Barony

Barony, a roguelike from 2015, presents an interesting case for modern hardware analysis. The measured data for the Intel Core i5-13400F and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT combo shows performance that scales dramatically with resolution, revealing a system that is heavily CPU-bound at lower resolutions and becomes increasingly GPU-limited as pixel count rises. The combination ranks 1232nd out of 3717 tested combos for this game, placing it in the upper third of all configurations. The data suggests that while this setup can handle the game at any resolution, the nature of the bottleneck shifts significantly across the 1080p to 4K range.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking observation from the measured FPS data is the extreme sensitivity to resolution. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 424 FPS, but this drops to 267 FPS at 1440p and further to 140 FPS at 4K. This represents a 67% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, which is a massive performance hit.

With High settings, the scaling is similar but the starting point is lower. The system produces 271 FPS at 1080p, 171 FPS at 1440p, and 89 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K here is also substantial, at 67%. This consistent percentage drop across different settings presets suggests a predictable scaling pattern.

The Ultra preset tells a different story. At 1080p, the system manages 194 FPS, which falls to 122 FPS at 1440p and 64 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is 67% here as well, indicating that the game's rendering load scales linearly with pixel count regardless of quality preset.

These numbers imply that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiting factor. The i5-13400F's 10 cores and 16 threads, running at a base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost of 4.60 GHz, appear to be saturating before the GPU can reach its full potential. The RX 7800 XT, with its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth, is likely being held back by the processor's ability to feed it frames.

At 4K, the situation reverses. The GPU's rendering workload becomes so intense that the RX 7800 XT becomes the bottleneck. The 89 FPS average at 4K High suggests the GPU is working near its limits, while the CPU has spare capacity. This is evidenced by the fact that the 4K Low preset still achieves 140 FPS, showing that the GPU can handle lower quality settings at 4K but struggles with the additional shading and texture work required at higher presets.

The Medium preset data, which includes minimum and maximum FPS values, provides additional insight. At 4K Medium, the average is 104 FPS with a minimum of 88 FPS and maximum of 120 FPS. This 32 FPS spread indicates some frame time inconsistency, possibly due to the CPU struggling to keep up with the game logic at higher resolutions while the GPU works harder. At 1080p Medium, the average of 315 FPS with a range of 268-362 FPS shows a wider relative spread, suggesting that CPU limitations are causing more variable frame pacing at lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Barony?

A: The data shows that 1440p provides a strong balance between visual fidelity and performance. At High settings, the system achieves 171 FPS at 1440p, which is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay. While 1080p offers higher frame rates, the 4K results at 64-89 FPS on High and Ultra settings are still playable but show significant performance degradation.

Q: How does the RX 7800 XT's 16 GB VRAM affect performance in Barony?

A: The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory is more than adequate for this roguelike. The game's release date in 2015 suggests it was designed for much less VRAM, so memory capacity is unlikely to be a limiting factor. The 624.1 GB/s bandwidth and 256-bit bus width are more relevant, as they directly impact texture streaming and rendering throughput at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the i5-13400F a bottleneck for the RX 7800 XT in this game?

A: At 1080p, yes. The 424 FPS Low result indicates the CPU is pushing frames as fast as possible, while the GPU has headroom. However, at 4K the GPU takes over as the limiting component. The CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads provide ample processing power, but Barony's single-threaded nature may limit performance at high frame rates.

Q: What is the expected frame rate at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 194 FPS at 1080p Ultra. This is a substantial drop from the 271 FPS at High settings, indicating that the Ultra preset introduces significant additional rendering work that impacts the GPU, even at this lower resolution.

Q: How does the combo's rank in Barony compare to other games?

A: The combo ranks 1232nd out of 3717 tested combinations, placing it in the 33rd percentile. This suggests that while the hardware is capable, Barony's specific performance characteristics may not favor this particular CPU-GPU pairing compared to other configurations.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K with any settings?

A: Yes, but only on Low and Medium presets. The 4K Low preset achieves 140 FPS, and 4K Medium reaches 104 FPS. However, the 4K High preset drops to 89 FPS, and Ultra falls to 64 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold but leaves little margin for frame drops.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is a significant piece of this performance puzzle. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for handling the texture-heavy environments of a roguelike like Barony. The GPU's boost clock of 2430 MHz and game clock of 2124 MHz indicate a well-tuned card that can sustain high frequencies under load.

The GPU's benchmark scores provide context for its performance. Its Passmark G3D score of 24176 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4157 show solid raw performance. However, its percentile ranking of 51 against all GPUs is surprisingly modest, suggesting that while it is a capable card, it doesn't dominate the market. The nearest rivals, including the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 (deltaPct -0.5) and AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT (deltaPct -1.8), are older or lower-tier cards, indicating the RX 7800 XT sits in a competitive but not top-tier position.

In Barony specifically, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 64 FPS shows the card working hard to render the game's pixel-heavy effects. The 37.32 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is substantial, but the game's rendering engine appears to be putting significant strain on the GPU at 4K, especially with the Ultra preset's additional visual features.

