Barony

# Barony with Intel Core Ultra 5 235 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080

The combination of Intel's Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3080 delivers surprisingly high frame rates in Barony, a roguelike that clearly favors raw throughput over graphical complexity. Measured data shows this pairing ranks 806th out of 2,935 tested combos in this title, placing it comfortably in the upper third of all configurations evaluated. The results reveal a system that never drops below 68 FPS even at 4K Ultra settings, suggesting that Barony's procedural dungeon crawling is far more forgiving on modern hardware than the genre's reputation might imply.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies in this configuration. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 449 FPS — an extraordinary number that indicates the GPU is nowhere near saturated. Dropping to 2560x1440 Low yields 284 FPS, and 3840x2160 Low still manages 148 FPS. That represents a 67% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, which is a substantial scaling penalty but one that leaves performance firmly in playable territory.

The scaling pattern shifts noticeably when moving up the quality presets. At High settings, the drop from 1080p (287 FPS) to 1440p (181 FPS) is a 37% reduction, while the jump from 1440p to 4K (95 FPS) costs another 48%. This steeper decline at higher resolutions strongly suggests that the RTX 3080's 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 320-bit bus begin to matter more as pixel count climbs, though the absolute numbers remain excellent. Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling: 206 FPS at 1080p falls to 130 FPS at 1440p (a 37% drop) and then to 68 FPS at 4K (a 48% drop from 1440p).

The Medium preset offers the only complete data with min/max FPS values, providing insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the average is 334 FPS with a minimum of 284 and maximum of 384 — a 100 FPS spread that suggests some scene-to-scene variance but no problematic stuttering. At 1440p Medium, the range tightens to 179-242 FPS around a 211 average, while 4K Medium shows 94-127 FPS around a 110 average. The narrowing ranges at higher resolutions indicate that the GPU becomes more consistently the limiting factor, whereas at 1080p the CPU's 14 cores and 14 threads can occasionally create small hitches when spawning many entities.

What the resolution scaling data implies is that this combo is heavily CPU-limited at 1080p, progressively transitioning to GPU-limited territory as resolution increases. The 449 FPS Low result at 1080p is far beyond what any display can show, meaning the Core Ultra 5 235's 5.00 GHz boost clock is doing the heavy lifting. By 4K, the RTX 3080's 29.77 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 760.3 GB/s memory bandwidth become the governing factors, yet the system still delivers triple-digit frame rates on Low and Medium presets.

How This Combo Ranks

With a combo rank of 806 out of 2,935 tested configurations in Barony, this pairing sits in the 72nd percentile of all combos evaluated. That places it ahead of the majority of systems but behind the very top-tier configurations that likely pair higher-end GPUs with flagship CPUs. The ranking suggests that while this is not an elite combination for Barony specifically, it outperforms roughly three-quarters of the tested field — a strong result for a GPU that launched in 2020 and a CPU released in early 2025.

The CPU's individual percentile ranking of 89th among all processors is notably higher than the combo's overall rank, indicating that the processor is the stronger component in this pairing relative to the broader hardware landscape. The GPU's percentile of 68th among all graphics cards is more modest, which helps explain why the combo doesn't crack the top 25% of Barony configurations. The data implies that Barony responds more strongly to GPU capability than CPU throughput, despite the game's roguelike nature that might suggest otherwise.

The combo's rank should be interpreted with some caution given Barony's release date of June 2015. The game predates both the Ampere architecture and Arrow Lake by several years, meaning modern hardware benefits from massive generational improvements in both CPU and GPU efficiency that older titles simply cannot fully utilize. The 68 FPS minimum at 4K Ultra suggests the game engine itself may have inherent limitations that prevent even the most powerful hardware from exceeding certain frame rate ceilings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 brings 14 cores and 14 threads to the table, running at a 3.40 GHz base clock with a 5.00 GHz boost. This is a notably high core count for a mainstream desktop processor, and the single-thread performance is exceptional — evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,085 and a PassMark single-thread score of 4,516. Barony, being a roguelike with procedural generation, likely benefits from both high single-thread performance for game logic and multi-threaded capability for background simulation tasks.

The multi-threaded benchmarks show a processor that scales well across its cores: Cinebench R23 multi-core scores 14,769, while PassMark multi-thread reaches 37,816. These numbers place the CPU roughly on par with the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (0.1% ahead) and the Intel Core i9-13900HX (0.1% behind) in average benchmark scores. The 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates this processor outperforms most desktop and mobile parts currently available.

For Barony specifically, the CPU's role becomes evident when examining the frame rate deltas between Low and High presets at the same resolution. At 1080p, Low produces 449 FPS while High produces 287 FPS — a 162 FPS difference that can only be explained by the GPU taking on more work at higher settings. The CPU's 3 nm process and 17,800 million transistors allow it to feed the GPU efficiently, though the data suggests that even this powerful processor cannot fully overcome the GPU's limitations at 4K Ultra where the RTX 3080's aging architecture becomes the constraint.

The PassMark physics score of 2,570 is particularly relevant for a game like Barony, which likely simulates physics interactions during dungeon generation and combat. While this score seems modest compared to the multi-thread score of 37,816, it indicates adequate physics processing capability that should prevent CPU-related bottlenecks in typical gameplay scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the configuration delivers exceptional performance across all presets. Low settings produce 449 FPS, Medium averages 334 FPS with a 284-384 range, High achieves 287 FPS, and Ultra still manages 206 FPS. These numbers are all far above the refresh rates of standard monitors, meaning users with 144Hz or 240Hz displays will likely be limited by their display rather than the hardware. The 165 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p shows the GPU's workload scaling, but even the most demanding preset leaves massive headroom.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain highly playable but begin to show more differentiation between presets. Low produces 284 FPS, Medium averages 211 FPS with a 179-242 range, High reaches 181 FPS, and Ultra drops to 130 FPS. The 154 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at this resolution indicates that the GPU is starting to feel the increased pixel count, though all presets remain comfortably above 60 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 179 FPS suggests consistent frame pacing even during intense moments.

