Barony

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X drives this combo with 12 cores and 24 threads, built on the Zen 4 architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process. Its base clock sits at 4.70 GHz with a boost ceiling of 5.60 GHz, and the chip carries 64 MB of shared L3 cache alongside 1 MB of L2 per core. This is a desktop processor from the 7000 series, unlocked for multiplier adjustments, and it supports DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus with 83.2 GB/s of bandwidth.

For a roguelike like Barony, the CPU's role is interesting because the game's procedural generation and simulation logic tend to favor strong single-thread performance. The 7900X delivers a 3dmark single-thread score of 1093 and a geekbench single-core score of 2617, which are solid figures for handling game logic. However, the data suggests that at lower resolutions, this CPU is not the primary constraint. At 1080p Low settings, the combo produces 316 FPS, which is far beyond what most displays can show, indicating that the CPU has ample headroom. The passmark single-thread score of 4238 and the cinebench r23 single-core score of 2016.5 reinforce that this processor handles per-core tasks efficiently.

Multithreading is also robust; the cinebench r23 multicore score of 29300 and the 3dmark max-threads score of 12536 show that the 7900X can handle heavy parallel workloads. In Barony, this might matter for background simulation or when many entities are active, but the benchmark results indicate that even at 4K Ultra (48 FPS), the bottleneck shifts to the GPU rather than the CPU. The CPU's percentile ranking of 91 among all tested processors places it in the top tier, with nearest rivals like the AMD EPYC 7313P (0.2% higher avg score) and the Intel Core i7-14700F (0.6% lower avg score) showing that the 7900X performs competitively against server and consumer chips alike.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER achieves a combo rank of 2153 out of 3717 tested combinations in Barony. That places it in the lower-middle portion of the overall distribution, which is a curious result given the CPU's strength. The rank suggests that while the processor is top-tier on its own, the GPU side of the equation drags the combined performance down relative to other systems in the database. The RTX 2070 SUPER, with a percentile ranking of 65 among all GPUs, is a mid-range performer, so the combo's position makes sense when considering that many higher-ranked pairs likely use more powerful graphics cards.

Breaking down the rank: 2153 out of 3717 means the combo outperforms roughly 42% of tested configurations. This is not a flattering position for a CPU that ranks in the 91st percentile, but it highlights how Barony's performance scaling depends heavily on the GPU. The delta between the CPU's percentile (91) and the combo's percentile (calculated as 1 - 2153/3717 ≈ 42%) is stark. It implies that the RTX 2070 SUPER is the limiting factor in most scenarios, especially at higher resolutions and settings. The data supports this: at 1080p Low, the combo hits 316 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 48 FPS, a scaling pattern that points squarely at the GPU's capabilities rather than the CPU's.

When examining the GPU's nearest rivals, the RTX 2070 SUPER sits close to the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (-1% avg score), the RTX 3070 Mobile (-1.2%), and the Intel Arc B570 (-1.3%). These are all within a small margin, meaning the GPU is performing as expected for its class. The combo rank, therefore, is not a sign of a flawed pairing but rather a reflection of the GPU's mid-tier standing. For a game like Barony, which is not graphically demanding by modern standards, this combo still delivers playable frame rates across most settings, as the measured FPS shows.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern across resolutions. At 1080p Low settings, the combo produces 316 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, that drops to 199 FPS, a 37% reduction. At 4K Low, the FPS falls to 104, which is a 67% reduction from the 1080p figure. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, as the CPU has more than enough headroom at lower resolutions to push frame rates far beyond typical display refresh rates.

The High settings tell a similar story. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 202 FPS; at 1440p High, it drops to 127 FPS (37% lower); and at 4K High, it falls to 67 FPS (67% lower from 1080p). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings is telling. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the FPS to plateau at higher resolutions as the GPU load increases, but instead, the frame rate scales inversely with resolution in a linear fashion. This indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER is the limiting component throughout.

The Medium settings row provides additional insight, as it includes min and max FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the average is 235 FPS with a min of 200 and a max of 270. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 148 FPS (min 126, max 171). At 4K Medium, the average is 78 FPS (min 66, max 89). The min-to-max spread narrows as resolution increases, which is typical for GPU-bound scenarios where frame times become more consistent under heavier load. The 4K Ultra result of 48 FPS further confirms that the GPU is saturated at the highest settings, while the CPU likely has spare capacity.

The data implies that for this combo, the CPU's performance is largely irrelevant to the FPS at higher resolutions. Even at 1080p, where the CPU's single-thread strength could matter, the FPS remains high enough that the GPU becomes the next constraint as settings increase. If a user were to pair this CPU with a stronger GPU, the combo rank would likely improve significantly, but with the RTX 2070 SUPER, the scaling behavior is predictable.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X sufficient for Barony at 4K?

A: Yes, the CPU is more than sufficient. At 4K Ultra, the combo delivers 48 FPS, but this is limited by the GPU, not the CPU. The 7900X's single-thread score of 1093 in 3dmark and 2617 in geekbench single-core indicate it can handle game logic, but at 4K, the RTX 2070 SUPER is the bottleneck.

Q: What is the best resolution to play Barony with this combo?

A: The data shows that 1440p High settings produce 127 FPS, which is a good balance between visual quality and smoothness. At 1080p Ultra, the combo hits 145 FPS, but the higher resolution at High settings offers a better experience per the measured rows.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 20282, with nearest rivals being the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (-1% delta), the RTX 3070 Mobile (-1.2%), and the Intel Arc B570 (-1.3%). The 2070 SUPER performs slightly better than these cards in the average score.

