Barony

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 in Barony demonstrates an extreme performance profile that is almost entirely dictated by resolution and settings. The measured data reveals a system capable of delivering hundreds of frames per second at lower resolutions, while still maintaining high refresh rates at 4K. This analysis breaks down the measured results, contextualizes the combo's rank, and examines the specific roles of the CPU and GPU based solely on the provided data.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals the shifting bottleneck as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces an average of 679 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low reduces this to 428 FPS, a substantial 37% decrease. At 4K Low, the average further drops to 224 FPS, representing a 67% reduction from the 1080p Low figure. This steep scaling curve at Low settings indicates that the CPU is the primary limiting component at lower resolutions, as the GPU is not being fully saturated.

At the High preset, the scaling pattern is similar but with slightly less percentage drop. The 1080p High average of 433 FPS falls to 273 FPS at 1440p High (a 37% decrease), and then to 143 FPS at 4K High (a 67% decrease from 1080p). The consistent percentage drops across Low and High settings suggest that the game's engine is scaling relatively linearly with pixel count, but the absolute FPS values remain so high that the GPU is only becoming the primary constraint at 4K.

The Medium preset shows a similar trend, with 505 FPS at 1080p, 319 FPS at 1440p, and 167 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, however, shows the most aggressive scaling. It drops from 311 FPS at 1080p to 196 FPS at 1440p (a 37% decrease), and then to 102 FPS at 4K (a 67% decrease from 1080p). The fact that the percentage decrease is nearly identical across all presets indicates that the resolution is the dominant factor in performance scaling, rather than the graphical complexity of the preset itself.

The data strongly suggests that at 1080p and 1440p, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is the limiting factor, as the FPS figures are high enough that the RTX 5090 is likely waiting on CPU instructions. The 4K results, particularly at Ultra, show the GPU starting to take over as the primary constraint, given the massive 32 GB frame buffer and the computational load of the Blackwell architecture. The gap between 1440p and 4K is the most significant, highlighting that 4K is the first resolution where the RTX 5090's full capabilities are truly challenged by this roguelike title.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings based on the target resolution. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 505 FPS average, which is already far beyond any display's refresh rate. The Ultra preset at 1080p still manages 311 FPS, making it a viable choice for those who prioritize visual fidelity over raw frame rates. Since even the Ultra preset at 1080p does not drop below 300 FPS, there is no practical reason to use Low settings at this resolution unless maximizing frame rate for competitive play.

At 1440p, the High preset provides an excellent balance with 273 FPS average. The Medium preset at 1440p yields 319 FPS, while Ultra drops to 196 FPS. For users with high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors (240Hz+), the Medium preset offers the best combination of smoothness and visual quality, as the 319 FPS average is sufficient to saturate most high-end displays. The Ultra preset at 1440p, with 196 FPS, is still highly playable and offers better visual fidelity for those with 144Hz displays.

At 4K, the recommendation becomes more nuanced. The High preset achieves 143 FPS average, which is ideal for 120Hz or 144Hz 4K displays. This is the sweet spot for 4K gaming, as it provides a high refresh rate experience without the performance cost of Ultra. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 102 FPS, which is still playable but may not saturate high-refresh-rate 4K panels. The Medium preset at 4K, with 167 FPS, offers a good middle ground for those with 165Hz displays. The Low preset at 4K, at 224 FPS, is only recommended for users with 240Hz 4K panels, as the visual trade-offs are significant.

The data indicates that the High preset is the best overall recommendation for 4K, as it delivers 143 FPS while presumably maintaining better visual quality than Medium. For 1440p, the Medium preset at 319 FPS provides the best experience per the measured rows, as it offers the highest frame rate that still maintains a reasonable visual quality. At 1080p, the Ultra preset at 311 FPS is the best choice, as it provides maximum visual quality without sacrificing the frame rate needed for smooth gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 73rd out of 2935 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the top 2.5% of all tested configurations, which is an exceptional result. The rank of 73 indicates that while this combo is not the absolute fastest, it outperforms the vast majority of other CPU-GPU pairings in this specific game. The data shows that this ranking is driven by the RTX 5090's immense GPU power, as the CPU is likely holding back performance at lower resolutions.

The GPU's percentile of 92 versus all GPUs confirms that the RTX 5090 is a top-tier performer. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB with an average score of 79605 (0.3% delta), the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB at 79396 (0.6% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT at 78940 (1.1% delta). The RTX 5090's average benchmark score of 79842 is higher than all of these rivals, with the closest competitor being the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB at a 0.3% delta. This suggests that in synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5090 edges out its nearest rivals by a small margin.

The CPU's percentile of 85 versus all CPUs indicates that the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is also a strong performer, though not at the very top. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F with an average score of 36945 (0% delta), the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D at 37018 (-0.2% delta), and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 at 37093 (-0.4% delta). The Core Ultra 5 225's average benchmark score of 36938 is essentially tied with the Ryzen 5 5600F, and it is only 0.2% behind the Ryzen 5 5500X3D. This indicates that the CPU is a mid-to-high-range performer, but it is not the primary driver of the combo's 73rd rank.

