Barony

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a remarkably fluid experience in Barony, with the primary bottleneck shifting decisively from the CPU to the GPU as resolution increases. At 1080p, the combination is so powerful that it pushes frame rates beyond the range of typical display refresh rates, while at 4K, the GPU's limitations become the defining factor. The data indicates this is a high-performing combo for this roguelike, ranking in the 60th percentile of all tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and linear, revealing a system that becomes progressively more GPU-bound at higher resolutions. At the High preset, the average frame rate falls from 193 FPS at 1920x1080 to 122 FPS at 2560x1440, a 37% reduction. Scaling further to 3840x2160 yields an average of 64 FPS, which is a 67% reduction from the 1080p figure. This pattern is consistent across all settings, indicating that the rendering load at 4K is substantially heavier on the graphics processor.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the system has significant headroom. With the Low preset, the average frame rate reaches 303 FPS, a figure so high that it suggests the CPU or game logic is likely the limiting factor, as the GPU is not being fully utilized. The jump from 139 FPS at Ultra 1080p to 193 FPS at High 1080p shows that even at this resolution, reducing settings can yield massive gains, but the ceiling appears to be the engine's frame rate limit or CPU capability, not the GPU's raw throughput.

At 1440p, the scaling is more moderate. The average FPS at High is 122, which is a very playable figure for most monitors. The difference between Low (191 FPS) and Ultra (87 FPS) at this resolution is a 54% performance swing, demonstrating that the RTX 4060 has enough power to handle high refresh rates at this resolution, but only if the user is willing to compromise on visual quality. The transition from 1440p to 4K is where the most significant drop occurs, with the High preset falling from 122 FPS to 64 FPS—a 48% reduction. This confirms that 4K resolution is the most demanding scenario for this hardware combination.

The frame time consistency, where measured, also degrades with resolution. At 1080p Medium, the frame rate ranges from 191 FPS to 259 FPS, a spread of 68 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is 121 FPS to 164 FPS, a spread of 43 FPS. At 4K Medium, the range narrows to 63 FPS to 85 FPS, a spread of 22 FPS. This indicates that as the resolution increases, the frame rate becomes more consistent but at a much lower average, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the dominant component in determining performance at 4K, and its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth is sufficient for this title. The measured data shows that the GPU's capabilities are the primary constraint at 3840x2160, where the average frame rates across all presets are well below the high values seen at lower resolutions. The GPU's boost clock of 2460 MHz and its 3072 shading units are what drive these results, but the data suggests that the memory subsystem and raw compute power are the limiting factors when pushing 4K pixels.

The RTX 4060's benchmark scores provide context for its performance. Its Passmark G3D score of 19545 places it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a solid mid-range performer. Interestingly, its nearest rivals in the synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Radeon 780M, which is an integrated GPU, and the AMD Radeon HD 7790, a much older discrete card. This shows that in pure compute terms, the RTX 4060 is not far ahead of these parts, but in real-world gaming at 4K, the dedicated hardware and driver optimizations for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) likely provide an advantage.

The GPU's 8 GB of VRAM appears to be adequate for Barony at all tested settings. The fact that the game runs at an average of 46 FPS at 4K Ultra without any reported min FPS data suggests that it is not exceeding the memory capacity and causing stutters, but rather that the GPU's compute units are saturated. The performance difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 54 FPS (from 100 FPS to 46 FPS), which is a direct consequence of the increased shading and texture work required by the Ultra preset, not a memory limitation.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the High preset at 2560x1440 is the optimal choice, delivering an average of 122 FPS. This is a high enough frame rate for smooth gameplay on most monitors while still providing a significant visual upgrade over the Low preset. Pushing to Ultra at this resolution yields 87 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 29% performance cost for what is likely a marginal visual improvement in a roguelike with a stylized aesthetic.

At 1920x1080, the High preset is the recommended setting, achieving 193 FPS. This is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on many gaming monitors, and the extra frames from the Low preset (303 FPS) are unlikely to be visible on standard hardware. The Ultra preset at 1080p, at 139 FPS, is also a strong choice for users with high-refresh-rate displays who prioritize maximum detail, as it remains above the 120 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 1080p (225 FPS) offers a good middle ground, but the High preset's 193 FPS is close enough that the visual quality increase is worth the small performance dip.

