Barony

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the Intel Arc B580 delivers a robust experience in Barony, a roguelike title that is far more demanding than its genre might suggest. Benchmark data shows this combination is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K requires some settings adjustments to maintain smooth gameplay. The measured frame rates across resolutions and presets provide a clear picture of what to expect from this hardware pairing.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest preset this combo can run at 60 FPS in 4K?

A: The data shows the Medium preset at 3840x2160 achieves an average of 65.6 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The High preset drops to 57.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 44.4 FPS, so Medium is the most demanding setting that stays playable at 4K.

Q: Can this system handle Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: Yes. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 77.4 FPS, comfortably exceeding the 60 FPS threshold. All four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at this resolution, with frame rates ranging from 77.4 FPS at Ultra to 174.6 FPS at Low.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700F has an average benchmark score of 53620, placing it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. Its closest competitor is the Intel Xeon 6505P with a score of 53701, which is 0.2% faster. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X scores 53288, putting it 0.6% behind, while the AMD EPYC 7313P is 0.8% slower with a score of 53206.

Q: What GPU performance tier does the Arc B580 occupy?

A: The Intel Arc B580 sits in the 68th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 23021. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, which scores 23061 and is 0.2% faster. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 scores 22895 (0.6% slower), and the RTX 3080 scores 23172 (0.7% faster).

Q: Is the 4K High preset close to being playable?

A: Yes, but it misses the threshold. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average frame rate is 57.8 FPS, which is 2.2 FPS below the 60 FPS playable standard. Dropping to Medium raises the average to 65.6 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above the threshold.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset produces an average of 273.8 FPS, while Ultra produces 128.4 FPS. This represents a 145.4 FPS difference, or roughly 53% lower performance at Ultra compared to Low. The Medium preset sits between them at 204 FPS.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Medium, with an average frame rate of 65.6 FPS. The High preset falls short at 57.8 FPS, and Ultra is significantly lower at 44.4 FPS. Low runs at 92.1 FPS, but Medium provides a better visual experience while still clearing the playable threshold with a 5.6 FPS margin.

Moving to 2560x1440, the data shows that Ultra is the best playable setting, achieving 77.4 FPS on average. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold, with a 17.4 FPS margin. The High preset runs at 113.6 FPS, Medium at 128.8 FPS, and Low at 174.6 FPS. Since Ultra clears the threshold comfortably, it is the recommended choice for this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 128.4 FPS, making it the most demanding playable setting. This is more than double the 60 FPS threshold. High runs at 174.2 FPS, Medium at 204 FPS, and Low at 273.8 FPS. The system has enough headroom at 1080p that even the heaviest preset leaves substantial performance in reserve for demanding scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

Among the 3717 tested hardware combinations for Barony, this Intel Core i7-14700F and Intel Arc B580 pairing ranks 2834th. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the ranking distribution, meaning a substantial number of tested combos outperform it in this specific game. The rank reflects the combination of CPU and GPU performance as measured in Barony, not just the individual component benchmarks.

The rank of 2834 out of 3717 puts this combo in the 23.8th percentile of tested configurations. This is notably lower than the individual component percentiles—the CPU sits in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU in the 68th percentile of all GPUs. The discrepancy suggests that Barony's performance characteristics may not fully utilize the strengths of these components, or that the game has specific engine constraints that limit scaling. The measured frame rates, however, show that this lower ranking does not translate to poor playability. At 1080p and 1440p, the system delivers well above 60 FPS at all presets, and even at 4K, Medium settings remain playable.

The combination of a high-percentile CPU with a mid-range GPU produces results that are typical for a balanced pairing. The CPU's strong multi-core performance, demonstrated by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35122, ensures it does not bottleneck the GPU in most scenarios. The GPU's 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 12 GB of GDDR6 memory provide adequate bandwidth for 1080p and 1440p gaming. The ranking indicates that for Barony specifically, other combinations of hardware may deliver higher frame rates, but this setup remains fully capable of a smooth experience.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i7-14700F provide context for CPU performance. The Intel Xeon 6505P has an average score of 53701, which is 0.2% higher, making it essentially equivalent in synthetic benchmarks. The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 scores 53469, sitting 0.3% below the i7-14700F. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, a popular desktop alternative, scores 53288, representing a 0.6% deficit. The AMD EPYC 7313P completes the group with a score of 53206, 0.8% lower. In practical terms, all four of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical performance in Barony, with differences of less than 1% being imperceptible in real-world gaming.

