Barony

Barony is a roguelike title from 2015, and the measured results for the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 show this combination delivers exceptionally high frame rates across all tested configurations. The data indicates that even at maximum settings and 4K resolution, the system maintains an average of 76 FPS, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay. The following analysis breaks down the performance characteristics, optimal settings, and component roles based strictly on the measured data.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy for settings presets, with the experience varying significantly based on resolution. At 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 229 FPS, which is substantial but represents a considerable drop from the 501 FPS achieved at Low settings. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 372 FPS, while High produces 320 FPS. For players prioritizing maximum visual fidelity without sacrificing responsiveness, the Ultra preset at 1080p remains highly playable, though the data shows that High settings offer a 91 FPS advantage over Ultra while presumably retaining most visual quality.

At 1440p, the pattern shifts slightly. The Ultra preset averages 145 FPS, which is still excellent for competitive or fast-paced gameplay. High settings at 1440p achieve 202 FPS, representing a 57 FPS improvement over Ultra. Medium reaches 235 FPS, and Low tops out at 316 FPS. The 1440p Ultra result is notable because it remains above the 144 Hz refresh rate commonly targeted by gaming monitors, suggesting that the Ultra preset is viable at this resolution for most users.

The 4K results are where the settings choice becomes more critical. Ultra at 3840x2160 averages 76 FPS, which is playable but may not fully utilize high-refresh-rate displays. High settings at 4K improve this to 105 FPS, a 38% increase over Ultra. Medium produces 123 FPS, and Low reaches 165 FPS. Given that the minimum FPS is only recorded for the Medium preset across all resolutions, the data suggests that Medium provides the most consistent frame pacing. At 4K Medium, the minimum FPS is 104, with a maximum of 141, indicating a stable experience. For the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions, the High preset offers the most compelling compromise, delivering 320 FPS at 1080p, 202 FPS at 1440p, and 105 FPS at 4K. However, for users with 144 Hz or 165 Hz displays, the Ultra preset at 1440p is the recommended choice, as it provides 145 FPS while maximizing graphical settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process node from TSMC, featuring 31,100 million transistors on a 263 mm² die. The GPU operates with a base clock of 2325 MHz and a boost clock of 2512 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The 12 GB of GDDR7 memory is configured on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s. These specifications indicate a GPU designed for high-throughput rendering, which is reflected in the measured performance.

In Barony, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K demonstrates this clearly. At 1080p Ultra, the system achieves 229 FPS, while at 4K Ultra, it drops to 76 FPS—a reduction of 153 FPS. This 67% decline in performance when moving from 1080p to 4K suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The RTX 5070's 80 ROPs and 192 TMUs, combined with a pixel rate of 201.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 482.3 GTexel/s, provide the raw throughput necessary for these high frame rates. The FP32 performance of 30.87 TFLOPS further supports the GPU's capability in handling the pixel and shader workloads typical of a roguelike title with procedural generation.

The memory subsystem also plays a critical role. The 672.0 GB/s bandwidth is more than sufficient for Barony's requirements, as evidenced by the high frame rates even at 4K. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is ample for this game, which was released in 2015 and does not feature the demanding texture packs of modern AAA titles. The data shows that the GPU's performance envelope is not constrained by memory capacity or bandwidth in this title, as the frame rate drops are consistent with pure rendering load rather than memory-related stutters. The GPU's percentile rank of 82 among all GPUs, based on an average benchmark score of 40377, places it in the upper tier of graphics cards, which aligns with the measured performance in Barony.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process node by TSMC. It features a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU has a 20 MB shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache, with memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s via dual-channel DDR5. These specifications, combined with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and single-core score of 3655, indicate a capable gaming processor.

In Barony, the CPU's role is most apparent at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 501 FPS, which is likely near the upper limit of what the CPU can feed to the GPU. At 4K Low, the frame rate drops to 165 FPS, indicating that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The difference between 1080p Low (501 FPS) and 1440p Low (316 FPS) is 185 FPS, while the difference between 1440p Low and 4K Low is 151 FPS. This scaling suggests that the CPU can sustain very high frame rates, but the GPU's rendering load at higher resolutions quickly becomes the bottleneck.

