Barony

# Barony with Intel Core i5-13400F + AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT

This pairing of Intel's 10-core Raptor Lake CPU and AMD's RDNA 4 flagship GPU delivers exceptional frame rates across all resolutions in Barony, with the data showing a clear shift from CPU-bound behavior at 1080p to GPU-bound behavior at 4K. The measured results put this combo in the top 27% of all tested configurations for this game, making it a strong choice for high-refresh-rate roguelike play.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression across resolutions reveals how this combo scales with pixel count. At 1080p with Low settings, the system pushes 466.9 FPS, which drops to 297.8 FPS at 1440p and 154.4 FPS at 4K. That is a 68% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating the GPU becomes increasingly stressed as resolution climbs. The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets, but the magnitude of the drop varies significantly.

At Medium settings, the 1080p result of 346.2 FPS falls to 217.8 FPS at 1440p (a 37% decrease) and then to 115.2 FPS at 4K (another 47% drop). The High preset shows similar behavior: 299.2 FPS at 1080p, 188.6 FPS at 1440p, and 100.4 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset starts lower at 215.6 FPS for 1080p, drops to 132.3 FPS at 1440p, and lands at 72.9 FPS for 4K. This consistent pattern across all presets suggests the limiting component shifts from CPU at lower resolutions to GPU at higher ones.

The 1440p to 4K transition is particularly telling. At every settings level, the drop from 1440p to 4K is proportionally larger than the drop from 1080p to 1440p. For example, at High settings, 1080p to 1440p costs 37% of performance, but 1440p to 4K costs 47%. This increasing penalty at higher resolutions is classic GPU-bound behavior, where the Radeon RX 9070 XT's rendering workload grows faster than pixel count alone would suggest. The 4K Ultra result of 72.9 FPS confirms that this resolution and preset combination is the first point where the system dips below the 100 FPS threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 467th out of 1,702 tested combinations in Barony, placing it in the top 27.4% of all configurations. This is a strong showing for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU, and the data suggests the CPU is not holding back the graphics card in most scenarios. The rank reflects the entire system's performance across all measured settings and resolutions, not just peak frame rates.

What makes this ranking notable is the consistency across the board. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 466.9 FPS, which is well above what most displays can even render. Even at 4K Ultra, the 72.9 FPS result exceeds the 60 FPS baseline that many players consider the minimum for smooth gameplay. The combination never falls below playable territory in any measured configuration, which reflects both components' capabilities.

The percentile ranking of 82 for both the CPU and GPU individually suggests these components perform well above average in their respective categories. The CPU's average benchmark score of 25,236 places it in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU's average score of 39,647 also lands in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs. This balanced pairing means neither component is dramatically over- or under-powered relative to the other, which contributes to the solid overall ranking in Barony.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F brings 10 cores and 16 threads to this pairing, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. This Raptor Lake architecture design uses a 10-core configuration that includes both performance and efficiency cores, though the benchmark data shows the multi-threaded performance is particularly strong. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 21,279 and the 3DMark 16-thread score of 7,314 indicate substantial processing headroom for Barony's roguelike simulation and procedural generation.

The single-thread performance is also respectable, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 960 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3,004. Barony, like many roguelikes, relies heavily on single-threaded game logic and turn-based mechanics, so this strong single-core showing helps maintain high frame rates even when the game's simulation is running. The PassMark single-thread score of 3,634 reinforces this capability.

The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core provide ample room for game data, and the 65 W TDP keeps power draw manageable. The fact that the combo achieves 466.9 FPS at 1080p Low suggests the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at that resolution, as the GPU is still able to produce extremely high frame rates. However, the scaling pattern from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings (466.9 to 297.8 FPS, a 36% drop) indicates the GPU starts to become the limiting factor even at lower settings. The CPU's 82nd percentile ranking versus all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the Intel Core i7-13620H and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D, shows it competes well with higher-tier processors.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average FPS is 466.9 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This drops to 297.8 at 1440p Low and 154.4 at 4K Low.

