Barony

Barony is a roguelike that, on the surface, appears to be a title where CPU performance would dominate, but the measured FPS data for the Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT combination reveals a more nuanced relationship between resolution, settings, and the two primary components. The data shows this pairing is capable of extreme frame rates, even at 4K, but the scaling patterns across presets and resolutions tell a distinct story about where the performance ceiling lies. This analysis breaks down the measured results to understand how this specific hardware duo handles the game.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a dramatic drop as resolution increases, which is expected, but the magnitude of the drop varies significantly depending on the quality preset. At the Low preset, the average frame rate falls from 505.6 FPS at 1080p to 317.8 FPS at 1440p and then to 170.1 FPS at 4K. This represents a 37% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a further 46% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The High preset shows a similar pattern, with 325 FPS at 1080p dropping to 202.9 FPS at 1440p and then to 106.3 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, however, tells a different story: 231.7 FPS at 1080p, 143.5 FPS at 1440p, and just 74.4 FPS at 4K.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Ultra shows a 48% performance drop, which is the steepest of any preset. This suggests that at higher settings, the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor. The RX 7900 XT, with its 20 GB of GDDR6 memory and 800.0 GB/s bandwidth, is certainly capable, but the sheer pixel count at 3840x2160 combined with Ultra effects appears to saturate its capabilities. Conversely, the relatively smaller drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low (37% reduction) compared to the drop from 1440p to 4K (46%) indicates that at lower settings, the CPU may be playing a more significant role, especially at 1080p where the frame rates exceed 500 FPS.

The data implies that the Intel Core i5-14400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, is more than sufficient to feed the GPU at lower resolutions. The fact that 1080p Low produces 505.6 FPS reflects the CPU's single-thread performance, which is reflected in its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3093. However, as resolution increases, the GPU workload grows, and the RX 7900 XT's pixel throughput becomes the bottleneck. This is a classic sign of a well-balanced system where the limiting component shifts from the CPU at 1080p to the GPU at 4K, particularly at higher presets.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS is 505.6, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo produces an average FPS of 74.4, which is the lowest measured result in the dataset.

Q: Is there a significant difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: Yes, the data shows 202.9 FPS at High settings and 143.5 FPS at Ultra settings at 2560x1440, representing a 29% reduction in average FPS when switching to Ultra.

Q: What is the frame rate at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings is 373.7.

Q: Does the combo maintain over 100 FPS at 4K on any preset?

A: Yes, the combo achieves 106.3 FPS at 4K with High settings, 123.8 FPS with Medium settings, and 170.1 FPS with Low settings. Only the Ultra preset drops below 100 FPS at 4K.

Q: How does the combo's rank in Barony compare to other tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 392 out of 1702 tested combinations, placing it in the top 23% of all tested combos for this game.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21914 and single-core score of 3093 indicate strong all-around performance. In the context of Barony, the CPU's role appears to be most critical at lower resolutions and settings, where the GPU is not fully stretched.

The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo hits 505.6 FPS. This is a frame rate that many CPUs would struggle to maintain, but the i5-14400F's high boost clock and efficient architecture allow it to keep up. The passmark single-thread score of 3723 further supports this, indicating strong per-core performance that is essential for games that may not scale perfectly across many threads.

However, as the resolution increases to 4K, the CPU's influence diminishes. The drop from 170.1 FPS at 4K Low to 106.3 FPS at 4K High shows that the GPU is now the primary driver of performance. The i5-14400F's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache are more than adequate for a roguelike like Barony, which likely does not have massive data sets that would stress the memory subsystem.

The CPU's benchmark scores, such as the Geekbench multi-core score of 11209 and Passmark multithread score of 25783, place it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs. This high percentile means it outperforms the vast majority of processors, and for a game like Barony, this headroom ensures that the CPU will rarely be a bottleneck, even at high frame rates. The data suggests that the i5-14400F is a capable partner for the RX 7900 XT, allowing the GPU to be the limiting factor at higher resolutions, which is generally desirable for graphical fidelity.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo of the Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT ranks 392 out of 1702 tested combinations in Barony. This places it in the top 23% of all tested combos, which is a strong showing for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU. The ranking indicates that this specific pairing is well-suited for Barony, as it outperforms the majority of other hardware combinations tested.

The rank of 392 out of 1702 means there are 391 combos that perform better in this game. Given the RX 7900 XT's high standing in the GPU hierarchy (82nd percentile), it is likely that many of the higher-ranked combos feature even more powerful GPUs or CPUs with higher single-thread performance. However, the i5-14400F's 88th percentile ranking among CPUs suggests that it is not holding the GPU back significantly.

