Barony

# FAQ

Q: What is the combo's overall rank in Barony among tested configurations?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 + AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination ranks 1336 out of 2935 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the 45th percentile of all tested configurations.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark scores?

A: The Ryzen 7 7700 scores 40081 on average. It sits within 0.6% of four rivals: the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (40048, 0.1% ahead), Intel Core 5 221E (40144, 0.2% behind), AMD Ryzen 9 270 (40246, 0.4% behind), and Intel Core i9-13905H (40313, 0.6% behind).

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all graphics cards?

A: The Radeon RX 7700 sits at the 58th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15852. Its closest rival is the AMD Radeon R9 370X at 15862, a difference of just 0.1%.

Q: What are the key memory specifications of this CPU-GPU pairing?

A: The CPU supports dual-channel DDR5 memory with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth, while the GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivering 624.1 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: At which resolution does the combo achieve its highest frame rate?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo reaches 360 FPS average, which is the peak measured performance across all tested resolutions and settings.

Q: Which settings preset shows the largest FPS gap between 1080p and 4K?

A: The Low preset shows the largest absolute drop, going from 360 FPS at 1080p to 119 FPS at 4K — a 241 FPS reduction. The Ultra preset shows the smallest absolute drop at 111 FPS, from 165 to 54.

# GPU Role

The Radeon RX 7700 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC, packing 28,100 million transistors on a 346 mm² die. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory operates at 2438 MHz (19.5 Gbps effective) across a 256-bit bus, yielding 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration proves substantial for Barony, as even at 4K Ultra the combo maintains playable frame rates despite the game's relatively modest visual demands.

The GPU's clock behavior shows a base of 1900 MHz, a game clock of 2041 MHz, and a boost clock of 2459 MHz. With 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, the card delivers 236.1 GPixel/s pixel rate and 393.4 GTexel/s texture rate. The FP32 throughput of 25.18 TFLOPS (with FP16 at a 1:1 ratio) indicates balanced compute capability that translates well to Barony's workload, which appears to scale predictably across settings.

The card's 40 RT cores support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), though Barony's roguelike presentation likely doesn't stress ray tracing. The GPU's benchmark profile shows a PassMark G3D score of 20974 and a DirectX 12 score of 96, with OpenCL performance at 106028 in Geekbench. These synthetic results position the card at the 58th percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rival being the AMD Radeon R9 370X at essentially identical average scores (15862 vs 15852, a 0.1% difference).

In Barony specifically, the GPU demonstrates clear bandwidth headroom. The 4K Medium result of 88 FPS average (with 75 FPS minimum and 102 FPS maximum) suggests the 16 GB frame buffer and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth prevent memory-related bottlenecks even at high pixel counts. The GPU's 200 W TDP and dual-slot design with 2x 8-pin power connectors indicate a power envelope that allows sustained boost clocks during extended gaming sessions, though the data doesn't include temperature or clock throttling metrics.

# Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how the system scales from 1080p to 4K across all four settings presets. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 360 at 1920x1080 to 227 at 2560x1440 (a 37% reduction), then to 119 at 3840x2160 (a 48% reduction from 1440p). This steep decline indicates the GPU becomes increasingly pixel-bound as resolution climbs, with the 4K result still delivering a smooth experience but at less than one-third of the 1080p performance.

The Medium preset shows a similar pattern: 268 FPS at 1080p, 169 FPS at 1440p (37% lower), and 88 FPS at 4K (48% lower from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across Low and Medium suggests a scaling factor tied to pixel count rather than settings complexity. High settings follow with 230 FPS at 1080p, 145 FPS at 1440p (37% lower), and 76 FPS at 4K (48% lower from 1440p) — again nearly identical relative reductions.

Ultra settings exhibit the same proportional behavior: 165 FPS at 1080p, 104 FPS at 1440p (37% lower), and 54 FPS at 4K (48% lower). The fact that each preset loses nearly the same percentage from 1080p to 1440p and from 1440p to 4K indicates that resolution scaling is purely additive — the per-pixel cost increases uniformly regardless of quality level. This points to the GPU as the primary limiting component at higher resolutions, with the CPU able to feed frames faster than the GPU can render at 4K.

