Barony

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 is an 8-core, 16-thread processor from the 5000 series, built on the Zen 3 architecture with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. It features a 16 MB L3 cache and 512 KB of L2 cache per core, which is substantial for a desktop part. The CPU has a 65 W TDP and supports DDR4 memory on the AMD Socket AM4 platform with dual-channel memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s.

Benchmark results show this CPU performs strongly in both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads. In the 3DMark suite, it scores 901 in single-thread, 3382 in 4-thread, 5585 in 8-thread, and 6617 in max-thread tests. Cinebench R23 results show 2916 in single-core and 20655 in multi-core. Geekbench scores are 1907 single-core and 9959 multi-core. The PassMark multi-thread score is 24303, with a single-thread score of 3296.

For Barony, a roguelike game, the CPU's strong single-thread performance is relevant because game logic, AI, and procedural generation often rely heavily on single-core throughput. The Ryzen 7 5700's single-core score of 901 in 3DMark and 2916 in Cinebench R23 place it well above average. The CPU's 78th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates it outperforms the majority of processors in general benchmarks.

However, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck in most scenarios. At 1080p Low settings, the system reaches 302 FPS average, which is far beyond typical display refresh rates. Even at 4K Ultra, the system maintains 46 FPS average, suggesting the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. The CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads provide plenty of headroom for Barony's workload, which does not appear to be heavily multi-threaded based on the performance scaling.

The CPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score are the Intel Xeon D-2752TER (25530 vs 25517, -0.1% delta), AMD Ryzen 5 7640U (25485, +0.1% delta), AMD Ryzen 5 6600H (25550, -0.1% delta), and AMD Ryzen 7 5825U (25446, +0.3% delta). These scores are extremely close, indicating the Ryzen 7 5700 performs nearly identically to these other processors in general computing tasks. For Barony specifically, this means any of these CPUs would likely deliver similar frame rates, as the game does not appear to be CPU-constrained based on the FPS measurements.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 1775 out of 2935 tested combos for Barony. This places the combo in the 60th percentile of all tested combinations, meaning roughly 40% of tested combos perform better. The rank reflects the overall frame rate capabilities across all tested resolutions and settings.

This ranking is somewhat modest given the individual component strengths. The CPU ranks in the 78th percentile among all CPUs, and the GPU ranks in the 66th percentile among all GPUs. The combo's lower rank in Barony suggests that the game's performance is more dependent on the GPU than the CPU, and the RTX 5050's mid-tier positioning drags down the overall combo ranking.

The data shows that the combo is capable of playable frame rates at most settings. At 1080p, the combo averages 193 FPS on High settings and 138 FPS on Ultra. At 1440p, it averages 122 FPS on High and 87 FPS on Ultra. At 4K, the combo drops to 64 FPS on High and 46 FPS on Ultra. These results indicate the combo is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K being more demanding.

Compared to other combos, this rank suggests that while the individual components are solid mid-range performers, there are many combinations that deliver higher frame rates in Barony. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 320.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are likely contributing factors to the performance ceiling, especially at higher resolutions where memory capacity and bandwidth become more critical.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS is 302, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This drops to 191 at 2560x1440 Low and 100 at 3840x2160 Low.

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

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average of 46 FPS. This is the lowest average FPS across all tested settings, indicating 4K Ultra is demanding for this hardware combination.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 1775 out of 2935 tested combinations, placing it in the 60th percentile. This means about 40% of tested combos deliver higher frame rates in Barony.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any settings?

A: The data shows the CPU is unlikely to bottleneck the GPU. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 302 FPS average, which is very high. The CPU's single-thread score of 3296 in PassMark and multi-thread score of 24303 indicate it has sufficient processing power for this game.

Q: What is the GPU's VRAM capacity and how does it affect performance?

A: The RTX 5050 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 128-bit bus and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K (e.g., from 193 FPS to 64 FPS at High settings) suggests memory bandwidth and capacity are limiting factors at higher resolutions.

Q: How does this combo compare to others using the same CPU or GPU?

A: The combo's rank of 1775 out of 2935 suggests many pairings perform better. The CPU's nearest rivals score nearly identically in benchmarks (within 0.3% delta), while the GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (1.6% faster) and NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile (1.6% slower).

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings levels. All data points are measured averages, with some settings also reporting minimum and maximum values.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance. Low settings produce an average of 302 FPS, Medium settings average 225 FPS (with a minimum of 191 and maximum of 258), High settings average 193 FPS, and Ultra settings average 138 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 54% performance reduction, which is typical for games with significant graphics quality differences between presets.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance drops notably but remains highly playable. Low settings average 191 FPS, Medium settings average 142 FPS (minimum 120, maximum 163), High settings average 122 FPS, and Ultra settings average 87 FPS. The resolution increase from 1080p to 1440p results in a 37% performance reduction at Low settings (302 to 191 FPS), and a similar reduction at Ultra settings (138 to 87 FPS, a 37% drop).

