Barony

# Barony with Intel Core i7-12700KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers extraordinary frame rates in Barony, a roguelike that appears remarkably undemanding on modern hardware. Across all tested resolutions and settings, this combination never dips below 91 FPS average, with 1080p Low reaching a staggering 600 FPS average. The data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions but increasingly CPU-limited as resolution drops, with the game's simplistic visual style allowing even the Ultra preset to maintain triple-digit frame rates at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 reveals a classic GPU-bound pattern, but with an unusual twist: the drop-off is far more severe than typical AAA titles because the starting point is so high. At Low settings, average FPS falls from 600 at 1080p to 379 at 1440p (a 37% reduction), then to 198 at 4K (another 48% reduction from 1440p). This suggests that at 1080p Low, the CPU is nearly saturated, as even a powerful GPU like the RTX 4080 cannot push beyond 600 FPS in this scenario.

The Medium preset shows a similar trajectory: 446 FPS at 1080p, 281 FPS at 1440p, and 147 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops between resolutions are 37% and 48% respectively, nearly identical to Low settings. High settings follow with 383 FPS (1080p), 242 FPS (1440p), and 126 FPS (4K), representing 37% and 48% declines again. This consistency across presets indicates that resolution scaling is independent of graphical complexity — the pixel throughput demand scales uniformly.

Ultra settings show the largest percentage drop: 274 FPS at 1080p falls to 173 FPS at 1440p (37% reduction), then to 91 FPS at 4K (47% reduction). The 4K Ultra result of 91 FPS is the only average below 100 FPS in the entire dataset, yet it remains comfortably playable. At 4K, the RTX 4080 is clearly the limiting factor — even this high-end GPU cannot maintain the massive frame rates seen at lower resolutions. The data implies that Barony's rendering workload at 4K is substantial enough to engage the GPU meaningfully, despite the game's 2015 release date.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF brings 12 cores and 20 threads to this pairing, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost up to 5.00 GHz. Its Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process, delivers strong single-threaded performance that is critical for Barony's apparent CPU-bound behavior at lower resolutions. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4071 indicate robust per-core performance, which explains why the system can approach 600 FPS at 1080p Low.

The CPU's benchmark profile shows a consistent scaling from 2 threads (2065 in 3DMark) to 8 threads (7211) and up to max threads (9983). This scaling suggests that Barony likely utilizes only a few threads — the game's roguelike nature typically involves turn-based or lightweight real-time logic rather than heavily multithreaded simulation. The PassMark single-thread score of 3984, combined with a multithread score of 34092, indicates the CPU has ample headroom for game logic while the GPU handles rendering.

At 1080p Low, the 600 FPS average likely approaches the engine's frame rate ceiling or the CPU's capability to issue draw calls. The fact that 1080p High still achieves 383 FPS — only 36% lower than Low — suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at High settings either. The 12-core, 20-thread configuration provides substantial parallel processing capability, though Barony's workload appears to favor the high clock speeds (5.00 GHz boost) over raw core count. The CPU's 25 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 per core provide adequate memory hierarchy for the game's data patterns.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 244th out of 3,717 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the top 6.6% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the overall performance ceiling of this pairing, which is impressive given that Barony is not a graphically demanding title. The position suggests that while this combo delivers exceptional frame rates, there are 243 other combinations that achieve even higher performance — likely due to CPUs with higher single-thread clocks or GPUs with faster memory subsystems.

The CPU itself sits in the 85th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35,365. Its nearest rivals are remarkably close: the Intel Core i7-13700T (35,403, -0.1% delta), Intel Core 5 213PE (35,428, -0.2%), and Intel Core i7-12700K (35,287, +0.2%). This tight clustering indicates that the 12700KF is positioned at a performance plateau where minor architectural improvements yield negligible differences. The fact that the 12700K scores essentially identically (within 0.2%) confirms that the KF suffix's lack of integrated graphics has no impact on Barony performance.

The GPU ranks in the 86th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54,247. Its nearest rival is the RTX 4080 SUPER (54,209, +0.1% delta), followed by the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54,828, -1.1%) and AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55,698, -2.6%). The RTX 4080's performance is essentially tied with the SUPER variant in synthetic benchmarks, yet in Barony, the 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth prove more than sufficient — the game never approaches memory capacity limits at any tested setting.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 4080 produces extraordinary numbers across all presets. Low settings average 600 FPS, which likely represents a hard engine or driver cap rather than a hardware limitation. Medium averages 446 FPS with a minimum of 379 and maximum of 513, showing tight frame pacing. High achieves 383 FPS, while Ultra drops to 274 FPS — still more than double the refresh rate of most high-end monitors. The 1080p results suggest that Barony at this resolution is entirely CPU-bound, as even the Low-to-Ultra spread of 326 FPS (600 to 274) reflects graphical settings impact rather than GPU capability limits.

