Barony

Barony is an older roguelike that has been given a modern 3D presentation, and the benchmark data for the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 shows a combination that is heavily skewed toward GPU performance at higher resolutions. The measured frame rates reveal a system that can obliterate the game at 1080p and 1440p, but which begins to show its limits when pushed to 4K Ultra settings. The data indicates this is a pairing where the GPU is the primary driver of performance scaling, with the CPU providing more than enough headroom to avoid becoming a bottleneck in almost every scenario tested.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling across resolutions is the most telling aspect of this benchmark data. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 335 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 211 FPS, a 37% reduction in performance. Pushing further to 4K Low yields 110 FPS, which is a 48% drop from the 1440p figure and a 67% drop from the 1080p result. This aggressive scaling pattern highlights that even at the lowest settings, the rendering load is scaling almost linearly with the pixel count, which points to the GPU being the limiting factor rather than the CPU.

The pattern becomes even more pronounced when examining the High settings results. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 214 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 135 FPS, a 37% decrease. At 4K High, the average falls to 70 FPS, which is a 48% drop from 1440p and a 67% drop from 1080p. This consistent scaling pattern across Low and High settings suggests that Barony’s rendering pipeline is heavily pixel-bound, and the RTX 5070’s raw throughput is what determines the final frame rate. The CPU, with its 16 cores and 22 threads, is not shown to be a constraint in these figures.

The Ultra settings tell a slightly different story. The jump from 1080p Ultra (153 FPS) to 1440p Ultra (97 FPS) is a 37% reduction, which is in line with the other settings. However, the jump from 1440p Ultra to 4K Ultra (51 FPS) is a 47% reduction. This steeper drop at the highest resolution and quality preset suggests that the combination of 4K resolution and Ultra effects is placing a significant strain on the GPU’s memory bandwidth and shading capabilities. The fact that the 4K Ultra result is the only one below 60 FPS in the entire dataset indicates that this is the point where the RTX 5070’s 12 GB of GDDR7 memory and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth become a limiting factor for maintaining smooth gameplay.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Barony with this hardware for a consistent 60+ FPS experience?

A: The data shows that 4K High settings produce an average of 70 FPS, while 4K Medium produces 82 FPS. For a guaranteed comfortable margin above 60 FPS, 1440p Ultra delivers 97 FPS, and 1440p High reaches 135 FPS. The only configuration that dips below 60 FPS is 4K Ultra at 51 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals in general benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H has an average benchmark score of 34083, which places it 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350. It also trails the AMD EPYC 4244P by 0.4% and the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X by 0.5%. These are very small deltas, indicating the CPU is competitively positioned among its peers.

Q: Is the RTX 5070 a strong performer relative to other GPUs?

A: The RTX 5070 has an average benchmark score of 40377 and sits in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs. It is 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 580 and 0.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100, while being 1.2% behind the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 and 2% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile.

Q: What settings are recommended for playing at 4K resolution?

A: According to the measured data, Medium settings at 4K provide the best balance, yielding an average of 82 FPS with a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 94 FPS. High settings at 4K are also playable at 70 FPS average, but Medium has a higher floor.

Q: How does the combo rank in this specific game?

A: The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 ranks 1591 out of 2935 tested combos for Barony. This places it in the 46th percentile of all tested systems for this game.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any point?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 335 FPS, which is an extremely high frame rate that would typically expose CPU limitations. The fact that the system can maintain this level of performance suggests the CPU is sufficient. The frame rate drops at higher resolutions are consistent with GPU load scaling.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 achieves a rank of 1591 out of 2935 tested combinations in Barony. This places the system in the 46th percentile of all configurations tested for this specific game. While this might seem like a middling result, it is important to contextualize this ranking. Barony is a roguelike with a release date of 2015, and its rendering engine is not particularly demanding by modern standards. A high rank would be expected for a system with top-tier components, but this pairing is not at the top of the hierarchy.

The CPU itself performs well in general benchmarks, sitting in the 84th percentile of all CPUs with an average score of 34083. The GPU is similarly strong, sitting in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs with an average score of 40377. However, the combo’s rank of 1591 suggests that other factors, such as the specific optimizations of Barony’s engine and how it utilizes the hardware, play a significant role. The rank indicates that while this system is more powerful than 54% of the tested combos, there are many other configurations that deliver higher frame rates in this title.