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings average 100 FPS, Medium settings average 74 FPS (minimum 63, maximum 85), High settings average 64 FPS, and Ultra settings average 46 FPS. The jump from 1440p to 4K causes a 48% reduction at Low settings (191 to 100 FPS) and a 47% reduction at Ultra settings (87 to 46 FPS).

The Medium settings rows are the only ones with reported minimum and maximum values. At 1080p Medium, the combo ranges from 191 to 258 FPS, indicating smooth performance with minor frame time variance. At 1440p Medium, the range is 120 to 163 FPS, still very smooth. At 4K Medium, the range is 63 to 85 FPS, which shows more significant frame time variance but remains playable.

The data shows that the combo is most comfortable at 1080p and 1440p, where it can maintain frame rates well above 60 FPS even at Ultra settings. At 4K, only Low settings maintain triple-digit frame rates, and Ultra settings fall below 50 FPS average.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is a GeForce 50-series graphics card built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process node. It features 2560 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs, along with 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores. The GPU has a base clock of 2317 MHz and a boost clock of 2572 MHz, with memory running at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective).

The GPU is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 320.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. This memory configuration is a key factor in the GPU's performance characteristics. The 8 GB capacity is sufficient for most games at 1080p and 1440p, but may be limiting at 4K with high texture quality settings. The 320.0 GB/s bandwidth is moderate for a modern GPU and likely contributes to the performance scaling observed between resolutions.

The RTX 5050 has a TDP of 130 W and requires a 300 W power supply, with a single 8-pin power connector. It uses a PCIe 5.0 x8 interface and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GPU's compute capabilities include 13.17 TFLOPS for FP32 and FP16 operations, with pixel rate of 82.30 GPixel/s and texture rate of 205.8 GTexel/s.

Benchmark results for the GPU show a PassMark G3D score of 17326 and a PassMark GPU Compute score of 9184. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 2502. Geekbench scores are 90334 for OpenCL and 89381 for Vulkan. The GPU's 66th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates it performs better than two-thirds of tested graphics cards.

The GPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score are the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (21153 vs 21035, -0.6% delta), AMD Radeon HD 8970M (21237, -1% delta), AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (20713, +1.6% delta), and NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile (21379, -1.6% delta). These close scores suggest the RTX 5050 performs similarly to these older or mobile-oriented GPUs in general benchmarks, though the measured Barony FPS data provides more game-specific insight.

In Barony, the GPU's role is clearly the primary performance driver. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent pattern of performance reduction, which is typical for GPU-bound scenarios. At 1080p Low, the GPU delivers 302 FPS, indicating it is not the limiting factor at that resolution and settings level. However, at 4K Ultra, the GPU delivers only 46 FPS, showing clear performance constraints at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. The data shows clear performance tiers across the four settings levels.

For 1080p gaming, all settings levels deliver excellent performance. Even Ultra settings maintain 138 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and sufficient for high refresh rate displays. Medium settings at 225 FPS average provide a good balance between visual quality and performance, while High settings at 193 FPS offer slightly better visuals with only a 14% performance reduction. For the best experience at 1080p, High settings are recommended as they provide significant visual improvements over Low and Medium while maintaining frame rates well above what most displays can show.

At 1440p, the combo continues to perform well. Ultra settings average 87 FPS, which is above 60 FPS and suitable for standard 60 Hz displays, though it leaves little headroom for frame rate dips. High settings at 122 FPS provide a comfortable margin above 60 FPS and are recommended for most users. Medium settings at 142 FPS offer even more headroom, making them ideal for high refresh rate 1440p monitors. Low settings at 191 FPS are only recommended for competitive play where maximum frame rates are prioritized over visual quality.

For 4K gaming, the combo's performance is more constrained. Ultra settings at 46 FPS average fall below the 60 FPS threshold and may result in noticeable stuttering, especially in fast-paced roguelike gameplay. High settings at 64 FPS barely exceed 60 FPS, providing a playable but not smooth experience. Medium settings at 74 FPS offer a better balance, with a minimum of 63 FPS ensuring the frame rate stays above 60 FPS for most of the time. Low settings at 100 FPS provide the smoothest 4K experience, though visual quality is significantly reduced.

The best overall experience depends on the user's display and preferences. For 1080p and 1440p displays, High settings offer the best combination of visual quality and performance. For 4K displays, Medium settings provide the most consistent experience, with a minimum FPS of 63 ensuring smooth gameplay. Users prioritizing maximum visual fidelity on 4K displays may opt for High settings, accepting the occasional frame rate drop below 60 FPS.