Barony

# Barony with Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050

Barony, a roguelike released in 2015, presents an interesting benchmark scenario for this Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 pairing. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system that is clearly capable of high performance, yet the scaling patterns indicate where the bottlenecks lie. The combo ranks 1775th out of 2935 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database, which is notable given the hardware's specifications.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, but the pattern varies significantly by settings preset. At High settings, performance falls from 193 FPS at 1920x1080 to 122 FPS at 2560x1440 (a 37% reduction), and then to 64 FPS at 3840x2160 (a 48% further drop from 1440p). This steep decline suggests that at 4K, the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor. The RTX 5050's 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory bus, with a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s, appear insufficient to maintain the same throughput as resolution scales.

Low settings tell a different story. At 1080p, the system reaches 302 FPS, which drops to 191 FPS at 1440p and 100 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 37% and 48% respectively, mirroring the High preset's scaling. This consistency suggests that even at Low settings, the GPU is still the dominant constraint at higher resolutions. The fact that 4K Low (100 FPS) is significantly lower than 1080p Ultra (138 FPS) indicates that resolution has a more substantial impact on this GPU than graphics quality settings.

Ultra settings provide the clearest evidence of GPU limitation: 138 FPS at 1080p, 87 FPS at 1440p, and 46 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is less than one-third of the 1080p Low result, highlighting how the combination of high resolution and demanding settings overwhelms the RTX 5050. The data implies that for players targeting 4K, even Medium settings (74 FPS) may struggle to maintain smooth gameplay, while 1080p offers ample headroom across all presets.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, built on a 3 nm process. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz with a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, and it features 36 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU's benchmark scores are formidable: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731 and a single-core score of 7,303, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs.

Given Barony's roguelike nature, which typically involves procedural generation and simulation, the CPU's multi-threaded capabilities could be relevant. The PassMark multi-thread score of 60,860 and data compression score of 698,346 suggest strong performance in compute-heavy tasks. However, the measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 302 FPS, which is likely near the game's engine limits rather than a CPU bottleneck, since the RTX 5050 would struggle to produce such high frame rates in more demanding scenarios.

The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores 83,807 on average, just 0.2% lower than the 290K Plus's 84,003 average benchmark score. This marginal difference suggests that the 290K Plus offers no meaningful CPU advantage over its predecessor in gaming workloads. The AMD EPYC 4584PX and EPYC 9135 are 1.1% and 1.2% lower, respectively, while the EPYC 7F72 is 1.3% higher. These server-class rivals indicate that the 290K Plus sits in a competitive position, but none of these deltas are large enough to explain FPS differences in Barony.

The data implies that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this pairing. At 1080p Low, the 302 FPS result likely represents a ceiling imposed by the game engine or the GPU's ability to draw frames quickly, not by the 290K Plus's computational throughput. The 5.80 GHz boost clock and 24 cores provide ample headroom for any single-threaded or multi-threaded demands Barony might present, especially given its 2015 release date.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU with 2,560 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's boost clock is 2,572 MHz, and its FP32 performance is rated at 13.17 TFLOPS. With a TDP of 130 W and a suggested PSU of 300 W, it's a modest power draw, but the data shows its performance ceiling in Barony is limited.

The GPU's benchmark scores are less impressive relative to its CPU counterpart. The PassMark G3D score is 17,326, and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 2,502, placing the RTX 5050 in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, which scores 21,153 (0.6% higher), and the AMD Radeon HD 8970M, which scores 21,237 (1.0% higher). The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is 1.6% lower, and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile is 1.6% lower. These comparisons suggest the RTX 5050 is roughly on par with mid-range GPUs from several generations ago, which aligns with its measured FPS in Barony.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a potential concern for 4K gaming, as the data shows 4K Ultra only achieves 46 FPS. While Barony is not a VRAM-intensive game by modern standards, the GPU's 128-bit memory bus and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth appear to be the primary constraints at higher resolutions. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at every settings preset shows a consistent 60% or greater reduction in frame rate, which is characteristic of a GPU that cannot maintain fill rate or memory throughput as pixel count increases.

The RTX 5050's 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores suggest ray tracing and DLSS capabilities, but no such features are reflected in the measured FPS data. This implies that either Barony does not support these features, or they were not enabled during testing. The GPU's 13.17 TFLOPS FP32 performance is respectable for 1080p gaming, but the data shows it struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K even on Medium settings (74 FPS average, with a minimum of 63 FPS).

