Barony

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a performance profile in Barony that is heavily skewed toward CPU dominance, with the GPU becoming the primary constraint only at 4K Ultra. This combo ranks in the 40th percentile of tested systems, indicating that while it provides playable frame rates at nearly all settings, it is outclassed by a significant portion of the database's measured configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic transition from a CPU-bound scenario to a GPU-bound one. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 303 FPS, which is an exceptionally high ceiling that the CPU can maintain. When the resolution is raised to 1440p at the same Low settings, the average drops to 191 FPS, a reduction of 37%. Moving to 4K Low, the average falls further to 100 FPS, another 48% decrease from the 1440p figure. This steep decline at lower settings is a clear indicator that the rendering workload is overwhelming the GPU, even though the game is not graphically demanding by modern standards.

The scaling pattern changes dramatically when settings are increased. At High settings, the averages are 193 FPS at 1080p, 122 FPS at 1440p, and 64 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 37%, but the drop from 1440p to 4K is 48%. This consistent reduction suggests that the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are being saturated more aggressively at 4K. The data indicates that the CPU, with its 16 cores and 32 threads, is more than capable of feeding the GPU at 1080p and 1440p, as evidenced by the high frame rates at those resolutions. However, the 4K results, particularly the 46 FPS average at Ultra settings, show that the GPU is the definitive limiting component.

The lack of minimum FPS data for most settings makes it difficult to quantify frame time consistency, but the Medium settings provide some insight. At 1080p Medium, the average is 225 FPS with a minimum of 191 FPS and a maximum of 259 FPS. The delta between min and max is 68 FPS, which is a relatively tight range. At 1440p Medium, the average is 142 FPS with a minimum of 121 FPS and a maximum of 164 FPS, a delta of 43 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS and a maximum of 85 FPS, a delta of 22 FPS. This narrowing delta as resolution increases suggests that the GPU is becoming the bottleneck, which actually stabilizes frame pacing because the CPU is no longer the source of variability. The 4K Ultra result of 46 FPS, however, is likely to be less stable, as the GPU is pushed to its absolute limit.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. The GPU's boost clock is rated at 2460 MHz, which is a moderate frequency for the 40-series lineup. The data shows that this configuration is sufficient for smooth gameplay at 1080p and 1440p across all tested settings, but it struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra.

The 4K results are particularly telling. At High settings, the card produces 64 FPS, which is technically playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. At Medium settings, it produces 74 FPS, and at Low settings, it reaches 100 FPS. The jump from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 54 FPS drop, from 100 to 46 FPS, which demonstrates that the visual fidelity improvements at Ultra are costly. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM is likely a contributing factor, as the higher resolution textures at Ultra may be exceeding the memory capacity, leading to performance degradation. The card's Passmark G3D score of 19545 places it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs, which aligns with its mid-range positioning.

The RTX 4060's performance relative to its nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark database is notable. It scores a delta of -0.2% against the AMD Radeon HD 7790, meaning it is essentially tied in synthetic compute. However, this does not translate to gaming performance, as the architecture differences are vast. In Barony, the GPU's role is to render the game's simple geometry and lighting, and it does so effectively at lower resolutions. The 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K Ultra setting exposes the card's limitations, resulting in a 46 FPS average that would not be considered a fluid experience for a fast-paced roguelike.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy for the best experience in Barony. At 1080p, the Ultra preset produces 139 FPS, which is far above the threshold for smooth gameplay. The High preset produces 193 FPS, and the Medium preset produces 225 FPS. Given that all three are well above 60 FPS, the recommendation is to use Ultra at 1080p for the best visual quality, as the performance cost is negligible. The Low preset at 303 FPS is unnecessary for standard displays and offers no practical benefit.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset drops to 87 FPS, which is still excellent. The High preset produces 122 FPS, and the Medium preset produces 142 FPS. The data suggests that Ultra is the optimal choice here as well, as the 87 FPS average provides a smooth experience on high refresh rate monitors. The Low preset at 191 FPS is again excessive, and the visual downgrade is not worth the frame rate increase.

