Barony

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 produces a striking performance curve in Barony, where the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a system that is thoroughly GPU-bound at lower resolutions and only begins to show CPU limitations at the highest settings. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo delivers 451 FPS, but this drops to 387 FPS at 2560x1440 and 205 FPS at 3840x2160 — a 54.5% reduction from 1080p to 4K. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 5080 is being held back by the i5-9400 at lower resolutions, where the GPU could theoretically push even higher frame rates but is constrained by the processor's six-core, six-thread configuration. The scaling pattern shifts dramatically when moving to Ultra settings: 1080p yields 284 FPS, 1440p drops to 180 FPS, and 4K falls to 94 FPS. The 4K Ultra figure represents only 33% of the 1080p Low result, suggesting that at the highest visual quality, the workload shifts more heavily onto the GPU, though the i5-9400 still exerts a measurable influence on the minimum frame rates observed in the Medium preset data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases, but the shape of that curve changes depending on the quality preset. At Low settings, the gap between 1080p (451 FPS) and 1440p (387 FPS) is a modest 64 FPS, while the jump from 1440p to 4K (205 FPS) costs 182 FPS — a much steeper cliff. This suggests that at Low settings, the system is heavily CPU-bound at 1080p and 1440p, with the RTX 5080 waiting on the i5-9400 to feed it draw calls. The 4K Low result of 205 FPS is still remarkably high, indicating that even when the GPU is finally given more pixel work, the processor can keep up reasonably well for a game like Barony, which is a roguelike with relatively simple geometry compared to modern AAA titles.

The Medium preset tells a similar story but with more granular data. At 1080p Medium, the combo averages 405 FPS with a minimum of 344 FPS and a maximum of 465 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 292 FPS with a 248 FPS minimum and 336 FPS maximum. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 152 FPS with a 130 FPS minimum and 175 FPS maximum. The minimum-to-maximum spread narrows as resolution increases: 121 FPS at 1080p, 88 FPS at 1440p, and 45 FPS at 4K. This tightening of the frame time distribution at higher resolutions indicates that the CPU is the primary source of frame pacing variability at lower resolutions, while at 4K the GPU becomes the bottleneck and produces more consistent frame delivery.

High settings show the most dramatic scaling between 1440p and 4K. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 384 FPS, which drops to 250 FPS at 1440p — a 34.9% reduction. The 4K High result of 131 FPS represents a 47.6% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline at 4K High suggests that the RTX 5080's 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily at this resolution, while the i5-9400's 9 MB shared L3 cache and 42.7 GB/s memory bandwidth become secondary factors. The Ultra preset shows the most linear scaling of all settings: 284 FPS at 1080p, 180 FPS at 1440p, and 94 FPS at 4K. The consistent ~36% drop between each resolution step indicates a more balanced workload where both CPU and GPU are contributing to the frame rate ceiling.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 366th out of 3,717 tested combinations in Barony, placing it in the top 9.8% of all systems evaluated for this game. This is a strong showing, though the rank understates the combo's raw capability in absolute terms — the high frame rates across all resolutions suggest that Barony is not particularly demanding, and the i5-9400's 47th percentile ranking among all CPUs (with an average benchmark score of 2,254) is the limiting factor. The RTX 5080, by contrast, sits in the 87th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 56,083, and its nearest rivals in synthetic tests include the AMD Radeon 8060S (0.6% slower), AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (0.7% slower), and AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (2.3% slower), while the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE is 2.2% faster.

The rank of 366 out of 3,717 means that 3,351 other combos deliver higher frame rates in Barony, which is expected given that the i5-9400 is an end-of-life product released in 2018 with only six threads. The processor's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (0.2% slower), Intel Core i7-10710U (0.3% faster), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (0.4% faster), and Intel Core i3-10305 (0.4% slower). These rivals all have similar multi-threaded performance, but in a game like Barony, the single-thread performance matters more, and the i5-9400's single-core scores (935 in Cinebench R23, 1,389 in Geekbench) are modest by modern standards. The data suggests that upgrading the CPU would significantly improve the combo's rank, while the RTX 5080 provides ample headroom for future processor upgrades.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average FPS is 451 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The Medium preset at 1080p also exceeds 400 FPS with an average of 405 FPS and a maximum of 465 FPS.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo averages 94 FPS. This is the most demanding configuration tested, and while it is playable, it represents a 79.2% reduction from the 1080p Low result.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this system?

A: The data indicates the CPU is the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions. The steep FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings (451 to 387 FPS) suggests the RTX 5080 is waiting on the i5-9400. At 4K Ultra, the GPU becomes more dominant, but the i5-9400 still limits minimum frame rates.

Q: What is the best resolution for competitive play?

A: At 1080p, all presets deliver at least 284 FPS, with Low reaching 451 FPS. The Medium preset offers a balance of quality and speed at 405 FPS, but for maximum frame rates, 1080p Low is the choice.

Q: How does the combo's performance at Medium settings vary across resolutions?

