Barony

The Intel Core i5-14600KF and Intel Arc B580 combination delivers a distinctly playable experience in Barony, with benchmark data showing that the pairing can push well beyond the 60 FPS threshold at 1080p and 1440p, while offering a surprisingly capable showing at 4K. The measured results indicate a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions but retains enough headroom to handle the game’s roguelike demands across most settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rate data for this combination shows a clear progression from 1080p to 4K, with the most dramatic drop occurring between 1440p and 2160p. At 1920x1080, the system produces exceptional numbers: Low settings reach 273.6 FPS average, Medium hits 207.4 FPS, High delivers 177.7 FPS, and even Ultra maintains a robust 126 FPS. These figures indicate that at 1080p, the Intel Arc B580 is rarely the limiting factor, with the i5-14600KF’s strong single-core performance allowing the GPU to stretch its legs.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average frame rates remain comfortably high but show the expected scaling penalty. Low settings produce 174.9 FPS, Medium drops to 128.7 FPS, High settles at 109 FPS, and Ultra still holds at 80.3 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is roughly 54%, which suggests that the GPU is beginning to feel the load of higher pixel counts, though the overall experience stays smooth.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve becomes steeper. Low settings maintain 91.9 FPS, Medium falls to 69.4 FPS, and High just barely clears the playable threshold at 60.6 FPS. Ultra, however, takes a significant hit, dropping to 41.5 FPS — a figure that falls below the 60 FPS playability standard. The delta between Low and Ultra at 4K is over 50 FPS, highlighting how quickly the Arc B580’s 12 GB memory buffer and 192-bit bus become stressed at this resolution.

Notably, the measured data lacks min and max frame rate values, so the analysis relies solely on average FPS. This means stutter or frame-time consistency cannot be assessed from the provided figures, but the averages alone paint a picture of a system that scales predictably with resolution and preset changes.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the goal is to identify the most demanding preset that still maintains an average of at least 60 FPS. The data provides clear answers.

At 1920x1080, the best playable setting is Ultra, which delivers an average of 126 FPS. This is the highest preset available, and the system clears the 60 FPS threshold by a margin of more than 2x, leaving substantial headroom for any potential frame drops or background tasks.

At 2560x1440, the best setting is also Ultra, with an average of 80.3 FPS. While this is lower than the 1080p figure, it still exceeds the 60 FPS target by over 20 FPS, indicating that the combination can handle the most demanding visuals at this resolution without dipping below playable levels.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. The best playable setting is High, which averages 60.6 FPS — just barely above the threshold. Medium also qualifies at 69.4 FPS, but High is the more demanding preset that still clears 60 FPS. Ultra, at 41.5 FPS, falls well short and should be avoided for smooth gameplay. The verdict data confirms this, listing High as the best 4K setting for this combo.

CPU and GPU Roles

The relative importance of the Intel Core i5-14600KF versus the Intel Arc B580 shifts significantly across resolutions, based on the scaling patterns in the measured data. At 1080p, the system’s frame rates are remarkably high across all presets, with Low hitting 273.6 FPS and Ultra still at 126 FPS. The fact that even Ultra nearly doubles the 60 FPS target suggests that the GPU is not fully saturated at this resolution; the i5-14600KF’s 14 cores and 20 threads are more than sufficient to feed the Arc B580, and the CPU likely becomes the primary limiter only at extremely high frame rates.

At 1440p, the scaling from Low to Ultra shows a more pronounced GPU influence. The drop from 174.9 FPS at Low to 80.3 FPS at Ultra represents a 54% reduction, which is a direct result of increased pixel shading and memory bandwidth demands. This indicates that the Arc B580 is now the dominant factor, with the CPU still providing ample headroom but no longer being the bottleneck.

At 4K, the GPU’s role becomes even more dominant. The difference between Low (91.9 FPS) and Ultra (41.5 FPS) is a 55% reduction, and the overall frame rates are substantially lower than at 1440p. The Arc B580’s 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 456.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth are simply insufficient for Ultra settings at this resolution, while the CPU’s performance — evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 — is unlikely to be the limiting factor. The data strongly suggests that at 4K, the GPU is the sole constraint, and any CPU upgrade would yield negligible gains.

The Verdict

The benchmark results indicate that this combination can run Barony effectively at all tested resolutions, with the caveat that 4K requires careful settings management. At 1920x1080, the system is more than capable: all presets, including Ultra, clear the 60 FPS threshold, with the lowest average being 126 FPS. This is a fully playable experience with maximum visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the verdict is equally positive. Ultra settings maintain an average of 80.3 FPS, which is well above the playable threshold. The system has enough headroom to handle demanding scenes without dropping below 60 FPS, making this resolution a sweet spot for the Arc B580.

At 3840x2160, the system is playable but constrained. High settings produce 60.6 FPS, which is technically playable but leaves little margin for error. Medium at 69.4 FPS offers a more comfortable buffer, while Low at 91.9 FPS is the safest option for consistent performance. Ultra, at 41.5 FPS, is not recommended for smooth gameplay. The verdict data confirms that High, Low, and Medium are all playable at 4K, but players seeking a stable 60 FPS should consider Medium for extra headroom.

Overall, this PC can run Barony to a high standard at 1080p and 1440p, and it handles 4K with the right preset choices. The combination of the i5-14600KF’s strong single-threaded performance and the Arc B580’s mid-range rasterization capabilities creates a balanced system for this title.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run Barony at 4K with Ultra settings?*

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 41.5 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best playable 4K setting is High, which averages 60.6 FPS.

Q: What is the highest preset that stays above 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 average 80.3 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. All four presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — are playable at this resolution.

Q: How much faster is 1080p compared to 4K at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average frame rate is 177.7 FPS, while at 3840x2160 with High settings, it drops to 60.6 FPS. This represents a 66% reduction in average frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance more at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the data indicates the GPU is not fully saturated, as even Ultra settings produce 126 FPS. The Intel Core i5-14600KF, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2445, likely becomes the limiting factor only at very high frame rates, but the overall system is well-balanced at this resolution.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, Low settings average 91.9 FPS, while Ultra settings average 41.5 FPS. This is a difference of 50.4 FPS, or a 55% reduction in performance.

Q: Is the Arc B580’s 12 GB memory sufficient for this game?

A: The measured data shows playable frame rates at 4K High (60.6 FPS) and 1440p Ultra (80.3 FPS), which suggests the 12 GB GDDR6 memory and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for Barony at these settings. The only preset that fails to reach 60 FPS is 4K Ultra, which is likely a compute and bandwidth limitation rather than a capacity issue.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all tested combinations for Barony, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and Intel Arc B580 ranks 2818 out of 3717 combos, placing it in the 24th percentile of all systems tested. This is a below-average ranking, which reflects the fact that Barony is a lightweight roguelike that many higher-end systems can run at far higher frame rates. However, the rank is heavily influenced by the GPU’s mid-range positioning — the Arc B580 sits in the 68th percentile among all GPUs, while the i5-14600KF is in the 90th percentile among all CPUs.

The combination’s rank suggests that while the CPU is a strong performer — within 0.3% of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 and 0.8% of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 in average benchmark scores — the GPU holds the system back relative to other tested combos. The Arc B580’s average benchmark score of 23021 is nearly identical to that of the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (23061) and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22895), which are older or lower-tier cards. This means that in a game like Barony, where frame rates are already high, the combo’s rank is more indicative of the GPU’s mid-pack standing than any real-world deficiency in playability. The system still delivers 60+ FPS at 1440p Ultra and 4K High, so the rank reflects relative performance against more powerful GPUs, not an inability to run the game smoothly.