Barony

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination delivers exceptional performance in Barony, with benchmark data placing it in the 79th percentile of all tested system configurations for this title. The measured frames per second across three resolutions and four quality presets reveal a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher settings but demonstrates surprising CPU headroom at lower presets, making it a versatile pairing for a game that rewards both high refresh rates and visual fidelity.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and clearly illustrates where the bottleneck shifts as pixel count increases. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 320 FPS at 1920x1080 to 202 FPS at 2560x1440, a 37% reduction, and then further to 105 FPS at 3840x2160, a 48% reduction from the 1440p figure. This steep decline indicates that at 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-limited — the Ryzen 5 5500X3D's six cores are working near their maximum capacity to feed frames to the RTX 5070, which has ample headroom to render more.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more pronounced. The 501 FPS average at 1080p drops to 316 FPS at 1440p (a 37% decrease) and then to 165 FPS at 4K (a 48% decrease from 1440p). The fact that Low settings at 1080p pushes past 500 FPS suggests the CPU is the primary constraint at this resolution, as the GPU is barely taxed by the reduced graphical load. The RTX 5070's 30.87 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is not being fully utilized when the CPU can only produce a certain number of frames per second.

The scaling pattern changes character when moving from Medium to Ultra settings. At Medium, the 1080p average of 372 FPS falls to 235 FPS at 1440p and 123 FPS at 4K. At Ultra, the figures are 229 FPS, 145 FPS, and 76 FPS respectively. The proportional drop from 1080p to 4K is roughly consistent across all settings — approximately 67% of the 1080p performance is lost at 4K regardless of preset. This consistency suggests that at Ultra settings, the GPU becomes the dominant limiting factor even at 1080p, as the RTX 5070's 12 GB of GDDR7 memory and 192-bit bus are saturated by the higher graphical demands.

The data indicates that players targeting 4K with this combo should expect playable but not extreme frame rates, while 1440p represents the sweet spot where the CPU and GPU are more balanced. At 1080p, the system is clearly CPU-bound, as evidenced by the 501 FPS Low setting result, which far exceeds what most displays can refresh.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combination in Barony?

A: The highest measured average is 501 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This outpaces the 4K Ultra result of 76 FPS by a factor of 6.6, demonstrating the massive headroom available at lower resolutions.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 76 FPS. While this is comfortably above 60 FPS, it is the lowest measured result in the dataset and indicates that the RTX 5070 is heavily taxed at this resolution and preset combination.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck at 1080p?

A: Benchmark results indicate the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p. The Ryzen 5 5500X3D's 6 cores and 12 threads with a 3.00 GHz base and 4.00 GHz boost clock cap frame generation below what the GPU can deliver, as shown by the 501 FPS Low setting ceiling at 1080p.

Q: What is the performance difference between Medium and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings produce an average of 235 FPS with a minimum of 200 FPS and maximum of 270 FPS, while Ultra produces 145 FPS average. The gap of 90 FPS represents a 38% performance penalty for the highest quality preset.

Q: Does the RTX 5070 have enough memory for Barony at 4K?

A: The RTX 5070 comes with 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus with 672.0 GB/s bandwidth. The measured 4K results, ranging from 76 FPS at Ultra to 165 FPS at Low, suggest this memory configuration is sufficient for the game's demands, though higher settings show diminishing returns.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested systems for Barony?

A: The combination ranks 782nd out of 3,717 tested combos, placing it in the top 21% of all configurations. This ranking reflects strong overall performance, though it is not at the very top tier of systems tested.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU built on TSMC's 5 nm process with 31,100 million transistors on a 263 mm² die. Its core configuration includes 6,144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output pipelines, alongside 48 RT cores and 192 Tensor cores. These specifications translate to a pixel rate of 201.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 482.3 GTexel/s, which are directly relevant to how the GPU handles Barony's roguelike rendering.

The GPU's clock behavior shows a base clock of 2325 MHz with a boost clock of 2512 MHz. The relatively modest boost headroom of 187 MHz suggests that thermal and power constraints are tight, but the 250 W TDP and dual-slot cooler design are evidently sufficient to maintain performance, as evidenced by the measured frame rates. The memory operates at 1750 MHz with an effective 28 Gbps data rate, feeding the 192-bit bus to achieve 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

In Barony specifically, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions and settings. The 4K Ultra result of 76 FPS indicates that the RTX 5070 is working near its limits, while the 1080p Low result of 501 FPS shows that the GPU is capable of far more when the CPU can keep up. The data suggests that the GPU's memory bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s is a key factor at 4K, as the 12 GB VRAM capacity appears sufficient for the game's textures and geometry at all tested settings.

The measured FPS at Medium settings provides insight into the GPU's scaling behavior. At 1920x1080 Medium, the system achieves 372 FPS average with a minimum of 317 FPS and maximum of 428 FPS. This tight frame time distribution suggests consistent GPU workload, whereas the 4K Medium result of 123 FPS with a 104 FPS minimum and 141 FPS maximum shows more variance, indicating that the GPU is under heavier load at higher pixel counts.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The dataset provides 12 measured configurations, with the most complete data available at Medium settings across all three resolutions. Starting at 1920x1080, Low settings deliver 501 FPS average, which is the highest recorded figure. Medium settings produce 372 FPS with a minimum of 317 and maximum of 428, while High settings yield 320 FPS and Ultra settings drop to 229 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 54% reduction in average frame rate, from 501 to 229 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the same settings progression shows lower absolute numbers but similar relative scaling. Low settings produce 316 FPS, Medium delivers 235 FPS with a range of 200 to 270, High achieves 202 FPS, and Ultra drops to 145 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 171 FPS, representing a 54% reduction, which mirrors the 1080p scaling exactly. This consistency suggests that the relative cost of each quality preset is resolution-independent for this game.

