Barony

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination delivers exceptional performance in Barony, a roguelike title that scales aggressively with hardware. The measured data shows this pairing ranks 244th out of 3,717 tested combos, placing it in the top 6.6% of all configurations. The 8-core, 16-thread Zen 4 processor with a 5.40 GHz boost clock pairs with the Ada Lovelace GPU to produce frame rates that range from playable at 4K Ultra to near-triple-digit multiples at 1080p Low.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals a predictable yet steep curve across all settings. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 383 FPS at 1920x1080 to 242 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 126 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 36.8% reduction when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 47.9% drop when stepping up to 4K. The scaling pattern is consistent: each resolution step roughly halves the pixel count, and the frame rate responds accordingly, indicating the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more dramatic. The 1080p result of 600 FPS falls to 379 FPS at 1440p (a 36.8% drop) and then to 198 FPS at 4K (a 47.8% drop from 1440p). The 4K Low result of 198 FPS is still well above the refresh rate of most displays, but the steep decline suggests the RTX 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth are being pushed harder at higher resolutions. The GPU's 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 280.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are sufficient for 60+ FPS at 4K even at High settings, but the data shows the gap between 1440p and 4K widens as settings increase.

Ultra settings amplify the resolution penalty. The 1080p Ultra average of 274 FPS drops to 173 FPS at 1440p (a 36.9% reduction) and then to 91 FPS at 4K (a 47.4% drop). The 4K Ultra result of 91 FPS is the only measured configuration that approaches the threshold where a high-refresh-rate display might not be fully utilized. This pattern confirms that the RTX 4080, with its 2205 MHz base and 2505 MHz boost clocks, handles lower resolutions with massive headroom but begins to show the load at 4K with maximum settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the experience across different resolutions. At 1080p, all settings produce playable frame rates, but the jump from High to Ultra costs 109 FPS on average (383 to 274). The Medium preset at 1080p delivers 446 FPS with a minimum of 379 FPS and maximum of 513 FPS, making it the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Low preset's 600 FPS average is technically the highest, but the visual compromise is likely unnecessary given the headroom at High.

At 1440p, the High setting at 242 FPS offers the best balance for most users. The Ultra preset at 173 FPS still exceeds 144 Hz displays, but the Medium setting at 281 FPS provides a 16% improvement over High with only a modest visual reduction. The 1440p Medium result includes a minimum of 239 FPS and maximum of 324 FPS, indicating consistent frame pacing. For users with 240 Hz monitors, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, while High remains viable for those prioritizing image quality.

The 4K resolution presents a more nuanced decision. The High setting at 126 FPS is the recommended default for 4K displays, as it clears the 120 Hz threshold with room to spare. The Medium preset at 147 FPS offers additional headroom, while the Ultra setting at 91 FPS is the only measured result that falls below 100 FPS. The 4K Low setting at 198 FPS demonstrates the GPU's raw capability, but the visual degradation is significant. The data suggests that 4K High is the optimal configuration, with Medium as a viable alternative for users who prefer higher frame rates over fidelity.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X brings substantial processing power to this combination. Its 8 cores and 16 threads operate at a 4.50 GHz base clock and boost up to 5.40 GHz, built on the Zen 4 architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC. The processor's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth support the GPU's data demands effectively. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 19,088 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1,987 in single-core, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 12,451 and single-core of 2,289.

The CPU's performance in Barony is evident from the 1080p Low result of 600 FPS. This frame rate is likely constrained by the CPU's single-thread performance rather than the GPU, as the RTX 4080 is capable of much higher output at lower resolutions. The 3DMark scores reinforce this: 1,090 in single-thread and 2,112 in 2-thread tests indicate strong per-core performance, while the 8,859 in 16-thread and 8,852 in max-thread tests show the multi-core capability. The PassMark single-thread score of 4,190 and multithread score of 35,686 place the 7700X in the 85th percentile among all CPUs.