For 4K gaming, the data suggests that High settings (64 FPS) are the maximum playable option, but users seeking a smoother experience should consider the Medium preset (74 FPS), which provides a 16% performance increase. The Low preset at 4K (100 FPS) is the only way to achieve a high refresh rate experience at this resolution, but it sacrifices most of the visual detail. Given that the game is a roguelike, where gameplay clarity is often more important than graphical fidelity, the Medium preset at 4K offers a compelling compromise.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable at 1080p with this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded at 1920x1080 is 303 FPS, which is achieved with the Low preset. The High preset still delivers an impressive 193 FPS.

*Q: Is this CPU-GPU combination capable of 4K gaming in Barony?*

A: Yes, it is capable. At 3840x2160, the combination achieves an average of 46 FPS on the Ultra preset and 64 FPS on the High preset. For a smoother experience, the Medium preset provides 74 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1440p to 4K?

A: At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 122 FPS at 2560x1440 to 64 FPS at 3840x2160, representing a 48% decrease in performance.

Q: Which is the more limiting component at 1080p resolution?

A: At 1920x1080, the frame rates are so high (up to 303 FPS on Low) that the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H is likely the limiting factor, as the GPU has enough headroom to render frames faster than the CPU can feed it.

Q: What is the frame rate range at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: With Medium settings at 2560x1440, the average frame rate is 142 FPS, with a minimum of 121 FPS and a maximum of 164 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4060's synthetic benchmark score compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RTX 4060 has a Passmark G3D score of 19545. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 7790, has a score of 17666, which is 0.2% lower, making their raw compute performance nearly identical.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Barony, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1763 out of 2935 total combos. This places it in the 60th percentile, meaning it outperforms 60% of all tested systems for this specific game. While this is not a top-tier ranking, it is a solidly above-average result, reflecting the system's ability to handle the game at high resolutions and settings.

The ranking is influenced by the CPU's strong performance in synthetic benchmarks. The Core Ultra 7 165H has an average benchmark score of 34083, placing it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H, has a score of 33989, which is only 0.3% lower. This indicates that the CPU is a high-performing component that is not holding back the system in most scenarios. However, the GPU's 61st percentile ranking suggests that it is the more average component in this pair, which likely drags the overall combo ranking down from what the CPU alone might achieve.

The data suggests that this combo is well-balanced for 1440p gaming, but it is not optimized for maximum 4K performance. The 60th percentile ranking reflects this reality: it is a good, reliable performer that will handle the vast majority of games well, but it is not a high-end enthusiast setup that would rank in the top 10% of configurations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H plays a crucial role in ensuring the high frame rates seen at 1080p and 1440p. With 16 cores and 22 threads, it has ample parallel processing power for game logic and background tasks. Its boost clock of 5.00 GHz ensures strong single-threaded performance, which is critical for the primary game thread in many titles. This is reflected in its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1759 and multi-core score of 14551, which are both strong results for a mobile processor.

The CPU's performance is a key reason why the system can achieve 303 FPS on Low at 1080p. At this setting, the GPU is not the bottleneck, and the CPU's ability to process draw calls and game state updates becomes the limiting factor. The 5.00 GHz boost clock and 24 MB of shared L3 cache are likely contributors to this high level of performance. The data shows that the CPU is not a weak link in this pairing, as its 84th percentile ranking is significantly higher than the GPU's 61st percentile.

However, the CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases. At 4K, the frame rates are determined almost entirely by the GPU's rendering capabilities. The CPU is still able to feed the GPU with data, but it is no longer the limiting factor. This is a classic sign of a well-balanced system, where the CPU is strong enough to not hold back the GPU at lower resolutions, but the GPU eventually becomes the performance ceiling at higher resolutions. The CPU's 28 W TDP and Meteor Lake architecture suggest it is a power-efficient part, but the benchmark data confirms it has the raw performance to be a strong partner for the RTX 4060 in this game.