Barony

Barony is a roguelike that punishes indecision, so frame pacing and headroom matter more than in most genres. The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER produces exceptionally high frame rates across all tested configurations. The data indicates this pairing is heavily GPU-bound only at the extreme settings, with the CPU clearly capable of pushing very high frame counts at lower resolutions. The measured results show a system that is overkill for standard monitors but offers significant headroom for high-refresh-rate displays.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep but predictable, revealing how the workload shifts between components. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 522 FPS on average. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 329 FPS, a reduction of 37%. At 4K Low, the average falls to 172 FPS, which is 67% lower than the 1080p result. This scaling pattern indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is doing the heavy lifting, and the GPU has ample headroom to render frames quickly.

The situation changes more dramatically when looking at the Ultra preset. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 239 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 151 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it bottoms out at 79 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is 67%, which is nearly identical to the percentage drop seen at Low settings. This consistency suggests that even though the absolute numbers are lower, the scaling bottleneck remains consistent across settings presets, pointing to a balanced load increase rather than a sudden shift to a single-component limit.

What is more telling is the gap between Low and Ultra at each resolution. At 1080p, the spread is 283 FPS (522 vs 239). At 1440p, the spread is 178 FPS (329 vs 151). At 4K, the spread narrows to 93 FPS (172 vs 79). This narrowing gap at higher resolutions is the classic signature of GPU limitation. The data shows that at 4K, the GPU is the primary constraint, as the difference between the lightest and heaviest settings compresses. At 1080p, the CPU's ability to feed frames is the limiting factor, evidenced by the massive frame counts that the RTX 4070 SUPER cannot match at higher resolutions.

The Medium preset provides the only data with min and max FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the average is 388 FPS with a minimum of 330 and a maximum of 446. At 1440p Medium, the average is 245 FPS with a range of 208 to 282. At 4K Medium, the average is 128 FPS with a range of 109 to 147. These ranges show that the frame time variance is relatively tight, with the minimum FPS never falling below 85% of the average in the worst case (4K Medium). For a roguelike where a single stutter can end a run, this consistency is more valuable than peak frame counts.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070 SUPER is the decisive component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the frame rates observed. It features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has 7168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs. Its boost clock is rated at 2475 MHz, with a base clock of 1980 MHz. The card is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC, with a transistor count of 35,800 million on a 294 mm² die.

The 12 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for Barony at all tested settings. The game is not VRAM-hungry, and the data shows no signs of memory capacity throttling, as even the 4K Ultra result of 79 FPS is a playable figure, not a collapse. The memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s is more relevant to performance. The large drop from Medium to Ultra at 4K (128 FPS to 79 FPS) suggests that the Ultra preset increases memory pressure and compute load significantly, but the card handles it without catastrophic failure.

The GPU's compute capabilities are substantial. Its FP32 throughput is rated at 35.48 TFLOPS, with a texture rate of 554.4 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s. These figures explain why the card can sustain high frame rates even at 4K. The pixel rate is particularly relevant for resolution scaling, as the number of pixels to fill quadruples from 1080p to 4K. The data shows that the card's pixel throughput is the limiting factor at 4K, but it still manages to exceed 60 FPS on all presets.

The card's 56 RT cores and 224 tensor cores are present but not directly relevant to Barony, which is a rasterization-focused title based on the frame rates observed. The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support is utilized, but the performance pattern suggests traditional rendering is the primary workload. The TDP is 220 W, which is modest for the performance level, and the card uses a single 16-pin power connector with a suggested 550 W PSU.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Barony?

A: Yes. The data shows an average of 79 FPS at 4K Ultra and 110 FPS at 4K High. Even the heaviest preset stays above 60 FPS, making 4K playable with room to spare.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The evidence suggests yes. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 522 FPS, which is higher than the RTX 4070 SUPER can output at higher resolutions. The GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, but at 1080p, the CPU's single-thread performance is likely capping the frame rate.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High in terms of performance cost?

A: The cost is significant. At 1080p, Ultra averages 239 FPS compared to High's 333 FPS, a 28% drop. At 1440p, the drop is 28% (210 to 151 FPS), and at 4K, it is 28% (110 to 79 FPS). The relative cost is consistent across resolutions.

Q: What is the best resolution for a 144Hz monitor?

A: 1440p is the sweet spot. The High preset delivers 210 FPS, and even Ultra achieves 151 FPS, both exceeding 144 Hz. 4K High at 110 FPS would not fully saturate a 144Hz display.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM cause any issues?

A: No. The measured data shows no frame rate collapse or stuttering indicative of VRAM overflow. The game runs consistently at all settings and resolutions with the available 12 GB.