The GPU's 96 ROPs and 240 TMUs are well-suited for a game like Barony, which likely relies on simple geometry but heavy texture work. The 233.3 GPixel/s pixel rate suggests the card can fill a lot of pixels, which is why the 4K Medium preset still achieves 104 FPS. However, the Ultra preset's additional lighting and shadow effects appear to be taxing the GPU's compute units, as evidenced by the drop to 64 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates its peak performance. Low settings produce an average of 424 FPS, which is extraordinary for any game. Medium settings drop to 315 FPS, with a minimum of 268 and maximum of 362. High settings yield 271 FPS, and Ultra brings the average down to 194 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 54% reduction in frame rate, indicating that the Ultra preset's additional effects have a significant cost.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings achieve 267 FPS, Medium reaches 199 FPS (with a range of 169-229), High hits 171 FPS, and Ultra drops to 122 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra here is also 54%, consistent with the 1080p results. This suggests that the GPU is becoming more of a factor at this resolution, but the CPU still has enough overhead to maintain high frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the GPU clearly becomes the limiting component. Low settings still produce 140 FPS, which is impressive for 4K. Medium averages 104 FPS (88-120 range), High drops to 89 FPS, and Ultra falls to 64 FPS. The Low to Ultra reduction is 54% again, showing a consistent scaling pattern across all resolutions. The 4K results indicate that the RX 7800 XT can handle the game at playable frame rates, but the Ultra preset's demands push it to its limits.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data across all resolutions. At 1080p, the 268-362 FPS range represents a 35% variation, while at 1440p the 169-229 range shows a 35% variation as well. At 4K, the 88-120 range shows a 36% variation. This consistency suggests that frame pacing is stable across resolutions, with the CPU and GPU balancing their workloads predictably.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F brings 10 cores and 16 threads to the table, running at a base clock of 2.50 GHz and boosting to 4.60 GHz. Its 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample storage for game data. The CPU's benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22604 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 11068.

However, Barony's age suggests it may not fully utilize all these cores. The CPU's single-thread performance, as indicated by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3191 and a Passmark single-thread score of 3634, is likely more relevant for this game. The high frame rates at 1080p (424 FPS on Low) suggest that the CPU is delivering frames as fast as possible, but the GPU is unable to keep up in some scenarios.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 77 against all processors places it well above average. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (deltaPct 0) and AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (deltaPct 0.4), indicating that the i5-13400F is competitive with high-end mobile processors. This suggests that the CPU has more than enough power for Barony, and its 10-core configuration provides headroom for other tasks running alongside the game.

The 65W TDP is modest, indicating that the CPU won't generate excessive heat. The LGA 1700 socket and Raptor Lake architecture are modern, but the game's 2015 release date means it was designed for much older hardware. This mismatch is evident in the performance data: the CPU can process game logic at an extremely high rate, but the game engine's single-threaded nature may limit how much of this power is actually utilized.

Settings Recommendations

The data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience. At 1080p, the Medium preset with 315 FPS average is the sweet spot, as it offers a substantial improvement over High (271 FPS) without the performance penalty of Ultra (194 FPS). The Medium preset's minimum of 268 FPS ensures smooth gameplay even during intense scenes.

For 1440p, High settings at 171 FPS are recommended. This provides excellent visual quality while maintaining a frame rate well above any display's refresh rate. The Medium preset at 199 FPS offers even more headroom, but the visual difference between Medium and High may be noticeable. Ultra at 122 FPS is still viable for competitive play, but the drop from High is significant.

At 4K, the choice is more constrained. Medium settings at 104 FPS offer the best balance, providing good visual quality while staying comfortably above 60 FPS. High at 89 FPS is also playable, but the Ultra preset at 64 FPS leaves little margin for frame drops. For the most consistent experience at 4K, Medium settings are the clear choice.

Across all resolutions, the Low preset offers extreme frame rates but at a significant visual cost. The data suggests that Medium or High settings provide the best balance of visual quality and performance, depending on the resolution. The Ultra preset's performance penalty of roughly 30% over High makes it less attractive, especially at 4K where it drops close to the 60 FPS threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1232 out of 3717 tested combinations places it in the 33rd percentile for Barony. This is a modest ranking, especially considering the hardware's individual strengths. The CPU ranks in the 77th percentile against all processors, and the GPU ranks in the 51st percentile against all GPUs. The combination's ranking in this specific game suggests that Barony's performance characteristics don't fully favor this pairing.

The deltaPct values for the GPU's nearest rivals are telling. The RX 7800 XT's average benchmark score of 11627 is very close to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 (11680, deltaPct -0.5) and the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT (11842, deltaPct -1.8). This indicates that in synthetic benchmarks, the RX 7800 XT performs similarly to much older or lower-tier cards, which is unusual for a modern GPU. This suggests that the card's real-world performance in games like Barony may be influenced by factors not captured in synthetic tests.

The CPU's nearest rivals show a similar pattern. The i5-13400F's average benchmark score of 25292 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (25284, deltaPct 0) and Intel Core 5 120 (25362, deltaPct -0.3). This indicates that the CPU performs on par with these alternatives, which is reasonable for a mid-range desktop processor.

The rank of 1232 out of 3717 means that 2485 other combinations performed better in this game. This could be due to the game's age and its potential preference for different hardware configurations. The high frame rates achieved at 1080p suggest that the combo is not underpowered, but rather that the game may not be optimized to take full advantage of the modern hardware's capabilities. The data shows that this is a capable combination, but not a top-tier one for Barony specifically.