Barony

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700G paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 produces a fascinating dataset in Barony, a 2015 roguelike that hardly seems like a typical GPU stress test. The measured frames per second (FPS) reveal a system that is almost absurdly overqualified for the task, yet the scaling patterns between resolutions and settings tell a nuanced story about where bottlenecks actually form in this specific title. The data indicates this combo ranks 334th out of 1702 tested combinations, placing it in the top fifth of all systems tested for this game.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K creates a dramatic and revealing performance curve. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces 508.2 FPS, but this drops to 321.4 FPS at 1440p and then to 166.7 FPS at 4K. This represents a 67% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at the lowest settings, which strongly suggests that the CPU is becoming the limiting factor at lower resolutions. The Ryzen 7 5700G, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is clearly capable of feeding frames at an extraordinary rate, but even it cannot sustain the raw throughput required for 500+ FPS when pixel count quadruples.

The scaling becomes more linear and GPU-bound at higher settings. With Ultra settings, the frame rate drops from 233.1 FPS at 1080p to 147.7 FPS at 1440p (a 37% reduction) and then to 74.7 FPS at 4K (a further 49% reduction). This pattern indicates that at Ultra, the RTX 5070's rendering workload becomes the dominant factor. The GPU's 12 GB of GDDR7 memory and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth are being pushed harder, though even the 4K Ultra result of 74.7 FPS remains perfectly playable for a roguelike title.

Interestingly, the gap between Low and Ultra settings narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, Ultra produces 233.1 FPS versus Low's 508.2 FPS — a 275 FPS difference. At 4K, the gap shrinks to 92 FPS (166.7 versus 74.7). This convergence suggests that at 4K, the GPU is the primary constraint regardless of settings, while at 1080p, the CPU's capability to issue draw calls and manage game logic becomes the ceiling. The data implies that players targeting 4K will see diminishing returns from lowering settings, whereas 1080p players can unlock massive headroom by dropping from Ultra to Low.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 5700G's specifications paint a picture of a processor that should never bottleneck a game like Barony. With 8 cores, 16 threads, and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, this Zen 3 architecture chip from the Cezanne codename family delivers substantial single-threaded performance. Its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2930 and multi-core score of 20755 suggest strong per-core efficiency, which is critical for game logic that often relies on a primary thread.

The benchmark data shows this CPU outperforms several close rivals. It sits 0.4% ahead of the Intel Xeon D-2752TER and 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core 5 210H in average benchmark scores, while trailing the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U by just 0.3%. This places the 5700G in a competitive mid-pack position, though its PassMark single-thread score of 3283 indicates it has the raw speed needed for high-FPS scenarios.

In the context of Barony, the CPU's role becomes evident at 1080p Low where 508.2 FPS is achieved. This is likely near the practical limit for the game engine's frame delivery, as roguelikes typically have complex procedural generation and entity management that can tax CPU resources. The 16 MB of L3 cache and 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth provide adequate support for the game's data streaming needs. However, the fact that 4K Low (166.7 FPS) is still very high suggests the CPU is not severely limiting even at higher resolutions — the GPU simply has more work to do per frame.

FAQ

*Q: Is this combo overkill for Barony?*

A: The data suggests yes. Even at 4K Ultra, the system maintains 74.7 FPS, which is far above the 60 FPS target most players consider smooth. At 1080p Low, it reaches 508.2 FPS, indicating massive headroom.

Q: Does lowering settings help more at 1080p or 4K?

A: Lowering settings provides a much larger benefit at 1080p. Dropping from Ultra to Low at 1080p increases FPS by 275.1 (from 233.1 to 508.2), while the same change at 4K only adds 92 FPS (from 74.7 to 166.7).

Q: What is the best resolution to play at with this setup?

A: The 1440p High setting at 206.8 FPS offers an excellent balance between visual quality and performance, but 4K High at 106.8 FPS is also very playable and provides the highest resolution experience without dropping below 100 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5070 scores 0.6% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 and 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 in average benchmark scores, while trailing the AMD Radeon Pro 580X by 0.7%.

Q: Is the CPU's integrated graphics relevant for this test?

A: No, the Radeon Vega 8 integrated graphics are not used when the discrete RTX 5070 is installed. The CPU's processing power is what matters, and its 83rd percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates strong overall performance.

Q: Does the game benefit more from CPU or GPU upgrades?

