Barony

Barony is a roguelike from 2015, and the measured data for this AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination shows a system that is dramatically overqualified for the title. The frame rates across all tested settings and resolutions are exceptionally high, often exceeding the refresh rates of common high-end monitors. This indicates that the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions shifts almost entirely to the CPU, while at 4K, the GPU becomes more relevant, though it still never struggles to maintain playable performance.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K is steep but starts from such a high baseline that the game remains exceptionally fluid even at the highest pixel count. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces an average of 299 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that to 189 FPS, a reduction of 110 FPS (approximately 37%). Pushing further to 4K yields an average of 99 FPS, which is a 200 FPS drop from the 1080p figure. This pattern clearly shows that the CPU is heavily taxed at lower resolutions, as the GPU has ample headroom to render frames quickly, leaving the processor to handle the game's logic and draw calls.

The scaling from Medium settings paints a similar picture. The 1080p Medium average is 349 FPS, which falls to 220 FPS at 1440p and then to 115 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is about 37%, and from 1440p to 4K it's about 48%. This suggests that while the resolution increase does put more strain on the GPU, the system's performance is still not fully GPU-bound until the 4K mark, where the frame rate finally begins to look more like a typical high-end gaming result rather than an esports-level score.

When comparing the Low settings row, the trend continues. The 1080p Low average is a staggering 469 FPS, indicating the CPU is the limiting factor. At 1440p Low, the average is 296 FPS, and at 4K Low, it's 155 FPS. The fact that the 4K Low score (155 FPS) is still much higher than the 4K Ultra score (71 FPS) demonstrates that graphical settings have a profound impact on the GPU workload, and lowering them can unlock significant performance gains even at high resolutions. The data indicates that a player targeting 4K at high refresh rates would need to carefully balance settings, as the gap between Low and Ultra at that resolution is a massive 84 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 plays a significant role in determining the frame rates at higher resolutions and settings. The card features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is more than adequate for Barony, a game from 2015 with modest texture and geometry demands. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 71, which is the lowest score in the entire measured set. This suggests that the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are being pushed harder at this extreme setting, but the result is still perfectly playable.

The GPU's clock speeds are a 1920 MHz base and 2475 MHz boost. These clocks, combined with the 5888 shading units, allow the card to process the graphical workload efficiently. The performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K is substantial—155 FPS versus 71 FPS—indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck when the most demanding settings are applied. In contrast, at 1080p, the difference between Low (469 FPS) and Ultra (215 FPS) is also large, but the absolute numbers are so high that the GPU is clearly not the limiting factor at that resolution; the CPU is.

The RTX 4070's overall benchmark scores place it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37648. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (0.1% faster), AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (0.4% faster), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (1.3% slower). These comparisons are based on synthetic benchmarks and do not directly translate to Barony, but they provide context for the card's relative performance class. In this game, the GPU's role is to provide the raw fill rate and shader power to maintain high frame rates at 1440p and 4K, which it does admirably, only showing signs of strain at 4K Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Barony, this specific pairing of the Ryzen 9 5950X and RTX 4070 holds a combo rank of 883 out of 3717 total combinations. This places it in the top 24% of all tested systems for this game. Given the exceptionally high frame rates measured, this rank might seem lower than expected. However, the rank is relative to all other combos, many of which may feature newer, higher-end CPUs or GPUs that push frame rates even higher in a game that is likely CPU-bound at most settings.

The CPU itself has a percentile of 91 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 51947. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX (0.2% slower), AMD EPYC 8124P (0.3% slower), Intel Core i9-13900F (0.4% faster), and Intel Core i7-14700 (0.7% slower). This indicates that the Ryzen 9 5950X is a very high-performing processor, even by modern standards. The fact that the combo still ranks 883rd suggests that in Barony, the GPU is the more critical component for achieving the absolute highest frame rates, and other combos with more powerful GPUs may have an edge at 4K Ultra.

