Barony

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a performance profile in Barony that is heavily dictated by resolution, with the data showing a clear transition from a CPU-bound state at 1080p to a GPU-bound state at 4K. The measured frames per second (FPS) across the four settings presets and three resolutions reveal a system with immense headroom at lower pixel counts, yet one that begins to show its limits when pixel count quadruples.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS trajectory from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 under the Medium preset is the most telling indicator of system balance. At 1080p Medium, the combo produces an average of 253 FPS, which drops to 159 FPS at 1440p, and further to 83 FPS at 4K. This represents a decline of roughly 37% from 1080p to 1440p, and a 67% drop from the 1080p baseline when moving to 4K. The scaling pattern suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiter, as the GPU is capable of pushing far more frames than the processor can feed. The Ryzen 9 8945HX, with its 16 cores and 32 threads, is a formidable mobile processor, but the data implies that even its high boost clock of 5.40 GHz is the bottleneck at this resolution, capping performance well below the GPU's potential.

The scaling curve under the High preset reinforces this narrative. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 217, rising to 137 FPS at 1440p, and settling at 72 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 37%, which is nearly identical to the Medium preset, indicating a consistent CPU limitation at the lower resolution. However, the drop from 1440p to 4K is 47%, a steeper decline than the 48% observed with Medium, suggesting that the heavier graphical load of the High preset begins to engage the GPU more thoroughly as resolution climbs. The RTX 4070, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth, is clearly being tasked more heavily at 4K, but the FPS remains playable.

The Low preset reveals the most extreme CPU-bound scenario. At 1080p Low, the system achieves a staggering 340 FPS average, which is 34% higher than the High preset at the same resolution. This indicates that the GPU is barely working at this setting, and the CPU is almost entirely responsible for the frame rate. Moving to 1440p Low yields 214 FPS, a 37% reduction, and 4K Low produces 112 FPS, a 67% reduction from the 1080p figure. The fact that 4K Low (112 FPS) is still higher than 1080p Ultra (156 FPS) at the same resolution highlights how much headroom exists in the CPU when graphical settings are reduced.

The Ultra preset shows the most significant impact of resolution scaling, which is expected given its heavier load. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 156, which drops to 98 FPS at 1440p (a 37% decline) and then to 51 FPS at 4K (a 67% decline from 1080p). The 4K Ultra result of 51 FPS is the lowest measurement in the entire dataset, indicating that this preset is the only one that pushes the system to a point where the GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck. The scaling behavior across all four presets is remarkably consistent in percentage terms, with a 37% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 47-48% drop from 1440p to 4K. This consistency suggests that the game's engine scales predictably with resolution, and the limiting component shifts from CPU at 1080p to GPU at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data for this combination strongly suggests that the Medium preset offers the optimal balance between visual fidelity and frame rate performance across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the system produces 253 FPS average, which is more than sufficient for any high-refresh-rate display. The minimum FPS measured at this setting is 215, ensuring a smooth experience even in the most demanding scenes. The jump to High at 1080p only reduces performance to 217 FPS average, but the additional visual detail may not be worth the 14% performance cost when the Medium preset already delivers a flawless experience.

At 1440p, Medium yields 159 FPS average with a minimum of 136 FPS, making it the clear choice for gamers with 144Hz monitors. The High preset at this resolution produces 137 FPS average, which is still excellent, but the margin between Medium and High becomes more pronounced. For those seeking the highest visual quality at 1440p, Ultra delivers 98 FPS average, which is playable but may feel less fluid on high-refresh displays. The Low preset at 1440p, producing 214 FPS average, is unnecessary for most users given the performance available at Medium.

The 4K resolution presents a more challenging scenario. Medium at 4K delivers 83 FPS average with a minimum of 71 FPS, which is a comfortable experience for standard 60Hz displays. High at 4K drops to 72 FPS average, still playable, but the 13% performance reduction from Medium may not be justified by the visual improvements. Ultra at 4K produces 51 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for a smooth experience. Low at 4K, with 112 FPS average, is the only preset that offers a high-refresh experience at this resolution, but the visual quality trade-off is substantial. The data indicates that Medium is the sweet spot for 4K, as it provides a 60+ FPS average with the highest visual fidelity that maintains this performance level.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 1572 out of 2935 tested combinations in Barony, placing it in the 46th percentile of all combos. This mid-pack ranking is surprising given the individual components' strengths, but it reflects the game's particular optimization patterns. The CPU itself ranks in the 95th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 76212, putting it just 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX and 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D. This places the processor in elite company, but the game's performance does not fully leverage this computational power.

The GPU ranks in the 81st percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37648. This places it 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla P4 and 1.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile. The GPU's performance in Barony is solid, but the combo's overall rank of 1572 suggests that the game may not be heavily multithreaded or may have specific engine limitations that prevent the CPU's 16 cores from being fully utilized. The deltaPct values for the CPU's nearest rivals are all within 0.6%, indicating that the Ryzen 9 8945HX is performing exactly as expected relative to its peers. The GPU's nearest rivals show a similar clustering, with all deltas within 1.3%.

