Barony

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

The Intel Core i5-9400 brings six physical cores and six threads to this pairing, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. This is a Coffee Lake Refresh part from the Core i5 generation, built on Intel's 14 nm process. It carries 9 MB of shared L3 cache, with 64 KB of L1 and 256 KB of L2 per core. The processor supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s, and connects via PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes from the CPU.

In Barony, a roguelike title, the CPU's role is less about raw multi-threaded throughput and more about maintaining consistent frame pacing across procedural dungeon generation and AI-driven enemy behavior. The i5-9400's benchmark profile shows a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629 and a single-core score of 935, while its Geekbench multi-core result is 5141 and single-core is 1389. These numbers place the CPU at the 47th percentile among all tested processors, indicating a mid-pack standing for general compute.

What matters for this game is how the six cores handle the workload. Barony is not a title that scales aggressively with many threads; it favors strong single-core performance and moderate multi-core capability. The i5-9400's single-core scores are modest, and this shows in the measured frame rates at lower resolutions where CPU overhead becomes more visible. At 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra settings is substantial, suggesting the CPU is not the bottleneck at higher settings, but at Low settings the frame rates climb high enough that CPU limits could emerge. The boost clock of 4.10 GHz provides decent headroom for the game's logic, but the processor's age relative to newer parts means it sits behind more modern options.

The nearest rivals for the i5-9400, based on average benchmark score, include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which scores 2259 (a -0.2% delta), and the Intel Core i7-10710U at 2248 (a +0.3% delta). The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246 (a +0.4% delta), and the Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264 (a -0.4% delta). These deltas are all within a fraction of a percent, meaning the i5-9400's compute capability is statistically indistinguishable from these rivals in synthetic tests. For Barony, this implies that swapping among these CPUs would produce negligible differences in frame rates, assuming the GPU remains the same.

The data suggests that at 4K resolution, the CPU is not the limiting factor, as the GPU takes on the heavier load. At 1080p, however, the CPU's single-threaded performance could become more relevant, especially in scenes with many enemies or complex procedural generation. The six-thread limit means that background tasks or heavy game logic could introduce frame time spikes, but the measured average FPS at 1080p Low (405 FPS) indicates the CPU is still capable of feeding the GPU at very high rates.

# Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Examining the measured FPS data, the Medium preset appears to offer the most balanced experience across all resolutions. At 3840x2160, Medium delivers 99 FPS average with a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 114 FPS. This is a playable range for smooth action, and the minimum frame rate stays above 60 FPS, which is critical for a roguelike where reaction time matters. The High preset at the same resolution yields 85 FPS average, while Ultra drops to 61 FPS average, which is borderline for maintaining a consistent 60 FPS experience.

At 2560x1440, Medium again strikes a strong balance: 190 FPS average, with a minimum of 162 FPS and a maximum of 219 FPS. This is well above the refresh rate of most 1440p monitors, providing headroom for VRR displays. High at 1440p gives 163 FPS average, while Ultra provides 117 FPS average. The Low preset at 1440p reaches 256 FPS average, but the visual quality trade-off is likely too steep for most players.

At 1920x1080, Medium produces 301 FPS average, with a minimum of 256 FPS and a maximum of 346 FPS. This is exceptionally high and ensures that even on high-refresh-rate monitors, the game remains fluid. High at 1080p gives 259 FPS, while Ultra provides 185 FPS. The Low preset reaches 405 FPS, but this is overkill for any display and sacrifices too much visual fidelity.

The data indicates that Medium is the sweet spot because it maintains a minimum FPS of at least 84 at 4K, which is the lowest resolution tested here, and scales up to 256 FPS minimum at 1080p. The consistency between minimum and maximum frame rates is also tighter on Medium compared to other presets, suggesting fewer spikes. For players with high-refresh-rate 1080p or 1440p displays, Medium ensures the frame rate stays well above 144 FPS. For 4K displays, Medium remains above 60 FPS minimum, making it the only preset besides Low that guarantees this, and Low comes with significant visual compromises.

