Barony

Barony is a roguelike where frame rates rarely matter in the traditional sense, but the data for this combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D shows a system that obliterates any conceivable display bottleneck. This pairing ranks first out of 2,935 tested combinations for this game, and the measured FPS figures are so high that they shift the analysis from "can it run it" to "what is the actual limiting factor at these absurd speeds." The results indicate that at 1080p and 1440p, the CPU is doing the heavy lifting to push frame counts into the hundreds, while at 4K, the GPU finally starts to matter. This is a benchmark page about a hardware pairing that turns a modest indie roguelike into a testbed for extreme hardware.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor from the Arrow Lake Refresh family, built on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, which is a significant spread that allows it to scale from power-efficient background tasks to high-frequency gaming loads. The processor also carries 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core, alongside 192 KB of L1 cache per core, which is a substantial amount of on-die memory for a roguelike’s procedural generation and item interaction logic.

In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU scores 51,731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7,303 in single-core, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 84,003 puts it 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, and 1.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4584PX. While those are server-class rivals, the data shows the 290K Plus is no slouch in raw compute.

For Barony, the CPU’s role is critical because the game’s logic, enemy AI, and map generation are typically single-threaded or lightly threaded. The data supports this: at 1080p Low settings, the system hits 724 FPS, which is a frequency and IPC-bound scenario. The 5.80 GHz boost clock is the key driver here. The high single-core Cinebench R23 score of 7,303 correlates strongly with the 724 FPS result, as the game can only use a fraction of the 24 cores.

However, the multi-core performance is not wasted. PassMark’s multithread score of 60,860 and the data encryption score of 52,563 show that the processor can handle background tasks like streaming, voice chat, or antivirus scans without stealing cycles from the game. The 24 threads ensure that even if Barony spawns numerous entities or complex dungeon layouts, there will be no thread starvation. The 125 W TDP is a modest envelope for this level of performance, and the data suggests that thermal throttling would be unlikely to limit the boost clocks during extended sessions, even in a compact build.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU with a massive 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. It has a boost clock of 2407 MHz and a base clock of 2017 MHz. The GPU’s 21,760 shading units and 176 ROPs are overkill for Barony, which is not a graphically demanding title, but the sheer bandwidth and pixel throughput (423.6 GPixel/s) mean that even at 4K, the GPU is rarely the bottleneck until the settings are cranked to Ultra.

In the measured data, the GPU’s influence becomes apparent when comparing the 1080p and 4K results. At 1080p High, the system produces 462 FPS, but at 4K High, it drops to 152 FPS. This is a 67% reduction in frame rate, which indicates that the GPU is starting to engage as the resolution increases. The GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 44,065 places it in the 92nd percentile, though its nearest rivals are laptop-class GPUs, which is odd but reflects the niche positioning of the "D" variant.

The 32 GB VRAM is entirely irrelevant for Barony, as the game’s textures are modest. However, the data shows that the GPU’s memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s is what allows the 4K Ultra preset to still hit 109 FPS. The RTX 5090 D’s 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is more than enough to handle the game’s pixel shaders, and the 170 RT cores are unused, as Barony has no ray tracing. The GPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (1.6% ahead) and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (2.4% ahead), but those are mobile or compute-oriented parts, so the comparison is skewed.

The real story is that the RTX 5090 D is so fast that it becomes a bystander at lower resolutions. The data shows a 457 FPS result at 1440p Low, which is a CPU-limited scenario. The GPU is waiting for the CPU to feed it draw calls. Only when the resolution and settings increase does the GPU’s role shift from passive to active, and even then, it never breaks a sweat.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how the bottleneck shifts across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 724 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 457 FPS, a 37% decrease. At 4K Low, it falls to 239 FPS, a 48% drop from 1440p. This steep decline from 1080p to 1440p, even at Low settings, is a classic sign of the CPU hitting its limits. The CPU is generating frames as fast as it can, and the GPU is only just keeping up.

At 1080p High, the system hits 462 FPS, which is still incredibly high. Moving to 1440p High, it drops to 292 FPS (a 37% decrease), and at 4K High, it drops to 152 FPS (a 48% decrease from 1440p). The percentage drops are nearly identical to the Low settings, which indicates that the CPU is still the primary limiter at High settings across these resolutions.

The story changes at Ultra settings. At 1080p Ultra, the system produces 331 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 209 FPS (a 37% decrease), and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 109 FPS (a 48% decrease from 1440p). The Ultra preset introduces enough GPU load that the scaling pattern remains consistent, but the absolute numbers are lower. This suggests that the GPU is starting to share the load, but the CPU is still a significant factor, as the frame rates are far above what any monitor can display.

The Medium settings provide the only complete data with min and max FPS. At 1080p Medium, the average is 538 FPS with a minimum of 458 and a maximum of 619. At 1440p Medium, the average is 340 FPS with a minimum of 289 and a maximum of 391. At 4K Medium, the average is 178 FPS with a minimum of 151 and a maximum of 204. The frame time consistency is excellent, with the minimum FPS staying above 150 at 4K.

