Barony

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER pairing delivers exceptional performance in Barony, a roguelike that is far more demanding on hardware than its genre typically suggests. The measured data shows this combination produces extremely high frame rates across all tested settings, firmly placing it in the upper echelon of configurations. This combo ranks 479th out of 2935 tested combinations, placing it in the top 16.3% of all systems evaluated for this title. The following analysis breaks down how each component contributes to these results and what settings provide the most balanced experience.

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

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, manufactured on TSMC's 4 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a TDP of 120 W. The processor features a substantial 128 MB of L3 cache, which is critical for gaming performance, and supports DDR5 memory through a dual-channel interface with 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth. This cache configuration is particularly effective in Barony, where procedural generation and entity management can create irregular memory access patterns.

Benchmark results for this CPU place it at the 91st percentile among all tested processors. Its multi-threaded performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 47737 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 22884. Single-thread performance is equally impressive, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6739 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4646. For a game like Barony, which relies heavily on game logic, pathfinding, and procedural world generation, both single and multi-core performance matter. The data indicates that the CPU is more than capable of feeding the GPU at all tested resolutions, as frame rates remain high even at 1080p where CPU bottlenecks typically surface.

Comparing to nearest rivals, the 9900X3D is 0.6% behind the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF in average benchmark score, yet 1.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K and 2% ahead of the Intel Xeon 6505P. The margin is tight, but the 9900X3D's large cache and high boost clock give it an edge in gaming scenarios. The processor's 4 nm process node and 16,630 million transistors contribute to its efficiency, allowing sustained performance without thermal throttling. In Barony, the CPU's role is to maintain consistent frame pacing, and the measured FPS data suggests it does so effectively, as even the most demanding 4K Ultra settings never show signs of CPU-induced stutter.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, featuring 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. It has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1980 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz, with memory clocked at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The card includes 7168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units, along with 56 RT cores and 224 tensor cores. Its FP32 performance is rated at 35.48 TFLOPS.

This GPU holds the 83rd percentile among all tested graphics cards. Its Passmark G3D score is 29995, with a Geekbench Vulkan score of 205624. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for Barony's asset loading at 4K resolution, and the high memory bandwidth ensures textures and geometry are streamed without hitches. Compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 4070 SUPER is 0.1% behind the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB and the RTX 5050 Mobile, and 0.2% behind the Quadro M6000, while being 1% ahead of the RTX 4090 Mobile in average benchmark scores. This places it in a competitive position, though its desktop-class cooling and power delivery give it an advantage in sustained gaming loads.

In Barony, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1080p, the GPU is often underutilized, as seen by the massive frame rates exceeding 500 FPS on Low settings. At 4K, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, with frame rates dropping to 79 FPS on Ultra settings. The RTX 4070 SUPER's 220 W TDP and dual-slot design allow it to maintain boost clocks under load, which is essential for the demanding 4K Ultra preset. The card's PCIe 4.0 x16 interface provides adequate bandwidth for data transfer, and its support for DirectX 12 Ultimate ensures compatibility with modern rendering features.

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

Analyzing the measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound performance at higher settings. At 1080p High settings, the combo achieves 333 FPS, which drops to 210 FPS at 1440p, a 36.9% reduction, and further to 110 FPS at 4K, a 47.6% reduction from 1440p. This scaling indicates that the CPU is capable of driving very high frame rates at 1080p, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor as pixel count increases.

On Low settings, the scaling is more dramatic. At 1080p Low, the system produces 522 FPS, dropping to 329 FPS at 1440p (a 37% reduction) and 172 FPS at 4K (a 47.7% reduction from 1440p). The fact that even at Low settings 4K only produces 172 FPS suggests that the GPU is still the primary constraint, as the CPU has ample headroom to push well beyond these numbers. The 9900X3D's strong single-thread performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6739, ensures it is not holding back the GPU at any resolution.

Medium settings show a similar trend, with 388 FPS at 1080p, 245 FPS at 1440p (a 36.9% drop), and 128 FPS at 4K (a 47.8% drop from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests that the GPU is scaling predictably with resolution, and the CPU is not introducing any irregularities. Ultra settings follow the same pattern, with 239 FPS at 1080p, 151 FPS at 1440p (a 36.8% drop), and 79 FPS at 4K (a 47.7% drop from 1440p). The 4K Ultra result of 79 FPS is the lowest measured, but still playable, indicating that the system is GPU-limited in this scenario.

