmark percentile?

A: The RTX 5090 D has a percentileVsAllGpus of 92, meaning it outperforms 92% of all GPUs in average benchmark scores. In Barony, its measured FPS at 4K Ultra (109 avg) and 1080p Low (650 avg) are extremely high, confirming that it operates near the top of its class in this title, despite the CPU pairing.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo at 4K Medium?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 151, with an average of 178 and a maximum of 204. This shows a playable frame rate even in demanding scenes at 4K.

Q: Is there a significant performance gap between the RTX 5090 D and its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 5090 D has an avgBenchmarkScore of 77712. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT, scores 76904, which is 1.1% lower. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB is 2.1% lower, and the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB is 2.4% lower. The RTX 5090 D is ahead, but the delta is minimal, suggesting these are closely matched in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the CPU and GPU in this combo?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400F has a launch MSRP of $174, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D has a launch MSRP of 2,299 USD.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested configurations for Barony, this specific pairing of Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 37th out of 2935 combos. This is a top 1.3% placement, which is a remarkable result for a CPU that is not a flagship part. The rank reflects the combined performance of the two components in this specific game, and the data suggests that the RTX 5090 D is doing the heavy lifting, while the i5-12400F provides just enough support to avoid crippling the system.

The rank of 37 out of 2935 indicates that there are 36 other combinations that deliver higher average FPS in Barony. These are likely to include CPUs with higher single-thread performance or more cores, paired with the same or similar GPUs. However, the delta in FPS between rank 37 and the top spots is likely small, given that the RTX 5090 D is already a top-tier GPU. The i5-12400F's percentileVsAllCpus of 73 means it is not a top-tier CPU, but in Barony, the game's reliance on GPU rendering over CPU logic means that the GPU's percentile of 92 is the dominant factor. The combo's rank confirms the GPU's raw power overcoming any CPU limitations.

When looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the difference in avgBenchmarkScore is negligible (all within 0.3%). This suggests that swapping the i5-12400F for a Ryzen 5 7535HS or an Intel Core i5-1335U would yield nearly identical results in Barony, as the game does not stress the CPU enough to differentiate between these processors. The combo rank, therefore, is more a measure of the GPU's performance than the CPU's, which is an important context for buyers considering this pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how this combo scales across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the performance is staggering. With Low settings, the average FPS is 650. Moving to Medium, it drops to 538 avg, with a minimum of 458 and a maximum of 619. High settings yield 462 avg, and Ultra brings it down to 331 avg. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor, as the GPU is capable of rendering far more frames than the CPU can process.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are still extremely high but show a more balanced workload. Low settings produce an average of 457 FPS, Medium averages 340 FPS (min 289, max 391), High averages 292 FPS, and Ultra averages 209 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is noticeable but not catastrophic, showing that the GPU is starting to take on more responsibility. The RTX 5090 D's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 512-bit bus are well-utilized at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, but the performance remains excellent. Low settings average 239 FPS, Medium averages 178 FPS (min 151, max 204), High averages 152 FPS, and Ultra averages 109 FPS. These numbers are all far above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, meaning this combo can run Barony at 4K with any settings preset without dropping below playable frame rates. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 151, which is reassuring for users who prioritize frame time consistency.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic CPU-bound to GPU-bound transition. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 650. At 1440p Low, it drops to 457, a 29.7% decrease. At 4K Low, it drops to 239, a 63.2% decrease from 1080p. This steep drop suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor, as the GPU is capable of producing far more frames than the CPU can handle. The i5-12400F's single-thread performance, while adequate, caps the frame rate around 650 FPS at low settings.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is more gradual. From 1080p Ultra (331 avg) to 1440p Ultra (209 avg), the drop is 36.9%. From 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra (109 avg), the drop is 67.1%. This indicates that as settings increase, the GPU's workload becomes more demanding, and the CPU has more time to prepare frames. The RTX 5090 D's rendering capabilities, such as a pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s, are pushed harder at higher resolutions, and the CPU is no longer the bottleneck.

The data shows that at 4K, the combo is fully GPU-bound. The RTX 5090 D's 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is being utilized to its fullest. The i5-12400F's 4.40 GHz boost clock is sufficient to keep up with the GPU's frame production at this resolution, as evidenced by the fact that FPS scales linearly with resolution changes. For users who play at 1080p or 1440p, the CPU will limit performance, but the frame rates are so high that this is unlikely to be a practical issue. At 4K, the GPU is the sole determinant of performance, and it excels.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For users of this combo, the choice of settings preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 4K, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 109 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay. This is the best experience for visual fidelity, as Ultra will enable the highest quality textures and effects that the RTX 5090 D can render. The High preset at 4K offers 152 FPS, which is a 39.4% improvement over Ultra, but the visual difference between High and Ultra in a roguelike like Barony may not be significant enough to justify the frame rate loss. Medium at 4K yields 178 FPS, and Low yields 239 FPS. Given the game's genre, where fast-paced reaction is not as critical as in an FPS, the Ultra preset at 4K is a strong recommendation for maximum visual quality.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset averages 209 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any monitor, including high refresh rate displays. High averages 292 FPS, and Medium averages 340 FPS. Since the CPU is more of a limiting factor at this resolution, the difference between Medium and Ultra is 131 FPS (62.7% improvement from Ultra to Medium). For competitive play or high refresh rate monitors, the Medium preset offers a smoother experience with minimal visual compromise. Low at 1440p averages 457 FPS, which is likely beyond the refresh rate of most monitors, so it offers no practical benefit.

At 1080p, the frame rates are so high that the CPU becomes the bottleneck. Ultra averages 331 FPS, High averages 462 FPS, Medium averages 538 FPS, and Low averages 650 FPS. The recommendation here is to use the Ultra preset, as it provides the best visual quality while still delivering a frame rate that exceeds the refresh rate of the vast majority of 1080p monitors (typically 144 Hz or 240 Hz). The jump from Ultra to High is 131 FPS, but the visual downgrade may not be worth it. Medium at 538 FPS is only useful for users with 360 Hz or higher monitors who are chasing every last frame. In summary, the data suggests that this combo is powerful enough to run Barony at Ultra settings at any resolution, and the choice of preset should be guided by monitor refresh rate and personal preference for visual fidelity over raw FPS.