Barony

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X pairs with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 to form a combination that delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Barony, a 2015 roguelike title. The measured data across resolutions and settings shows this combo is rarely constrained by the hardware, with performance scaling predictably as graphical load increases. This analysis examines the CPU’s role, answers common questions, and provides guidance based on the benchmark rows.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor from the 9000 series, built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using a 4 nm process. Its base clock is 3.80 GHz with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, and it carries a 65 W TDP. This CPU has a substantial cache hierarchy: 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus with a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s, and it provides PCIe Gen 5 with 24 lanes. The processor’s synthetic benchmark scores are strong, including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 31588 and a single-core score of 4459, alongside a Geekbench multicore score of 17002 and a single-core score of 3353.

In the context of Barony, a roguelike that typically relies on game logic, procedural generation, and AI pathfinding, the CPU’s single-threaded performance is often the primary driver. The 9700X’s 3DMark single-thread score of 1280 and its PassMark single-thread score of 4654 indicate high per-core efficiency. The boost clock of 5.50 GHz is a key asset for this genre, as roguelike simulations frequently have a significant number of sequential calculations that cannot be easily parallelized. The 8-core/16-thread configuration also provides ample headroom for background tasks and any multi-threaded portions of the engine, such as world generation or entity updates, but the measured FPS data suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck in most tested scenarios.

The 9700X sits in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 36029. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14500HX (deltaPct 0.2), the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H (deltaPct -0.4), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (deltaPct 0.6), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 225H (deltaPct -0.8). These deltas are minuscule, indicating that the 9700X’s raw compute capability is statistically indistinguishable from those competitors in aggregate benchmarks. For Barony, however, the high boost clock and strong single-core score are what translate into stable frame pacing, as evidenced by the high average FPS numbers even at lower resolutions where CPU load is more dominant.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

*Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this combo in Barony?*

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 453, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is a significant jump from the High preset at the same resolution, which yields 288.3 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3080 has an average benchmark score of 35787 and sits in the 80th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE with a deltaPct of -0.9, meaning the RTX 3080 is slightly ahead. The AMD Radeon Pro Duo trails by -0.2, while the AMD Radeon 880M is ahead by 0.4, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile is behind by 1.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between 1080p and 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Ultra, the combo achieves 203.4 FPS. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS drops to 69.9. This represents a reduction of approximately 65.6% from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9700X a high-performance CPU relative to all tested CPUs?

A: Yes, the Ryzen 7 9700X ranks in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 36029. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 31588 and single-core score of 4459 are strong indicators of its capability for both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads.

*Q: What is the combo's overall rank among all tested combinations in Barony?*

A: This particular combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 514th out of 1702 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the upper third of all configurations, which is consistent with its high FPS numbers.

Q: How does the CPU’s boost clock affect performance in this game?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X has a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. In a roguelike like Barony, where game logic and AI are often serialized, this high boost clock directly contributes to maintaining high frame rates. The data shows that even at 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 453 FPS, which indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU far beyond typical display refresh rates.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution scaling that highlights the shift in bottleneck from CPU to GPU. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 453 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops the average to 283.2 FPS, a reduction of 37.5%. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls further to 150.4 FPS, which is a 66.8% drop from the 1080p figure. This steep decline at Low settings, where the GPU is doing less work, indicates that the CPU’s frame generation capability is being outpaced by the GPU’s ability to render simple scenes, but the sheer numbers (150 FPS at 4K Low) show that even then, the combo is exceptionally fast.

For High settings, the trend is similar but with a softer curve. At 1080p High, the average is 288.3 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 182.5 FPS (a 36.7% decrease), and at 4K High, it reaches 95.6 FPS (a 66.8% decrease from 1080p). The consistency of the percentage drops between Low and High presets across resolutions suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting factor once the resolution exceeds 1080p. The CPU’s role is to provide a high ceiling, which it does, as evidenced by the 453 FPS at 1080p Low.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 203.4 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 132.6 FPS (a 34.8% decrease), and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 69.9 FPS (a 65.6% decrease from 1080p). The fact that the combo can still deliver nearly 70 FPS at 4K Ultra in a roguelike is notable, but the drop pattern confirms that the RTX 3080’s 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are being fully utilized at higher resolutions, particularly with the demanding Ultra preset. The GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 25086 and its FP32 performance of 29.77 TFLOPS are the primary drivers of this scaling behavior.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Analyzing the measured FPS rows, the choice of settings depends heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p displays, the High preset at 288.3 FPS is more than sufficient for any high-refresh-rate monitor, and it provides a substantial visual upgrade over Low (453 FPS) while still maintaining a massive frame rate. The Ultra preset at 203.4 FPS is also viable, but the jump from High to Ultra yields a 29.5% performance penalty (from 288.3 to 203.4 FPS) for what is likely a marginal visual improvement in a roguelike’s interface and lighting. The Medium preset at 334.4 FPS is a middle ground, but High offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance headroom at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 182.5 FPS, which is ideal for 144Hz monitors. The Ultra preset at 132.6 FPS is still playable on a 120Hz display, but the drop from High is noticeable. The Medium preset at 211.5 FPS offers a buffer for those with 240Hz panels, but the visual compromise may not be worth it. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot at 1440p, providing a 37.7% performance increase over Ultra (from 132.6 to 182.5 FPS) while retaining most of the graphical features.

For 4K resolution, the situation is more nuanced. The High preset at 95.6 FPS is the recommended choice for a smooth experience on a 60Hz or 120Hz display, as it clears the 60 FPS threshold with a 36.8% margin. The Ultra preset at 69.9 FPS is also playable, but it is the only measured configuration that dips below the 70 FPS mark, and the reduction from High to Ultra is a 26.9% performance hit (from 95.6 to 69.9 FPS). The Low preset at 150.4 FPS is overkill for most 4K displays and would sacrifice too much visual quality. In summary, High settings provide the best experience across all resolutions, with the caveat that 4K users should expect a significant drop from 1080p but still receive a very playable frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 514th out of 1702 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the 70th percentile of all configurations tested, which is a strong showing given the age of the game and the capabilities of the hardware. The rank is a composite measure that likely weighs performance across various settings and resolutions, and the data indicates that this combo is in the upper echelon.

To contextualize this rank, consider that the CPU alone is in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 80th percentile of all GPUs. The combo’s rank of 514/1702 is slightly lower than the individual component percentiles might suggest, which implies that the game’s engine may not fully utilize the CPU’s multi-threading capabilities or the GPU’s raw compute power. However, the measured FPS numbers are exceptionally high, so the rank likely reflects the fact that many other combos with newer or more powerful GPUs (e.g., the RTX 3090 or RTX 4070 Ti) are ahead, particularly at 4K Ultra where the 10 GB VRAM limit of the RTX 3080 could be a factor.

The nearest rivals for the CPU, such as the Intel Core i5-14500HX and the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H, have virtually identical average scores, so the choice of motherboard platform or power efficiency does not significantly alter the Barony experience. Similarly, the GPU’s nearest rivals, like the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE, are within a 1% delta in synthetic benchmarks, meaning that swapping to a different card in that performance class would yield nearly identical results in this game. The 514th rank out of 1702 combos confirms the balance of this pairing—neither component is a weak link, and the overall system delivers a high-quality experience across all tested resolutions, with the only caveat being that 4K Ultra pushes the RTX 3080 to its limits.