Interestingly, the absolute FPS deltas between settings shrink as resolution rises. At 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra is 195 FPS (360 vs 165). At 4K, that gap narrows to 65 FPS (119 vs 54). This compression suggests that at 1080p, the CPU-side frame pacing allows the GPU to fully express its settings-limited performance, while at 4K, the GPU's rendering cost dominates and diminishes the relative impact of settings changes.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080: The combo delivers its strongest results at this resolution. At Low settings, the average FPS reaches 360 — a ceiling that suggests the CPU can feed frames faster than the display can likely show them. Medium settings produce 268 FPS average with a 228 FPS minimum and 308 FPS maximum, showing tight frame pacing. High settings drop to 230 FPS average, while Ultra still maintains a very smooth 165 FPS average. Even the worst case (Ultra) provides frame rates well above any standard 60 Hz or 144 Hz display refresh rate.

2560x1440: Performance remains strong but shows the GPU taking on more work. Low settings at 227 FPS average still clear high-refresh territory. Medium produces 169 FPS average with 144 FPS minimum and 194 FPS maximum — the minimum stays above 144 Hz, making this an excellent pairing for 144 Hz monitors. High settings at 145 FPS average keep pace, while Ultra at 104 FPS average remains comfortable for 100 Hz displays. The 1440p Medium result's 144 FPS minimum is notable, as it means the bottom 1% of frames still hits the 144 Hz threshold.

3840x2160: At 4K, the combo transitions from overkill to adequate. Low settings at 119 FPS average provide a smooth experience for 120 Hz displays. Medium at 88 FPS average (75 FPS minimum, 102 FPS maximum) remains playable but no longer saturates high-refresh panels. High at 76 FPS average is suitable for 60-75 Hz displays with some headroom. Ultra at 54 FPS average dips below 60 FPS, which may be noticeable on standard 60 Hz monitors. The minimum FPS data for 4K is only available for Medium (75 FPS), suggesting frame pacing remains stable even when the average drops.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset consistently shows the tightest FPS range (min-max delta of 80 FPS at 1080p, 50 FPS at 1440p, and 27 FPS at 4K), indicating this preset provides the most consistent frame delivery of the four quality levels tested.

# CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 is an 8-core, 16-thread processor from the 7000 series built on Zen 4 architecture (codenamed Raphael) using a 5 nm TSMC process. It operates with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.30 GHz, backed by 64 KB L1 cache per core, 1 MB L2 per core, and 32 MB shared L3. The 65 W TDP and unlocked multiplier position it as an efficient, overclockable desktop part.

The CPU's benchmark profile shows strong multi-threaded performance: 3DMark scores of 8484 at 16 threads, 6933 at 8 threads, 3931 at 4 threads, and 2043 at 2 threads, with single-thread at 1049. Cinebench R23 results of 18760 multi-core and 1930 single-core further demonstrate the balance between thread scaling and single-core strength. PassMark tests show 34470 multi-thread, 4063 single-thread, and a data compression score of 405084.

In Barony, the CPU's role becomes evident when examining the FPS data. At 1080p Low, the 360 FPS average suggests the CPU is capable of sustaining extremely high frame delivery. The fact that 1080p Ultra still achieves 165 FPS — nearly triple 4K Ultra's 54 FPS — indicates the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions. The 8 cores and 16 threads provide ample parallel processing for game logic, AI, and entity updates typical of roguelike titles.

The CPU's 87th percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 40081, places it at parity with its nearest rivals — all within 0.6% of its average score. The 3DMark results show near-linear scaling from 4 threads (3931) to 16 threads (8484), suggesting the Zen 4 architecture efficiently utilizes additional cores, which benefits Barony's multi-threaded simulation. The single-thread score of 1049 in 3DMark and 1930 in Cinebench R23 indicate strong per-core performance that keeps the game's main thread from becoming a bottleneck at high frame rates.