At 4K, the decision becomes more nuanced. The Ultra preset produces 46 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for many players and may result in noticeable stutter. The High preset produces 64 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. The Medium preset produces 74 FPS, which is a better balance of visual quality and performance. The Low preset produces 100 FPS, but the visual compromise is severe. For 4K, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it delivers a stable frame rate with a minimum of 63 FPS, which is the only 4K setting with a recorded minimum that stays above 60 FPS. This stability is crucial for a game where precise timing can be a factor. The High preset at 64 FPS might dip below 60 in intense moments, while Medium has the headroom to avoid that.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1763 out of 2935 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the 40th percentile of all configurations, meaning roughly 60% of tested systems perform better. This ranking is somewhat surprising given the CPU's strength, but it is dragged down by the GPU's mid-range performance. The CPU alone has a percentile of 95 against all CPUs, while the GPU has a percentile of 61 against all GPUs. The combo ranking suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing, as the CPU is capable of much higher frame rates than the GPU can deliver at higher resolutions.

Compared to other systems, this combo is not in the top tier. The rank of 1763 indicates that there are many configurations with more powerful GPUs that can achieve higher frame rates, particularly at 4K. However, the combo is not at the bottom either, and it provides a solid baseline for 1080p and 1440p gaming. The data shows that the CPU is a high-end part, but the GPU is a mainstream part, and their pairing results in a system that is well-balanced for 1440p gaming but not for 4K enthusiast-level play. The 40th percentile ranking is a reflection of this compromise.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Dragon Range. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a 64 MB L3 cache. The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42713 and a single-core score of 6030. Its average benchmark score is 76212, and it sits in the 95th percentile of all CPUs.

In Barony, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, pathfinding, and procedural generation, which are typical for a roguelike. The high single-core performance is beneficial for the game's main thread, while the multi-core performance ensures that background tasks do not cause stutters. The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck at 1080p, as the frame rates are extremely high (303 FPS at Low). Even at 1440p, the CPU keeps pace, with 191 FPS at Low settings. The CPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals is tight. It is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, 0.4% behind the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P, and 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D. This indicates that the 8945HX is a top-tier mobile CPU, but its advantage is marginal.

The CPU's 5.40 GHz boost clock is a key factor in its ability to maintain high frame rates. At 1080p Low, the CPU can push the GPU to its maximum output, resulting in 303 FPS. At 4K, the CPU is clearly not the limiting factor, as the frame rates drop significantly due to GPU load. The data does not show any scenario where the CPU is holding back the GPU, which confirms its power. The 32 threads also help with multitasking, ensuring that the game runs smoothly even with background applications. The CPU's performance in the Passmark multi-thread test (51405) and single-thread test (3907) further confirms its capability to handle the game's demands.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table summarizes the average FPS for each resolution and settings combination:

• 1080p Low: 303 FPS
• 1080p Medium: 225 FPS (min 191, max 259)
• 1080p High: 193 FPS
• 1080p Ultra: 139 FPS

At 1080p, the progression is linear, with each step down in settings yielding a significant frame rate increase. The jump from Ultra to High is 54 FPS, from High to Medium is 32 FPS, and from Medium to Low is 78 FPS. This indicates that the Low preset removes many visual effects that are costly to render.

• 1440p Low: 191 FPS
• 1440p Medium: 142 FPS (min 121, max 164)
• 1440p High: 122 FPS
• 1440p Ultra: 87 FPS

At 1440p, the pattern is similar, but the absolute numbers are lower. The drop from Low to Medium is 49 FPS, from Medium to High is 20 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 35 FPS. The Ultra setting at 1440p is still highly playable, with 87 FPS.

• 4K Low: 100 FPS
• 4K Medium: 74 FPS (min 63, max 85)
• 4K High: 64 FPS
• 4K Ultra: 46 FPS

At 4K, the frame rates become more modest. The drop from Low to Medium is 26 FPS, from Medium to High is 10 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 18 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 46 FPS is the only setting across all resolutions that falls below the 60 FPS mark, making it the weakest point of this combo. The Medium setting at 4K offers the best balance, with an average of 74 FPS and a minimum of 63 FPS. The data shows that the combo is capable of high refresh rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, and it can handle 4K at reduced settings. The lack of min/max data for most settings limits the analysis of frame time consistency, but the Medium settings across all resolutions show acceptable variance.