Barony

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers exceptional frame rates in Barony, a 2015 roguelike that rarely stresses modern hardware. Benchmark results place this combination at rank 131 out of 3717 tested combos, placing it in the top 3.5% of all systems evaluated for this title. The measured data shows that this pairing is heavily GPU-limited at 4K, but at 1080p and 1440p the CPU becomes the more significant factor, particularly at lower settings where frame rates exceed 400 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame of 131 out of 3717 tested combinations places this system in the 96.5th percentile for Barony performance. This is an exceptionally strong result, though not the absolute top — the data indicates that a handful of other CPU-GPU pairings achieve higher frame rates, likely due to the 9600X’s position relative to higher-tier processors in CPU-bound scenarios. The Ryzen 5 9600X itself sits at the 81st percentile among all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 29713. Its nearest rivals in synthetic testing are the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE (avg score 29656, deltaPct 0.2), AMD Ryzen 7 7840H (avg score 29868, deltaPct -0.5), AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT (avg score 29879, deltaPct -0.6), and AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (avg score 29955, deltaPct -0.8). These deltas are all within 1% of the 9600X’s average score, indicating that the CPU’s raw compute performance is closely matched by several other processors, though the 9600X benefits from its Zen 5 architecture and 4 nm process node.

The RTX 4090, meanwhile, ranks at the 88th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 60347. Its nearest rivals in synthetic tests are the Intel Arc Pro A60 (avg score 60326, deltaPct 0), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (avg score 60140, deltaPct 0.3), AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (avg score 61896, deltaPct -2.5), and AMD Radeon PRO V710 (avg score 58657, deltaPct 2.9). The 4090’s deltaPct compared to the Arc Pro A60 is 0%, meaning they post identical average scores, though the 4090’s gaming-specific metrics in Barony far exceed what that professional card would likely deliver. In the context of this game, the 4090’s ceiling is rarely approached — even at 4K Ultra, the combo maintains 100 FPS average, and at 1080p Low it reaches 663 FPS, which is likely limited by the CPU’s ability to feed frames rather than the GPU’s rendering capacity.

The rank of 131 is influenced by both components, but the data suggests that for Barony specifically, the GPU is the primary driver at higher resolutions and settings, while the CPU becomes the bottleneck at lower resolutions and settings. The 9600X’s 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and boost clock of 5.40 GHz, provide strong single-threaded performance — its 3dmark single-thread score is 1253, and its passmark single-thread score is 4570 — which is crucial for a roguelike that likely relies on single-threaded game logic. However, the 4090’s raw power (82.58 TFLOPS FP32, 512 TMUs, 176 ROPs) ensures that at 4K, the GPU is the limiting factor, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD102 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of memory bandwidth. The memory clock is listed at 1313 MHz, which translates to 21 Gbps effective, and the GPU’s base clock is 2235 MHz with a boost clock of 2520 MHz. These specifications make the 4090 one of the most powerful consumer GPUs ever produced, with a pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s.

In Barony, the 4090’s role varies dramatically by resolution and settings. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is the clear bottleneck: the combo averages 100 FPS, which is the lowest measured in the entire dataset. At 4K High, the average rises to 140 FPS, and at 4K Medium it reaches 163 FPS with a minimum of 138 FPS and a maximum of 187 FPS. At 4K Low, the average jumps to 219 FPS. This scaling from 100 to 219 FPS as settings drop from Ultra to Low indicates that the 4090 is being heavily utilized at 4K, with each reduction in settings freeing up GPU resources.

The 24 GB VRAM is far more than Barony requires — the game is a roguelike with relatively simple visuals, so VRAM capacity is unlikely to be a limiting factor. The 4090’s memory bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s ensures that even at 4K with high texture loads, there is no bandwidth starvation. However, the data shows that the 4090’s raw compute power (82.58 TFLOPS FP32, 82.58 TFLOPS FP16) is not fully utilized at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 663 FPS, which is likely CPU-bound — the 9600X’s single-threaded performance (passmark single-thread score of 4570) becomes the limiting factor. The 4090’s boost clock of 2520 MHz and 16384 shading units are more than sufficient to render Barony’s scenes, and at 1080p, the GPU is likely idling or running at reduced clocks because the CPU cannot feed it enough frames.