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

A: It ranks 479th out of 2935 tested combos, placing it in the top 16% of all pairings. This is a strong result given the game's age and the high frame rates achieved.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 479 out of 2935 tested combinations places this pairing firmly in the upper tier of systems. This is a percentile position of roughly 84th, meaning it outperforms the majority of tested configurations. The ranking reflects the synergy between the Core Ultra 5 245's strong single-core performance and the RTX 4070 SUPER's high rasterization throughput.

The CPU's benchmark scores support this position. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 32924, and the single-core score is 4648. More relevant to gaming, the PassMark single-thread score is 4394, and the multithread score is 38706. These are solid numbers, but the CPU's nearest rivals show how close the competition is. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G has an average score of 49196, which is 0.4% higher than the Core Ultra 5 245's average of 48995. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900 scores 49228, 0.5% higher. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48698, 0.6% lower, and the Intel Core i5-14600K scores 48618, 0.8% lower. This clustering indicates that the CPU is not a differentiator at this performance level; the GPU is doing the heavy lifting in the ranking.

The GPU's benchmark scores are equally competitive. The RTX 4070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 43223, with a percentile rank of 83 against all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB, scores 43262, a 0.1% difference. The RTX 5050 Mobile scores 43268, also 0.1% higher, and the RTX 4090 Mobile scores 43667, 1% higher. The tight margins between the GPU and its rivals suggest that the ranking is not determined by a clear performance gap but by the specific game's optimization.

In Barony specifically, the combo's rank of 479 is likely driven by the GPU's ability to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The game is not CPU-intensive in the traditional sense, but the CPU's speed ensures that frame times remain low at 1080p. The data shows that the combo is well-balanced for this title, with no single component dragging the overall performance down.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 522 FPS average
• Medium: 388 FPS average, 330 FPS minimum, 446 FPS maximum
• High: 333 FPS average
• Ultra: 239 FPS average

At 1080p, the system is clearly CPU-bound. The jump from Low to Medium costs 134 FPS, and from Medium to High costs another 55 FPS. The Ultra preset drops another 94 FPS, showing that the GPU is starting to feel the load even at this resolution. The minimum FPS at Medium (330) is still higher than the average FPS at Ultra (239), which shows that the Medium preset offers the most consistent high-refresh experience.

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 329 FPS average
• Medium: 245 FPS average, 208 FPS minimum, 282 FPS maximum
• High: 210 FPS average
• Ultra: 151 FPS average

1440p presents a more balanced load. The drop from Low to Medium is 84 FPS, and from Medium to High is 35 FPS. The Ultra preset costs 59 FPS compared to High. The minimum FPS at Medium (208) is still above 144 Hz, making this a strong choice for high-refresh 1440p monitors. The frame time variance is tighter here than at 1080p, suggesting the GPU is handling the load more efficiently.

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 172 FPS average
• Medium: 128 FPS average, 109 FPS minimum, 147 FPS maximum
• High: 110 FPS average
• Ultra: 79 FPS average

At 4K, the GPU is the primary constraint. The Low preset still delivers 172 FPS, which is playable on high-refresh displays. The Medium preset's minimum of 109 FPS is a solid figure, but the Ultra preset at 79 FPS shows the cost of maxing out settings. The scaling from High to Ultra costs 31 FPS, which is proportionally larger than at lower resolutions, indicating a shift towards pixel throughput limits.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gaming, the Medium preset is the best choice for competitive play. The 388 FPS average with a 330 FPS minimum ensures that even the most chaotic roguelike moments stay fluid. The High preset at 333 FPS is also viable if you prefer visual fidelity, but the 55 FPS drop is noticeable. The Ultra preset at 239 FPS is still fast, but the diminishing returns are evident.

At 1440p, the High preset provides the best balance. The 210 FPS average exceeds most 144Hz monitors' refresh rates, and the visual improvement over Medium is worthwhile. The Ultra preset at 151 FPS is still above 144 Hz, but the 28% performance cost may not justify the visual gains. For players with 240Hz monitors, the Medium preset at 245 FPS is the optimal choice, as it provides the headroom needed to saturate the display.

At 4K, the High preset is the recommended setting. The 110 FPS average is smooth and looks significantly better than Medium. The Ultra preset at 79 FPS is playable but pushes the system to its limits, and the 31 FPS drop from High is a steep price for the extra detail. The Medium preset at 128 FPS is a safer option if you prefer a higher frame rate to visual quality, but the data shows that High is the sweet spot for this resolution.

Overall, the data suggests that this combo is best utilized at 1440p with High settings, where it delivers exceptional frame rates without pushing the GPU to its limits. For 4K, High settings offer the best trade-off between visual quality and performance. The system has enough headroom to handle any preset, but the measured results show that High is the most efficient choice across all resolutions.