Barony

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 in Barony produces a combo that ranks 17th out of 1702 tested configurations, placing it in the top 1% of all systems. This pairing leverages a 10-core, 16-thread Alder Lake processor with a 4.90 GHz boost clock alongside NVIDIA’s flagship Blackwell GPU, which carries 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus. The result is a system that delivers exceptionally high frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings, though the data reveals distinct bottlenecks depending on where you look.

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

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 4.90 GHz provide strong single-threaded performance, which is critical for a roguelike like Barony where game logic and entity updates often run on fewer threads. The CPU’s benchmark scores support this: it achieves a single-thread score of 1016 in 3dmark and 3309 in Cinebench R23 single-core, while its multi-threaded results scale to 7956 in 3dmark_16_threads and 23444 in Cinebench R23 multicore.

In the context of Barony’s measured frames, the CPU’s role becomes most apparent at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system produces 687.2 FPS average, which is more than triple the 4K High result of 143.6 FPS. This massive gap indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU far more frames than the GPU can render at higher resolutions. The processor’s 20 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (both DDR4 and DDR5) help maintain this throughput, though the data suggests that even a top-tier CPU like this one becomes the limiting factor when the GPU is this fast.

The i5-12600KF sits at the 84th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27827. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-10900K (deltaPct 0), the Core i5-12600K (deltaPct -0.1), and the Core Ultra 5 125H (deltaPct -0.2), showing that this chip is essentially tied with those in synthetic tests. For Barony specifically, the 4.90 GHz boost clock and 10 physical cores provide enough headroom to avoid stutter in most scenarios, but the frame data at 1080p Low (687.2 FPS) versus 4K Ultra (102.9 FPS) clearly shows that the GPU becomes the dominant constraint as resolution climbs.

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

Q: How does the i5-12600KF compare to its direct rival, the i9-10900K?

A: The two processors have nearly identical average benchmark scores: 27827 for the i5-12600KF versus 27829 for the i9-10900K, with a deltaPct of 0. This means they perform on par in synthetic workloads, despite the i5 having fewer cores (10 vs. 10) but a newer architecture.

Q: What is the largest FPS difference between settings at the same resolution?

A: At 1080p, the gap between Low (687.2 FPS) and Ultra (312.4 FPS) is 374.8 FPS, which is a 54.5% drop in performance. At 4K, the same settings comparison shows 224.6 FPS Low versus 102.9 FPS Ultra, a 121.7 FPS difference.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 the best GPU in its league according to benchmark data?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 84306 and ranks at the 94th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the RTX 5090 D, scores 84241 (deltaPct 0.1), meaning the standard 5090 is slightly ahead, while the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 trails by 1.3%.

Q: How does the combo rank overall in Barony?

A: This specific CPU-GPU pairing ranks 17th out of 1702 tested combinations, placing it in the top 1% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded in the measured data?

A: The highest average FPS is 687.2, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. The lowest is 102.9 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the GPU’s 32 GB VRAM matter for Barony’s performance?

A: The 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus provides 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Barony’s needs. The data shows no VRAM-related limitations, as even at 4K Ultra the system maintains 102.9 FPS, indicating the frame rate is bound by compute rather than memory capacity.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern as resolution increases, and the shape of that curve tells us exactly where the bottleneck sits. At 1080p High, the system delivers 436.8 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 276.5 FPS, a 36.7% reduction. Jumping to 4K High yields 143.6 FPS, which is another 48.1% drop from 1440p. This progressive decline is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where the RTX 5090’s compute units and memory bandwidth become the limiting factor.

Look at the Low settings for a cleaner picture. At 1080p Low, the system hits 687.2 FPS. At 1440p Low, it falls to 432 FPS, and at 4K Low, it reaches 224.6 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 255.2 FPS (37.1%), while from 1440p to 4K it’s 207.4 FPS (48.0%). These percentages are similar across settings, which suggests the scaling is resolution-driven rather than setting-driven. The fact that even at Low settings the frame rate falls so sharply with resolution confirms that the GPU is the primary constraint beyond 1080p.

At 1080p, however, the CPU starts to show its limits. The jump from 1080p Low (687.2 FPS) to 1080p Medium (513.5 FPS) is a 25.3% drop, but the difference between 1080p High (436.8 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (312.4 FPS) is another 28.5%. These are large drops for a single step in settings, indicating that at 1080p, the i5-12600KF’s 10 cores are working hard to keep up with the RTX 5090’s raw rendering speed. The CPU’s single-thread score of 3925 in Passmark and 1016 in 3dmark suggests it has enough headroom, but the data shows diminishing returns as settings escalate.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This pairing of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a rank of 17 out of 1702 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the 99th percentile of all systems evaluated. That rank is impressive, but it’s important to contextualize it against the hardware’s theoretical capabilities. The CPU sits at the 84th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks at the 94th percentile among all GPUs. The fact that the combo ranks higher than either component’s individual percentile suggests that Barony is more sensitive to GPU performance than CPU, and the RTX 5090’s sheer compute power (104.8 TFLOPS FP32) is what drives this combo into the top 20.

