Barony

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 pairing delivers an exceptional experience in Barony, a roguelike where high frame rates matter more than absolute visual fidelity. The benchmark data shows this combo is capable of pushing well past the refresh rates of most monitors, but the settings you choose will determine whether you are locked to a smooth 144Hz or leaving performance on the table. This analysis breaks down the measured results to help you optimize for your specific display.

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

The Ryzen 5 5600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, running on the AM4 socket. Its base clock is 3.50 GHz, boosting up to 4.40 GHz. For a game like Barony, which is a roguelike that doesn't rely on massive thread counts, this configuration is more than sufficient. The processor's single-thread performance is the key metric here, and the data supports this: its 3DMark single-thread score is 882, while its max-thread score is 5659. This indicates a strong per-core capability that prevents the CPU from becoming a bottleneck in most scenarios.

The CPU's position relative to its rivals reinforces its capability. Its average benchmark score of 21765 places it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs. It sits just 0.6% ahead of the Intel Xeon D-1746TER and only 0.9% behind the Intel Core i7-11700F. This tight grouping means the 5600 is not leaving significant performance on the table compared to its direct competitors. In a game like Barony, which is not heavily multi-threaded, the 5600's strong single-core showing is the primary reason the high FPS numbers in the measured results are achievable. The 32 MB of shared L3 cache also helps keep game data close at hand, reducing latency.

Looking at the FPS data, the CPU's influence is most visible at lower resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo hits 469.3 FPS, a figure that is heavily reliant on the CPU's ability to feed frames quickly. The fact that the CPU is not the limiting factor is evident when you see the scaling from 1080p to 1440p; the drop is not as severe as it would be if the CPU were overwhelmed. The Ryzen 5 5600 is a capable air-cooled processor with a 65W TDP, making it an easy component to cool and power, ensuring sustained performance without thermal throttling.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured data provides clear guidance on which settings preset to use. The primary goal is to achieve a frame rate that matches or exceeds your display's refresh rate without sacrificing visual quality unnecessarily. The "High" preset is the sweet spot for this combination. At 2560x1440, High delivers 191.2 FPS, which is an excellent experience for high-refresh monitors. At 1920x1080, High produces 298.7 FPS, ensuring maximum smoothness on even the fastest displays.

Stepping down to Medium does offer a significant FPS boost, but the trade-off in visual fidelity is not worth it given the already high frame rates on High. For example, at 1440p, Medium yields 222.6 FPS (a 16% increase over High), but the visual downgrade in a game like Barony is often more noticeable than the difference between 191 and 222 FPS. Conversely, the "Ultra" preset is the only one that shows a substantial drop in performance. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 71.7 FPS, which is the only measured result that falls below the 100 FPS threshold. This suggests that Ultra settings introduce effects that heavily tax the GPU.

For users with standard 60Hz displays, even the "High" preset at 4K provides 100.6 FPS, which is more than sufficient. For those with 144Hz monitors, "High" at 1440p is the clear recommendation. The "Low" preset is not recommended, as it sacrifices too much visual detail for frame rates that are likely beyond the capabilities of most displays. The data indicates that "High" provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, with "Medium" as a fallback if you have a 240Hz monitor at 1440p and want to maximize smoothness.

FAQ

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: Based on the FPS data, the CPU is likely the limiting factor at 1920x1080. The jump from Low (469.3 FPS) to High (298.7 FPS) is a 36% reduction, whereas at 1440p, the drop from Low (293.4 FPS) to High (191.2 FPS) is a 35% reduction. This similar scaling suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck; rather, the GPU is handling the increased resolution load, and the CPU is keeping up. The high frame rates at 1080p Low (469.3 FPS) indicate the processor's strong single-thread performance is being fully utilized.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but with caveats. The data shows that at 3840x2160, the "High" preset yields 100.6 FPS, which is very playable. However, "Ultra" drops to 71.7 FPS. This indicates that the RTX 4070 is powerful enough for 4K at High settings, but you should avoid Ultra if you want to stay above 100 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 144Hz monitor?

A: For a 144Hz monitor, the "High" preset is the best choice. At 2560x1440, it delivers 191.2 FPS, which is above the 144Hz threshold. Even at 3840x2160, High provides 100.6 FPS, which is not quite 144Hz but is still smooth. If you have a 240Hz monitor, "Medium" at 1440p (222.6 FPS) or "High" at 1080p (298.7 FPS) are viable options.

Q: How much faster is the Low preset compared to Ultra?

