Barony

Barony is a roguelike that, on the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination, behaves like a title where the CPU is the primary constraint at lower resolutions, while the GPU becomes the limiting factor only at 4K Ultra. The measured data shows this pairing delivers exceptionally high frame rates, with the 1080p Low preset hitting an average of 287 FPS, but the scaling curve reveals a system that is heavily bound by the processor's single-thread performance in most scenarios. The RTX 2060 SUPER, which sits in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, is more than capable of handling the graphical load of this game, but the Ryzen 7 3700X's 84th percentile standing among CPUs is what truly dictates the upper limits of performance at 1080p and 1440p.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K in Barony reveals a classic CPU-bound scenario that gradually transitions to a GPU-bound one as pixel count increases. At the High preset, the average FPS drops from 183 at 1920x1080 to 116 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 67 FPS, and then further to 60 at 3840x2160, another 56 FPS reduction. This pattern indicates that while the GPU is starting to feel the pressure of higher resolutions, the CPU is still the dominant factor, as the performance cliff between 1080p and 1440p is steeper than what would be expected from a purely GPU-limited workload.

Examining the Low preset provides even clearer evidence of CPU limitation. The jump from 1080p to 1440p only reduces the average from 287 to 181 FPS, which is still incredibly high, but the 4K Low result of 95 FPS shows that the GPU is finally being pushed harder. The fact that 4K Low (95 FPS) is actually faster than 1080p Ultra (131 FPS) suggests that the CPU is so capable that it can feed the GPU at high rates until the resolution and settings combination becomes too heavy for the RTX 2060 SUPER's 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power.

The most telling data point for understanding the bottleneck is the difference between the Ultra preset scores. At 1080p, the Ultra preset yields 131 FPS, but at 4K, it drops to 43 FPS. This represents a 67% performance loss, which is a much larger proportional drop than what is seen at lower settings. This indicates that at 4K Ultra, the system is finally becoming GPU-limited, as the RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated by the combination of high resolution and intensive graphical effects.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this hardware in Barony?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 287 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low preset. This is followed closely by the Medium preset at 1080p, which yields 213 FPS.

Q: Is this system capable of running Barony at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 4K with the Medium preset, the system achieves a 60 FPS average with a minimum of 60 FPS. At 4K High, it maintains a 60 FPS average, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 43 FPS, which may not be ideal for smooth gameplay.

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

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X has an average benchmark score of 34260, placing it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, scores 34222, a delta of 0.1%, while the Intel Core i5-13450HX scores 34333, which is 0.2% faster than the Ryzen 7 3700X.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset produces an average of 181 FPS, while the Ultra preset produces an average of 83 FPS. This represents a 98 FPS difference, or roughly a 54% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest graphical settings.

Q: Does the GPU hold the system back at 1080p?

A: Benchmark results indicate no. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset achieves 131 FPS, which is well above typical display refresh rates. The data suggests the CPU is the limiting factor at this resolution, as the GPU still has headroom to render more frames.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 18093, placing it in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, scores 18159, which is 0.4% faster. The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 scores 18189, a 0.5% advantage over the RTX 2060 SUPER.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER plays a secondary but essential role in this configuration for Barony. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, it provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for the game's asset streaming at most settings. The GPU's 2176 shading units and 64 ROPs are capable of handling the game's rendering demands, but the measured FPS data shows that it is not the primary bottleneck until the system reaches 4K Ultra. At that setting, the average FPS drops to 43, which is below the 60 FPS threshold that the Medium and High presets maintain at the same resolution.

The GPU's clock speeds of 1470 MHz base and 1650 MHz boost are modest by modern standards, but they are sufficient for a game like Barony, which is not graphically intensive. The 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is more than enough for the roguelike's visual style, and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2011, while placing it in the 62nd percentile, reflects a card that is mid-range in the current landscape. Its nearest rival, the RTX 3060 Mobile, is only 0.4% faster in average benchmark scores, indicating that the desktop RTX 2060 SUPER is still competitive.

