Barony

Barony, a roguelike released in 2015, demonstrates distinct performance scaling characteristics when paired with the Intel Core i7-12700K and AMD Radeon RX 580. The benchmark data, measured across three resolutions and four quality settings, reveals a system where the graphics card is the primary limiting factor, though the processor’s capabilities ensure consistent frame delivery at lower resolutions. This analysis breaks down the resolution scaling, component roles, and overall ranking of this specific hardware combination within the game’s tested database.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates the GPU-bound nature of this configuration at higher resolutions. At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 97.9 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 63.8 FPS, a reduction of approximately 35%. The scaling continues to 4K High, where the average falls to 33.1 FPS, representing a further 48% decrease from the 1440p figure. This steep decline indicates that the RX 580’s rendering throughput is saturated as pixel count increases, with the frame rate nearly halving at each major resolution step.

The pattern holds across all quality settings, though the magnitude of the drop varies. With Low settings, the system produces 151.6 FPS at 1080p, 98.9 FPS at 1440p, and 48.5 FPS at 4K. The transition from 1080p to 1440p on Low yields a 34.8% reduction, while the 1440p to 4K step yields a 51% reduction. This non-linear scaling suggests that at 4K, the GPU is hitting a more severe bottleneck, as the fill-rate and memory bandwidth demands of 8.3 million pixels exceed what the Polaris 20 chip can sustain efficiently.

At Ultra settings, the resolution scaling is even more pronounced. The combo delivers 73.1 FPS at 1080p, 42.7 FPS at 1440p, and 26 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 41.6%, and the 1440p to 4K drop is 39.1%. The fact that 4K Ultra remains above 25 FPS indicates playable, if not smooth, performance. The data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where the system consistently exceeds 60 FPS across all settings, with the lowest 1080p result being 73.1 FPS on Ultra. At 1440p, only Low and Medium settings clear the 60 FPS threshold, achieving 98.9 and 74.3 FPS respectively. At 4K, no setting reaches 60 FPS, with the best result being 48.5 FPS on Low.

This scaling behavior points to a classic GPU limitation scenario. The CPU’s role diminishes as resolution increases because the frame time becomes dominated by pixel shading and memory operations rather than draw calls and game logic. The RX 580’s 256-bit memory bus and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth appear sufficient for 1080p but struggle to feed the shader cores adequately at 4K, particularly on higher quality presets that increase texture detail and post-processing effects.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580, built on the GCN 4.0 architecture with the Polaris 20 chip, serves as the definitive performance ceiling for this combo. Its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory, clocked at 2000 MHz with an effective 8 Gbps transfer rate, provides a 256-bit memory interface. The GPU’s base clock of 1257 MHz and boost clock of 1340 MHz drive 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operations pipelines. These specifications yield a pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 193.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 6.175 TFLOPS.

In Barony, the GPU’s 8 GB frame buffer is not a limiting factor, as even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 26 indicates the bottleneck is processing power rather than memory capacity. The data shows a 46% reduction in FPS when moving from High (33.1 FPS) to Ultra (26 FPS) at 4K, which aligns with the increased shading and texture work that Ultra presets demand. The GPU’s 53rd percentile ranking among all tested GPUs places it near the median, and its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, has an identical average benchmark score of 13564 with a 0% delta. The RX 580 also sits within 1.1% of the AMD Radeon Pro 455 and 0.1% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950, indicating it is a mid-tier performer that can handle 1080p gaming comfortably but struggles with 4K demands.

The GPU’s DirectX 12 support (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3 API compatibility are relevant for a modern roguelike, though Barony’s 2015 release predates widespread adoption of these APIs. The measured data indicates that the RX 580’s thermal design power of 185 W and suggested power supply of 450 W are within typical desktop configurations. The end-of-life production status and launch MSRP of 229 USD reflect its age, but the benchmark results show it still delivers playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p Medium for this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K provides substantial headroom that prevents processor bottlenecks in most scenarios. With 12 cores (20 threads) based on the Alder Lake architecture and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, this CPU ranks in the 89th percentile among all tested processors. Its average benchmark score of 35684 is within 0.3% of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, which scores 35802, and 0.6% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13700T at 35468. The single-thread performance, measured at 1043 in 3DMark single-thread and 4128 in Cinebench R23 single-core, is strong for a roguelike that may rely on single-threaded game logic.