The data shows that this combo is far from being a poor performer. A rank of 883 out of 3717 means it outperforms 76% of all tested systems. For a game like Barony, which is not graphically intensive, this level of performance is more than sufficient for a smooth experience on any monitor. The rank is a relative measure, and the absolute FPS numbers are what matter most for practical use, and those numbers are exceptional.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a clear picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 469. Medium settings reduce this to an average of 349 FPS, with a minimum of 296 and a maximum of 401. High settings produce an average of 299 FPS, and Ultra settings are still very fast with an average of 215 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the CPU is the definitive bottleneck, as even the Ultra preset cannot push the average below 200 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very high. Low settings yield an average of 296 FPS. Medium settings see the average drop to 220 FPS, with a minimum of 187 and a maximum of 253. High settings produce an average of 189 FPS, and Ultra settings lower that to an average of 135 FPS. The performance at 1440p is still excellent, making it an ideal resolution for high-refresh-rate gaming. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a consistent reduction of roughly 35-40% across all settings, indicating a balanced shift in load between the CPU and GPU.

At 3840x2160, the system's performance is still very playable. Low settings provide an average of 155 FPS. Medium settings reduce the average to 115 FPS, with a minimum of 98 and a maximum of 132. High settings yield an average of 99 FPS, and Ultra settings bring the average down to 71 FPS. The 4K results show that the GPU is now the primary limiter, but the system never dips below 71 FPS on average, meaning a smooth experience is possible even at the highest resolution with the most demanding settings. The minimum FPS recorded at 4K Medium is 98, which is still well above the threshold for a stable 60 FPS experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. This is a massively multi-threaded CPU, but Barony, being a roguelike from 2015, is unlikely to leverage all 32 threads effectively. The data suggests that the CPU's strong single-thread performance is what contributes to the incredibly high frame rates at 1080p. The 3DMark single-thread score is 944, and the Geekbench single-core score is 2083, indicating strong per-core capability.

The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 26017 and a single-core score of 1614. The Passmark single-thread score is 3470. These figures place the CPU in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. However, in Barony, the high core count is likely underutilized. The game's logic, AI, and world generation are probably single-threaded or lightly threaded, meaning the processor's boost clock of 4.90 GHz is more critical than its 16 cores.

The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 469 FPS, which is a clear indication that the CPU is the limiting factor. The GPU is not being fully utilized because the CPU cannot feed it data fast enough. As the resolution increases, the GPU becomes more of a bottleneck, and the CPU's load relative to the frame rate decreases. This is a classic sign of a CPU bottleneck at low resolutions, which is expected with such a powerful GPU. The Ryzen 9 5950X's performance relative to its rivals, such as being 0.4% faster than the Intel Core i9-13900F in average benchmark score, confirms it is a top-tier part, but its vast multi-threading capabilities are largely irrelevant for this specific game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the user's display resolution and refresh rate. For a 1080p monitor with a 240Hz or 360Hz refresh rate, the High settings preset is a strong choice. It delivers an average of 299 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors, while offering better visual quality than Low or Medium. The Ultra preset at 1080p still produces 215 FPS, which is also excellent, but the visual difference between High and Ultra may not justify the 84 FPS performance hit for users with the fastest displays.

For 1440p gaming, which is the sweet spot for this combo, the High settings preset provides an average of 189 FPS. This is ideal for a 144Hz or 165Hz monitor, offering a smooth experience with high visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 135 FPS, which is still suitable for a 144Hz display, but the High preset provides a more comfortable margin. The Medium preset at 1440p offers 220 FPS, which would be better suited for a 240Hz monitor, but the visual downgrade from High is noticeable.

At 4K, the choice is between High and Ultra. The High preset yields an average of 99 FPS, which is perfect for a 120Hz 4K display. This is the recommended setting for 4K, as it balances visual quality with performance. The Ultra preset drops to 71 FPS, which is still playable but might feel less smooth on a high-refresh-rate 4K panel. The Medium preset at 4K provides 115 FPS, offering a slight performance boost over High with reduced visual fidelity, making it a viable alternative if a higher frame rate is desired. For a 60Hz 4K display, the Ultra preset is perfectly acceptable, as the 71 FPS average exceeds the display's refresh rate. The data shows that the High preset at 4K is the best overall balance for most users.