The VRAM capacity of 8 GB is unlikely to be a limiting factor in Barony, as the game's release date in 2015 suggests it was designed for hardware with less memory. The data confirms this, as the GPU is able to maintain high frame rates at 1440p and even 4K at lower settings. The transition from the Medium to Ultra preset at 4K shows the GPU's limitations, with a drop from 70 FPS to 43 FPS, indicating that the additional graphical effects in the Ultra preset are too demanding for the RTX 2060 SUPER at that resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates its peak performance capabilities. The Low preset delivers an average of 287 FPS, while the Medium preset achieves 213 FPS with a minimum of 181 FPS and a maximum of 245 FPS. The High preset still manages an impressive 183 FPS, and even the most demanding Ultra preset reaches 131 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the RTX 2060 SUPER and Ryzen 7 3700X combination is never stressed, and the CPU's single-core performance is the defining factor.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high. The Low preset averages 181 FPS, while the Medium preset drops to 135 FPS with a minimum of 114 FPS and a maximum of 155 FPS. The High preset produces 116 FPS, and the Ultra preset still maintains a playable 83 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a consistent reduction of roughly 30-40% across all settings, which is typical for a system that is partially CPU-bound but still has enough GPU headroom.

At 3840x2160, the system's limitations become more apparent. The Low preset averages 95 FPS, which is still very smooth. The Medium preset maintains a 70 FPS average with a tight 60-81 FPS range, ensuring a consistent experience. The High preset hits exactly 60 FPS, which is the minimum for smooth gameplay on most displays. However, the Ultra preset drops to 43 FPS, which is a significant reduction and suggests that the GPU is now the limiting factor, as the CPU is no longer able to compensate for the increased graphical load.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is the dominant component in this pairing for Barony, and its 8 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient for the game's workload. With a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, the processor's single-thread performance is excellent, as evidenced by its Cinebench R15 single-core score of 204 and Geekbench single-core score of 1593. These scores are critical for a game like Barony, which likely relies on a single main thread for game logic, and the data supports this theory.

The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 2656 and its average benchmark score of 34260 place it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, which is a strong indicator of its overall capability. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-13450HX, scores 34333, a mere 0.2% delta, meaning the Ryzen 7 3700X is essentially on par with a modern mobile HX-series processor in synthetic benchmarks. This level of performance is what allows the system to achieve 287 FPS at 1080p Low, as the CPU is able to feed frames to the GPU faster than it can render them.

The 32 MB of L3 cache and 51.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth are also beneficial for gaming, as they reduce latency and improve data throughput. The processor's 65 W TDP and 7 nm process node from TSMC ensure it runs efficiently, which is a secondary benefit. The data shows that at 1080p and 1440p, the CPU is the primary bottleneck, as the FPS does not scale linearly with resolution, indicating that the processor is reaching its limits before the GPU does.

Settings Recommendations

For the best overall experience, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is the recommended choice, as it delivers a 213 FPS average with a minimum of 181 FPS, ensuring no dips below 60 FPS. This preset offers a balanced compromise between visual quality and performance, and the data shows that it is significantly faster than the High preset at 183 FPS. The jump to Ultra at 1080p yields only 131 FPS, which is a 38% reduction in performance for what is likely a marginal visual improvement in a roguelike game.

For users with 1440p displays, the High preset is the optimal selection. It provides a 116 FPS average, which is above the threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors, and it is a 33 FPS improvement over the Ultra preset's 83 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p offers 135 FPS, but the visual fidelity of High is worth the 19 FPS trade-off. The Low preset at 1440p, while achieving 181 FPS, is likely too visually compromised for most users.

At 4K, the Medium preset is the only sensible choice for a consistent experience, as it maintains a 70 FPS average with a 60 FPS minimum. The High preset also hits 60 FPS, but it has no recorded minimum, so the Medium preset's guaranteed 60 FPS floor is safer for a stable experience. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 43 FPS, which is not recommended for smooth gameplay. The Low preset at 4K offers 95 FPS, but the visual downgrade is substantial, making Medium the sweet spot for 4K owners.