Q: Does the CPU's 12-core configuration help in Barony?

A: Barony is a roguelike, and the benchmark results do not show a clear benefit from the CPU's 12 cores at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 316 FPS, suggesting the CPU can handle any core count demands, but the GPU limits performance as resolution increases.

Q: Why is the combo rank so low (2153 out of 3717) if the CPU is top-tier?

A: The combo rank reflects the combined performance of both components. The CPU ranks in the 91st percentile, but the GPU ranks in the 65th percentile. The GPU's mid-tier standing pulls the combo down, as many other tested pairs likely use more powerful graphics cards.

Q: What is the minimum FPS at Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows min FPS values only for Medium settings: 200 FPS at 1080p, 126 FPS at 1440p, and 66 FPS at 4K. These are the lowest recorded frames, indicating that the combo maintains smooth performance at Medium settings across all resolutions.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture using TSMC's 12 nm process, with a chip size of 545 mm² and 13,600 million transistors. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock runs at 1605 MHz with a boost up to 1770 MHz, and memory operates at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The GPU has 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units, along with 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores.

In Barony, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution and settings rise. The FP32 performance of 9.062 TFLOPS and a pixel rate of 113.3 GPixel/s suggest that the card can handle rasterization tasks, but the measured FPS shows its limits. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 316 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 48 FPS. The 8 GB VRAM is likely sufficient for a roguelike's textures, but the memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s may become a constraint at higher resolutions where the pixel load increases.

The GPU's benchmark scores provide context: the passmark g3d score of 18169 and the geekbench vulkan score of 90637 indicate solid DirectX and Vulkan performance. However, the passmark directx 12 score of 67 is notably lower than the directx 11 score of 151, which could explain why Barony, if it uses DX11, performs better than the raw compute numbers might suggest. The GPU's percentile ranking of 65 places it in the mid-tier, and its nearest rivals are all within a 1.5% margin, confirming that the RTX 2070 SUPER performs as expected for its class.

The data indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor for this combo in Barony. The transition from 1080p to 4K at any setting results in a proportional FPS drop, which is a classic sign of GPU saturation. The 215 W TDP and suggested 550 W PSU are consistent with a mid-range card, and the dual-slot design with a 267 mm length is typical for the 20-series.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS rows, the Medium preset offers the best balance of performance and visual quality across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the combo produces 235 FPS with a minimum of 200 FPS, which is well above any standard refresh rate. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 148 FPS with a minimum of 126 FPS, still providing a smooth experience for high-refresh monitors. Even at 4K Medium, the combo maintains 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS, which is playable on most displays.

The High preset is also viable but shows a more significant performance cost. At 1080p High, the combo hits 202 FPS, but at 1440p High, it drops to 127 FPS, and at 4K High, it falls to 67 FPS. The step from Medium to High at 1440p costs 21 FPS (from 148 to 127), while the step from High to Ultra at 1440p costs another 36 FPS (from 127 to 91). This suggests that the Ultra preset is not worth the performance hit, especially at higher resolutions where the 4K Ultra result of 48 FPS may cause noticeable stuttering.

For the best experience, Medium at 1440p is recommended. It delivers 148 FPS, which is smooth and responsive, while the visual difference from High is likely minimal in a roguelike with procedural graphics. If a user prefers higher settings, High at 1080p (202 FPS) or 1440p (127 FPS) are reasonable alternatives. The Low preset offers the highest frame rates (316 FPS at 1080p) but sacrifices visual quality, which may not be necessary given the Medium preset's already high performance. The Ultra preset should be avoided at 4K, as the 48 FPS average is below the 60 FPS threshold for most users.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data is organized by resolution and settings, providing a detailed view of the combo's performance.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 316 FPS average
• Medium: 235 FPS average, with a min of 200 FPS and a max of 270 FPS
• High: 202 FPS average
• Ultra: 145 FPS average

At 1080p, the combo excels across all settings. The Low preset reaches 316 FPS, which is exceptionally high, and even the Ultra preset maintains 145 FPS, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. The Medium preset's min of 200 FPS ensures that frame drops are unlikely to be noticeable.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 199 FPS average
• Medium: 148 FPS average, with a min of 126 FPS and a max of 171 FPS
• High: 127 FPS average
• Ultra: 91 FPS average

At 1440p, the performance remains strong. The Low preset stays above 199 FPS, and the Medium preset's 148 FPS average with a 126 FPS minimum is suitable for 144Hz monitors. The High preset at 127 FPS is also playable, but the Ultra preset's 91 FPS is a noticeable step down, though still above 60 FPS.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 104 FPS average
• Medium: 78 FPS average, with a min of 66 FPS and a max of 89 FPS
• High: 67 FPS average
• Ultra: 48 FPS average

At 4K, the combo starts to struggle with higher settings. The Low preset still delivers 104 FPS, which is good, but the Medium preset's 78 FPS average (min 66) is the highest setting that maintains a consistent 60+ FPS. The High preset at 67 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 48 FPS falls below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that the GPU is fully saturated.

The progression from 1080p to 4K at each setting shows a consistent pattern: the FPS roughly halves when moving from 1080p to 4K. For example, Low goes from 316 to 199 to 104 FPS, Medium from 235 to 148 to 78 FPS, High from 202 to 127 to 67 FPS, and Ultra from 145 to 91 to 48 FPS. This consistency reinforces that the GPU is the primary limiting factor, as the CPU's performance would not scale linearly with resolution in this manner. The data suggests that for this combo, the best experience is at 1440p Medium, where the balance of frame rate and visual quality is optimal.