Barony

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D delivers exceptional performance in Barony, a roguelike title from 2015. This combination ranks 31st out of 2,935 tested combos in this game, placing it in the top 1.1% of all tested systems. The data shows a system capable of extremely high frame rates across all resolutions and settings, with the RTX 5090 D clearly dominating the performance picture at lower resolutions while the CPU begins to show its influence at higher settings and resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's position at rank 31 out of 2,935 tested combos in Barony places it firmly in the elite tier of gaming systems. This ranking reflects the raw power of the RTX 5090 D, which sits in the 92nd percentile against all GPUs, combined with the Core i5-14400F, which holds an 83rd percentile position against all CPUs. The GPU's average benchmark score of 77,712 puts it in the company of the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940, 1.6% faster) and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79,605, 2.4% faster), while it edges out the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76,904, 1.1% slower). The CPU's average benchmark score of 32,279 places it alongside the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (32,233, 0.1% slower) and the Intel Core i9-11900 (32,226, 0.2% slower), with the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS (32,354, 0.2% faster) and Intel Core i7-12800H (32,121, 0.5% slower) as immediate neighbors.

The ranking gap between this combo and the top of the leaderboard is not massive in terms of frame rates, but the combination of a high-percentile GPU with a solid mid-range CPU creates a system that handles Barony's demands without breaking a sweat. The measured FPS data confirms that this combo never dips below 109 frames per second at any tested resolution or setting, which is remarkable for a game that emphasizes procedural generation and complex item interactions. The data indicates that the GPU is the primary driver of performance, as evidenced by the dramatic scaling between Low and Ultra settings at every resolution.

FAQ

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

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 691, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This drops to 457 at 2560x1440 and 239 at 3840x2160 under the same Low preset, showing how resolution scaling affects performance.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i5-14400F scores 32,279 in average benchmark performance, placing it 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (32,233), 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i9-11900 (32,226), and 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core i7-12800H (32,121). It trails the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS (32,354) by 0.2%.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 151, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Medium settings. The minimum FPS values are 458 at 1920x1080 and 289 at 2560x1440 under the same Medium preset.

Q: How does the GPU's synthetic benchmark performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5090 D scores 77,712 in average benchmark performance, which is 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76,904) and 1.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940). It trails the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79,396) by 2.1% and the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79,605) by 2.4%.

Q: What frame rate can users expect at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average FPS of 109, which is the lowest average across all tested configurations. This still provides a smooth experience, though it represents a significant drop from the 152 FPS seen at High settings at the same resolution.

Q: Does the combo maintain playable frame rates at all settings?

A: Yes, every tested configuration delivers an average FPS above 100. The lowest average is 109 FPS at 4K Ultra, while the highest is 691 FPS at 1080p Low. The data shows no configuration falls below 100 FPS on average.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a system where the GPU is the clear limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 691 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops this to 457 FPS, a 33.9% reduction. At 3840x2160, the average falls to 239 FPS, representing a 65.4% drop from 1080p. This scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario where the RTX 5090 D's massive 32 GB GDDR7 memory and 512-bit bus width are being taxed by increasing pixel counts.

The scaling becomes even more pronounced at higher settings. With Ultra settings, the 1080p average of 331 FPS drops to 209 FPS at 1440p (a 36.9% reduction) and then to 109 FPS at 4K (a 67.1% reduction from 1080p). The Medium preset shows minimum FPS values of 458 at 1080p, 289 at 1440p, and 151 at 4K, with corresponding maximums of 619, 391, and 204. These numbers indicate that the RTX 5090 D's 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 1.79 TB/s memory bandwidth are sufficient to maintain high frame rates even at 4K, though the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU begins to play a more significant role. The jump from 691 FPS at Low to 538 FPS at Medium (a 22.1% reduction) and then to 462 FPS at High (a 33.1% reduction from Low) shows that the Core i5-14400F's 10 cores and 16 threads are being pushed to their limits at such extreme frame rates. The CPU's boost clock of 4.70 GHz and single-core performance of 3,055 in Cinebench R23 single-core help maintain these high framerates, but the data indicates that the GPU is not the sole bottleneck at 1080p.

At 4K, the picture changes dramatically. The RTX 5090 D's pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s become the dominant factors, with the CPU's influence diminishing as frame rates drop. The 239 FPS at Low settings and 109 FPS at Ultra settings at 4K show a 54.4% reduction between presets, compared to a 52.1% reduction at 1080p. This consistency suggests that the GPU's workload scales predictably with resolution and settings, while the CPU's contribution remains relatively constant.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. The Low preset achieves an average of 691 FPS, which is the single highest measured value in the entire dataset. The Medium preset averages 538 FPS with a minimum of 458 and maximum of 619 FPS, showing some variance but maintaining excellent consistency. High settings produce 462 FPS average, while Ultra settings drop to 331 FPS average. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p represents a 52.1% reduction in average FPS, indicating that the GPU's shading units (21,760) and TMUs (680) are being utilized heavily at higher presets.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain extremely high but show the expected reduction from 1080p. Low settings average 457 FPS, Medium averages 340 FPS with a minimum of 289 and maximum of 391 FPS, High averages 292 FPS, and Ultra averages 209 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p at each setting is consistent: 33.9% for Low, 36.8% for Medium, 36.8% for High, and 36.9% for Ultra. This uniformity suggests that the RTX 5090 D's 176 ROPs and 512-bit memory interface are scaling predictably with pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the combo still delivers playable frame rates at every settings level. Low settings average 239 FPS, Medium averages 178 FPS with a minimum of 151 and maximum of 204 FPS, High averages 152 FPS, and Ultra averages 109 FPS. The 4K scaling from 1080p shows reductions of 65.4% for Low, 66.9% for Medium, 67.1% for High, and 67.1% for Ultra. The minimum FPS values at 4K Medium (151) are still well above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that the combo never struggles to maintain smooth gameplay.

