Barony

Barony, a roguelike from 2015, is rarely a graphical showcase, but the measured data for the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination reveals a system that is heavily constrained by the CPU at lower resolutions. The benchmark results indicate that this pairing produces exceptional frame rates, with the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck only at 4K Ultra settings. The data shows a clear narrative: the RTX 5090 is so powerful that it outpaces the Ryzen 7 3700X's ability to feed it frames at 1080p and 1440p, making this a CPU-limited scenario in most configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is the most telling indicator of where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces an average of 496.4 FPS. When moving to 1440p at the same settings, the average drops to 426.6 FPS, a reduction of roughly 14%. However, the most significant drop occurs when moving from 1440p to 4K, where the average falls to 230.1 FPS, a decrease of about 46%. This pattern suggests that at 1080p and 1440p, the CPU is the limiting factor, as the frame rate does not scale proportionally with the pixel count. The RTX 5090 is capable of much higher output, but the Ryzen 7 3700X cannot keep up.

This behavior is consistent across all settings. At High settings, the 1080p average is 419.7 FPS, while 1440p yields 276 FPS and 4K drops to 144.2 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is a 48% reduction, indicating that the GPU is becoming more involved. However, the relatively small difference between 1080p and 1440p (a 34% drop) still points to a CPU limitation at the lower resolution. The true GPU-bound scenario only emerges at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS is 103.4. Here, the load on the RTX 5090 is substantial enough to make it the primary bottleneck, as evidenced by the steep drop from 196.3 FPS at 1440p Ultra.

The data suggests that this combination is not ideal for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming, as the CPU will prevent the GPU from reaching its full potential. Users are effectively leaving performance on the table at lower resolutions. The sweet spot for this pairing appears to be 4K, where the RTX 5090's immense power is finally utilized, though even then, the CPU limits the maximum achievable frame rate.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combination?

A: The highest average frame rate is 496.4 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combination produces an average of 103.4 FPS, making it the most demanding configuration tested.

Q: Is the system more CPU-bound or GPU-bound at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the system is largely CPU-bound. For example, at High settings it reaches 276 FPS, which is only a 34% drop from the 1080p score of 419.7 FPS, despite a 78% increase in pixel count.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average frame rate drops from 496.4 FPS on Low to 317.1 FPS on Ultra, a difference of 179.3 FPS.

Q: Does the frame rate at 4K High settings exceed 144 FPS?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 with High settings, the combination achieves an average of 144.2 FPS, which is just above the 144 FPS threshold.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1440p to 4K at Medium settings?

A: At Medium settings, the average frame rate drops from 325 FPS at 2560x1440 to 170.2 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 154.8 FPS or approximately 48%.

Settings Recommendations

For users seeking the highest possible frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p delivers the best measured performance at 496.4 FPS. However, this is a CPU-limited scenario where the GPU is not fully utilized. The data indicates that the Medium preset at 1440p, with an average of 325 FPS, offers a more balanced experience, providing a significant visual upgrade over Low while still maintaining a frame rate far beyond what most displays can show. This preset likely shifts some load to the GPU without creating a severe bottleneck.

At 4K, the High preset stands out as the recommended choice. It produces an average of 144.2 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate 4K monitors. While the Ultra preset is available at 103.4 FPS, the performance cost is substantial. The 40.8 FPS difference between High and Ultra at 4K is significant, and the visual gains in a roguelike title are often negligible. Therefore, High at 4K provides the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, allowing the RTX 5090 to flex its capabilities without being unduly constrained by the Ryzen 7 3700X.

For a competitive edge in a game where reaction time matters, the 1080p Low setting is the fastest. Yet, given the sheer frame rates on offer, the Medium preset at 1440p provides a more visually pleasing experience without any practical downside, as the frame rate remains high enough to ensure smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset, while the most demanding, does not offer a compelling experience at 1080p or 1440p given the high frame rates already achievable with lower settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 77th out of 1702 tested combos for Barony. This places it in the top 4.5% of all systems tested, which is a strong result. However, the ranking is likely held back by the CPU, which is a significant bottleneck in this game. The data shows that the RTX 5090 is a top-tier GPU, ranking in the 94th percentile among all GPUs, while the Ryzen 7 3700X ranks in the 85th percentile among all CPUs. The pairing of a high-end GPU with a mid-range CPU from an older generation creates an imbalance that affects the overall ranking.

