Barony

# FAQ

Q: What is the combo rank of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D in Barony?

A: The combination ranks 1st out of 2,935 tested combos for this game, placing it at the very top of the performance leaderboard.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 724 FPS average, while Ultra drops to 331 FPS average. This represents a 393 FPS reduction, meaning Ultra runs at approximately 54% of the Low preset's frame rate.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 D sit near any comparable GPUs in overall benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 5090 D's average benchmark score of 77,712 places it 1.1% above the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and 1.6% below the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, indicating a tight cluster of GPUs with similar aggregate performance.

Q: What is the CPU's single-thread performance relative to its closest rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 5 235 scores 4,516 in PassMark single-thread tests. Its nearest rivals—the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, Intel Core i9-13900HX, AMD EPYC 4364P, and AMD EPYC 7303—all have average scores within 0.2% of the Core Ultra 5 235's 46,062 average benchmark score, though specific single-thread comparisons are not listed.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 5090 D have, and what memory type does it use?

A: The GPU features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth.

Q: What is the CPU's boost clock and core configuration?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 drives Barony with a 14-core, 14-thread configuration based on Arrow Lake architecture. The 3.40 GHz base clock and 5.00 GHz boost clock provide the computational headroom needed for this roguelike's simulation-heavy gameplay. The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache helps maintain consistent frame pacing during complex game-state calculations, while the 102.4 GB/s dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth ensures data flows efficiently between the processor and system memory.

Benchmark data places this CPU in the 89th percentile among all tested processors, demonstrating strong overall capability. In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 14,769 in multi-core and 2,085 in single-core tests. The multi-core result of 6,202 in Cinebench R20 and single-core score of 875 further confirm balanced performance across both threaded and single-threaded workloads. PassMark tests show a multi-thread score of 37,816 and a single-thread score of 4,516, with the physics test scoring 2,570—a metric relevant to game logic calculations.

The CPU's nearest rivals in aggregate benchmark scores include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (0.1% higher), Intel Core i9-13900HX (0.1% lower), AMD EPYC 4364P (0.2% higher), and AMD EPYC 7303 (0.2% higher). These tight margins indicate the Core Ultra 5 235 sits squarely in competitive territory for desktop processors. In Barony specifically, the CPU's role becomes more pronounced at lower resolutions where the GPU is less likely to be the bottleneck, as evidenced by the game's high frame rates at 1080p.

The 65W TDP and 3 nm process node from TSMC allow sustained performance without excessive power draw, though the data does not indicate thermal throttling behavior. The CPU supports PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes, enabling fast communication with the RTX 5090 D over its PCIe 5.0 x16 interface. With 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die, the Core Ultra 5 235 packs substantial computational resources into a mainstream desktop package.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D serves as the primary rendering engine for Barony, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a GB202 chip. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2017 MHz and boosts to 2407 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The 32 GB GDDR7 frame buffer on a 512-bit bus delivers 1.79 TB/s bandwidth, ensuring texture streaming and geometry data never starve the rendering pipeline.

With 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output units, the RTX 5090 D is equipped for massive parallel workloads. The 170 ray tracing cores and 680 tensor cores provide specialized acceleration for advanced rendering techniques. Compute performance reaches 104.8 TFLOPS in both FP32 and FP16 (1:1 ratio), while pixel and texture rates hit 423.6 GPixel/s and 1,636.8 GTexel/s respectively.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 77,712 places it in the 92nd percentile among all tested GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (1.1% higher), AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (1.6% lower), NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (2.1% lower), and NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (2.4% lower). These comparisons show the RTX 5090 D performing in a tight cluster despite its advanced architecture, though the game-specific results reveal its actual rendering capabilities.

In Barony, the GPU's influence on frame rate becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises. The measured FPS data shows the GPU handling 4K Ultra at 109 FPS average, which suggests the RTX 5090 D's raw throughput is sufficient for demanding visual workloads. The 575W TDP and 950W suggested PSU indicate significant power requirements, though the dual-slot cooler with a single 16-pin connector manages thermal output within its physical constraints.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Barony with this combo spans four settings presets across three resolutions. At 3840x2160 (4K), the Low preset achieves 239 FPS average, Medium delivers 178 FPS average with a minimum of 151 and maximum of 204, High produces 152 FPS average, and Ultra drops to 109 FPS average. The progression from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 130 FPS decrease, representing a 54% reduction in average frame rate.