A: The difference is substantial. At 1920x1080, Low (469.3 FPS) is 117% faster than Ultra (216.4 FPS). At 2560x1440, Low (293.4 FPS) is 113% faster than Ultra (137.6 FPS). This shows that Ultra settings have a significant performance cost, while Low offers the highest possible frame rates.

Q: Does the game perform better at 1440p High than at 1080p Ultra?

A: Yes. The measured data shows that 2560x1440 High (191.2 FPS) is actually faster than 1920x1080 Ultra (216.4 FPS) is not correct; 216.4 is higher. However, 1440p High (191.2 FPS) is not slower than 1080p Ultra (216.4 FPS) by a huge margin. The 1440p High result offers a much better visual experience (higher resolution) for a 12% reduction in frame rate. This makes 1440p High the superior choice over 1080p Ultra for users with capable monitors.

Q: Is this a good combo for competitive play?

A: Yes. The combination of the Ryzen 5 5600 and RTX 4070 provides exceptionally high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p. At 1080p Medium, the combo hits 348.4 FPS, and at 1440p Low, it hits 293.4 FPS. These numbers are well above what is required for competitive gaming, ensuring minimal input lag and maximum responsiveness.

How This Combo Ranks

The Ryzen 5 5600 + RTX 4070 combination ranks 414th out of 1702 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the top 24% of all possible pairings, which is a strong showing for a mid-range CPU paired with a upper-mid-range GPU. The ranking indicates that this is a well-balanced system that does not have a significant bottleneck. The high rank is largely attributed to the CPU's strong single-thread performance and the GPU's ability to render frames quickly at high settings.

The rank of 414 also suggests that while this is a great combo, there are many higher-end systems (with more powerful CPUs and GPUs) that will outperform it. However, the data shows that the performance difference is not necessarily required for a smooth experience. The measured FPS at 1440p High (191.2 FPS) is already so high that spending more money on a higher-ranked combo would only yield benefits for 4K Ultra gaming or 360Hz+ monitors. For the vast majority of users, this combo's ranking ensures that it will not be the limiting factor in Barony.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the driving force behind the high frame rates at higher resolutions. It features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. This is crucial for handling the textures and effects in Barony at high resolutions. The GPU's boost clock is 2475 MHz, and it has a TDP of 200 W. The data shows that the RTX 4070's performance scales well with resolution, indicating that it has enough memory and bandwidth to avoid bottlenecks.

The GPU's benchmark scores support its capability. Its Passmark G3D score is 26927, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 3854. Its average benchmark score of 37283 places it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. Interestingly, its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile, but the RTX 4070's desktop performance is what matters here. The data shows that the GPU is not the limiting factor at 1080p, where the CPU's frame pacing is more critical, but it becomes the primary driver of performance at 1440p and 4K.

The 12 GB VRAM is a significant advantage. Even at 4K Ultra, the game does not run out of memory, which is why the frame rate drops to 71.7 FPS rather than experiencing stutters or crashes. The GPU's raw compute power (29.15 TFLOPS FP32) ensures that even the most demanding settings are rendered without issue. The presence of 46 RT cores and 184 Tensor cores indicates future-proofing for other titles, but for Barony, the standard rasterization performance is what delivers the excellent results.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance across resolutions and settings.

1920x1080: This is where the combo truly shines. At Low settings, the average FPS is 469.3, which is exceptionally high. Medium settings deliver 348.4 FPS, and High settings provide 298.7 FPS. Even at Ultra, the game maintains an average of 216.4 FPS. This means that at 1080p, the system is almost always CPU-limited, and the RTX 4070 has plenty of headroom.

2560x1440: The 1440p results are the most balanced. Low settings yield 293.4 FPS, Medium provides 222.6 FPS, and High delivers 191.2 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 137.6 FPS, but this is still well above 100 FPS and provides a smooth experience. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 53% drop in performance, which is expected given the increased GPU load.

3840x2160: At 4K, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. Low settings yield 156.1 FPS, which is still very high. Medium settings drop to 113.7 FPS, and High settings provide 100.6 FPS. Ultra settings are the only ones that fall below the 100 FPS mark, delivering 71.7 FPS. For 4K gaming, the "High" preset is the optimal choice, as it keeps the frame rate above 100 FPS while maintaining good visual quality.

The data shows a clear trend: the performance gap between Low and Ultra widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference is 117%, but at 4K, it is 117% as well (156.1 vs 71.7). This indicates that the GPU's capabilities are consistently taxed, and the CPU is not a limiting factor at any resolution. The RTX 4070's 12 GB VRAM ensures that there are no memory-related stutters even at the highest settings, making this a reliable combination for a smooth Barony experience.