Barony

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the Intel Arc B580 delivers a remarkably consistent experience in Barony, a roguelike that appears far more tolerant of high resolutions than most titles. The data set shows this combination clearing the 60 FPS threshold at every tested resolution with at least Medium settings, and even managing 4K High at an average of 60.8 FPS. This suggests a game that is not particularly demanding on modern hardware, where the CPU’s substantial multi-threading capabilities — evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 — are largely secondary to the GPU’s raw throughput. The Arc B580, with its 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 12 GB of GDDR6 memory, proves to be a surprisingly capable partner at higher resolutions, though the performance cliff between 1440p and 4K at Ultra settings reveals a clear limit to its architectural efficiency.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS recorded at 1920x1080 is 278.1 FPS, achieved with Low settings. This drops to 126.8 FPS at Ultra settings, indicating a massive headroom for high refresh-rate displays.

Q: Can this system run Barony at 4K resolution with playable performance?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160, the system maintains an average of 60.8 FPS on High settings, 67.3 FPS on Medium, and 91.7 FPS on Low. Ultra settings are the only exception, falling to 43.5 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-14700KF compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X?

A: The Intel chip has an average benchmark score of 70163, which is 0.9% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X’s score of 69515. The delta is small, meaning performance in CPU-bound scenarios would be nearly indistinguishable.

Q: What is the GPU’s performance percentile relative to all tested graphics cards?

A: The Intel Arc B580 sits in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23021. This places it in the upper-mid range, though its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, which scores 22895 (0.6% lower).

Q: Is the jump from 1440p to 4K more punishing for the GPU or the CPU?

A: The data shows the GPU is the bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1440p Ultra, the average FPS is 76.9, but at 4K Ultra, it drops sharply to 43.5 FPS — a 43.4% decrease. The CPU’s performance headroom is not the limiting factor here, as its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 suggests it can feed frames far faster than the GPU can render them at 4K.

Q: What is the combined rank of this CPU-GPU pair among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 2820 out of 3717 total combinations, placing it in the lower 24% of all systems tested. This rank is relatively low despite the playable frame rates, indicating that many other hardware pairings achieve higher raw performance in this game.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Examining the nearest rivals for both components reveals that this system’s performance profile is closely mirrored by a few specific alternatives. On the CPU side, the Intel Core i7-14700KF (avg score 70163) is nearly identical in computing power to the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, which has an average score of 69996 and a delta of just 0.2%. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875, 0.4% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69515, 0.9% delta) are also within a single percentage point, meaning any of these processors would produce virtually the same frame rates in Barony’s CPU-bound scenarios. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is the outlier, scoring 70879, which is 1% higher, but this difference is negligible for a game that relies more on GPU throughput.

For the GPU, the Intel Arc B580 (avg score 23021) is bracketed by a fascinating set of rivals. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP scores 23061, which is 0.2% higher — an older card that matches the Arc B580’s average performance, though the Arc’s modern feature set (DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4) provides advantages beyond raw FPS. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22895, 0.6% lower) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (23172, 0.7% higher) are also near-identical in average score. This means a system with an RTX 2080 or even an RTX 3080 would deliver remarkably similar average frame rates in Barony, despite the RTX 3080 typically being considered a far more powerful card in other titles. The P106-100 (23249, 1% higher) rounds out the list, though its mining-oriented design makes it an unlikely real-world alternative.

For a user seeking similar behavior, swapping the i7-14700KF for the Ryzen 9 7950X would yield essentially the same CPU-bound performance, while changing the Arc B580 to an RTX 2080 would produce nearly identical average FPS across all settings. The data implies that the combination’s 4K Ultra performance of 43.5 FPS would be mirrored by any of these rival pairings, as the GPU’s average score is the primary differentiator at that resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS data reveals a clear division of labor between the Intel Core i7-14700KF and the Intel Arc B580. At 1080p, the system achieves 278.1 FPS on Low settings, which is so high that the CPU’s 20 cores and 28 threads are likely providing all the necessary draw-call processing without breaking a sweat. The drop to 126.8 FPS at 1080p Ultra represents a 54.4% reduction, which is almost entirely attributable to the GPU’s rendering load increasing with higher-quality shaders and effects. The CPU’s Cinebench R20 single-core score of 2618 and multi-core score of 18550 indicate it can handle the game’s logic far beyond the 60 FPS threshold, so the GPU governs the scaling.

