Barony

Barony is a roguelike that, on paper, should not stress modern hardware, yet the measured data for the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 combination reveals a configuration that is heavily constrained by its graphics card. The benchmark results show a system that delivers playable frame rates at 1080p but falls apart as resolution increases, highlighting a clear imbalance between the capable CPU and the entry-level GPU. This analysis walks through the measured FPS data to explain where the bottleneck lies and what settings offer the best experience.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and tells a clear story about the limiting component in this system. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces an average of 88.8 FPS, which is smooth for a game like Barony. Moving to 1440p at the same High preset, the average falls to 57.4 FPS, a reduction of roughly 35%. The jump to 4K is far more punishing: the average plummets to 27.2 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable play. This scaling pattern is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario.

The data confirms this by looking at the Low preset across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system hits 139.9 FPS, indicating that the CPU has ample headroom. At 1440p Low, the average is 89.2 FPS, and at 4K Low, it is 45 FPS. The fact that even at the lowest settings the 4K frame rate is only 45 FPS shows that the GPU’s raw throughput is the primary constraint. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the frame rates to stay relatively flat across resolutions, but the steep decline from 139.9 to 45 FPS demonstrates that the GTX 1650 is being overwhelmed by the pixel count.

The difference between High and Ultra also grows with resolution. At 1080p, the gap between High (88.8 FPS) and Ultra (65.7 FPS) is 23.1 FPS. At 1440p, the gap is 16 FPS (57.4 vs. 41.4). At 4K, the gap narrows to just 3.8 FPS (27.2 vs. 23.4). This compression at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is already saturated, and the extra visual effects from the Ultra preset have diminishing returns because the hardware cannot keep up with the base workload.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the decisive factor in this system’s performance. With 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, the memory bandwidth is 128.1 GB/s, which is a modest figure for modern games. The GPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 8713. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile (0.4% faster) and the AMD Radeon 550X (0.4% slower), which puts it in a very specific performance tier.

The clock speeds are a base of 1485 MHz and a boost of 1665 MHz. These figures are not particularly high, but the real limitation is the 4 GB VRAM capacity. In Barony, the measured data shows that the 4K Ultra preset yields only 23.4 FPS, which is the lowest of any measured configuration. This is likely due to the combination of high resolution and high texture settings exceeding the available memory, forcing the GPU to swap data. The 4K High preset at 27.2 FPS is not much better, suggesting that the GPU’s compute power, rated at 2.984 TFLOPS FP32, is simply insufficient for the pixel load.

The GPU’s DirectX 12 benchmark score of 35 (from Passmark) is notably low, even compared to its DirectX 11 score of 58. This suggests that the card struggles with the modern API overhead, which could explain why the frame rates do not scale well with settings at higher resolutions. The card’s 896 shading units and 32 ROPs are entry-level figures, and the data shows that it hits a hard wall around 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a vastly more capable component than the GPU it is paired with. With 10 cores and 16 threads, it provides substantial multi-threaded performance. Its benchmark results are strong: it scores 21279 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3004 in single-core. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 25236 places it in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs, with its nearest rival being the Intel Core i7-13620H with a negligible 0.1% delta.

The CPU’s clock speeds are a base of 2.50 GHz and a boost of 4.60 GHz. The 20 MB of shared L3 cache helps with game logic and asset streaming. In the measured data, the CPU’s headroom is evident at 1080p Low, where the system achieves 139.9 FPS. This is far above the 60 FPS target and shows that the CPU is not breaking a sweat. Even at 1080p Ultra, the CPU manages to push 65.7 FPS, which is still respectable.

The CPU’s role becomes clearer when looking at the 1440p results. At 1440p Medium, the system hits 66.4 FPS, which is nearly identical to the 1080p Ultra result of 65.7 FPS. This suggests that the CPU is keeping up with the increased resolution without issue, but the GPU is the one that cannot maintain the same performance. The CPU’s Passmark multithread score of 25032 and single-thread score of 3634 indicate that it has more than enough processing power for Barony’s procedural generation and entity logic. The bottleneck is unequivocally on the graphics side.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-13400F or the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 the bottleneck in Barony?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The measured data shows that frame rates drop steeply with resolution at all settings, while the CPU has enough headroom to deliver 139.9 FPS at 1080p Low. The GPU’s 43rd percentile ranking versus the CPU’s 82nd percentile confirms this imbalance.

Q: Can this system run Barony at 4K?

A: Only at very low frame rates. The best 4K result is 45 FPS on Low settings, which is playable but not smooth. High settings drop to 27.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 23.4 FPS, which are below the playable threshold for most users.

Q: What is the best resolution for a smooth experience?

A: 1080p is the only resolution where the system consistently exceeds 60 FPS. The worst 1080p result is 65.7 FPS on Ultra, while the best is 139.9 FPS on Low. 1440p is playable on Medium (66.4 FPS) and High (57.4 FPS), but not on Ultra (41.4 FPS).

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest rivals in raw performance?

A: The GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 8713. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile, scores 8746, which is 0.4% higher. The AMD Radeon 550X scores 8749, also 0.4% higher. The differences are negligible.

Q: Does the CPU’s multi-threading help in Barony?

A: Yes, but it is not the limiting factor. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21279 shows strong parallel performance, but the game only needs a fraction of that. The frame rates are dictated by the GPU, as shown by the 45 FPS result at 4K Low.

Q: What is the impact of the Ultra preset at 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset at 1440p yields an average of 41.4 FPS, which is a 15 FPS drop from High. This shows that the GPU cannot handle the extra effects at that resolution, making High the better choice for a balance of quality and speed.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete picture of the system’s performance. At 1920x1080, the system is capable of high frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 139.9 FPS, Medium produces 103.7 FPS, High produces 88.8 FPS, and Ultra produces 65.7 FPS. All of these are above 60 FPS, making 1080p the sweet spot for this configuration.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly. Low settings average 89.2 FPS, which is still smooth. Medium averages 66.4 FPS, which is playable. High averages 57.4 FPS, which is borderline. Ultra averages 41.4 FPS, which is noticeably stuttery. The jump from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 35-40% of the frame rate, depending on the preset.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. Low settings average 45 FPS, which is the only playable option. Medium averages 32.1 FPS, High averages 27.2 FPS, and Ultra averages 23.4 FPS. The 4K resolution is too demanding for the GTX 1650, regardless of settings. The data shows a clear linear progression: as resolution increases, the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth become the limiting factors.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best experience for this combination is at 1080p with High settings. This preset yields 88.8 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target and provides a good balance of visual quality and performance. The Medium preset at 1080p offers 103.7 FPS, which is smoother but with reduced visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 1080p, at 65.7 FPS, is still playable but not worth the performance cost over High, given the marginal visual improvement.

For users with a 1440p monitor, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it delivers 66.4 FPS. The High preset drops to 57.4 FPS, which might be acceptable for a slower-paced roguelike, but Medium is safer for consistent play. The Ultra preset at 1440p should be avoided, as the 41.4 FPS average is not smooth.

At 4K, only the Low preset is viable, with an average of 45 FPS. This is a last resort for users with a 4K display. The data suggests that this system is not designed for 4K gaming, and users should either lower the resolution to 1440p or accept the low frame rates. The overall verdict is that the GTX 1650 holds the system back, and the CPU’s potential is wasted at higher resolutions.