Barony

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is an exceptionally high-end combination for Barony, a roguelike title that is not graphically demanding by modern standards. This pairing produces frame rates that far exceed the requirements of any standard display, with the benchmark data showing a significant bottleneck shift towards the CPU at lower resolutions. The combo ranks at 111 out of 2935 tested combinations, placing it in the top 4% of all systems tested for this game. This position confirms the raw power of both components, though the data indicates that the GPU is rarely the limiting factor, especially as resolution decreases.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 111 out of 2935 places it in the top 3.8% of all tested configurations for Barony. This is an elite standing, but it is not the very top, which suggests that other components, likely higher-tier CPUs, can extract even more performance in this specific title. The data shows that the combination of the Core Ultra 5 245 and the RTX 4090 is overwhelmingly capable, delivering playable and often extreme frame rates across all tested settings and resolutions. The ranking reflects that the system is powerful enough to push well beyond the 99th percentile of user systems, but the specific pairing of a mid-range enthusiast CPU with the top-tier consumer GPU creates a slight imbalance in a CPU-bound game like Barony.

Looking at the individual components, the CPU's benchmark percentile is 90, while the GPU's is 88. This suggests that both parts are performing at the top of their respective classes. The CPU's nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, scores a near-identical average benchmark score, with a delta of just -0.4%. The Intel Core i5-14600K is also close, with a delta of 0.8%. This indicates the Core Ultra 5 245 is a very competitive processor in general compute tasks. However, in the context of Barony, the game's reliance on single-thread performance and lower-resolution rendering can shift the balance, making the CPU's performance more critical than its overall average score might suggest. The data shows the combo is in the top tier, but the gap between it and the top-ranked combos is likely due to the CPU not being the absolute fastest available for the game's specific engine.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 a bottleneck for the RTX 4090 in Barony?

A: At 1080p and 1440p, the data strongly suggests yes. The frame rates at 1080p Ultra (303 FPS) and 1080p Low (663 FPS) are incredibly high, but the scaling from 1440p to 1080p is not proportional to the pixel count reduction, indicating that the CPU is hitting its performance ceiling before the GPU can be fully utilized.

Q: What is the best resolution to play Barony with this combo for maximum visual fidelity?

A: For the best visual experience without sacrificing high frame rates, 4K Ultra is the clear choice. The data shows an average of 100 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and provides the highest image quality of all tested configurations.

Q: How does the RTX 4090's performance compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The data shows the RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 60347. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc Pro A60, has an almost identical score with a delta of 0%. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M is actually 2.5% faster in the provided average benchmark score, while the AMD Radeon PRO V710 is 2.9% slower.

Q: Does the Core Ultra 5 245 support overclocking?

A: No. The multiplier is locked, as indicated by the "multiplierUnlocked" field being false. This means users cannot manually overclock the CPU by adjusting its clock multiplier, making its performance fixed at the factory specifications.

Q: What is the performance difference between the CPU and its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900?

A: The average benchmark scores are nearly identical. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900 has an average score of 49228, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has an average score of 48995. This results in a delta of -0.5%, meaning the Intel chip is essentially on par with the Ryzen 9 7900 in general synthetic benchmarks.

Q: Is the RTX 4090's performance in Barony more dependent on the CPU or the GPU?

A: The data indicates it is heavily CPU-dependent. The frame rate differences between 1080p and 4K are much smaller than what would be expected from a GPU-bound scenario. For example, at High settings, the FPS only drops from 423 at 1080p to 140 at 4K, a 3x reduction in FPS for a 4x increase in pixels, showing the CPU is a major limiting factor even at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling across resolutions reveals a classic CPU-bound scenario. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 663 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 418 FPS, a 37% decrease. However, when moving from 1440p Low to 4K Low, the frame rate only drops from 418 to 219 FPS, a 48% decrease. This pattern indicates that the GPU is becoming more of a factor at higher resolutions, but the CPU is still a significant constraint.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings is more moderate. The system runs at 303 FPS at 1080p, 191 FPS at 1440p, and 100 FPS at 4K. The transition from 1080p to 1440p is a 37% drop, while the transition from 1440p to 4K is a 48% drop. This shows that as the resolution increases, the GPU load increases, but the CPU's ability to feed it frames becomes the limiting factor. If the system were GPU-bound, we would expect a more dramatic drop in FPS when moving from 1440p to 4K, as the pixel count more than doubles. The data suggests that the RTX 4090 is powerful enough to handle the increased resolution without a proportionate drop in performance, leaving the Core Ultra 5 245 as the primary performance limiter.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a clear picture of the system's performance. At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional frame rates across all settings. With Low settings, it averages 663 FPS, which is an incredibly high number. Medium settings produce an average of 493 FPS, with a minimum of 419 and a maximum of 567 FPS. High settings yield 423 FPS, and Ultra settings still manage an average of 303 FPS. These numbers are far beyond the refresh rate of any standard monitor, making the game exceptionally smooth.

At 2560x1440, performance remains extremely high. Low settings average 418 FPS, while Medium settings average 311 FPS, with a minimum of 264 and a maximum of 358 FPS. High settings produce 267 FPS, and Ultra settings deliver a solid 191 FPS. These frame rates are still well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming, ensuring a fluid experience.

At 3840x2160, the system remains very powerful. Low settings average 219 FPS, Medium settings average 163 FPS, with a minimum of 138 and a maximum of 187 FPS. High settings deliver 140 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 100 FPS. Even at 4K with the highest settings, the system maintains a triple-digit frame rate, which is an excellent result for a game like Barony. The data shows that the system is capable of playing the game at maximum settings and resolution with a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data indicates that Ultra settings at 4K provide the best overall experience for visual fidelity, with an average of 100 FPS. This is more than sufficient for a smooth, responsive experience in a roguelike, where precise inputs can be critical. The frame rate is high enough that there is no practical reason to lower settings at this resolution, as the visual quality improvement is significant and the performance cost is acceptable.

For players with 1440p or 1080p monitors, Ultra settings are also the obvious choice. At 1440p, Ultra averages 191 FPS, and at 1080p, it averages 303 FPS. These frame rates are so high that lowering settings would provide no tangible benefit for most users, as they are already far beyond the refresh rate of common high-end monitors. The data suggests that there is no scenario in which a user would need to compromise on settings with this hardware combination. The system is powerful enough to run the game at its absolute maximum graphical preset at any resolution and still maintain an excellent frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. The CPU's performance in Barony is critical, as the data shows that it is the primary limiting factor in most tested configurations. The game is a roguelike, which often involves complex simulations and procedural generation, making it heavily reliant on single-thread performance. The CPU's high boost clock of 5.10 GHz is beneficial here, but its performance in synthetic benchmarks shows it is not the absolute fastest available.

The CPU's Cinebench R23 single-core score is 4648, and its multi-core score is 32924. These scores place it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. However, in a game like Barony, the single-thread performance is often more important than the multi-thread score. The data shows that when moving from 1440p to 1080p, the FPS increases significantly, but the gains are not as large as they would be if the GPU were the sole bottleneck. This is because the CPU's single-thread performance is limiting the frame rate. The CPU's Passmark single-thread score of 4394 is respectable, but it is not the highest, which explains why the combo ranks at 111 rather than higher. The CPU has a TDP of 65W, which is efficient, but it doesn't have an unlocked multiplier, so its performance is fixed. This means that the system's performance in Barony is capped by this CPU's specific capabilities. The data shows that while it is a very strong processor, it is the component that prevents this combo from reaching the very top of the rankings.