Barony

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Barony, a roguelike title that is clearly not demanding on modern hardware. The dataset shows a configuration capable of triple-digit frame rates even at 4K Ultra, with performance scaling that reveals a system primarily limited by CPU throughput at lower resolutions. The following analysis breaks down the measured results, contextualizes the components’ roles, and provides setting recommendations based solely on the provided data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable decline in average frame rates as resolution increases, but the magnitude of that decline varies significantly by settings preset. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 679 FPS at 1920x1080 to 428 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 251 FPS (approximately 37%). Continuing to 3840x2160, the average falls to 224 FPS, which is another 204 FPS drop (approximately 48%) from the 1440p result. This steep scaling curve at Low settings indicates that the CPU is the primary bottleneck at 1080p, and only as resolution increases does the GPU begin to take on more of the workload.

For High settings, the scaling is less dramatic but still substantial. The average FPS goes from 433 at 1080p to 273 at 1440p (a 160 FPS drop) and then to 143 at 4K (a further 130 FPS drop). The percentage decline from 1080p to 4K is about 67%, which is slightly less severe than the Low preset’s 67% reduction. This pattern suggests that higher graphics settings shift more of the burden onto the GPU, reducing the relative impact of CPU limitations.

The Medium preset shows a similar trend: 505 FPS at 1080p, 319 FPS at 1440p, and 167 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most GPU-bound, with averages of 311 FPS at 1080p, 196 FPS at 1440p, and 102 FPS at 4K. Notably, the Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration where the average dips below 120 FPS, and it represents a 67% reduction from the 1080p Ultra result. This data indicates that while the RTX 5090 is powerful enough to handle 4K Ultra comfortably, the game’s engine does not scale perfectly with resolution, and the CPU still constrains performance at lower resolutions.

The fact that 1080p Low produces 679 FPS while 1080p Ultra produces 311 FPS—a difference of 368 FPS—shows that the graphics settings have a larger impact on frame rate than resolution alone. This is characteristic of a game where CPU-bound scenarios at low resolutions and low settings allow the GPU to run at maximum capacity, while higher settings introduce more GPU work that limits throughput. The 4K Ultra result of 102 FPS, however, suggests that even at this extreme, the combination of the Ryzen 7 9850X3D and RTX 5090 is not fully saturated, leaving headroom for future driver optimizations or game updates.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is an 8-core, 16-thread processor from the 9000 series, built on the Zen 5 architecture with a 4 nm process. Its base clock is 4.70 GHz and its boost clock reaches 5.60 GHz. The processor features a large 96 MB shared L3 cache, which is a characteristic of the X3D series and is particularly beneficial for gaming workloads that rely on data locality. In Barony, a roguelike with procedurally generated levels, the CPU must handle game logic, pathfinding, and entity updates, which can benefit from the large cache.

The CPU’s passmark multithread score is 41318, and its passmark single-thread score is 4704. Its average benchmark score is 58386, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs. Compared to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 7 9850X3D is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M and 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core i9-14900, while being 0.2% behind the Intel Xeon w5-2545 and 0.7% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470. These small deltas indicate that the CPU’s raw compute performance is comparable to these other high-end parts, but its gaming-specific features, such as the 3D V-Cache, may provide an edge in titles like Barony.

In the measured FPS data, the CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p Low, where the average frame rate of 679 FPS far exceeds what most monitors can display. This result, combined with the 428 FPS at 1440p Low, demonstrates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with extremely high frame rates when graphics settings are low. However, the fact that 4K Low (224 FPS) is less than half the 1080p Low result suggests that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions, even with the RTX 5090’s massive compute capacity.

The CPU’s 16 threads are likely underutilized in Barony, as roguelikes typically rely more on single-threaded performance for game logic. The single-thread score of 4704 and the cinebench_r23_singlecore score of 2228 indicate strong single-core performance, which is crucial for maintaining high frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios. The 96 MB L3 cache likely helps with the game’s procedural generation and entity management, reducing memory latency and improving frame pacing.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a flagship GPU based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, with a 5 nm process and a massive 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. The GPU’s boost clock is 2407 MHz, and it has 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs. Its FP32 compute performance is 104.8 TFLOPS, and its texture rate is 1,636.8 GTexel/s.

In the benchmark database, the RTX 5090 has a passmark_g3d score of 39650 and a 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 18355. Its average benchmark score is 79842, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. Among its nearest rivals, it is 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB and 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, while being 1.4% behind the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X. These comparisons show that the RTX 5090 is at the top of the performance hierarchy, but the deltas are small, suggesting that the game’s performance is not solely dependent on raw GPU compute.