The combo's rank of 77 suggests that many other combinations, likely those with newer and faster CPUs, achieve higher average frame rates in Barony. The game's engine appears to be highly sensitive to single-threaded performance, which is not the Ryzen 7 3700X's primary strength. The CPU's benchmark scores, such as 2694 in Cinebench R23 single-core, are respectable but not class-leading. The RTX 5090, with its massive compute power, is simply waiting on the CPU to provide instructions. This results in a system that is powerful but not perfectly balanced for this specific title. The 77th rank confirms the GPU's raw power, but it also highlights the CPU's limitation.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture, codenamed Matisse. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. These specifications are more than adequate for modern gaming, but Barony's performance is heavily dependent on single-threaded performance. The CPU's Cinebench R23 single-core score is 2694, which is a solid result, but the data suggests it is the limiting factor in this configuration. The benchmark results show that at 1080p, the frame rates are almost identical between Low and High settings (496.4 FPS vs 419.7 FPS), which is a classic sign of a CPU bottleneck. The GPU is not being stressed enough to cause a significant frame rate drop.

The CPU's 32 MB of L3 cache and 16 threads provide ample resources for a roguelike, but the game's logic and draw calls are likely serialized. This means that the boost clock of 4.40 GHz is more important than the core count. The Ryzen 7 3700X is not a slow processor, but it is outclassed by the RTX 5090's capabilities. The data indicates that a faster CPU would yield higher frame rates at 1080p and 1440p. The CPU's Passmark single-thread score of 2656 and Geekbench single-core score of 1672 are indicators of its capability, but they are not sufficient to fully drive the RTX 5090 in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a detailed look at the system's performance across different resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 496.4 on Low to 317.1 on Ultra. The Medium setting yields 442.4 FPS, while High produces 419.7 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is 54 FPS, and between Medium and High is 23 FPS. The drop from High to Ultra is significant at 102.6 FPS, indicating a large performance cost for the highest visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are lower but still very high. Low settings produce 426.6 FPS, Medium yields 325 FPS, and High delivers 276 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p produces 196.3 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is not linear, with the most substantial drop occurring between Low settings (a 69.8 FPS drop) and High settings (a 143.7 FPS drop). This further supports the CPU bottleneck theory at lower resolutions.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes more of a factor. Low settings produce 230.1 FPS, Medium yields 170.2 FPS, and High delivers 144.2 FPS. The Ultra preset produces 103.4 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is more pronounced, with drops of 196.5 FPS (Low), 154.8 FPS (Medium), and 131.8 FPS (High). This indicates that the RTX 5090 is finally being utilized to a significant degree at 4K, but the CPU is still a limiting factor, particularly at lower settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a flagship graphics card built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a massive 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth. With 21,760 shading units and a boost clock of 2407 MHz, the GPU is capable of immense computational throughput. Its Passmark G3D score of 39650 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 14411 place it in the 94th percentile of all GPUs. The data shows that the GPU is not the bottleneck in most scenarios tested for Barony.

At 1080p and 1440p, the RTX 5090's performance is severely underutilized. The frame rates are likely capped by the CPU, not the GPU. The GPU only becomes the limiting factor at 4K Ultra settings, where the average FPS drops to 103.4. This is still a very high frame rate, but it is a fraction of what the GPU could theoretically achieve. The GPU's 32 GB of VRAM is far more than any game needs, and its high memory bandwidth ensures that texture loading and data transfer are not issues. The RTX 5090's raw power is evident, but the pairing with the older Ryzen 7 3700X prevents it from showing its full potential in this title. The GPU is a capable component, but the data clearly indicates a CPU-bound system for Barony at most settings.