The nearest rivals for the CPU provide context for its general performance. The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H is 0.3% faster than the Core Ultra 5 338H and 0.4% faster than the Ryzen AI 7 350, but it is 0.4% slower than the EPYC 4244P and 0.5% slower than the Ryzen 7 3700X. These are all very tight margins, suggesting that the CPU is not a differentiator in this game. Similarly, the GPU’s nearest rivals are all within a 2% margin of its average score, with the RTX 5070 sitting 0.1% above the Radeon Pro 580, 0.8% above the Radeon Pro WX 7100, 1.2% below the Radeon Pro 5300, and 2% above the RTX A500 Mobile.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 335 FPS. Medium settings yield an average of 249 FPS, with a minimum of 211 FPS and a maximum of 286 FPS. High settings achieve 214 FPS average. Ultra settings are the most demanding at 1080p, but still produce a very high 153 FPS average.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains strong. Low settings average 211 FPS. Medium settings average 157 FPS, with a minimum of 133 FPS and a maximum of 181 FPS. High settings reach 135 FPS average. Ultra settings at 1440p average 97 FPS, which is still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the system’s performance becomes more variable. Low settings average 110 FPS. Medium settings average 82 FPS, with a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 94 FPS. High settings average 70 FPS. Ultra settings at 4K are the only configuration that falls below 60 FPS, with an average of 51 FPS. This is the only point in the entire dataset where the combination struggles to maintain a playable frame rate.

The data shows a clear and consistent pattern: the system is capable of running Barony at extremely high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p across all settings, but 4K Ultra is the breaking point. The Medium settings at each resolution provide the most stable frame times, as evidenced by the min/max figures being available for those rows, showing a 24 FPS variance at 1080p, a 48 FPS variance at 1440p, and a 24 FPS variance at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is the dominant component in this pairing for Barony. The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s. It has a base clock of 2325 MHz and a boost clock of 2512 MHz. The GPU is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and has 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units.

The GPU’s role is clearly demonstrated by the resolution scaling. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are consistent with a GPU-bound workload. At 1080p Low, the system can output 335 FPS, which suggests the GPU is not being fully utilized. As the resolution increases, the GPU’s fill rate and bandwidth become the limiting factors. The 4K Ultra result of 51 FPS suggests that the GPU’s 80 ROPs and 201.0 GPixel/s pixel rate are being pushed to their limits, and the 12 GB of VRAM may be a constraint with the highest quality textures at that resolution.

The GPU’s benchmark results support its capability. It scores 29137 in Passmark G3D, which places it in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 580, has a score of 40318, which is 0.1% lower. This indicates that the RTX 5070 is a very capable GPU for its class. The fact that it can maintain an average of 70 FPS at 4K High in Barony reflects its raw computational power. The data strongly suggests that the GPU is the primary driver of the frame rates observed, and the CPU is more than adequate to feed it.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings for this hardware depend on the target resolution. For 1080p, any setting is viable. Ultra settings provide 153 FPS, which is more than enough for any display. For 1440p, Ultra settings at 97 FPS are the best choice for visual fidelity without compromising smoothness.

For 4K, the recommendation is to use Medium settings. The data shows Medium settings at 4K produce an average of 82 FPS, with a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 94 FPS. This provides a stable and smooth experience. High settings at 4K also average 70 FPS, but the minimum FPS is not provided, whereas Medium shows a clear minimum of 70 FPS. This makes Medium the safer choice for guaranteeing a consistent frame rate above 60 FPS.

Ultra settings at 4K are not recommended, as the average of 51 FPS falls below the 60 FPS threshold that is generally considered the minimum for smooth gameplay. The data shows that the step from High to Ultra at 4K results in a 27% performance drop, from 70 FPS to 51 FPS, which is a significant cost for the additional visual effects. Therefore, Medium at 4K offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, providing a 61% performance uplift over Ultra while still maintaining a high level of graphical fidelity. The Low settings at 4K are playable at 110 FPS, but the visual compromise is likely not worth the frame rate increase for most users.