The CPU's memory support for DDR5 with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth ensures the GPU receives data without starvation, as evidenced by the 1080p Low result of 360 FPS where memory bandwidth could otherwise become a limiting factor. The Gen 5 PCIe interface (24 lanes CPU-only) provides ample bandwidth for the GPU's PCIe 4.0 x16 connection.

# Settings Recommendations

For 1920x1080 displays, the data shows all settings presets deliver playable frame rates, but the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and frame consistency. The 268 FPS average with a 228 FPS minimum and 308 FPS maximum provides a wide safety margin above any current display refresh rate, while the 80 FPS spread between minimum and maximum indicates stable frame delivery. Ultra at 165 FPS average is viable for 165 Hz displays, but the lack of minimum FPS data suggests potential frame dips that Medium's measured 228 FPS floor avoids.

At 2560x1440, Medium again stands out with 169 FPS average and a 144 FPS minimum — exactly matching the refresh rate of common 1440p gaming monitors. This makes Medium the recommended preset for 144 Hz 1440p displays, as even the worst-case frames maintain full refresh rate coverage. High settings at 145 FPS average are also viable, though the missing minimum FPS data means frame dips below 144 Hz are possible. Low at 227 FPS average is excessive for most displays, while Ultra at 104 FPS average suits 100 Hz monitors but may not satisfy 120 Hz or 144 Hz users.

For 3840x2160, the recommendation shifts based on display refresh rate. Medium's 88 FPS average with 75 FPS minimum and 102 FPS maximum is the only preset with complete frame data at 4K, and it comfortably supports 60 Hz displays while providing headroom for 75 Hz panels. High at 76 FPS average is acceptable for 60-75 Hz displays, while Low at 119 FPS average suits 120 Hz 4K monitors — though the lack of minimum FPS data introduces uncertainty. Ultra at 54 FPS average falls below standard 60 Hz refresh rates and is not recommended for most users.

The Medium preset's consistency across all three resolutions — with the tightest FPS ranges measured — makes it the default recommendation. The data shows diminishing returns from Medium to High (79 FPS drop at 1080p, 24 FPS at 1440p, 12 FPS at 4K) while Low to Medium shows larger gains (92 FPS at 1080p, 58 FPS at 1440p, 31 FPS at 4K). This suggests Medium captures most of the available performance headroom without the frame stability risks of higher presets.

# How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 + AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination ranks 1336 out of 2935 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the middle of the tested field. This rank reflects the pairing of a top-13% CPU (87th percentile) with a mid-range GPU (58th percentile), resulting in a balanced system that performs admirably but doesn't reach the upper echelons of the ranking.

The CPU's 87th percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 40081, is nearly identical to its four nearest rivals — the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (0.1% ahead), Intel Core 5 221E (0.2% behind), AMD Ryzen 9 270 (0.4% behind), and Intel Core i9-13905H (0.6% behind). This clustering indicates the Ryzen 7 7700 sits at a performance plateau where small benchmark variations determine ranking order.

The GPU's 58th percentile ranking among all graphics cards, with an average score of 15852, places it just below the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (16014, 1% higher) and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129, 1.7% higher), while slightly above the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15679, 1.1% lower) and essentially tied with the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862, 0.1% lower). This tight grouping suggests the RX 7700 delivers performance within a narrow band of comparable GPUs.

The combo's 1336th place ranking out of 2935 (45th percentile) indicates that while the individual components are solidly mid-range to upper-mid-range, the combination doesn't punch above its weight in Barony. The game's roguelike nature — typically CPU-bound with significant procedural generation — means the 8-core/16-thread CPU handles the simulation load well, but the GPU's 58th percentile positioning limits high-resolution performance. At 1080p, the combo outperforms its overall ranking would suggest (360 FPS at Low), while at 4K Ultra, it aligns with the mid-pack positioning (54 FPS). The data shows a system that excels at 1080p and 1440p gaming but becomes average at 4K, consistent with its 45th percentile rank among tested configurations.