In Barony, the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced at higher settings and resolutions. The jump from 224 FPS at 4K Low to 143 FPS at 4K High (an 81 FPS reduction) illustrates the impact of increased graphical fidelity. Similarly, the difference between 4K Medium (167 FPS) and 4K Ultra (102 FPS) is 65 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset imposes a significant additional load on the GPU. The 32 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for Barony, which is a low-polygon roguelike, and the memory bandwidth is unlikely to be a limiting factor at any resolution.

The GPU’s 176 ROPs and 423.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are well-suited for the game’s 2D sprite-based rendering and simple 3D environments. The RTX 5090’s capabilities far exceed the game’s requirements, as evidenced by the 679 FPS at 1080p Low, but the measured results show that the GPU still scales with resolution and settings, indicating that the rendering pipeline is not bottlenecked by other components.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 433 FPS, which is more than enough for any high-refresh-rate monitor. The Medium preset at 505 FPS offers a slight improvement but at the cost of visual quality, while the Low preset at 679 FPS is unnecessary for most users. The Ultra preset at 311 FPS is still exceptionally high and provides the best visual fidelity without any practical performance concern.

At 2560x1440, the High preset produces 273 FPS, which is ideal for 240 Hz monitors. The Ultra preset at 196 FPS is also viable for 144 Hz displays, and the Medium preset at 319 FPS offers a significant buffer for future content. The Low preset at 428 FPS is overkill for any current display technology and should be avoided to maintain visual quality.

At 3840x2160, the High preset at 143 FPS is the best choice for 120 Hz or 144 Hz monitors, providing a smooth experience with good visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 167 FPS offers a higher frame rate but with reduced graphical settings, while the Ultra preset at 102 FPS is still playable on 100 Hz displays but may not be ideal for competitive play. The Low preset at 224 FPS is the highest frame rate at 4K, but the visual downgrade is significant, and it is only recommended for users who prioritize frame rate above all else.

The data shows that the High preset offers the best balance between visual quality and performance across all resolutions. It provides a 67% reduction in FPS from Low to High at 4K, but the visual improvements are substantial. The Ultra preset, while visually superior, incurs a 29% performance penalty compared to High at 4K, which may not be worth it for users with standard 60 Hz displays. For the vast majority of users, the High preset is the recommended choice.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is ranked 73rd out of 2935 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the top 2.5% of all configurations tested, which is a strong result given the large number of possible combinations. The high rank is consistent with the measured FPS data, which shows this combo delivering over 100 FPS at 4K Ultra and over 300 FPS at 1080p Ultra.

The rank of 73 out of 2935 indicates that there are 72 other combos that perform better in this specific game. Given that the RTX 5090 is a top-tier GPU and the Ryzen 7 9850X3D is a high-end gaming CPU, this rank suggests that there may be other combos with even more specialized hardware or better optimization for Barony. However, the difference in performance between rank 73 and the top combos is likely minimal, as the game’s frame rates are already extremely high.

The combo’s performance in Barony is consistent with its component benchmarks. The CPU’s 92nd percentile ranking and the GPU’s 92nd percentile ranking are both reflected in the combo’s top 2.5% placement. This alignment indicates that neither component is holding back the other in this game, and the system is well-balanced for the workload.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Barony?*

A: The highest average FPS is 679, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

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

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average FPS of 102, which is the lowest measured result but still above 100 FPS.

Q: What is the CPU’s benchmark percentile compared to all CPUs?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 58386.

Q: How much faster is the combo at 1080p Low compared to 4K Ultra?

A: The 1080p Low average of 679 FPS is 577 FPS higher than the 4K Ultra average of 102 FPS, representing a 566% increase.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory size and type?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus with 1.79 TB/s bandwidth.

*Q: What is the combo’s rank in Barony out of all tested combos?*

A: The combo is ranked 73rd out of 2935 tested combinations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete set of measured average FPS values for the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 in Barony:

• 1920x1080, Low: 679 FPS
• 1920x1080, Medium: 505 FPS (min 429, max 580)
• 1920x1080, High: 433 FPS
• 1920x1080, Ultra: 311 FPS
• 2560x1440, Low: 428 FPS
• 2560x1440, Medium: 319 FPS (min 271, max 366)
• 2560x1440, High: 273 FPS
• 2560x1440, Ultra: 196 FPS
• 3840x2160, Low: 224 FPS
• 3840x2160, Medium: 167 FPS (min 142, max 191)
• 3840x2160, High: 143 FPS
• 3840x2160, Ultra: 102 FPS

The Medium preset is the only one with min and max FPS values recorded, and those are included above. All other presets have only average FPS values in the dataset. The data shows a consistent pattern of decreasing FPS with increasing resolution and settings, with the most significant drops occurring when moving from 1080p to 1440p and from High to Ultra settings.