The GPU’s production status is end-of-life, with a release date of 2022-09-19, and its launch MSRP is 1,599 USD. The card uses a triple-slot cooler, is 304 mm long, and requires a 1x 16-pin power connector with a suggested PSU of 850 W. Its TDP is 450 W. In the context of Barony, these power and cooling requirements are overkill, but they enable the card to sustain high clocks in other, more demanding titles. For this game, the 4090’s role is to remove any possibility of GPU-related frame drops, allowing the CPU to be the sole determinant of performance at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience for Barony with this combo. At 4K, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 100 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a fast-paced roguelike where quick reactions matter. The High preset at 4K improves this to 140 FPS, a 40% increase, while the Medium preset reaches 163 FPS with a minimum of 138 FPS. The Low preset at 4K hits 219 FPS, but the visual quality drop is substantial for a game that relies on dungeon visibility.

At 1440p, the situation improves significantly. Ultra averages 191 FPS, High averages 267 FPS, Medium averages 311 FPS (with a minimum of 264 FPS and maximum of 358 FPS), and Low averages 418 FPS. The sweet spot for competitive play at 1440p is the High preset: 267 FPS average is well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors, and the visual fidelity is significantly better than Low or Medium. The Medium preset’s 311 FPS might be preferable for players with 360 Hz monitors, but the difference between Medium and High in terms of visual quality is likely noticeable in a game with dark, atmospheric dungeons.

At 1080p, all presets exceed 300 FPS. Ultra averages 303 FPS, High averages 423 FPS, Medium averages 493 FPS (with a minimum of 419 FPS and maximum of 567 FPS), and Low averages 663 FPS. For 1080p, the High preset is the recommended choice: 423 FPS is more than enough for any monitor, and the visual quality is superior to Medium or Low. The Ultra preset at 303 FPS might be tempting, but the drop from 423 to 303 FPS (a 28% reduction) is not worth the marginal visual improvement that Ultra offers over High in most games.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset offers the most consistent minimum FPS: at 4K it has a minimum of 138 FPS, at 1440p a minimum of 264 FPS, and at 1080p a minimum of 419 FPS. These minimums are all above 60 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay even in the most demanding scenes. However, the High preset generally offers a better balance of visual quality and performance, with minima not measured but averages that are 40-60% higher than Ultra. The data suggests that High is the best overall choice for this combo, as it provides frame rates that are 40% higher than Ultra at 4K, 40% higher at 1440p, and 40% higher at 1080p, while maintaining near-maximum visual fidelity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 (4K), the combo produces the following average FPS by settings: Low at 219 FPS, Medium at 163 FPS (min 138, max 187), High at 140 FPS, and Ultra at 100 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 55% reduction in average FPS (from 219 to 100), which is a significant impact from settings changes. The Medium preset’s minimum of 138 FPS ensures that even in intense combat or when many enemies are on screen, the frame rate stays well above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset’s 100 FPS average is the only measured result below 120 FPS, making it the only preset that might struggle on a 120 Hz display.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 418 FPS, Medium at 311 FPS (min 264, max 358), High at 267 FPS, and Ultra at 191 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 54%, similar to the 4K scaling. The Medium preset’s minimum of 264 FPS is remarkably high, meaning that even the worst-case frame dips are above the refresh rate of most 240 Hz monitors. The High preset’s 267 FPS average is just above the Medium’s minimum, indicating that High offers nearly the same worst-case performance as Medium’s average, but with better visuals.

At 1920x1080, the averages are: Low at 663 FPS, Medium at 493 FPS (min 419, max 567), High at 423 FPS, and Ultra at 303 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 54% reduction (663 to 303), consistent with the other resolutions. The Medium preset’s minimum of 419 FPS is higher than the High preset’s average of 423 FPS, which reveals that the Medium preset’s worst-case performance is nearly identical to High’s typical performance. This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor at Low and Medium, while the GPU becomes more involved at High and Ultra.

