Barony

# 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 built on the Zen 4 architecture, with a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Its 16 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth position it as a modern mid-range desktop part. In synthetic benchmarks, the chip achieves a single-thread score of 951 in 3DMark and 2943 in Cinebench R23, while its multi-threaded Cinebench R23 score reaches 20851.

For a roguelike like Barony, which typically relies on game logic, procedural generation, and simulation rather than massive thread counts, the single-thread performance is often the more critical factor. The 8400F's strong single-core showing—placing it in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs—suggests it can handle the per-frame simulation demands efficiently. The 12 threads provide headroom for background tasks and any lightly threaded engine processes.

The data reveals a clear pattern: at 1080p Low settings, the combo produces 521.5 FPS, which is extraordinarily high and indicates the CPU is not the primary constraint at lower graphical loads. Even at 1080p Ultra, the system maintains 238.2 FPS, showing that the processor can feed the GPU well across all settings. The CPU's 65W TDP and 4nm TSMC process node suggest efficient operation, though the benchmark data does not directly measure power consumption in game.

Comparing to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks, the 8400F sits within 0.3% of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, essentially identical in average score. It edges out the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X by a negligible margin (0% delta), and trails the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 by just 0.1%. These tight deltas indicate that the 8400F's gaming performance should be comparable to these alternatives, though Barony's specific engine behavior may favor certain cache or memory configurations.

# How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER achieves a rank of 322 out of 1702 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the top 19% of all configurations tested, which is a strong showing given the game's age and relatively modest graphical requirements.

This ranking is particularly notable because Barony is a roguelike with a 2015 release date, suggesting it may not be optimized for modern multi-core processors or the latest GPU architectures. Yet the combo still outperforms roughly 81% of tested systems. The high rank likely stems from the combination of the CPU's excellent single-thread performance (951 in 3DMark single-thread) and the GPU's substantial rasterization power.

The 8400F's 82nd percentile ranking among all CPUs and the RTX 4070 SUPER's 84th percentile among all GPUs indicate that both components are above-average performers individually. When paired, their combined capabilities translate into a top-tier result for this specific title. The rank also reflects that many tested combos may include older or lower-end components, while this pairing represents a modern, well-balanced system.

# FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average FPS is 521.5 at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which represents the ceiling for this configuration.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance relate to Barony's results?

A: The Ryzen 5 8400F scores 951 in 3DMark single-thread and 2943 in Cinebench R23 single-core, placing it in the 82nd percentile. This strong single-core capability likely drives the high frame rates, as Barony's roguelike simulation often depends on single-threaded logic.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU more likely to be the bottleneck at 4K Ultra?

A: At 3840x2160 Ultra, the combo drops to 78 FPS, a significant reduction from 238.2 FPS at 1080p Ultra. This steep decline suggests the RTX 4070 SUPER's rendering load becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU maintains sufficient headroom.

Q: How does this combo compare to the nearest rival CPU configurations?

A: The 8400F's average benchmark score of 25064 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (25057, 0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (24993, 0.3% faster). This indicates the CPU's processing capability is on par with these alternatives for Barony.

Q: What memory bandwidth does the CPU provide, and does it matter?

A: The 8400F supports dual-channel DDR5 with 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth. Given that the combo exceeds 500 FPS at 1080p Low, memory bandwidth appears sufficient for this game's demands, though the data does not isolate memory as a variable.

Q: Does the RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB VRAM cause any issues in Barony?

A: No issues are indicated by the measured FPS data. Even at 4K Ultra, the combo maintains 78 FPS, suggesting the 12 GB GDDR6X memory is adequate for Barony's texture and geometry loads.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest performance across all settings. Low settings yield 521.5 FPS, Medium produces 390.8 FPS, High reaches 332.6 FPS, and Ultra maintains 238.2 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 54.3% reduction in frame rate, indicating that graphical settings significantly impact performance even at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, frame rates remain high but show a clear scaling pattern. Low drops to 327.9 FPS, Medium to 245 FPS, High to 208.3 FPS, and Ultra to 153.9 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 53.1%, similar to the 1080p scaling, suggesting the GPU is becoming more of a factor but the CPU still supports strong performance.

