Barony

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured frame rates show a dramatic scaling curve as resolution climbs, revealing a system that shifts from CPU-bound at 1080p to increasingly GPU-bound at 4K. At 1080p Ultra, the combo produces 144 FPS, which drops to 92.3 FPS at 1440p Ultra and further to 50.6 FPS at 4K Ultra. That represents a 36% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 45% reduction from 1440p to 4K — a steep decline that points to the GPU becoming the primary constraint at higher pixel counts.

The pattern is even more telling at Low settings. At 1080p Low, the system pushes 315.2 FPS, which drops to 201.1 FPS at 1440p Low and 105 FPS at 4K Low. The 1080p-to-1440p drop of 114 FPS is nearly identical in absolute terms to the 1440p-to-4K drop of 96.1 FPS, suggesting that at Low settings the scaling is more linear and likely tied to pure pixel throughput. However, the fact that 1080p Low reaches 315.2 FPS while 4K Low only manages 105 FPS indicates the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are being saturated at higher resolutions.

This scaling behavior implies that at 1080p, particularly at lower settings, the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is likely holding the system back from even higher frame rates. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz are strong for gaming, but the 315.2 FPS ceiling at 1080p Low suggests there is a computational limit that the GPU cannot overcome. At 4K, however, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth become the deciding factors, as the frame rates compress into a narrow 50.6-105 FPS range across all settings.

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

The RTX 2070 SUPER operates with a base clock of 1605 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, paired with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz, translating to 14 Gbps effective, which yields a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. These specifications place the GPU in the 65th percentile of all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 22206.

In Barony, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate falls to 50.6 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider playable. Dropping to 4K High recovers to 69.1 FPS, and 4K Medium reaches 76.3 FPS. The 4K Low setting jumps to 105 FPS, showing that the GPU can handle the pixel count if shading complexity is reduced. The 18.6 FPS gap between 4K Ultra and 4K High highlights the cost of the highest-quality effects on the Turing architecture's 2560 shading units.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is worth questioning in this context. Barony is a roguelike with a 2015 release date, so its texture requirements are likely modest. However, the fact that the GPU's nearest rivals include the RTX 4060 Mobile with a 22729 average score and the Radeon RX 5700 at 21670 suggests the RTX 2070 SUPER sits in a competitive mid-range tier. Its 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 113.3 GPixel/s pixel rate are sufficient for 1440p gaming at high settings, but the 4K Ultra result of 50.6 FPS indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at that extreme.

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

The measured data provides clear guidance on which settings preset delivers the optimal balance of visual quality and performance for this combination. At 1080p, all four presets exceed 144 FPS, with Ultra at 144 FPS and High at 199.5 FPS. The jump from Ultra to High is substantial — a 55.5 FPS gain — while the visual difference in a roguelike with procedurally generated dungeons may not justify the performance cost. For players with 144 Hz monitors, 1080p High at 199.5 FPS provides headroom above the refresh rate, making it the sensible choice.

At 1440p, the recommendation shifts. High settings produce 126.4 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. Medium yields 148.1 FPS, a 17.2% improvement over High, while Ultra drops to 92.3 FPS. Given that Barony's gameplay relies on fast reactions and spatial awareness, the extra 34.1 FPS from dropping from Ultra to High is likely worth more than the marginal visual upgrade. The data suggests 1440p High is the sweet spot, with Medium as a fallback for those who prioritize frame rate above all else.

At 4K, the choices are more constrained. Ultra at 50.6 FPS is below the 60 FPS target, making it a poor fit for action-heavy gameplay. High at 69.1 FPS crosses the 60 FPS threshold but lacks the headroom for demanding scenes. Medium at 76.3 FPS offers a more comfortable margin, while Low at 105 FPS provides the best performance but sacrifices visual fidelity. For 4K play, the data points to Medium as the recommended preset — it delivers 76.3 FPS, a 50.8% improvement over Ultra, while retaining enough visual detail to maintain the game's atmosphere.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The complete measured FPS table for the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination in Barony is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 315.2 FPS, Medium reaches 236.2 FPS, High produces 199.5 FPS, and Ultra delivers 144 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 54.3% reduction in frame rate, indicating that the highest settings impose a significant computational load even at Full HD.

At 2560x1440, Low produces 201.1 FPS, Medium reaches 148.1 FPS, High delivers 126.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 92.3 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 108.8 FPS, a smaller absolute difference than at 1080p but a similar proportional reduction of 54.1%.