A: Based on the scaling data, the GPU becomes the bottleneck at 4K and High/Ultra settings, while the CPU is likely the limiting factor at 1080p Low. Upgrading the GPU would improve 4K performance, while a faster CPU could push 1080p frame rates even higher.

How This Combo Ranks

With a combo rank of 334 out of 1702 tested configurations, this system sits comfortably in the 80th percentile of all combinations tested for Barony. This is a strong showing, especially considering the CPU is not a top-tier flagship processor. The ranking suggests that the RTX 5070's raw power is the primary driver of this position, as the GPU's PassMark G3D score of 29137 places it in the 83rd percentile among all GPUs.

The CPU's own ranking at 83rd percentile among all CPUs, combined with the GPU's identical 83rd percentile, creates a well-matched pairing. However, the fact that this combo ranks in the top 20% (334/1702) rather than the top 10% indicates that other combinations with higher-end CPUs and GPUs achieve better results. The data shows the CPU is not holding back the GPU significantly, but there is room for improvement — a stronger CPU could potentially push the 1080p Low result beyond 508.2 FPS.

Interestingly, the combo's rank is likely helped by the game's relatively low system requirements. Barony was released in 2015, and its roguelike nature means it does not require the massive polygon counts or complex shaders of modern AAA titles. This allows the RTX 5070 to flex its muscle, producing frame rates that would be impossible in more demanding games.

Settings Recommendations

For players seeking the highest frame rates, the 1080p Low setting at 508.2 FPS is the clear winner, though this experience may look dated. The 1080p Medium setting at 374.6 FPS offers a substantial visual upgrade while still maintaining frame rates far above what any display can show. At 1440p, the Medium setting at 240.5 FPS provides an excellent balance for high-refresh-rate monitors, while High at 206.8 FPS is also exceptional.

For 4K gaming, the High setting at 106.8 FPS is the best recommendation as it stays above 100 FPS while delivering strong visual quality. The Ultra setting at 74.7 FPS is playable but represents a 30% performance hit over High for what may be marginal visual gains. The Low setting at 166.7 FPS at 4K is surprisingly viable, though it sacrifices too much visual fidelity for a game that likely looks modest even at High settings.

The data suggests that Medium settings offer the best performance-per-visual-quality tradeoff across all resolutions. At Medium, the frame rates are 374.6 FPS at 1080p, 240.5 FPS at 1440p, and 127 FPS at 4K — all of which are smooth and responsive. Given that Barony is a roguelike where readability matters more than graphical fidelity, Medium settings may be the sweet spot for most players.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the system produces its highest frame rates. Low settings yield 508.2 FPS, Medium drops to 374.6 FPS, High falls to 325 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 233.1 FPS. This represents a spread of 275.1 FPS between the lowest and highest settings, indicating that settings have a massive impact at this resolution.

The 1440p results show a similar pattern but with reduced absolute values. Low settings produce 321.4 FPS, Medium achieves 240.5 FPS, High reaches 206.8 FPS, and Ultra manages 147.7 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra narrows to 173.7 FPS, showing the GPU's increasing workload at higher pixel counts.

At 4K, the performance gap tightens further. Low settings deliver 166.7 FPS, Medium produces 127 FPS, High reaches 106.8 FPS, and Ultra drops to 74.7 FPS. The total spread is now just 92 FPS. The progression from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent pattern: as resolution increases, the performance cost of higher settings decreases because the GPU is already saturated with pixel work.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is the clear workhorse in this pairing, and its specifications explain why it dominates in Barony. With 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output pipelines, the GPU has massive parallel processing capability. Its base clock of 2325 MHz and boost clock of 2512 MHz, combined with 30.87 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, allow it to process the game's relatively simple geometry at extraordinary speed.

The 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for a 2015 roguelike. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 29137 places it in the 83rd percentile, and its average benchmark score of 41687 puts it 0.6% ahead of the RTX 3090 in the nearest rivals list. This indicates the RTX 5070 is performing at or above expectations for its class.

The GPU's role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 74.7 FPS, suggesting the GPU is the limiting factor. The pixel rate of 201.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 482.3 GTexel/s are being taxed by the 8.3 million pixels at 4K. However, even at this demanding setting, the GPU maintains playable frame rates, demonstrating that it has ample headroom for older titles like Barony. The GPU's 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms it is a high-end part, and its performance in this game reflects that status.