Barony

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers exceptional performance in Barony, a roguelike title from 2015. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings are remarkably high, often exceeding the refresh rates of most displays, which shifts the bottleneck analysis from raw GPU capability to the limits of the CPU at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data reveals a classic scaling pattern, but with an interesting twist at the high end. When moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on the High preset, the average FPS drops from 383 to 242, a reduction of roughly 37%. This is a significant drop, indicating that the GPU is still doing substantial work at 1440p. However, the jump from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 shows a less severe decline, from 242 to 126 FPS, a 48% reduction. This suggests that while the RTX 4080 is powerful, the transition to 4K nearly halves the performance, which is typical for a resolution that quadruples the pixel count.

The most telling data point for CPU limitation comes at 1080p. On the Low preset, the system achieves an average of 600 FPS. This is near the theoretical ceiling for many synchronization methods, and the fact that it is this high suggests the CPU is not the primary constraint, even at this low resolution. Yet, the gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is substantial: 600 FPS versus 274 FPS. This 326 FPS difference is entirely due to GPU load, as the CPU workload is relatively static. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1440p (379 to 173 FPS) and 4K (198 to 91 FPS) shows a similar, consistent impact of graphical settings, which points to the GPU being the dominant factor in determining overall frame rate as settings increase.

What the data implies is that the RTX 4080 is so powerful that at 1080p, it is pushing frame rates into a territory where the CPU’s single-thread performance, while strong, becomes the limiting factor. The Ryzen 5 5600X has a strong single-thread score of 917 in 3dmark, but the sheer volume of draw calls and game logic updates at 600 FPS can still create a bottleneck. The fact that the 1080p Low score is 600 FPS, exactly double the 4K High score of 126 FPS, highlights that the scaling is not linear, and the CPU is likely holding back the 1080p results from being even higher.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average frame rate is 600 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the RTX 4080's performance compare to its closest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The data shows the RTX 4080 is nearly identical in performance to the RTX 4080 SUPER, with the latter having an average benchmark score that is only 0.1% higher.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance at 4K resolution?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting component at 4K. The frame rate drops significantly as settings increase (from 198 FPS on Low to 91 FPS on Ultra), indicating the GPU is overwhelmed by the pixel count and graphical load.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5600X a capable match for the RTX 4080 in this game?

A: Yes, the data shows the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at high frame rates, especially at lower resolutions. However, the 600 FPS cap at 1080p Low suggests a CPU bottleneck is present, as the GPU could likely render more frames if the CPU could provide them.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 379 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 173 FPS. This is a difference of 206 FPS, showing the substantial performance cost of the Ultra preset.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested system combinations for Barony?

A: This combo ranks 244th out of 3717 tested combinations, placing it in the top 6.6% of all systems tested for this game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a powerhouse built on the Ada Lovelace architecture. Its role in Barony is to provide immense raw rasterization power, as the game is a roguelike and does not appear to rely on heavy ray tracing or tensor core workloads based on the data. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. This is ample for the textures and data used in Barony, which is a 2015 title, so VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor at any of the tested settings.

The GPU's clock speeds are high, with a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz. This high boost clock is crucial for maintaining consistent frame rates, especially in a game with fast-paced action and procedurally generated environments where draw calls can fluctuate. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU can handle the game with ease, even at 4K, where it produces 126 FPS on High settings. The performance scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution demonstrates that the GPU is the primary driver of performance changes when settings are adjusted.

The RTX 4080's compute capabilities, such as its 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 9728 shading units, are likely overkill for Barony. The game's simple geometry and lighting models mean that the GPU is rarely stressed to its limit, except at 4K with Ultra settings, where it averages 91 FPS. This indicates that the GPU has significant headroom, and the frame rates are more often constrained by the CPU's ability to issue draw calls and manage game state. The GPU's 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs and its proximity to the RTX 4080 SUPER (0.1% delta) confirm its high-tier status, but the game's age means the card is not being fully utilized.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the system is heavily CPU-bound at lower settings. The Low preset achieves a staggering 600 FPS average. The Medium preset yields 446 FPS, with a minimum of 379 and maximum of 513 FPS. High settings drop the average to 383 FPS, while the Ultra preset, which likely enables more advanced effects, still produces a very high 274 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 326 FPS, showing the GPU's workload can scale significantly, but the CPU is the wall at the top end.

