Barony

Barony, a roguelike with a 2015 release date, presents an interesting case for high-end hardware. The measured data for the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER shows exceptionally high frame rates across all settings, indicating that this combination is far more powerful than the game's typical requirements. The following analysis breaks down the performance characteristics based strictly on the measured FPS data, component specifications, and ranking information.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear shift in system bottleneck. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 597 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at Low settings drops this to 377 FPS, a reduction of 220 FPS. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average further declines to 197 FPS. This steep decline as resolution increases suggests that at lower resolutions, the system is heavily CPU-limited, as the frame rates are extraordinarily high and the GPU has ample headroom.

The scaling pattern changes when examining higher settings. At Ultra settings, the 1080p average is 273 FPS, which drops to 172 FPS at 1440p and then to 90 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is approximately 67%, while at Low settings it is approximately 67% as well. This consistency across settings indicates that resolution is the dominant factor affecting performance, but the absolute frame rates suggest different limiting factors at each resolution.

At 1080p, the frame rates are so high (273-597 FPS depending on settings) that the CPU's 24 cores and 24 threads with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz are likely the primary constraint. The GPU, with its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 10240 shading units, is not being fully utilized at these resolutions. As resolution increases to 1440p and then 4K, the GPU begins to take on a more significant role, but even at 4K Ultra, the 90 FPS average suggests the GPU is still not fully saturated, given its capabilities.

The data indicates that this hardware combination is overkill for Barony at any resolution. The game appears to be relatively lightweight, and the bottleneck shifts more towards the CPU at lower resolutions, while the GPU becomes more relevant at 4K. However, even at 4K Ultra, the system maintains playable frame rates well above typical display refresh rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. Its boost clock is listed at 2550 MHz, with a base clock of 2295 MHz. The GPU has 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores, supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4. In the context of Barony, these specifications appear more than sufficient, as the measured frame rates are exceptionally high even at maximum settings.

The GPU's role in the measured results becomes clearer when comparing frame rates across settings at a fixed resolution. At 4K, the average FPS ranges from 197 at Low to 90 at Ultra. The difference between Low and Medium is 51 FPS (197 to 146), and between Medium and High is 20 FPS (146 to 126). The jump from High to Ultra is 36 FPS (126 to 90). This pattern suggests that the Ultra preset imposes a significant additional load on the GPU, likely due to increased shading and texture detail.

At 1440p, the same pattern holds but with higher absolute numbers: Low is 377, Medium is 280, High is 240, and Ultra is 172. The incremental drops between settings are 97, 40, and 68 FPS respectively. At 1080p, Low is 597, Medium is 444, High is 381, and Ultra is 273, with drops of 153, 63, and 108 FPS. The larger absolute drops at 1080p indicate that the CPU is more involved in the frame rate differences at lower resolutions, while the GPU's workload scaling with settings becomes more apparent at higher resolutions.

The GPU's VRAM capacity of 16 GB is unlikely to be a limiting factor in Barony, given the game's age and genre. The average benchmark score for the GPU is 54209, with a percentile ranking of 86 among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, has an average score of 54247, a delta of -0.1%. This indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER performs essentially identically to its non-SUPER counterpart in general benchmarks, and the measured FPS in Barony reflects this high level of performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER holds a rank of 231 out of 2935 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the top 8% of all combinations tested, indicating that it is a very high-performing setup for this game. The data being measured confirms that these results come from actual testing rather than estimation.

The CPU's percentile ranking among all CPUs is 96, meaning it outperforms 96% of all CPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score is 93785. The nearest rivals are the Intel Xeon 6520P with a score of 93786 and a delta of 0%, the AMD EPYC 4564P with a score of 95183 and a delta of -1.5%, and the AMD EPYC 9175F with a score of 95615 and a delta of -1.9%. This indicates that the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is statistically tied with the Xeon 6520P and slightly behind several EPYC server processors in overall CPU benchmarks.

The GPU ranks at the 86th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54209. Its nearest rivals include the RTX 4080 at -0.1%, the Radeon Pro W5700X at -1.1%, and the Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB at -2.7%. This suggests that the RTX 4080 SUPER is a high-end consumer GPU, though not the absolute top performer in the database.

