Barony

Barony, a roguelike with a 2015 release date, presents an interesting case study for a modern high-end pairing like the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080. The data shows that this combination is not about struggling for playable frame rates but rather about exploring the extreme upper limits of display refresh rates and understanding where the bottleneck shifts between the CPU and GPU. The measured results across three resolutions and four quality settings provide a clear picture of a system that is likely overkill for the game's engine, yet still reveals distinct performance characteristics.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is dramatic and reveals a clear shift in the limiting component. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces a staggering 622 FPS average. Moving to 1440p drops this to 392 FPS, a reduction of 230 FPS or approximately 37%. Scaling further to 4K reduces the average to 205 FPS, which is another 187 FPS drop, or roughly 48% from the 1440p figure. This pattern indicates that at lower resolutions, the game is heavily CPU-bound, and the GPU has ample headroom to render frames far beyond what the processor can feed it.

The scaling behavior changes character at higher quality settings. With Ultra settings, the 1080p average is 284 FPS, which drops to 180 FPS at 1440p (a 36.6% decrease) and then to 94 FPS at 4K (a 47.8% decrease from 1440p). The percentage drops are remarkably consistent across settings, suggesting that the resolution scaling penalty is primarily a factor of pixel count rather than settings complexity. However, the absolute frame rates at 4K Ultra (94 FPS) and 4K High (131 FPS) show that the RTX 5080 is still capable of delivering high-refresh-rate 4K experiences, even in a game with simpler visuals.

The data implies that the RTX 5080 is the dominant performance controller when moving from 1440p to 4K. The consistent ~37% and ~48% drops across all settings at these transitions are classic signs of GPU-bound rendering, where the workload scales directly with the number of pixels. Conversely, the massive frame rates at 1080p, particularly at Low (622 FPS) and Medium (462 FPS), suggest that the CPU's performance ceiling is being hit, preventing the GPU from reaching even higher numbers. The game engine appears to have a high enough frame rate cap to expose this CPU limitation clearly.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 plays a central role in this combination, with its 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 960.0 GB/s memory bandwidth providing a substantial foundation for high-resolution textures and effects. The data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the card maintains a 94 FPS average, which is a strong result for a demanding setting. The 16 GB frame buffer is likely sufficient for Barony's requirements, as the game is not known for massive texture packs, but the bandwidth and the Blackwell architecture ensure that frame times remain consistent enough for a playable experience.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 2295 MHz and a boost of 2617 MHz, are high, but the benchmark results suggest that raw clock speed is not the only factor. The FP32 performance of 56.28 TFLOPS is substantial, yet the game's performance at 4K (ranging from 94 to 205 FPS depending on settings) is likely more dependent on the fixed-function hardware like the 112 ROPs and 336 TMUs. The data shows that the card scales predictably with resolution, indicating that its compute resources are being utilized efficiently across the board.

Compared to its nearest rivals in the database, the RTX 5080's average benchmark score is 56083, which places it 0.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon 8060S and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB. It trails the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE by 2.2%. These deltas are small, suggesting that in synthetic benchmarks, the cards are closely matched. However, the measured FPS in Barony shows the RTX 5080 performing exceptionally well, which implies the game may favor NVIDIA's architecture or that the CPU pairing is synergistic enough to avoid a bottleneck that would hinder other GPUs.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 holds a combo rank of 193 out of 2935 tested combinations. This places it in the top 6.6% of all configurations in the database for Barony. The high ranking is expected given the individual components' performance, but it is noteworthy that it does not rank higher. This suggests that there are other CPU/GPU pairings that yield better results in this specific game, likely due to CPUs with higher single-thread performance or more cache that can push frame rates even higher at lower resolutions.

The rank indicates that this system is not the absolute best for Barony, but it is far above the median. The data implies that the CPU may be the limiting factor in achieving a higher rank. With a boost clock of 5.00 GHz and 24 MB of L3 cache, the Ultra 5 235 is powerful, but the game's roguelike nature might rely on specific instruction paths that favor other architectures. The fact that the combo sits at 193 suggests that while the RTX 5080 provides immense graphical power, the CPU's 14 cores and 14 threads are not fully utilized by the game, which likely runs on a few threads, leaving performance on the table.

The delta between this combo and the top-ranked ones is unclear from the data, but the percentile rank of the CPU (89th) and GPU (87th) individually suggests they are both high performers. The combo rank being lower than either individual percentile implies a potential mismatch in balancing, where the GPU is waiting on the CPU in certain scenarios. This is a classic sign of a system that is optimized for high-resolution gaming where the GPU is the primary driver, rather than for extreme low-resolution frame rate chasing.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 4K with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings is 131 FPS. This indicates that the RTX 5080 can comfortably handle 4K gaming in Barony, likely exceeding the refresh rate of most standard 4K monitors.

Q: Is this system more CPU-bound or GPU-bound at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the data strongly suggests a CPU bottleneck. The average FPS ranges from 284 FPS at Ultra to 622 FPS at Low. The fact that the GPU is capable of much higher frame rates (as seen at lower resolutions) implies that the CPU is the limiting factor in these scenarios, as it cannot issue draw calls fast enough to keep the GPU fully occupied.

