Barony

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile delivers a robust experience in Barony, a roguelike title that scales well across resolutions and settings. The benchmark data reveals a system that is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p and remains playable at 4K, with clear bottlenecks emerging as resolution increases.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable decline in performance as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 217 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same High preset, the average drops to 137 FPS, a reduction of 80 FPS or approximately 37%. At 3840x2160 High, the average falls further to 72 FPS, which is a 145 FPS drop from the 1080p figure, translating to a 67% decrease.

This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 4070 Mobile is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is significant, but the jump to 4K is even more pronounced, suggesting that the GPU’s memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s and its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory are being saturated as pixel count increases. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 51, which is below the typical 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. This is a stark contrast to the 1080p Low setting, which hits 340 FPS, showing the extreme range of performance available.

The scaling from Low to Ultra settings at each resolution further highlights the GPU’s workload. At 1080p, the delta between Low (340 FPS) and Ultra (156 FPS) is 184 FPS, while at 1440p, it is 116 FPS (214 to 98). At 4K, the delta is 61 FPS (112 to 51). This compression of the performance gap as resolution increases suggests that the GPU is becoming the bottleneck, as the relative cost of higher settings diminishes when pixel fill rate becomes the dominant constraint. The data indicates that for competitive play at high refresh rates, 1080p is the target, while 4K is for visual fidelity at the cost of smoothness.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H is a 16-core, 22-thread processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. In Barony, a roguelike title that is typically not heavily multithreaded, the CPU’s single-thread performance is crucial. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1743 points and the PassMark single-thread score of 3468 indicate strong per-core performance, which is essential for maintaining high frame rates in scenarios where the game logic is the bottleneck.

The benchmark results show that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 340 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s limit for this title. At this setting, the GPU is not heavily taxed, so the CPU’s ability to feed frames becomes the limiting factor. The CPU’s boost clock of 4.80 GHz ensures that single-threaded workloads are handled efficiently. The PassMark physics score of 1727 and the find prime numbers score of 113 are lower, but these are not directly relevant to Barony’s gameplay, which relies more on deterministic logic and procedural generation rather than complex physics simulations.

The CPU’s 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support with a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s are adequate for feeding the GPU with data. In the measured results, the CPU does not appear to be a bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the FPS drops are consistent with GPU-bound scenarios. For instance, at 4K Ultra, the 51 FPS average is clearly GPU-limited, as the CPU would be able to handle the frame generation at that rate. The data suggests that the Core Ultra 7 155H provides ample headroom for this game, with its performance being sufficient to avoid limiting the RTX 4070 Mobile until very high frame rates are reached.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For players with a 1080p display, the High preset at 217 FPS is an excellent choice, offering a balance of visual quality and performance that exceeds the refresh rate of most monitors. The Medium preset at 253 FPS is also viable, providing a higher frame rate with minimal visual compromise. The Ultra preset at 156 FPS is still smooth and would be suitable for those prioritizing visual detail, though the difference between High and Ultra may not justify the 61 FPS drop.

At 1440p, the High preset at 137 FPS is the recommended starting point, as it provides a smooth experience on 120Hz or 144Hz displays. The Medium preset at 159 FPS is also strong, offering a slight performance boost without a major visual impact. The Ultra preset at 98 FPS is playable but may not be ideal for competitive play, as it falls below 100 FPS. The Low preset at 214 FPS is best for maximum responsiveness, but the visual quality will be noticeably reduced.

For 4K gaming, the High preset at 72 FPS is the only viable option for smooth gameplay, though it is below the 75Hz threshold for some monitors. The Medium preset at 83 FPS is slightly better, but the Low preset at 112 FPS offers the smoothest experience at the cost of visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 51 FPS is not recommended, as it falls below the 60 FPS standard and would result in noticeable stuttering. The data indicates that High settings at 4K are the sweet spot for this combination, providing a playable experience without sacrificing too much detail.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile ranks 2029 out of 3717 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the 54th percentile. This ranking indicates that the combo performs above average, but it is not among the top-tier configurations. The rank is influenced by both the CPU and GPU, with the RTX 4070 Mobile’s percentile of 73 being a strong contributor, while the CPU’s percentile of 83 is also above average.

