Barony

Barony, a roguelike released in 2015, presents an interesting benchmark scenario for the combination of an AMD Ryzen 5 5500 processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card. The data shows this pairing achieves exceptionally high frame rates across all tested settings and resolutions, often exceeding the refresh rates of standard gaming monitors. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, examining the distinct roles of the CPU and GPU, how performance scales with resolution, and where this specific combo ranks among other tested hardware pairings.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

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. It features a 16 MB L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. In synthetic benchmarks, the processor scores 16,429 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,319 points in single-core, with an average benchmark score of 20,875. Its performance is nearly identical to that of the Intel Core i5-12500, which has an average score of 20,897, representing a negligible deltaPct of -0.1%.

In the context of Barony, the CPU's role is critical at lower resolutions where the GPU can render frames faster than the processor can issue draw calls. The measured FPS at 1080p Low settings is 568.2, a figure that suggests the Ryzen 5 5500 is capable of feeding the RTX 4090 with enough data to maintain extremely high frame rates. The 6-core/12-thread configuration is sufficient for this game's workload, as the benchmark results indicate no significant bottleneck at 1080p, with the frame rate scaling consistently as resolution decreases. The processor's 79th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates it is a solid mid-range performer, well-matched for high-refresh-rate gaming in less demanding titles like this one.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a flagship graphics card built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, featuring 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. Its boost clock is rated at 2520 MHz, and it achieves a PassMark G3D score of 38,194. The GPU's raw compute power is immense, with an FP32 performance of 82.58 TFLOPS. In the benchmark data, the RTX 4090's nearest rivals are professional-grade cards like the NVIDIA Tesla T4 and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, with average scores of 66,733 and 67,097 respectively, showing a deltaPct of -0.4% and -0.9%, meaning the RTX 4090 is slightly below these in synthetic average, but its gaming performance is still top-tier.

In Barony, the GPU's influence on performance becomes more pronounced as resolution and graphical settings increase. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 98.5, indicating that the game is now placing a significant load on the graphics card. The 24 GB VRAM is more than ample for any settings this game can present, ensuring no memory-related frame drops. The transition from 1080p to 4K shows a clear scaling pattern, with the GPU becoming the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the data demonstrates a more substantial performance hit when moving from 1440p to 4K compared to the jump from 1080p to 1440p.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear hierarchy in how the system scales across resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 568.2 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 417.8 FPS, a reduction of approximately 26%. At 4K Low, the FPS falls to 221.1, a further 47% decline from 1440p. This pattern indicates that at 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-limited; the GPU has so much headroom that the processor's output is the bottleneck. As resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows, and the frame rate begins to scale more predictably with pixel count.

The same trend is visible at High settings. The 1080p High result of 424.2 FPS drops to 266.3 FPS at 1440p and then to 139.2 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is around 37%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is about 48%. This suggests that while the CPU still plays a role at 1440p, the GPU is becoming the dominant constraint. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate of 98.5 FPS is a strong indicator that the RTX 4090 is now the definitive limiting component, as the workload has scaled to a point where the CPU's headroom is no longer relevant, and the GPU's raw pixel-pushing power determines the final output.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

Within the database of 1,702 tested CPU and GPU combinations for Barony, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 achieves a rank of 64. This places it in the top 3.8% of all tested combos, which is a strong result, but not the absolute top. The high rank is primarily driven by the exceptional performance of the RTX 4090, while the Ryzen 5 5500's mid-range standing (79th percentile) likely prevents this combo from achieving an even higher rank.

The rank of 64 suggests that while the GPU is capable of delivering top-tier frame rates, the CPU is not the fastest available, and other combinations with more powerful processors, such as those with higher single-thread performance, may yield slightly better results in this game. The data indicates that the combo is extremely well-balanced for high-refresh-rate 1440p and 4K gaming, but for those seeking the absolute maximum FPS at 1080p, a faster CPU would be the next upgrade path. The deltaPct to the CPU's nearest rival is negligible, but the ranking difference in-game can be attributed to the CPU's overall synthetic scores.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Barony?

A: The highest average FPS is 568.2, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

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

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 has an average benchmark score of 20,875, which is 0.1% lower than the Intel Core i5-12500's score of 20,897.

Q: Does the frame rate drop more when moving from 1080p to 1440p, or from 1440p to 4K at High settings?

A: The drop from 1440p to 4K is larger. At High settings, the FPS goes from 424.2 at 1080p to 266.3 at 1440p (a 37% drop), and then from 266.3 to 139.2 at 4K (a 48% drop).

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded, and at what settings?

A: The lowest average FPS is 98.5, recorded at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is in the 91st percentile for performance among all GPUs in the database.

Q: How many total combos were tested for this game, and where does this one rank?

A: This combo ranks 64th out of a total of 1,702 tested combos for Barony.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The following table details the exact average FPS measurements for the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination in Barony.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

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

| 1920x1080 | Low | 568.2 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 492.2 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 424.2 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 303.5 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 417.8 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 312.6 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 266.3 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 191.9 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 221.1 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 164.8 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 139.2 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 98.5 |

The data shows a consistent scaling pattern. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset maintains an average of 303.5 FPS, indicating that the CPU is the primary limiter. The frame rate at 1080p Low (568.2) is more than double the 4K Ultra result (98.5), highlighting the GPU's increasing workload at higher resolutions. The spread between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases, from a 46.6% difference at 1080p (568.2 vs 303.5) to a 55.5% difference at 4K (221.1 vs 98.5), further confirming the GPU's growing dominance in the performance equation.