The combo rank of 73 out of 2935 is remarkable because it shows that despite the CPU not being a top-tier model, the RTX 5090's raw power is sufficient to push this pairing into the upper echelons of Barony performance. The data suggests that if the CPU were upgraded, the combo would likely rank higher, but even as it stands, this configuration delivers excellent performance in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 679 FPS on Low, 505 FPS on Medium, 433 FPS on High, and 311 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 429 and a maximum of 580, indicating some variance but generally stable performance. The other presets at 1080p do not have min/max data, but the average FPS figures are consistently high.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. The Low preset averages 428 FPS, Medium averages 319 FPS, High averages 273 FPS, and Ultra averages 196 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a minimum of 271 FPS and a maximum of 366 FPS, demonstrating a wider variance than at 1080p. The gap between Medium and High at 1440p is 46 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 77 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a significant performance penalty.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops considerably. The Low preset averages 224 FPS, Medium averages 167 FPS (with a minimum of 142 and maximum of 191), High averages 143 FPS, and Ultra averages 102 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 122 FPS difference, which is the largest absolute drop across any resolution. The 4K Medium preset's minimum of 142 FPS is notable, as it indicates that even at Medium settings, the system occasionally dips below 144 FPS, which could be noticeable on high-refresh-rate displays.

The data reveals that the system is capable of exceeding 600 FPS at 1080p Low, which is an extraordinary figure for any game. The 679 FPS average at 1080p Low suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor at this resolution, as the RTX 5090 is likely not being fully utilized. The 4K Ultra result of 102 FPS is still highly playable, but it represents a significant drop from the 1080p Low figure. The measured FPS data confirms that this combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1440p and below, while still providing excellent 4K performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this combo, and its specifications explain the measured performance. The GPU features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This massive memory capacity and bandwidth are crucial for high-resolution gaming, as they allow the GPU to store and access large textures and frame buffers without bottlenecking. The 4K results, particularly at Ultra settings, benefit directly from this memory configuration.

The GPU's clock speeds are 2017 MHz base and 2407 MHz boost, which are relatively modest for a flagship card. However, the architecture's efficiency is demonstrated by the 21760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs. The RTX 5090's FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS is exceptionally high, and this computational power is what drives the high FPS figures observed in the measured data. The pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s further support the GPU's ability to handle high-resolution rendering.

The GPU's 92nd percentile ranking versus all GPUs confirms its position as a top-tier performer. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, has a similar average score (79605 vs 79842), but the RTX 5090 edges it out by 0.3%. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT is 1.1% behind, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X is 1.4% behind, indicating that the RTX 5090 is at the top of its benchmark class.

The 32 GB memory capacity is particularly relevant for Barony, as the game's roguelike nature may involve large procedurally generated environments. The 1.79 TB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and memory access are not bottlenecks even at 4K Ultra. The data shows that the RTX 5090 is the primary reason this combo achieves a 73rd rank, as its raw computational power compensates for the CPU's more modest performance. The GPU's role is clearly dominant, with the measured FPS at 4K Ultra (102 FPS) still being highly respectable for a demanding resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS measured for this combo in Barony?

A: The highest average FPS measured is 679 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations in Barony?

A: This combo ranks 73rd out of 2935 tested combos, placing it in the top 2.5% of all configurations.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS measured?

A: The lowest average FPS measured is 102 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: Which settings preset provides the best experience at 4K?

A: The High preset at 4K delivers 143 FPS average, which is ideal for 120Hz or 144Hz displays and represents the best balance of visual quality and performance.

Q: What is the RTX 5090's percentile ranking versus all GPUs?

A: The RTX 5090 ranks in the 92nd percentile versus all GPUs, indicating it is a top-tier performer.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938, which is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F at 36945 (0% delta) and slightly behind the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D at 37018 (-0.2% delta).

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 serves as the secondary component in this combo, but its specifications still play a significant role in the measured performance. The CPU features 10 cores and 10 threads, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. This configuration is sufficient for Barony's roguelike gameplay, which may not heavily utilize many threads but benefits from high single-core performance. The CPU's boost clock of 4.90 GHz is particularly important for maintaining high FPS at lower resolutions.

The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 cache per core, 3 MB of L2 cache per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. This cache configuration helps reduce memory latency, which is critical for games that require quick access to game state data. The CPU's memory support is DDR5 with dual-channel configuration, providing a memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. This bandwidth is adequate for feeding the RTX 5090 with data, though it is not as high as the GPU's own memory bandwidth.

The CPU's 85th percentile ranking versus all CPUs indicates that it is a solid performer, but it is not in the top tier. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (0% delta), AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (-0.2% delta), and AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (-0.4% delta). The Intel Core i9-12900T is also close at -0.5% delta. These small deltas suggest that the Core Ultra 5 225 is competitive with other mid-to-high-range CPUs, but it does not stand out as a performance leader.

In the context of Barony, the CPU's role is most apparent at 1080p and 1440p resolutions. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (679 FPS) and 1440p Low (428 FPS) are likely CPU-limited, as the RTX 5090 is more than capable of higher frame rates. The CPU's boost clock of 4.90 GHz helps drive these high frame rates, but the 10-core, 10-thread configuration may become a bottleneck in scenarios where the game engine requires more parallel processing. The data suggests that while the CPU is not the primary driver of this combo's performance, it is sufficient to support the GPU's capabilities at 4K, where the 102 FPS Ultra result indicates a more balanced workload.