Barony

# Barony with AMD Ryzen 9 5900X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Barony, a roguelike from 2015 that clearly favors fast, responsive gameplay. The measured data shows this combination is far from being a bottleneck at any resolution, with 1080p results exceeding 230 FPS even at the highest settings. The 12-core, 24-thread Zen 3 processor, running at a base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 4.80 GHz, provides ample headroom, while the RTX 4070 SUPER, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and boost clock of 2475 MHz, drives the rendering pipeline efficiently. This analysis walks through the resolution scaling, settings recommendations, GPU and CPU roles, and how this combo ranks among the 1702 tested combinations.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling, typical for a game with this combination of hardware. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 523.6 FPS, which drops to 333.1 FPS at 1440p (a 36.4% reduction) and further to 170.7 FPS at 4K (a 48.7% reduction from 1440p). This steep decline as resolution increases indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the Ryzen 9 5900X has ample compute headroom to feed frames at lower resolutions.

Looking at High settings, the same scaling trend emerges: 331.1 FPS at 1080p, 208.7 FPS at 1440p (a 37.0% drop), and 107.9 FPS at 4K (a 48.3% drop from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings—hovering around 37% for the 1080p-to-1440p transition and 48% for the 1440p-to-4K transition—suggests that the GPU's pixel throughput, with a pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s, is the dominant constraint. The CPU's role is minimal here, as even at 1080p Low, the frame rate of 523.6 FPS does not appear to be capped by processor limits, given the Ryzen 9 5900X's single-thread score of 941 in 3dmark and passmark single-thread score of 3469.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is slightly steeper: 236.3 FPS at 1080p falls to 151.6 FPS at 1440p (a 35.8% drop) and then to 81 FPS at 4K (a 46.6% drop from 1440p). The 4K Ultra result of 81 FPS is the only measured point that approaches the 60 FPS threshold, but it still remains comfortably above it. The data suggests that for players targeting 4K, even High settings (107.9 FPS) provide a smooth experience, while the jump from High to Ultra costs 26.9 FPS (a 24.9% reduction), indicating that Ultra's extra effects tax the GPU significantly at this resolution.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows across Low, Medium, High, and Ultra settings provide a clear picture of the performance trade-offs. At 1080p, all settings deliver well above 230 FPS, with Low at 523.6 FPS, Medium at 385.7 FPS, High at 331.1 FPS, and Ultra at 236.3 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is 94.8 FPS (a 28.6% reduction), which is substantial, but even Ultra remains far above any competitive threshold. For players with 144 Hz or 240 Hz monitors, High settings at 1080p offer the best balance, as the 331.1 FPS result exceeds the refresh rate of most displays while maintaining visual fidelity.

At 1440p, High settings deliver 208.7 FPS, which is still exceptionally high and suitable for fast-paced roguelike gameplay. Medium settings provide 246.5 FPS, a 37.8 FPS improvement over High, but the visual downgrade may not justify the gain for most players. Ultra at 1440p drops to 151.6 FPS, which remains smooth but shows that the settings overhead is significant. The data indicates that High is the sweet spot at 1440p, as it maintains a high frame rate while avoiding the 45.1 FPS penalty (a 22.9% drop) that comes from moving to Ultra.

For 4K, the recommendation shifts to Medium or High. Medium settings yield 129.7 FPS, which is excellent for 4K gaming and only 41 FPS below the Low setting's 170.7 FPS. High settings at 107.9 FPS are still very playable, but Ultra drops to 81 FPS, which may introduce noticeable judder on some displays. Given that the difference between Medium and High is only 21.8 FPS (a 16.8% reduction), High is the recommended preset for 4K, as it provides better visuals with minimal performance cost. Low settings at 4K offer 170.7 FPS, but the visual quality loss is likely too severe for a game where readability matters.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, is the clear driver of Barony's high frame rates. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for a roguelike with relatively modest texture demands. The GPU's boost clock of 2475 MHz, combined with 7168 shading units, delivers a texture rate of 554.4 GTexel/s and an FP32 throughput of 35.48 TFLOPS, explaining why the card can sustain over 500 FPS at 1080p Low.

The GPU's benchmark scores corroborate its strong performance: a passmark G3D score of 29995 and a 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4627 place it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals, the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (deltaPct -0.2) and AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (deltaPct -0.3), are essentially on par in average benchmark scores, while the AMD Radeon Pro 580X (deltaPct 1.4) and NVIDIA Tesla M40 (deltaPct 1.6) trail by over a point. This competitive positioning explains why the RTX 4070 SUPER handles Barony's rendering load so effectively, even at 4K.

