Barony

Barony, a 2015 roguelike with a distinctive retro aesthetic, presents an interesting case study when paired with the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060. The measured frame rates reveal a system that is overwhelmingly powerful for this title, delivering playable performance even at the most demanding settings. The data suggests that the RTX 4060 is rarely the limiting factor, with the CPU's robust single-threaded performance driving the exceptionally high frame rates seen at lower resolutions. This combination ranks in the 996th position out of 1702 tested combos, placing it in the upper-middle tier of system configurations for this game.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K provides a clear picture of where the performance bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 341.3 FPS, a figure that drops to 212.8 FPS at 1440p and further to 111.2 FPS at 4K. This is a substantial reduction, but the absolute numbers remain high, indicating that even at 4K, the system is far from struggling. The scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, as the workload on the graphics card increases with pixel count.

However, the most revealing data comes from the Ultra settings. At 1080p Ultra, the system produces 153.6 FPS. When moving to 1440p Ultra, this drops to 98.7 FPS, a 35.8% decrease. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate falls to 50.7 FPS, another 48.6% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline suggests that the RTX 4060's 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are being heavily taxed by the most demanding presets at high resolutions. The game’s roguelike nature, with its procedurally generated levels and particle effects, can create sudden spikes in rendering complexity that the GPU must handle.

The delta between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution highlights the GPU's role. At 1080p, the gap between Low (341.3 FPS) and Ultra (153.6 FPS) is a massive 187.7 FPS, showing that graphical settings have a profound impact on the frame rate. This gap narrows to 114.1 FPS at 1440p and 60.5 FPS at 4K, which suggests that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the primary constraint, and the relative cost of each setting level becomes more pronounced. The data implies that for players targeting 4K, the CPU has ample headroom, but the GPU’s memory bandwidth and compute capabilities will dictate the final performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with High settings for this combo?

A: The measured average FPS is 215.2 at 1920x1080 with High settings.

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

A: The Ryzen 7 5800X has an average benchmark score of 27606, which is 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 5800's score of 27535.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops from 212.8 on Low settings to 98.7 on Ultra settings, a difference of 114.1 FPS.

Q: Is the RTX 4060 a better performer than the Intel Arc B580?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 23181, while the Intel Arc B580 scores 23021, making the RTX 4060 0.7% faster in this metric.

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

A: The highest average frame rate is 341.3 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Does this system achieve 60 FPS at 4K with the highest settings?

A: No, at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 50.7, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is a key component in this configuration, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process. Its specifications include a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz, which are relatively high for a card in its class. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. In the context of Barony, these specs are more than sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, as evidenced by the high frame rates.

The GPU's role becomes more critical at 4K resolution. The data shows a clear drop in performance, with the Ultra preset yielding only 50.7 FPS. This is likely due to the combination of high resolution and the game's visual effects, which can quickly fill the 8 GB VRAM buffer. The benchmark results indicate that while the card is capable of high frame rates at lower resolutions, its memory capacity and bus width are limiting factors at 4K Ultra. The RTX 4060 scores 19545 on the Passmark G3D benchmark, placing it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 4060 sits in a tight performance band. It is 0.6% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 6600M and 0.7% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti, but 0.7% faster than the Intel Arc B580. This data suggests that the card's raw compute power is competitive, but its performance in a specific game like Barony will depend on driver optimization and how well the game utilizes its unique features, such as the 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination is ranked 996th out of 1702 tested combos for Barony. This places it in the 58.5th percentile of all configurations, meaning it outperforms more than half of the systems tested. This ranking is somewhat surprising given the high frame rates measured, but it suggests that many other combos, likely with more powerful GPUs, achieve even higher scores in this specific title.

The ranking reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU. The Ryzen 7 5800X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is a strong processor that scores in the 84th percentile of all CPUs. However, the RTX 4060 is a mid-range GPU, scoring in the 66th percentile. For a game like Barony, which appears to be sensitive to GPU performance at high settings and resolutions, the GPU may be holding the combo back from a higher ranking. The data implies that pairing this CPU with a more powerful GPU would likely result in a much better rank, as the CPU has the headroom to support higher frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance across all settings. The lowest average FPS is 153.6 at Ultra, while the highest is 341.3 at Low. Medium settings produce 254.4 FPS, and High yields 215.2 FPS. These numbers indicate that the system can easily handle high-refresh-rate monitors at this resolution, even with the most demanding presets.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very high but show a more significant impact from settings. Low settings average 212.8 FPS, Medium 158.4 FPS, High 135.3 FPS, and Ultra 98.7 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is substantial, but even the Ultra preset provides a smooth experience for most players. The system is clearly GPU-limited at this resolution, as the CPU is likely not breaking a sweat.

At 3840x2160, the performance is still playable but begins to show the GPU's limits. Low settings average 111.2 FPS, Medium 81.8 FPS, High 73.9 FPS, and Ultra 50.7 FPS. The Ultra preset falls below the 60 FPS mark, which may be a concern for players who prioritize smoothness. The scaling from Low to Ultra is nearly linear, highlighting the GPU's workload at 4K. The data indicates that for 4K gaming, players will need to compromise on settings to maintain higher frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combo depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p gaming, the Ultra preset is the clear choice, as it delivers 153.6 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and suitable for high-refresh-rate displays. The High preset offers a higher frame rate of 215.2 FPS, but the visual fidelity of Ultra is likely worth the performance trade-off.

For 1440p, the High preset provides an excellent balance, with an average of 135.3 FPS. This is a high frame rate that will be smooth on most monitors. The Ultra preset at 98.7 FPS is also acceptable, but the performance drop from High might not justify the visual improvements, depending on the player's sensitivity to frame rate. Medium settings at 158.4 FPS are another option for those seeking maximum smoothness.

At 4K, players will need to make a choice. The High preset at 73.9 FPS is the best option for a smooth experience, as it maintains a frame rate above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 81.8 FPS is also viable and offers a slight performance boost. The Ultra preset at 50.7 FPS is playable but may feel less responsive. The Low preset at 111.2 FPS is the highest frame rate option, but the visual quality may be too compromised for some players. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot for 4K, providing a good balance of visual fidelity and performance.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X is a Zen 3 architecture processor with 8 cores and 16 threads. It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, which are strong for gaming. Its benchmark scores are impressive, including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23571 and a single-core score of 3327. The CPU's performance in Barony is likely excellent, as the game may not be heavily multithreaded, but the high single-core performance is crucial for maintaining high frame rates.

In this combo, the CPU is likely not the bottleneck at any resolution. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (341.3 FPS) is extremely high, suggesting that the CPU can feed the GPU with enough data to reach these frame rates. Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is clearly struggling, the CPU's performance is more than adequate. The Ryzen 7 5800X ranks in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals, such as the Ryzen 7 5800 and Ryzen 5 8500GE, are within 0.4% of its average score, indicating a tight competitive field.

The CPU's 32 MB of L3 cache and support for DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s are also relevant. For a roguelike like Barony, which may involve procedural generation and complex game logic, the CPU's cache and memory bandwidth can help ensure smooth performance, even in chaotic scenes. The data indicates that the Ryzen 7 5800X is a capable partner for the RTX 4060, providing ample processing power to avoid limiting the GPU in most scenarios.