The CPU's single-thread performance, as measured by Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655, is crucial for a roguelike game like Barony, which likely relies on single-threaded game logic for procedural generation and AI. The PassMark single-thread score of 4412 confirms strong single-core performance. The CPU's 10 cores and 10 threads provide adequate multi-threading for background tasks, but the game's performance is more dependent on the high boost clock of 4.90 GHz. The CPU's percentile rank of 85 among all CPUs, based on an average benchmark score of 36938, places it in the upper quartile, which aligns with its ability to support extremely high frame rates in Barony at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination ranks 583 out of 2935 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the top 20% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the strong performance of both components, though it is not at the absolute top tier. The CPU's nearest rivals provide context for its performance: the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F has an average score of 36945 (delta 0%), the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D scores 37018 (delta -0.2%), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 scores 37093 (delta -0.4%), and the Intel Core i9-12900T scores 37112 (delta -0.5%). These deltas indicate that the Core Ultra 5 225 performs within 0.5% of these competitors, making it essentially equivalent in overall CPU benchmarks.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals show a similar pattern. The AMD Radeon Pro 580 has an average score of 40318 (delta 0.1%), the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 scores 40063 (delta 0.8%), the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 scores 40870 (delta -1.2%), and the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile scores 39568 (delta 2%). These deltas show that the RTX 5070's average benchmark score of 40377 is within 2% of these rivals, though it is importantly these rival GPUs are not directly comparable in gaming performance due to their professional or mobile nature. The combo's rank of 583 out of 2935 suggests that while this pairing is strong, there are many other combinations that deliver higher frame rates in Barony, likely featuring higher-tier CPUs or GPUs. However, the measured FPS data shows that this combo already exceeds 200 FPS at 1080p High and 100 FPS at 4K High, which are excellent results for most gaming scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals distinct scaling patterns across resolutions. At High settings, the frame rates are 320 FPS at 1080p, 202 FPS at 1440p, and 105 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 118 FPS (37% reduction), and from 1440p to 4K is 97 FPS (48% reduction). This shows that the GPU's workload increases superlinearly with resolution, as expected, but the system maintains playable frame rates even at 4K.

At Low settings, the scaling is more dramatic: 501 FPS at 1080p, 316 FPS at 1440p, and 165 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 37% from 1080p to 1440p and 48% from 1440p to 4K, which is similar to the High settings pattern. This consistency suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck across all settings, with the CPU providing sufficient headroom. At Medium settings, the frame rates are 372 FPS at 1080p, 235 FPS at 1440p, and 123 FPS at 4K, with the 4K result showing a minimum of 104 FPS and a maximum of 141 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K demonstrates the smallest variance between minimum and maximum, indicating stable performance.

The Ultra preset shows the most significant resolution impact: 229 FPS at 1080p, 145 FPS at 1440p, and 76 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 84 FPS (37%), and from 1440p to 4K is 69 FPS (48%). This pattern confirms that the GPU is the limiting component at all resolutions, as the frame rate scales consistently with the number of pixels rendered. The CPU's role is diminished at higher resolutions, as evidenced by the smaller absolute FPS differences between settings at 4K compared to 1080p. For example, at 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 272 FPS, while at 4K, the difference is 89 FPS. This indicates that the GPU's rendering capacity is the dominant factor in determining overall performance, particularly at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo in Barony?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 501, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at 4K with this system?

A: Yes, the Ultra preset at 3840x2160 averages 76 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, though it may not fully utilize high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938, which is within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945), AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018), AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093), and Intel Core i9-12900T (37112).

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the measured data?

A: The only minimum FPS values recorded are for the Medium preset: 104 FPS at 4K, 200 FPS at 1440p, and 317 FPS at 1080p.

Q: Does the GPU have enough VRAM for Barony?

A: The 12 GB of GDDR7 memory is more than sufficient for Barony, given its 2015 release date, and the measured performance shows no signs of memory-related limitations.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 583 out of 2935 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the top 20% of all configurations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combo is as follows:

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 501 FPS average
• Medium: 372 FPS average, 317 FPS minimum, 428 FPS maximum
• High: 320 FPS average
• Ultra: 229 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 316 FPS average
• Medium: 235 FPS average, 200 FPS minimum, 270 FPS maximum
• High: 202 FPS average
• Ultra: 145 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 165 FPS average
• Medium: 123 FPS average, 104 FPS minimum, 141 FPS maximum
• High: 105 FPS average
• Ultra: 76 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern where each resolution step up reduces frame rates by approximately 37% to 48%, depending on the settings preset. The Medium preset is the only one with complete minimum and maximum FPS data, showing tighter frame pacing at higher resolutions. The Ultra preset at 4K produces the lowest average FPS at 76, while the Low preset at 1080p produces the highest at 501. These measurements provide a comprehensive view of the system's capabilities across the full range of settings and resolutions, with the data confirming that this combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, and remains viable for 4K gaming at reduced settings.