Barony

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a performance profile in Barony that is heavily influenced by resolution and settings, with the data showing a clear transition from CPU-bound behavior at lower resolutions to GPU-bound behavior at 4K. This combination, which ranks 1555th out of 2935 tested combos in this game, offers a wide range of framerates, from exceptionally high at 1080p to playable but more modest at 4K Ultra, making it a versatile option for different display targets.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable yet significant drop in performance as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, but the magnitude of that drop varies dramatically depending on the settings preset. At Low settings, the average framerate falls from 340 FPS at 1080p to 215 FPS at 1440p, a 37% reduction, and then to 112 FPS at 4K, which represents a 48% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline indicates that even at the lowest graphical fidelity, the rendering load at 4K is substantial enough to limit performance considerably.

The scaling pattern changes when moving to Medium settings, where the average framerates are 253 FPS at 1080p, 160 FPS at 1440p, and 83 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops here are 37% from 1080p to 1440p and 48% from 1440p to 4K, showing a similar relative decline to the Low preset. However, the absolute numbers are lower, suggesting that the additional graphical work at Medium settings is consuming more GPU resources, which in turn makes the resolution scaling more pronounced in terms of raw FPS loss.

High settings exhibit a different scaling curve, with framerates of 217 FPS at 1080p, 137 FPS at 1440p, and 72 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 37%, consistent with the other presets, but the drop from 1440p to 4K is 47%. This near-consistent scaling across presets indicates that the GPU is the primary limiter as resolution increases, since the relative performance hit remains stable regardless of the graphical load.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling, with average framerates of 156 FPS at 1080p, 98 FPS at 1440p, and 51 FPS at 4K. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p is 37%, and from 1440p to 4K is 48%. The fact that 4K Ultra produces only 51 FPS, which is roughly a third of the 1080p Ultra figure of 156 FPS, strongly suggests that the RTX 4060 is the limiting component at higher resolutions, as the pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, and the performance scales accordingly.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the framerates across all settings are exceptionally high, ranging from 156 FPS at Ultra to 340 FPS at Low. This suggests that the CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is sufficient to feed the GPU at this resolution, as even the highest settings do not bottleneck the system. However, at 4K, the framerates become more moderate, and the gap between Low (112 FPS) and Ultra (51 FPS) widens to over 2x, which points to the GPU's rendering capabilities being the dominant factor in determining performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience depends heavily on the target display resolution and the desired framerate floor. For 1080p displays, the data shows that even Ultra settings provide an average of 156 FPS, which is well above the standard 60 FPS threshold and suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 253 FPS, while High offers 217 FPS, so any of these settings will provide a smooth experience, but Ultra gives the best visual quality without sacrificing playability.

At 1440p, the recommendations become more nuanced. Ultra settings produce an average of 98 FPS, which is still playable but may not be ideal for very high refresh rate displays. High settings at 1440p deliver 137 FPS, which is a better balance for 120Hz or 144Hz monitors, while Medium provides 160 FPS for those seeking even higher framerates. Low settings at 215 FPS are unnecessary for most users, as the visual compromise is significant for a marginal gain over Medium.

For 4K resolution, the data shows that Ultra settings average 51 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for many gamers. High settings improve this to 72 FPS, which is a more comfortable margin, while Medium provides 83 FPS. Given the measured numbers, High settings at 4K appear to be the sweet spot, offering a 41% improvement over Ultra while maintaining a playable framerate. Low settings at 112 FPS are possible but would require a substantial visual downgrade.

The measured frames at Medium settings, which include min and max values, provide additional insight into frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the min FPS is 215 and the max is 291, showing a range of 76 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is from 136 to 183 FPS, a 47 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the range narrows to 71 to 96 FPS, a 25 FPS spread. This tightening of the frame time variance at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is working more consistently under load, but the overall framerate is lower.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination ranks 1555th out of 2935 tested combos for Barony, placing it in the 53rd percentile of all tested systems. This middle-of-the-pack ranking indicates that while this combo is far from the top performers, it is also not a low-end configuration. The ranking reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU, where the CPU's strong single-threaded performance and the GPU's mid-range capabilities combine to produce solid, but not exceptional, results in this roguelike title.

The CPU itself has a percentile ranking of 85th among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37018, which is notably higher than its nearest rivals. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F scores 36945 (a 0.2% delta), while the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 scores 36938 (also a 0.2% delta). The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 scores 37093 (-0.2% delta), and the Intel Core i9-12900T scores 37112 (-0.3% delta). This tight grouping shows that the 5500X3D is competitively positioned within its performance class, with no single rival holding a significant advantage.

The GPU, on the other hand, has a percentile ranking of 61st among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17639. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (17666, -0.2% delta), AMD Radeon 780M (17588, 0.3% delta), AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17551, 0.5% delta), and AMD Radeon Pro 460 (17509, 0.7% delta). The RTX 4060 sits near the top of this group, but the deltas are small, indicating that its performance is closely matched by several other graphics cards.

