Barony

Barony, a roguelike with a 2015 release date, shows remarkably high performance on the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination. The measured data reveals a system that is heavily overqualified for this title, with even 4K Ultra settings maintaining a playable frame rate. This analysis breaks down the resolution scaling, the roles of the CPU and GPU, and provides specific recommendations based on the measured FPS rows.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, but the baseline is so high that every resolution remains very playable. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 360 FPS at 1920x1080 to 227 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 119 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 67% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is a steep scaling curve. The pattern is consistent across all settings, indicating that the game's rendering load scales heavily with pixel count, which is typical for a title with simple geometry and effects but high fill-rate demands.

Looking at Medium settings, the frame rates are 268 FPS at 1080p, 169 FPS at 1440p, and 88 FPS at 4K. The 1440p score sits almost exactly between the other two, suggesting a linear relationship between resolution and rendering cost in this configuration. At High settings, the progression is 230 FPS at 1080p, 145 FPS at 1440p, and 76 FPS at 4K. The 4K High result is 67% lower than the 1080p High result, matching the Low-settings scaling exactly. This consistency implies that the limiting factor is not the CPU or memory bandwidth but rather the GPU's pixel processing throughput.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling. At 1080p, the average is 165 FPS, which drops to 104 FPS at 1440p and 54 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is 67% below the 1080p Ultra figure, again following the same proportional decline. This uniform scaling across all quality presets strongly suggests that the system is GPU-bound at every resolution and settings combination. The CPU, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, is never the bottleneck; the limiting component is the Radeon RX 7700's ability to fill pixels, which is taxed more heavily as resolution increases. The data shows that 4K Ultra at 54 FPS is still above the 30 FPS threshold for playability, but the more comfortable margins are found at lower resolutions or settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge, and built on a 4 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock is 4.40 GHz with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, and it has a 64 MB L3 cache. This processor is ranked in the 92nd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 57498. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are the AMD EPYC 9015 with a score of 57555, the AMD EPYC 7313 at 57399, and the Intel Core i9-14900 at 58115. The 9900X trails the i9-14900 by 1.1% in average score, but it leads the EPYC 7313 by 0.2%, showing it is firmly in high-end desktop territory.

In Barony, the CPU's role is minimal because the game's frame rates are so high that even a weaker processor would likely keep up. The measured FPS data does not include any CPU-specific bottleneck indicators, but the consistency of scaling across resolutions points to GPU limitation. The 9900X's single-thread performance, as evidenced by its 3dmark_single_thread score of 1286 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2253, is more than sufficient for a roguelike's typically light AI and game logic. The multicore strength, with a 3dmark_max_threads score of 13929 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32172, is irrelevant here because Barony likely does not scale beyond a few threads.

The processor's memory support is DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s, which provides ample bandwidth for the game's data streaming. The 9900X also has integrated Radeon Graphics, but the discrete RX 7700 handles all rendering. The data shows that the CPU is never the limiting factor; at 1080p Low, the 360 FPS average is likely capped by the game engine or the GPU's geometry throughput, not the CPU. The 9900X's nearest rivals in the synthetic benchmarks all have similar average scores, and none of these differences would translate into measurable FPS differences in Barony given the GPU-bound nature of the results.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, with the Navi 32 chip built on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s base clock is 1900 MHz, with a game clock of 2041 MHz and a boost clock of 2459 MHz. Its memory clock runs at 2438 MHz, which translates to 19.5 Gbps effective. The RX 7700 has 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units, along with 40 ray tracing cores. Its peak FP32 performance is 25.18 TFLOPS, with a texture rate of 393.4 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 236.1 GPixel/s.

In the synthetic benchmark database, the RX 7700 sits in the 58th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15852. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon R9 370X with a score of 15862, the AMD Radeon RX 9060 at 16014, the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 at 15679, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti at 16129. The RX 7700 trails the RTX 3060 Ti by 1.7% in average score, but it leads the Pro W5500 by 1.1%. This places it as a mid-range to upper-mid-range GPU, which is consistent with its performance in Barony.

The GPU’s role in Barony is the primary limiter at all resolutions and settings. The measured FPS data shows a consistent drop as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of pixel-fill-rate limitation. The 16 GB VRAM is more than adequate for a roguelike with simple textures, and the 624.1 GB/s bandwidth is unlikely to be saturated. The RX 7700’s 96 ROPs and 236.1 GPixel/s pixel rate directly determine how fast the frame buffer can be filled, and this is what caps performance at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the 54 FPS average suggests the GPU is working at its maximum, while at 1080p Low, the 360 FPS average might be hitting a game engine frame rate cap rather than a hardware limit.

The GPU’s DirectX 12 Ultimate support and 12_2 feature level ensure compatibility with modern rendering techniques, but Barony’s 2015 release date means it likely uses older APIs. The RX 7700’s performance in the PassMark DirectX tests (186 for DirectX 11, 96 for DirectX 12) shows that its DirectX 11 performance is stronger, which aligns with what a 2015 roguelike would use. The GPU’s 40 ray tracing cores are unused in this title, as Barony likely has no ray-traced effects. Overall, the RX 7700 is the component that determines the frame rates in this combination, and its mid-range positioning is why 4K Ultra drops to 54 FPS while 1080p Low exceeds 360 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p High settings?