The data shows that the performance drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistently around 37% across all settings, and from 1440p to 4K is consistently around 48%. This uniform scaling indicates that the limiting component shifts entirely to the GPU at higher resolutions, and the CPU's performance is sufficient to maintain high frame rates without becoming a bottleneck. The RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 4K textures, but the GPU's raw compute power is what ultimately determines frame rates at this resolution.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the system achieves 388 FPS with a minimum of 330 FPS and a maximum of 446 FPS, providing a smooth and consistent experience well beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. At 1440p Medium, the average FPS is 245, with a minimum of 208 and a maximum of 282, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate displays. Even at 4K Medium, the system maintains an average of 128 FPS, with a minimum of 109 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay without significant frame drops.

The Low preset delivers the highest frame rates, with 522 FPS at 1080p, 329 FPS at 1440p, and 172 FPS at 4K. While these numbers are impressive, Low settings may sacrifice visual fidelity in a game like Barony, where lighting and shadow effects contribute to the atmosphere. The High preset offers a middle ground, with 333 FPS at 1080p, 210 FPS at 1440p, and 110 FPS at 4K. This preset likely provides better visual quality than Medium, but the frame rate difference between Medium and High is relatively small, suggesting that Medium may be the sweet spot for most users.

The Ultra preset is the most demanding, yielding 239 FPS at 1080p, 151 FPS at 1440p, and 79 FPS at 4K. While 1080p and 1440p Ultra are playable, 4K Ultra drops below the 80 FPS threshold, which may be noticeable on high-refresh-rate 4K displays. Given that Medium provides a minimum of 109 FPS at 4K, it is the recommended preset for 4K gaming. For 1440p, either Medium or High is suitable, as both produce averages above 200 FPS. At 1080p, all presets are playable, but Medium or High provide a better balance of visual quality and performance.

The data suggests that the system is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, with the ability to handle 4K at Medium settings comfortably. For competitive play where frame rates are paramount, Low settings at 1440p or 1080p provide the highest possible FPS, but for most gaming scenarios, Medium offers an optimal blend of performance and visual fidelity.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 479th out of 2935 tested combinations in Barony. This places it in the top 16.3% of all systems tested, which is a strong showing given the breadth of hardware combinations evaluated. The rank indicates that this combo outperforms the majority of systems, though there are 478 combos that achieve higher frame rates, likely featuring more powerful GPUs such as the RTX 4090 or higher-end RTX 40-series cards.

The CPU's 91st percentile ranking among all processors and the GPU's 83rd percentile ranking among all graphics cards suggest that both components are above average, but the combo's overall rank of 479 indicates that the GPU is the more limiting factor in this pairing. Had the system been paired with a higher-tier GPU, the rank would likely be higher. However, the RTX 4070 SUPER's performance in Barony is respectable, and the combo's ranking reflects a well-balanced system that excels at high-refresh-rate gaming.

Compared to other combos that might use a similar CPU with a more powerful GPU, this system is likely positioned in the upper-midrange tier. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the system produces 79 FPS, which is above the playability threshold but not exceptionally high. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 522 FPS, which is in the top tier of performance for that resolution. The combo's rank of 479 suggests that it is a capable system for Barony, but users seeking maximum frame rates at 4K Ultra may want to consider a more powerful GPU.

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

At 1920x1080, the system delivers outstanding performance across all settings. On Low settings, the average FPS is 522, providing an exceptionally smooth experience. Medium settings yield an average of 388 FPS, with a minimum of 330 FPS and a maximum of 446 FPS, ensuring consistent frame delivery. High settings produce an average of 333 FPS, while Ultra settings achieve an average of 239 FPS. All 1080p results are well above the refresh rate of typical gaming monitors, making this resolution ideal for competitive play.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show expected scaling. Low settings average 329 FPS, while Medium settings average 245 FPS, with a minimum of 208 FPS and a maximum of 282 FPS. High settings produce an average of 210 FPS, and Ultra settings average 151 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1440p gaming is very smooth, with even Ultra settings exceeding 150 FPS, which is sufficient for high-refresh-rate displays.

At 3840x2160, the system demonstrates its capability at 4K resolution. Low settings average 172 FPS, providing a playable and smooth experience. Medium settings average 128 FPS, with a minimum of 109 FPS and a maximum of 147 FPS, which is excellent for 4K gaming. High settings average 110 FPS, while Ultra settings average 79 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only measured scenario below 80 FPS, but it remains playable. For users prioritizing frame rate at 4K, Medium settings offer the best balance, with a minimum FPS of 109 ensuring no significant drops below the refresh rate of most 4K monitors.