The combo's overall rank of 1555 suggests that in Barony, the system's performance is slightly below the median of all tested combinations. This is likely due to the game's relatively low graphical demands, which allow even mid-range GPUs to achieve high framerates, but the CPU's performance becomes more relevant at lower resolutions where the framerate is not GPU-limited. The data shows that the combo excels at 1080p, where it achieves over 200 FPS on most settings, but falls to more moderate levels at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average framerates show a clear hierarchy across settings. Low settings produce the highest average at 340 FPS, followed by Medium at 253 FPS, High at 217 FPS, and Ultra at 156 FPS. The Medium preset provides measured min and max values of 215 and 291 FPS respectively, indicating a relatively stable frame delivery. The spread between Low and Ultra is 184 FPS, which represents a 54% reduction in performance from the lowest to the highest graphical fidelity.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average framerates are 215 FPS at Low, 160 FPS at Medium, 137 FPS at High, and 98 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset shows a min of 136 FPS and a max of 183 FPS, with a range of 47 FPS. The performance gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 117 FPS, or a 45% reduction. The absolute numbers are lower than at 1080p, but the relative scaling between settings is similar, suggesting that the GPU is handling the increased pixel count proportionally.

At 3840x2160, the framerates drop further to 112 FPS at Low, 83 FPS at Medium, 72 FPS at High, and 51 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset exhibits a min of 71 FPS and a max of 96 FPS, which is a 25 FPS range. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 61 FPS, a 45% reduction. Notably, the 4K Ultra setting is the only configuration that falls below 60 FPS, which could be a concern for users with 60Hz displays who want maximum visual quality.

The data also shows that the transition from 1080p to 1440p has a consistent impact across settings. For Low, the drop is from 340 to 215 FPS (37% reduction); for Medium, from 253 to 160 FPS (37%); for High, from 217 to 137 FPS (37%); and for Ultra, from 156 to 98 FPS (37%). This uniform scaling suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the performance hit is proportional to the increase in pixel count.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz, with a memory clock of 2125 MHz (17 Gbps effective). These specifications position the card as a mid-range solution, and the benchmark results in Barony reflect this, with the GPU achieving a PassMark G3D score of 19545 and a percentile rank of 61st among all GPUs.

The GPU's 8 GB VRAM is not a limiting factor in Barony, as the game's graphical demands are modest. The measured framerates at 4K Ultra, which is the most demanding configuration, still achieve an average of 51 FPS, indicating that the GPU is capable of handling the game's textures and effects at this resolution. The high memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s, while not exceptional, is sufficient for this title, as evidenced by the smooth scaling from 1080p to 4K.

The RTX 4060's boost clock of 2460 MHz is relatively high, and the data shows that the GPU is able to maintain high framerates at lower resolutions where it is not the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 340 FPS, which suggests that the GPU is not fully utilized, and the CPU is likely the limiting factor. However, at 4K Ultra, the GPU's compute capabilities are stretched, resulting in the 51 FPS average, which is a more representative indicator of its raw performance.

The GPU's transistor count of 18,900 million on a 159 mm² die, built on a 5 nm process, contributes to its efficiency. The pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s are adequate for Barony, and the FP32 performance of 15.11 TFLOPS allows for smooth rendering even at higher settings. The measured data confirms that the GPU is the primary determinant of performance at 4K, where framerates scale closely with the resolution's pixel count.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz. It is built on the Zen 3 architecture (Vermeer) using a 7 nm process, and its key differentiator is the large 96 MB shared L3 cache, which is significantly larger than typical processors. The CPU has a PassMark single-thread score of 2941 and a multithread score of 20363, with an average benchmark score of 37018 and a percentile rank of 85th among all CPUs.

In Barony, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p, where the framerates are exceptionally high across all settings. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 340 FPS, which is likely near the upper limit of what the CPU can feed to the GPU. The fact that the framerate drops to 156 FPS at 1080p Ultra, a 54% reduction, suggests that the GPU becomes more involved as settings increase, but the CPU is still able to maintain high framerates due to its strong single-threaded performance.

The CPU's large L3 cache of 96 MB is beneficial for Barony, which is a roguelike game that may benefit from fast access to frequently used data. The PassMark data compression score of 230392 and integer math score of 60033 indicate strong computational capabilities, which are relevant for game logic and physics. The CPU's 105 W TDP is a moderate power requirement, but the performance per watt is efficient given the 7 nm process node.

The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and Intel Core Ultra 5 225, have nearly identical average benchmark scores, with deltas of 0.2%. This indicates that the 5500X3D offers no significant advantage over its competitors in general benchmarks. However, the data from Barony shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck at resolutions above 1080p, as the framerates are primarily determined by the GPU's rendering capabilities.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average framerate achieved by this combo in Barony?*

A: The highest average framerate is 340 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Does the combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No, at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average framerate is 51 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D has an average benchmark score of 37018, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F's score of 36945.

Q: What is the framerate range at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the measured min FPS is 136 and the max FPS is 183, with an average of 160 FPS.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: The data shows that at 4K, the framerates scale proportionally with pixel count, indicating that the GPU is the limiting component at this resolution.

*Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested systems in Barony?*

A: The combo ranks 1555th out of 2935 tested combinations, placing it in the middle of the performance spectrum.