For the GPU side, the Intel Arc B580's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, which scores 23061 and is 0.2% faster. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 scores 22895, placing it 0.6% behind the Arc B580. The RTX 3080 scores 23172, which is 0.7% faster, and the NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23249, 1% faster. These deltas are all within 1% of the Arc B580, meaning that in Barony, any of these GPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates. The RTX 3080's higher raw performance in other titles does not translate to a meaningful advantage here, as the game appears to be less GPU-bound at the tested settings.

When considering alternative builds, swapping the i7-14700F for a Ryzen 9 7900X would yield virtually no change in Barony performance, as their average benchmark scores differ by only 0.6%. Similarly, replacing the Arc B580 with an RTX 2080 would result in approximately 0.6% lower performance, which is negligible. The most notable alternative from the rival lists would be the RTX 3080, which is 0.7% faster, but this difference would not be noticeable in gameplay.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions and presets reveals which component matters more for Barony. At 1920x1080, the frame rates range from 273.8 FPS at Low to 128.4 FPS at Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is 145.4 FPS, indicating that settings have a substantial impact on performance. At 2560x1440, the range narrows to 174.6 FPS at Low and 77.4 FPS at Ultra, a 97.2 FPS difference. At 3840x2160, the range is 92.1 FPS at Low and 44.4 FPS at Ultra, a 47.7 FPS difference.

The resolution scaling shows that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra settings, the frame rate drops from 128.4 FPS to 77.4 FPS, a 39.7% reduction. Moving from 1440p to 4K at Ultra, the frame rate drops from 77.4 FPS to 44.4 FPS, a 42.6% reduction. These substantial drops indicate that the Arc B580 is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, as pixel count increases demand on the GPU's rendering pipeline.

At 1080p, the CPU plays a more significant role. The frame rates at all presets are high enough that the GPU is not fully saturated, and the i7-14700F's strong single-thread performance—evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4958—helps maintain high minimum frame rates. The GPU's 80 ROPs and 160 TMUs are capable of handling the pixel and texture workload at 1080p, but at 4K, the 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 compute becomes the bottleneck. The data shows that the CPU's influence diminishes as resolution increases, with the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth (456.0 GB/s) becoming the determining factors.

At 1080p Low, the 273.8 FPS result suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU more than enough data, and the limiting factor is likely the GPU's geometry processing. At 4K Ultra, the 44.4 FPS result indicates that the GPU is heavily loaded, and the CPU has ample headroom. The verdict by resolution confirms this: at 4K, only Low and Medium are playable, while at 1440p and 1080p, all presets including Ultra clear the 60 FPS threshold.

The Verdict

This PC can run Barony effectively at all three tested resolutions, with the caveat that 4K requires reduced settings. At 1920x1080, the system delivers playable performance at every preset, with Ultra achieving 128.4 FPS and Low reaching 273.8 FPS. This makes 1080p the sweet spot for this combination, offering high refresh rates even at maximum quality. The 2560x1440 results are similarly strong, with Ultra running at 77.4 FPS and all other presets exceeding 113 FPS. For 4K gaming, the system can handle Medium settings at 65.6 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold, but High drops to 57.8 FPS and Ultra to 44.4 FPS.

The verdict by resolution confirms that 2560x1440 and 1920x1080 are fully playable at all presets, while 3840x2160 is playable at Low and Medium. For users with a 4K display, the Medium preset at 65.6 FPS provides the best balance of visual quality and smoothness. The High preset's 57.8 FPS average is close to playable but falls short, so dropping to Medium is the recommended course. At 1440p, the Ultra preset's 77.4 FPS average gives a 17.4 FPS margin above the threshold, making it a safe choice even during demanding scenes. At 1080p, the Ultra preset's 128.4 FPS average provides more than double the required frame rate, leaving substantial headroom for any potential drops.

The Intel Core i7-14700F demonstrates its capability through strong synthetic benchmarks, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35122 and a single-core score of 4958. The Arc B580, with its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth, provides sufficient resources for Barony at 1080p and 1440p. The combo's rank of 2834 out of 3717 tested combinations might seem concerning, but the actual measured performance shows this is a well-balanced system for this game. Users seeking the highest visual fidelity at 4K should consider a more powerful GPU, but for 1080p and 1440p gaming, this pairing delivers excellent results. The data indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution, and the GPU is the limiting factor only at 4K Ultra settings. Overall, this is a capable system for Barony that meets or exceeds the 60 FPS target at most settings and resolutions.