Barony

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile delivers a striking performance profile in Barony, a roguelike that scales aggressively across resolutions. The measured data reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at lower settings, yet the CPU’s 16 cores and 32 threads ensure that frame rates remain exceptionally high even when the graphics load intensifies. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to explain where the bottleneck shifts and what settings deliver the best experience.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and linear, revealing a classic GPU-limited scenario at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 294 FPS at 1920x1080 to 186 FPS at 2560x1440 — a 37% reduction — and then to 97 FPS at 3840x2160, which is a 48% drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern is remarkably consistent: each step up in resolution cuts the frame rate by roughly a third to a half, which points directly to the RTX 5060 Mobile’s pixel throughput as the limiting factor.

The High settings preset tells a similar but slightly less dramatic story. At 1080p High, the average is 188 FPS, which falls to 118 FPS at 1440p (a 37% drop) and then to 62 FPS at 4K (a 47% drop from 1440p). The percentage decreases are nearly identical to the Low preset, suggesting that the rendering pipeline’s resolution scaling is independent of the graphical complexity. This is typical for a game like Barony, where the visual effects are modest and the primary cost of higher resolution is pure fill rate.

At Ultra settings, the curve becomes even steeper. The system manages 135 FPS at 1080p, drops to 85 FPS at 1440p (a 37% decrease), and then plunges to 44 FPS at 4K — a 48% reduction from the 1440p result. The fact that the proportional drop is nearly identical across all four presets indicates that the RTX 5060 Mobile’s 48 ROPs and 128-bit memory bus are the hard ceiling. The GPU’s pixel rate of 69.84 GPixel/s and texture rate of 151.3 GTexel/s are simply insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra, where the demand for pixel shading exceeds what the chip can deliver.

The data also shows that the CPU is never a bottleneck in this game. At 1080p Low, the 294 FPS average is extraordinarily high, and the Ryzen 9 8945HX’s single-thread score of 6030 in Cinebench R23 suggests it can feed frames far faster than the GPU can render them. The shift from 1080p to 1440p at any given preset produces a nearly identical percentage drop, which would not happen if the CPU were struggling. This is a roguelike with relatively simple geometry and AI, so the 32 threads are more than adequate; the limiting component is unambiguously the GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile is the workhorse in this configuration, and its specifications explain the measured results precisely. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a modest memory subsystem, and it becomes the primary constraint at 4K Ultra where the average FPS falls to 44. The 8 GB capacity is sufficient for Barony’s texture loads, but the bandwidth is clearly strained when rendering at 3840x2160 with High or Ultra settings.

Clock speeds are relatively conservative: a base of 952 MHz and a boost of 1455 MHz. These are not high clocks for a modern GPU, and they contribute to the observed performance ceiling. The FP32 throughput of 9.684 TFLOPS is respectable for a mobile part, but it is spread across 3328 shading units, which is a moderate count. The RTX 5060 Mobile’s benchmark scores reflect this positioning: it sits at the 67th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 22435. Its nearest rival in the data is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile, which scores 22729 — a delta of -1.3%, meaning the RTX 5060 Mobile is slightly slower in aggregate benchmarks.

The measured frame rates align with this ranking. At 1440p High, the RTX 5060 Mobile produces 118 FPS, which is a strong result for a mobile GPU, but the 4K Ultra result of 44 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold that most players consider smooth. The GPU’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3013.5 and Passmark G3D score of 18852 are consistent with a mid-range mobile part that excels at 1080p and 1440p but struggles at 4K. The data suggests that the 8 GB VRAM is not the issue for this game — the bandwidth and pixel throughput are.

The RTX 5060 Mobile’s role in Barony is to provide high refresh rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, which it does admirably. At 1080p Medium, it averages 219 FPS, and at 1440p Medium, it averages 138 FPS. The GPU is clearly capable of driving fast panels at these resolutions. However, the 4K results show that this is not a 4K gaming part for modern titles, even a relatively light roguelike. The 44 FPS at 4K Ultra is a clear indicator that the GPU is the limiting component at that resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this system depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset is the sweet spot. It delivers an average of 219 FPS with a minimum of 186 FPS and a maximum of 251 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate of most gaming laptops. The High preset at 1080p still provides 188 FPS, but the jump from Medium to High yields a 14% performance penalty while offering marginal visual improvements in a roguelike. The Low preset is unnecessary at this resolution, as the 294 FPS average exceeds the capabilities of nearly all displays.

For 2560x1440, the High preset is the best balance. It produces an average of 118 FPS, which is playable on 120 Hz and 144 Hz panels, though not fully saturating them. The Medium preset at 1440p offers 138 FPS, which is a 17% improvement, but the visual fidelity drop is noticeable in a game with pixel-art textures and simple lighting. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 85 FPS, which is still playable but begins to feel less smooth on high refresh rate displays. The data suggests that High at 1440p is the recommended choice for consistent frame pacing.