The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, providing insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the spread from minimum to maximum is 161 FPS (458 to 619). At 1440p Medium, the spread is 102 FPS (289 to 391). At 4K Medium, the spread narrows to 53 FPS (151 to 204). This narrowing spread with increasing resolution suggests that the GPU's workload becomes more consistent as pixel count rises, reducing the impact of CPU-side frame time spikes.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F serves as the processing backbone for this combo, and its specifications directly influence the measured results. With 10 cores and 16 threads, the CPU provides ample parallelism for Barony's roguelike mechanics, which involve procedural generation, complex item interactions, and real-time combat calculations. The base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz represent a 88% increase from base to boost, allowing the CPU to respond quickly to single-threaded demands.

The CPU's benchmark scores paint a picture of a well-rounded processor. In Cinebench R23, it scores 21,645 in multi-core and 3,055 in single-core tests. The Geekbench scores are 11,268 multi-core and 2,058 single-core. PassMark results show a multithread score of 25,470 and a single-thread score of 3,701. These numbers place the CPU in the 83rd percentile against all CPUs, which is respectable for a mid-range desktop processor. The nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score are the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (32,233, 0.1% slower) and the Intel Core i9-11900 (32,226, 0.2% slower), showing that the i5-14400F holds its own against both AMD and Intel alternatives.

The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration supports the high frame rates observed at 1080p, where the CPU must feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic at rates exceeding 600 FPS. The 20 MB L3 cache is particularly important for roguelike games, which often have large amounts of game state that need to be accessed frequently. The CPU's support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, with dual-channel memory bus, provides flexibility in system configuration.

The data indicates that the CPU becomes more of a factor at lower resolutions and higher settings. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS of 331 is significantly lower than the 691 FPS at 1080p Low, suggesting that the GPU's workload increases substantially with settings, but the CPU must also handle more complex rendering commands. The CPU's lack of integrated graphics means that all rendering is handled by the RTX 5090 D, which is expected for a desktop gaming configuration.

The CPU's TDP of 65 W and 10 nm process node indicate efficient power usage, which is relevant for sustained performance in long gaming sessions. The Socket 1700 compatibility and PCIe Gen 5 support (16 lanes from CPU) ensure that the RTX 5090 D can be fed data at full bandwidth, though Barony is unlikely to be bandwidth-limited given its 2015 release date. The CPU's production status is Active, and it was released on January 7, 2024, making it a relatively recent addition to the Core 14th Gen lineup.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset provides the best balance of performance and visual quality. The average FPS of 538 is more than sufficient for any high-refresh-rate monitor, and the minimum of 458 FPS ensures there are no noticeable frame drops. The Low preset's 691 FPS average is technically the fastest, but the visual quality reduction from Medium is significant, and the 153 FPS difference between the two presets is unlikely to be perceptible on most displays.

At 2560x1440, the High preset emerges as the recommended choice. The average FPS of 292 is ideal for 144Hz monitors, and the 340 FPS at Medium offers little perceptible advantage while sacrificing visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 209 FPS is also playable on 144Hz displays, but the 83 FPS reduction from High suggests diminishing returns. The Medium preset at 1440p has a minimum of 289 FPS, which is still well above refresh rate thresholds, making it a viable alternative for users who prioritize consistency.

At 3840x2160, the High preset at 152 FPS average provides the best experience for 4K gaming. This frame rate is suitable for 144Hz 4K monitors, which are becoming increasingly common. The Medium preset at 178 FPS is also excellent, but the visual difference between Medium and High in Barony justifies the 26 FPS reduction. The Ultra preset at 109 FPS is playable on 60Hz displays but may not fully utilize 120Hz or higher refresh rate monitors. The Low preset at 239 FPS is technically the fastest at 4K, but the visual quality trade-off is substantial.

For users with 240Hz or higher refresh rate monitors, the data suggests that 1080p Medium or 1440p Medium are the best choices, as both maintain frame rates above 340 FPS average. The 1080p Medium preset achieves 538 FPS average with a minimum of 458 FPS, ensuring that even the most demanding scenes in Barony stay well above the 240 FPS threshold. The 1440p Medium preset achieves 340 FPS average with a minimum of 289 FPS, which is also sufficient for 240Hz displays.

The measured data shows that the combo never drops below 100 FPS average at any tested configuration, making all settings viable for 60Hz displays. However, the recommendation to prioritize High settings at 1440p and 4K, and Medium at 1080p, reflects the best balance between visual quality and frame rate consistency. The Ultra preset, while visually impressive, offers diminishing returns at all resolutions, with the 4K Ultra average of 109 FPS representing the only configuration that might struggle on very high refresh rate monitors.