Barony

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination delivers an exceptional experience in Barony, a roguelike title that proves far more demanding than its genre peers. This pairing ranks 926th out of 2,935 tested combos, placing it in the 68th percentile of all systems evaluated. The data shows a setup that excels across the board, with frame rates that remain fluid even at the highest settings and resolutions. The measured results reveal a system that can handle the game’s procedural environments and particle effects with ease, though the scaling patterns indicate where the bottleneck shifts between CPU and GPU. This analysis breaks down the raw numbers, the roles of each component, and the practical settings recommendations derived from the measured FPS data.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 achieves a combo rank of 926 out of 2,935 tested combinations in Barony. This positions the system comfortably in the upper third of all hardware pairings tested for this title. The rank reflects a balanced setup where neither component severely limits the other, a conclusion supported by the scaling behavior across resolutions. The CPU itself sits in the 94th percentile against all processors, while the GPU holds the 86th percentile against all graphics cards. This synergy is crucial for Barony, a game that generates complex dungeon layouts and tracks numerous simultaneous entities, which can stress both the processor and the graphics pipeline.

The CPU’s average benchmark score of 67,469 places it in close competition with several workstation and server-class parts. The nearest rival, the Intel Xeon w5-3525, scores an average of 67,673, just 0.3% higher. The AMD EPYC 4484PX trails by 0.5%, and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5955WX is 0.6% behind. On the other side, the Intel Xeon 6515P scores 67,006, which is 0.7% lower than the 275HX. These margins are essentially negligible, indicating that the 275HX offers compute performance on par with high-end desktop and server processors, despite being a mobile part. For Barony, this means the CPU is never the primary constraint, even at lower resolutions where frame rates climb above 400 FPS.

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 54,247 places it in a tight cluster with its nearest rivals. The RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54,209, a delta of just 0.1% higher, making the two effectively identical in overall compute performance. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% ahead, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB and AMD Radeon 8060S are 2.6% and 2.7% ahead, respectively. These differences are minor, and in Barony, the RTX 4080’s 16 GB of VRAM and high memory bandwidth prove more relevant than raw compute scores. The combo’s rank, combined with the component-level percentiles, indicates a top-tier system for this roguelike, with the data showing that it can deliver playable frame rates even at 4K Ultra, a feat many combinations fail to achieve.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the primary driver of visual fidelity in this combo, and its specifications directly influence the measured frame rates in Barony. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. This memory configuration is generous for a game like Barony, which uses dense procedural textures and can generate large, complex levels that require substantial texture storage. The 16 GB capacity ensures that even at 4K resolution with Ultra settings, the GPU does not run out of memory, a factor that contributes to the stable performance observed.

The GPU’s clock speeds are 2205 MHz base and 2505 MHz boost, with memory running at 1400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective). These clocks are relatively high, and the boost behavior is consistent with the Ada Lovelace architecture’s ability to sustain high frequencies under load. The chip, AD103, contains 9,728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 render output units. The pixel rate is 280.6 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 761.5 GTexel/s, which are more than sufficient for Barony’s visual style. The FP32 compute of 48.74 TFLOPS provides ample headroom for the game’s lighting and particle calculations, though the results suggest that the game is not heavily GPU-compute bound at lower settings.

The RTX 4080’s percentile rank of 86 against all GPUs is reflected in its benchmark scores. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,567, the Geekbench OpenCL score of 214,739, and the Vulkan score of 263,779 all point to a GPU that excels in both rasterization and compute workloads. In Barony, the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1080p, the CPU can feed frames fast enough that the GPU is not the limiting factor, but at 4K, the GPU’s rendering capabilities determine the ceiling. The data shows a clear trend: at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 65, while at 1080p Low, it reaches 430. This indicates that the GPU is fully utilized at higher resolutions and settings, with the 16 GB VRAM and high bandwidth preventing any memory-related stutters.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how the system’s performance scales from 1080p to 4K, and this scaling pattern is indicative of where the bottleneck lies. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 430 FPS. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 320 FPS, a 25.6% reduction. High settings yield 275 FPS, and Ultra brings the average down to 197 FPS. These numbers suggest that at 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound, as the GPU is capable of rendering far more frames than the processor can feed. The jump from Low to Medium is significant, but the CPU still manages to maintain high frame rates, indicating that the 275HX’s 24 cores and 24 threads are sufficient to keep up.

