Barony

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Barony shows a clear and predictable resolution scaling pattern, with the most dramatic drop occurring between 1440p and 4K. At Ultra settings, average FPS falls from 119.1 at 1080p to 74.0 at 1440p, then plunges to 38.5 at 4K. This represents a 37.9% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a further 48.0% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The 4K Ultra result is the only measured configuration that falls below 40 FPS, indicating that this combination struggles to maintain smooth gameplay at maximum settings in 4K.

The scaling pattern changes character when moving to lower settings. At Low settings, the FPS progression is 262.4 at 1080p, 164.1 at 1440p, and 87.6 at 4K. The percentage drops here are 37.5% and 46.6% respectively—slightly less severe than at Ultra but still substantial. This suggests that even when the GPU workload is reduced, the rendering pipeline still becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At Medium settings, the same pattern holds: 195.1 at 1080p, 125.0 at 1440p, and 66.6 at 4K.

The data reveals that Barony is heavily resolution-bound with this hardware. The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases: at 1080p, the difference is 143.3 FPS (262.4 vs 119.1), while at 4K it shrinks to 49.1 FPS (87.6 vs 38.5). This compression at 4K indicates that the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions, with settings having less relative impact on performance. For a roguelike title, the 4K High result of 55.6 FPS is the only 4K configuration that approaches playable territory, while 1440p High at 104.4 FPS provides a much more comfortable margin.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F brings 10 cores and 16 threads to this pairing, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. This processor belongs to the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. The CPU's benchmark results place it in the 88th percentile of all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 32508. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-12800H (deltaPct 0), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 (deltaPct 0.2), and the AMD Ryzen 7 250 (deltaPct -0.2).

In Barony, the CPU's role becomes apparent when examining the Low settings results across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combination achieves 262.4 FPS, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. This suggests that at lower settings, the CPU has headroom to push frame rates well beyond what the GPU can sustain at higher settings. The single-core performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2333 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3093, proves sufficient for Barony's game logic and entity management.

The 20 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4 and DDR5) contribute to the processor's ability to feed the GPU efficiently. The passmark multithread score of 25783 indicates strong parallel processing capability, though Barony's roguelike gameplay likely does not fully utilize all 16 threads. The data shows that at 1080p High (170.1 FPS) and 1440p High (104.4 FPS), the CPU maintains frame rates well above 100 FPS, meaning it is not the bottleneck in these scenarios. The processor's 65 W TDP and active production status suggest it is a mainstream desktop part, and its benchmark percentile of 88 indicates it outperforms the vast majority of CPUs in the database.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 23 chip, fabricated on TSMC's 7 nm process. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's clocks are specified at 1626 MHz base, 2044 MHz game, and 2491 MHz boost. With 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, this card produces 8.928 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. Its benchmark scores place it in the 69th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 25235. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 890M (deltaPct 0), the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (deltaPct -0.2), and the AMD Radeon RX 6700M (deltaPct 0.2).

The GPU's influence is most evident in the 4K Ultra result of 38.5 FPS, which stands as the lowest measured performance in this dataset. This is a clear indicator that the RX 6600's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory interface become strained at 4K with maximum settings. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1492 and Passmark G3D score of 15096 provide context for the GPU's capability, but the in-game results tell the story more directly. At 4K, even Medium settings only produce 66.6 FPS, while Low settings reach 87.6 FPS—still below the 1440p High result of 104.4 FPS.

The RX 6600's performance in Barony shows a GPU that handles 1080p and 1440p with ease but begins to struggle at 4K. The card's 132 W TDP and suggested 300 W PSU indicate it is a mid-range part, and its end-of-life production status suggests it is being phased out. The 1750 MHz memory clock (14 Gbps effective) provides adequate bandwidth for most scenarios, but the 128-bit bus width is a limiting factor at high resolutions. For a roguelike game like Barony, the GPU's pixel rate of 159.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 279.0 GTexel/s are sufficient for the visual effects and tile-based rendering typical of the genre.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1080p, all settings produce playable frame rates, but the High preset at 170.1 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 119.1 FPS remains highly playable and may be preferred for maximum visual fidelity, while the Medium preset at 195.1 FPS is excessive for most displays. The Low preset at 262.4 FPS is only useful for competitive play or extremely high refresh rate monitors.

At 1440p, the High preset at 104.4 FPS is the recommended choice, providing smooth gameplay with good visual quality. The Medium preset at 125.0 FPS offers a slight performance boost with minor visual trade-offs, while the Ultra preset at 74.0 FPS remains playable but approaches the lower threshold of comfortable frame rates. The Low preset at 164.1 FPS is unnecessary unless chasing maximum frame rates. For 4K, the data shows that High settings at 55.6 FPS is the only viable option for a generally smooth experience. Medium at 66.6 FPS is smoother but requires visual compromises, while Ultra at 38.5 FPS is too demanding for this GPU. Low at 87.6 FPS sacrifices too much visual quality for the performance gain.

The data suggests that Barony's rendering workload scales significantly with settings, with the gap between Low and Ultra at the same resolution being substantial. At 1080p, the Low-to-Ultra difference is 143.3 FPS, while at 4K it narrows to 49.1 FPS. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, and settings adjustments have diminishing returns. For the best experience, users should prioritize High settings at 1080p or 1440p, and only use 4K if they are willing to accept the lower frame rates at High settings.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 6600 ranks 1377 out of 1702 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the bottom 19% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the GPU's struggle at higher resolutions, despite the CPU's strong performance. The CPU alone ranks in the 88th percentile, while the GPU ranks in the 69th percentile, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing for Barony.

The ranking suggests that many other hardware combinations deliver better performance in this game, likely due to more powerful GPUs. However, the combo's performance at 1080p and 1440p is respectable, with all settings except 4K Ultra producing playable frame rates. The rank of 1377 out of 1702 places this combo in the lower-middle range, which is consistent with the RX 6600's mid-range positioning relative to the broader GPU landscape. For a roguelike game, the actual gameplay experience may be more forgiving than the raw ranking suggests, since the genre typically does not require the highest frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Barony?

A: The highest measured result is 262.4 FPS at 1080p with Low settings.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Barony?

A: Yes, but with limitations. The best 4K result is 55.6 FPS at High settings, while Ultra settings drop to 38.5 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU rank compared to other processors?

A: The Intel Core i5-14400F ranks in the 88th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32508.

Q: What is the GPU's VRAM capacity?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6600 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What is the difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Low settings achieve 164.1 FPS while Ultra settings achieve 74.0 FPS, a difference of 90.1 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: This combo ranks 1377 out of 1702 tested combos in Barony.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: 262.4 FPS average
• Medium: 195.1 FPS average
• High: 170.1 FPS average
• Ultra: 119.1 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 164.1 FPS average
• Medium: 125.0 FPS average
• High: 104.4 FPS average
• Ultra: 74.0 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 87.6 FPS average
• Medium: 66.6 FPS average
• High: 55.6 FPS average
• Ultra: 38.5 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern across all settings where 1080p provides the highest frame rates, 1440p offers a substantial step down, and 4K represents a significant performance drop. The delta between Low and Ultra settings narrows as resolution increases, confirming that the GPU becomes the dominant constraint at higher resolutions. All measured data points are averages with no minimum or maximum FPS recorded, meaning these figures represent steady-state performance rather than peak or trough values.