Barony

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Barony, a roguelike where the data shows performance scaling that reveals a clear division of labor between the two components. With 8 cores and 16 threads running at a base clock of 3.80 GHz and boosting to 5.50 GHz, this Zen 5 processor provides abundant headroom for the game's logic, while the RTX 4080 SUPER's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 2550 MHz boost clock handle the graphical load with ease. The measured results indicate that this pairing is far more powerful than Barony demands, producing triple-digit frame rates even at 4K Ultra settings, though the scaling patterns suggest the CPU becomes the primary constraint at lower resolutions.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 9700F is built on the Zen 5 architecture with a 4 nm process, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz provide substantial single-thread performance, evidenced by a PassMark single-thread score of 4691 and a multithread score of 36470. This places the CPU in the 94th percentile versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 69996. The data shows it sits within a tight competitive group: it is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, 0.2% behind the Intel Core i7-14700KF, 0.7% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, and 0.9% ahead of the Intel Core i7-14700K. These margins are negligible, meaning the 9700F delivers performance equivalent to those high-end desktop and mobile parts.

In Barony specifically, the CPU's role becomes apparent through the frame rate scaling across resolutions. At 1080p Low settings, the combo reaches 597 FPS average, which is an extraordinary figure that far exceeds any display's refresh rate. This indicates the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough draw calls and game state updates to sustain such high frame rates. The roguelike genre typically involves complex procedural generation and entity management, which benefits from the 8-core, 16-thread configuration. The 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 89.6 GB/s dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth help ensure that game data flows efficiently to the cores.

The processor's 65 W TDP is notably low for a desktop part with this level of performance, suggesting it can maintain high boost clocks without thermal throttling, which is crucial for sustaining those 500+ FPS figures at 1080p. The PassMark physics score of 2122 and floating-point math score of 77955 further reinforce that the CPU has substantial computational headroom for game logic and simulation tasks. At 4K Ultra settings, where the frame rate drops to 90 FPS, the CPU is likely not the bottleneck, as the GPU is being pushed much harder at that resolution and quality level. However, at 1080p Low, the 597 FPS result shows the CPU's limits are being approached, since the GPU has minimal work to do at those settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is based on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, featuring 10240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for Barony's visual requirements. The GPU has a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2550 MHz, with memory running at 1438 MHz (23 Gbps effective). These specifications place the RTX 4080 SUPER in the 86th percentile versus all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54209. The nearest rivals show it is 0.1% ahead of the RTX 4080, 1.1% behind the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X, 2.7% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, and 2.8% behind the AMD Radeon 8060S. These small deltas indicate that the 4080 SUPER's performance is closely matched with those competing cards.

In Barony, the GPU's role is most evident at higher resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, the combo delivers 90 FPS average, which is a playable frame rate but shows the GPU is being taxed. The 4K Medium result of 146 FPS (with a minimum of 124 FPS and maximum of 168 FPS) demonstrates that reducing settings from Ultra to Medium yields a 62% performance improvement, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. The 16 GB VRAM capacity ensures there is no memory bottleneck even at 4K Ultra, as Barony is not a VRAM-intensive title. The GPU's 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power and 285.6 GPixel/s pixel rate provide more than enough raw throughput for the game's rendering.

The 4080 SUPER's ray tracing cores and tensor cores, while present, are unlikely to be heavily utilized in Barony given its roguelike nature and older release date. The card's triple-slot design and 320 W TDP suggest it has substantial thermal headroom, allowing it to maintain boost clocks during extended gaming sessions. The 1x 16-pin power connector and 700 W suggested PSU are standard for this performance class. At 1440p High, the combo reaches 240 FPS, which shows the GPU can handle high refresh rate gaming at that resolution without breaking a sweat. The 1080p Low result of 597 FPS is likely near the CPU's limit, as the GPU has minimal work at those settings, but the 4080 SUPER still delivers the frame rate without issue.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates across resolutions reveal a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 381 FPS average, which drops to 240 FPS at 1440p High (a 37% reduction) and further to 126 FPS at 4K High (a 67% reduction from 1080p). This scaling curve is typical of a system where the GPU becomes progressively more stressed as resolution increases. The 1080p Low result of 597 FPS drops to 377 FPS at 1440p Low (a 37% reduction) and 197 FPS at 4K Low (a 67% reduction from 1080p). The consistent percentage drops across settings indicate that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at all resolutions, with the CPU having sufficient headroom to avoid becoming a limiting factor.

The difference between 1080p and 1440p is less dramatic than between 1440p and 4K, which aligns with the pixel count increase: 1440p has 1.78 times the pixels of 1080p, while 4K has 2.25 times the pixels of 1440p. The data shows that at 1080p Medium, the combo reaches 444 FPS with a minimum of 377 and maximum of 510, while at 1440p Medium it drops to 280 FPS with a minimum of 238 and maximum of 322. This suggests the CPU is still able to maintain high frame rates at 1440p, as the GPU is not yet saturated. However, at 4K Medium, the frame rate falls to 146 FPS, which is a 48% drop from 1440p Medium, showing the GPU is now the clear limiting factor.