At 2560x1440, the scaling changes. Low settings produce an average of 272 FPS, which is 36.7% lower than the 1080p Low result. Medium averages 202 FPS, a 25.7% drop from 1080p Medium, while High averages 173 FPS, a 37.1% drop from 1080p High. Ultra averages 124 FPS, a 37.1% drop from 1080p Ultra. The consistent percentage drops across settings at 1440p indicate that the GPU is now becoming the limiting factor, though the CPU still has headroom. The fact that the drops are similar across all settings suggests that the GPU is scaling with resolution as expected, and the CPU is not introducing additional bottlenecks.

At 3840x2160, the GPU takes over as the primary constraint. Low settings average 142 FPS, which is 47.8% lower than 1440p Low. Medium averages 106 FPS, a 47.5% drop from 1440p Medium, with a minimum of 90 and maximum of 121. High averages 91 FPS, a 47.4% drop from 1440p High. Ultra averages 65 FPS, a 47.6% drop from 1440p Ultra. The nearly identical percentage drops across all settings at 4K are a textbook sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 4080’s rendering throughput is the ceiling, and the CPU is no longer a factor. The frame rates at 4K remain playable, even at Ultra, which is notable for a roguelike that can generate dense scenes. The scaling data shows a clear transition: CPU-bound at 1080p, balanced at 1440p, and GPU-bound at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive picture of the combo’s performance across three resolutions and four settings tiers. At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional frame rates that far exceed the refresh rate of most monitors. Low settings produce an average of 430 FPS, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium settings drop to 320 FPS, with a minimum of 272 and a maximum of 368, showing that even the lowest 1% lows are above 270 FPS. High settings average 275 FPS, and Ultra settings average 197 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is never challenged, and any settings combination will result in a fluid experience. The CPU’s high single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,204 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2,458, ensures that the game’s logic and AI calculations do not bottleneck the frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but begin to show the GPU’s increasing workload. Low settings average 272 FPS, which is still more than enough for high-refresh-rate gaming. Medium settings average 202 FPS, with a minimum of 172 and a maximum of 232. High settings average 173 FPS, and Ultra settings average 124 FPS. The minimum FPS values for Medium settings at 1440p (172) suggest that even in the most demanding scenes, the system maintains a smooth experience. The jump from Medium to High at 1440p results in a 14.4% drop, while the jump from High to Ultra results in a 28.3% drop. This indicates that Ultra settings introduce more demanding effects, such as increased draw distances and shadow quality, which tax the GPU more heavily.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates drop significantly, but the system remains playable across all settings. Low settings average 142 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS and suitable for most displays. Medium settings average 106 FPS, with a minimum of 90 and a maximum of 121, showing that the system can maintain a stable 90 FPS experience in most scenes. High settings average 91 FPS, and Ultra settings average 65 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the lowest in the dataset, but it remains above 60 FPS, making it viable for players with 4K displays who prioritize visual quality. The minimum FPS for Medium at 4K (90) is particularly notable, as it indicates that even the worst-case scenarios do not cause severe dips. The data shows a system that is capable of delivering high frame rates at any resolution, with the caveat that 4K Ultra is the only setting that approaches the 60 FPS threshold.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user’s display resolution and refresh rate. For players using a 1080p display with a 144Hz or 240Hz refresh rate, the data shows that Ultra settings are the best choice. The average of 197 FPS at 1080p Ultra is well above 144Hz, and the system has enough headroom to maintain this frame rate in most scenes. The drop from High to Ultra at 1080p is only 28.3%, but the visual improvements from Ultra settings are worth the modest frame rate cost. There is no reason to select lower settings at 1080p, as even Ultra provides a smooth experience, and the CPU is not a limiting factor.