Q: How much faster is 1440p compared to 4K at Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 292. At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 152. This shows that the 1440p result is approximately 92% faster, or nearly double the FPS of the 4K result.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average FPS recorded is 94 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings. This is still a very playable frame rate for most users, especially for a roguelike game where fast reaction times are beneficial.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: The combo rank for this specific CPU/GPU pair is 193 out of 2935 tested combinations. This places it in the top 7% of all systems tested in the database, indicating a very strong performance level.

Q: Does the game utilize the CPU's full 14-core count?

A: The benchmark data does not provide core utilization metrics. However, the performance at 1080p, where the CPU is the likely bottleneck, suggests that the game may not scale well with the Ultra 5 235's 14 cores. The high frame rates indicate strong single-thread performance, but the inability to exceed 622 FPS suggests a limit in the game's threading model or the CPU's single-core speed.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The dataset provides a comprehensive look at performance across 12 distinct configurations. Here is the exact breakdown:

• 1920x1080 Low: Average FPS of 622. No min or max values were recorded.
• 1920x1080 Medium: Average FPS of 462, with a minimum of 393 and a maximum of 532.
• 1920x1080 High: Average FPS of 397. No min or max values were recorded.
• 1920x1080 Ultra: Average FPS of 284. No min or max values were recorded.
• 2560x1440 Low: Average FPS of 392. No min or max values were recorded.
• 2560x1440 Medium: Average FPS of 292, with a minimum of 248 and a maximum of 336.
• 2560x1440 High: Average FPS of 250. No min or max values were recorded.
• 2560x1440 Ultra: Average FPS of 180. No min or max values were recorded.
• 3840x2160 Low: Average FPS of 205. No min or max values were recorded.
• 3840x2160 Medium: Average FPS of 152, with a minimum of 130 and a maximum of 175.
• 3840x2160 High: Average FPS of 131. No min or max values were recorded.
• 3840x2160 Ultra: Average FPS of 94. No min or max values were recorded.

The Medium settings are the only ones with complete min/max data, which shows a consistent pattern of roughly a 25-30 FPS variance between the minimum and maximum recorded frame rates. This suggests a stable performance profile without severe frame time spikes. The High and Ultra settings, lacking min/max data, should be interpreted with the understanding that the averages are solid, but the frame pacing is not fully documented.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The data shows that this CPU is a capable performer, but in Barony, its role is primarily to feed the GPU. The benchmark results for the CPU show a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14769 and a single-core score of 2085. These scores place it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, indicating strong performance.

The CPU's impact on Barony is most evident at 1080p, where the frame rates are exceptionally high but still limited. The jump from 622 FPS at Low to 462 FPS at Medium and then to 284 FPS at Ultra suggests that the CPU must handle increased draw calls and game logic at higher settings, but the absolute numbers are so high that the game is likely not a heavy CPU workload. The 24 MB of L3 cache is beneficial for game data, but the lack of a v-cache (3D V-Cache) might be a reason why it doesn't reach the top of the combo rankings.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and 0.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 4364P. It is 0.1% lower than the Intel Core i9-13900HX. These marginal deltas indicate that the CPU is well-balanced against its peers. However, the combo rank of 193 suggests that in a game like Barony, which may be sensitive to memory latency or specific instruction sets, the Ultra 5 235's architecture is not the absolute best, even if its raw compute power is competitive.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this system depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For users with a 1080p 360Hz monitor, the Low and Medium settings are the best choices, as they deliver 622 and 462 FPS respectively, which are well above the refresh rate. The High setting at 397 FPS is also suitable for 360Hz displays, while Ultra at 284 FPS would be better suited for a 240Hz panel.

At 1440p, the situation is more nuanced. The Low setting produces 392 FPS, which is excellent for 360Hz monitors, but the visual quality may be too poor for some users. The Medium setting at 292 FPS is a strong candidate for 240Hz displays, offering a good balance between visual fidelity and frame rate. The High setting at 250 FPS is perfect for 240Hz panels, and Ultra at 180 FPS is ideal for 165Hz or 180Hz monitors. For 4K resolution, the data suggests that High and Medium settings are the sweet spots. High delivers 131 FPS, making it suitable for 120Hz displays, while Medium at 152 FPS is also a good option for 144Hz monitors. The Ultra setting at 94 FPS is best for 60Hz to 100Hz displays, but the visual improvement over High may not justify the significant frame rate drop.

The data indicates that the Medium preset is the most balanced across all resolutions. It is the only setting with full min/max data, showing a stable performance envelope. For users who prioritize high refresh rates, lowering the settings provides the most headroom, but the system is powerful enough to handle High settings at 1080p and 1440p without sacrificing playability. The Ultra preset is best reserved for 4K displays with a 60-100Hz refresh rate, where the graphical benefits are most noticeable. Overall, the recommendation is to match the settings to the display's refresh rate, and for most users, the High preset at 1440p or 4K will provide the best experience given the data's performance margins.