Comparing across resolutions at the same settings: at High, the combo produces 423 FPS at 1080p, 267 FPS at 1440p, and 140 FPS at 4K. This represents a 37% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 67% drop from 1080p to 4K. At Medium, the numbers are 493 FPS at 1080p, 311 FPS at 1440p, and 163 FPS at 4K — drops of 37% and 67%, respectively. At Low, the numbers are 663 FPS at 1080p, 418 FPS at 1440p, and 219 FPS at 4K — drops of 37% and 67%. At Ultra, the numbers are 303 FPS at 1080p, 191 FPS at 1440p, and 100 FPS at 4K — drops of 37% and 67%. The consistency of these percentages (37% and 67% across all settings) indicates that the performance scaling is resolution-driven rather than settings-driven.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is remarkably consistent across all settings, with each resolution step (1080p to 1440p, and 1440p to 4K) producing a 37% reduction in average FPS. For example, at High settings, the combo delivers 423 FPS at 1080p, 267 FPS at 1440p (37% lower), and 140 FPS at 4K (48% lower than 1440p, but 67% lower than 1080p). This pattern holds for Low (663 to 418 to 219), Medium (493 to 311 to 163), and Ultra (303 to 191 to 100).

This consistent scaling suggests that the limiting component changes as resolution increases. At 1080p, the CPU is the primary bottleneck. The 9600X’s passmark multithread score of 30027 and 3dmark single-thread score of 1253 are sufficient to drive frame rates above 400 FPS, but the game’s logic and draw call processing likely cap performance around 663 FPS (the Low preset result). The GPU, with its 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 capability, is barely taxed at 1080p Low, as evidenced by the fact that the frame rate is nearly identical to what a much weaker GPU might achieve with the same CPU.

At 1440p, the GPU begins to take on more responsibility. The number of pixels increases by 78% (from 2.07 million to 3.69 million), which explains the 37% drop in frame rate if the GPU is becoming the limiter. The 4090’s 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth and 443.5 GPixel/s pixel rate are more than sufficient, but the rendering workload at 1440p is still far below the GPU’s maximum capability. The fact that the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 37% at every settings level indicates that the GPU is not yet the sole bottleneck — if it were, the drop would be more pronounced at higher settings (where the GPU works harder) and less at lower settings (where the CPU might still be the limit).

At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The 4K resolution has 8.29 million pixels, which is 4 times the pixel count of 1080p. The 4090’s performance at 4K Ultra (100 FPS) is a fraction of its 1080p Ultra performance (303 FPS), and the frame rate is now directly tied to GPU workload. The 4090’s 24 GB GDDR6X memory and 384-bit bus provide ample bandwidth, but the raw compute required to render a 4K scene at Ultra settings is substantial. The fact that the 4K results show a 55% reduction from Low to Ultra (219 to 100 FPS) confirms that the GPU is now the bottleneck, as settings changes directly impact GPU load.

The limiting component analysis is clear: below 1440p, the Ryzen 5 9600X is the bottleneck, as its single-threaded performance (3dmark single-thread score 1253) cannot feed the 4090’s massive rendering capacity. At 1440p, the system is in a balanced state, with both CPU and GPU contributing to the frame rate. At 4K, the 4090 becomes the bottleneck, and the CPU’s performance is sufficient to keep up with the GPU’s rendering rate. This is a typical profile for a high-end CPU paired with an ultra-high-end GPU in a CPU-light game like Barony.

FAQ

*Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in Barony?*

A: Yes. At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 100 FPS, and at 4K High it averages 140 FPS. The 4K Medium preset delivers 163 FPS average with a minimum of 138 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. The 4K Low preset reaches 219 FPS, but visual quality is reduced.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 1440p 240 Hz monitor?

A: The Medium preset at 1440p delivers an average of 311 FPS with a minimum of 264 FPS, which keeps frame rates above 240 Hz at all times. The High preset averages 267 FPS, but its minimum FPS is not measured, so the Medium preset is the safest choice for maintaining a constant 240+ FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 60347, which is identical (0% deltaPct) to the Intel Arc Pro A60’s score of 60326. It is 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (60140), 2.5% behind the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (61896), and 2.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO V710 (58657).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The CPU is the bottleneck at 1080p. The frame rates at Low (663 FPS), Medium (493 FPS), High (423 FPS), and Ultra (303 FPS) are all likely limited by the Ryzen 5 9600X’s single-threaded performance, as the RTX 4090 is far more powerful than needed for this resolution. The CPU’s passmark single-thread score is 4570, which caps the frame rate.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the combo delivers 423 FPS at 1080p, 267 FPS at 1440p, and 140 FPS at 4K. This represents a 37% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 67% drop from 1080p to 4K. The consistent scaling pattern indicates that the GPU becomes more limiting as resolution increases.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 9600X rank among all CPUs?

A: The Ryzen 5 9600X is at the 81st percentile among all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 29713. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE, has a score of 29656 (0.2% difference), while the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS has a score of 29955 (-0.8% difference).