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60 FPS?

A: At 1440p, all settings presets exceed 60 FPS, with Ultra achieving 87 FPS. At 4K, only Low (100 FPS) and Medium (74 FPS) stay above 60 FPS, while High (64 FPS) barely does and Ultra (46 FPS) falls below.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in average benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 5050's average benchmark score is 21,035. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL is 0.6% higher, the AMD Radeon HD 8970M is 1.0% higher, the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is 1.6% lower, and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile is 1.6% lower.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus significantly faster than the Core Ultra 9 285K?

A: No. The 290K Plus averages 84,003 in benchmark scores, which is only 0.2% higher than the 285K's 83,807. This is a negligible difference for gaming performance.

Q: What FPS can I expect at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 225, with a minimum of 191 and a maximum of 258. This provides a smooth experience on standard 60 Hz or 144 Hz monitors.

Q: Does the combo rank highly among all tested configurations?

A: It ranks 1775th out of 2935 tested combos, placing it in the 60th percentile overall. This is a mid-tier ranking, reflecting the GPU's limitations despite the strong CPU.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all CPUs?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is one of the strongest processors in the database.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1775 out of 2935 tested combinations places it in the 60th percentile of all system pairings. This ranking is surprising given the CPU's strength — the 290K Plus is in the 96th percentile of CPUs, yet the overall combo rank is dragged down by the RTX 5050's 66th percentile GPU standing. This disparity suggests that the GPU is the bottleneck in most gaming scenarios, which the measured FPS data confirms.

In Barony specifically, the combo achieves playable frame rates at all resolutions except 4K Ultra. The rank relative to other combos implies that many systems with weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs would outperform this pairing in GPU-bound scenarios. The CPU's nearest rivals all have similar average scores (within 1.3%), so the 290K Plus does not provide a unique advantage that would boost the combo's rank.

The data indicates that this combo is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the GPU can keep pace with the CPU's output. However, at 4K, the GPU's limitations become apparent, and the combo's rank reflects this weakness. Players seeking higher 4K performance would need to consider a more powerful GPU, as the CPU clearly has headroom — its benchmark scores and 96th percentile ranking suggest it is not the limiting factor.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, Ultra settings (138 FPS) provide the best visual quality while maintaining well above 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for most players. Medium settings (225 FPS) offer a significant boost for high-refresh-rate monitors, and Low (302 FPS) is only necessary for extreme refresh rates above 300 Hz.

At 1440p, Ultra (87 FPS) is still viable for 60 Hz displays, but High (122 FPS) provides a better balance for 144 Hz monitors. Medium (142 FPS) is the sweet spot for competitive play, while Low (191 FPS) maximizes frame rate at the expense of visual fidelity. The measured minimum of 120 FPS for Medium indicates consistent performance.

For 4K, the choices are more constrained. Low (100 FPS) is the only preset that provides comfortable headroom above 60 FPS, while Medium (74 FPS) is playable but with a minimum of 63 FPS that may cause occasional stutter. High (64 FPS) is borderline, and Ultra (46 FPS) is not recommended for smooth gameplay. Players prioritizing 4K should use Low settings to ensure a consistent experience, or accept Medium with the understanding that frame times may vary.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers 302 FPS on Low, 225 FPS on Medium (with min 191, max 258), 193 FPS on High, and 138 FPS on Ultra. These figures demonstrate that 1080p is well within the GPU's comfort zone, with even Ultra settings providing triple-digit frame rates.

At 2560x1440, performance drops to 191 FPS on Low, 142 FPS on Medium (min 120, max 163), 122 FPS on High, and 87 FPS on Ultra. The transition from 1080p to 1440p results in a 37% reduction across all presets, indicating a consistent scaling factor.

At 3840x2160, the system achieves 100 FPS on Low, 74 FPS on Medium (min 63, max 85), 64 FPS on High, and 46 FPS on Ultra. The 4K results show a further 48% reduction from 1440p, with Ultra falling below 60 FPS. The minimum FPS of 63 at 4K Medium suggests that even this preset may experience occasional dips below the 60 FPS threshold, making Low the safest choice for 4K gaming.