Barony

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Barony, consistently exceeding 100 FPS even at the most demanding settings. The data reveals a system where the GPU is the primary scaling factor across resolutions, with the CPU providing ample headroom to avoid bottlenecking the flagship graphics card.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, indicating that the RTX 4090 is the limiting component as resolution increases. At Ultra settings, the transition from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 reduces the average frame rate by 37.3%, falling from 304.2 FPS to 190.6 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 4K (3840x2160) further reduces performance by 45.8%, landing at 103.2 FPS. This pattern is consistent across all settings, demonstrating a classic GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions.

At High settings, the scaling is more gradual. The average FPS drops from 424.5 at 1080p to 270.7 at 1440p, a 36.2% reduction, and then to 141.5 at 4K, a 47.7% reduction from 1440p. This shows that while the RTX 4090 can handle 1440p with ease, 4K resolution imposes a significant workload that cuts performance by more than half compared to 1080p.

The scaling factor between Low and Ultra settings at the same resolution is also revealing. At 4K, the difference between Low (218.3 FPS) and Ultra (103.2 FPS) is 115.1 FPS, a 52.7% reduction. This large gap indicates that the game's visual fidelity settings have a substantial impact on GPU load, further confirming that the graphics card is the bottleneck in this configuration. The data suggests that the Ryzen 7 9700X is more than capable of feeding the RTX 4090, as the performance degradation is almost entirely attributable to the GPU's rendering workload.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, provides a strong foundation for this gaming workload. Its boost clock of 5.50 GHz and single-thread performance are key contributors to its ability to keep up with the RTX 4090. The CPU's benchmark scores support this, with a 3dmark_single_thread score of 1280 and a passmark_single_thread score of 4654, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities also show no signs of limiting the GPU. The cinebench_r23_multicore score of 31588 and a passmark_multithread score of 37161 indicate robust performance across all cores. In a game like Barony, which is a roguelike and may not be heavily multi-threaded, the high single-core performance is likely more critical. The data shows that even at 1080p Low settings, where the CPU would be most likely to bottleneck, the system achieves 662.3 FPS, a figure that far exceeds the refresh rate of any typical monitor. This suggests that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this configuration.

The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and DDR5 memory support with a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s further contribute to its ability to handle game logic and asset streaming without hindering the GPU. The Ryzen 7 9700X's performance relative to its nearest rivals shows it is a balanced performer, with a deltaPct of 0.2% compared to the Intel Core i5-14500HX and -0.4% against the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H. This indicates a competitive CPU that is well-matched with the RTX 4090.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate this combo can achieve in Barony?

A: The highest recorded average frame rate is 662.3 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo produces an average of 103.2 FPS, which is still well above the standard 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this setup?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor. The frame rate drops significantly as resolution increases, a classic sign of GPU-bound performance. The CPU's high single-thread score of 1280 in 3dmark suggests it has sufficient headroom.

Q: What is the performance difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, High settings yield an average of 270.7 FPS, while Ultra settings reduce this to 190.6 FPS, a difference of 80.1 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all other tested combinations in Barony?

A: This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 32nd out of 1702 tested combos in the game.

Q: Does the game benefit more from the CPU's single-core or multi-core performance?

A: Given the extremely high frame rates even at 1080p Low settings (662.3 FPS), the CPU's strong single-core performance likely plays a larger role. The 3dmark_single_thread score of 1280 supports this, as the game may not be able to fully utilize all 16 threads.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo demonstrates its peak performance. Low settings produce an average of 662.3 FPS. Medium settings reduce this to 495.2 FPS. High settings bring the average down to 424.5 FPS. Ultra settings yield an average of 304.2 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution is a 54.1% reduction in performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high. Low settings average 417.8 FPS. Medium settings average 314.7 FPS. High settings average 270.7 FPS. Ultra settings average 190.6 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 227.2 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's workload is most apparent. Low settings average 218.3 FPS. Medium settings average 162.6 FPS. High settings average 141.5 FPS. Ultra settings average 103.2 FPS. This represents a 52.7% drop from Low to Ultra, the most significant relative decrease across all resolutions.

Across all resolutions, the RTX 4090's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensure that memory capacity or bandwidth is never a limiting factor. The GPU's 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is the driving force behind these high numbers, with the CPU providing consistent support.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 secures the 32nd position out of 1702 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the top 1.9% of all configurations tested, a signal of the raw power of both components. The GPU's high percentile ranking of 91 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 66473, is a primary driver of this high combo rank.

The CPU also contributes to this strong showing. With an 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs and an average benchmark score of 36029, the Ryzen 7 9700X provides a solid platform. Its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark, such as the Intel Core i5-14500HX (deltaPct of 0.2%) and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (deltaPct of 0.6%), show that the 9700X is competitively positioned within its segment. While the GPU has a higher variance in its nearest rival comparisons, with the NVIDIA Tesla T4 being 0.4% higher in average score, the RTX 4090's gaming performance is unmatched in this dataset.

The rank of 32 indicates that there are 31 other combinations that produce higher frame rates in Barony. However, given the already extreme performance levels, the difference is likely marginal and only observable in the highest refresh rate scenarios. The data confirms that this combo is a top-tier choice for playing Barony at any resolution or setting, with performance that far exceeds the requirements of standard 60 Hz or even 144 Hz displays.