Barony

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Barony, ranking first out of 2,935 tested CPU/GPU combos for this game. The data shows a system capable of crushing even the most demanding settings at 4K, with the primary challenge being how to translate that raw power into the optimal visual experience. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings, examines the role each component plays, and provides practical guidance based strictly on the benchmark data.

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 9000 series, built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using a 4 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. Its cache configuration includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth and includes integrated Radeon Graphics, though the presence of a discrete GPU makes that irrelevant here.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 9600X posts a single-thread score of 1,253 in 3DMark and 2,183.5 in Cinebench R23 single-core, which are strong figures. Multi-threaded performance is equally robust, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 17,528.5 and a Geekbench multicore score of 14,438. The CPU's average benchmark score of 29,713 places it in the 81st percentile of all CPUs. Against its nearest rivals, the data shows a tightly contested field: it scores 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE (avg score 29,656), 0.5% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H (avg score 29,868), 0.6% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT (avg score 29,879), and 0.8% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (avg score 29,955). These deltas are negligible, meaning the 9600X trades blows with those chips within a single percentage point.

For Barony, a roguelike title, the CPU's role is less about raw multi-core throughput and more about maintaining consistent frame pacing. The measured FPS at 1080p, where the GPU is less burdened, reaches 724 FPS on Low settings and 462 FPS on High. These numbers indicate the 9600X has ample headroom to feed the RTX 5090 D even at extreme frame rates. The CPU's single-thread strength, evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 1,253, likely contributes to the high minimums and stable averages seen in the data. The 12 threads provide enough parallelism for background tasks without bottlenecking the game's primary thread, and the 32 MB L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores. With the CPU ranked at the 81st percentile, it is a solid mid-to-high-tier part, but in this specific pairing, the bottleneck at lower resolutions shifts almost entirely to the GPU, as the FPS scales directly with setting changes rather than showing any CPU-induced plateau.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a flagship-class GPU from the GeForce 50-series, based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture (GB202 chip) on a 5 nm process. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz. Its compute resources are massive: 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, 176 ROPs, 170 RT cores, and 680 tensor cores. The pixel rate is 423.6 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 1,636.8 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS. The TDP is 575 W, requiring a suggested 950 W PSU and a single 16-pin power connector.

Synthetic benchmarks for the RTX 5090 D are equally impressive. It scores 14,326 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 310,674 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 376,915 in Geekbench Vulkan. The Passmark G3D score is 44,065, with a GPU compute score of 28,396. Its average benchmark score of 77,712 places it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. Interestingly, the nearest rivals are all mobile or datacenter parts: it is 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (avg score 76,904), 1.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (avg score 78,940), 2.1% lower than the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (avg score 79,396), and 2.4% lower than the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (avg score 79,605). These deltas are small, but the RTX 5090 D's dominance is clear from its percentile ranking.

In Barony, the GPU's role is to render the roguelike's environments at high frame rates. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the GPU pushes 109 FPS average, while at 4K Low it reaches 239 FPS. The 32 GB of VRAM is far more than any current game requires, ensuring zero texture swapping or memory-related stutters. The memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s is critical for maintaining high FPS at 4K resolution, where pixel throughput demand is highest. The boost clock of 2407 MHz contributes to the raw compute speed, but the sheer number of shading units (21,760) is what allows the card to maintain 152 FPS at 4K High without breaking a sweat. The GPU's 92nd percentile ranking confirms it is one of the fastest cards available, and the measured FPS in Barony reflects that, with the card being the clear limiting factor only at 4K Ultra settings.

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

The measured FPS across resolutions reveals a classic scaling pattern that highlights the GPU-bound nature of this system at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-limited in the sense that the GPU has so much headroom that frame rates are astronomical. On Low settings, 1080p yields 724 FPS, which drops to 538 FPS on Medium, 462 FPS on High, and 331 FPS on Ultra. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p is a 54% reduction in FPS, which is substantial but still leaves the system well above any display's refresh rate.

Moving to 1440p, the FPS drops are significant but proportionate. Low settings deliver 457 FPS, Medium 340 FPS, High 292 FPS, and Ultra 209 FPS. Compared to 1080p, the 1440p Low setting is 37% lower (724 to 457), and the Ultra setting is 37% lower (331 to 209). This uniform percentage drop indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary limiter as pixel count increases, but the CPU is still keeping up without causing a bottleneck.

At 4K, the scaling becomes more pronounced. Low settings produce 239 FPS, Medium 178 FPS, High 152 FPS, and Ultra 109 FPS. From 1440p to 4K, the FPS drops by 48% on Low (457 to 239), 48% on Medium (340 to 178), 48% on High (292 to 152), and 48% on Ultra (209 to 109). This consistent 48% reduction across all settings when moving from 1440p to 4K is the signature of a purely GPU-bound scenario. The GPU is rendering roughly twice the pixels at 4K compared to 1440p, and the FPS halves accordingly, with no CPU interference.