The VRAM capacity of 12 GB is never a limiting factor in Barony, as the game's 2015 release date means its texture and geometry demands are modest by modern standards. The memory clock of 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) contributes to the high bandwidth, but the data suggests that raw compute throughput, not memory bandwidth, is the primary driver of the observed frame rates. At 4K Ultra, the 81 FPS result indicates that the GPU is working near its limits, but the card's 220 W TDP and dual-slot design suggest it does so without thermal throttling concerns.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 331.1 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most gaming monitors and indicates no CPU or GPU bottleneck at this resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER compare to its nearest rival, the RTX A6000?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 42576, while the RTX A6000 scores 42653, resulting in a deltaPct of -0.2, meaning the A6000 is 0.2% faster on average. This difference is negligible in practice.

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

A: This combination of AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 323rd out of 1702 tested combos, placing it in the top 19% of all configurations.

Q: Does the Ryzen 9 5900X bottleneck the RTX 4070 SUPER at 1080p?

A: The data shows no evidence of a CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 523.6 FPS, and the CPU's single-thread performance (3dmark single-thread score of 941) is sufficient to feed the GPU without limiting frame rates.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Medium and High at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings deliver 246.5 FPS, while High settings deliver 208.7 FPS, a difference of 37.8 FPS (a 15.3% reduction). This is a modest cost for improved visuals.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra?

A: Yes, the measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 81 FPS, which is 21 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold, providing a smooth experience even at the highest settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of 1702 tested combinations, this pairing of AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 323rd for Barony. This places it in the top 19% of all configurations, a strong showing given that the game is not particularly demanding and many higher-ranked combos likely feature newer, more expensive hardware. The rank reflects the balanced nature of this pairing: the CPU's 90th percentile standing among all CPUs (with an average benchmark score of 39453) and the GPU's 84th percentile standing (with an average score of 42576) combine to produce frame rates that exceed the needs of most players.

The CPU's nearest rivals—AMD EPYC 4245P (deltaPct 0.2), AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8845HS (deltaPct -0.7), Intel Core i7-13700F (deltaPct 0.9), and Intel Core i7-13700 (deltaPct -1)—all have average scores within 1% of the Ryzen 9 5900X, indicating that any of these processors would yield similar results in Barony. The GPU's rivals are similarly close, with the RTX A6000 and RX 7650 GRE within 0.3% and the Radeon Pro 580X and Tesla M40 within 1.6%. This tight clustering suggests that the combo's rank is more a function of the measured FPS data than of any single component's benchmark score, and the 323rd position reflects the fact that Barony's performance is primarily GPU-driven, with the RTX 4070 SUPER's capabilities being the deciding factor.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture (codenamed Vermeer), plays a supporting role in Barony's performance. The game, released in 2015, is not heavily multithreaded, and the CPU's high single-thread performance—evidenced by a 3dmark single-thread score of 941, a cinebench R23 single-core score of 4680, and a geekbench single-core score of 2202—is more relevant than its multi-thread capabilities. The processor's boost clock of 4.80 GHz ensures that any single-threaded game logic runs with minimal latency, which is crucial for a roguelike where every frame of input matters.

The CPU's multi-thread performance, while not directly impacting Barony's FPS, is nonetheless impressive: a cinebench R23 multicore score of 33150, a passmark multithread score of 39002, and a 3dmark max-threads score of 10075. These results explain why the CPU never bottlenecks the GPU, even at 1080p Low where the GPU is producing over 500 FPS. The 64 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth provide ample data throughput for the game's assets, though the memory bandwidth is not a limiting factor given the modest demands of a 2015 roguelike.

In the context of Barony, the CPU's role is to maintain consistent frame pacing and handle game state computations, which it does effortlessly. The 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs (with an average benchmark score of 39453) and its nearest rivals—all within 1% in average score—confirm that the Ryzen 9 5900X is a high-end processor that will not hold back the RTX 4070 SUPER in any scenario. The data indicates that even if a slower CPU were paired with this GPU, the FPS at 4K would be nearly identical, as the GPU is the limiting factor at that resolution, but at 1080p, the CPU's strong single-thread performance ensures no artificial cap on the frame rate.