Barony

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER produces a wide spread of frame rates across Barony’s resolution and settings matrix. The data shows a system capable of smoothly handling the game at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K Ultra result falls below the 60 FPS threshold. This analysis walks through the measured FPS values, the CPU’s role in the results, and how this specific combination ranks among the 1702 tested combos.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable but steep performance drop as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo delivers 318.6 FPS, but moving to 1440p Low drops that to 201.3 FPS, and 4K Low further reduces it to 103.3 FPS. This scaling pattern—a 36.8% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and another 48.7% reduction from 1440p to 4K—indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. The GPU’s 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed more heavily as pixel count increases.

For High settings, the trend continues: 203.6 FPS at 1080p, 126.9 FPS at 1440p, and 66.9 FPS at 4K. The 4K High result barely clears 60 FPS, suggesting that this resolution is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset tells a similar story, with 147.5 FPS at 1080p, 91.3 FPS at 1440p, and 50.4 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra figure is the only measured value below 60 FPS, making it the only configuration where the combination falls short of smooth gameplay expectations.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra shows a 38.1% drop, while the 1440p to 4K transition at Ultra shows a 44.8% drop. These percentages are relatively consistent, indicating that the GPU is the bottleneck across all presets, not just at the highest settings. The CPU’s 16 cores and 32 threads are not holding back performance at any resolution, as evidenced by the high frame rates even at 1080p where CPU load typically matters most.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a 16-core, 32-thread processor from the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge. Its base clock of 4.30 GHz and boost clock of 5.70 GHz provide substantial single-thread performance, which is relevant for Barony’s roguelike gameplay that often relies on game logic and procedural generation. The 128 MB of shared L3 cache is a notable feature, though Barony likely does not fully utilize such a large cache.

Benchmark results for this CPU show strong multi-threaded capabilities: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 59712, while the single-core score is 8430. Geekbench multicore reaches 22515, and the 3DMark max threads test scores 17184. These numbers place the CPU in the 96th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 71660. The nearest rival, the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270, scores 71056 (0.9% slower), while the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X scores 70420 (1.8% slower). This data confirms the 9950X3D is a top-tier processor, but its power is largely irrelevant for Barony’s frame rates at 4K, where the GPU dominates.

The fact that the 1080p Low preset achieves 318.6 FPS suggests the CPU is not a limiting factor even at high frame rates. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar FPS values across different resolutions at the same settings. Instead, the data shows FPS scaling proportionally with resolution, confirming the RTX 2070 SUPER is the constraining component. The CPU’s 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth and DDR5 support further reduce any potential memory-related bottlenecks.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Barony?

A: The 1440p High preset offers the best balance, with 126.9 FPS average. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold while providing better visual fidelity than Low settings. At 4K, only the Low preset (103.3 FPS) and Medium preset (75.4 FPS) exceed 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 22206, placing it in the 65th percentile. The NVIDIA RTX A400 scores 22307 (0.5% faster), while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z scores 22006 (0.9% slower). The AMD Radeon RX 5700 scores 21670 (2.5% slower).

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 9950X3D overkill for this GPU?

A: Benchmark data suggests yes for gaming. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multicore score of 59712 vastly exceeds what Barony requires. The CPU is in the 96th percentile, but the GPU is in the 65th percentile, creating a significant performance gap where the GPU limits frame rates.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p Ultra?

A: The measured average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 147.5. This is the second-highest Ultra preset result across all resolutions, behind only the 1440p Ultra score of 91.3 FPS. The 4K Ultra preset drops to 50.4 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 1041 out of 1702 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the rankings, reflecting the GPU’s mid-range position despite the CPU’s high-end status.

Q: Does lowering settings from High to Low help at 4K?

A: Yes, significantly. The 4K High preset averages 66.9 FPS, while 4K Low averages 103.3 FPS. This represents a 54.4% improvement, making Low the only 4K preset with substantial headroom above 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1041 out of 1702 combos tested in Barony. This puts it in the 61st percentile of all combos, which is lower than the individual component percentiles might suggest. The CPU alone is in the 96th percentile, while the GPU is in the 65th percentile. The ranking disparity indicates that the GPU is the weak link in this pairing for Barony’s specific workload.

The data shows that the CPU’s high benchmark scores do not translate into a high combo ranking because Barony is not CPU-bound. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 16374 and PassMark multithread score of 70255 are impressive, but these capabilities are underutilized. The combo ranking would likely be much higher with a more powerful GPU, but the measured FPS values at 1080p and 1440p demonstrate that the current pairing still delivers playable results across most settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are: Low 318.6, Medium 234.2, High 203.6, and Ultra 147.5. The spread from Low to Ultra is 171.1 FPS, showing a 53.7% reduction at the highest preset. All 1080p presets exceed 144 FPS, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, the values are: Low 201.3, Medium 149.5, High 126.9, and Ultra 91.3. The Ultra preset still clears 90 FPS, and even the most demanding setting remains well above 60 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p at each preset is consistent, ranging from 36.8% (Low) to 38.1% (Ultra).

At 3840x2160, the values are: Low 103.3, Medium 75.4, High 66.9, and Ultra 50.4. The Ultra preset drops below 60 FPS, marking the only configuration in the entire measured dataset that fails to reach smooth gameplay. The High preset barely clears 60 FPS at 66.9, leaving minimal headroom for complex scenes or action sequences.

Settings Recommendations

The data suggests that the optimal experience depends on the target resolution. For 1080p, the Ultra preset at 147.5 FPS is the best choice because it provides the highest visual quality without sacrificing frame rate. Even at Ultra, the FPS exceeds 144, making it suitable for high-refresh displays. For 1440p, the High preset at 126.9 FPS offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, though Ultra at 91.3 FPS is also viable if visual quality is prioritized.

For 4K, the choices are more constrained. The Ultra preset at 50.4 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold and should be avoided for competitive or fast-paced play. The High preset at 66.9 FPS is playable but leaves little headroom. The Medium preset at 75.4 FPS provides a more comfortable margin, while the Low preset at 103.3 FPS offers the smoothest experience. Given the roguelike genre’s emphasis on procedural generation and potential for dense on-screen effects, the Medium preset at 4K is recommended as the safest choice for maintaining consistent performance.

For users with a 60 Hz monitor at 4K, the High preset is acceptable. For those with higher refresh rates, dropping to Medium or Low will ensure the frame rate stays well above the refresh rate. The data indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER is the limiting component at 4K, so users should prioritize resolution over settings if they prefer higher FPS.