At 3840x2160, the system is heavily GPU-limited, and the settings recommendations reflect this. The Low preset averages 97 FPS, which is the only 4K preset that clears the 60 FPS mark. The Medium preset averages 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS, which is technically playable but close to the threshold. The High preset at 62 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 44 FPS is not recommended for anything other than static screenshots. For 4K gaming, the Low or Medium presets are the only viable options, and even then, the experience is inferior to 1440p High.

The data clearly indicates that 1440p High is the best overall experience for this hardware combination. It provides a high frame rate that is smooth on most displays while retaining enough visual quality to appreciate the game’s design. For players with 1080p panels, the Medium preset is optimal, as the 219 FPS average leaves ample headroom for the CPU to handle any background tasks without impacting frame times.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive picture of the system’s performance across all resolution and settings combinations. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average at 294 FPS, followed by Medium at 219 FPS (min 186, max 251), High at 188 FPS, and Ultra at 135 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 159 FPS, which is a 54% performance difference, highlighting the significant cost of the Ultra preset’s additional effects.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 186 FPS for Low, 138 FPS for Medium (min 117, max 159), 118 FPS for High, and 85 FPS for Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 101 FPS, which is a 54% difference, consistent with the 1080p results. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a minimum of 117 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS, indicating smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the averages drop significantly: 97 FPS for Low, 72 FPS for Medium (min 61, max 83), 62 FPS for High, and 44 FPS for Ultra. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that falls below 60 FPS, and the Medium preset’s minimum of 61 FPS shows that the system is right at the edge of playability. The 4K results demonstrate a clear linear scaling: each step up in settings from Low to Ultra reduces the average by roughly 25 FPS, which confirms the GPU’s consistent behavior under load.

The data also reveals that the minimum FPS values are only provided for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 186 FPS, which is 85% of the average. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 117 FPS, which is 85% of the average. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 61 FPS, which is 85% of the average. This consistency suggests that the frame pacing is stable across resolutions, with no sudden spikes or drops that would indicate CPU bottlenecks or stuttering.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate this system achieves in Barony?*

A: The highest measured average is 294 FPS at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset. This is the only configuration that exceeds 290 FPS, and it is far above the refresh rate of any mainstream display.

Q: At what resolution and settings does the system first drop below 60 FPS?

A: The system drops below 60 FPS only at 3840x2160 with the Ultra settings preset, where the average is 44 FPS. The 4K Medium preset has a minimum of 61 FPS, which is just above the threshold, but the average of 72 FPS is still above 60.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 Mobile compare to the RTX 4060 Mobile in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 5060 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 22435, while the RTX 4060 Mobile scores 22729. This represents a delta of -1.3%, meaning the RTX 5060 Mobile is slightly slower than its predecessor in aggregate benchmarks.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 8945HX a bottleneck in this game?

A: No. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42713 and single-core score of 6030 are exceptionally high. The measured FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent across all presets, which indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, not the CPU.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 delivers an average of 118 FPS, which is the best balance of visual quality and performance. The Medium preset offers 138 FPS, but the visual difference is noticeable, while the Ultra preset drops to 85 FPS.

*Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM cause any issues in Barony?*

A: The measured data shows no evidence of VRAM-related stuttering or frame drops. The 8 GB GDDR7 memory is sufficient for the game’s textures, and the minimum FPS values for the Medium preset are consistently 85% of the average, indicating stable performance.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Dragon Range. It operates at a base clock of 2.50 GHz and boosts up to 5.40 GHz, with a TDP of 55 W. This is a high-end mobile CPU, and its benchmark scores reflect its capabilities: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42713, a single-core score of 6030, and a Passmark multithread score of 51405. The CPU sits at the 95th percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 76212.

In Barony, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage the game’s simulation logic. The game is a roguelike with procedurally generated levels, which means the CPU must handle pathfinding, item generation, and enemy AI. The Ryzen 9 8945HX is more than capable of these tasks, as evidenced by the extremely high frame rates at 1080p. The 294 FPS average at 1080p Low is only possible if the CPU can issue draw calls faster than the GPU can render them, and the 32 threads ensure that even the most complex levels do not cause a bottleneck.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in the benchmark data are the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, which scores 76155 (a delta of 0.1%), and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D, which scores 75779 (a delta of 0.6%). These are all high-performance processors, and the Ryzen 9 8945HX is within 1% of each, indicating that its performance is competitive with the best mobile and desktop chips. The L3 cache of 64 MB is substantial, which helps with the random memory access patterns common in roguelike games.

The measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution or settings preset. The consistent proportional drops from 1080p to 1440p to 4K are characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, and the fact that the Ultra preset at 1080p still achieves 135 FPS confirms that the CPU has ample headroom. The Ryzen 9 8945HX’s 16 cores are overkill for a game like Barony, but they ensure that the system will not experience stutters even when the GPU is maxed out at 4K. In this configuration, the CPU is a silent partner, providing the computational foundation for the GPU to operate at its full potential.