At 3840x2160, the impact of resolution becomes pronounced. Low produces 174.8 FPS, Medium 125.8 FPS, High 109.2 FPS, and Ultra drops to 78 FPS. The Ultra setting at 4K represents a 85.0% reduction from the 1080p Low result, illustrating how both resolution and settings compound to stress the GPU.

The data shows no min or max FPS values, meaning only averages are available for analysis. The measured results indicate a system capable of maintaining well over 60 FPS at all tested configurations, with the weakest performance being 78 FPS at 4K Ultra.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER features 7168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5nm process. Its base clock runs at 1980 MHz with a boost clock of 2475 MHz, and it includes 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus delivering 504.2 GB/s bandwidth. The GPU's FP32 performance is 35.48 TFLOPS, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate.

In Barony, the GPU's role becomes more evident as resolution and settings increase. At 1080p Low, the frame rate of 521.5 FPS likely approaches the engine's rendering limits or the CPU's ability to issue draw calls, given that the GPU is nowhere near maxed out at this load. However, at 4K Ultra, the frame rate falls to 78 FPS, a 85% drop from the 1080p Low figure, indicating the GPU's pixel and texture throughput is the primary constraint.

The RTX 4070 SUPER's 84th percentile ranking among all GPUs and its average benchmark score of 42576 place it close to the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (42653, -0.2% delta) and AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (42723, -0.3%). This suggests the GPU provides consistent, high-end rasterization performance, which Barony leverages increasingly at higher resolutions.

# Settings Recommendations

The measured data indicates that Ultra settings at 1080p provide 238.2 FPS, which is far beyond what most displays can show. At 1440p Ultra, the combo still delivers 153.9 FPS, comfortably above 144 Hz refresh rates. For 4K Ultra, the 78 FPS average is playable but may not satisfy users with high-refresh 4K displays.

The best experience per the measured rows depends on the target display. For 1080p users, Ultra settings offer the richest visual quality while maintaining over 200 FPS, making it the clear choice. At 1440p, Ultra remains viable at 153.9 FPS, so there is no reason to drop below the highest preset for visual fidelity. For 4K, High settings at 109.2 FPS provide a good balance, though Medium at 125.8 FPS offers a smoother experience if frame rate is prioritized.

The data shows that dropping from Ultra to High at 4K yields a 40% FPS improvement (78 to 109.2 FPS), while the visual difference between these presets is often minimal in practice. Similarly, at 1440p, Medium (245 FPS) versus Ultra (153.9 FPS) represents a 59% performance gain, which could benefit users with 240 Hz displays. However, given that even 4K Ultra exceeds 60 FPS, the game is playable at maximum settings across all resolutions tested.

# Resolution Scaling

Frame rates decline consistently as resolution increases, but the rate of decline varies by setting. From 1080p Low (521.5 FPS) to 1440p Low (327.9 FPS), the drop is 37.1%. From 1440p Low to 4K Low (174.8 FPS), the drop is another 46.7%. For Ultra, the progression is 238.2 FPS at 1080p, 153.9 FPS at 1440p (35.4% drop), and 78 FPS at 4K (49.3% drop from 1440p).

This scaling pattern reveals that the limiting component shifts with resolution. At 1080p, the CPU's single-thread performance (951 in 3DMark single-thread) is likely the primary constraint, as the GPU has abundant headroom—evidenced by the small frame rate differences between Low and Ultra at 1080p (521.5 vs 238.2, a 54% difference). At 4K, the GPU's rendering load dominates, with the RTX 4070 SUPER's 504.2 GB/s bandwidth and 198.0 GPixel/s pixel rate becoming the bottleneck.

The resolution scaling also suggests that Barony is not particularly demanding on modern hardware. Even at 4K Ultra, the system achieves 78 FPS, which is well above playable thresholds. The data implies that the CPU is more than capable for this title, and the GPU's performance at 4K is the deciding factor for maximum frame rates. Users with 1080p or 1440p displays will find the combo massively overprovisioned, while 4K users can still enjoy high refresh rates with slightly reduced settings.