A: The Medium preset shows averages of 405 FPS at 1080p, 292 FPS at 1440p, and 152 FPS at 4K. The minimum FPS figures are 344, 248, and 130 respectively, showing consistent scaling.

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

A: It ranks 366th out of 3,717 combos tested in Barony, placing it in the top 9.8% of all tested configurations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) across three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160), providing a complete picture of the combo's performance envelope. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 451 FPS average, which is the highest measured result. The Medium preset at 1080p produces 405 FPS average with a minimum of 344 FPS and maximum of 465 FPS. The High preset at 1080p achieves 384 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 284 FPS. These figures show that at 1080p, the i5-9400's six cores and six threads are the limiting factor, as the RTX 5080 is capable of far higher frame rates in synthetic benchmarks.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very high but begin to show more GPU involvement. Low settings produce 387 FPS, Medium delivers 292 FPS (248 min, 336 max), High achieves 250 FPS, and Ultra drops to 180 FPS. The 1440p Medium minimum of 248 FPS is particularly notable, as it still exceeds the 4K Ultra average of 94 FPS by a significant margin. The 1440p results suggest that this resolution is the sweet spot for the combo if delivering high refresh rates is the goal, as all presets except Ultra maintain frame rates well above typical 144Hz displays.

At 3840x2160, the results show the GPU becoming the dominant factor. Low settings produce 205 FPS, Medium delivers 152 FPS (130 min, 175 max), High achieves 131 FPS, and Ultra drops to 94 FPS. The 4K Medium minimum of 130 FPS is the lowest minimum recorded across all tested configurations, though it remains playable. The Ultra preset at 4K produces 94 FPS, which is below the 100 FPS threshold some players prefer for smooth gameplay. The data shows that at 4K, the RTX 5080's 16 GB VRAM and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth are being utilized effectively, but the i5-9400's older architecture still influences the overall frame delivery.

Settings Recommendations

For players prioritizing maximum frame rates, the 1080p Low preset delivers 451 FPS, which is the highest measured result across all configurations. This setting minimizes GPU load and shifts the bottleneck entirely to the CPU, allowing the RTX 5080 to run at its maximum potential. However, even at 1080p Medium, the combo delivers 405 FPS with a minimum of 344 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of most gaming monitors. The Medium preset at 1080p appears to be the best balance for competitive play, offering a 46 FPS improvement over High settings while maintaining a minimum frame rate above 300 FPS.

At 1440p, the Medium preset provides 292 FPS average with a 248 FPS minimum, making it the best option for high-refresh-rate 1440p displays. The High preset at 1440p produces 250 FPS, which is also excellent, but the 42 FPS difference between Medium and High at this resolution suggests that the Medium preset offers a better experience for most users. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 180 FPS, which is still very playable but represents a significant reduction from the Medium result. For 4K gaming, the Medium preset at 152 FPS (130 min) is the recommended choice, as it provides smooth gameplay while maintaining visual quality. The High preset at 4K produces 131 FPS, which is close to Medium but with a less favorable frame time distribution. The Ultra preset at 4K (94 FPS) should be avoided unless players prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, as the sub-100 FPS result is below the threshold for high-refresh-rate displays.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor from the Coffee Lake Refresh generation, built on Intel's 14 nm process node. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The processor features 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 256 KB of L2 cache per core, and 9 MB of shared L3 cache. Its memory support is DDR4 with dual-channel configuration and 42.7 GB/s bandwidth. These specifications place the i5-9400 in the 47th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2,254. The processor's single-thread performance is modest by modern standards, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 935 and a Geekbench single-core score of 1,389.

In Barony, the i5-9400's six cores and six threads are sufficient to maintain high frame rates, but the data suggests that the processor is the limiting factor at lower resolutions. The 1080p Low result of 451 FPS is likely close to the maximum frame rate the CPU can feed to the GPU, as the RTX 5080's synthetic benchmark scores (56,083 average, 87th percentile) suggest it could achieve higher frame rates if paired with a more powerful processor. The processor's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (0.2% slower), Intel Core i7-10710U (0.3% faster), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (0.4% faster), and Intel Core i3-10305 (0.4% slower). These rivals all have similar average scores, indicating that the i5-9400's performance is well-understood within its class.

The lack of hyper-threading is a notable limitation for the i5-9400, as its six threads can be saturated by games that utilize more than six threads. Barony, as a roguelike, likely has modest thread utilization, but the frame rate drops observed at 4K Ultra (94 FPS) versus 4K Low (205 FPS) suggest that the processor's single-thread performance becomes more critical at higher settings. The processor's boost clock of 4.10 GHz helps in this regard, but its older architecture and 14 nm process node limit its efficiency compared to newer processors. For players looking to maximize the RTX 5080's potential in Barony, a processor with higher single-thread performance and additional threads would likely yield better results, as the current combo's rank of 366 out of 3,717 indicates that many other processor pairings deliver superior frame rates.