Barony

The Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination delivers a broadly playable experience in Barony, though the data reveals a clear performance ceiling at the highest settings. The measured frame rates show that the combo ranks 1775th out of 2935 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. This pairing is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p and 1440p on lower presets, but Ultra settings at 4K will strain the system, with the average FPS dipping below a smooth 60. The following analysis breaks down the measured results, the role of each component, and the practical settings for this roguelike title.

FAQ

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

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings is 302. This is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo in the database, indicating the game is heavily GPU-bound at this preset.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest rivals in raw GPU compute?

A: The RTX 5050's average benchmark score is 21035, which is 1.6% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT and 0.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL. It also trails the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile by 1.6%.

Q: What is the best resolution for maintaining an average FPS above 60 on High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 122 FPS. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average drops to 64 FPS, which is the lowest average that still stays above the 60 FPS threshold in the measured data.

Q: Does the CPU provide enough single-threaded performance for this game?

A: The Core i5-14400F has a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3055 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2058. These scores indicate strong single-thread performance, which is beneficial for game logic and physics in a title like Barony.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded across all tested settings?

A: The lowest average FPS is 46, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings. This is the only measured configuration that falls below the 60 FPS average mark.

Q: How much of a performance drop is seen when moving from 1080p to 1440p on Medium settings?

A: The average FPS at 1080p Medium is 225, while at 1440p Medium it is 142. This represents a 36.9% reduction in average frame rate when increasing the resolution from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is the primary driver for frame rates in Barony, as evidenced by the significant scaling of FPS with resolution changes. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s. The core clocks are set at a base of 2317 MHz and a boost of 2572 MHz. This combination of memory and clock speed is sufficient to handle the game's visuals at lower presets, but the data shows its limits at higher resolutions and quality settings.

The benchmark results for the GPU show a Passmark G3D score of 17326 and a Passmark GPU Compute score of 9184. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 2502, which is a measure of its DirectX 12 gaming performance. The GPU's percentile ranking against all other GPUs is 66, placing it in the upper two-thirds of the database. The nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score are the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, which scores 1.6% higher, and the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, which scores 0.6% higher. This indicates that the RTX 5050 is a solid mid-range performer.

When looking at the measured FPS, the GPU's role becomes clear. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 302, which suggests the game is not fully taxing the GPU. However, at 4K Ultra, the average FPS plummets to 46, showing that the GPU is the limiting factor at that extreme settings combination. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is likely a constraint at 4K with high-resolution textures on the Ultra preset, causing the performance to drop below the 60 FPS mark. The data consistently shows that the RTX 5050's capabilities are best utilized at 1080p and 1440p resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 holds a rank of 1775 out of 2935 tested combos specifically for Barony. This places the combo in the 60th percentile, meaning that roughly 40% of tested configurations perform better in this game. This ranking is a direct result of the measured FPS data across all resolutions and settings, reflecting a system that can handle the game well but is not at the top end of the performance spectrum.

The CPU's benchmark percentile against all CPUs is 83, and its average benchmark score is 32279. It performs very closely to its nearest rivals, with a 0.1% delta compared to the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U and a 0.2% delta compared to the Intel Core i9-11900. This suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck, as its performance is competitive with other mid-to-high-range processors. The GPU's percentile is 66, which is lower than the CPU's, indicating that the graphics card is more likely to be the limiting factor in this pair.

The combo's rank of 1775 is a holistic measure of this pairing's ability to run Barony. Given the GPU's mid-range standing and the CPU's strong performance, this rank suggests that the system is balanced but leans on the GPU for graphical tasks. The data indicates that this is a capable combo for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it will not be a top contender for 4K Ultra settings in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the combo's performance across a matrix of resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 302 on Low to 138 on Ultra. The Medium preset delivers an average of 225 FPS with a minimum of 191 and a maximum of 258. The High preset at 1080p yields an average of 193 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS ranges from 191 on Low to 87 on Ultra. The Medium preset at this resolution produces an average of 142 FPS, with a minimum of 120 and a maximum of 163. The High preset at 1440p yields a solid 122 FPS average. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent, with the Low preset dropping from 302 to 191 FPS, a 36.8% decrease.

At 3840x2160, the performance takes a significant hit. The Low preset still achieves a playable 100 FPS average, and the Medium preset manages an average of 74 FPS with a minimum of 63. The High preset at 4K yields an average of 64 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset at 4K falls below playable standards with an average of 46 FPS. The data shows that the Medium and High presets at 4K are the only ones that maintain average frame rates above 60, while the Ultra preset is clearly too demanding for this GPU at this resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience balances visual fidelity with a stable frame rate. For 1080p, the High preset offers an excellent experience with an average of 193 FPS, providing a fluid and responsive feel. The Ultra preset at 1080p is also viable, with an average of 138 FPS, which is still high enough for most displays. The Medium preset is a good fallback if higher frame rates are desired.

At 1440p, the High preset is the recommended choice, delivering an average of 122 FPS. This provides a great balance between visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to an average of 87 FPS, which is still playable but may not be as smooth for fast-paced action. The Medium preset at 1440p is a good alternative for those seeking higher frame rates, with an average of 142 FPS.

For 4K resolution, the data shows that the High preset is the most demanding option that remains playable, with an average of 64 FPS. The Medium preset is a safer choice for maintaining a higher frame rate, with an average of 74 FPS. The Ultra preset is not recommended, as its average of 46 FPS will result in noticeable stutter and a less responsive experience. For the best experience at 4K, the Medium preset is the sweet spot, offering a good visual upgrade over Low while keeping the frame rate above the 60 FPS threshold.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Its 20 MB of shared L3 cache helps with game data access. The CPU's benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21645 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 11268.

In Barony, a roguelike game, the CPU handles game logic, procedural generation, and entity management. The single-threaded performance is crucial for these tasks, and the i5-14400F's Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3055 is robust. This ensures that the CPU does not bottleneck the GPU in most scenarios. The data supports this: at 1080p Low settings, the average FPS is 302, which is a very high frame rate that a weaker CPU would struggle to feed.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 83 against all other CPUs indicates it is a high-performing processor. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U and Intel Core i9-11900, have nearly identical average scores, with deltas of 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively. This shows that the CPU's performance is on par with other capable processors. The fact that the combo's rank is 1775 suggests that the CPU is not the primary limiting factor; rather, the GPU's capabilities dictate the overall performance ceiling in more demanding settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear pattern of decreasing performance as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. When moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 302 to 191, a 36.8% decrease. On the High preset, the drop is from 193 to 122, a 36.8% decrease as well. This consistent proportional drop is typical when the GPU is the bottleneck.

Scaling from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 shows an even more dramatic decline. On the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 191 to 100, a 47.6% decrease. On the High preset, it drops from 122 to 64, a 47.5% decrease. This steeper decline at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is being pushed harder, and the memory bandwidth and VRAM capacity of the RTX 5050 become increasingly significant constraints.

The most extreme drop occurs on the Ultra preset, where the average FPS falls from 138 at 1080p to 87 at 1440p and then to 46 at 4K. This represents a 66.7% decrease from 1080p to 4K. This sharp decline is a clear indicator that the Ultra settings are too demanding for the RTX 5050's 8 GB of VRAM and 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth at higher resolutions. The data suggests that while the CPU can handle the increased load, the GPU is the limiting component, especially as resolution and settings are increased.