Barony

Barony, a roguelike with a 2015 release date, is not typically the title that comes to mind for stressing high-end hardware. Yet the measured data for the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination reveals a fascinating case of extreme performance headroom. The benchmark results show this pairing is capable of frame rates that far exceed the refresh rates of standard displays, making the analysis more about understanding bottleneck characteristics and scaling efficiency rather than chasing playable thresholds. The data indicates a system that is overwhelmingly powerful for this title, with the limiting factor shifting decisively based on resolution and graphical preset.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is the clearest indicator of where the performance ceiling lies for this combo in Barony. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces an average of 597 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 377 FPS, a reduction of 220 FPS or roughly 37%. The leap to 4K Low yields 197 FPS, which is a further 180 FPS drop from the 1440p result. This steep decline, even on Low settings, shows that the GPU is beginning to take on a more significant workload, but the absolute numbers remain staggeringly high.

The scaling pattern becomes even more telling at higher presets. At Medium settings, the average frame rate goes from 444 FPS at 1080p, to 280 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 146 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops between each resolution step are substantial, indicating that the GPU is the primary scaling component. However, the fact that 4K Medium still achieves 146 FPS average suggests the CPU is not a limiting factor at these settings. For a more demanding title, a 4K Medium result would often be much lower, but Barony's relatively simple visual workload allows the RTX 4080 SUPER to maintain high throughput.

Ultra settings provide the most pronounced scaling curve. The system delivers 273 FPS at 1080p, 172 FPS at 1440p, and 90 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 101 FPS, and the subsequent drop from 1440p to 4K is 82 FPS. This shows a near-linear relationship with pixel count, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 4080 SUPER's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to handle the increased data at 4K, but the shading workload, with 10240 shading units, scales directly with resolution.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound at every preset. The difference between Low (597 FPS) and Ultra (273 FPS) is large, but even the Ultra result is so high that the CPU, with its 8 cores and 16 threads based on Zen 5 architecture, is the component that sets the absolute ceiling. The 4.70 GHz base clock and 5.60 GHz boost clock of the Ryzen 7 9850X3D are clearly sufficient to feed the GPU at these high frame rates. At 4K, the tables turn, and the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. The scaling from Ultra (90 FPS) to Low (197 FPS) is more than double, showing that reducing the pixel workload has a massive impact on the final frame rate.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 90 FPS.

Q: How does the performance at 1440p Medium compare to 1080p Medium?

A: At 2560x1440 Medium, the average FPS is 280. At 1920x1080 Medium, the average FPS is 444, making the 1080p result 164 FPS higher.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data shows the system reaches 597 FPS at 1080p Low and 381 FPS at 1080p High. These extraordinarily high frame rates indicate that the CPU, with its high boost clock and 96 MB of L3 cache, is the primary limiting component at this resolution.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded for this combination?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 90 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: What is the performance difference between 4K Low and 4K High settings?

A: At 4K Low, the average FPS is 197. At 4K High, the average FPS is 126. This represents a 71 FPS difference in favor of Low settings.

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

A: The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 231 out of 2935 tested combos in this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame field places this specific pairing at rank 231 out of 2935 tested combinations. This percentile placement, roughly in the top 8% of all combos, is impressive but not the absolute top. The ranking suggests that while the Ryzen 7 9850X3D and RTX 4080 SUPER are both high-end components, there are other combinations in the database that achieve higher average frame rates in Barony. This is likely due to the game's nature as a roguelike, which may favor raw single-thread performance or specific GPU architectures that the data does not detail.

The RTX 4080 SUPER's own benchmark scores provide context. Its passmark_g3d score is 34245, and its percentileVsAllGpus is 86. This means it performs better than 86% of all GPUs in the database. The CPU's percentileVsAllCpus is 92, meaning it outperforms 92% of all CPUs. When these two high-percentile parts are combined, the resulting rank of 231 out of 2935 is logical. The gap between this combo and the top-ranked ones is likely small in absolute frame rate terms, given the already high numbers measured here.

The nearestRivals for the CPU show a tight cluster of performance. The Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M has an avgScore of 58323, which is a deltaPct of 0.1% relative to the Ryzen 7 9850X3D's average benchmark score of 58386. Similarly, the Intel Core i9-14900 is only 0.5% behind, and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 is 0.7% ahead. This indicates that in synthetic CPU benchmarks, the Ryzen 7 9850X3D is not a clear outlier, but rather one of several very closely matched processors. The GPU's nearestRivals show a similar pattern, with the RTX 4080 being 0.1% slower and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB being 2.7% slower. This data reinforces that this combo is near the top of the performance curve, but not uniquely so, which explains its 231st ranking.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's capabilities across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the results are exceptional. With Low settings, the average FPS is 597. Medium settings yield an average of 444 FPS, with a minimum of 377 FPS and a maximum of 510 FPS. High settings produce 381 FPS on average, and Ultra settings drop to 273 FPS. These numbers show that even at the highest preset, the system is far beyond the 144 Hz or 240 Hz refresh rates common on high-end monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains stellar. The Low preset achieves an average of 377 FPS. Medium settings deliver 280 FPS on average, with a minimum of 238 FPS and a maximum of 322 FPS. The High preset maintains a 240 FPS average, which is a perfect match for a 240 Hz monitor. Ultra settings still manage an impressive 172 FPS average. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution is consistent, with each step up in quality costing a significant number of frames.

