Barony

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers exceptional performance in Barony, a roguelike title that clearly favors high refresh rates. The measured data shows this combination is not merely capable of running the game, but is positioned to dominate it, with average frame rates exceeding 275 FPS at 1080p even on the most demanding preset. This system ranks 140th out of 1702 tested combinations, placing it in the top 8% of all hardware pairings for this specific title. The data indicates that the primary decision for a user is not whether the game will run smoothly, but rather which balance of visual fidelity and raw speed best suits their display's capabilities.

Settings Recommendations

Benchmark results across the three resolutions reveal a clear hierarchy of presets, with the choice hinging on your display's refresh rate and resolution. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 275.2 FPS, which is more than sufficient for even the fastest 240Hz monitors. However, the Medium preset jumps to 446.6 FPS and Low reaches 597 FPS, suggesting that for competitive play or on a standard 144Hz display, the Medium preset offers a massive performance buffer with presumably better visuals than Low. For users with 1080p 360Hz panels, the Low preset is the only one that truly saturates the display's potential.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the sweet spot. It produces an average of 238.9 FPS, comfortably exceeding the 144Hz standard and approaching 240Hz territory. The Ultra preset still manages a very playable 173.6 FPS, making it a viable option for those who prioritize image quality over maximum frame rates. The data suggests that at 1440p, users can safely use High settings without any perceptible compromise in smoothness, while Ultra remains a strong choice for slower-paced exploration.

The 3840x2160 results present a different scenario. Here, High settings yield 127.2 FPS, which is excellent for 4K gaming and ideal for a 120Hz display. The Medium preset offers 143.5 FPS, providing a slight edge for 144Hz 4K monitors. The Ultra preset drops to 87.9 FPS, which is below the 100 FPS threshold many consider the minimum for high-end gaming. For 4K, the recommendation is clear: High settings provide the best balanced experience, with Medium as a strong alternative if you prioritize frame rate over the highest visual details. The Ultra preset at 4K is best reserved for users who value absolute graphical fidelity over the fluidity of motion.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant force in this configuration, and its specifications directly correlate with the exceptional frame rates observed. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides a substantial 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. This is more than sufficient for Barony's textures and assets at any resolution, ensuring that memory bandwidth is not a bottleneck even at 4K Ultra settings. The ample memory capacity also provides headroom for future titles or texture-heavy mods.

Clock speeds are equally important. The GPU's boost clock of 2550 MHz, combined with its 10240 shading units, allows for massive parallel processing power. This is reflected in its FP32 performance of 52.22 TFLOPS, which translates directly into the high pixel and texture fill rates needed to sustain the triple-digit FPS seen in the benchmarks. The performance delta from High to Ultra settings across all resolutions confirms the GPU's raw compute capabilities. The data shows that increasing the settings from High to Ultra at 1080p reduces the average FPS from 379 to 275.2, a significant drop of 103.8 FPS, which is a direct consequence of the increased shading and texture work demanded by the Ultra preset.

In comparison to its nearest rivals, the RTX 4080 SUPER holds a strong position. Its average benchmark score of 53610 is 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT and 2.9% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. This sustained lead in synthetic benchmarks translates to the real-world performance edge seen in Barony's measured FPS, confirming the GPU as the primary driver of the system's high frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 provides a clear picture of the system's scaling behavior. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 379 at 1080p to 238.9 at 1440p, a reduction of 140.1 FPS (37%). Moving further to 4K, the FPS falls to 127.2, a 66% decrease from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern is typical for a system where the GPU becomes increasingly stressed as pixel count rises.

The data indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions, while the CPU has more headroom at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves an astronomical 597 FPS, suggesting that the CPU is still capable of feeding the GPU at this level. However, the fact that the FPS does not double when moving from 1440p to 1080p at High settings suggests a more balanced load. The 4K Ultra result of 87.9 FPS is the clearest indicator of GPU limitation, as the rendering load at this resolution and quality setting is immense. The 199.7 FPS at 4K Low versus 87.9 FPS at 4K Ultra shows a 111.8 FPS difference, which is entirely due to the GPU's workload increasing with graphical complexity, not a change in resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the benchmark results are as follows: the Low preset achieves an average of 597 FPS, Medium produces 446.6 FPS, High delivers 379 FPS, and Ultra yields 275.2 FPS. The performance scaling is linear, with each step up in quality costing approximately 70-80 FPS, which is a substantial but predictable reduction.

At 2560x1440, the results show: Low at 375.9 FPS, Medium at 277.6 FPS, High at 238.9 FPS, and Ultra at 173.6 FPS. The relative performance gap between Low and Ultra is significant, a difference of 202.3 FPS, indicating that the GPU is working harder to fill the increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low at 199.7 FPS, Medium at 143.5 FPS, High at 127.2 FPS, and Ultra at 87.9 FPS. This is the only resolution where the Ultra preset dips below 100 FPS average. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 111.8 FPS, a smaller absolute gap than at 1440p, but a much larger percentage drop (44%), highlighting the severe strain of 4K Ultra on the GPU.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Barony at 4K with high refresh rates?*

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the system averages 127.2 FPS, which is ideal for a 120Hz display. For 144Hz monitors, the Medium preset at 143.5 FPS is the better choice.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 delivers 238.9 FPS, making it the optimal choice for 144Hz and even 240Hz displays. The Ultra preset, at 173.6 FPS, is also viable for 144Hz monitors if you prefer maximum visual quality.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The data suggests the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. The massive FPS figures at 1080p Low (597 FPS) indicate the CPU can keep up, but the significant drop to 87.9 FPS at 4K Ultra shows the GPU is the primary constraint.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to its closest competitors in this game's context?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER's average benchmark score of 53610 is 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT and 2.9% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, suggesting a performance lead that contributes to the high frame rates seen in Barony.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth the performance cost at 1080p?

A: The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 275.2 FPS, which is still extremely high. However, the Medium preset at 446.6 FPS offers a 171.4 FPS advantage. For most users with a 144Hz or 240Hz monitor, the Medium or High presets are more practical, as the visual difference may not be noticeable at such high frame rates.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 4K with the Ultra preset?

A: The benchmark data shows an average of 87.9 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is playable but may not be ideal for fast-paced competitive play; High settings at 127.2 FPS are recommended for smoother motion.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 provides a robust foundation for the RTX 4080 SUPER. With 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 4 architecture, it offers ample processing power for game logic and physics. Its boost clock of 5.30 GHz is crucial for single-threaded performance, which is often the primary driver in roguelike games like Barony. The CPU's single-thread benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4136 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 1049.

The CPU's role becomes evident in the high-FPS scenarios at 1080p. The jump from 275.2 FPS at Ultra to 597 FPS at Low shows that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough draw calls to achieve extremely high frame rates. However, the data also shows the CPU's limitations. At 1080p Low, the system does not reach the 600 FPS mark, suggesting that the CPU is nearing its limit for this game's engine. This is further supported by the CPU's nearest rival comparisons. The Ryzen 7 7700's average benchmark score of 40468 is 1.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 235T, but 0.6% lower than the Intel Core i9-13905H. This indicates that while the 7700 is a top-tier performer, it is not the absolute fastest, and there are CPUs that could push the frame rates even higher in CPU-bound scenarios.

The 65W TDP of the 7700 also plays a role. While it has the performance to keep up, its power efficiency suggests it won't thermal-throttle in a standard case, ensuring consistent performance over long gaming sessions. In summary, the CPU is a capable partner, allowing the GPU to stretch its legs at 1080p, but the overall system performance is clearly defined by the GPU's capabilities at higher resolutions.