Barony

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT delivers exceptional performance in Barony, a 2015 roguelike title. Across the measured configurations, the combination produces frame rates ranging from a playable 74 FPS at 4K Ultra to a staggering 503.9 FPS at 1080p Low. The data indicates that this system is overwhelmingly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while at 1080p, the CPU's strong single-thread performance becomes the primary driver of the extreme frame rates observed.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 203.8 FPS. This represents a significant drop from the 320.4 FPS seen at 1080p High, indicating the increased pixel count begins to engage the GPU more heavily.

Q: How does the Ultra preset performance compare between 1080p and 4K?

A: At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset yields an average of 228.5 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the average falls to 74 FPS. This represents a substantial 67.6% reduction in frame rate, highlighting the extreme load the 4K Ultra settings place on the Radeon RX 7900 XT.

Q: Is the system's performance rank high among all tested combinations?

A: Yes. The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is ranked 385 out of 1702 tested combos for Barony. This places it in the top 22.6% of all systems tested for this specific game.

Q: What is the difference in average benchmark scores between the CPU and its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35684. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, has a score of 35802, which is a 0.3% difference. This indicates the two processors perform nearly identically in general benchmarks.

Q: What is the boost clock of the CPU and the game clock of the GPU?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K has a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT has a game clock of 2025 MHz. These clocks are fundamental to their respective roles in achieving the measured frame rates.

Q: What is the stated launch MSRP for the GPU?

A: The launch MSRP for the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is 899 USD. This was its official price at the time of its release on 2022-11-02.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. It operates with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. In Barony, a roguelike game that is not heavily threaded, the high boost clock is more relevant than the core count. The benchmark data supports this; the CPU's 3dmark_single_thread score is 1043, while its 3dmark_max_threads score is 9979. The performance scaling from single to multi-threaded workloads shows the processor's capability, but for a game like Barony, the single-thread score is a stronger indicator of potential performance.

The processor's general performance is solid, ranking in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 35684 is nearly identical to its closest rivals. For example, it is only 0.3% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 and 0.7% behind the Intel Core i5-14500HX. It is slightly ahead of the Intel Core i7-13700T and Intel Core i7-13800H by 0.6% and 0.8%, respectively. These small deltas suggest that in CPU-bound scenarios, the i7-12700K would perform on par with these other high-end chips.

In the context of Barony, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the frame rates are exceptionally high, with the Low preset reaching 503.9 FPS. These numbers are so high that the GPU has less work to do per frame, and the CPU's ability to prepare and submit draw calls becomes the limiting factor. The 3dmark_2_threads score of 2065 and the 3dmark_4_threads score of 4011 show strong performance in lightly threaded workloads, which is beneficial for a game that may not utilize all 20 threads effectively. The data suggests the i7-12700K is more than capable of feeding the RX 7900 XT at 1080p, allowing the GPU to operate at its maximum potential.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is a high-end graphics card built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture. It features 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 800.0 GB/s. This large memory pool and high bandwidth are critical for handling high-resolution textures and complex scenes without bottlenecking. The GPU's boost clock is 2394 MHz, with a game clock of 2025 MHz. It is a massive card, drawing 300 W of power and requiring a 700 W power supply.

In Barony, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution and settings increase. The data shows a clear progression: at 1080p High, the average FPS is 320.4. At 1440p High, it drops to 203.8, and at 4K High, it further drops to 107.4. This scaling is a classic sign of GPU limitation. The GPU's compute capabilities, measured at 51.48 TFLOPS FP32, are being taxed more heavily at higher resolutions. The performance gap between the Low and Ultra presets at 4K (167.1 FPS vs. 74 FPS) is substantial, showing that the GPU's shading units (5376) and render output units (192) are the primary determinants of performance at this setting level.

The GPU's overall benchmark standing is strong, placing in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 38358 is virtually identical to its nearest rivals. For instance, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile has a deltaPct of 0%, and the NVIDIA CMP 70HX is 0.3% ahead. This indicates that the RX 7900 XT provides performance on par with these other top-tier cards. The 3dmark_3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 5623 underscores its DirectX 12 capability, which is relevant for a modern gaming workload.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast. The Low preset produces an average of 503.9 FPS, while Medium yields 376.9 FPS. High settings still achieve 320.4 FPS, and even the demanding Ultra preset maintains a high average of 228.5 FPS. These figures suggest that at 1080p, the system is rarely stressed, and the frame rate is likely limited by the CPU's single-thread performance or game engine logic rather than the GPU.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS figures remain very high but show a noticeable decrease. The Low preset averages 321 FPS, Medium averages 239.1 FPS, and High averages 203.8 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p produces an average of 147.8 FPS. This resolution is a sweet spot for this combination, offering high refresh-rate gaming even with maxed-out settings. The performance drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 36% for the High preset, indicating the GPU is starting to take on more work.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck. The Low preset still delivers a very playable 167.1 FPS, and Medium drops to 122.7 FPS. High settings average 107.4 FPS, which is still smooth for most displays. The Ultra preset is the only configuration that falls below the 100 FPS mark, averaging 74 FPS. This is still a playable frame rate, but it shows the limits of the RX 7900 XT when pushed to 4K with maximum graphical fidelity.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling analysis reveals that the system transitions from a CPU-bound state at 1080p to a GPU-bound state at 4K. For the High preset, the frame rates are 320.4 FPS at 1080p, 203.8 FPS at 1440p, and 107.4 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is a 36.4% reduction, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is a 47.3% reduction. This increasing percentage drop as resolution increases is a clear indicator of GPU limitation. The GPU must render more pixels, and its performance scales accordingly.

The Low preset shows a different scaling pattern. The frame rates are 503.9 FPS at 1080p, 321 FPS at 1440p, and 167.1 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 36.3% from 1080p to 1440p and 47.9% from 1440p to 4K. While the percentages are similar to the High preset, the absolute frame rates are much higher. This suggests that even at 4K Low, the GPU is not fully saturated, and the CPU is still contributing to the overall performance ceiling.

The Ultra preset demonstrates the most significant scaling impact. The frame rates are 228.5 FPS at 1080p, 147.8 FPS at 1440p, and 74 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is a massive 67.6% reduction. This indicates that the combination of high resolution and the most demanding settings creates a workload that heavily taxes the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute units. The 20 GB VRAM buffer is likely not the limiting factor, but rather the raw processing power of the GPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the user's display resolution and refresh rate target. For users with a 1080p display, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation. The system achieves an average of 228.5 FPS, which is sufficient for even the fastest 240Hz monitors. There is no need to lower settings for performance reasons, as the frame rate is already well above any practical refresh rate ceiling.

For 1440p displays, the High preset is the best balance. It delivers an average of 203.8 FPS, which comfortably exceeds the 144Hz refresh rate common on many 1440p monitors. The Ultra preset is also viable, with an average of 147.8 FPS, but the marginal visual gain may not justify the 27.5% performance loss compared to High. Users with a 165Hz or 240Hz 1440p monitor should stick with High or Medium to maintain a frame rate above their display's refresh rate.

For 4K displays, the High preset is the recommended starting point. It averages 107.4 FPS, which is excellent for 4K gaming and works well with 120Hz displays. The Medium preset offers a safer margin, with an average of 122.7 FPS, which provides more headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset, while playable at 74 FPS, is only recommended for users with a 60Hz display who prioritize maximum visual quality over frame rate smoothness. The Low preset is not necessary at this resolution, as even Medium provides a significantly better visual experience with only a 26.7% performance penalty compared to Low.