The combo’s rank suggests that there are many other systems that can achieve higher frame rates in this game, likely due to more powerful desktop GPUs or CPUs with higher boost clocks. However, for a mobile platform, this performance is respectable, as the data shows it can exceed 200 FPS at 1080p and remain playable at 4K. The ranking also reflects the balance between the components; a more powerful GPU would improve the rank, but the current setup is well-matched for the game’s demands. The measured data indicates that the combo is not limited by a single component, as both the CPU and GPU contribute to the overall performance, with the GPU becoming more dominant at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile, based on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD106 chip, is the primary driver of performance in Barony. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s, which is sufficient for the game’s textures and effects at 1080p and 1440p. However, at 4K, this memory bandwidth becomes a limiting factor, as evidenced by the significant FPS drop from 1440p to 4K at the same settings. For example, at High settings, the average FPS drops from 137 at 1440p to 72 at 4K, a 47% reduction.

The GPU’s boost clock of 1695 MHz and its 4608 shading units contribute to its raw compute power, which is reflected in its PassMark G3D score of 19587. This score places it in the 73rd percentile of all GPUs, indicating solid performance for a mobile part. In Barony, the GPU’s role is to handle the rendering of the game’s voxel-based environments and particle effects. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the GPU is not the bottleneck, as the CPU is likely the limiting factor at 340 FPS. However, as settings and resolution increase, the GPU’s workload becomes more demanding, and its performance degrades predictably.

The RTX 4070 Mobile’s nearest rivals include the desktop AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, with a deltaPct of 0, indicating similar average benchmark scores. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 is also close, with a deltaPct of -0.5, showing that the mobile GPU is competitive with older desktop flagships in synthetic tests. In Barony, this translates to strong frame rates, but the 8 GB VRAM may be a concern for future titles or higher-resolution textures. The measured data shows that the GPU is capable of handling the game at all tested settings, but the 4K Ultra setting at 51 FPS highlights its limitations in the most demanding scenarios.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 340 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the peak performance for this combination, indicating that the CPU is likely the limiting factor at this setting.

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

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 72, which is playable. The Medium preset achieves 83 FPS, while Low hits 112 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 51 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 Mobile compare to desktop GPUs?

A: In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 4070 Mobile has an average score of 27435, which is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT (27425) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (27565). This indicates that the mobile GPU’s performance is comparable to these desktop parts in raw compute.

Q: What is the CPU’s impact on performance at high refresh rates?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 340 FPS, which is likely CPU-limited. The Core Ultra 7 155H’s single-thread performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1743, is sufficient to drive high frame rates, but it may cap performance at very low settings.

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

A: At 1440p, the Medium preset at 159 FPS is the best choice, as it exceeds 144 FPS. The High preset at 137 FPS is also viable, but it falls slightly below the 144Hz refresh rate. At 1080p, the High preset at 217 FPS is ideal for a 144Hz display.

Q: Is the combo’s performance consistent across all settings?

A: The data shows consistent scaling, with FPS decreasing as settings and resolution increase. The only exception is the 4K Medium preset, which has a min FPS of 71 and a max of 96, indicating some variability, but the average of 83 FPS is still stable.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the measured average FPS for each resolution and settings combination. All data is from the benchmark results, with min and max FPS provided where available.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

| 1920x1080 | Low | 340 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 253 | 215 | 291 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 217 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 156 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 214 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 159 | 136 | 183 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 137 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 98 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 112 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 83 | 71 | 96 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 72 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 51 | - | - |

At 1080p, the data shows a clear hierarchy, with Low at 340 FPS being the fastest and Ultra at 156 FPS being the slowest. The Medium preset provides a balanced option at 253 FPS with a min of 215 FPS, ensuring no major dips. Moving to 1440p, the performance scales down proportionally, with Low at 214 FPS and Ultra at 98 FPS. The Medium setting at 159 FPS is notable for its consistency, with a min of 136 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS standard. At 4K, the frame rates drop significantly, with Low at 112 FPS being the only setting above 100 FPS. The Medium preset at 83 FPS shows some variability with a min of 71 FPS, but it remains playable. The High and Ultra settings at 72 and 51 FPS respectively are the most demanding, with Ultra falling below the 60 FPS threshold. This breakdown confirms that the combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K reserved for less demanding titles or lower settings.