Barony

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 580 produces a playable but heavily GPU-limited experience in Barony, with the combination ranking in the bottom 8% of tested setups. The data shows a clear pattern: the 14-core, 20-thread CPU is never the bottleneck, while the 2017-era GPU dictates performance at every resolution.

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

The Core i5-14600K brings substantial processing headroom to Barony, a roguelike that does not appear to stress modern multi-core designs. With 14 cores, 20 threads, and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, this CPU sits in the 93rd percentile of all tested processors. Its benchmark scores reinforce this: Cinebench R23 multi-core reaches 32881, while single-core hits 4642, and Geekbench reports 15846 multi-core and 2803 single-core.

Relative to its nearest rivals, the i5-14600K is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, showing a 0.2% delta in average score. It trails the Intel Core i5-14600KF by 0.4%, and the AMD EPYC 4345P by 0.9%, while leading the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H by 1%. These margins are negligible in gaming terms.

The problem is not CPU capability but rather the pairing. Barony's frame rates at 1080p Low hit 156.1 FPS, which is far below what this CPU could deliver if unconstrained. The PassMark multi-thread score of 38682 and integer math score of 125737 indicate a processor that could handle far heavier workloads. In this game, the CPU's role is to feed frames to a GPU that cannot keep up, making the i5-14600K's power effectively dormant.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination ranks 1566 out of 1702 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the bottom 8% of the database. That rank is driven almost entirely by the GPU, as the CPU component alone would rank near the top of any list. The disparity between the CPU's 93rd percentile standing and the combo's 8th percentile ranking tells the story.

The data indicates that pairing a top-tier CPU with an entry-level GPU from 2017 creates a severe imbalance. The RX 580's PassMark G3D score of 8813 places it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (0% delta), GTX 950 (0.1% delta), and AMD Radeon Pro 455 (1.1% delta). These are all older or lower-tier cards, confirming the GPU's modest standing.

For a game like Barony, which has lighter graphical demands than modern AAA titles, this combo still manages playable frame rates at lower settings, but the rank reflects that most other tested combinations deliver better overall performance.

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

The measured FPS data shows a steep decline as resolution increases, which is the hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario. At Ultra settings, the average frame rate falls from 70.9 FPS at 1920x1080 to 45.1 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 26.2 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 36% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 42% drop from 1440p to 4K.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more dramatic. The RX 580 delivers 156.1 FPS at 1080p, 95.3 FPS at 1440p, and 53 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is roughly one-third of the 1080p figure, indicating that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints. The RX 580 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is insufficient for high-resolution work in this game.

The CPU's influence is minimal across these resolutions. If the i5-14600K were the bottleneck, we would expect similar frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, since the CPU workload would not change. Instead, the frame rate scales inversely with pixel count, confirming that the RX 580 is the limiting component at every setting.

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

The measured data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the RX 580 delivers 156.1 FPS on Low, 111.7 FPS on Medium, 98 FPS on High, and 70.9 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is 54.6%, showing the GPU's sensitivity to graphical load even at the lowest resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, frame rates drop to 95.3 FPS on Low, 75 FPS on Medium, 60.6 FPS on High, and 45.1 FPS on Ultra. The Ultra setting at 1440p falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making it marginal for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the numbers become more challenging: 53 FPS on Low, 39.6 FPS on Medium, 34.9 FPS on High, and 26.2 FPS on Ultra. Only the Low preset at 4K approaches playability, and even that is below the ideal 60 FPS target.

The pattern across all resolutions is consistent: each step up in settings costs roughly 20-30% of the frame rate, and each step up in resolution costs a similar amount. This uniformity underscores the GPU-bound nature of the workload.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60 FPS?

A: At 1080p, all four settings presets exceed 60 FPS, with Low at 156.1 FPS, Medium at 111.7 FPS, High at 98 FPS, and Ultra at 70.9 FPS. At 1440p, only Low (95.3 FPS) and Medium (75 FPS) stay above 60 FPS, while High (60.6 FPS) barely meets it and Ultra (45.1 FPS) falls short.

Q: Can this combo run Barony at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings with 53 FPS. Medium drops to 39.6 FPS, High to 34.9 FPS, and Ultra to 26.2 FPS, all of which are below the 60 FPS target for smooth play.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 49166, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (49062) and 1% higher than the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698). It trails the Intel Core i5-14600KF by 0.4% and the AMD EPYC 4345P by 0.9%.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 580 sits in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13559. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, has a virtually identical score of 13564 with a 0% delta.

Q: Does the CPU limit performance in this game?

A: No. The frame rates scale inversely with resolution and settings, which is characteristic of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU's PassMark multi-thread score of 38682 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32881 indicate it has ample headroom for Barony's demands.

Q: What is the difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings produce 156.1 FPS while Ultra produces 70.9 FPS, a difference of 85.2 FPS or 54.6% of the Low figure. This shows the RX 580's performance cost for higher graphical fidelity.

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

For the best balance of visual quality and frame rate, the High preset at 1920x1080 is the recommended choice. It delivers 98 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while still offering improved visuals over Medium (111.7 FPS) and Low (156.1 FPS). The High preset at 1080p is the highest quality setting that maintains a large safety margin above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 75 FPS is the best option. High at 60.6 FPS is technically playable but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes, while Ultra at 45.1 FPS is too slow. Low at 95.3 FPS sacrifices too much visual quality for a modest gain over Medium.

At 3840x2160, only Low at 53 FPS is viable, and even that is below the ideal 60 FPS target. Users who prioritize 4K should accept Low settings, or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p with Medium for a better overall experience.

The data shows that the RX 580 is best utilized at 1080p, where it can handle even Ultra settings with playable frame rates. For users with 1440p monitors, Medium is the sweet spot. This GPU is not suited for 4K gaming in Barony, as the frame rates fall below 40 FPS on all but the lowest settings.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is the decisive factor in this combo's Barony performance. Built on the 14 nm Polaris 20 chip with GCN 4.0 architecture, it has 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. Its base clock runs at 1257 MHz with a boost of 1340 MHz, and memory operates at 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective).

The 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is adequate for 1080p gaming but becomes a constraint at higher resolutions. The pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s and texture rate of 193.0 GTexel/s are modest by modern standards, explaining why Ultra settings at 4K produce only 26.2 FPS.

The GPU's compute capabilities include 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is low for contemporary titles. Its benchmark scores reflect this: PassMark G3D at 8813, 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 at 1005, and Geekbench Vulkan at 45173. The card's production status is end-of-life, and its nearest rivals are the GTX 570 and GTX 950, both of which are significantly older.

In Barony, the RX 580's performance is characterized by a steep drop-off as settings increase. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 85.2 FPS, and at 4K it is 26.8 FPS. This sensitivity to graphical settings suggests that the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors, not the CPU. The i5-14600K's 93rd percentile ranking cannot compensate for a GPU in the 53rd percentile.