Barony

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 produces a wide range of frame rates in Barony, from highly playable 4K Ultra to extraordinarily high 1080p Low. The data shows that this combination is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but the CPU limits maximum performance at 1080p. This analysis breaks down the measured results to help you understand where the bottleneck lies and which settings provide the best experience.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic, but the pattern reveals exactly where the system's limits are. At High settings, performance falls from 325.3 FPS at 1080p to 205.5 FPS at 1440p, then down to 109 FPS at 4K. That is a 66% reduction in FPS from 1080p to 4K, which indicates the GPU is doing progressively heavier lifting as pixel count increases.

The scaling curve is not linear, and that is informative. Moving from 1440p to 4K at High settings costs 96.5 FPS (from 205.5 down to 109), while moving from 1080p to 1440p costs 119.8 FPS (from 325.3 down to 205.5). The 4K result of 109 FPS shows the RTX 5070 is still very capable, but the gap between 1440p and 4K suggests the GPU is becoming the primary constraint.

At Low settings, the trend is even more pronounced. The 1080p Low result of 416.8 FPS is nearly 2.5 times higher than the 4K Low result of 167.6 FPS. This massive spread indicates that at 1080p Low, the CPU is likely limiting performance because the GPU has plenty of headroom. At 4K Low, the GPU is doing more work per frame, bringing the FPS down to a still-impressive 167.6.

The Ultra preset shows the steepest relative drop, falling from 230.1 FPS at 1080p to 76.4 FPS at 4K. That 4K Ultra result is the only measured point below 100 FPS, and it confirms that Ultra settings at 4K push the RTX 5070 hard. The scaling from Medium to High to Ultra at 4K (121.4, 109, 76.4) shows a predictable cost for each step up in visual quality.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 2000 series, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz. Its benchmark results place it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19616. The nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-1345U (delta -0.4%), the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (delta 0.6%), and the Intel Core i7-10700F (delta 0.7%). These close margins show the 2600 is still competitive in synthetic workloads.

In Barony, the CPU's role becomes clear when looking at the 1080p results. At 1080p Low, the system hits 416.8 FPS, but at 1080p High it drops to 325.3 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra it falls to 230.1 FPS. The fact that 1080p Low produces over 400 FPS suggests the GPU is not the limiting factor at that setting. The Ryzen 5 2600's single-thread performance, measured at 1579 in Cinebench R23, is adequate to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, but it cannot push beyond roughly 417 FPS in this title.

The CPU's multi-threaded strength, shown by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11186, does not translate into higher frame rates in Barony at 4K. At 4K Ultra, the system produces 76.4 FPS, which is far below the 1080p Low result. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is the bottleneck, not the CPU. The 2600 has enough processing power to handle the game's logic at any resolution, but its 3.90 GHz boost clock limits how fast it can issue draw calls at very high frame rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU with 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 2325 MHz with a boost of 2512 MHz. The GPU sits in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 41687, placing it near the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (delta 0.2%) and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (delta 0.6%) in synthetic tests.

The GPU's memory configuration is significant for Barony. With 12 GB of VRAM, the card has ample capacity for the game's textures, even at 4K Ultra. The 672.0 GB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming does not become a limiting factor. The 4K Ultra result of 76.4 FPS shows the GPU is doing substantial work, but it is still delivering playable performance.

The RTX 5070's raw compute power, measured at 30.87 TFLOPS FP32, is what drives the high frame rates at lower resolutions. At 1440p Low, the system reaches 321.8 FPS, and at 1080p Low it hits 416.8 FPS. These numbers indicate the GPU is capable of far more than the CPU can feed it at 1080p. The GPU's 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores do not appear to be heavily utilized in Barony, as the game is not ray-traced, but they contribute to the overall compute headroom.

The GPU's memory clock of 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) and 192-bit bus width are well-suited for Barony's requirements. The data shows that at 4K, the GPU is the clear limiting component, as FPS scales with settings changes (76.4 Ultra, 109 High, 121.4 Medium, 167.6 Low) while the CPU remains constant.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 416.8 FPS, Medium yields 373.9 FPS, High reaches 325.3 FPS, and Ultra drops to 230.1 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 186.7 FPS, showing that settings have a major impact at this resolution. Even at Ultra, the frame rate is far above what most displays can show, so the CPU is likely the limiting factor here.

