Barony

Resolution Scaling

The measured results for Barony with the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 show a pronounced scaling curve that reveals where the system’s bottleneck sits. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 302 FPS average, which drops to 191 FPS at 1440p Low and 100 FPS at 4K Low. That represents a 37% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 67% reduction from 1080p to 4K. These are steep declines that point to the GPU becoming the limiting factor as resolution climbs, even in a roguelike that is not typically considered graphically demanding.

The pattern repeats across all settings. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 193 FPS at 1080p to 122 FPS at 1440p (a 37% drop) and then to 64 FPS at 4K (a 67% drop from 1080p). The consistency of these percentages across Low and High presets is notable, suggesting that the resolution scaling penalty is uniform regardless of the visual workload. The data indicates that the RTX 5050’s 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus width are not the primary constraint here; instead, the raw shader throughput and memory bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s appear to govern the scaling behavior.

At Medium settings, where min and max frame data is available, the scaling story becomes clearer. At 1080p Medium, the combo averages 225 FPS with a minimum of 191 FPS and maximum of 258 FPS. Moving to 1440p Medium, the average drops to 142 FPS, with a minimum of 120 FPS and maximum of 163 FPS. The 4K Medium result shows an average of 74 FPS, with a minimum of 63 FPS and maximum of 85 FPS. The gap between average and minimum FPS widens as resolution increases, from 34 FPS at 1080p to 22 FPS at 1440p to 11 FPS at 4K. This tightening of the range at higher resolutions suggests the GPU is being pushed closer to its sustained limit, reducing frame time variance but also lowering overall performance.

The Ultra preset tells the most revealing story about the limiting component. At 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 138 FPS, which drops to 87 FPS at 1440p Ultra and 46 FPS at 4K Ultra. The 4K Ultra result is barely above the 30 FPS threshold for playability on many displays, and the 67% reduction from 1080p to 4K mirrors the Low and High preset behavior. This consistency strongly indicates that the RTX 5050’s compute resources are the ceiling, not the Ryzen 7 7700’s 8 cores and 16 threads. The CPU’s 3DMark single-thread score of 1049 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1930 suggest ample headroom for a game like Barony, which typically relies on single-thread performance for game logic.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is the decisive component in this pairing, and the measured FPS data supports that conclusion at every resolution and settings level. The GPU’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus delivers 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for the textures and effects Barony presents at 1080p and 1440p, but becomes a limiting factor at 4K Ultra where the average FPS falls to 46. The memory clock runs at 2500 MHz with 20 Gbps effective speed, and the boost clock of 2572 MHz provides the raw frequency headroom that drives the 1080p results.

The GPU’s architecture is Blackwell 2.0 on a 5 nm process from TSMC, with 16,900 million transistors on a 149 mm² die. The shading units number 2560, paired with 80 texture mapping units and 32 ROPs. These specifications translate to a pixel rate of 82.30 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 205.8 GTexel/s. The FP32 throughput of 13.17 TFLOPS is modest by modern standards, and the benchmark results reflect this: the GPU’s PassMark G3D score is 17326, placing it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2502 and Geekbench OpenCL score of 90334 provide additional context for its compute capability.

The RTX 5050’s nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL with an average score of 21153 (0.6% higher), the AMD Radeon HD 8970M at 21237 (1% higher), and the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT at 20713 (1.6% lower). These deltas are small, indicating the RTX 5050 sits in a narrow performance band relative to these older or lower-tier parts. The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile scores 21379, which is 1.6% higher than the RTX 5050. This positioning explains why the 4K Ultra result is only 46 FPS — the GPU is not a high-end part, and Barony’s Ultra preset appears to demand more than this class of hardware can deliver at 4K.

The GPU’s role becomes even clearer when examining the scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution. At 1080p, the jump from Low (302 FPS) to Ultra (138 FPS) represents a 54% performance loss. At 1440p, the same settings change drops performance from 191 FPS to 87 FPS, a 54% loss. At 4K, the Low result of 100 FPS falls to 46 FPS at Ultra, again a 54% loss. The identical percentage loss across all resolutions indicates that the GPU’s rendering workload scales linearly with the settings preset, and the 8 GB VRAM capacity is not causing any sudden cliff effects within these tested configurations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 1775 out of 2935 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the 40th percentile of all system pairings. This rank is lower than the individual components’ percentile scores might suggest — the CPU sits in the 87th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 66th percentile. The discrepancy indicates that Barony’s performance is heavily weighted toward the GPU, and the RTX 5050 drags the overall combo ranking below what the CPU alone would achieve.

The CPU’s benchmark scores are strong. The Ryzen 7 7700 achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 18760 and a single-core score of 1930, with a PassMark multithread score of 34470 and single-thread score of 4063. Its average benchmark score of 40081 places it in the 87th percentile, and its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 scores 40048 (0.1% higher), the Intel Core 5 221E scores 40144 (0.2% lower), the AMD Ryzen 9 270 scores 40246 (0.4% lower), and the Intel Core i9-13905H scores 40313 (0.6% lower). These tiny deltas mean the CPU is effectively tied with several other processors in overall compute performance, but none of that headroom translates to Barony because the GPU is the binding constraint.