At 3840x2160, the performance envelope tightens considerably. Low still delivers 148 FPS, Medium averages 110 FPS with a 94-127 range, High achieves 95 FPS, and Ultra drops to 68 FPS. The 80 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is the smallest of any resolution, confirming that the GPU is now the definitive bottleneck. The 94 FPS minimum at Medium suggests that even worst-case scenarios remain smooth, while the 68 FPS Ultra average is the only sub-60 territory threshold that the data approaches, though it never crosses it.

The Medium preset's complete data across all three resolutions provides the best insight into scaling behavior. From 1080p to 1440p, the average drops from 334 to 211 FPS (a 37% reduction), and from 1440p to 4K it falls from 211 to 110 FPS (a 48% reduction). The increasing percentage drops at higher resolutions indicate that memory bandwidth and fill rate become more critical as pixel count grows, which aligns with the RTX 3080's specifications of 760.3 GB/s bandwidth and 164.2 GPixel/s pixel rate.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in Barony?

A: Yes, the data shows all four presets at 3840x2160 produce average frame rates above 60 FPS, with Ultra achieving 68 FPS, High at 95 FPS, Medium at 110 FPS, and Low at 148 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 3080's average benchmark score of 23,172 places it 0.3% behind the NVIDIA P106-100 and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16, and 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6600M and Radeon R9 M290X. This indicates the GPU is positioned at the 68th percentile among all graphics cards.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low produces 284 FPS while Ultra produces 130 FPS, representing a 154 FPS difference. This shows the GPU workload nearly doubles when moving from the lowest to highest quality preset.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck this system at 1080p?

A: The evidence suggests yes — the 449 FPS result at 1080p Low exceeds what most displays can show, indicating the CPU's 14 cores and 5.00 GHz boost are capable of driving frame rates far beyond what the GPU can render at higher settings.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values for the Medium preset across resolutions?

A: The data shows 284 FPS minimum at 1080p, 179 FPS at 1440p, and 94 FPS at 4K. These minimums represent worst-case frame times and all remain well above playable thresholds.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations in Barony?

A: This combination ranks 806th out of 2,935 tested combos, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all configurations evaluated for this game.

Settings Recommendations

For users with standard 60Hz displays, the Ultra preset at 4K delivers 68 FPS, making it a viable choice for maximum visual quality without sacrificing playability. Those with 144Hz monitors at 1440p should consider the High preset, which produces 181 FPS and provides a substantial visual improvement over Low while maintaining frame rates well above refresh rate. The data shows that Medium at 4K (110 FPS) offers the best balance for high-refresh 4K displays, with a 94 FPS minimum ensuring consistent performance.

For competitive play where frame rate is paramount, the Low preset at 1080p (449 FPS) or 1440p (284 FPS) provides the absolute highest frame rates, though the visual sacrifices are significant. The Medium preset at 1080p (334 FPS average, 284 minimum) represents the sweet spot for esports-style play where both visual clarity and extreme frame rates matter. Users with 240Hz displays should note that only the 1080p Low preset (449 FPS) and 1080p Medium (334 FPS) exceed this threshold, though 1440p Low (284 FPS) also clears it.

The Ultra preset at 1080p (206 FPS) is the recommended choice for users with high-refresh 1080p displays who prioritize visual fidelity, as it maintains frame rates above 200 FPS while delivering the highest quality settings. At 4K, the High preset (95 FPS) offers a 40% improvement over Ultra (68 FPS) with presumably minimal visual differences in a roguelike's procedurally generated environments. The measured data supports High as the optimal 4K preset for this combination.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, built on the Ampere architecture with a GA102 chip, provides the graphical muscle for this configuration. Its 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus delivers 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which becomes increasingly important at higher resolutions. The GPU's 8,704 shading units and 272 texture mapping units enable the high pixel and texture rates observed in the benchmark data, with a pixel rate of 164.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 465.1 GTexel/s enabling the 449 FPS result at 1080p Low.

The RTX 3080's 68 RT cores and 272 tensor cores support DirectX 12 Ultimate features, though Barony's 2015 release date means these capabilities likely go largely unused. The GPU's 29.77 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 29.77 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1) output provide substantial compute headroom that the game may not fully exploit. The 68th percentile ranking among all GPUs places this card in the upper tier of graphics hardware, though its nearest rivals in benchmark scores include the NVIDIA P106-100 and AMD Radeon RX 6600M, indicating strong competition from both older and newer parts.

The GPU's memory configuration deserves scrutiny given that Barony's procedural generation can create complex scenes with many textures. The 10 GB VRAM capacity appears sufficient at all tested settings, as the data shows no anomalous frame rate collapses that might indicate memory swapping. However, the 760.3 GB/s bandwidth is likely the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where the 68 FPS result suggests the memory subsystem is being pushed to its limits. The 320-bit bus width, while substantial, is narrower than the 384-bit interfaces found on higher-tier Ampere cards, potentially explaining why 4K performance drops more steeply than 1440p performance.

The GPU's 1,440 MHz base clock and 1,710 MHz boost clock, combined with 19 Gbps effective memory speed, provide the raw throughput needed for Barony's demanding high-resolution presets. The card's 320 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate it draws significant power, though the measured FPS results justify this consumption given the consistently high frame rates delivered. The 700 W suggested PSU provides adequate headroom for the entire system, though the CPU's 65 W TDP means the GPU dominates the power budget.