The combination's rank of 231 out of 2935 suggests that while both components are individually strong, there may be other combinations that achieve higher frame rates in Barony. Given the game's age and the extremely high FPS numbers, it is likely that many other high-end combos also produce similar results, making the ranking competitive but not top-tier.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo in Barony?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 597, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rival in benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has an average benchmark score of 93785, which is identical to the Intel Xeon 6520P's score of 93786, showing no practical difference.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded, and at what settings?

A: The lowest average FPS is 90, recorded at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the GPU have enough VRAM for this game?

A: The GPU has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory, which is more than sufficient for Barony given the game's age and the measured frame rates.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 231 out of 2935 tested combinations, placing it in the top 8% of all tested setups.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks at the 86th percentile among all GPUs in the database.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target refresh rate and resolution. At 1920x1080, even Ultra settings produce an average of 273 FPS, which is well above any standard 240 Hz monitor's capability. Low settings at 1080p achieve 597 FPS, but this is unnecessary for practical gameplay. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 444 FPS with a minimum of 377 FPS, providing a smooth experience with minimal visual compromise.

At 2560x1440, Ultra settings produce 172 FPS, which is suitable for high-refresh-rate displays. High settings at 1440p achieve 240 FPS, and Medium settings reach 280 FPS. The data suggests that Ultra at 1440p is the best balance between visual quality and performance, as it stays well above 144 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the High preset delivers 126 FPS, which is adequate for 120 Hz displays. Medium settings at 4K produce 146 FPS, while Ultra drops to 90 FPS. For 4K gaming, the High preset appears to offer the best experience, as it maintains a high frame rate while providing good visual quality. Low settings at 4K achieve 197 FPS but likely sacrifice too much visual fidelity.

Overall, the data indicates that this hardware can handle Barony at maximum settings at 1080p and 1440p without issue. At 4K, High settings are recommended for a balance of quality and performance, as the 126 FPS average is smooth and the visual upgrade over Medium is present. The Medium preset at 4K is also viable, offering 146 FPS, but High provides better image quality at a still-playable frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. It has 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core. The CPU's benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44253 and a single-core score of 2439. Its Passmark multi-thread score is 68574, and single-thread score is 5068.

In Barony, the CPU's role is critical at lower resolutions where frame rates are extremely high. At 1080p Low, the 597 FPS average indicates that the CPU is the primary limiter, as the GPU has enough power to render frames faster if the CPU could feed it more data. The 24 threads allow for efficient processing of game logic and draw calls, while the high boost clock of 5.50 GHz ensures strong single-threaded performance, which is often important in games.

The CPU's nearest rivals in overall benchmarks are server processors like the Intel Xeon 6520P and AMD EPYC series, which have similar multi-threaded capabilities but may differ in gaming-specific performance. The CPU's percentile ranking of 96 indicates it is among the top processors in the database. The 24 cores and 24 threads are more than sufficient for Barony, which is a roguelike and likely does not utilize all available threads.

The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 90 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is now more of a limiting factor. However, the CPU's performance at lower resolutions demonstrates that it is not a bottleneck in most scenarios. The measured FPS at 1440p and 1080p with Low settings (377 and 597 FPS) confirms that the CPU can sustain extremely high frame rates, making it unlikely to cause any issues in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are: Low at 597, Medium at 444 (with a minimum of 377 and maximum of 510), High at 381, and Ultra at 273. These numbers show a clear progression of decreasing performance as settings increase, with the gap between Low and Medium being 153 FPS, Medium to High being 63 FPS, and High to Ultra being 108 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 377, Medium at 280 (minimum 238, maximum 322), High at 240, and Ultra at 172. The drops between settings are 97 FPS from Low to Medium, 40 FPS from Medium to High, and 68 FPS from High to Ultra. The pattern is similar to 1080p but with lower absolute values.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 197, Medium at 146 (minimum 124, maximum 168), High at 126, and Ultra at 90. The differences are 51 FPS from Low to Medium, 20 FPS from Medium to High, and 36 FPS from High to Ultra. The minimum FPS values for Medium settings across all resolutions (377 at 1080p, 238 at 1440p, 124 at 4K) provide a lower bound for frame pacing, with the 4K Medium minimum of 124 FPS still being very playable.

The full dataset shows that this combo delivers playable frame rates at every resolution and settings combination tested. The lowest recorded average is 90 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is still smooth for most users. The highest average is 597 FPS at 1080p Low, which is far beyond the refresh rate of any consumer monitor. The data confirms that this hardware is exceptionally well-suited for Barony, providing a highly responsive experience regardless of the chosen settings.