Barony

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers exceptional performance in Barony, a roguelike title from 2015. The measured frame rates are extraordinarily high across all tested configurations, indicating that this combination is vastly overqualified for the game’s visual demands. The data shows a system that is primarily limited by the CPU at lower resolutions, while the GPU becomes a more significant factor as resolution and settings increase.

Resolution Scaling

Analyzing the frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic pattern of shifting bottlenecks. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces an average of 600 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings drops this to 379 FPS, a reduction of approximately 37%. At 4K Low, the average falls further to 198 FPS, representing a 67% decrease from the 1080p figure. This substantial drop indicates that while the GPU is being increasingly taxed, the CPU is still capable of feeding it enough data to maintain very high frame rates.

The scaling pattern becomes more pronounced at higher settings. At Ultra settings, the average FPS goes from 274 at 1080p to 173 at 1440p (a 37% drop) and then to 91 at 4K (a 67% drop from 1080p). Interestingly, the percentage drops between resolutions are remarkably consistent across settings, suggesting that the scaling is primarily resolution-driven rather than settings-driven. This consistency implies that the game’s rendering pipeline is well-optimized for resolution scaling, with the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth being the primary constraints as pixel count increases.

The data reveals that at 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound. With frame rates ranging from 274 to 600 FPS, the CPU is working near its limits to process game logic and draw calls. The RTX 4080, with its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth, has significant headroom at this resolution. As resolution increases, the GPU gradually becomes the limiting factor, particularly at 4K Ultra where the average drops to 91 FPS. This pattern is typical for a high-end CPU paired with a high-end GPU in a game that is not graphically intensive.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo?

A: The highest recorded average frame rate is 600 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the average frame rates range from 91 FPS at Ultra settings to 198 FPS at Low settings. Medium settings produce an average of 147 FPS with a minimum of 125 FPS and a maximum of 169 FPS.

Q: Is the frame rate consistent across different settings?

A: The data shows significant variation. At 1440p, the spread between Low (379 FPS) and Ultra (173 FPS) is 206 FPS. At 1080p, the spread is even larger, from 600 FPS at Low to 274 FPS at Ultra.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the measured data?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 125 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Medium settings. At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum is 239 FPS, and at 1920x1080 Medium, it is 379 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested combinations?

A: This combination ranks 244th out of 3717 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the top 6.6% of all tested systems.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance more at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiter. The frame rates are extremely high (274-600 FPS), and the GPU has ample resources to render at these resolutions. The CPU’s 24 cores and 24 threads are likely fully utilized in processing game logic at these frame rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a substantial component in this system, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 716.8 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2205 MHz with a boost clock of 2505 MHz, and its memory runs at an effective speed of 22.4 Gbps. These specifications place it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247.

In Barony, the GPU’s role becomes more prominent as resolution increases. At 1080p, the GPU is not the bottleneck; the frame rates are so high that the CPU cannot keep up. However, at 4K, the GPU’s capabilities are more fully utilized. The transition from 1080p Low (600 FPS) to 4K Low (198 FPS) demonstrates that the GPU must work significantly harder at higher resolutions. The RTX 4080’s 9728 shading units and 304 texture mapping units are capable of handling the game’s rendering requirements easily, as evidenced by the high frame rates.

The VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for Barony. Even at 4K Ultra, the game’s texture and geometry demands are well within the 16 GB allocation. The GPU’s nearest rivals include the RTX 4080 SUPER, which has an average score 0.1% higher, and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X, which is 1.1% lower. These comparisons indicate that the RTX 4080 is a top-tier GPU, and its performance in Barony is consistent with its benchmark standing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers outstanding performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 600 FPS, which is the highest recorded in the dataset. Medium settings reduce this to 446 FPS, with a minimum of 379 FPS and a maximum of 513 FPS. High settings yield 383 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 274 FPS. These numbers indicate that even at the most demanding settings, the system is capable of delivering refresh rates far beyond what most monitors can display.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains exceptional. Low settings average 379 FPS, dropping to 281 FPS at Medium (with a minimum of 239 FPS and maximum of 324 FPS). High settings produce 242 FPS, and Ultra settings average 173 FPS. The 1440p results show that the system can comfortably handle high-refresh-rate gaming at this resolution, with all settings exceeding 170 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system still performs admirably. Low settings average 198 FPS, while Medium settings produce 147 FPS (minimum 125 FPS, maximum 169 FPS). High settings yield 126 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 91 FPS. The 4K results demonstrate that the system can maintain smooth gameplay at this resolution, though Ultra settings push the frame rate below the 100 FPS threshold. The pattern across all resolutions shows a consistent relationship between settings levels, with Ultra typically delivering about 45-50% of the frame rate of Low settings.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 244th out of 3717 tested combos in Barony. This placement in the top 6.6% of all tested systems reflects the high-end nature of both components. The CPU itself is in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 93785. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6520P (0% difference), AMD EPYC 4564P (-1.5%), AMD EPYC 9175F (-1.9%), and AMD EPYC 4565P (-2.1%).

The GPU is in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247. Its nearest rivals are the RTX 4080 SUPER (0.1% higher), AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (-1.1%), AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (-2.6%), and AMD Radeon 8060S (-2.7%). The combination’s rank of 244 suggests that while both components are individually strong, there are other combinations that perform better in this specific game. This could be due to the game’s CPU-bound nature at lower resolutions, where processors with higher single-thread performance might have an advantage.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings depend on the user’s display and performance preferences. For 1080p displays, all settings provide excellent performance. Even Ultra settings, which are the most demanding, produce an average of 274 FPS, which is far beyond what any current monitor can display. Medium settings at 1080p offer a good balance, with an average of 446 FPS and a minimum of 379 FPS, ensuring no frame rate drops below 360 FPS.

For 1440p displays, High settings provide an excellent experience with an average of 242 FPS. This is more than sufficient for any high-refresh-rate monitor. Medium settings at this resolution offer a higher average of 281 FPS, but the difference is unlikely to be noticeable in practice. Ultra settings at 1440p, with an average of 173 FPS, are also viable for users with high-refresh-rate displays.

For 4K displays, the recommendation is more nuanced. High settings produce an average of 126 FPS, which is suitable for most displays. Medium settings increase this to 147 FPS, providing additional headroom. Ultra settings at 4K, with an average of 91 FPS, may be acceptable for users with 60 Hz displays but may not be ideal for those with higher refresh rates. The data suggests that Medium or High settings at 4K provide the best balance of visual quality and performance, with frame rates well above 100 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a powerful processor with 24 cores and 24 threads, base clock of 3.70 GHz, and boost clock of 5.50 GHz. It features 36 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s. The CPU is built on a 3 nm process node with 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die. These specifications place it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with a strong average benchmark score of 93785.

In Barony, the CPU plays a critical role, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck. The game appears to be heavily CPU-bound at 1080p, as evidenced by the extremely high frame rates. The CPU’s high boost clock of 5.50 GHz is likely beneficial for single-threaded game logic, while the 24 cores and 24 threads provide substantial multi-threaded capability. The CPU’s benchmark scores support its performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44253 and a single-core score of 2439.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in benchmark performance are all server-class processors, including the Intel Xeon 6520P and AMD EPYC series. This indicates that the Ultra 7 270K Plus is performing at a level comparable to high-end workstation CPUs. In Barony, the CPU’s strong performance ensures that frame rates remain high even at 1080p, where the system achieves 600 FPS at Low settings. The CPU’s 24 threads are likely well-utilized by the game, though the exact core scaling is not directly measured in the data. The ECC memory support and PCIe Gen 5 connectivity further enhance the CPU’s capabilities, making it a robust choice for a high-performance gaming system.