Ultra settings show the largest drop-off in performance, with 4K Ultra falling to 61 FPS average, which is only 1 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold. This makes Ultra risky for 4K gaming, especially in intense moments. High settings are a middle ground, but the minimum FPS data is not provided for High at most resolutions, making it harder to recommend without knowing the worst-case frame rate. Medium's documented minimums make it the safest choice.

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

The measured FPS across resolutions tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. Starting with the Medium preset, the frame rate drops from 301 FPS at 1080p to 190 FPS at 1440p, then to 99 FPS at 4K. This is a reduction of about 37% from 1080p to 1440p, and another 48% from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, which indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor as resolution increases.

For the High preset, the numbers are 259 FPS at 1080p, 163 FPS at 1440p, and 85 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is about 37%, and from 1440p to 4K is about 48%, mirroring the Medium preset's scaling. This consistent pattern suggests that the RTX 3070 Ti is the dominant constraint at higher resolutions, and the i5-9400 is keeping pace.

The Low preset shows 405 FPS at 1080p, 256 FPS at 1440p, and 134 FPS at 4K. The relative drops are 37% and 48% respectively, matching the other presets. This uniformity across all settings is a strong indicator that resolution scaling is purely GPU-bound in this game. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the frame rate to plateau or show smaller drops at higher resolutions, as the CPU workload would not increase with resolution.

The Ultra preset follows the same trend: 185 FPS at 1080p, 117 FPS at 1440p, and 61 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are consistent, reinforcing the conclusion that the RTX 3070 Ti is the component that scales with resolution. The 4K Ultra result of 61 FPS is particularly telling, as it sits right at the edge of playability, and the 4K Medium result of 99 FPS shows that the GPU has more headroom if settings are reduced.

What this implies is that at 1080p, the CPU is likely providing frames fast enough that the GPU is still the bottleneck, but the very high frame rates (above 300 FPS) suggest that the i5-9400's six cores are sufficient for this game's logic. The consistent scaling pattern also indicates that the CPU's performance does not degrade as resolution rises, which is expected since the game's simulation complexity is resolution-independent.

# How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti ranks 1333 out of 3717 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the 64th percentile of all tested configurations (calculated as 1333/3717). This ranking is notable because the GPU alone sits at the 75th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU sits at the 47th percentile among all CPUs. The combo's ranking is lower than the GPU's percentile, which suggests that the CPU is holding back the overall performance potential.

This ranking means that roughly 64% of tested combos perform worse than this pairing, while 36% perform better. Given that the RTX 3070 Ti is a high-end GPU with an average benchmark score of 29945, the fact that this combo lands in the upper third of all combinations is reasonable, but not exceptional. The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile (score 29928, +0.1% delta), the AMD Radeon RX 6800 (score 30095, -0.5% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (score 29783, +0.5% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 6700 (score 30433, -1.6% delta). These are all comparable GPUs, and the RTX 3070 Ti's performance is within 1.6% of these parts.

The CPU's ranking among all CPUs is lower, and this drags the combo down. If the i5-9400 were paired with a weaker GPU, the combo would likely rank lower. Conversely, if paired with a stronger GPU, the CPU would become the bottleneck more often. The combo rank of 1333 out of 3717 indicates that there are many combos with similar or better performance, likely featuring newer CPUs with higher single-threaded performance or more cores.

This ranking also reflects the game's characteristics. Barony is a roguelike, which may not be as demanding as AAA titles, so the ceiling for performance is lower. Many combos with mid-range GPUs and modern CPUs could achieve similar frame rates. The RTX 3070 Ti's high raw compute is somewhat underutilized at 1080p, where the CPU is the limiting factor, but at 4K, the GPU's power is fully engaged, and the combo performs closer to its potential.

# FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K Ultra settings for this combo?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 61 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p Low settings?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 405 FPS, which is very high, but the CPU's six cores and single-thread performance may start to limit frame rates above this level. The data shows no minimum FPS for this setting, so the worst-case performance is unknown.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 Ti compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 2080 Ti?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 29945, while the RTX 2080 Ti scores 29783. This is a +0.5% delta, meaning the 3070 Ti is slightly faster on average.

