Barony

Barony, a roguelike with a 2015 release, presents a unique performance profile for the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 combination. The benchmark data reveals a system where the graphics card is the primary bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s substantial processing power remains largely underutilized in this title. The measured FPS across resolutions and settings shows a clear pattern of scaling that aligns with the GPU's capabilities, making this combo a study in how a low-end graphics processor can limit a modern, high-core-count CPU.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is severe and clearly illustrates that the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the limiting component. At the High preset, the average frame rate falls from 86.5 FPS at 1920x1080 to 54.4 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 31.7 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 63% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, a scaling pattern typical of a GPU that is running out of pixel-pushing capability and memory bandwidth. The data indicates that the GTX 1650, with its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 128-bit bus, is overwhelmed by the sheer number of pixels at 4K.

The trend is consistent across all quality presets. On the Low preset, the system manages 136.1 FPS at 1080p, which is a very playable number, but this plummets to 89.2 FPS at 1440p and 45.3 FPS at 4K. The more demanding the preset, the steeper the relative drop, with the Ultra preset showing the most pronounced scaling issues. At Ultra, the combo starts at 60.5 FPS at 1080p, drops to 37.8 FPS at 1440p, and then falls to a mere 22.1 FPS at 4K. This suggests that the GTX 1650's 896 shading units and 32 ROPs are insufficient for maintaining a smooth experience at higher resolutions, regardless of the CPU's potential.

The data suggests that the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 is not the constraining factor in this scenario. The CPU, with its 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 4 architecture, is capable of far higher frame rates than what the GTX 1650 can deliver. The frame rate deltas between resolutions are substantial, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would remain relatively flat or even increase at lower resolutions, but the data shows a near-linear scaling with resolution, pointing directly at the graphics card as the performance ceiling. The 4K results, in particular, are consistently below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, even on the Low preset, confirming that this resolution is not a viable option for this combination in Barony.

FAQ

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

A: The benchmark results show an average of 86.5 FPS at 1920x1080 with the High preset, indicating that this resolution and preset combination provides a smooth experience.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K with the Ultra preset?

A: At 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, the average frame rate drops to a very demanding 22.1 FPS, which is not suitable for fluid gameplay.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 or the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data strongly indicates that the GTX 1650 is the limiting component, as frame rates drop dramatically with increasing resolution, a pattern that is characteristic of GPU-bound performance.

Q: What is the best performance result recorded for this combination?

A: The highest average frame rate is 136.1 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

Q: How does the GTX 1650's benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 8713, which is 0.4% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile and 0.4% lower than the AMD Radeon 550X, indicating very similar overall performance.

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

A: The combo ranks 1649 out of 1702 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom percentile of systems for this specific game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience balances visual fidelity with a playable frame rate. For a target of 60 FPS, the 1080p High preset is the clear choice, delivering an average of 86.5 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring that most gameplay moments will remain smooth. The 1080p Medium preset pushes performance further to 103.6 FPS, which is ideal for players who prioritize a higher refresh rate or want more headroom for demanding scenes in the roguelike's procedurally generated dungeons.

For those with a 1440p monitor, the High preset is the most balanced option, achieving 54.4 FPS. This is slightly below the 60 FPS target but is likely a playable compromise for a game like Barony. Dropping to the Medium preset at 1440p yields 65.6 FPS, which is a more consistent experience if the slight visual downgrade is acceptable. The Low preset at 1440p, at 89.2 FPS, is the only way to get a high-refresh-rate experience at this resolution, but it sacrifices significant visual quality.

The data clearly shows that 4K is not a practical resolution for this combo. The highest frame rate at 4K is 45.3 FPS on the Low preset, which is below the standard for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 4K should be avoided entirely, as it results in an average of 22.1 FPS, which is a slideshow. The Ultra preset at 1080p produces 60.5 FPS, which is a valid option for those who want maximum fidelity at the lowest resolution, but the High preset offers a better performance-to-quality ratio, as the jump from High to Ultra costs 26 FPS while offering only marginal visual gains in a roguelike's typically stylized graphics.

How This Combo Ranks

The data positions this combination as one of the lower-performing systems for Barony. With a combo rank of 1649 out of 1702 tested combinations, this system sits in the bottom 4% of all configurations. This low ranking is almost entirely attributable to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, which is an entry-level graphics card from the GeForce 16-series. The GPU's percentile rank of 43 against all GPUs confirms its position in the lower half of the performance spectrum.

The contrast between the CPU and GPU performance is stark. The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 is a high-end desktop processor, ranking in the 91st percentile against all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 40468 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7940H, which scores 40431, a delta of only 0.1%. This indicates that the CPU is performing at the expected level for its class. However, the GTX 1650's average benchmark score of 8713 is just 0.4% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile, showing it is a typical representative of its own performance tier. The pairing of a top-tier CPU with a bottom-tier GPU results in a system that is severely imbalanced for this game, leading to its poor overall rank. The CPU's power is simply wasted in Barony, as the GPU cannot generate frames quickly enough to utilize the processor's capabilities.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 plays the decisive role in this system's Barony performance. The GPU's specifications—4 GB of GDDR5 memory, a 128-bit memory bus, and a memory bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s—are the primary constraints. The benchmark results show that the GPU's memory and compute resources are exhausted as resolution increases. The 4K Ultra result of 22.1 FPS is a direct consequence of the GPU being unable to process the required geometry and shading operations fast enough.

The GPU's clock speeds are modest, with a base clock of 1485 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz. The TU117 chip, built on a 12 nm process, contains 896 shading units, which is a relatively low count for modern gaming. This is reflected in its FP32 performance of 2.984 TFLOPS. The GPU's benchmark scores corroborate this, with a passmark G3D score of 7880 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of just 305. These numbers indicate a card that is designed for 1080p gaming at medium to high settings, not for high-resolution or high-refresh-rate workloads.

The 4 GB VRAM capacity is also a likely contributor to the performance cliff at higher resolutions. As resolution increases, the texture and framebuffer demands can exceed the available VRAM, leading to a significant performance hit. The data shows this effect, as the drop from 1440p to 4K is more severe than the drop from 1080p to 1440p across all presets. This suggests that the GPU is not only fill-rate limited but also potentially memory-bandwidth and capacity limited. The performance of the GTX 1650, while adequate for 1080p, is the definitive factor that holds this otherwise powerful system back in Barony.