Barony

Barony is a roguelike that, on paper, should not stress modern hardware, yet the measured data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combo tells a nuanced story about where bottlenecks emerge. The results reveal a system capable of extreme frame rates at 1080p, but one where the CPU begins to assert its influence as resolution drops, and where the GPU’s raw power is only fully unleashed at 4K. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions, settings, and component roles.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals a classic shift in the primary bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 471 FPS. This is an extraordinarily high number, indicating that the game is far from GPU-bound at this resolution and setting level. The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H, with its 14 cores and 18 threads, is clearly feeding the RTX 4090 enough data to push past the 400 FPS mark, but the ceiling is likely set by the CPU’s single-thread performance rather than the GPU’s capability.

Moving to 1440p, the frame rates remain exceptionally high but begin to scale down in a predictable pattern. At Low settings, the average drops from 471 FPS at 1080p to 298 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of approximately 37%. This is a significant drop, indicating that pixel throughput is starting to matter more, but the system is still delivering well over double the refresh rate of most high-end monitors. The High preset at 1440p yields 190 FPS, while Medium sits at 221 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is 31 FPS, suggesting that the High preset introduces enough additional shading work to cost a noticeable chunk of performance.

At 4K, the picture changes completely. The RTX 4090’s 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth come to the forefront, but the frame rates are now heavily dictated by the resolution’s pixel count. The Low preset at 4K produces 156 FPS, which is still very playable, but it is a 47% drop from the 298 FPS seen at 1440p Low. The Medium preset at 4K averages 116 FPS with a minimum of 98 FPS and a maximum of 133 FPS, showing a stable experience that remains above 60 FPS even in dips. High settings at 4K yield 99 FPS, while Ultra drops to 71 FPS.

The data indicates that the scaling from 1440p to 4K is more punishing than from 1080p to 1440p, which is expected given the 2.25x increase in pixel count. The key insight is that the RTX 4090 is the limiting factor at 4K, as the CPU has ample headroom at these lower frame rates. However, at 1080p, the frame rates are so high that the CPU’s role becomes more prominent, potentially capping performance before the GPU can reach its theoretical maximum. The 471 FPS at 1080p Low reflects the CPU's capability, but it also suggests that the CPU is the bottleneck in this scenario, as the GPU is likely capable of even higher numbers if fed faster. The scaling pattern shows a smooth degradation from Low to Ultra, with the gap between Medium and High being 35 FPS at 1080p, 31 FPS at 1440p, and 17 FPS at 4K, indicating that the cost of High settings diminishes as resolution increases.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data offers clear guidance on the optimal settings for this combo, balancing visual fidelity against frame rate. For players targeting 60 FPS, even the Ultra preset at 4K, with an average of 71 FPS, is viable. This is a remarkable result, as it allows for maximum visual quality at the highest resolution without dropping below the 60 FPS threshold. However, the minimum FPS for Ultra settings was not recorded, so the 71 FPS average could potentially dip lower in demanding scenes, though the game’s roguelike nature typically involves less chaotic scenes than AAA shooters.

For a smoother experience with headroom, the High preset at 4K is the sweet spot. It delivers 99 FPS on average, which is a 28 FPS improvement over Ultra, while still offering a significant visual upgrade over Medium. The cost of moving from High to Ultra is 28 FPS at 4K, which is a steep price for the incremental visual gains. At 1440p, the High preset provides 190 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors, and it is only 31 FPS slower than Medium. The Medium preset at 1440p, with an average of 221 FPS and a minimum of 188 FPS, is also an excellent choice for competitive play, ensuring that frame times remain consistently low.

At 1080p, the situation is different. The High preset produces 301 FPS, while Medium yields 351 FPS. The gap between them is 50 FPS, which is substantial. Since the game is likely CPU-bound at these frame rates, the visual quality of High does not cost as much relative performance as it does at higher resolutions. However, the Ultra preset at 1080p still manages 216 FPS, which is more than enough for any display. The recommendation is to prioritize High settings at 1080p, as the difference between Medium and High is less impactful on frame rate than the difference between High and Ultra. The data shows that Low settings are rarely necessary, as even the most demanding preset at 4K clears the 60 FPS bar. The best overall experience for this combo is the High preset at 1440p, which offers a balance of high frame rates and visual fidelity without pushing into the diminishing returns of Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 610th out of 2935 tested combos for Barony. This places it in the top 21% of all systems tested, which is a strong showing given the CPU is a mobile part. The rank is heavily influenced by the GPU’s immense power, but it is not a top-100 finish, suggesting that the CPU’s performance holds the combo back from the absolute peak.