For 1440p displays, the recommendation is High settings. The average of 173 FPS at 1440p High is sufficient for most high-refresh-rate monitors, and the jump to Ultra results in a 28.3% drop to 124 FPS. This drop is significant, and while 124 FPS is still smooth, the visual difference between High and Ultra at 1440p is often subtle, especially in a game like Barony where the art style is stylized. Medium settings at 1440p average 202 FPS, but High offers a better balance between visual quality and performance. The minimum FPS for Medium at 1440p (172) is similar to the average for High, which suggests that High settings provide a consistent experience without the risk of noticeable dips.

For 4K displays, the data shows that High settings offer the best experience. The average of 91 FPS at 4K High is above 60 FPS, providing a smooth experience, while Ultra drops to 65 FPS, which is closer to the 60 FPS threshold and may result in noticeable stutters in demanding scenes. The Medium settings at 4K average 106 FPS, with a minimum of 90, which is also a strong option for players who prefer higher frame rates over visual fidelity. However, High settings strike the best balance, as they provide a significant visual upgrade over Medium while maintaining a frame rate that is well above 60 FPS. The data indicates that 4K High is the sweet spot for this combo, as it leverages the GPU’s capabilities without pushing it to the point where frame times become inconsistent.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX serves as the foundation for this combo, and its specifications are directly relevant to Barony’s performance at lower resolutions. The CPU features 24 cores and 24 threads, a configuration that is unusual for a mobile processor. The base clock is 2.70 GHz, with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, allowing it to reach high single-thread performance when needed. The architecture is Arrow Lake, built on a 3 nm process node from TSMC, with 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die. This process node efficiency contributes to the CPU’s ability to maintain high clocks without excessive power consumption, though the TDP is rated at 55 W.

The cache hierarchy is substantial, with 192 KB of L1 cache per core, 3 MB of L2 cache per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. This large cache pool is beneficial for Barony, which generates procedural levels that require frequent access to game state data. The CPU’s memory support includes DDR5, with a dual-channel bus that provides a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. This memory bandwidth is sufficient to feed the CPU’s cores and the GPU, especially at higher resolutions where the GPU is the bottleneck.

The CPU’s benchmark scores highlight its strengths. In Cinebench R23, it scores 35,589 in multi-core and 2,204 in single-core. The multi-core score is 16 times higher than the single-core score, reflecting the 24-core design. In Geekbench, it scores 20,795 multi-core and 2,458 single-core. PassMark scores show strong performance in specific workloads, such as 608,381 in data compression and 191,186 in floating-point math. The 24 threads are not hyper-threaded, meaning each core handles one thread, which is adequate for Barony’s threading model. The game likely uses multiple threads for AI, pathfinding, and rendering, and the 24 physical cores provide ample parallel processing capability.

The CPU’s role in Barony is most evident at 1080p, where frame rates exceed 400 FPS. At these frame rates, the CPU must process game logic fast enough to feed the GPU, and the 275HX’s high single-thread clock speed of 5.40 GHz ensures that the main game thread does not become a bottleneck. The nearest rival CPUs, such as the Intel Xeon w5-3525 and AMD EPYC 4484PX, have similar average benchmark scores, but they are desktop or server parts with different power envelopes. The 275HX achieves comparable performance in a mobile form factor, which is notable for a laptop-based system. The data shows that the CPU is never the limiting factor in this combo, even at 1080p Low where the GPU has minimal work. This indicates that the 275HX provides more than enough processing power for Barony, and any frame rate limitations are due to the GPU’s rendering capabilities, not the CPU’s computational throughput.