Barony

Barony, a roguelike with a 2015 release date, presents an interesting case study for the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination. The measured data reveals a system that is highly capable of delivering fluid gameplay across a wide range of resolutions and settings, but the relationship between the CPU and GPU shifts dramatically as the workload changes. The benchmark results indicate a pairing that excels at high refresh rates but must make concessions at the most demanding visual presets.

Resolution Scaling

Examining the FPS drops from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear progression in where the system's bottleneck lies. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo produces an average of 181.7 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 on the same High preset shows a significant drop to 116.8 FPS, a reduction of roughly 36%, which indicates that the GPU is becoming a more substantial limiting factor. This trend intensifies at 3840x2160, where the average frame rate falls to 58.7 FPS, representing another 50% decline from the 1440p result.

This scaling pattern is classic behavior for a system where the CPU can easily feed frames at lower resolutions, but the GPU's rendering workload becomes the primary constraint as pixel count increases. The 1080p High result of 181.7 FPS versus the 4K High result of 58.7 FPS shows a 67.7% performance drop, a substantial hit that clearly points to the RTX 2060 SUPER being the limiting component at higher resolutions. The data implies that for 4K gaming, the system is stretched, but for 1080p and 1440p, it has ample headroom.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its role in Barony becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. The GPU's 2176 shading units and boost clock of 1650 MHz are put under increasing strain, which is reflected in the frame rate drops. The performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at the same resolution shows the GPU's workload scaling. At 3840x2160, the difference between Low (97.5 FPS) and Ultra (42.8 FPS) is a massive 54.7 FPS, or 56.1% lower performance. This illustrates that the Ultra preset is particularly demanding on the GPU's resources.

The data suggests that the VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor in this game, as the 8 GB buffer is sufficient for the tested settings. The GPU's percentile rank of 63 among all GPUs indicates it is a mid-to-upper-tier performer, and its benchmark scores, such as a Passmark G3D score of 16462, support this. The GPU's closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070, has an average score only 0.5% higher, reinforcing that this is a performance tier where small architectural differences matter. The GPU is the primary driver for the FPS differences between settings, especially at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For 1920x1080, the data clearly shows that the Ultra preset is the best experience, as it delivers an average of 130.1 FPS. This is a high frame rate that ensures a very smooth experience, and the jump from High (181.7 FPS) to Ultra (130.1 FPS) is a trade-off of 51.6 FPS for the maximum visual fidelity, which is a worthwhile exchange given the high baseline. At 2560x1440, the High preset becomes the sweet spot. It provides an average of 116.8 FPS, which is still excellent for a 1440p display, while the Ultra preset's 82 FPS is a more significant compromise. The Medium preset at 135.1 FPS is also viable, but High offers a better balance of quality over the 18.3 FPS difference to Medium.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. The High preset delivers an average of 58.7 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The Medium preset (70 FPS) offers a more comfortable margin and is the recommended choice for 4K, as it provides a 19.3% performance increase over High. The Ultra preset at 42.8 FPS is below the threshold for smooth gameplay and is not recommended. The Low preset at 97.5 FPS is a viable option for maximum fluidity, but it sacrifices too much visual quality. Therefore, for the best overall experience, the data suggests using Ultra at 1080p, High at 1440p, and Medium at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

In the broader context of all tested hardware combinations for Barony, the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and RTX 2060 SUPER pairing holds a rank of 1222 out of 1702 combos. This places it in the 28th percentile of all tested systems, which is a lower position than the individual component percentiles might suggest. This discrepancy indicates that while each part is decent on its own, their combination is not optimized for the absolute top tier of performance in this specific game.

This ranking suggests that other pairings, likely with more powerful GPUs, achieve significantly higher frame rates. The combo's rank of 1222 out of 1702 shows that while it is not a low-end system, it is also outclassed by a large number of configurations. This is a key insight, as it implies that for Barony, the GPU is the more critical component for achieving top-tier frame rates, and the RTX 2060 SUPER, despite its capabilities, holds the system back from competing with the highest-performing combos. The data indicates that the system is a solid mid-range performer, but not a leader in the benchmark database rankings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600, with its 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 2 architecture, plays a crucial role in ensuring the GPU is not starved of data. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.20 GHz provide solid single-threaded performance, which is often critical for game logic. Its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15045 and a single-core score of 2124, demonstrate its capability. The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache helps maintain high performance in gaming workloads.

The data shows that the CPU's role becomes less demanding as resolution increases. At 1080p, the system achieves 285.4 FPS on Low settings, a very high frame rate that is only achievable if the CPU can keep up with the GPU. This suggests that the Ryzen 5 3600 is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions. However, the fact that the frame rate scales down with resolution, rather than remaining CPU-bound, confirms that the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The CPU's percentile rank of 76 among all CPUs indicates it is a strong performer, but its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-11400 with a deltaPct of -0.1%, show that it is in a highly competitive performance tier. The CPU provides a strong foundation, but the GPU ultimately dictates the FPS in this game.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 a bottleneck for the RTX 2060 SUPER in Barony?

A: The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 285.4 FPS, showing the CPU can feed the GPU effectively. As resolution increases to 4K, the frame rate drops significantly, indicating the GPU becomes the limiting component.

Q: What is the best resolution to play Barony with this combo?

A: The data suggests that 2560x1440 is the optimal resolution, as the High preset delivers an average of 116.8 FPS. This provides a great balance between visual quality and high frame rate. At 1080p, the system can push over 130 FPS on Ultra, but 1440p is a better use of the GPU's capabilities.

Q: How much performance is lost when switching from Low to Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, switching from Low to Ultra settings results in a performance drop of 54.7 FPS, from 97.5 FPS down to 42.8 FPS. This represents a 56.1% reduction in average frame rate, showing the Ultra preset is extremely demanding on the GPU.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems in Barony?

A: This combination ranks 1222 out of 1702 tested combos. This places it in the lower half of the database, indicating that while it is a competent system, many other configurations achieve higher performance in this specific game.

Q: What is the average FPS on High settings at 1440p?

A: The measured data shows an average of 116.8 FPS for the High preset at 2560x1440. This is a very playable and smooth frame rate for a 1440p display.

Q: Is the RTX 2060 SUPER's memory size sufficient for this game?

A: The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory. The benchmark data does not show any issues related to memory capacity at the tested settings, suggesting that 8 GB is sufficient for Barony at all tested resolutions and presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table presents the exact average FPS measurements for the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination in Barony.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

| :--------- | :------- | ------: |

| 3840x2160 | High | 58.7 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 97.5 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 70.0 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 42.8 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 116.8 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 181.8 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 135.1 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 82.0 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 181.7 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 285.4 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 215.9 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 130.1 |

The data shows a clear and consistent hierarchy of performance. The 1080p Low result of 285.4 FPS is the highest measured, and the 4K Ultra result of 42.8 FPS is the lowest. The scaling between these two extremes is smooth, with each resolution and settings change producing a logical step in performance. The system offers a wide range of playable options, from high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming to a playable, if not ultra-smooth, 4K experience.