The CPU itself, the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H, has a percentile rank of 81 against all CPUs, indicating it is better than 81% of processors in the database. Its average benchmark score is 29093, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, which scores 29123, a delta of -0.1%. This means the two CPUs are effectively tied in synthetic benchmarks, despite the Core Ultra 5 being a newer mobile chip. The CPU also sits just 0.5% above the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT and 0.6% below the Intel Core i5-13500HX, showing that it is in a competitive mid-range performance tier.

The GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, has a percentile rank of 88 against all GPUs, and its average benchmark score is 60347. This is 0.3% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 and 2.9% higher than the AMD Radeon PRO V710, but 2.5% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M. This places the GPU in the upper echelon of graphics cards, but the nearest rivals are professional workstation cards, not consumer gaming GPUs, which is an interesting artifact of the benchmark database. The GPU’s rank in the combo is the primary driver of the 610th overall position, but the CPU’s relative weakness compared to desktop parts prevents a higher placement. The data shows that if the same GPU were paired with a stronger CPU, the combo rank would likely improve significantly, as the GPU is not the limiting factor in most scenarios.

FAQ

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

A: The combo delivers an average of 190 FPS at 2560x1440 resolution with High settings, providing a smooth experience for high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: Can this system run Barony at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 71 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for playable performance, though the minimum FPS was not recorded.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H compare to the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H has an average benchmark score of 29093, which is 0.1% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X’s score of 29123, indicating they are essentially performance equals.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 471, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is the RTX 4090 the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: No, the data suggests the CPU is the bottleneck at 1080p, as the frame rates are extremely high (over 300 FPS on High settings), and the GPU is not being fully utilized due to the CPU’s frame delivery limits.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested systems for Barony?

A: The combo ranks 610th out of 2935 tested combinations, placing it in the top 21% of all systems.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this combo, and its specifications explain its performance in Barony. The GPU features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a massive 1.01 TB/s of memory bandwidth. This is critical for high-resolution gaming, as the data shows the frame rate scaling from 1440p to 4K is substantial, and the large memory pool ensures that texture data does not become a limiting factor. The GPU’s boost clock is 2520 MHz, and it has 16384 shading units, which allows it to process the game’s pixel work efficiently.

The benchmark results show that the RTX 4090 is a top-tier performer, with a percentile rank of 88 against all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 60347 is notably higher than its nearest rivals in the database, such as the AMD Radeon PRO V710, which scores 58657, a delta of 2.9%. This indicates that the GPU is significantly faster than many workstation-class cards. In Barony, the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 4K, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU has enough headroom to feed it, but the GPU’s pixel throughput limits the frame rate. The difference between High and Ultra at 4K is 28 FPS, demonstrating that the GPU’s shading units are heavily taxed by the higher preset. The GPU’s 24 GB VRAM is also a factor, as it ensures that even at 4K Ultra, there is no memory pressure, allowing for consistent performance. The RTX 4090’s measured performance in this game is exceptional, but the data shows that its full potential is only realized at 4K, where it can stretch its legs without being constrained by the CPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H is a mobile processor with 14 cores and 18 threads, based on the Meteor Lake architecture. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz, with a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, and it has 18 MB of shared L3 cache. These specifications are solid for a mobile part, but they are not in the same league as high-end desktop CPUs. In Barony, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, and the data shows that this becomes a limiting factor at lower resolutions.

At 1080p, the CPU is clearly the bottleneck. The frame rates, which exceed 300 FPS on High settings, are so high that the CPU’s ability to process game state and issue rendering commands becomes the constraint. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 29093 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, which is a desktop part, and its percentile rank of 81 indicates it is better than most CPUs. However, the data suggests that the CPU cannot keep up with the RTX 4090’s potential at 1080p, as the frame rates are not scaling with the GPU’s raw power. For example, the jump from Low to Ultra at 1080p results in a drop from 471 FPS to 216 FPS, but the GPU is still capable of more in both scenarios.

The CPU’s single-thread performance, as measured by benchmarks like Cinebench R23 with a score of 1700, is adequate for gaming, but it is not exceptional. This is evident in the combo’s rank of 610th out of 2935, which is lower than what a top-tier desktop CPU would achieve with the same GPU. The CPU’s 18 MB of L3 cache is also a factor, as it may not be enough to keep frequently accessed game data close to the cores, potentially causing cache misses that slow down frame delivery. Overall, the CPU is a capable partner for the RTX 4090 at 4K, where the GPU is the limiting factor, but at 1080p and 1440p, it prevents the system from reaching the frame rates that the GPU alone could achieve.