The processor's 105 W TDP and AMD Socket AM5 platform support DDR5 memory, which helps maintain high frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios. The 6,570 million transistors on a 71 mm² die demonstrate the efficiency of the Zen 4 architecture. At 1080p Low, where the GPU is underutilized, the 7700X's single-thread performance becomes the limiting factor, capping the frame rate at 600 FPS. This confirms the CPU's capability, as most processors would bottleneck at lower frame rates in this scenario.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 7 7700X and RTX 4080 achieves a rank of 244 out of 3,717 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the top 6.6% of all configurations tested. This ranking reflects the synergy between the CPU's 16 threads and the GPU's 9,728 shading units. The CPU's average benchmark score of 35,909 places it close to rivals like the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35,802, 0.3% delta) and Intel Core 7 250H (35,728, 0.5% delta), while the GPU's average score of 54,247 is nearly identical to the RTX 4080 SUPER (54,209, 0.1% delta).

The combo's rank is particularly impressive given that the RTX 4080 is nearing end-of-life status, with its successor already released. The GPU's 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs is matched by the CPU's 85th percentile, creating a balanced pairing. In Barony, this balance translates to frame rates that scale predictably with resolution and settings. The 4K Ultra result of 91 FPS is the only configuration that dips below 100 FPS, indicating that this combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at all but the most demanding settings.

The delta between the RTX 4080 and its nearest rivals is minimal — the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% faster, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 2.6% slower. This tight grouping suggests that the RTX 4080's performance in Barony is representative of its class. The combo's rank of 244 out of 3,717 means it outperforms roughly 94% of tested configurations, a strong showing for a CPU and GPU that are both from the previous generation.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the primary driver of frame rates in Barony, particularly at higher resolutions. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for the game's texture and geometry demands at 4K. The GPU's 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores support advanced rendering features, while its 304 TMUs and 112 ROPs handle texture and pixel processing. The 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 48.74 TFLOPS of FP16 (1:1) capability provide ample compute headroom.

The GPU's clock speeds of 2205 MHz base and 2505 MHz boost, combined with a memory clock of 1400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective), enable the high frame rates observed in the measured data. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,567 and PassMark G3D score of 34,457 place the RTX 4080 in the 86th percentile among all GPUs. The GPU's 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die, manufactured on TSMC's 5 nm process, deliver the efficiency needed for sustained high performance.

At 4K Ultra, the RTX 4080 produces 91 FPS, which is the lowest measured result. This indicates that the GPU's 112 ROPs and 280.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are the limiting factors at maximum settings and resolution. However, the 4K High result of 126 FPS shows that reducing settings by one level yields a 38.5% improvement, demonstrating the GPU's capability when not fully maxed out. The 1080p Low result of 600 FPS is the ceiling for this configuration, likely limited by the CPU rather than the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured frame rates span from 600 FPS at Low to 274 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset delivers 446 FPS with a minimum of 379 FPS and maximum of 513 FPS, while High produces 383 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 154 FPS (25.7%), while the gap between High and Ultra is 109 FPS (28.5%). This suggests that the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance at 1080p, with the High preset still providing excellent frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the results show a similar pattern with lower absolute numbers. Low produces 379 FPS, Medium delivers 281 FPS (minimum 239, maximum 324), High achieves 242 FPS, and Ultra reaches 173 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings, ranging from 36.8% at High to 36.9% at Ultra. The 1440p Medium result of 281 FPS is still well above the refresh rate of most monitors, making it a strong choice for competitive play.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates compress significantly. Low produces 198 FPS, Medium delivers 147 FPS (minimum 125, maximum 169), High achieves 126 FPS, and Ultra reaches 91 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K ranges from 47.4% at Ultra to 47.9% at High, showing a consistent scaling penalty. The 4K Medium result of 147 FPS is the highest non-Low result, while the 4K High result of 126 FPS provides a good balance for 120 Hz displays. The 4K Ultra result of 91 FPS is the only measured configuration below 100 FPS, making it the least desirable option for high-refresh-rate gaming.