Barony

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination delivers exceptional performance in Barony, ranking in the top percentile of all tested combos. The data confirms a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet still capable of extraordinary frame rates even at 4K Ultra, making it a top-tier choice for this roguelike title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases, with the most dramatic shift occurring between 1440p and 4K. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves a staggering 596.6 FPS, which drops to 375.8 FPS at 1440p and further to 195 FPS at 4K. This represents a 67% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that even at the lowest graphical settings, the resolution increase places significant strain on the rendering pipeline.

The scaling behavior changes notably when examining higher quality presets. At Ultra settings, the frame rate drops from 271.8 FPS at 1080p to 173.7 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 92.8 FPS at 4K. This pattern shows that the RTX 4080 SUPER maintains a surprisingly high frame rate at 4K Ultra, suggesting the GPU is the primary limiting factor at this resolution. The difference between 1080p and 1440p at Ultra is a 36% reduction, while the jump from 1440p to 4K at Ultra only reduces performance by 47%, which is less severe than the Low preset scaling.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU with its 16 cores and 32 threads has ample headroom, as frame rates exceed 270 FPS even at Ultra. However, the 4K results show the GPU's memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s and 16 GB of GDDR6X memory becoming critical, as the frame rate at 4K Ultra (92.8 FPS) is less than half of the 1080p Ultra result (271.8 FPS). This suggests that while the CPU is more than capable, the GPU's rendering workload at 4K creates a bottleneck that limits overall performance.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Barony?*

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 596.6, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This demonstrates the extreme headroom available at lower resolutions.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 92.8 at Ultra settings to 195 at Low settings. The High preset delivers 126.8 FPS, while Medium achieves 146.6 FPS, all of which are playable for most users.

Q: Is the system CPU-bound or GPU-bound in this game?

A: The data indicates the system is GPU-bound at higher resolutions, particularly at 4K. The CPU's 16 cores and 32 threads provide ample processing power, as evidenced by the minimal frame rate drop between 1080p and 1440p at lower settings.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking compared to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 142nd out of 1702 tested combinations in Barony, placing it in the top 8.3% of all systems tested, which is a strong indicator of its high-end performance.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 53610, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (53489) and 2.9% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (52086). It also outperforms the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M by 0.4%.

Q: Does the CPU's benchmark score affect in-game performance?

A: The Ryzen 9 9950X3D has a percentile rank of 96 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 71660. This high score, combined with its 128 MB of shared L3 cache, supports the high frame rates observed, particularly at lower resolutions where CPU overhead is more significant.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination holds a rank of 142 out of 1702 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the top 8.3% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the synergy between the high-end CPU and GPU, which together deliver exceptional performance across all tested settings.

The CPU's own benchmark performance supports this ranking. With an average benchmark score of 71660, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D outperforms its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270, by 0.9%. It is also 1.8% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X and 2.2% ahead of the Intel Core i7-14700KF, while trailing the Intel Xeon 6517P by 1.9%. This places the CPU in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, indicating its position as a top-tier processor.

The GPU similarly contributes to the high ranking. The RTX 4080 SUPER's average benchmark score of 53610 places it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest competitors include the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (53489, 0.2% lower), the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (53414, 0.4% lower), and the AMD Radeon RX 7700S (52505, 2.1% lower). The combination of a top-4% CPU and a top-12% GPU results in a system that is well-balanced for Barony's requirements.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional frame rates: 596.6 FPS at Low, 442.3 FPS at Medium, 379.3 FPS at High, and 271.8 FPS at Ultra. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is never constrained, offering fluid gameplay even at the highest settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain highly impressive. The Low preset yields 375.8 FPS, Medium produces 279 FPS, High achieves 241.4 FPS, and Ultra delivers 173.7 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p results in a 37% reduction at Low settings, but only a 36% reduction at Ultra, showing that the GPU handles the increased pixel count efficiently.

At 3840x2160, the system still delivers playable frame rates across all settings. The Low preset reaches 195 FPS, Medium achieves 146.6 FPS, High produces 126.8 FPS, and Ultra maintains 92.8 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is more pronounced, with a 48% reduction at Low and a 47% reduction at Ultra, confirming that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at this resolution. The data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the system remains above 90 FPS, which is excellent for a game of Barony's genre.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER plays a critical role in Barony's performance, particularly at higher resolutions where its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 736.3 GB/s memory bandwidth are fully utilized. The GPU's boost clock of 2550 MHz and base clock of 2295 MHz, combined with its 10240 shading units, allow it to handle the game's rendering demands effectively. The 112 ROPs and 320 TMUs contribute to the high pixel and texture rates of 285.6 GPixel/s and 816.0 GTexel/s, respectively.

The GPU's benchmark scores reflect its capability. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6600 and the Geekbench OpenCL score of 246994 demonstrate strong compute performance. The Passmark G3D score of 34245 and G2D score of 1270 further validate its graphics capabilities. With a percentile rank of 88, the GPU is positioned well above the median, and its average benchmark score of 53610 is 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, its closest rival.

In Barony, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced at 4K, where the frame rate at Ultra (92.8 FPS) is significantly lower than at 1080p (271.8 FPS). This indicates that the GPU's rendering capacity is the limiting factor at high resolutions, despite its substantial memory bandwidth and compute resources. The 16 GB VRAM ensures that texture-heavy scenes at 4K do not cause memory-related stutters, as evidenced by the stable average FPS numbers.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D provides the computational foundation for this combo, with 16 cores and 32 threads running at a base clock of 4.30 GHz and a boost clock of 5.70 GHz. Its 128 MB of shared L3 cache is particularly beneficial for gaming workloads, as it reduces memory latency and improves data access speeds. The CPU's Zen 5 architecture, built on a 4 nm process, delivers strong single-threaded and multi-threaded performance.

Benchmark results confirm the CPU's strength. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 59712 and single-core score of 8430 place it among the top processors. The Geekbench multicore score of 22515 and single-core score of 3401 further support its capabilities. The Passmark multithread score of 70255 and single-thread score of 4737 indicate robust performance across various workloads. The CPU's percentile rank of 96 and average benchmark score of 71660, which is 0.9% higher than the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270, confirm its position as a high-end processor.

In Barony, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions where the GPU is not fully saturated. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 596.6 FPS, suggesting that the CPU can feed the GPU with enough data to maintain ultra-high frame rates. The 3DMark scores of 17184 for max threads and 1292 for single thread indicate that the CPU excels in both multi-threaded and single-threaded tasks, which is important for a game that may use multiple cores for AI and simulation. The CPU's performance ensures that it does not become a bottleneck in this combo, even at the highest frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's resolution and refresh rate preferences. For users with a 1080p monitor, the Ultra preset at 271.8 FPS is the clear choice, as it provides the best visual quality without sacrificing performance. Even the High preset at 379.3 FPS offers a significant frame rate buffer, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate displays.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset delivers 173.7 FPS, which is more than sufficient for most gaming monitors. The High preset at 241.4 FPS is also excellent, offering a balance between visual fidelity and frame rate. Users with 240Hz displays may prefer the High preset to maximize smoothness, while those with 144Hz displays can comfortably use Ultra.

For 4K resolution, the Ultra preset at 92.8 FPS is still playable, but users seeking higher frame rates should consider the High preset at 126.8 FPS or the Medium preset at 146.6 FPS. The Low preset at 195 FPS is recommended for competitive play or for users with high-refresh-rate 4K displays, as it provides the highest frame rate while sacrificing visual quality. The data suggests that the Medium preset at 4K offers the best balance for most users, with 146.6 FPS providing smooth gameplay while retaining a reasonable level of graphical detail.