At 2560x1440, performance remains exceptionally high. Low settings deliver 379 FPS average, Medium 281 FPS (239-324 range), High 242 FPS, and Ultra 173 FPS. The 1440p results show a more balanced CPU-GPU utilization — the GPU is doing more work per frame, but the CPU still has headroom to feed it. The Medium preset's minimum of 239 FPS ensures no perceptible stuttering even during intense gameplay moments. Ultra at 173 FPS remains far above typical 1440p 144Hz displays.

At 3840x2160, the GPU finally becomes the primary constraint. Low settings still achieve 198 FPS, Medium 147 FPS (125-169 range), High 126 FPS, and Ultra 91 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only configuration that dips below 100 FPS, but 91 FPS average is still well within playable territory. The progression from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 54% performance reduction (198 to 91), indicating that the RTX 4080's 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 280.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are being meaningfully utilized at this resolution with high settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm TSMC process, provides the graphical horsepower for this combination. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth — more than sufficient for Barony's relatively simple textures and geometry. The 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores are largely underutilized in this game, as Barony's roguelike presentation does not employ ray tracing or DLSS features. The GPU's 9,728 shading units and 304 texture mapping units handle the game's rendering with ease.

The RTX 4080's benchmark scores show strong DirectX performance: 314 in PassMark DirectX 11 and 132 in DirectX 12, with 370 in DirectX 9. These scores, combined with a PassMark G3D score of 34,457, demonstrate the GPU's capability across API generations. Barony, being a 2015 release, likely uses an older DirectX version, which the GPU handles exceptionally well. The GPU's 2,205 MHz base clock and 2,505 MHz boost clock provide high raw throughput, while 22.4 Gbps effective memory speed ensures texture streaming keeps pace.

At 4K Ultra, the 91 FPS result shows that the RTX 4080 is genuinely challenged by this configuration — likely due to the combination of high resolution and maximum settings requiring the GPU to process more pixels with higher-quality effects. The 280.6 GPixel/s pixel rate and 761.5 GTexel/s texture rate are the relevant metrics here, and the data suggests these are hitting their practical limits at 4K Ultra. The GPU's 320 W TDP and triple-slot design indicate it is a high-power part, but Barony's workload never forces it to sustain maximum power draw given the relatively modest graphical demands.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K displays, the High preset at 126 FPS average offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. The Ultra preset at 91 FPS sacrifices 28% of the frame rate for marginal visual improvements that are unlikely to be noticeable in a roguelike's top-down perspective. Medium at 147 FPS provides additional headroom if you prefer higher refresh rates over maximum settings. Low at 198 FPS is excessive for most 4K displays (typically 120Hz or 144Hz), making it unnecessary unless you have a high-refresh 4K panel.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset at 173 FPS is the recommended choice — it delivers the full visual experience while still exceeding 144Hz refresh rates. If you have a 240Hz monitor, Medium at 281 FPS or High at 242 FPS would better utilize the display's capability. The 1440p Low setting at 379 FPS provides no meaningful benefit over Medium for most users, as the Medium preset's 239 FPS minimum ensures smooth gameplay.

At 1080p, all settings produce playable frame rates. The Ultra preset at 274 FPS is recommended for maximum visual quality, as it still exceeds 240Hz displays. Medium at 446 FPS is ideal for competitive play or 360Hz monitors, while High at 383 FPS offers a middle ground. The 600 FPS at Low is only relevant for esports scenarios where every millisecond matters, but the visual degradation may impair gameplay readability in a roguelike where environmental details matter.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Barony at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, it achieves 91 FPS average at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is the lowest result in the measured dataset but remains above 60 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay. If higher frame rates are desired, dropping to High settings yields 126 FPS at 4K.

Q: What is the maximum frame rate this combo can produce?

A: The highest measured average is 600 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This likely represents a game engine or driver frame rate cap rather than a hardware limitation, as the RTX 4080 is capable of far more in less demanding scenarios.

Q: How does the CPU affect performance at different resolutions?

A: At 1080p, the CPU is the primary bottleneck — performance is nearly identical across Low and High settings (600 vs 383 FPS) compared to the GPU's capability. At 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, with Ultra settings showing a 54% performance drop from Low (91 vs 198 FPS) due to increased pixel workload.

Q: Is the RTX 4080's 16 GB VRAM sufficient for Barony?

A: The 16 GB of GDDR6X memory is far more than Barony requires. Even at 4K Ultra, the game does not approach this capacity. The 716.8 GB/s memory bandwidth also ensures texture streaming is never a bottleneck, even at the highest resolutions and settings.

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

A: It ranks 244th out of 3,717 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the top 6.6% of all configurations. The CPU ranks in the 85th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 86th percentile among all GPUs, making this a well-matched high-end pairing.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 144Hz 4K monitor?

A: The High preset at 4K delivers 126 FPS average, which is below 144Hz but close enough that the difference is minimal. If you prefer to stay above 144 FPS, the Medium preset at 147 FPS is the better choice, though it requires slight visual compromises compared to High or Ultra settings.