Q: Can this system handle 4K Ultra settings in Barony?

A: Yes, the 4K Ultra preset produces an average of 72.9 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS baseline and demonstrates that the RX 9070 XT's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 644.6 GB/s bandwidth can handle the highest preset at 4K.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25,236, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-13620H and 0.5% higher than the AMD EPYC 9474F. It trails the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D by 0.5%.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, High settings deliver 188.6 FPS while Ultra delivers 132.3 FPS. The difference is 56.3 FPS, representing a 30% performance cost for the Ultra preset.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the system achieves 466.9 FPS, which is extremely high. The scaling to 1440p (297.8 FPS) and 4K (154.4 FPS) at Low settings shows the GPU becomes the bottleneck as resolution increases, but the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU enough data at 1080p.

Q: How much faster is Low settings compared to Ultra at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, Low settings produce 154.4 FPS while Ultra produces 72.9 FPS. Low is more than double the frame rate of Ultra, indicating a significant performance headroom for players who prioritize frame rate over visual quality.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is the dominant component in this pairing for Barony, particularly at higher resolutions. Built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a 4 nm process, this GPU features 4,096 shading units, 256 texture mapping units, and 128 render output units. The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for the textures and effects used in Barony's roguelike environments.

The clock speeds are aggressive, with a base clock of 1660 MHz, a game clock of 2400 MHz, and a boost clock of 2970 MHz. This boost clock is particularly relevant for Barony, as the game's relatively simple geometry and lighting can often trigger maximum boost states. The 48.66 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power and the 760.3 GTexel/s texture rate provide ample headroom for the game's rendering demands.

The GPU's benchmark results reflect its capabilities. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 7,260 and the PassMark G3D score of 26,795 place it in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 575 (0.1% higher average score) and NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile (0.2% lower), which shows the RX 9070 XT sits in a competitive performance band. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 160,317 and Vulkan score of 184,026 further demonstrate its compute and graphics prowess.

The GPU's influence on Barony's performance is most evident at 4K. The jump from 154.4 FPS at Low to 100.4 FPS at High and 72.9 FPS at Ultra shows how the additional rendering work at higher presets taxes the GPU. The 16 GB VRAM capacity ensures that even the Ultra preset at 4K does not exceed memory limits, which would otherwise cause stuttering or texture pop-in.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and frame rate priority. For 1080p gaming, even Ultra settings deliver 215.6 FPS, which is far beyond what most monitors can display. The High preset's 299.2 FPS and Medium's 346.2 FPS offer diminishing returns for most players, so Ultra is the recommended choice at this resolution for the best visual experience without sacrificing smoothness.

At 1440p, the situation is similar but with more meaningful trade-offs. Ultra delivers 132.3 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors, while High provides 188.6 FPS for players with 144Hz or 165Hz displays. Medium at 217.8 FPS is only recommended for competitive play where maximum frame rate matters more than visual fidelity. The drop from High to Ultra costs 56.3 FPS, which is a significant difference, but the Ultra preset's 132.3 FPS remains well above any playability threshold.

For 4K, the choices require more careful consideration. Ultra delivers 72.9 FPS, which is playable but below the 100 FPS mark that many players prefer. High settings at 100.4 FPS hit that 100 FPS threshold and offer a balanced experience. Medium at 115.2 FPS provides additional headroom, while Low at 154.4 FPS is the choice for players who prioritize frame rate above all else. The data suggests High is the sweet spot for 4K, delivering solid visual quality while maintaining triple-digit frame rates.

The overall recommendation is to use High settings at 4K, Ultra at 1440p, and Ultra at 1080p. This configuration maximizes visual quality while keeping frame rates above 100 FPS at every resolution. Players with 240Hz or higher refresh rate monitors at 1080p or 1440p may prefer Medium or Low settings to push frame rates toward the 300-470 FPS range, but the visual trade-off is substantial.