The data tells a clear story: at 1080p, the CPU is the ceiling, but that ceiling is so high (over 700 FPS) that it is irrelevant for practical use. At 1440p, the system transitions to a GPU-bound state, and at 4K, the GPU is definitively the limiting component. The uniform percentage drops between resolutions and settings confirm that the Ryzen 5 9600X is more than sufficient to feed the RTX 5090 D, and that the GPU's performance scales predictably with resolution. For gamers, this means that the choice of resolution should be based on display capabilities, not on CPU limitations, as the CPU will not hold back the system until far below 100 FPS, which is unlikely to be a target for most displays.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. The data provides clear guidance for each resolution tier, and the choice between presets should be driven by whether the user prioritizes maximum visual fidelity or maximum frame rate headroom.

At 1080p, every preset delivers an exceptionally smooth experience. Low settings produce 724 FPS, Medium 538 FPS, High 462 FPS, and Ultra 331 FPS. Even at Ultra, the 331 FPS average is far beyond any 1080p display's refresh rate, so the recommendation is to use Ultra settings without hesitation. The 331 FPS at Ultra is more than sufficient for any competitive or high-refresh-rate scenario, and there is no reason to sacrifice visual quality for additional FPS that the display cannot show.

At 1440p, the same logic applies, but with slightly more nuance. Ultra settings deliver 209 FPS, which is still above the refresh rate of most 1440p high-refresh monitors (typically 144 Hz to 240 Hz). High settings yield 292 FPS, which provides more headroom for future updates or heavier scenes. If the user has a 240 Hz monitor, High settings at 292 FPS are the safest choice, as they ensure the frame rate never dips below the refresh rate in demanding moments. For a 144 Hz monitor, Ultra at 209 FPS is the better pick, as it offers the best visual quality while still exceeding the display's capability. Medium at 340 FPS and Low at 457 FPS are unnecessary at this resolution, as they sacrifice visuals for FPS that provides no tangible benefit.

At 4K, the recommendation leans toward High settings. High delivers 152 FPS, which is above the 144 Hz threshold and offers excellent visual quality. Ultra drops to 109 FPS, which is still playable and smooth for most users, but it is below the 144 Hz mark. If the user has a 120 Hz or 60 Hz 4K display, Ultra at 109 FPS is the best experience, as it maximizes fidelity while staying above 60 FPS. For a 144 Hz 4K monitor, High at 152 FPS is the clear winner, as it keeps the frame rate above the refresh rate. Medium at 178 FPS and Low at 239 FPS are viable for esports-style play at 4K, but they are not recommended for a roguelike where visual clarity and detail enhance the experience.

The Medium preset is a middle ground that is rarely optimal. At 4K, Medium yields 178 FPS, which is between High and Ultra, but the jump from Medium to High is only 26 FPS (178 to 152), while the jump from High to Ultra is 43 FPS (152 to 109). This suggests that High offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, as the incremental cost of Ultra is steep. For the best overall experience, the data supports using High at 4K, Ultra at 1440p if the display is 144 Hz or lower, and Ultra at 1080p unconditionally.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average FPS is 724, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: At 4K, the GPU is the clear limiting component. The FPS drops by a consistent 48% from 1440p to 4K across all settings, indicating a purely GPU-bound scenario with no CPU bottleneck.

Q: Can this system run Barony at 4K with a 144 Hz monitor?

A: Yes, but only on High settings. At 4K High, the average FPS is 152, which exceeds the 144 Hz refresh rate. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 109, which is below the 144 Hz threshold.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 9600X compare to its nearest rival, the Ryzen 7 5800XT?

A: The Ryzen 5 9600X scores 0.6% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT in average benchmark score, with a delta of -0.6% (29,713 vs 29,879). This difference is negligible in real-world performance.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this system at 1080p Medium?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS recorded is 458, with an average of 538 and a maximum of 619.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 D have enough VRAM for Barony at 4K Ultra?

A: Yes, the RTX 5090 D has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory, which is far more than any current game requires. There is no indication from the data that VRAM capacity is a limiting factor at any resolution or setting.

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

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the system achieves its highest frame rates. On Low settings, the average FPS is 724 with no min or max recorded. Medium settings produce an average of 538 FPS, with a minimum of 458 and a maximum of 619. High settings yield an average of 462 FPS, while Ultra settings deliver an average of 331 FPS. The data shows a clear stepwise reduction as settings increase, but even at Ultra, the system maintains over 300 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high but show a predictable decline. Low settings produce an average of 457 FPS. Medium settings yield an average of 340 FPS, with a minimum of 289 and a maximum of 391. High settings deliver an average of 292 FPS, and Ultra settings achieve an average of 209 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p results in roughly a 37% reduction in FPS across all settings, which aligns with the increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the system is firmly GPU-bound. Low settings produce an average of 239 FPS. Medium settings yield an average of 178 FPS, with a minimum of 151 and a maximum of 204. High settings deliver an average of 152 FPS, and Ultra settings achieve an average of 109 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is a uniform 48% across all settings, confirming that the GPU is the sole limiting factor at this resolution. The minimum FPS values are only recorded for Medium settings at each resolution, but the data shows that even the lowest recorded frame rate (151 FPS at 4K Medium) remains above the 144 Hz threshold, making this system exceptionally capable for Barony at any resolution and setting combination.