Barony

# Barony with Intel Core i5-12600KF + AMD Radeon RX 9070

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers a striking performance profile in Barony, a roguelike that proves surprisingly demanding at higher presets. The measured data reveals a system capable of extreme frame rates at 1080p but one that progressively yields ground as resolution climbs. With a combo rank of 1127 out of 3717 tested combinations, this pairing sits comfortably in the upper third of all systems, though the scaling behavior between settings suggests the relationship between CPU and GPU shifts dramatically depending on where you look.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lives. At Low settings, the system produces 442 FPS at 1920x1080, which falls to 279 FPS at 2560x1440, and then to 146 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 37% reduction going from 1080p to 1440p, and another 48% reduction moving from 1440p to 4K. The pattern is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where pixel throughput becomes the limiting factor.

At Medium settings, the same resolution progression shows 329 FPS at 1080p, 207 FPS at 1440p, and 108 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are similar in magnitude, reinforcing that the GPU is doing progressively heavier lifting as pixel count increases. The High preset follows suit: 282 FPS at 1080p, 178 FPS at 1440p, and 93 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings show the steepest absolute decline, with 202 FPS at 1080p dropping to 128 FPS at 1440p and finally 67 FPS at 4K.

The data implies that at 1080p, the CPU is likely the limiting component, particularly at Low and Medium settings where frame rates exceed 300 FPS. The RX 9070's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 644.6 GB/s bandwidth appear sufficient even at 4K, but the sheer pixel workload at 3840x2160 cuts performance by roughly two-thirds compared to 1080p across all presets. The scaling is not perfectly linear — the Low preset shows a 3.03x difference between 1080p and 4K, while Ultra shows a 3.01x difference — suggesting the game's rendering pipeline handles resolution scaling consistently regardless of quality level.

What is curious is that the gap between 1440p and 4K is larger than the gap between 1080p and 1440p in every preset. This nonlinear scaling hints at memory bandwidth pressure or fill-rate limitations becoming more pronounced at 4K, even with the RX 9070's 128 ROPs and 322.6 GPixel/s pixel rate. The 4K Medium result of 108 FPS with a minimum of 92 FPS shows the system can stay playable at 4K, but the Ultra preset at 67 FPS average suggests the GPU is nearing its ceiling in this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF brings 10 cores and 16 threads to the table, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its architecture is Alder Lake, built on Intel's 10 nm process. The benchmark data shows this CPU holds its own against formidable competition: its average benchmark score of 27799 sits within 0.3% of the Intel Core i9-10900K (27872, delta -0.3%) and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (27896, delta -0.3%). The Ryzen 5 8500GE posts a nearly identical average score of 27712, a delta of just 0.3%.

In Barony, the CPU's role becomes most evident at 1080p Low, where the system reaches 442 FPS. That figure approaches the practical ceiling for many display technologies, and it suggests the i5-12600KF's single-thread performance — a 3DMark single-thread score of 1016 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2157 — is sufficient to feed the GPU at high frame rates. The multi-threaded capabilities, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23391, likely help with the game's simulation and procedural generation elements common to roguelikes.

The percentile ranking of 79 for the CPU versus all processors indicates this is a well-above-average chip, but the nearest rivals show that at this performance tier, differences are marginal. The i9-10900K and 5800X3D both essentially match the i5-12600KF in average scores, meaning the CPU is not a differentiator in Barony at lower resolutions. However, the fact that 1080p Low yields 442 FPS while 4K Low yields only 146 FPS points to the GPU becoming the dominant constraint as resolution rises, not the CPU.

The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 per core provide ample fast storage for game data, and its DDR4/DDR5 memory support with dual-channel configuration ensures adequate bandwidth for feeding the GPU. The 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier indicate headroom for overclocking, though the measured results already show strong performance. At 4K Ultra, where the system drops to 67 FPS, the CPU is clearly not the bottleneck — the GPU's 36.13 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is being fully utilized.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Barony?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 442, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This drops to 329 FPS at Medium and 282 FPS at High at the same resolution.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system averages 67 FPS. This is the lowest measured result across all resolution and settings combinations in the data.

Q: Is this CPU comparable to the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D?

A: Yes, the average benchmark scores are nearly identical. The i5-12600KF scores 27799 while the Ryzen 7 5800X3D scores 27896, a delta of -0.3%. The Intel Core i9-10900K also matches closely at 27872.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 1127 out of 3717 total tested combinations in Barony, placing it in the upper third of all systems tested.

Q: How much FPS is gained by dropping from Ultra to Low at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings produce 442 FPS compared to 202 FPS on Ultra, a gain of 240 FPS. This represents more than a doubling of frame rate.

Q: Does the RX 9070 outperform the RTX 2080 SUPER in general benchmarks?

A: The RX 9070's average benchmark score is 23877, while the RTX 2080 SUPER scores 24170, a delta of -1.2%. This means the RX 9070 is slightly behind the RTX 2080 SUPER in average benchmark performance.

How This Combo Ranks

With a rank of 1127 out of 3717 tested combinations, this system sits in the 70th percentile of all tested configs in Barony. The data indicates that while this is a strong pairing, it is not at the very top tier of performance for this game. The CPU's percentile rank of 79 and the GPU's percentile rank of 69 both contribute to this positioning, but the GPU's lower percentile is likely the more significant factor in the combo's overall ranking.

