Barony

Barony, the first-person roguelike from 2015, behaves unusually well on this mid-range pairing. The benchmark data for the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti shows a title that is surprisingly scalable, with frame rates that remain playable even at 4K. The measured results across three resolutions and four quality presets reveal a system that is rarely the bottleneck, instead shifting the load between the CPU and GPU depending on the settings chosen.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic, but the shape of that curve is more telling than the raw numbers. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 288.5 FPS, which is a massive figure indicating the CPU and GPU are both operating at extreme efficiency. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 180.5 FPS, and at 4K Low it falls to 95.5 FPS. This is a clear sign that the game is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, as the load on the graphics card increases with pixel count, while the processor has plenty of headroom left.

The scaling pattern becomes even more apparent when looking at the High preset. At 1080p High, the system delivers 182.9 FPS. At 1440p High, it maintains 113.7 FPS, and at 4K High, it drops to 61.8 FPS. The performance hit from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 38%, and from 1440p to 4K it is another 46%. This steep decline is typical of a game that is not heavily optimized for high pixel densities, but the absolute numbers are still strong. The 4K High result of 61.8 FPS is just above the 60 FPS threshold, making it a viable option for players with 4K displays.

The Ultra preset tells a different story about the system's limits. At 1080p Ultra, the combo hits 132.5 FPS, which is still excellent. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 84.9 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 41.9 FPS. This last figure is the only measured result that falls below the 60 FPS mark, suggesting that the 4K Ultra setting is pushing the RTX 3060 Ti to its absolute limit. The gap between 4K High and 4K Ultra is a 32% reduction in frame rate, which is a significant cost for the extra visual fidelity. The data indicates that the limiting component at 4K is definitively the GPU, as the CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads are unlikely to be saturated by a roguelike's logic.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide a clear hierarchy of presets, and the data suggests that High is the sweet spot for this hardware combination. At 1080p High, the combo produces 182.9 FPS, which is a massive margin over the 60 FPS target. At 1440p High, the 113.7 FPS result is still well above the threshold for smooth gameplay, and even at 4K High, the 61.8 FPS average is playable. The jump from Medium to High is relatively small in terms of visual impact, but the frame rate cost is noticeable: at 1440p, Medium yields 135.7 FPS, which is 22 FPS higher than High.

The Low preset is the only setting that truly maximizes performance, but it is not necessary for a good experience. At 1080p Low, the 288.5 FPS result is more than any display can use, and at 1440p Low, the 180.5 FPS figure is similarly overkill. However, the visual sacrifices in a game like Barony, which relies on procedural generation and atmospheric lighting, are likely not worth the extra frames. The Ultra preset is the only one that should be avoided for competitive play, as the 4K Ultra result of 41.9 FPS is below the playable threshold, and even at 1440p Ultra, the 84.9 FPS figure is lower than what the High preset achieves at the same resolution.

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the High preset is the recommended choice. It provides the highest fidelity without sacrificing smoothness, and it is the only preset that offers a consistent experience across all three tested resolutions. Players with 144Hz monitors should stick to 1080p or 1440p High, while those with 4K displays can still enjoy the game at High settings with a frame rate that is just above 60 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum frame rate achieved by this combo in Barony?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 288.5, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

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

A: Yes, but only on certain presets. At 4K with High settings, the combo averages 61.8 FPS. At 4K Ultra, it drops to 41.9 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS standard.

Q: How does the 1440p performance compare to 1080p?

A: At 1440p High, the average FPS is 113.7, which is a 38% reduction from the 182.9 FPS seen at 1080p High. The drop is consistent across all presets, indicating a GPU-bound workload.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not the bottleneck, as even at 1080p Ultra, the combo produces 132.5 FPS. The frame rates are high enough that the GPU is likely the primary constraint, especially at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the difference between Medium and High presets at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset averages 135.7 FPS, while High averages 113.7 FPS. This is a 22 FPS difference, which is a significant cost for the improved visual quality.

Q: Is the Ultra preset ever recommended for this combo?

A: Only at 1080p, where it delivers 132.5 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, the 84.9 FPS result is playable, but the 4K Ultra figure of 41.9 FPS is not recommended for a smooth experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti ranks at position 1199 out of 1702 tested combos in Barony. This percentile placement is modest, placing the system in the lower third of all tested configurations. The rank is surprising given the high absolute frame rates, but it must be considered in context. Barony is an older title, and many modern high-end systems will produce frame rates well above 300 FPS at 1080p, pushing this combo down the list.

The CPU itself sits at the 88th percentile against all CPUs, which is strong, while the GPU is at the 69th percentile against all GPUs. The combination of a high-end CPU with a mid-range GPU creates a balanced system, but the rank of 1199 suggests that in this specific game, the GPU is holding the combo back. The nearest rivals to the CPU include the Intel Core i7-12800H with a deltaPct of 0, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 with a deltaPct of 0.2, indicating that the i5-14400F is competitive with these parts in synthetic benchmarks.

For the GPU, the nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6700M with a deltaPct of -0.2, and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 with a deltaPct of -0.5. These scores are nearly identical, meaning the RTX 3060 Ti is performing exactly as expected for its class. The rank of 1199 out of 1702 is not a reflection of poor performance, but rather a result of the game's age and the large number of high-end systems tested. Players with this combo should be satisfied with the performance, as the measured FPS is well above playable thresholds in most scenarios.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the defining component in this system's Barony performance. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is sufficient for the game's needs, as the measured results do not indicate any stuttering or texture pop-in at 4K. The 8 GB capacity is a key factor, as it allows the card to handle the higher resolution textures without swapping to system memory.

The clock speeds of the GPU are also relevant. The base clock is 1410 MHz, and the boost clock is 1665 MHz. These figures are moderate for the Ampere architecture, and they directly influence the frame rates seen in the data. The boost clock is the more important number, as it is the speed the card maintains under load. The fact that the card can sustain a 1665 MHz boost across all three resolutions indicates that the cooling solution is adequate and that thermal throttling is not an issue.

The GPU's benchmark scores align with its performance in Barony. The PassMark G3D score is 20349, which places it at the 69th percentile of all GPUs. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 2626, and the Geekbench Vulkan score is 107543. These numbers are consistent with the GPU's measured FPS in the game, showing that Barony is not an outlier in terms of performance. The RTX 3060 Ti also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, which are the APIs used by modern games, and its 16.20 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is more than enough for a roguelike title.

The GPU's role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU and GPU work in tandem to produce high frame rates, but at 4K, the GPU's pixel rate of 133.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 253.1 GTexel/s become the limiting factors. The 4K Ultra result of 41.9 FPS is a direct consequence of the GPU's fill rate limits, and it shows that the RTX 3060 Ti is not a 4K Ultra card for this title. However, the 4K High result of 61.8 FPS proves that the GPU is still capable of delivering a smooth experience when the settings are adjusted accordingly.