Barony

Barony is a roguelike title from 2015 that, on paper, does not demand extreme hardware. However, the measured frame rates for the Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER reveal a wide performance envelope that depends heavily on both resolution and quality preset. The data indicates that this combination is capable of high refresh rate gameplay at 1080p, but the demands of 4K Ultra will push the system to its limits. This analysis breaks down the measured results to offer clear guidance on settings, component roles, and scaling behavior.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of performance across four presets: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. For users prioritizing maximum frame rates at 1080p, the Low preset delivers an average of 287.4 FPS, which is significantly higher than the 215.6 FPS seen at Medium. However, the jump to High yields 185.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 134.1 FPS. The data shows that the most substantial performance cost occurs when moving from High to Ultra, representing a drop of over 50 FPS at 1080p. For competitive or fast-paced play, High offers a strong balance, retaining 185.4 FPS while providing better visual fidelity than Medium.

At 1440p, the pattern shifts. The High preset maintains an average of 114.7 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Medium at 1440p provides 131.5 FPS, while Low reaches 179.9 FPS. Ultra at this resolution falls to 82.6 FPS. The data suggests that High is the optimal choice for 1440p, as it offers a substantial visual upgrade over Medium while still maintaining a frame rate that is 52.1 FPS higher than Ultra. Pushing to Ultra at 1440p would sacrifice significant smoothness for marginal visual gains.

At 4K, the situation becomes more constrained. The High preset produces 58.5 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target. Medium offers a more comfortable 67.7 FPS, while Low reaches 93.5 FPS. Ultra at 4K is the most demanding configuration, yielding only 45.8 FPS. For a consistent experience at 4K, Medium is the recommended preset, as it provides the highest average frame rate above 60 FPS without the visual compromises of Low. High is viable for users who accept a frame rate slightly below 60 FPS, but Medium represents the best balance of smoothness and quality in the measured data.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is a Turing-architecture GPU with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its core clocks are listed at 1470 MHz base and 1650 MHz boost. The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 63rd percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19774. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070, which scores 19680 and is 0.5% behind, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN at 19706, which is 0.3% behind.

The GPU's role in Barony becomes evident when observing the frame rate differences between presets. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 153.3 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the primary driver of performance as settings increase. The RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game's demands, as the data does not indicate any memory-related bottlenecks. The transition from 1440p to 4K at the same settings shows a significant performance penalty; for example, High at 1440p yields 114.7 FPS, while High at 4K drops to 58.5 FPS. This halving of performance highlights the GPU's workload scaling with pixel count, confirming that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1440p with the High preset provides the best experience, yielding 114.7 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and offers a significant visual upgrade over 1080p, while 4K High only manages 58.5 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 19774. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070, scores 19680, which is 0.5% lower. The GeForce GTX TITAN is 0.3% behind with a score of 19706.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary limiter even at 1080p. The frame rate drops from 287.4 FPS at Low to 134.1 FPS at Ultra, a change of 153.3 FPS. This scaling with settings indicates the GPU is handling the increased workload, not the CPU.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Barony?

A: Yes, but with compromises. The Medium preset at 4K achieves 67.7 FPS, which is playable. High at 4K drops to 58.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 45.8 FPS. For a stable experience, Medium is recommended at 4K.

Q: What is the performance cost of the Ultra preset?

A: The Ultra preset is significantly more demanding than High. At 1080p, it drops from 185.4 FPS to 134.1 FPS, a 51.3 FPS reduction. At 1440p, the drop is from 114.7 FPS to 82.6 FPS, and at 4K, it falls from 58.5 FPS to 45.8 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 287.4 FPS. Medium follows at 215.6 FPS, High at 185.4 FPS, and Ultra at 134.1 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent decline, with the largest single step being the drop from High to Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the results are lower but still strong. Low reaches 179.9 FPS, Medium hits 131.5 FPS, High maintains 114.7 FPS, and Ultra drops to 82.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 97.3 FPS, which is smaller than the 153.3 FPS gap at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates compress further. Low produces 93.5 FPS, Medium yields 67.7 FPS, High manages 58.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 45.8 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 47.7 FPS, the smallest absolute spread across all resolutions. This indicates that at 4K, even the Low preset is heavily GPU-bound, and the higher presets push the hardware to its limits.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals how frame rates scale with resolution. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at the High preset reduces the average FPS from 185.4 to 114.7, a drop of 70.7 FPS, representing a 38.1% decrease. Moving from 1440p to 4K at High further reduces the FPS from 114.7 to 58.5, a 56.2 FPS drop, or a 49.0% decrease. This progressive decline is consistent with the GPU rendering more pixels.

At the Low preset, the scaling is similar but with higher absolute numbers. 1080p Low yields 287.4 FPS, 1440p Low drops to 179.9 FPS, and 4K Low falls to 93.5 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 37.4%, and from 1440p to 4K is 48.0%. These consistent percentage drops across presets indicate that the GPU is the primary limiting component, as the CPU cannot compensate for the increased pixel workload. The frame rate reduction from 1440p to 4K is consistently around half, which aligns with the GPU's rendering capacity being saturated at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. It has 9 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory via a dual-channel bus. Its benchmark scores include a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 7969 and a single-core score of 1125. The CPU sits in the 50th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2305. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i3-10305, which scores 2300 and is 0.2% behind, and the Intel Core i7-8809G at 2319, which is 0.6% ahead.

In the context of Barony, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU. At 1080p, the frame rates are exceptionally high, with Low reaching 287.4 FPS. These numbers suggest that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions. However, the fact that frame rates scale significantly with settings and resolution indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU's 6 cores and 6 threads are sufficient for the game's workload, as the measured FPS at 1080p High (185.4 FPS) is far higher than what would be expected if the CPU were limiting. The boost clock of 4.10 GHz helps maintain high single-thread performance, which is often critical in roguelike titles. The data does not show any scenario where the CPU prevents the GPU from reaching its potential, as the performance differences align closely with GPU workload changes.