At 2560x1440, the GPU begins to exert more influence. The Low preset averages 379 FPS, which is still extremely high. Medium settings deliver 281 FPS (min 239, max 324), while High settings reduce the average to 242 FPS. The Ultra preset shows a more pronounced drop to 173 FPS. This resolution appears to be the sweet spot for balancing high refresh rates with better visual quality, as even Ultra settings remain above the 144 Hz threshold that many high-end monitors support.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is the clear bottleneck. The Low preset averages 198 FPS, which is impressive for 4K. Medium settings drop to 147 FPS (min 125, max 169), and High settings further reduce the average to 126 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only configuration that falls below the 100 FPS mark, with an average of 91 FPS. This data shows that while the RTX 4080 can handle 4K, the demands of Ultra settings push it to its limits, resulting in frame rates that are still playable but not as fluid as lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For players with a high-refresh-rate 1080p or 1440p monitor, the High preset at 1440p offers an excellent balance. The data shows an average of 242 FPS, which is far above the refresh rate of most monitors, ensuring a smooth and responsive experience. The jump to Ultra at 1440p reduces the average to 173 FPS, which is still very high, but the visual difference between High and Ultra in a roguelike may not justify the 69 FPS loss. At 1080p, the High preset's 383 FPS is more than sufficient, and the Ultra preset's 274 FPS still leaves a massive margin above typical 240 Hz displays.

For 4K users, the High preset is the recommended choice. It provides an average of 126 FPS, which is smooth for most gaming scenarios. The Medium preset offers 147 FPS, which is 21 FPS higher, but the visual quality reduction may be noticeable. The Ultra preset at 91 FPS is the only option that dips below the 100 FPS mark, and while it is still playable, the performance cost of 35 FPS over the High preset is significant. The data suggests that the High preset at 4K is the optimal point where the game remains visually impressive without sacrificing fluidity.

Considering the CPU bottleneck at 1080p, where the Low preset hits 600 FPS, it is clear that the system is overkill for competitive play at that resolution. The Medium preset at 1080p, with an average of 446 FPS, provides a better visual experience while still being far beyond the capabilities of any current display. Ultimately, the best experience is at 1440p High, as it leverages the GPU's strength without being held back by the CPU's limits.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of the benchmark database, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination ranks 244th out of 3717 tested combos for Barony. This places the system in the top 6.6% of all configurations, which is an elite tier. The high ranking confirms the raw power of the RTX 4080, which is a top-tier GPU, and the capable single-thread performance of the Ryzen 5 5600X.

However, the ranking also reflects the game's nature. Barony is a roguelike, and its performance is likely not as heavily dependent on multi-core CPUs as modern AAA titles. The Ryzen 5 5600X, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is more than enough for this game. The CPU's 75th percentile ranking among all CPUs and its average benchmark score of 21771, which is nearly identical to the Ryzen 7 4800H (0.1% delta), show that it is a solid performer, but not the absolute best. The ranking of 244 suggests that there are 243 other combos that achieve higher frame rates, likely with newer, higher-clocked CPUs that can push even more frames at 1080p.

The GPU's ranking, at the 86th percentile, is much higher than the CPU's 75th percentile. This disparity suggests that the CPU is the weaker link in this combo, and if the goal were to maximize the ranking in Barony, upgrading the CPU would likely yield better results than upgrading the GPU, which is already near the top. The RTX 4080's benchmark score is only 0.1% behind the RTX 4080 SUPER, meaning the GPU is not the limitation. The data implies that the combo's rank is held back by the CPU's inability to push frame rates beyond the 600 FPS seen at 1080p Low.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, which is crucial for gaming performance. In Barony, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and draw calls. The game is from 2015, so it likely does not use many threads, meaning the single-thread performance of the 5600X is the most important factor.

The CPU's benchmark data confirms its strength in single-threaded workloads. It scores 917 in 3dmark single-thread and 1541 in Cinebench R23 single-core. These are respectable scores, but the data suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p Low, where the frame rate is capped at 600 FPS. This is likely due to the CPU's maximum thread dispatch rate, not its core count. The CPU's multi-threaded performance, as seen in its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 11838, is strong, but it is not fully utilized in this game.

The CPU's memory support for DDR4 with dual-channel bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s is adequate for the game. The 32 MB of L3 cache is also beneficial, as it can store frequently accessed game data. However, the fact that the CPU's nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, has a nearly identical average benchmark score (21749 vs 21771, a 0.1% delta) indicates that the 5600X is not an exceptional outlier in its class. The results in Barony show that the CPU is capable of delivering high frame rates, but its limits are exposed at the extreme frame rates achieved by the RTX 4080 at 1080p. The CPU is a strong performer, but the data clearly shows that the GPU is the star of this show, with the CPU serving as a capable, but not unlimited, partner.