Barony

Barony, a roguelike from 2015, presents an interesting case for modern hardware. The measured data for the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination reveals a system that is heavily capable at standard resolutions but begins to show its limits at 4K. This analysis walks through the measured FPS data, the scaling behavior, and the roles each component plays in this specific title.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking observation from the data is the dramatic drop in performance as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High settings preset, the average frame rate falls from 193 FPS at 1080p to 122 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 64 FPS at 4K. This represents a substantial decline of over 66% from 1080p to 4K. The scaling curve is not linear; the jump from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing, with the average FPS nearly halving from 122 to 64.

This behavior strongly indicates that the rendering load is shifting from the CPU to the GPU as resolution climbs. At 1920x1080, the system produces 302 FPS on Low settings, a figure so high that the CPU likely becomes the limiting factor. However, at 3840x2160, the GPU's workload increases significantly due to the higher pixel count, and the frame rate drops to a range where the RTX 5050's capabilities are the primary constraint.

The data isolates this further when comparing presets at different resolutions. At 1080p, the gap between Low (302 FPS) and Ultra (138 FPS) is 164 FPS. At 4K, the gap between Low (100 FPS) and Ultra (46 FPS) is only 54 FPS. The absolute difference shrinks, but the relative performance ceiling at 4K is much lower, confirming that the GPU is the bottleneck at high resolutions. The RTX 5050, with its 8 GB of memory and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth, is simply tasked with too many pixels to maintain the high frame rates seen at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting a smooth experience, the measured data offers clear guidance. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, yielding an average of 138 FPS at 1080p, 87 FPS at 1440p, and a notably low 46 FPS at 4K. While the 1080p and 1440p results are playable, the 4K Ultra result falls below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for a responsive experience. The data suggests that Ultra is too taxing for 4K on this hardware.

The Medium preset presents a strong balance. It delivers 225 FPS at 1080p and 142 FPS at 1440p, with a minimum FPS of 120 at 1440p, ensuring a consistent experience. At 4K, the Medium preset averages 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS, keeping the frame rate above the 60 FPS target. This is the only high-resolution preset that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 4K gaming.

The Low preset offers maximum performance, with 302 FPS at 1080p and 100 FPS at 4K. While the 4K result is technically playable, the visual fidelity reduction is significant. For players with high-refresh-rate monitors at 1080p, Low is the only preset that approaches the 300 FPS mark. However, the High preset is a more sensible choice for 1440p, delivering 122 FPS, which is a substantial improvement over the 87 FPS of Ultra but likely with better visuals than Medium.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Barony at 4K with smooth frame rates?

A: Yes, but not on the Ultra preset. The measured data shows an average of 46 FPS at 4K on Ultra, which is below the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset at 4K averages 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS, providing a smooth experience.

Q: What is the best resolution for high-refresh-rate monitors?

A: At 1920x1080, the system can reach 302 FPS on Low and 225 FPS on Medium, making it suitable for monitors with refresh rates up to 240Hz or higher. The High preset still delivers 193 FPS, which is sufficient for 165Hz monitors.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: On the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 193 FPS at 1080p to 64 FPS at 4K, a reduction of approximately 67%. On the Medium preset, it drops from 225 FPS to 74 FPS, a reduction of about 67% as well.

Q: Is the Ultra preset ever a good choice?

A: The Ultra preset is viable only at 1080p, where it maintains an average of 138 FPS. At 1440p, it drops to 87 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 46 FPS, making it less ideal for those resolutions.

Q: What are the minimum FPS figures for the Medium preset?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum FPS values. They are 191 FPS at 1080p, 120 FPS at 1440p, and 63 FPS at 4K.

Q: Does the game become CPU-bound at any point?

A: The data suggests CPU-bounding likely occurs at 1080p on Low settings, where the average FPS is 302. At higher resolutions, the GPU workload increases, and the frame rates drop, indicating the RTX 5050 becomes the primary limiting component.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Barony, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 holds a rank of 1775 out of 2935 combos. This places it in the 60th percentile of all tested systems, indicating it is a mid-to-upper-tier performer for this specific game. The rank is somewhat surprising given the high scores of the individual components, but it highlights that Barony's performance is not solely dependent on raw hardware power.

The CPU has a percentile rank of 96 against all CPUs, placing it in the top 4% of processors. The GPU has a percentile rank of 66 against all GPUs, placing it in the top 34%. The combination's in-game rank of 1775 suggests that the game's engine or specific workloads do not fully utilize the strengths of this hardware, or that the GPU's 66th percentile performance is the limiting factor in a game that becomes GPU-bound at higher resolutions. The data implies that while the CPU is a top-tier part, the GPU is more of a mid-range performer, and the final in-game ranking reflects that balance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a high-end desktop processor with 24 cores and 24 threads. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz, and it can boost up to 5.50 GHz. This configuration provides massive multi-threaded throughput, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44253 and a Passmark multithread score of 68574. Its single-thread performance is also strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2439 and a Passmark single-thread score of 5068.

In Barony, a roguelike, the CPU's role is crucial for game logic, pathfinding, and procedural generation. The high single-thread score of 5068 on Passmark ensures that the primary game thread has ample processing power. The 24 cores are likely underutilized, as most roguelikes do not scale perfectly across that many threads. However, the high boost clock of 5.50 GHz is beneficial for the lightly-threaded workloads that dominate this genre.

The data from the 1080p Low preset, where FPS reaches 302, suggests the game can be CPU-bound at lower resolutions. The CPU's performance is not a hindrance, as it is capable of driving frame rates far beyond what most monitors can display. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache also helps with data locality, which is important for the complex data structures often found in roguelike games. The CPU's 96th percentile ranking versus all CPUs confirms that it is not a weak link in this system.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured average FPS data is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 138 FPS. The High preset improves this to 193 FPS. The Medium preset provides a strong 225 FPS, with a minimum of 191 FPS and a maximum of 258 FPS. The Low preset achieves the highest average of 302 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 87 FPS. The High preset delivers a solid 122 FPS. The Medium preset offers 142 FPS, with a minimum of 120 FPS and a maximum of 163 FPS. The Low preset reaches 191 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 46 FPS, which is the lowest recorded result. The High preset manages an average of 64 FPS. The Medium preset is the most viable at this resolution, with an average of 74 FPS, a minimum of 63 FPS, and a maximum of 85 FPS. The Low preset provides 100 FPS.

These numbers show a consistent pattern: the Medium preset offers a balanced experience across all resolutions, while Ultra is only recommended for 1080p. The minimum FPS data for Medium confirms that this preset is stable, with no significant frame drops below the average.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is a mid-range GPU based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 2317 MHz and a boost clock of 2572 MHz. Its compute capabilities include 13.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

In Barony, the GPU's role becomes increasingly important as resolution scales. At 1080p, the GPU is often not the bottleneck, allowing the CPU to push frame rates to 302 FPS on Low. However, at 4K, the GPU's workload multiplies. The 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient for this game, as the texture and geometry data for a roguelike are not excessively demanding. The 320.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, it may struggle to feed the rendering pipeline, contributing to the significant FPS drop.

The GPU's benchmark scores reflect its mid-range positioning. It scores 17326 on Passmark G3D and 2502 on 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its percentile rank of 66 against all GPUs indicates it performs better than most, but it is not a high-end part. The nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, show similar average scores, confirming its market position. The 4K performance data, where it drops to 46 FPS on Ultra and 64 FPS on High, clearly shows that this GPU is the limiting factor for high-resolution gaming in this title. The boost clock of 2572 MHz helps, but the raw compute power is not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K with maximum settings.