At 2560x1440, the results are still very high. Low settings deliver 321.8 FPS, Medium produces 240.3 FPS, High reaches 205.5 FPS, and Ultra drops to 144.7 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 177.1 FPS, slightly smaller than at 1080p. This suggests the GPU is starting to take on more work, but the system is still heavily GPU-limited.

At 3840x2160, the performance is more moderate. Low settings deliver 167.6 FPS, Medium produces 121.4 FPS, High reaches 109 FPS, and Ultra drops to 76.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 91.2 FPS, which is the smallest of any resolution. This indicates that the GPU is the dominant bottleneck at 4K, and settings changes have a smaller relative impact on FPS.

The data shows a clear pattern: at 1080p, the CPU limits maximum FPS; at 1440p, the balance shifts toward the GPU; at 4K, the GPU is fully saturated. The 1080p Low result of 416.8 FPS is the highest measured, while the 4K Ultra result of 76.4 FPS is the lowest. This 340.4 FPS range across all measured points highlights the system's versatility.

FAQ

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 2600 holding back the RTX 5070 in Barony?

A: Yes, but only at 1080p and only at lower settings. The 1080p Low result of 416.8 FPS is likely CPU-limited, as the GPU is capable of higher frame rates. At 4K, the GPU is the bottleneck, with Ultra producing 76.4 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: 1440p offers the best balance. High settings at 2560x1440 deliver 205.5 FPS, which is well above refresh rate thresholds. At 4K, High settings still produce 109 FPS, making 4K viable for slower-paced play.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5070's average score of 41687 is 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 and 0.6% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090. It is 0.5% lower than the NVIDIA Tesla M40 and 0.7% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro 580X.

Q: Does the CPU's multi-threading help in Barony?

A: The Ryzen 5 2600's 12 threads provide a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11186, but this does not translate to higher frame rates. The single-thread score of 1579 is more relevant, as the 1080p results suggest the CPU is limited by per-core performance.

Q: What is the performance difference between Medium and High at 4K?

A: Medium at 3840x2160 produces 121.4 FPS, while High produces 109 FPS. The difference is 12.4 FPS, or about 10% faster on Medium. This is a modest gain for dropping one settings tier.

Q: Is 4K Ultra playable with this setup?

A: Yes, but just barely. The 4K Ultra result of 76.4 FPS is above the 60 FPS threshold, making it playable for most users. However, dropping to High at 4K increases FPS by 32.6 FPS (to 109), which is a significant improvement.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K displays, the High preset is the best choice. It delivers 109 FPS at 3840x2160, which is a 32.6 FPS improvement over Ultra's 76.4 FPS. The visual difference between High and Ultra is typically small, but the frame rate gain is substantial. Medium at 4K offers 121.4 FPS, a further 12.4 FPS improvement, but High provides the best balance of visual quality and performance.

For 1440p displays, High settings are also recommended. The 205.5 FPS result at 2560x1440 High is smooth and leaves headroom for future updates. Ultra at 1440p produces 144.7 FPS, which is still excellent, so users with high refresh rate monitors can consider Ultra if they want maximum visual quality.

For 1080p displays, the CPU becomes the limiting factor. The 1080p High result of 325.3 FPS is far above any display's refresh rate, so there is no reason to drop below High. Ultra at 1080p produces 230.1 FPS, which is still very high, so users with 240Hz displays can enable Ultra without issue. Low and Medium at 1080p are not recommended because they provide frame rates (416.8 and 373.9 FPS) that exceed what any consumer display can show, offering no practical benefit.

The data indicates that this CPU-GPU combination is well-matched for Barony at 1440p and 4K. The RTX 5070's 12 GB of GDDR7 memory and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth handle the game's requirements with ease, while the Ryzen 5 2600's 6 cores and 12 threads provide sufficient processing power for the game's logic. The system's 402nd rank out of 1702 tested combos in Barony reflects its strong overall performance, with the GPU driving most of the results at higher resolutions.