Barony

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for Barony on this Intel Core i7-14700K + Intel Arc B580 combination show a clear progression across the three tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system delivers abundant performance across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 275.1 FPS, Medium reaches 204.3 FPS, High drops to 177.8 FPS, and even the demanding Ultra preset maintains an average of 126 FPS. Every 1080p configuration clears the 60 FPS playability threshold by a substantial margin, with the most demanding preset still doubling the target frame rate.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very strong but show the expected cost of additional pixel throughput. Low settings average 171.6 FPS, Medium delivers 130.2 FPS, and High settles at 111.7 FPS. The Ultra preset, which at 1080p produced 126 FPS, drops to 76.5 FPS at 1440p. This still clears the 60 FPS threshold comfortably, but the gap between Medium and Ultra narrows considerably as resolution increases. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p reduces performance by roughly 37% to 39% across the preset range, which is consistent with a GPU-bound workload.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes more dramatically. Low settings average 90.6 FPS, which remains playable. Medium produces 69.4 FPS, and High manages 61 FPS — just barely above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset, however, falls to 40.1 FPS, making it the only configuration in the entire dataset that fails to reach playable frame rates. The step from High to Ultra at 4K represents a substantial 34% performance loss, indicating that the Ultra preset's additional effects are particularly expensive at this resolution.

Notably, the dataset provides average frame rates only; minimum and maximum values are not reported in the measured results. The absence of min/max data means the analysis relies entirely on averages, which can mask frame time spikes. However, the consistency of the scaling pattern across resolutions suggests stable performance characteristics for this combination.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the Intel Core i7-14700K and the Intel Arc B580 becomes evident when examining how frame rates scale with resolution and preset changes. Barony is a roguelike title that does not appear to place extreme demands on the CPU, given the very high frame rates achieved even at 1080p. The i7-14700K, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, provides ample headroom for game logic and physics at all tested settings.

The GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the frame rate differences between presets are large — from 275.1 FPS on Low to 126 FPS on Ultra — but even the lowest result is far above what the CPU would bottleneck. This indicates that at 1080p, the Arc B580 is the primary limiter, though not in a way that compromises playability. The GPU's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game's needs at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the pattern continues. The frame rate drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly consistent across all presets, which points to GPU-bound scaling. The CPU still has significant headroom, as evidenced by the 76.5 FPS result on Ultra at 1440p — a setting that clearly taxes the GPU more than the processor.

The 3840x2160 results reveal the true GPU limit. The Ultra preset falls to 40.1 FPS, while High manages 61 FPS. This sharp drop at the highest settings confirms that the Arc B580's rendering capabilities, rather than the i7-14700K's processing power, determine the upper bound of performance. The CPU's role at 4K is essentially to stay out of the way; its single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2160) and multi-thread capabilities (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 33440.5) are far beyond what this game requires at any resolution.

The scaling between Low and Ultra at each resolution also illustrates the GPU's workload. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 149.1 FPS. At 1440p, that difference narrows to 95.1 FPS. At 4K, the difference shrinks to 50.5 FPS. This compression of the preset range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is increasingly saturated, leaving less room for additional effects to make a proportional impact on frame rate.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Barony at 4K?

A: Yes, but only on certain presets. The measured data shows playable average frame rates at 4K on Low (90.6 FPS), Medium (69.4 FPS), and High (61 FPS). The Ultra preset falls to 40.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 delivers an average of 76.5 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. This is the highest visual quality option that remains playable at this resolution.

Q: How does the Arc B580 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Arc B580's average benchmark score is 23021. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, scores 23061, a delta of -0.2%. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 scores 22895, a delta of 0.6%. The RTX 3080 scores 23172, a delta of -0.7%. These deltas are all within 1% of each other.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary factor. At 1080p, frame rates range from 275.1 FPS on Low to 126 FPS on Ultra, showing significant GPU workload scaling. The i7-14700K's high benchmark scores (including a Passmark multi-thread score of 52392) indicate it is not the limiting component.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1080p on High settings?

A: The measured average is 177.8 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings. This is well above the 60 FPS playability threshold and leaves substantial headroom for demanding scenes.

Q: Does the Ultra preset ever fail to reach 60 FPS?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 the Ultra preset averages 40.1 FPS. This is the only tested configuration that falls below the 60 FPS threshold. At both 2560x1440 and 1920x1080, Ultra settings maintain playable frame rates.

The Verdict

This combination of an Intel Core i7-14700K and Intel Arc B580 can run Barony at all three tested resolutions, though with some caveats at 4K. At 1920x1080, every preset is playable, with the Ultra preset averaging 126 FPS — more than double the 60 FPS threshold. This resolution offers complete freedom to choose any settings without concern for performance.

At 2560x1440, the system again handles all presets above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 76.5 FPS, providing both high visual quality and smooth gameplay. Even the most demanding configuration at this resolution leaves a comfortable margin above the playability threshold.

At 3840x2160, the verdict is more nuanced. Low (90.6 FPS), Medium (69.4 FPS), and High (61 FPS) settings are all playable. The High preset at 61 FPS is technically above the threshold but leaves almost no headroom; any demanding scene could potentially drop below 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 40.1 FPS is not playable by the 60 FPS standard. For 4K gaming, the recommended approach is to use High settings and accept the slim margin, or drop to Medium for a more comfortable buffer.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the Intel Core i7-14700K, the nearest rivals in synthetic CPU benchmarks are all AMD processors. The AMD EPYC 9115 scores 69288, a negligible 0.1% delta from the i7-14700K's average of 69355. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515, a -0.2% delta, placing it essentially at parity. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX scores 69875, a -0.7% delta, and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F scores 69996, a -0.9% delta. Any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical performance in Barony, as the game does not appear to stress the processor heavily.

For the Intel Arc B580, the nearest GPU rivals are a mixed group. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP scores 23061, a -0.2% delta from the Arc B580's 23021. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 scores 22895, a 0.6% delta. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 scores 23172, a -0.7% delta. The NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23249, a -1% delta. All of these GPUs fall within a 1% band of the Arc B580's synthetic average, suggesting that any of them would produce similar frame rates in Barony at the tested resolutions and presets.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall database of tested combinations for Barony, this pairing of Intel Core i7-14700K and Intel Arc B580 ranks 2835 out of 3717 total combinations. This places it in the lower portion of the ranking, which may seem surprising given the strong frame rates measured. The rank reflects the full distribution of tested hardware, including combinations with much more powerful GPUs that achieve higher frame rates at 4K Ultra settings. The i7-14700K's percentile of 94 among all CPUs indicates strong processor performance, while the Arc B580's percentile of 68 among all GPUs shows it is mid-tier in the broader GPU landscape.

The rank of 2835 means approximately 76% of tested combinations perform better in Barony. This is primarily due to the GPU's position — the Arc B580, while capable, is not a high-end card. The CPU's excellent performance does not compensate fully for the GPU's mid-range standing in this game, which relies more heavily on the graphics card as resolution increases.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best setting is Ultra, which delivers an average of 126 FPS. This is the most demanding preset and it still clears the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin, making it the optimal choice for visual quality without sacrificing playability.

At 2560x1440, the best setting is also Ultra, with an average of 76.5 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold while offering the highest visual fidelity. The 76.5 FPS average leaves enough headroom for occasional frame drops without falling below playable levels.

At 3840x2160, the best setting that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, averaging 61 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that remains playable, but the margin is thin. For users who prefer a safety buffer, Medium at 69.4 FPS would be the more conservative choice. The Ultra preset at 40.1 FPS is not viable at this resolution.