As resolution increases, the GPU’s dominance becomes more pronounced. Moving from 1080p Ultra (126.8 FPS) to 1440p Ultra (76.9 FPS) is a 39.4% drop, and then to 4K Ultra (43.5 FPS) is another 43.4% drop. These dramatic reductions at identical settings prove that the Arc B580’s 456.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are the limiting factors. The CPU’s role is constant across these resolutions — its 33 MB of L3 cache and 5.60 GHz boost clock are more than sufficient to feed the GPU at 4K, as evidenced by the fact that the 4K Low setting still reaches 91.7 FPS. The game is not CPU-bound at any resolution; instead, the data shows a typical GPU-bound scaling curve where the frame rate halves as pixel count quadruples, but only when the GPU is the bottleneck. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is saturated, while at 1080p Low, the frame rate is so high that the CPU’s per-core performance (PassMark single-thread score of 4480) becomes the theoretical ceiling, though this is never practically reached in the measured results.

The Verdict

The benchmark data confirms that this PC can run Barony without issue at nearly every configuration tested. At 3840x2160, the system clears the 60 FPS playable threshold on High settings (60.8 FPS), Medium (67.3 FPS), and Low (91.7 FPS), but fails on Ultra with 43.5 FPS. This means 4K gaming is viable, but requires sacrificing the highest visual fidelity. At 2560x1440, the verdict is unambiguous: all four settings — Low (171.3 FPS), Medium (129.8 FPS), High (108.7 FPS), and Ultra (76.9 FPS) — are comfortably above 60 FPS, making this the sweet spot for a balanced experience with maximum detail. At 1920x1080, performance is exceptional across the board, with even Ultra settings hitting 126.8 FPS, which is more than double the playable threshold. The system is unequivocally capable of running Barony, and the only scenario where it falls short is 4K Ultra, where the GPU’s architectural limits become apparent. For users with a 1440p or 1080p monitor, this combo is more than sufficient; for 4K display owners, High settings are the recommended ceiling.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are consistently high. Low settings produce an average of 278.1 FPS, Medium drops to 206.9 FPS, High settles at 178.7 FPS, and Ultra maintains 126.8 FPS. The scaling is linear, with each preset tier costing roughly 50-70 FPS, indicating the GPU is the primary constraint. No minimum or maximum FPS values were recorded, so the average is the sole metric, but the high averages suggest smooth gameplay without stutters.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong. Low averages 171.3 FPS, Medium 129.8 FPS, High 108.7 FPS, and Ultra 76.9 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 55.1%, which is slightly steeper than at 1080p (54.4%), reflecting the increased pixel count. The 1440p Ultra result of 76.9 FPS is still 16.9 FPS above the playable threshold, providing headroom for demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to struggle with the highest preset. Low averages 91.7 FPS, Medium 67.3 FPS, and High 60.8 FPS, all of which are playable. Ultra, however, plummets to 43.5 FPS, which is 16.5 FPS below the 60 FPS threshold. The gap between Medium and High at 4K is only 6.5 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 17.3 FPS, suggesting that Ultra’s additional effects (likely shadows and reflections) disproportionately burden the Arc B580’s 80 ROPs and 160 TMUs.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 126.8 FPS. This is the optimal choice for users prioritizing visual fidelity, as it more than doubles the playable threshold, leaving ample headroom for any in-game spikes.

For 2560x1440, Ultra is again the best setting, averaging 76.9 FPS. This is 16.9 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold, so it is safe to recommend for a smooth experience. The data does not show any preset failing at this resolution, so users can max out the game without worry.

For 3840x2160, the best setting that clears 60 FPS is High, with an average of 60.8 FPS. This is a marginal pass — only 0.8 FPS above the threshold — so users with 4K displays may prefer Medium (67.3 FPS) for a larger safety margin. Ultra is not playable at 4K, as its 43.5 FPS average falls well below the playable threshold, meaning users must sacrifice the highest settings to maintain smooth gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and Intel Arc B580 ranks 2820 out of 3717 tested combinations in Barony, placing it in the 24th percentile of all systems. This is a surprisingly low rank given the playable frame rates observed, but it reflects the fact that many other GPUs — particularly NVIDIA’s higher-end models like the RTX 3080, which has a 0.7% higher average score — achieve far higher FPS in this game. The CPU’s high percentile (94th among all CPUs) does not boost the combo’s rank because Barony is not CPU-bound; the GPU’s 68th percentile is the limiting factor. The rank suggests that while this system is perfectly playable, it is not a top performer, and users seeking higher frame rates at 4K Ultra would need a GPU with a higher average benchmark score. The data implies that the Arc B580’s strength lies in its modern feature set and 12 GB memory capacity rather than raw speed, which is why it ranks lower than older NVIDIA cards with similar average scores. For a roguelike like Barony, this rank is acceptable, but it is worth remembering many cheaper or older GPU pairings would deliver comparable or better results.