The 54% ranking position (1572/2935) implies that a significant portion of tested combinations outperform this setup in Barony. This could be due to the game's apparent sensitivity to single-core performance, where the CPU's 5.40 GHz boost clock is strong but not exceptional. The fact that the combo ranks lower than the CPU's 95th percentile and GPU's 81st percentile individually suggests that the game is not able to scale with the multi-threaded capabilities of the 32-thread processor. The data implies that a combination with a slightly less powerful CPU but a more powerful GPU might achieve a higher rank, as the game appears to be more GPU-bound at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the system produces an average FPS of 340 on Low, 253 on Medium (with a minimum of 215 and maximum of 291), 217 on High, and 156 on Ultra. These figures demonstrate a nearly linear scaling with graphical settings, where each step from Low to Ultra reduces performance by approximately 22-28%. The minimum FPS data point for Medium at 1080p (215 FPS) is higher than the average FPS for every other preset at this resolution, highlighting the consistency of the Medium preset.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are 214 on Low, 159 on Medium (minimum 136, maximum 183), 137 on High, and 98 on Ultra. The transition from 1080p to 1440p results in a 37% reduction in performance across all presets, which is a consistent scaling factor. The 1440p Medium minimum of 136 FPS ensures that even the most demanding scenes remain above the 120 FPS threshold, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh gaming. The Ultra preset at 1440p produces 98 FPS average, which is still above 60 FPS and would be suitable for standard displays.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values are 112 on Low, 83 on Medium (minimum 71, maximum 96), 72 on High, and 51 on Ultra. The 4K Medium minimum of 71 FPS is the lowest recorded minimum in the dataset, but it remains above the 60 FPS threshold. The 4K Ultra average of 51 FPS is the only configuration that falls below 60 FPS, suggesting that this preset at this resolution is not recommended for a consistent experience. The data shows a clear pattern: the system is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p and 1440p with Medium settings, and maintains playable frame rates at 4K with Medium or High settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 144 FPS consistently?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the system produces 253 FPS average with a minimum of 215 FPS, easily surpassing the 144 FPS target. At 2560x1440 Medium, the average drops to 159 FPS with a minimum of 136 FPS, which is below the 144 FPS threshold in the most demanding scenes. Therefore, 1080p is the only resolution that guarantees a 144 FPS experience.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming comfortably?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 Medium, the combo produces 83 FPS average with a minimum of 71 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS standard for comfortable 4K gaming. The High preset at 4K delivers 72 FPS average, also playable, but the Ultra preset falls to 51 FPS average, which is not recommended for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 8945HX compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 9 8945HX has an average benchmark score of 76212, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX and 0.6% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D. It is 0.4% lower than both the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset produces 340 FPS average, while the Ultra preset produces 156 FPS average. This represents a 54% reduction in performance when moving from Low to Ultra, which is a substantial trade-off for visual fidelity.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the bottleneck at 1440p Medium?

A: The data shows a 37% reduction in FPS from 1080p to 1440p, which is consistent across all presets. This suggests the CPU is still a significant factor at 1440p, but the GPU is becoming more involved. The 159 FPS average at 1440p Medium indicates that neither component is fully saturated, with the system having headroom for higher settings.

Q: How does the RTX 4070's performance in this game compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37648, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P4 and 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56. It is 1.3% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile and 1.3% higher than the AMD Radeon PRO W6400.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It features a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a total of 64 MB of L3 cache. The processor's benchmark results show exceptional multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 42713 and a single-core score of 6030. These figures place the CPU in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, indicating that it is among the top 5% of processors available.

In Barony, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p resolution, where the frame rates are exceptionally high. The 340 FPS average at 1080p Low suggests that the CPU is capable of processing game logic and draw calls at a rate that exceeds the GPU's rendering capabilities at this resolution. The 5.40 GHz boost clock is critical for this performance, as the game appears to benefit from high single-thread throughput. The 16 cores and 32 threads provide ample multitasking headroom, but the data indicates that Barony may not be fully utilizing all threads, as the performance scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent regardless of core count.

The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, has an average score of 76155, which is only 0.1% lower. This negligible difference suggests that the two processors are virtually identical in overall performance. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D, with a score of 75779, is 0.6% lower, indicating that the 8945HX holds a slight advantage. The CPU's Passmark multithread score of 51405 and floating point math score of 117453 demonstrate its capability in compute-heavy tasks, but these strengths do not translate to a higher combo rank in Barony, implying that the game's engine is not the primary beneficiary of such raw computational power.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is a desktop-class GPU based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, featuring the AD104 chip manufactured on a 5 nm process. It has 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units, with 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1920 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz, with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The GPU's FP32 performance is rated at 29.15 TFLOPS, and it has a TDP of 200 W.

In Barony, the GPU's role becomes increasingly significant as resolution increases. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 51, which is the lowest in the dataset, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor at this configuration. The 12 GB of VRAM is sufficient for the game's demands, as no memory-related issues are apparent in the data. The 5 nm process and high boost clock allow the GPU to maintain competitive frame rates at 1440p, where it produces 137 FPS average on High settings.

The GPU's benchmark performance places it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 37648. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile, has a score of 38135, which is 1.3% higher. This indicates that the RTX 4070 is slightly less powerful than the mobile 4080, but the difference is minimal in practical terms. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3854 and Passmark G3D score of 26927 demonstrate its capability in modern rendering workloads. The data suggests that the RTX 4070 is well-matched to the Ryzen 9 8945HX for this game, with neither component being a significant bottleneck at the most common settings of 1080p and 1440p Medium.