The Ultra settings tell a similar story: 1080p Ultra yields 273 FPS, 1440p Ultra yields 172 FPS (a 37% drop), and 4K Ultra yields 90 FPS (a 67% drop from 1080p). The 4K Ultra result of 90 FPS is the lowest measured frame rate in the dataset, but it is still well above playable thresholds. The scaling from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra shows a 3x reduction in frame rate, which is less than the 4x pixel count increase, suggesting the GPU has some efficiency gains at higher resolutions due to reduced CPU overhead. Overall, the resolution scaling data indicates that this combo is CPU-limited at 1080p and GPU-limited at 4K, with 1440p representing a balanced middle ground where both components are utilized effectively.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience for this hardware combo. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 597 FPS, which is far beyond any display's capability, making it a waste of potential. The Medium preset at 444 FPS is still excessive, while High at 381 FPS and Ultra at 273 FPS remain far above refresh rate limits. At 1080p, any preset is playable, but the High preset at 381 FPS offers a good balance of visual quality and performance, as the difference between High and Ultra (273 FPS) is significant while the visual improvement from High to Ultra may be marginal in a roguelike title.

At 1440p, the situation is similar: Low delivers 377 FPS, Medium 280 FPS, High 240 FPS, and Ultra 172 FPS. All of these are well above 144 Hz refresh rates, so the High preset at 240 FPS is recommended for the best visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. The Ultra preset at 172 FPS still provides excellent performance, so users with high refresh rate monitors (240 Hz or above) could justify it. However, the 68 FPS drop from High to Ultra suggests diminishing returns.

At 4K, the choice becomes more meaningful. The Low preset at 197 FPS is still very high, but the Medium preset at 146 FPS (with a minimum of 124 FPS) offers significantly better visuals while maintaining a frame rate well above 120 FPS. The High preset at 126 FPS is also excellent, and the Ultra preset at 90 FPS is the only setting that dips below 100 FPS. For 4K gaming, the High preset at 126 FPS is the best recommendation, as it provides near-Ultra visuals at a frame rate that comfortably exceeds 120 FPS. The Ultra preset at 90 FPS is still playable, but the 36 FPS drop from High to Ultra is substantial, and the visual difference in a roguelike is unlikely to justify it. The Medium preset at 146 FPS is the safest choice for those prioritizing frame rate stability, given its measured minimum of 124 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 231 out of 2935 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the top 8% of all tested configurations, which is a strong showing given the game's modest requirements. The rank of 231 means that 230 other CPU-GPU pairings delivered higher frame rates in Barony, likely including combinations with newer or more expensive components. However, the data shows that this combo's performance is already so high that the rank is more a reflection of the hardware's ceiling than any deficiency.

The 2935 total combos tested include a wide range of hardware, from budget to enthusiast tier, and this pairing's position at 231 indicates it outperforms the vast majority of systems. The fact that it achieves 597 FPS at 1080p Low and 381 FPS at 1080p High suggests that only extreme hardware configurations could beat it, and those would be unlikely to provide a meaningful gameplay advantage. The combo's rank is consistent across resolutions, as the frame rates at 4K Ultra (90 FPS) and 1440p Ultra (172 FPS) are both exceptional for their respective settings.

The CPU's 94th percentile ranking versus all CPUs and the GPU's 86th percentile ranking versus all GPUs combine to form a system that is well above average. The measured FPS data confirms that this pairing is not bottlenecking itself in Barony, as the frame rates scale predictably with resolution and settings. The rank of 231 out of 2935 reflects the balance between the Ryzen 7 9700F and RTX 4080 SUPER, as neither component is holding the other back to a significant degree. For users with high refresh rate monitors or 4K displays, this combo delivers a premium experience in Barony.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Barony?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 597 at 1080p Low settings, followed by 444 FPS at 1080p Medium and 381 FPS at 1080p High.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700F has an average benchmark score of 69996, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, 0.2% lower than the Intel Core i7-14700KF, 0.7% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, and 0.9% higher than the Intel Core i7-14700K.

Q: What is the lowest FPS recorded at 4K settings?

A: The lowest 4K average FPS is 90 at Ultra settings, while 4K Medium has a minimum FPS of 124 and an average of 146, and 4K High averages 126 FPS.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have and what is its bandwidth?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested CPU-GPU pairs in Barony?

A: This combo ranks 231 out of 2935 tested combinations, placing it in the top 8% of all configurations tested.

Q: What is the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 381 at 1080p to 240 at 1440p and 126 at 4K, representing a 67% reduction from 1080p to 4K.