Barony

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a remarkably smooth experience in Barony, a roguelike where frame pacing can be critical for dodging traps and enemies. The measured data shows that this combination is heavily overqualified for the game’s demands, with every tested configuration exceeding the standard 60 FPS threshold except for the most demanding preset at 4K. Benchmark results indicate that the primary challenge for users is not achieving playability, but rather deciding which visual settings provide the best balance of fidelity and headroom without wasting the hardware’s potential. The 1080p and 1440p results are consistently above 90 FPS, suggesting that the CPU and GPU are rarely the limiting factors at those resolutions, while the 4K Ultra setting reveals the first significant strain on the system.

Settings Recommendations

The data suggests that the "High" preset at 2560x1440 is the optimal experience point for this combination. At this setting, the system produces an average of 128.5 FPS, which is more than sufficient for the fast-paced, reaction-based gameplay of Barony. This configuration offers a substantial visual upgrade over "Low" and "Medium" settings while maintaining a frame rate that is nearly 40% higher than the "Ultra" preset at the same resolution. The jump from "Medium" to "High" at 1440p costs only 22.5 FPS (from 151 to 128.5), which is a reasonable trade for the expected improvement in shadow and texture detail.

For users prioritizing maximum frame rates, the "Low" preset at 2560x1440 hits exactly 200 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. However, the visual fidelity loss is likely too steep for a game that relies on visual cues for environmental hazards. At 1920x1080, the "High" preset (201 FPS) is the clear recommendation, as it provides nearly the same performance as "Medium" (238.1 FPS) but with better graphical quality. The "Ultra" preset at 1080p still delivers 142.6 FPS, making it a viable option for those who want maximum detail without dipping below the 144 Hz refresh rate mark. At 4K, users are forced to compromise: the "High" preset (70.1 FPS) is playable, but the "Medium" preset (77.5 FPS) offers a better safety margin for intense scenes, while "Ultra" (46.2 FPS) should be avoided unless the user prioritizes visuals over smoothness.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 7 7700X and RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1035 out of 1702 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which is surprising given the high raw frame rates observed. The rank is likely skewed by the fact that many other tested combos use newer, higher-end GPUs that can push the game to extreme frame rates, even though the 2070 SUPER is already delivering well over 60 FPS in most scenarios. The data indicates that the GPU is the weaker link in this pairing, as its average benchmark score of 22206 places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU’s average score of 34313 places it in the 89th percentile. This imbalance suggests that the combo’s rank is dragged down by the GPU’s relative performance class, not by any deficiency in the game’s optimization for this hardware.

When compared to the CPU’s nearest rivals, the Ryzen 7 7700X is essentially tied with the Intel Core i5-13500 (0.4% ahead) and the Intel Core i7-12800HX (0.5% ahead). This means the processor is providing a solid, mid-range foundation. The GPU, however, is closely matched with the NVIDIA RTX A400 (-0.5% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z (0.9% delta), which are both older or lower-tier parts. This reinforces the notion that the GPU is the bottleneck in this combo, particularly at higher resolutions where its 8 GB of VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth become more critical.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Barony at 4K with playable frame rates?*

A: Yes, but with caveats. The "High" preset at 3840x2160 averages 70.1 FPS, and "Medium" averages 77.5 FPS. However, the "Ultra" preset drops to 46.2 FPS, which is below the standard 60 FPS target.

Q: What is the best setting for a 144 Hz monitor at 1440p?

A: The "High" preset at 2560x1440 delivers 128.5 FPS, which is close to but not quite 144 FPS. For a locked 144 FPS experience, the "Low" preset hits exactly 200 FPS, while "Medium" provides 151 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more limiting for this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. The CPU’s benchmark scores (89th percentile) far exceed the GPU’s (65th percentile), and the frame rate drops are more pronounced when increasing graphical settings than when changing resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its closest rivals in raw performance?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 22206 is 0.5% below the NVIDIA RTX A400, 0.9% above the GTX TITAN Z, and 2.5% above the AMD Radeon RX 5700. It is notably 2.3% behind the RTX 4060 Mobile.

Q: What is the maximum frame rate achievable with this combo?

A: The highest measured average is 318.8 FPS at 1920x1080 with "Low" settings. This indicates the game is highly efficient and the hardware is well above the minimum requirements.

Q: Does the 8-core CPU provide a benefit over fewer-core rivals in this game?