Barony, as a roguelike, often involves procedural generation and entity updates that can be CPU-intensive. The i7-12700K’s multi-threaded capabilities, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29241 and a 3DMark max-threads score of 9979, ensure that even complex game states do not starve the GPU. However, the benchmark data shows that at 1080p Low, the average FPS reaches 151.6, which is likely near the upper limit of what the RX 580 can output before the CPU becomes a factor. The fact that 1080p Ultra yields 73.1 FPS while 1080p Low yields 151.6 FPS suggests that the GPU is still the primary constraint, as the frame rate scales with GPU workload rather than staying flat due to CPU limits.

The CPU’s 25 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core provide fast access to frequently used data, which helps maintain consistent frame times. Its support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, with a dual-channel memory bus, offers flexibility, though the benchmark data does not specify which memory type was used. The integrated UHD Graphics 770 is irrelevant for this discrete GPU configuration. The i7-12700K’s launch MSRP of $409 positions it as a high-end desktop part, and its performance in Barony reflects that, as it does not appear to limit the RX 580’s output at any tested resolution or setting.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware in Barony?

A: Based on the measured FPS data, 1080p High achieves 97.9 FPS, which offers a smooth experience. For higher visual quality, 1080p Ultra delivers 73.1 FPS, still above 60 FPS. At 1440p, Medium settings yield 74.3 FPS, making it viable, while 4K is only playable at Low settings with 48.5 FPS.

Q: Does the RX 580’s 8 GB VRAM cause any issues in Barony?

A: The benchmark data does not indicate VRAM-related slowdowns. The FPS drops from High to Ultra at each resolution are proportional to increased shading work, not memory capacity. At 4K Ultra, the 26 FPS average suggests compute limits rather than memory exhaustion, as the game’s roguelike graphics are not memory-intensive.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested configurations in Barony?

A: This specific combination ranks 1572 out of 1702 tested combos, placing it in the 8th percentile of all configurations. The ranking reflects the RX 580’s mid-tier GPU performance (53rd percentile) and the i7-12700K’s high-tier CPU performance (89th percentile), with the GPU being the limiting factor for the overall rank.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The FPS scaling from 1080p Low (151.6 FPS) to 1080p Ultra (73.1 FPS) indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. If the CPU were limiting, the frame rates would be closer across settings. The i7-12700K’s strong single-thread benchmark scores (1043 in 3DMark single-thread) suggest it can feed the GPU adequately at this resolution.

Q: What are the performance differences between High and Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p, Ultra is 25.3% slower than High (73.1 vs 97.9 FPS). At 1440p, Ultra is 33.1% slower (42.7 vs 63.8 FPS). At 4K, Ultra is 21.5% slower (26 vs 33.1 FPS). The larger relative drop at 1440p indicates that Ultra settings add a significant load on the GPU’s shader units.

Q: Can this combo achieve 60 FPS at 4K?

A: No, the data shows the highest 4K result is 48.5 FPS on Low settings. Medium achieves 41.1 FPS, High achieves 33.1 FPS, and Ultra achieves 26 FPS. None of these reach the 60 FPS threshold, confirming that the RX 580 is insufficient for 4K gaming in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700K and AMD Radeon RX 580 combination ranks 1572 out of 1702 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the bottom 7.6% of all configurations. This low rank is primarily attributable to the GPU, which sits at the 53rd percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU ranks at the 89th percentile. The disparity between component percentiles highlights that the RX 580 is the performance ceiling, and upgrading the GPU would yield significant gains, whereas upgrading the CPU would provide minimal benefit for this game.

The combo’s rank of 1572 suggests that most other tested configurations feature either faster GPUs or more balanced pairings. The RX 580’s average benchmark score of 13559, which is statistically tied with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (13564, 0% delta) and GTX 950 (13549, 0.1% delta), places it in a performance tier that is now several generations old. In Barony’s specific workload, the measured FPS data shows that this GPU can handle 1080p High at 97.9 FPS, but the 4K results below 50 FPS on any setting drag down the overall ranking relative to combos with more modern graphics cards.

The i7-12700K’s contribution to the rank is positive, as its high single-thread and multi-thread scores prevent any CPU-induced frame dips. However, the combination’s rank is determined by the weakest link, and the RX 580’s 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is simply not competitive with higher-tier GPUs that would push the combo into a more favorable position. For users targeting 1080p or 1440p Medium, this combo delivers playable results, but the data indicates it is not optimized for high-resolution or maximum-quality play, which is reflected in its position near the bottom of the tested combos list.