Barony

Barony is an older roguelike that has been updated over time, and the measured performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 shows a system that is more than capable of handling the game at high frame rates across all common resolutions. The data indicates that the Radeon RX 6600 is the primary bottleneck at 4K, while the Ryzen 7 5800XT provides ample headroom at lower resolutions. This combination ranks 1354 out of 1702 tested combos for this game, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the pack, but the absolute frame rates tell a far more positive story for practical gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, clearly demonstrating where the graphical load shifts. At 1080p with High settings, the system produces 170.2 FPS, which drops to 106.9 FPS at 1440p, and further down to 56.2 FPS at 4K. This represents a 37% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 67% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The scaling pattern strongly indicates that the Radeon RX 6600 is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the frame rate drops are far more aggressive than what a CPU-bound scenario would produce.

Looking at the Low settings preset, the scaling behavior reveals the CPU’s capability ceiling. At 1080p Low, the system hits 264.2 FPS, which is exceptionally high. At 1440p Low, it still manages 169.2 FPS, and at 4K Low it reaches 86.8 FPS. The fact that 4K Low still produces nearly 87 FPS shows that even when the GPU is heavily loaded, the Ryzen 7 5800XT’s 8 cores and 16 threads are sufficient to feed the graphics card. The gap between Low and Ultra settings grows with resolution, which is typical for a GPU-limited scenario. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 145.8 FPS, while at 4K, the difference narrows to 48.1 FPS, confirming that the GPU becomes the dominant constraint as pixel count rises.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achievable with this hardware at 1080p?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 264.2, achieved with the Low settings preset at 1920x1080 resolution.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Barony?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K High settings, the average FPS is 56.2, which is playable. Dropping to 4K Low raises this to 86.8 FPS, while 4K Ultra drops to 38.7 FPS, which may feel less smooth.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 106.9 FPS, while Ultra delivers 74.8 FPS. The 32.1 FPS difference suggests Ultra is significantly more demanding without a proportional visual benefit.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 5800XT holding back the Radeon RX 6600 in this game?

A: The data suggests no. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 264.2 FPS, indicating the CPU can drive very high frame rates. The GPU's benchmark percentile of 69 versus the CPU's 86 percentile also supports that the GPU is the weaker link.

Q: What is the most balanced setting for a 1440p monitor?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 produces 125.1 FPS, which is smooth and only 44.1 FPS lower than Low. This represents a good middle ground between visual quality and performance.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested hardware combinations?

A: This specific CPU and GPU pairing ranks 1354 out of 1702 tested combos for Barony, placing it in the 21st percentile of all tested configurations.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is the decisive factor in this system’s gaming performance, and its specifications line up with the observed results. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is adequate for Barony’s demands at 1080p and 1440p, but the measured frame rates at 4K suggest that the GPU’s compute capabilities, rather than memory capacity, are the limiting factor. The GPU’s boost clock of 2491 MHz and game clock of 2044 MHz are respectable for the RDNA 2.0 architecture, yet the 4K Ultra result of only 38.7 FPS highlights its mid-range positioning.

The RX 6600’s benchmark scores reinforce this interpretation. It achieves a passmark G3D score of 15096 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1492, placing it in the 69th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 890M with a deltaPct of 0, the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP with a deltaPct of -0.2, and the AMD Radeon RX 6700M with a deltaPct of 0.2. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is 0.5% ahead in average score, which is negligible in real-world terms. This grouping confirms that the RX 6600 sits in a crowded performance tier, and the measured FPS in Barony reflects this position: competitive at lower resolutions but struggling to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

For the best measured experience, the data points to the Medium preset as the optimal choice for most users. At 1080p, Medium delivers 193 FPS, which is only 71.2 FPS lower than Low but provides a meaningful visual upgrade over the lowest settings. At 1440p, Medium produces 125.1 FPS, which is smooth for fast-paced gameplay and still leaves headroom above the 60 FPS threshold. Even at 4K, Medium maintains 66.6 FPS, which is playable and significantly better than the 38.7 FPS seen on Ultra.

The High preset is a reasonable alternative for those who prioritize visual fidelity over absolute frame rates. It offers 170.2 FPS at 1080p, 106.9 FPS at 1440p, and 56.2 FPS at 4K. The drop from High to Ultra at 4K is severe, from 56.2 FPS down to 38.7 FPS, representing a 31% performance loss for what is typically a marginal visual gain in a game with Barony’s art style. The Low preset is only recommended for competitive play or if targeting the absolute highest refresh rates, as it provides 264.2 FPS at 1080p but sacrifices visual quality. For a balanced experience across all resolutions, Medium is the clear winner in the measured data.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest results. The Low preset achieves 264.2 FPS, Medium reaches 193 FPS, High hits 170.2 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 118.4 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 71.2 FPS, while the step from High to Ultra costs 51.8 FPS. These numbers indicate that the GPU is not heavily taxed at this resolution, and the Ryzen 7 5800XT’s single-thread performance, evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 959 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3359, is sufficient to keep frame rates high.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down consistently. Low produces 169.2 FPS, Medium delivers 125.1 FPS, High achieves 106.9 FPS, and Ultra drops to 74.8 FPS. The relative ordering remains the same, but the gap between settings narrows slightly, indicating the GPU is beginning to take on more work. At 3840x2160, the GPU’s limits become apparent. Low still manages 86.8 FPS, but Medium drops to 66.6 FPS, High falls to 56.2 FPS, and Ultra struggles at 38.7 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is 48.1 FPS, which is the smallest gap across all resolutions, confirming that the GPU is the primary constraint at this resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT provides a strong foundation for this gaming system, and its specifications suggest it is not the limiting factor in Barony. With 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, it offers a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. The CPU’s benchmark results are impressive, including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23794 and a Passmark multithread score of 27988. Its percentile ranking of 86 against all CPUs indicates it sits comfortably above the majority of processors on the market.

The measured FPS data corroborates this assessment. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 264.2 FPS, which is a clear indication that the CPU can feed the GPU with frames far beyond typical display refresh rates. Even at 1080p Ultra, the system maintains 118.4 FPS, which is still very high. The CPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE with a deltaPct of 0.1, the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS with a deltaPct of -0.3, and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 with a deltaPct of 0.3. These scores show that the 5800XT is competitive with newer mobile and hybrid processors, despite being a desktop part from the 5000 series.

The 32 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are ample for a game like Barony, which does not exhibit the heavy cache or memory pressure seen in more modern AAA titles. The CPU’s 3DMark 16-thread score of 7683 and 4-thread score of 3603 demonstrate strong scaling across cores, but Barony’s gameplay is unlikely to leverage all 16 threads effectively. Instead, the high single-thread performance, evidenced by the 3DMark single-thread score of 959 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3359, is what keeps minimum frame rates high in complex scenes. Overall, the data shows that the Ryzen 7 5800XT is a capable partner for the RX 6600, providing more than enough processing power to avoid becoming a bottleneck in this title.