Barony

Resolution Scaling

Barony is not a demanding game by modern standards, and the measured data for the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 + AMD Radeon RX 7700 combo shows exactly how far this pairing can stretch. The progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a system that remains fluid at every tier, though the performance cost of each resolution step is substantial. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers 230 FPS average. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 145 FPS, a 37% reduction. At 4K High, the average falls to 76 FPS, which is another 47.6% cut from the 1440p figure. These are large percentage drops, but the absolute numbers remain playable throughout.

The scaling pattern changes when you look at the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the system hits 360 FPS average. At 1440p Low, it still manages 227 FPS. At 4K Low, the average is 119 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 36.9%, and from 1440p to 4K it is 47.6%. The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests the limiting factor scales predictably with pixel count. In a game like Barony, which is a roguelike with relatively simple geometry, the GPU is doing the heavy lifting at higher resolutions, but the CPU is clearly strong enough to feed the Radeon card even at 1080p where frame rates exceed 300 FPS in the Low preset.

Consider the Ultra preset, which is the most demanding setting measured. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 165. At 1440p Ultra, it is 104 FPS, a 37% reduction. At 4K Ultra, the average falls to 54 FPS, which is a 48.1% drop from 1440p. The 4K Ultra result is the only measured configuration that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, and it does so by a meaningful 10%. This tells us that 4K Ultra is the edge of what this combo can handle smoothly, while everything else remains comfortably above 60 FPS. The data indicates that the RX 7700's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory is not a bottleneck at any resolution, as even the 4K Ultra result is limited by raw compute rather than memory capacity or bandwidth.

The percentage deltas between resolutions are remarkably uniform across all four settings presets. High, Low, and Ultra all show roughly a 37% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and roughly a 47-48% drop from 1440p to 4K. Medium settings show a similar pattern: 268 FPS at 1080p, 169 FPS at 1440p (37% drop), and 88 FPS at 4K (47.9% drop from 1440p). This uniformity suggests that the game's rendering pipeline scales linearly with resolution, and that neither the CPU nor the GPU is being disproportionately stressed at any single resolution. The bottleneck shifts gradually from CPU-bound at 1080p Low to GPU-bound at 4K Ultra, but the transition is smooth and the system never hits a wall until the highest preset at the highest resolution.

Settings Recommendations

For a smooth experience at 4K, the data points to Medium settings as the sweet spot. The measured 4K Medium average is 88 FPS, with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 102 FPS. The minimum of 75 FPS is well above the 60 FPS playability threshold, and the average of 88 FPS leaves headroom for dips during busy roguelike encounters. The 4K High preset averages 76 FPS, which is still playable but closer to the edge, and 4K Ultra at 54 FPS average is below the 60 FPS mark. At 4K, Medium is the clear choice if you want to maintain a consistent frame rate without sacrificing too much visual fidelity.

At 1440p, the recommended preset depends on your preference for visual quality versus frame rate. The 1440p Ultra preset averages 104 FPS, which is excellent for a high-refresh-rate monitor. The 1440p High preset averages 145 FPS, which is better suited for a 144 Hz display. The 1440p Medium preset averages 169 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of most 1440p monitors. If you have a 144 Hz 1440p panel, High settings at 145 FPS average is nearly ideal, as it keeps the frame rate close to the refresh rate without wasting GPU headroom. If you prefer maximum visual fidelity, Ultra at 104 FPS is still smooth and only 28.3% slower than High.

At 1080p, the story is different. The 1080p Ultra preset averages 165 FPS, which is already very high. The 1080p High preset averages 230 FPS, and Medium averages 268 FPS. The 1080p Low preset hits 360 FPS. For a 1080p 144 Hz monitor, Ultra at 165 FPS is the best choice because it maximizes visual quality while still exceeding the refresh rate. For a 240 Hz monitor, High at 230 FPS is the better option. The Low preset at 360 FPS is only useful for competitive play where every frame matters, but the visual downgrade is significant. The Medium preset at 268 FPS is a middle ground that offers good visuals and very high frame rates.

The measured minimum FPS values are only available for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 228 FPS, which is only 14.9% below the average of 268 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 144 FPS, which is 14.8% below the average of 169 FPS. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 75 FPS, which is 14.8% below the average of 88 FPS. This consistent 14.8% delta between average and minimum suggests that Barony has stable frame pacing at Medium settings across all resolutions. The game does not appear to have severe frame spikes or stutters, which is typical of a well-optimized roguelike with procedurally generated levels.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is the primary driver of the frame rate differences between settings presets. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for Barony's texture and geometry loads at any resolution. The GPU's boost clock of 2459 MHz and game clock of 2041 MHz are high for a RDNA 3.0 part, and the 2560 shading units handle the game's rendering with ease. The card's 96 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 236.1 GPixel/s, which explains why 4K Medium at 88 FPS is achievable — the fill rate is sufficient to handle 8.3 million pixels per frame at that frame rate.

The GPU's 40 ray tracing cores are present but likely unused in Barony, as the game does not feature ray-traced effects in the measured settings. The 25.18 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is more than enough for a roguelike of this visual complexity. The card's benchmark scores reflect its position in the market: it scores 20974 in Passmark G3D, which places it at the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon R9 370X, scores 15862, which is 0.1% lower, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 16129, which is 1.7% higher. The RX 7700 sits between these cards in raw compute, but in Barony it delivers frame rates that are high enough to make those differences irrelevant.