The deltaPct values from the nearest rival comparisons provide context for the CPU's performance. The i5-14400F has an average benchmark score of 32508, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-12800H (32513, 0% delta), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 (32446, 0.2% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 7 250 (32584, -0.2% delta). This shows that the CPU is performing exactly as expected for its class, and any variation in the combo rank is likely due to the GPU's performance.

For the GPU, the RX 7900 XT's average benchmark score of 38358 is comparable to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile (38349, 0% delta) and the NVIDIA CMP 70HX (38225, 0.3% delta). This indicates that the GPU is also performing at its expected level. The combo rank of 392 is a reflection of both components working well together, and the data suggests that this pairing is a solid choice for Barony, offering high frame rates across all tested settings and resolutions.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the choice of settings depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, all presets deliver extremely high frame rates, with even the Ultra preset achieving 231.7 FPS. For players with high-refresh-rate monitors (144Hz or higher), the Medium preset at 373.7 FPS or the High preset at 325 FPS would be excellent choices, as they offer a good balance between visual quality and performance. The Low preset at 505.6 FPS is excessive for most displays and may not provide a meaningful visual improvement over Medium.

At 1440p, the High preset at 202.9 FPS is the sweet spot for most users, as it provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium (235.4 FPS) while still maintaining frame rates well above 144 FPS. The Ultra preset at 143.5 FPS is also viable for 144Hz monitors, but the 29% drop from High to Ultra may not be worth the visual gains for all players.

At 4K, the High preset at 106.3 FPS is the best choice for a smooth experience, as it is the only preset that combines high visual fidelity with frame rates above 100 FPS. The Medium preset at 123.8 FPS offers even more headroom, but the Ultra preset at 74.4 FPS is only suitable for players who prioritize visual quality over frame rate and are willing to accept sub-100 FPS performance. The Low preset at 170.1 FPS is an option for competitive play, but it sacrifices too much visual detail for most players at this resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 505.6 at Low to 231.7 at Ultra. The Medium preset produces 373.7 FPS, and the High preset produces 325 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 54% reduction in performance, which is the most significant drop among the three resolutions.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS ranges from 317.8 at Low to 143.5 at Ultra. The Medium preset produces 235.4 FPS, and the High preset produces 202.9 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 55%, which is similar to the 1080p scaling, indicating that the GPU is being stressed equally at these resolutions.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 170.1 at Low to 74.4 at Ultra. The Medium preset produces 123.8 FPS, and the High preset produces 106.3 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 56%, which is the steepest of all three resolutions. This suggests that at 4K, the Ultra preset places a particularly heavy load on the GPU, and the RX 7900 XT's 20 GB of VRAM and 5376 shading units are being pushed to their limits.

The data also shows that the gap between Medium and High settings is relatively consistent across resolutions, with High being approximately 15% slower than Medium at 1080p (325 vs 373.7), 14% slower at 1440p (202.9 vs 235.4), and 14% slower at 4K (106.3 vs 123.8). This consistency indicates that the performance scaling between these two presets is well-balanced and predictable.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is a high-end GPU based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, featuring 5376 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 192 render output units. It has a base clock of 1387 MHz and a boost clock of 2394 MHz, with a game clock of 2025 MHz. The GPU is equipped with 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus, providing 800.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications place the GPU in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs, and its Passmark G3D score of 29009 confirms its high-end status.

In Barony, the GPU's role becomes increasingly important as resolution and settings increase. At 1080p Low, the GPU is barely stressed, as evidenced by the 505.6 FPS result, which is likely limited by the CPU. However, at 4K Ultra, the GPU is the clear bottleneck, with the frame rate dropping to 74.4 FPS. This is a 85% reduction from the 1080p Low result, highlighting the GPU's sensitivity to resolution and quality settings.

The GPU's 20 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for Barony, which is a roguelike that likely does not require massive texture memory. The 800.0 GB/s bandwidth ensures that data can be fed to the GPU quickly, which is important for maintaining high frame rates at 4K. The boost clock of 2394 MHz allows the GPU to reach high speeds when needed, but the data suggests that thermal or power constraints may be limiting sustained performance at the highest settings.

The GPU's benchmark scores, such as the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5623 and the Geekbench Vulkan score of 160119, indicate strong DirectX and Vulkan performance, which is relevant for a modern game like Barony. The GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile, has a nearly identical average benchmark score (38349 vs 38358), suggesting that the RX 7900 XT is performing at the expected level for its class.