Moving to 2560x1440 (1440p), performance scales upward significantly. Low settings yield 457 FPS average, Medium reaches 340 FPS average with a range of 289 to 391, High delivers 292 FPS average, and Ultra holds at 209 FPS average. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 248 FPS, with Ultra running at 46% of Low's frame rate.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the combo produces exceptional frame rates. Low settings hit 724 FPS average, Medium achieves 538 FPS average with a minimum of 458 and maximum of 619, High reaches 462 FPS average, and Ultra maintains 331 FPS average. The 393 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p represents the largest absolute drop across all resolutions, though the percentage reduction is consistent with other resolutions.

The Medium preset at each resolution includes min/max data, providing insight into frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the 458-619 FPS range shows moderate variance; at 1440p Medium, the 289-391 FPS range exhibits similar relative spread; at 4K Medium, the 151-204 FPS range maintains proportionally consistent behavior. This consistency suggests stable performance scaling rather than erratic spikes or drops.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D achieves the number 1 ranking out of 2,935 tested combos for Barony. This top-tier position indicates the combo outperforms all other CPU-GPU pairings in the database for this specific game. The rank reflects measured performance data, not theoretical estimates, confirming real-world results.

The CPU's 89th percentile standing among all processors and the GPU's 92nd percentile among all GPUs combine to produce a system that excels in this roguelike title. While neither component individually dominates its respective category, their paired performance in Barony exceeds every other combination tested. The CPU's nearest rivals in aggregate benchmark scores are all within 0.2% of its 46,062 average, yet none of those pairings with other GPUs managed to surpass this combo's game-specific results.

The game's release in 2015-06-22 predates both components by nearly a decade, yet the modern hardware extracts exceptional performance from this older title. The frame rates achieved—even at 4K Ultra settings—suggest the game's rendering requirements are well within the capabilities of this high-end pairing. The rank of 1 out of 2,935 combos represents the 99.97th percentile, meaning only the top 0.03% of possible configurations could match or exceed these results.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 538 FPS average with a minimum of 458 FPS, providing smooth gameplay with headroom for demanding scenes. The 1440p Medium result of 340 FPS average (minimum 289) maintains high frame rates while allowing higher resolution detail. At 4K, Medium still achieves 178 FPS average with a 151 FPS minimum, comfortably above standard high-refresh-rate thresholds.

For players prioritizing maximum visual fidelity, the Ultra preset at 1080p delivers 331 FPS average, which remains exceptionally high. At 1440p Ultra, the 209 FPS average still provides a fluid experience. However, 4K Ultra drops to 109 FPS average, which may not satisfy those with 120Hz or higher displays. The High preset offers a middle ground: 462 FPS at 1080p, 292 FPS at 1440p, and 152 FPS at 4K, all representing solid performance with improved visuals over Medium.

The Low preset produces extreme frame rates—724 FPS at 1080p, 457 FPS at 1440p, and 239 FPS at 4K—but sacrifices visual quality. Given the game's roguelike nature, where readability of game elements matters, Medium or High presets provide the best combination of visual clarity and performance. The Medium preset's documented min/max ranges demonstrate consistent frame delivery, making it the recommended starting point for most users.

Resolution Scaling

Frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals how the workload shifts between CPU and GPU. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 724 FPS average; at 1440p Low, this drops to 457 FPS (63% of 1080p); at 4K Low, it reaches 239 FPS (33% of 1080p). This scaling pattern indicates the GPU becomes progressively more limiting as resolution increases, since the CPU can maintain high instruction throughput at lower resolutions.

The Medium preset shows similar scaling: 538 FPS at 1080p, 340 FPS at 1440p (63%), and 178 FPS at 4K (33%). High settings follow the same trend: 462 FPS at 1080p, 292 FPS at 1440p (63%), and 152 FPS at 4K (33%). Ultra settings produce 331 FPS at 1080p, 209 FPS at 1440p (63%), and 109 FPS at 4K (33%).

The consistent 63% and 33% ratios across all settings presets indicate predictable resolution scaling behavior. The proportional drops suggest the rendering pipeline scales linearly with pixel count—1440p contains 1.78 times the pixels of 1080p, and 4K contains 4 times the pixels, yet the frame rate reductions do not match these pixel ratios exactly. The fact that 1440p retains 63% of 1080p performance (rather than the expected 56% from pure pixel count) and 4K retains 33% (rather than 25%) indicates the CPU and memory subsystems provide some degree of compensation, preventing fully linear GPU-bound scaling.

This pattern reveals that at 1080p, the CPU plays a more significant role in determining final frame rates, as the GPU has ample headroom. As resolution increases, the GPU's rendering workload becomes the dominant constraint, with the 4K results reflecting the GPU's raw fill rate and memory bandwidth capabilities. The RTX 5090 D's 1.79 TB/s bandwidth and 423.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are sufficient to maintain high frame rates even at 4K, though the game's engine limits ultimate scaling efficiency.