The data clearly shows that for this pairing, the 1080p and 1440p results are CPU-bound, while the 4K results are more balanced. The RTX 5090 D is so powerful that it cannot be fully utilized at lower resolutions in this game. The limiting component at 1080p and 1440p is the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus, which, despite being a top-tier CPU, cannot feed the GPU fast enough to exceed 724 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Barony with this hardware?

A: The data shows that 4K High at 152 FPS is the sweet spot for visual quality and performance. 4K Ultra still delivers 109 FPS, which is excellent, but the jump from High to Ultra costs 43 FPS, making High the more efficient choice for smoothness.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: At 1080p and 1440p, the data shows the CPU is the limiting factor. For example, 1080p Low hits 724 FPS, but 1440p Low only hits 457 FPS, a drop that indicates the CPU cannot keep up with the GPU’s ability to render at higher resolutions. At 4K, the GPU becomes more relevant, but the CPU still contributes to the frame ceiling.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus compare to its nearest rival?

A: The 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84,003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K. It is also 1.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4584PX and 1.2% ahead of the AMD EPYC 9135, but it trails the AMD EPYC 7F72 by 1.3%.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 D’s 32 GB of VRAM matter for Barony?

A: No. Barony is a roguelike with modest texture requirements, and the data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the GPU’s 32 GB memory pool is not a constraint. The 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth is more relevant, as it allows the GPU to process high-resolution frames quickly.

Q: What are the minimum FPS figures for this system?

A: The only settings with min FPS data are Medium. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 458 FPS. At 1440p Medium, it is 289 FPS. At 4K Medium, it is 151 FPS. These figures indicate there are no stutters or frame drops that would affect gameplay.

Q: Is this the best combination for Barony?

A: Yes, according to the data, this combo ranks first out of 2,935 tested combinations. The measured FPS figures at every resolution and setting are far above the refresh rates of any consumer monitor, making it an overpowered pairing for this specific game.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the system produces staggering numbers. With Low settings, the average FPS is 724, which is the highest recorded figure in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield an average of 538 FPS, with a minimum of 458 and a maximum of 619. High settings drop the average to 462 FPS, and Ultra settings bring it down to 331 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p is a 54% reduction, showing that the GPU is engaged by the more demanding presets.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain incredibly high but show a clear step down. Low settings average 457 FPS, which is a 37% drop from 1080p. Medium settings average 340 FPS, with a minimum of 289 and a maximum of 391. High settings average 292 FPS, and Ultra settings average 209 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 54%, matching the 1080p scaling pattern.

At 3840x2160, the GPU finally flexes its muscles. Low settings average 239 FPS, which is a 48% drop from 1440p. Medium settings average 178 FPS, with a minimum of 151 and a maximum of 204. High settings average 152 FPS, and Ultra settings average 109 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 4K is 54%, consistent with the other resolutions.

The data shows a clear pattern: the percentage reduction from Low to Ultra is roughly 54% at every resolution, which indicates that the GPU’s workload scales consistently with settings. However, the absolute FPS figures are so high that even the lowest recorded average (109 FPS at 4K Ultra) is far above the standard 60 FPS target.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For a game like Barony, where the visual difference between Medium and Ultra is minimal due to the art style, the data suggests that Medium is the optimal preset. At 1080p Medium, the system averages 538 FPS, which is overkill but ensures zero frame drops, as evidenced by the 458 FPS minimum. At 1440p Medium, the average is 340 FPS, and the minimum is 289 FPS, providing a massive headroom above any refresh rate.

The Medium preset is the only one where min and max FPS data is available, which allows for a precise analysis of frame consistency. The data shows that at all three resolutions, the minimum FPS is within 15% of the average, indicating excellent frame pacing. This is crucial for a roguelike where quick reactions to enemy attacks matter.

For users with a 4K 120 Hz monitor, High settings at 4K are the best choice, delivering 152 FPS on average. This ensures that the display is fully utilized without dipping below the refresh rate. Ultra settings at 4K deliver 109 FPS, which is still playable but does not offer a significant visual improvement over High for the 43 FPS cost.

For 1440p 240 Hz displays, High settings at 292 FPS are the recommended starting point. The data shows that Ultra at 1440p still delivers 209 FPS, which is above 200 Hz, but High provides a more comfortable margin. At 1080p, even Ultra settings at 331 FPS will exceed the refresh rate of any 360 Hz monitor, so users can select Ultra freely without concern.

The data strongly suggests that Medium is the "safe" choice for maximum frame consistency, while High is the "visual" choice for those who want a slight quality boost. Ultra is only recommended for users with specific high-refresh-rate displays that can take advantage of the extra frames, as the performance cost is measurable but the visual impact is likely negligible in Barony’s pixel-art style.