The rank suggests that roughly 30% of tested combinations outperform this setup in Barony. Given that the game is a roguelike, which typically has modest graphics demands, this ranking might seem low at first glance. However, the measured FPS data tells a different story — at 1080p, this combo delivers frame rates well above what any standard display can show, and even at 4K Ultra, the 67 FPS average is playable. The ranking likely reflects systems with higher-end GPUs that can push 4K Ultra closer to 100 FPS or above.

Comparing this combo to the CPU's nearest rivals, the i5-12600KF essentially ties with the i9-10900K, Ryzen 7 5800X3D, and Ryzen 5 8500GE in average scores. This means the CPU choice is not the limiting factor in the ranking. On the GPU side, the RX 9070's nearest rivals include the RTX 2080 SUPER (24170, delta -1.2%) and RX 6800S (24063, delta -0.8%), both of which edge out the RX 9070 slightly. The GTX TITAN Z (23736, delta 0.6%) and RTX 3080 Mobile (23628, delta 1.1%) lag behind. This cluster of similar-performing GPUs suggests the RX 9070 sits in a competitive but not dominant position.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience. At 1920x1080, High settings deliver 282 FPS average, which is more than sufficient for any display and provides better visual quality than Medium's 329 FPS or Low's 442 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra at 1080p costs 80 FPS (282 to 202), which is a significant drop for presumably modest visual gains in a roguelike title. High settings at 1080p strike the best balance between visual fidelity and frame rate.

At 2560x1440, High settings produce 178 FPS, which remains excellent. Medium delivers 207 FPS, but the visual trade-off may not be worth the 29 FPS gain. Ultra at 1440p drops to 128 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 50 FPS loss from High. For 1440p users, High is the recommended preset, with Medium as a fallback if higher refresh rates are prioritized.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. High settings yield 93 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. Medium produces 108 FPS with a minimum of 92 FPS, making it the most consistent 4K option. Low at 4K hits 146 FPS, but the visual quality loss in a roguelike may not be worth the frame rate gain. Ultra at 4K drops to 67 FPS, which is borderline for smooth gameplay. For 4K, Medium settings offer the best experience, balancing the 108 FPS average with acceptable minimums.

The data suggests that High settings at 1080p or 1440p, and Medium at 4K, provide the optimal experience. The system's ability to maintain high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p across all settings means users have flexibility, but the steep drop at 4K Ultra indicates diminishing returns for max settings at that resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest results across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 442 FPS, the highest measured value in the entire dataset. Medium settings achieve 329 FPS with a minimum of 279 FPS and a maximum of 378 FPS. High settings average 282 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 202 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 240 FPS, showing how much headroom exists at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, performance remains robust but shows the expected decline. Low settings average 279 FPS, Medium settings reach 207 FPS with a minimum of 176 FPS and maximum of 239 FPS. High settings produce 178 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 128 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 37% of performance at Low, 37% at Medium, 37% at High, and 37% at Ultra — a consistent scaling factor.

At 3840x2160, the demands of 4K become apparent. Low settings average 146 FPS, Medium settings achieve 108 FPS with a minimum of 92 FPS and maximum of 125 FPS. High settings drop to 93 FPS, and Ultra settings reach only 67 FPS. The 4K results show a different pattern: the gap between Low and Ultra is 79 FPS (146 to 67), which is proportionally larger than at lower resolutions. The Medium preset at 4K provides the only data point with minimum and maximum values recorded, suggesting it is the most stable configuration at this resolution.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070, built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 48 chip, provides the graphical muscle for this combo. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves adequate even at 4K Ultra where the system maintains 67 FPS. The GPU's boost clock of 2520 MHz and game clock of 2070 MHz, combined with 3584 shading units and 128 ROPs, explain its ability to push high frame rates at lower resolutions.

The GPU's benchmark scores show an average of 23877, placing it in the 69th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in average score are the RTX 2080 SUPER at 24170 (delta -1.2%) and the RX 6800S at 24063 (delta -0.8%), both of which slightly outperform the RX 9070 in general benchmarks. The GTX TITAN Z scores 23736 (delta 0.6%) and the RTX 3080 Mobile scores 23628 (delta 1.1%), both slightly behind. This clustering indicates the RX 9070 competes with last-generation high-end cards.

In Barony specifically, the GPU's role becomes evident in the resolution scaling data. At 1080p, the GPU is not the bottleneck — the CPU likely limits performance, as evidenced by the 442 FPS ceiling at Low settings. As resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the GPU's workload grows, and frame rates drop accordingly. The 4K Ultra result of 67 FPS shows the GPU's 36.13 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 322.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are being taxed heavily. The GPU's 220 W TDP and dual-slot design suggest it runs with sufficient power headroom for sustained performance.

The RX 9070's PCIe 5.0 x16 interface ensures no bandwidth bottleneck from the system, and its support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6 covers all rendering paths a roguelike might use. The 56 ray-tracing cores are present but likely underutilized in this title, which focuses on procedural dungeon crawling rather than ray-traced effects. The GPU's 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for Barony at any resolution, as the game's asset sizes are modest.