At 3840x2160, the system finally starts to show some strain, though the results are still excellent. Low settings produce an average of 197 FPS. Medium settings yield 146 FPS on average, with a minimum of 124 FPS and a maximum of 168 FPS. High settings drop to 126 FPS average, and Ultra settings settle at 90 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only configuration in the entire dataset that falls below the 100 FPS mark, indicating that this is the most demanding scenario for the hardware. The minimum FPS values are only recorded for Medium settings, showing 124 FPS at 4K, 238 FPS at 1440p, and 377 FPS at 1080p. These minimums are still very high, suggesting good frame pacing.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER plays a decisive role in the higher resolution results. Its architecture, Ada Lovelace, is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, featuring 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die. The GPU has 10240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output pipelines. These specifications translate directly to the measured performance, particularly at 4K where the GPU's raw compute power becomes the primary factor. The FP32 performance of 52.22 TFLOPS is a strong indicator of its ability to handle the pixel and shader workload at high resolutions.

The memory subsystem is equally robust. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, the RTX 4080 SUPER achieves a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. The memory clock is listed as 1438 MHz, with an effective data rate of 23 Gbps. In Barony, a game that is not known for massive texture requirements, this 16 GB capacity is more than ample. The data suggests that the memory bandwidth is not a limiting factor at any tested resolution, as the frame rate scaling with resolution follows a predictable pattern based on pixel count rather than hitting a memory wall.

The GPU's clock speeds are a key part of its performance profile. The base clock is 2295 MHz, and the boost clock is 2550 MHz. In a game like Barony, which may not be heavily optimized for multi-threaded GPU work, the boost clock behavior can have a significant impact on the final frame rate. The measured results, such as 197 FPS at 4K Low and 126 FPS at 4K High, show that the GPU is capable of sustaining high throughput. The benchmark scores for the GPU, including a 3dmark_3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 6600 and a passmark_g3d score of 34245, confirm its high-end positioning. The percentileVsAllGpus of 86 means it outperforms the vast majority of GPUs in the database, which is consistent with the frame rates observed in Barony.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D's role is most apparent at lower resolutions where the GPU is not fully taxed. The CPU is built on the Zen 5 architecture, using the Granite Ridge codename, and is fabricated on a 4 nm process by TSMC. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. These high clock speeds are crucial for Barony, as the game's engine likely relies on a few primary threads for game logic and scene management. The 96 MB of shared L3 cache is a standout feature, providing a large pool of fast memory for frequently accessed data.

The CPU's benchmarks show strong multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. In Cinebench R23, it scores 22807 in multi-core and 2228 in single-core. The PassMark single-thread score is 4704, and the multi-thread score is 41318. The passmark_find_prime_numbers score of 435 is a measure of integer performance, which can be relevant for game logic. The passmark_data_compression score of 474501 is exceptionally high, indicating strong data throughput capabilities. These scores suggest that the CPU is not a bottleneck for the frame rates seen at 1080p, where the system reaches up to 597 FPS.

The TDP of 120 W is relatively modest for the performance level, and the CPU supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. In the context of Barony, the CPU's ability to maintain high single-thread performance is likely the most important factor. The measured frame rates at 1080p, such as 381 FPS at High settings, are so high that the CPU's processing power is the ceiling. The fact that the FPS drops significantly when moving to 1440p and 4K, even at the same settings, confirms that the CPU is not the limiting factor at those higher resolutions. The CPU's percentileVsAllCpus of 92 and its average benchmark score of 58386 place it among the top processors, and the nearestRivals data shows it is extremely competitive with other high-end chips.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data offers clear guidance on which settings provide the best experience, depending on the user's display resolution and refresh rate. For a 1080p display, the Ultra preset at 273 FPS average is the best choice. This frame rate is high enough to take full advantage of any 240 Hz monitor and provides the best visual quality. The High preset at 381 FPS is also viable, but the jump to Ultra is worth the 108 FPS loss for the improved visuals, as the resulting 273 FPS is still exceptionally smooth. There is no reason to use Medium or Low at this resolution unless the user is chasing maximum frame rates for competitive play.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers a 240 FPS average, which is a perfect match for a 240 Hz display. This is the optimal balance of visual fidelity and performance. The Ultra preset at 172 FPS is also excellent, and it will be the better choice for users with a 165 Hz or 144 Hz monitor who prioritize image quality. The Medium preset at 280 FPS is unnecessary for most users, as the difference between Medium and High is often significant in games, and the High preset already exceeds the refresh rate of all but the most extreme displays. Low settings at 377 FPS offer no advantage in a game like Barony, where frame rates above 240 Hz are imperceptible to most players.

For 4K displays, the choice is more nuanced. The Ultra preset at 90 FPS is playable and will look the best, but it may not be ideal for users with a 120 Hz or 144 Hz display. The High preset at 126 FPS is a better match for a 120 Hz screen, offering a smoother experience with a minor reduction in visual quality. The Medium preset at 146 FPS is a strong candidate for 144 Hz displays, providing a good balance. The Low preset at 197 FPS is the best option for users with a 240 Hz 4K monitor, but the visual compromise is substantial. Given that Barony is a roguelike where clarity of the game state is important, the High preset at 4K, with its 126 FPS average, is the recommended starting point. The data shows that the Medium preset offers a 20 FPS improvement over High, which could be significant for a smoother experience, so users should consider their personal sensitivity to frame rate versus visual detail.