Barony

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti delivers exceptional performance in Barony, a roguelike title that clearly favors high refresh rates. Based on measured data, this combination consistently pushes frame rates well beyond what most displays can show, even at 4K resolution. The data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at lower settings and CPU-bound at higher resolutions, but in all cases, the results are outstanding for this genre.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average is 252.4 FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings. This is significantly above the 144Hz refresh rate that most competitive gamers target, making this combo highly capable for fast-paced roguelike gameplay.

Q: Does this pairing handle 4K resolution well?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 81.6 FPS on Ultra to 181.9 FPS on Low settings. The Ultra preset is the only one that dips below the 100 FPS mark, but it remains playable for a turn-based roguelike.

Q: How does the CPU benchmark against its closest rivals?

A: The Core i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35684, which is 0.3% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35802) and 0.7% behind the Intel Core i5-14500HX (35940). It is 0.6% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13700T (35468) and 0.8% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13800H (35416).

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile compared to all other graphics cards?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti sits in the 85th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 44900. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile, scores 45152, which is only 0.6% higher.

Q: What is the difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: The gap is substantial. At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 346 FPS on average, while Ultra settings drop to 157.3 FPS. That represents a performance reduction of over half when maxing out visual quality.

Q: Is the 12 GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: Yes. The RTX 4070 Ti's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory, paired with a 504.2 GB/s bandwidth, is more than adequate for Barony. The measured frame rates show no signs of memory-related bottlenecks at any tested resolution or setting.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the primary driver of frame rate in Barony, especially at lower resolutions and settings. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus delivers 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for a roguelike with relatively simple textures. The GPU's 7680 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units provide substantial raw compute power, reflected in its 40.09 TFLOPS FP32 performance. The base clock of 2310 MHz and boost clock of 2610 MHz ensure that the card operates at high frequencies under load.

Looking at the measured data, the GPU's influence is most pronounced when moving from Low to Medium settings. At 1080p, Low settings yield 553.4 FPS, but Medium drops to 411.5 FPS—a 25.6% reduction. This indicates that the graphics card is the limiting factor when visual effects are enabled. However, at 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 81.6, showing that even this powerful GPU struggles to maintain high frame rates at maximum fidelity in higher resolutions.

The RTX 4070 Ti's benchmark scores reinforce its position. Its PassMark G3D score of 31624 and Geekbench OpenCL score of 205028 place it in the 85th percentile of all GPUs. Compared to its nearest rival, the RTX 5090 Mobile (45152 average score), the 4070 Ti is only 0.6% behind, indicating that desktop-class performance is nearly matched by a mobile chip. This data suggests that for Barony, the GPU will not be a bottleneck at 1080p or 1440p, but it will be the determining factor at 4K Ultra settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K plays a supporting role in Barony's performance, primarily ensuring that the GPU is fed with enough data to maintain high frame rates. This processor features 12 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its 25 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core provide fast access to frequently used game data. The CPU's 125W TDP and Alder Lake architecture with a 10 nm process node are well-suited for gaming workloads.

Benchmark results show the CPU's strengths in both single-threaded and multi-threaded tasks. Its 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4128 indicate strong per-core performance, which is critical for games that rely on a main thread. The multi-threaded scores are equally impressive: Cinebench R23 multicore reaches 29241, and PassMark multithread scores 34404. These figures place the CPU in the 89th percentile of all processors.

In Barony, the CPU's role becomes apparent when comparing frame rates across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 553.4 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's maximum frame generation capability. Moving to 4K Low, the frame rate drops to 181.9 FPS, showing that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The CPU's nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, scores 35802 on average, just 0.3% higher, meaning the 12700K is effectively on par with its closest competition for this workload.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for this combination show a clear scaling pattern across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 553.4 on Low to 252.4 on Ultra. The Medium preset delivers 411.5 FPS, while High produces 350.6 FPS. These numbers indicate that even at maximum settings, the system maintains frame rates far above the 240Hz refresh rate that high-end gaming monitors offer.

At 2560x1440, performance remains exceptionally high. Low settings yield 346 FPS on average, Medium drops to 257.3 FPS, and High produces 224 FPS. Ultra settings still manage a strong 157.3 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a consistent reduction in frame rates, with the Low preset dropping from 553.4 to 346 FPS—a 37.5% decrease that reflects the increased pixel count.

The 3840x2160 results demonstrate where the GPU begins to feel the pressure. Low settings produce 181.9 FPS, Medium drops to 133.2 FPS, and High yields 116.4 FPS. Ultra settings fall to 81.6 FPS, which is the only measured scenario below the 100 FPS threshold. This resolution is where players will need to make compromises on visual quality to maintain high refresh rates, though even the Ultra preset remains playable for a roguelike.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti ranks 240th out of 1702 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the top 14.1% of all configurations, which is a strong showing for a mid-to-high-end desktop setup. The rank reflects the excellent synergy between the CPU's single-threaded performance and the GPU's raw rasterization power.

The CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all processors and the GPU's 85th percentile ranking among all graphics cards suggest that neither component is holding the other back. The measured frame rates confirm this balance: at 1080p, the system is clearly CPU-limited at lower settings, while at 4K, the GPU takes over as the primary constraint. The 240th rank out of 1702 indicates that there are faster configurations, but they would likely involve higher-end components such as the RTX 5090 Mobile, which scores only 0.6% higher on average than the 4070 Ti.

Settings Recommendations

For players seeking the best balance of visual quality and performance, the High preset at 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. It delivers 224 FPS on average, which is well above any reasonable refresh rate target, while still providing a significant visual upgrade over Medium settings. The High preset at 3840x2160 is also viable, producing 116.4 FPS, which is smooth for a roguelike.

If maximizing frame rate is the priority, the Low preset at 1080p is the clear choice, delivering 553.4 FPS. However, this sacrifices visual fidelity for a frame rate that exceeds what most displays can show. The Medium preset at 1440p, at 257.3 FPS, offers a good middle ground for players with high-refresh-rate monitors who want a bit more visual polish.

For 4K users, the Medium preset at 133.2 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides a smooth experience while avoiding the performance hit of High settings. The Ultra preset at 4K, at 81.6 FPS, is only advisable for players who prioritize visual quality over frame rate and are using a 60Hz or 75Hz display. In all cases, the data shows that this combination is more than capable of handling Barony with room to spare, making it a solid choice for both casual and competitive play.