A: The measured average is 145 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings, with no minimum or maximum FPS recorded.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance in Barony with this combo?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting component, as frame rates scale proportionally with resolution across all settings, which is a signature of pixel-fill-rate limitation rather than CPU bottleneck.

Q: How does the RX 7700 compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 3060 Ti, in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 7700 has an average benchmark score of 15852, which is 1.7% lower than the RTX 3060 Ti’s score of 16129, according to the nearestRivals data.

Q: What is the highest measured frame rate in this dataset?

A: The highest average FPS is 360 at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which is the maximum recorded value across all resolution and settings combinations.

Q: Is 4K Ultra playable with this hardware?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 54 FPS, which is above the typical 30 FPS playability threshold, though it is the lowest average in the dataset.

Q: What is the CPU’s percentile ranking among all tested processors?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is in the 92nd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 57498.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks 1336 out of 2935 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the 45th percentile of all combos, which is below the midpoint. Given that the GPU is in the 58th percentile and the CPU is in the 92nd percentile, the combo’s ranking is dragged down by the GPU’s relatively lower standing. In a game like Barony that is GPU-bound, the CPU’s high percentile does not contribute to a higher combo rank.

The 1336 rank out of 2935 means that roughly 45% of tested combos perform better in this game. This is consistent with the RX 7700’s mid-range position; many combos with higher-end GPUs will achieve higher frame rates. However, the rank is not poor in absolute terms, as the measured frame rates are all playable. The combo’s ranking is determined by the average FPS across all tested settings and resolutions, and the 4K Ultra result of 54 FPS likely pulls the average down compared to combos with stronger GPUs.

The data shows that the CPU is not a limiting factor, as its 92nd percentile ranking is far above the combo’s 45th percentile ranking. This suggests that pairing the 9900X with a higher-tier GPU would yield a much better combo rank, while the current GPU is the bottleneck. The nearest rival GPUs, such as the RTX 3060 Ti with a 1.7% higher average score, would likely produce slightly higher frame rates in Barony, potentially moving the combo rank up by a small margin. The combo’s ranking reflects the GPU’s mid-range performance, not the CPU’s high-end capabilities.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the best experience depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p gaming, all settings are playable, but the Medium preset at 268 FPS offers the best balance between visual quality and performance headroom. The Low preset at 360 FPS is unnecessarily high, and the jump to High at 230 FPS is still well above any refresh rate, so Medium provides a good middle ground. Ultra at 165 FPS is also excellent, so users with high-refresh-rate monitors can choose Ultra without worry.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 169 FPS is the sweet spot, as it stays above 144 FPS while offering better visuals than Low. The High preset at 145 FPS is also suitable for 144 Hz monitors, but it leaves less headroom. Ultra at 104 FPS is still smooth for 60 Hz displays, but it drops below 144 FPS, so Medium is recommended for high-refresh-rate users. Low at 227 FPS is overkill for most displays.

For 4K resolution, the recommendation is Medium settings at 88 FPS, which provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. High at 76 FPS is also viable for 60 Hz displays, but Ultra at 54 FPS sits below 60 FPS and may feel less smooth on some monitors. Low at 119 FPS is the only preset that exceeds 60 FPS comfortably, but it sacrifices visual fidelity. The data shows that Medium at 4K offers the best trade-off, with a 75 FPS minimum and 102 FPS maximum recorded, indicating consistent performance. For users prioritizing visual quality over frame rate, High at 76 FPS is acceptable, but Ultra is not recommended for smooth play.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates are 360 FPS on Low, 268 FPS on Medium, 230 FPS on High, and 165 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset has recorded minimum and maximum values of 228 FPS and 308 FPS, respectively, showing a 80 FPS variance. The other presets at this resolution have no min or max FPS data recorded.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are 227 FPS on Low, 169 FPS on Medium, 145 FPS on High, and 104 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset again has the only min/max data, with 144 FPS minimum and 194 FPS maximum, a 50 FPS spread. At 3840x2160, the averages are 119 FPS on Low, 88 FPS on Medium, 76 FPS on High, and 54 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 102 FPS, a 27 FPS variance.

The data reveals that the Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max information for all resolutions, providing insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p, the 228 FPS minimum is still very high, while at 4K, the 75 FPS minimum shows that the frame rate rarely dips below 60 FPS. The 4K Ultra preset has no min/max data, but its 54 FPS average suggests occasional dips below 50 FPS are possible. The Low preset at 1080p, with a 360 FPS average, likely hits a game engine cap, as the GPU’s pixel rate of 236.1 GPixel/s would theoretically allow higher frame rates at that resolution. The overall pattern shows that Medium is the most consistent preset, with the smallest relative variance between minimum and maximum frame rates across all resolutions.