A: The Ryzen 7 7700X’s 8 cores and 16 threads are overkill for Barony, as evidenced by its high scores in 2-thread (2112 in 3DMark) and single-thread (1090) tests. The game likely uses only a few threads, so the CPU’s headroom is not a differentiator here.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a clear picture of performance scaling across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system produces an average of 318.8 FPS on "Low", 238.1 FPS on "Medium", 201 FPS on "High", and 142.6 FPS on "Ultra". This shows a steady decline as settings increase, with the largest relative drop occurring between "Medium" and "High" (a 15.6% reduction) and between "High" and "Ultra" (a 29% reduction). The 1080p results indicate that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at very high rates, as even the "Ultra" preset stays well above the 120 FPS mark.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 200 FPS on "Low", 151 FPS on "Medium", 128.5 FPS on "High", and 92.3 FPS on "Ultra". The scaling from 1080p to 1440p for the "High" preset results in a 36% drop (from 201 to 128.5), which is expected as the pixel count increases by 77%. The "Low" preset at 1440p is a notable outlier, retaining the exact same 200 FPS as its 1080p counterpart, suggesting the GPU is not the bottleneck at these low settings. At 3840x2160, the averages fall to 105.8 FPS on "Low", 77.5 FPS on "Medium", 70.1 FPS on "High", and 46.2 FPS on "Ultra". The 4K "Ultra" result is the only configuration that dips below 60 FPS, indicating that the combination of high resolution and maximum settings exceeds the GPU’s capabilities.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K reveals critical insights into the system’s bottleneck. For the "High" preset, performance falls from 201 FPS at 1080p to 128.5 FPS at 1440p, a 36% reduction, and then to 70.1 FPS at 4K, a further 45% reduction from 1440p. This steep decline suggests that the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, as the pixel throughput requirement grows faster than the CPU’s ability to feed frames. The "Low" preset tells a different story: it goes from 318.8 FPS at 1080p to 200 FPS at 1440p (a 37% drop) and then to 105.8 FPS at 4K (a 47% drop from 1440p). Even at "Low" settings, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as the CPU’s strong single-thread performance (1090 in 3DMark single-thread) is not enough to compensate for the GPU’s fill rate limits.

The data implies that the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for this game, but its 160 TMUs and 64 ROPs are not capable of maintaining high frame rates at 4K. The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings, with the delta between 1440p and 4K being larger than the delta between 1080p and 1440p. This indicates that the GPU’s compute resources are saturated at 4K, regardless of the graphical preset. For users with 4K displays, the "Medium" or "High" presets are the only viable options, and even then, the frame rates are barely above the 60 FPS threshold, leaving little headroom for complex scenes.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is a Zen 4 architecture processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, running at a base clock of 4.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. In Barony, the CPU’s role is primarily to handle game logic, entity updates, and draw calls, none of which appear to be taxing. The benchmark results show that the CPU’s multi-threaded performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30325 and a Passmark multithread score of 35686. However, the game’s performance is not tied to these multi-core scores, as evidenced by the fact that the 1080p "Low" setting (318.8 FPS) is not significantly higher than the 1440p "Low" setting (200 FPS), which would be the case if the CPU were the bottleneck.

The CPU’s single-thread performance is more relevant here, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2985 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 1090. These scores are more than adequate for a game like Barony, which likely relies on a single primary thread for simulation. The 32 MB of shared L3 cache also helps with fast data access for game assets, but the data does not show any scenario where the CPU prevents the GPU from reaching its full potential. Even at 1080p "Ultra" (142.6 FPS), the frame rate is high enough to suggest that the CPU has significant headroom. The CPU’s 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs further confirms that it is not the limiting component in this combo.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, based on the TU104 chip, is the definitive bottleneck in this configuration. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, it provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for Barony’s textures but not for extreme resolutions. The GPU’s clock speeds are 1605 MHz base and 1770 MHz boost, with a memory clock of 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). Its 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs are the key specifications that determine its fill rate, which is rated at 113.3 GPixel/s. This pixel rate is the primary constraint at 4K, as the GPU must fill over 8.3 million pixels per frame.

The GPU’s performance in Barony scales predictably with resolution. At 1080p, the "Ultra" preset (142.6 FPS) is well within its capabilities, but at 4K, the same preset drops to 46.2 FPS. This is a 68% reduction, which is consistent with the GPU being compute-bound. The 65th percentile ranking for the GPU, compared to the CPU’s 89th percentile, quantifies this imbalance. The GPU’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A400 (0.5% faster) and the GTX TITAN Z (0.9% slower), indicating that it is a mid-range part that struggles with 4K gaming. For Barony, the GPU’s 12 nm process and 215 W TDP are adequate, but users should not expect to run the game at maximum settings on a 4K display without accepting sub-60 FPS performance. The data clearly shows that the GPU is the component to upgrade first if higher resolutions or frame rates are desired.