At 3840x2160, Low achieves 105 FPS, Medium reaches 76.3 FPS, High produces 69.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 50.6 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 54.4 FPS, representing a 51.8% reduction. Notably, the Ultra preset at 4K is the only measured configuration that falls below 60 FPS, while 4K High barely exceeds it.

Looking at settings-based scaling across resolutions, the Low preset shows the largest absolute drops: from 315.2 FPS at 1080p to 201.1 FPS at 1440p, then to 105 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset shows the smallest absolute drops: from 144 FPS at 1080p to 92.3 FPS at 1440p, then to 50.6 FPS at 4K. This pattern confirms that higher settings amplify the GPU's role as the bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific hardware combination ranks 1051 out of 1702 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. That ranking is notable given the individual components' percentiles: the CPU sits in the 82nd percentile among all processors, while the GPU is in the 65th percentile. The combo rank suggests that Barony's performance characteristics do not favor this pairing as much as their standalone benchmark scores might imply.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X with an average score of 25057 and a deltaPct of 0, meaning they are effectively tied. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 scores 25099 with a deltaPct of -0.1, and the AMD EPYC 9474F scores 25103 with a deltaPct of -0.2. The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F scores 24993 with a deltaPct of 0.3. These close margins indicate that the 8400F's performance is well-established in its tier, yet the combo rank in Barony is modest.

The GPU's nearest rivals show a wider spread. The RTX A400 scores 22307 with a deltaPct of -0.5, the GTX TITAN Z scores 22006 with a deltaPct of 0.9, the RTX 4060 Mobile scores 22729 with a deltaPct of -2.3, and the RX 5700 scores 21670 with a deltaPct of 2.5. The RTX 2070 SUPER's average benchmark score of 22206 places it between the TITAN Z and the A400, yet the combo's rank of 1051 out of 1702 suggests that many other pairings achieve better frame rates in Barony. This could be because the game is not heavily threaded, limiting the 8400F's 12-thread advantage, or because the GPU's 8 GB VRAM is sufficient but not exceptional for the game's rendering demands.

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Phoenix, built on TSMC's 4 nm process. It runs at a base clock of 4.20 GHz and boosts to 4.70 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU has 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 16 MB of shared L3 cache. Its memory support is DDR5 with dual-channel access and a bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 8400F scores 20851 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2943 in single-core, with a PassMark multithread score of 24530. Its 3DMark scores range from 951 in single-thread to 6165 in max-thread tests. These results place the CPU in the 82nd percentile, with an average benchmark score of 25064.

In Barony, the CPU's influence is most evident at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the 315.2 FPS result is likely approaching the CPU's thread-handling limit, as the GPU has plenty of headroom at that resolution. The 4.70 GHz boost clock provides strong single-thread performance, which is critical for a game that may not scale perfectly across 12 threads. The 6-core, 12-thread configuration is well-suited to modern games, but Barony's 2015 release date suggests it may rely on fewer threads, making the CPU's high clock speed more important than its core count.

The 16 MB of L3 cache is modest by modern standards, and the 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth is typical for dual-channel DDR5. These specs support the observed frame rates, but the CPU's percentile ranking of 82 does not translate to a top-tier combo ranking in this game. The data suggests that Barony is more GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but at 1080p, the CPU's 315.2 FPS ceiling may be a limiting factor for players with high-refresh-rate monitors seeking maximum frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Barony?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 315.2, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only at certain settings. 4K High produces 69.1 FPS, 4K Medium reaches 76.3 FPS, and 4K Low achieves 105 FPS. However, 4K Ultra drops to 50.6 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 8400F compare to its nearest rival, the Ryzen 7 2700X?

A: The two processors have nearly identical average benchmark scores: the 8400F scores 25064 while the 2700X scores 25057, a deltaPct of 0, indicating they perform equivalently in aggregate.

Q: What is the RTX 2070 SUPER's percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The GPU is in the 65th percentile of all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 22206.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra?

A: The system delivers 144 FPS at 1080p Ultra and 50.6 FPS at 4K Ultra, a difference of 93.4 FPS, representing a 64.9% reduction.

Q: Which settings preset at 1440p offers the best performance headroom?

A: The Medium preset at 1440p produces 148.1 FPS, which is the highest frame rate among the Medium, High, and Ultra presets, while still providing better visuals than Low.