Q: What is the minimum FPS at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 162, with an average of 190 and a maximum of 219.

Q: Is the i5-9400's multi-core performance competitive with the Ryzen 5 PRO 1500?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254, while the Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, a +0.4% delta. They are effectively tied in multi-core performance.

Q: What percentage of all GPUs does the RTX 3070 Ti outperform?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti is at the 75th percentile among all GPUs, meaning it performs better than 75% of tested GPUs.

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

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are: Low at 405 FPS, Medium at 301 FPS with a minimum of 256 and maximum of 346, High at 259 FPS, and Ultra at 185 FPS. The Medium preset provides the only documented minimum and maximum values at this resolution, giving a range of 90 FPS between the lowest and highest frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are: Low at 256 FPS, Medium at 190 FPS with a minimum of 162 and maximum of 219, High at 163 FPS, and Ultra at 117 FPS. The Medium preset again provides the only frame time range, with a 57 FPS spread.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values are: Low at 134 FPS, Medium at 99 FPS with a minimum of 84 and maximum of 114, High at 85 FPS, and Ultra at 61 FPS. The Medium preset's range is 30 FPS, showing tighter consistency as resolution increases.

The data shows a clear trend: as resolution increases, the absolute FPS drops, and the spread between minimum and maximum frame rates narrows. At 1080p Medium, the spread is 90 FPS, at 1440p it is 57 FPS, and at 4K it is 30 FPS. This narrowing suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU becomes more consistently loaded, reducing frame time variance. At lower resolutions, the CPU and GPU may be interacting in ways that produce more variable frame times.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic drop from 1080p to 4K, going from 185 FPS to 61 FPS, a reduction of 67%. The Low preset drops from 405 FPS to 134 FPS, a 67% reduction as well. The Medium and High presets show similar percentage drops, indicating that the scaling is consistent across all settings. This uniformity reinforces the GPU-bound nature of the game at higher resolutions.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture with the GA104 chip, manufactured on Samsung's 8 nm process. It has 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die, with a transistor density of 44.4 million per mm². The GPU operates at a base clock of 1575 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, with memory running at 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective). It features 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 608.3 GB/s of bandwidth.

The GPU's compute capabilities include 6144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. It also has 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores, with a pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 339.8 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 21.75 TFLOPS, and FP16 is also 21.75 TFLOPS (1:1). The card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

In Barony, the GPU's role becomes more prominent at higher resolutions. The 8 GB of VRAM is likely sufficient for this game, as Barony is not a texture-heavy title, but the GDDR6X memory bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s ensures that texture streaming and procedural generation do not cause stutters. The 4K Medium result of 99 FPS indicates the GPU is well-utilized, while the 4K Ultra result of 61 FPS suggests that the game's Ultra settings push the GPU to its limits.

The GPU's benchmark scores show a PassMark G3D score of 23356 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 139541. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 3478. These place the GPU at the 75th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29945. The nearest rivals are all within 1.6% of its performance, indicating that the RTX 3070 Ti is a solid mid-to-high-end performer.

At 1080p, the GPU is not the limiting factor, as frame rates exceed 250 FPS on most settings. The GPU's high fill rate and shader throughput are underutilized at this resolution, and the CPU becomes more relevant. At 4K, the GPU's FP32 compute of 21.75 TFLOPS is taxed heavily, especially at Ultra settings, where the average FPS drops to 61. The boost clock of 1770 MHz provides the raw speed needed for this workload, but the thermal and power constraints of the 290 W TDP may cause the boost clock to fluctuate under sustained load.

The GPU's memory configuration is also notable: 8 GB of GDDR6X with 256-bit bus width. For a roguelike like Barony, this is more than adequate, and the bandwidth ensures that even at 4K, memory bandwidth is not a bottleneck. The PCIe 4.0 x16 interface is backward-compatible with the i5-9400's PCIe Gen 3, but the bandwidth difference is unlikely to impact performance in this game. The GPU's overall profile suggests it is capable of handling Barony at any resolution, but the CPU pairing limits the maximum achievable frame rates at lower resolutions.