The rank of 17 out of 1702 means there are only 16 other combinations that perform better in this game. Given that the RTX 5090 is the highest-performing GPU in the benchmark database (94th percentile, avg score 84306), those 16 combos likely pair it with faster CPUs, possibly those with higher single-thread scores. The i5-12600KF’s nearest CPU rivals include the i9-10900K (deltaPct 0) and the i5-12600K (deltaPct -0.1), which are essentially identical in synthetic performance. This suggests that upgrading the CPU would yield minimal gains in Barony, as the 0.4% delta to the i7-13700H is within noise.

What’s notable is that this rank is achieved with a CPU that’s not the absolute fastest available. The 10-core, 16-thread configuration with a 3.70 GHz base and 4.90 GHz boost is strong, but the data implies that Barony’s engine is well-optimized for the GPU. The 17th rank out of 1702 is a strong endorsement of this combo’s balance, even if the CPU is technically the weaker link in the chain.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the centerpiece of this combo, and its specifications explain why the frame rates are so high. Built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using TSMC’s 5 nm process, the GPU packs 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 ROPs. Its boost clock of 2407 MHz and base clock of 2017 MHz drive a pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS is the headline number, and it directly correlates with Barony’s high average FPS across all tested settings.

The memory subsystem is equally formidable: 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus delivers 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. This is more than Barony requires, but it ensures that even at 4K Ultra with 102.9 FPS, the GPU never stalls waiting for data. The 1750 MHz memory clock (28 Gbps effective) provides the bandwidth needed to feed the 21760 shading units, and the 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die allow for this level of parallel compute.

In the benchmark data, the RTX 5090 achieves an average score of 84306, ranking at the 94th percentile. Its nearest rival, the RTX 5090 D, scores 84241 (deltaPct 0.1), making the standard 5090 marginally faster. The AMD Radeon PRO W6600 trails by 1.3%, while the NVIDIA CMP 40HX is 1.6% slower. These deltas are small, but they confirm that the RTX 5090 is at the top of the GPU hierarchy. In Barony, this translates to the GPU being the primary driver of performance at 1440p and 4K, where it maintains 276.5 FPS and 143.6 FPS at High settings, respectively.

The GPU’s role is further highlighted by the scaling from Low to Ultra settings. At 4K, Low delivers 224.6 FPS, Medium 167.3 FPS, High 143.6 FPS, and Ultra 102.9 FPS. The spread of 121.7 FPS between Low and Ultra shows that the RTX 5090 has enough compute headroom to render even the most demanding settings, but the drop from High to Ultra (28.3%) indicates that the Ultra preset adds significant load, likely through advanced effects that stress the GPU’s shader and ROP units.

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

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of how this combo performs across twelve different configurations. Starting at 1920x1080, the system delivers staggering numbers: 687.2 FPS at Low, 513.5 FPS at Medium, 436.8 FPS at High, and 312.4 FPS at Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 374.8 FPS, which is a 54.5% reduction. This is the largest absolute drop across all resolutions, indicating that at 1080p, the CPU’s ability to feed frames becomes a factor, as the RTX 5090 is capable of far more than 687 FPS if the CPU could provide it.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the GPU starting to take over as the limiting factor. The system hits 432 FPS at Low, 323.5 FPS at Medium, 276.5 FPS at High, and 197.6 FPS at Ultra. The drop from 1080p Low to 1440p Low is 255.2 FPS (37.1%), which is consistent with the increased pixel count. At 1440p Ultra, the 197.6 FPS result is still well above the 144 Hz refresh rate that most high-end monitors offer, making this an excellent resolution for competitive play.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are lower but still highly playable. The system delivers 224.6 FPS at Low, 167.3 FPS at Medium, 143.6 FPS at High, and 102.9 FPS at Ultra. The jump from 1080p to 4K at High settings results in a 67.1% reduction (from 436.8 to 143.6 FPS), which is expected given the 4x pixel count. Even at 4K Ultra, the 102.9 FPS average exceeds the 60 FPS target for most displays, ensuring a smooth experience in this roguelike.

The data shows that this combo is overkill for 1080p gaming, as even the most demanding settings produce 312.4 FPS, which is beyond what most monitors can display. At 1440p, the system hits the sweet spot, with High and Ultra settings providing 276.5 FPS and 197.6 FPS respectively, both well above the 144 Hz threshold. At 4K, the combo still manages to push past 100 FPS on Ultra, making it a viable option for high-refresh-rate 4K displays, though the 143.6 FPS at High is the more balanced choice for maximizing frame rate without sacrificing visual quality.