The GPU's memory configuration is worth noting. With 16 GB of GDDR6, the RX 7700 has more memory than most competitors in its class, and Barony's measured results show no signs of memory pressure. The 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth is 1.4 times higher than the system memory bandwidth of the Ryzen 5 5600, which means the GPU can access its own memory faster than the CPU can access system memory. This is typical for discrete GPUs, but it matters in a game like Barony where level generation can create large amounts of geometry. The GPU's 267 mm length and dual-slot width are standard for a mid-range card, and the 2x 8-pin power connectors suggest it draws a significant amount of power, though the exact TDP is not the focus here.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combo is as follows. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 360 FPS, Medium averages 268 FPS with a minimum of 228 FPS and a maximum of 308 FPS, High averages 230 FPS, and Ultra averages 165 FPS. At 2560x1440, Low averages 227 FPS, Medium averages 169 FPS with a minimum of 144 FPS and a maximum of 194 FPS, High averages 145 FPS, and Ultra averages 104 FPS. At 3840x2160, Low averages 119 FPS, Medium averages 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 102 FPS, High averages 76 FPS, and Ultra averages 54 FPS.

The 1080p results show that the system is not CPU-bound even at the highest preset. The Ryzen 5 5600, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, scores 18309 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2584 in single-core. These scores place the CPU at the 74th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20468. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, scores 20454, a delta of only 0.1%. The CPU's single-thread performance of 2584 in Cinebench R23 is more than sufficient for Barony's game logic, which is largely single-threaded. The 1080p Low result of 360 FPS suggests the CPU can push well beyond 300 FPS in this game, and the GPU is the limiting factor at higher settings.

The 1440p results show a balanced system. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across all presets, indicating that both the CPU and GPU are being utilized to their full potential. The 1440p Medium minimum of 144 FPS is exactly the refresh rate of many gaming monitors, which means you can run Medium settings with V-Sync enabled and never drop below the refresh rate. The 1440p Ultra average of 104 FPS is 27.7% slower than High, which is a significant difference for a visual upgrade that may be subtle in a roguelike with pixel-art or low-poly visuals.

The 4K results are the most revealing. The 4K Low average of 119 FPS shows that even at the lowest settings, the GPU is still producing a very high frame rate. The 4K Medium average of 88 FPS with a 75 FPS minimum is the best balance of visual quality and performance. The 4K High average of 76 FPS is 13.6% slower than Medium, which may not be worth the visual upgrade. The 4K Ultra average of 54 FPS is the only result below 60 FPS, and it is 38.6% slower than Medium. For 4K gaming, Medium is the recommended preset, with High as a viable option if you can tolerate occasional dips below 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combos for Barony, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 + AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination ranks 1336 out of 2935 total combos. This places it in the 45.5th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms roughly 45.5% of the systems tested in this game. Given that Barony is an older roguelike from 2015, this ranking is expected — many modern high-end combos will outpace this mid-range pairing. However, the ranking does not tell the whole story, as the absolute frame rates are exceptionally high at all but the most demanding settings.

The combo's rank of 1336 out of 2935 suggests that there are 1599 combos that perform better in Barony. These are likely systems with newer CPUs and GPUs, such as those featuring the Radeon RX 9060 or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which are the GPU's nearest rivals. The RX 7700's nearest rival, the RX 9060, has an average benchmark score that is 1% higher, and the RTX 3060 Ti is 1.7% higher. In Barony, these differences would translate to a few frames per second at most, which is imperceptible in actual gameplay. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, has a score that is 0.1% higher, which is within the margin of error.

The ranking also reflects the age of the CPU. The Ryzen 5 5600 was released in April 2022 with a launch MSRP of $199, while the GPU was released in September 2025. This generation gap means the CPU is two generations behind the GPU, but Barony's low thread requirements mean the CPU is not a bottleneck. The CPU's 3.50 GHz base clock and 4.40 GHz boost clock are adequate for the game's logic, and its 32 MB of shared L3 cache helps with procedural generation. The combo's rank of 1336 confirms the RX 7700's raw power, which compensates for the CPU's age.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for 4K gaming with this combo?

A: The 4K Medium preset is the best choice, with an average of 88 FPS and a minimum of 75 FPS. The 4K High preset averages 76 FPS, which is still playable, but 4K Ultra averages 54 FPS and is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Can this combo handle 1080p at high refresh rates?

A: Yes, the 1080p Ultra preset averages 165 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of 144 Hz monitors. The 1080p High preset averages 230 FPS, which is suitable for 240 Hz monitors. The 1080p Low preset reaches 360 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in Barony?

A: The data indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher settings. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 360 FPS, suggesting the CPU can push beyond this. As resolution and settings increase, the GPU becomes the limiting component, with 4K Ultra dropping to 54 FPS.

Q: How does this combo compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 9060, has an average benchmark score 1% higher, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is 1.7% higher. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, is 0.1% higher. These differences are minimal in Barony.

Q: What is the minimum FPS at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 228 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 144 FPS. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 75 FPS. The minimum is consistently 14.8% below the average across all resolutions.

Q: Is the 16 GB of VRAM sufficient for Barony?

A: Yes, the 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on the RX 7700 is more than sufficient. The GPU's 624.1 GB/s memory bandwidth ensures no memory bottleneck at any resolution or setting, including 4K Ultra.