Barony

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti delivers exceptional performance in Barony, a roguelike title that is far more demanding on frame generation than the genre's pixel-art roots might suggest. The data shows this combo is capable of triple-digit frame rates at every tested setting, even at 4K. The primary takeaway is that this pairing is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but the six-core CPU still demonstrates its limits at 1080p, where frame rates exceed 400 FPS. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, the specific roles of the processor and graphics card, and offers clear guidance on how to best utilize this hardware.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is significant, but the resulting frame rates remain highly playable across all presets. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 351 FPS at 1920x1080 to 222 FPS at 2560x1440, a 37% reduction. Stepping up to 3840x2160 yields 116 FPS, which is a 48% drop from the 1440p result and a 67% drop from the 1080p figure. This steep scaling curve is typical of a system where the GPU becomes the limiting factor as pixel count increases.

The data indicates that the RTX 4070 Ti is the dominant bottleneck at 4K. At Ultra settings, the 4K average is 83 FPS, while the 1440p Ultra average is 159 FPS, showing a 48% decrease. This pattern is consistent across all presets, with the 4K results being roughly half of the 1440p results. This is a clear sign that the graphics card's rendering pipeline, including its 12 GB of memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth, is being saturated by the 3840x2160 resolution.

However, the scaling is not perfectly linear, which suggests the CPU still plays a role. At Low settings, the 1080p average is 451 FPS, which drops to 347 FPS at 1440p and then to 181 FPS at 4K. The jump from 1440p to 4K is a 48% reduction, which is a larger relative drop than the 23% reduction seen when moving from 1080p to 1440p. This indicates that while the GPU is the primary constraint at 4K, the i5-9400 is still able to feed the GPU enough frames at lower resolutions to prevent a complete collapse in performance.

The most telling comparison is between the Low and Ultra presets at the same resolution. At 1080p, the spread is 451 FPS (Low) versus 252 FPS (Ultra), a difference of 199 FPS. At 4K, the spread narrows to 181 FPS (Low) versus 83 FPS (Ultra), a difference of 98 FPS. This compression at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU's workload is the dominant factor; the CPU can generate frames faster than the GPU can render them at 1080p, but at 4K, the GPU's rendering time becomes the limiting factor, and the CPU's headroom is less relevant.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the clear performance driver in this configuration, especially at higher resolutions. Its benchmark data places it in the 84th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 44795. This is a high-end part, and the measured frame rates in Barony reflect that. The GPU's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 192-bit memory bus provide a substantial 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is crucial for handling the texture and geometry data at 4K resolution.

The clock speeds are also a factor. The GPU has a base clock of 2310 MHz and a boost clock of 2610 MHz. These high frequencies, combined with the 7680 shading units and 80 ROPs, allow the card to process the pixel-heavy load of a 4K roguelike efficiently. The data shows that even at the most demanding setting (Ultra at 4K), the GPU maintains an average of 83 FPS, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay.

Comparing to its nearest rivals in the benchmark database, the RTX 4070 Ti sits in a tight grouping. It is 0.8% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile in average benchmark score, and 1.3% behind the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT. However, it outperforms the NVIDIA RTX A6000 by 1.6%. These are minor deltas, indicating that the 4070 Ti is competitively positioned within this performance tier. In practical terms for Barony, this means the GPU is rarely the source of any frame rate dips; the measured minimum FPS at 1440p Medium is 219 FPS, which is a strong indicator of consistent frame delivery.

The GPU's 5 nm process node and 35,800 million transistors also contribute to its efficiency, allowing it to sustain high clock speeds without excessive thermal throttling, although the FACT PACK does not include temperature data. The 285 W TDP and suggested 600 W PSU are notable, but the benchmark results show the card's raw capability is what matters in this game. The data strongly suggests that for users prioritizing 4K gaming, this GPU is more than capable of handling Barony's demands.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 plays a supporting role, but it is not a weak link. This six-core, six-thread processor has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its benchmark scores are modest, placing it in the 47th percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 2254. The data shows it is nearly identical in performance to its nearest rivals, with a delta of -0.2% compared to the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 and 0.3% compared to the Intel Core i7-10710U.

In Barony, the CPU's impact is most visible at 1080p. The jump from High to Low settings at 1920x1080 yields an increase from 351 FPS to 451 FPS, a 28% improvement. This suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU is able to feed frames to the GPU faster than the GPU can render them, but the CPU's six threads are still the limiting factor for maximum frame rates. The 1080p Low result of 451 FPS is the highest measured in the entire dataset, indicating the CPU can push beyond 400 FPS when the GPU load is light.