The 3840x2160 results show the most pronounced impact of resolution. Low settings deliver 165 FPS, Medium produces 123 FPS with a minimum of 104 and maximum of 141, High achieves 105 FPS, and Ultra drops to 76 FPS. The reduction from Low to Ultra at 4K is 89 FPS, a 54% decrease that again matches the 1080p and 1440p patterns. However, the absolute frame rates at 4K are substantially lower, with even the Low setting barely exceeding 165 FPS.

The Medium settings data provides the most granular view across resolutions. The 1080p Medium result of 372 FPS drops to 235 FPS at 1440p and 123 FPS at 4K. The minimum frame rates also scale proportionally: 317 at 1080p, 200 at 1440p, and 104 at 4K. The maximum frame rates follow a similar pattern with 428, 270, and 141 respectively. This consistent scaling indicates that the game's rendering pipeline is well-optimized for different pixel counts, with no anomalous bottlenecks at any resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 5000 series, built on the Zen 3 architecture with the Vermeer codename. It operates at a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz, with a 105 W TDP. The CPU's defining feature is its 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is substantial for a 6-core part and directly benefits games that rely on large working sets, though Barony's roguelike nature may not fully exploit this advantage.

The processor's benchmark results show a balanced profile. The PassMark multi-thread score of 20,363 and single-thread score of 2,941 indicate strong per-core performance, which is critical for games that are not heavily threaded. The floating-point math score of 34,511 and integer math score of 60,033 suggest the CPU can handle Barony's computational demands without becoming a bottleneck at higher resolutions. The data compression score of 230,392 and encryption score of 13,967 further characterize the CPU's general-purpose capabilities.

In Barony, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p with Low settings, where the 501 FPS average suggests the processor is the limiting factor. The 4.00 GHz boost clock allows for rapid instruction execution, but the 6-core configuration means that any single-threaded game logic can only progress so fast. The 12 threads provide adequate parallelism for the game's background tasks, but the primary frame generation is likely constrained by the CPU's integer and floating-point throughput.

The nearestRivals data places the Ryzen 5 5500X3D in close competition with several other processors. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F has an average score of 36,945, just 0.2% lower than the 5500X3D's 37,018. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 scores 37,093, 0.2% higher, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 scores 36,938, 0.2% lower, and the Intel Core i9-12900T scores 37,112, 0.3% higher. These margins are negligible and suggest that the 5500X3D's performance in Barony is representative of its class, with no significant advantage or disadvantage from the 96 MB L3 cache in this particular game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, even Ultra settings achieve 229 FPS average, which exceeds the refresh rate of most gaming monitors. The 501 FPS Low setting result is excessive for practical use, so players with 1080p displays should select High settings (320 FPS) or Ultra (229 FPS) to maximize visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. The Ultra preset at 1080p provides a 29% higher frame rate than the 4K High result, making it the best combination of quality and speed at this resolution.

For 2560x1440 displays, Medium settings deliver 235 FPS average with a 200 FPS minimum, which is ideal for high-refresh monitors. High settings at 202 FPS average are also excellent, while Ultra drops to 145 FPS, which may still be acceptable for 144 Hz displays. The data suggests that Medium at 1440p offers the best balance, as the 235 FPS average is only 26% below the 1080p Medium result while providing significantly more screen real estate. The 200 FPS minimum ensures that even demanding scenes remain smooth.

At 3840x2160, the choice is more constrained. High settings produce 105 FPS average, which is playable and above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings deliver 123 FPS average, providing a 17% improvement over High while presumably sacrificing some visual fidelity. Ultra settings at 76 FPS are the most demanding option and may be suitable for players who prioritize image quality over frame rate. Low settings at 165 FPS are the most performant but may look noticeably worse. For 4K, Medium settings offer the best compromise, with a 123 FPS average that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS while maintaining reasonable visual quality.

The Medium settings data across all three resolutions shows the most consistent frame time behavior, with minimums that are within 15-20% of the averages. This consistency suggests that Medium is the most stable preset for this system, avoiding the extreme GPU loads that cause frame drops at Ultra and the CPU-bound scenarios at Low.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination ranks 782nd out of 3,717 tested combos for Barony, placing it in the 79th percentile of all configurations. This ranking reflects the system's strong but not top-tier performance, which is consistent with the measured frame rates that show excellent 1080p and 1440p results but more moderate 4K performance.

The ranking position is influenced by the CPU's performance class. The Ryzen 5 5500X3D's PassMark average benchmark score of 37,018 places it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals showing less than 0.3% variation in average scores. This means the CPU is not a differentiator in the ranking; the GPU and its interaction with the game's engine are more significant factors. The RTX 5070's average benchmark score of 40,377 puts it in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs, with nearest rivals showing up to 2% variation.

The combination's 79th percentile ranking suggests that Barony's performance is slightly below what the hardware's individual percentiles might predict. This could indicate that the game is more CPU-sensitive than average, or that the specific interaction between the CPU's 96 MB L3 cache and the GPU's memory subsystem does not provide an additional edge. The fact that the CPU's percentile (85th) is higher than the combo's percentile (79th) suggests that the CPU's potential is not fully realized in this game, likely due to the GPU becoming the limiting factor at higher settings.

Compared to the 3,717 tested combos, this system sits in the upper quintile, meaning approximately 2,935 other configurations performed worse and 782 performed better. The ranking is solidly above average but not in the top tier, which is typically reserved for higher-end CPUs paired with more powerful GPUs. For Barony specifically, this combo delivers excellent performance at 1080p and 1440p, with the 4K Ultra result of 76 FPS being the only configuration that falls below the 100 FPS threshold.