The GPU’s ranking provides the clearer picture. With an average benchmark score of 21035 and a 66th percentile standing, the RTX 5050 is a mid-pack performer. Its nearest rivals are all within 1.6% of its score, which means the combo rank of 1775 could shift slightly depending on which GPU variant is paired with the CPU. The data shows that swapping the RTX 5050 for an AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (1.6% lower GPU score) would likely drop the combo rank further, while pairing with an NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile (1.6% higher) would improve it marginally. However, the CPU’s contribution to Barony’s frame rates is minimal given the measured results — the 8-core, 16-thread Ryzen 7 7700 with its 32 MB L3 cache is more than adequate for the game’s logic, and the bottleneck is entirely in the GPU’s rendering pipeline.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra), providing 12 distinct data points. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 302 FPS average, the highest result in the entire dataset. At 1080p Medium, the average is 225 FPS, with a minimum of 191 FPS and maximum of 258 FPS. At 1080p High, the average is 193 FPS. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 138 FPS.

Moving to 1440p, the Low preset yields 191 FPS average. The Medium preset at 1440p produces 142 FPS average, with a minimum of 120 FPS and maximum of 163 FPS. The High preset at 1440p delivers 122 FPS average, and the Ultra preset drops to 87 FPS average. At 4K, the Low preset manages 100 FPS average. The Medium preset at 4K produces 74 FPS average, with a minimum of 63 FPS and maximum of 85 FPS. The High preset at 4K yields 64 FPS average, and the Ultra preset falls to 46 FPS average.

The Medium preset is the only one with full min/max data at all three resolutions, which allows for a more detailed analysis of frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the spread between min and max is 67 FPS, indicating some frame time variability. At 1440p Medium, the spread narrows to 43 FPS. At 4K Medium, the spread is 22 FPS. This tightening suggests that as the GPU becomes more saturated, the frame delivery becomes more consistent, even though the average FPS drops. The 4K Medium minimum of 63 FPS is still well above the 30 FPS threshold for basic playability, but the 4K Ultra result of 46 FPS average leaves less headroom for demanding scenes.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings preset depends heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p displays, the High preset at 193 FPS average offers a strong balance between visual quality and performance, easily exceeding the 144 Hz refresh rate common on modern monitors. The Ultra preset at 138 FPS also clears the 120 Hz threshold, so players with 120 Hz or 144 Hz displays can choose Ultra without sacrificing smoothness. The Low preset at 302 FPS is only relevant for competitive play where maximum frame rates matter, but the visual trade-off is significant.

For 1440p displays, the High preset at 122 FPS average is the recommended starting point, as it clears the 120 Hz mark and provides solid visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 142 FPS offers additional headroom for those with 144 Hz displays, while the Ultra preset at 87 FPS is best suited for 60 Hz or 75 Hz monitors. The Low preset at 191 FPS is excessive for most 1440p displays and sacrifices too much visual quality.

For 4K displays, the Medium preset at 74 FPS average is the clear recommendation, as it provides a playable experience above the 60 FPS threshold while maintaining reasonable visual quality. The High preset at 64 FPS is also viable for 60 Hz displays, though the margin for frame drops is smaller. The Ultra preset at 46 FPS is playable on 60 Hz displays but will feel less smooth, and the Low preset at 100 FPS is the best choice for those prioritizing frame rate over visuals. The 4K Medium minimum of 63 FPS ensures that even heavy scenes stay above 60 FPS, making it the safest choice for a consistent experience at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo if I want to stay above 60 FPS with High settings?

A: At 1440p High, the combo delivers 122 FPS average, which comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. At 4K High, the average drops to 64 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS but with less headroom. For the most consistent experience, 1440p High is the safer choice.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings?

A: The data shows a consistent 67% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K across Low, High, and Ultra presets. For example, at Low settings, 302 FPS at 1080p falls to 100 FPS at 4K; at High, 193 FPS falls to 64 FPS; at Ultra, 138 FPS falls to 46 FPS.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 7700 or the RTX 5050 the bottleneck in this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU’s 87th percentile ranking and single-thread score of 1049 on 3DMark suggest ample compute headroom, while the GPU’s 66th percentile ranking and the steep resolution scaling point to the RTX 5050 as the binding constraint.

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

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K Medium, the combo averages 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS, which is playable. At 4K High, the average is 64 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it drops to 46 FPS. For 4K, the Medium preset is the recommended balance.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 5050 has an average benchmark score of 21035. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL scores 21153 (0.6% higher), the AMD Radeon HD 8970M scores 21237 (1% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT scores 20713 (1.6% lower), and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile scores 21379 (1.6% higher). These deltas are all within 1.6%, indicating close performance.

Q: What is the frame consistency like at Medium settings across resolutions?

A: At 1080p Medium, the range is 191 to 258 FPS (67 FPS spread). At 1440p Medium, the range is 120 to 163 FPS (43 FPS spread). At 4K Medium, the range is 63 to 85 FPS (22 FPS spread). The frame delivery becomes more consistent as resolution increases, even though average FPS drops.