Barony

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and AMD Radeon RX 570 combination delivers a playable experience in Barony primarily at 1920x1080, with the data indicating a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings, contextualizes the roles of the CPU and GPU, and explains how this pairing ranks among all tested configurations.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data shows that the "Low" preset provides the highest average frame rates at every resolution, but the optimal experience depends on the target display. At 1920x1080, the "Low" setting achieves an average of 138.2 FPS, which is the only configuration in the dataset that substantially exceeds common high-refresh-rate thresholds. However, the "Medium" preset at 1080p still delivers a strong 104.9 FPS average, making it a viable choice for users who prefer smoother visuals over maximum responsiveness. The "High" preset at 1080p yields 90.8 FPS, which remains fluid for most gameplay.

For 2560x1440, the "Low" setting is the only preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS, hitting 85.8 FPS. The "Medium" preset drops to 66.1 FPS, which is still acceptable for slower-paced roguelike gameplay, but the "High" preset falls to 58.2 FPS and "Ultra" to 40.9 FPS, where frame pacing can become noticeable. At 3840x2160, the data shows that no preset achieves a playable 60 FPS average; the "Low" setting reaches 44.9 FPS, while "High" and "Ultra" drop to 27.8 FPS and 22 FPS respectively.

The best experience per the measured rows is the "Medium" preset at 1920x1080. It provides a 104.9 FPS average, which is 15.5% higher than the "High" preset's 90.8 FPS, while likely offering a significant visual improvement over "Low". For users with 1440p displays, the "Low" preset is the recommended choice, as it is the only one that prevents the average frame rate from dipping below the 60 FPS mark.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. Its benchmark scores indicate strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16429 and a single-core score of 2319. The PassMark multithread score of 19330 and single-thread score of 3058 reinforce its capability to handle the logical tasks required by a game like Barony.

In the context of this game, the CPU's 12 threads are sufficient to handle the simulation and AI calculations typical of a roguelike, even when the GPU is the limiting factor. The data shows that the CPU's performance is not a bottleneck at 1920x1080, as the frame rates scale predictably with the GPU's workload across different settings. For instance, the 1080p "Low" setting (138.2 FPS) is more than double the 4K "Ultra" setting (22 FPS), which is a classic sign of GPU saturation rather than CPU limitation. The CPU's 16 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (51.2 GB/s bandwidth) are adequate for feeding the GPU data in this title.

The processor's percentile ranking of 79th vs all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20875, places it in the upper tier of desktop processors. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-12500, has a nearly identical average score of 20897, showing a -0.1% deltaPct, indicating that the Ryzen 5 5500 offers comparable CPU-level performance to a modern mid-range Intel chip. This suggests that the CPU is not the component holding back the system in Barony; instead, the GPU's capabilities dictate the final frame rates.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is a 4 GB GDDR5 graphics card based on the GCN 4.0 architecture, with a base clock of 1168 MHz and a boost clock of 1244 MHz. The memory operates at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) across a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is a critical factor in the game's performance, as the 4 GB capacity becomes a limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings.

The GPU's role in Barony is clearly demonstrated by the frame rate scaling across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the "Ultra" setting yields 60.6 FPS, while at 2560x1440, the same setting drops to 40.9 FPS, a 32.5% reduction. At 3840x2160, the "Ultra" setting falls to 22 FPS, which is unplayable. This pattern is consistent with a GPU that is running out of memory bandwidth or capacity as the pixel count increases. The 4 GB VRAM is likely insufficient for the "Ultra" preset's texture and shadow detail at 1440p and above, causing the average frame rate to plummet.

The GPU's compute capabilities, rated at 5.095 TFLOPS for FP32, are modest by modern standards but sufficient for this older roguelike. The GPU's benchmark scores show an average of 30158, with a percentile rank of 74th vs all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, has an average score of 30109 (0.2% deltaPct), which is surprising but indicates that the RX 570's raw benchmark scores align with a much newer card, though real-world gaming performance will differ due to architectural advances. The data shows that the RX 570 can handle Barony at 1080p with reasonable frame rates, but its performance degrades sharply at higher resolutions, confirming that the GPU is the primary determinant of the experience.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall database of tested combinations for Barony, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 with the AMD Radeon RX 570 ranks 1630th out of 1702 combos. This places it in the bottom 5% of all configurations tested for this game, which is a stark contrast to the individual component rankings. The CPU ranks in the 79th percentile, and the GPU in the 74th percentile, but their combination results in a low overall ranking because the GPU is a legacy part that struggles with the game's demands at higher settings.

The low combo ranking is primarily driven by the GPU's performance at 1440p and 4K. While the combo achieves playable frame rates at 1080p (90.8 FPS on "High"), it falls short of the performance of most other tested systems. The data indicates that this is a combination best suited for 1080p gaming, where it ranks as a capable entry-level option. However, for users with higher-resolution monitors, this combo will not deliver a smooth experience, as evidenced by the sub-60 FPS averages at 1440p for all presets except "Low", and the sub-45 FPS averages at 4K for all presets.

The ranking suggests that while the CPU is not a bottleneck, the GPU's age and 4 GB memory limit it to lower resolutions. This combo is a clear example of a balanced system for its era, but it cannot compete with modern hardware in a demanding scenario like 4K "Ultra" rendering. The data shows that for the best experience, users should stick to 1080p with medium-to-high settings, accepting that the combo's overall rank reflects its position as a legacy or budget-oriented pairing rather than a high-performance one.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in Barony?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 138.2 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with the "Low" settings preset.

Q: Can this combo play Barony at 2560x1440 with a 60 FPS average?

A: Yes, but only with the "Low" settings preset, which yields an average of 85.8 FPS. All other presets at 1440p fall below 60 FPS, with "Medium" at 66.1 FPS, "High" at 58.2 FPS, and "Ultra" at 40.9 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rival?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 has an average benchmark score of 20875, which is 0.1% lower than the Intel Core i5-12500's score of 20897, indicating they are virtually identical in overall CPU performance.

Q: What is the GPU's memory capacity, and does it affect performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 570 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory. The data shows significant frame rate drops at 4K resolutions, suggesting that the 4 GB capacity is insufficient for high-detail settings at that resolution, leading to the low 27.8 FPS on "High" and 22 FPS on "Ultra".

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations for Barony?

A: The combo ranks 1630th out of 1702 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 5% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: Which settings preset provides a balance between visual quality and playability at 1080p?

A: The "Medium" preset at 1920x1080 provides an average of 104.9 FPS, which is a good balance, as it is 14.1 FPS higher than "High" and only 33.3 FPS lower than "Low".

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured average FPS data for this combo is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: 138.2 FPS
• Medium: 104.9 FPS
• High: 90.8 FPS
• Ultra: 60.6 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 85.8 FPS
• Medium: 66.1 FPS
• High: 58.2 FPS
• Ultra: 40.9 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 44.9 FPS
• Medium: 31.7 FPS
• High: 27.8 FPS
• Ultra: 22 FPS

The data reveals a consistent pattern: as resolution increases, the average frame rate decreases by a similar percentage across all settings. For example, moving from 1080p to 1440p on "High" results in a drop from 90.8 FPS to 58.2 FPS, a 35.9% reduction. Moving from 1440p to 4K on the same setting results in a further drop from 58.2 FPS to 27.8 FPS, a 52.2% reduction. This exponential decay in performance highlights the GPU's limited ability to handle higher pixel counts, particularly with the "Ultra" preset, which only maintains a playable 60.6 FPS at 1080p. The "Low" preset is the only option that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS at 1440p, and even at 4K, it remains below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming.