Barony

# Barony with Intel Core Ultra 7 155H + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers exceptional frame rates in Barony, with the data showing this pairing sits at rank 610 out of 2,935 tested combos — placing it in the top 21% of all configurations. The RTX 4090's massive 24 GB GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensure that even at 4K Ultra settings, the game remains highly playable at 71 FPS average, while the CPU's 16 cores and 22 threads prove more than sufficient to feed the GPU at lower resolutions where frame rates exceed 470 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases, with the frame rate dropping by roughly 55% from 1080p to 4K at High settings. At 1920x1080 High, the combo produces 301 FPS average; moving to 2560x1440 High yields 190 FPS (a 37% reduction), and at 3840x2160 High the average falls to 99 FPS (a 67% reduction from 1080p). This scaling curve indicates that at 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-limited — the 471 FPS at Low settings suggests the CPU's 4.80 GHz boost clock and 24 MB shared L3 cache are the primary constraints, not the GPU.

At 4K, the picture shifts dramatically. The 99 FPS at High and 71 FPS at Ultra demonstrate that the GPU becomes the limiting component as pixel count increases. The RTX 4090's 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 443.5 GPixel/s pixel rate are being fully exercised at this resolution, particularly at Ultra settings where the 71 FPS average represents a 28% drop from High settings at the same resolution. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K — 156 FPS versus 71 FPS — shows that Barony's graphical settings have a substantial impact on GPU load, with the 85 FPS difference representing a 120% performance swing.

Interestingly, the Medium settings at each resolution show the most balanced scaling. At 1080p Medium, the system hits 351 FPS average with a minimum of 298 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it achieves 221 FPS (37% lower); and at 4K Medium, it maintains 116 FPS (67% lower than 1080p). This consistent scaling pattern suggests that Medium settings provide the most predictable performance envelope across resolutions, making it the sweet spot for players who want both high frame rates and visual fidelity.

The 4K Ultra result of 71 FPS is particularly noteworthy because it remains above the 60 FPS threshold despite being the most demanding configuration tested. The data indicates that this combo can handle 4K gaming comfortably, though players seeking triple-digit frame rates at 4K would need to drop to High settings or lower, where the 99 FPS at High and 156 FPS at Low provide more headroom.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090's specifications explain its dominant role in Barony's performance at higher resolutions. With 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output units, the GPU has ample parallel processing capacity for the roguelike's rendering workload. The 24 GB GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus delivers 1.01 TB/s bandwidth, ensuring that texture streaming and geometry data never become bottlenecks even at 4K with Ultra settings.

The GPU's clock behavior — 2,235 MHz base and 2,520 MHz boost — provides a solid foundation for sustained performance. The 128 ray tracing cores and 512 tensor cores, while not directly benchmarked in Barony, contribute to the GPU's overall compute capability of 82.58 TFLOPS FP32. The data shows that the GPU's average benchmark score of 60,347 places it in the 88th percentile among all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60,326, 0% delta) and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (60,140, 0.3% delta).

The RTX 4090's 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die, built on TSMC's 5 nm process, provide the raw compute headroom that Barony leverages at high settings. The 443.5 GPixel/s pixel rate and 1,290.2 GTexel/s texture rate are directly relevant to the game's rendering pipeline, explaining why the GPU can maintain 99 FPS at 4K High despite the demanding pixel count. The 1,599 USD launch MSRP reflects the GPU's position as a flagship part, and the data confirms this positioning with its top-tier performance.

At 1080p, however, the GPU's immense power goes partially unused. The 471 FPS at Low settings and 301 FPS at High settings suggest that the CPU cannot feed the GPU quickly enough to reach its theoretical maximum. This is evident from the scaling between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings — 471 FPS versus 298 FPS — where the frame rate drops by 37% despite the GPU having more work to do, indicating that the GPU is still not the limiting factor even at 1440p Low.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H's 16 cores and 22 threads, based on the Meteor Lake architecture on Intel's 7 nm process, provide substantial multi-threaded capability for Barony. The CPU's 3.80 GHz base clock and 4.80 GHz boost clock, combined with 24 MB of shared L3 cache, ensure that game logic, AI, and physics calculations are handled without creating bottlenecks at lower resolutions. The 2 MB L2 cache per core and 112 KB L1 cache per core provide fast access to frequently used data.

The CPU's benchmark results illustrate its balanced performance profile. In Cinebench R23, it scores 15,028 multi-core and 1,743 single-core; in PassMark, it achieves 24,873 multi-thread and 3,468 single-thread scores. The 277,353 PassMark data compression score and 86,870 integer math score indicate strong general-purpose compute capabilities. The CPU's average benchmark score of 32,697 places it in the 83rd percentile among all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the Intel Core i5-14600T (32,707, 0% delta) and AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 (32,662, 0.1% delta).

The CPU's 28 W TDP and mobile market segment designation suggest it is designed for power efficiency, yet it still delivers desktop-class performance in Barony. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 471 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's maximum frame generation capability. This is supported by the fact that moving from 1080p Low to 1080p High only reduces the frame rate by 36% (471 to 301 FPS), while increasing GPU load substantially — the GPU is not the constraint at this resolution.

The CPU's 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth and dual-channel DDR5 support provide adequate data throughput for the game's asset streaming. The 22 threads allow Barony to utilize multiple cores for parallel tasks, though the roguelike genre typically doesn't require extreme multi-threading. The 4.80 GHz boost clock is critical for the single-threaded performance that many game engines rely on, and the 1,743 Cinebench R23 single-core score confirms this strength.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 610 out of 2,935 tested configurations places it in the top 20.8% of all CPU-GPU pairings tested in Barony. This ranking reflects the balanced nature of this combination — the RTX 4090 provides top-tier GPU performance (88th percentile among all GPUs) while the Core Ultra 7 155H offers above-average CPU performance (83rd percentile among all CPUs). The combination's rank suggests that while the GPU is exceptionally powerful, the CPU prevents it from achieving the absolute highest frame rates possible.

Compared to other RTX 4090 configurations, this combo's rank likely reflects the CPU's mobile-oriented design. The Core Ultra 7 155H's 28 W TDP and BGA 2049 socket indicate it is intended for laptops, where thermal and power constraints limit sustained performance. Desktop CPUs with higher power envelopes would likely pair more effectively with the RTX 4090's 450 W TDP, potentially pushing the combo into higher ranks.

The data shows that the combo's performance is most competitive at 4K, where the GPU dominates the workload. At 4K Ultra, the 71 FPS average is respectable for a roguelike, and the 99 FPS at High settings provides smooth gameplay. The combo's rank of 610 among 2,935 suggests that while many configurations outperform it, it still delivers excellent real-world performance in Barony, particularly for players prioritizing resolution and visual quality over maximum frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings produce 471 FPS average, Medium achieves 351 FPS with a minimum of 298 FPS and maximum of 403 FPS, High reaches 301 FPS, and Ultra maintains 216 FPS. The 255 FPS spread between Low and Ultra settings demonstrates the GPU's headroom at this resolution, with the CPU likely capping performance at the upper end.

Moving to 2560x1440, frame rates remain high but show more GPU influence. Low settings yield 298 FPS, Medium delivers 221 FPS with minimum 188 FPS and maximum 254 FPS, High achieves 190 FPS, and Ultra produces 136 FPS. The 162 FPS difference between Low and Ultra is slightly smaller than at 1080p, indicating the GPU is becoming more involved in performance determination.

At 3840x2160, the GPU clearly dominates. Low settings produce 156 FPS, Medium achieves 116 FPS with minimum 98 FPS and maximum 133 FPS, High delivers 99 FPS, and Ultra drops to 71 FPS. The 85 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is the smallest of the three resolutions, confirming that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at this resolution. The Medium settings' minimum of 98 FPS ensures smooth gameplay even during intense scenes, while the Ultra setting's 71 FPS average remains above playable thresholds.

The scaling between resolutions at identical settings shows consistent patterns. At High settings, frame rates drop from 301 FPS at 1080p to 190 FPS at 1440p (37% reduction) and 99 FPS at 4K (67% reduction from 1080p). At Low settings, the drop is from 471 FPS to 298 FPS (37%) and 156 FPS (67%). This consistent scaling indicates that Barony's performance is predictable across resolutions, with the GPU becoming progressively more limiting as pixel count increases.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo achieves in Barony?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 471, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This represents the ceiling of what this CPU-GPU combination can deliver in the game.

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

A: Yes, the data shows playable frame rates at 4K across all settings. The lowest average FPS is 71 at 4K Ultra settings, while High settings achieve 99 FPS, Medium reaches 116 FPS, and Low produces 156 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p. Evidence includes the 471 FPS at Low settings and the fact that increasing resolution to 1440p Low only drops performance by 37%, which is less than the GPU's capability would suggest if it were the bottleneck.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 610 out of 2,935 tested combinations in Barony, placing it in the top 21% of all configurations. The rank reflects the balanced performance of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.

Q: What is the performance difference between Medium and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings produce 221 FPS average (with 188 FPS minimum and 254 FPS maximum), while Ultra settings yield 136 FPS average. This represents a 85 FPS difference, or a 38% performance reduction when moving from Medium to Ultra.

Q: Does the RTX 4090's 24 GB VRAM affect Barony's performance?

A: The 24 GB GDDR6X memory with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensures that VRAM capacity is never a limiting factor in Barony. The data shows consistent performance across settings, indicating that memory bandwidth and capacity are sufficient for all tested configurations.