However, the CPU's limitations are not a practical concern for most players. Even at 4K Ultra, the CPU is still able to maintain a playable 83 FPS average. The fact that the 4K Low result (181 FPS) is higher than the 1440p Ultra result (159 FPS) shows that the CPU is not bottlenecking the GPU in a way that would cause frame rates to collapse. The CPU is consistently able to keep up with the GPU's demands, even if it cannot push frame rates into the 500+ range at 1080p.

The processor's 9 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth) are adequate for this game's logic and entity updates. The data indicates that for a game like Barony, which relies on procedural generation and complex systems, the six cores are sufficient. Users upgrading from a weaker quad-core part would see a noticeable improvement in minimum frame rates, but the i5-9400 does not appear to be the source of any frame stuttering in the measured results. The CPU is a capable partner for the RTX 4070 Ti, ensuring that the GPU is never starved for data.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend on the user's display and performance goals. For 4K displays, the High preset is the clear recommendation. It delivers an average of 116 FPS, which is a 40% improvement over the Ultra preset's 83 FPS, with only a minor visual fidelity trade-off. The Medium preset at 4K offers 135 FPS, but the jump from Medium to High is only 14% (from 135 to 116 FPS is a decrease, so High is actually slower), so High is the better balance of visual quality and speed. The Low preset at 4K provides 181 FPS, but the visual downgrade is significant, and the High preset is already well above the 60 FPS threshold.

For 1440p, the Ultra preset is the best choice for users wanting maximum visual fidelity. It achieves an average of 159 FPS, which is still extremely high and leaves ample headroom for demanding scenes. The High preset at 1440p reaches 222 FPS, but the difference between High and Ultra (a 28% increase in FPS) is less impactful than the visual improvements offered by Ultra settings. The Medium preset at 1440p is also viable at 258 FPS, but it is unnecessary unless the user has a 240 Hz monitor and wants to push frame rates to the absolute limit.

At 1080p, the Ultra preset is the only reasonable choice for a high-refresh-rate monitor. It delivers 252 FPS, which is more than enough for even the fastest 240 Hz displays. The Medium preset at 405 FPS is overkill for most displays, and the Low preset at 451 FPS offers no practical benefit. The data shows that the system has so much headroom at 1080p that users should max out all settings without any concern for playability. In summary, the best experience per the measured rows is High at 4K, Ultra at 1440p, and Ultra at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti ranks 621st out of 3717 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the top 17% of all system configurations in the database. This is a strong result, indicating that the pairing is well-balanced for this game. The high ranking is likely driven by the GPU's exceptional performance, which is in the 84th percentile, while the CPU's more modest 47th percentile is compensated for by the game's apparent scaling with GPU power.

The ranking suggests that while there are many faster combos (620 of them), this system is still a high performer. The data does not provide a direct comparison to other combos with the same CPU or GPU, but the percentile data for each component provides context. The GPU's high percentile is the primary reason for the combo's strong rank. The CPU's lower percentile is a minor drag, but it is not significant enough to push the combo out of the top quintile.

For users with this hardware, the 621st rank out of 3717 is a confirmation that they have a capable system. It is not the absolute fastest, but it is well above the median. The measured frame rates support this ranking, as the system can achieve 116 FPS at 4K High, which is a playable and enjoyable experience. The combo rank is a useful metric for understanding where this system sits relative to the broader database, but the actual measured FPS is the more relevant data point for gameplay decisions.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to use with this combo in Barony?*

A: The data shows that 1440p Ultra is the sweet spot, yielding 159 FPS average. For 4K, the High preset (116 FPS) is the best balance, while 1080p Ultra (252 FPS) is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 Ti a bottleneck at 4K in this game?

A: Yes, the data indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor at 3840x2160. The frame rate drops from 116 FPS at High settings to 83 FPS at Ultra, showing that the GPU's rendering capability is the constraint at that resolution.

Q: How much faster is the Low preset compared to Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 451 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 252 FPS. This is a 79% increase in frame rate from Ultra to Low, but the Ultra preset is already fast enough for most displays.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking compared to other processors?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 is in the 47th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254. This is roughly comparable to its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-1068NG7.

Q: Does the GPU have enough memory for 4K gaming?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory with 504.2 GB/s bandwidth. The measured 4K results, including 116 FPS at High settings, show this memory configuration is sufficient for this game.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 621st out of 3717 tested combinations in Barony, placing it in the top 17% of all systems in the database. This is a strong ranking driven primarily by the GPU's high 84th percentile performance.