Barony

Barony, a roguelike released in 2015, is not a typical GPU stress test, but the measured data for the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination reveals a system that is heavily CPU-bound at lower resolutions and increasingly GPU-limited as resolution scales. The data shows this combo delivers excellent playability across the board, with the primary challenge being the balance between visual fidelity and frame rate at 4K. The benchmark results indicate a pairing where the 14-core processor provides ample headroom, allowing the GPU to become the defining factor in performance at higher graphical presets.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal settings for this configuration depend entirely on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the data shows that even the Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, achieves an average of 132.1 FPS. This is far above the threshold for smooth gameplay, making the Ultra preset the clear recommendation for 1080p users who prioritize visual quality without sacrificing performance. The High preset at 1080p reaches 186 FPS, but the drop to Ultra still leaves significant headroom, so there is no reason to compromise on graphics here.

For 2560x1440, the High preset emerges as the sweet spot. It delivers an average of 117.9 FPS, which is a smooth experience, while the Ultra preset drops to 86.1 FPS. While 86.1 FPS is still playable, the High preset offers a more comfortable margin above 100 FPS. The data suggests that the step from High to Ultra at this resolution costs about 27% of the frame rate, making High the more balanced choice for a high-refresh-rate monitor.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes dramatically. The Ultra preset falls to 44.2 FPS, which is below the standard 60 FPS target. The High preset, however, achieves 61.3 FPS, just crossing the threshold for smooth play. The Medium preset provides 70.6 FPS, offering a more stable experience. The recommendation for 4K is to use the High preset as a starting point; it is the highest quality setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS. For users who demand more headroom, the Medium preset is a safer choice, sacrificing some visual detail for a 15% increase in frame rate over High.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Barony at 4K with maximum settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, the average frame rate is 44.2 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 4K is the highest quality tier that stays above 60 FPS, with an average of 61.3 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor for this combo?

A: At 1080p, the evidence points to the CPU being the primary limiter, as frame rates are extremely high (287.7 FPS on Low) but drop consistently as settings increase. At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck; the frame rate scales almost linearly with the graphical workload, indicating the GPU is saturated.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-14600K compare to its direct rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 49166, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. It is virtually tied with the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, which is only 0.2% faster. 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%.

Q: What is the performance difference between the RTX 2060 SUPER and the RTX 2070?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 19774, which puts it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. The data shows it is only 0.5% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070, making their performance nearly identical in this context.

Q: Is the 8 GB of VRAM on the RTX 2060 SUPER sufficient for Barony?

A: The benchmark data shows no indications of VRAM limitations. The GPU achieves playable frame rates even at 4K High, and the performance scaling is consistent with compute-bound workloads rather than memory capacity issues, suggesting 8 GB is adequate for this game.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 1440p monitor?

A: The High preset is recommended for 2560x1440. It delivers an average of 117.9 FPS, which is significantly higher than the Ultra preset's 86.1 FPS. The visual difference between High and Ultra is typically less impactful than the 27% frame rate cost.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern across resolutions. At 1920x1080 with the Low preset, the system produces an average of 287.7 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops this to 182.7 FPS, a reduction of about 36%. Further scaling to 3840x2160 Low results in 97.1 FPS, another 47% reduction. This pattern is consistent across all settings presets.

The performance deltas between resolutions are critical for understanding the system's bottleneck. At the Low preset, the frame rate drops by 68% from 1080p to 2160p (287.7 to 97.1 FPS). At the Ultra preset, the drop is more severe, going from 132.1 FPS at 1080p to 44.2 FPS at 4K, a 67% reduction. The consistency of these percentages suggests that the workload is scaling almost entirely with pixel count.

This scaling behavior is a textbook indicator of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. The CPU, with its 14 cores and 20 threads, has enough headroom to feed the GPU at 1080p, as evidenced by the extremely high frame rates. However, as the resolution increases, the pixel fill rate and shading demands on the RTX 2060 SUPER become the limiting factor. The GPU's 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 105.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are being fully utilized at 4K, leading to the observed frame rate collapse. The data shows that this combination is well-balanced at 1080p and 1440p but becomes a GPU-limited system at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Barony, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER holds a rank of 1164 out of 1702 tested combos. This places it in the lower third of all configurations, which is an important contextual data point.

This ranking might seem surprising given the high frame rates observed, but it must be interpreted relative to other testers. The comboRankInGame field indicates that a significant number of other CPU-GPU pairings produce higher average frame rates in Barony. This is likely because many top-ranked combos feature much more powerful GPUs, which are not bottlenecked by the CPU at lower resolutions. While this specific combo achieves 287.7 FPS at 1080p Low, other configurations with higher-end graphics cards can push even further beyond that. The rank reflects the absolute performance ceiling of the RTX 2060 SUPER, which is a mid-range GPU from the previous generation, as indicated by its 63rd percentile ranking among all GPUs. The CPU, however, is a top-tier part, ranking in the 93rd percentile, so the combination's overall rank is clearly constrained by the GPU's limits.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a high-performance desktop processor from the Raptor Lake architecture. It features 14 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This configuration provides substantial multi-threaded capability, which is reflected in its strong synthetic benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32881 and a single-core score of 4642.

In the context of Barony, the CPU's role is critical at lower resolutions. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 287.7 FPS. This high frame rate is a direct result of the CPU's powerful single-thread performance, which is typical for games that are not heavily multi-threaded. The drop in frame rate from Low to Ultra at 1080p (287.7 to 132.1 FPS) is less about CPU capability and more about the GPU's ability to render the scene at higher settings. The CPU has enough headroom to process game logic and draw calls without being the primary constraint at 1080p.

However, the CPU's impact is still notable. The 20 threads ensure that background tasks and game engine overhead do not cause hitches. The processor's 24 MB of shared L3 cache helps with data locality for frequently accessed game assets. The CPU's performance relative to its rivals is strong: it is within 1% of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and the Intel Core i5-14600KF, demonstrating that it is a top-tier part for single and multi-threaded workloads. This ensures that for this game, the CPU is rarely the limiting factor, except perhaps at extremely high frame rates where it must keep up with the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across all tested settings and resolutions.

At 1920x1080:

• Low: 287.7 FPS average. This represents the absolute peak performance of the combo, indicating a strong CPU capability.
• Medium: 213.6 FPS average. A significant drop from Low, showing the GPU's workload increasing.
• High: 186 FPS average. Still a very high frame rate, well above any refresh rate requirement.
• Ultra: 132.1 FPS average. The most demanding setting at 1080p, yet it remains highly playable.

At 2560x1440:

• Low: 182.7 FPS average. A 36% reduction from 1080p Low, indicating resolution scaling.
• Medium: 134.7 FPS average. The drop from 1080p Medium is about 37%, consistent with scaling.
• High: 117.9 FPS average. This is a strong result, ideal for 1440p gaming.
• Ultra: 86.1 FPS average. The first setting to dip below 100 FPS, but still smooth.

At 3840x2160:

• Low: 97.1 FPS average. The GPU is now clearly the bottleneck, as even Low settings cannot hit 100 FPS.
• Medium: 70.6 FPS average. A playable frame rate, but with noticeable compromises from Low.
• High: 61.3 FPS average. This is the threshold for standard 60 FPS displays, making it a viable option.
• Ultra: 44.2 FPS average. The only setting that is not recommended for a smooth experience, as it falls below 60 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern: at each resolution, the frame rate drops by roughly 20-30% moving from Low to Medium, then another 15-20% to High, and a final 20-30% to Ultra. This scaling is typical for a GPU-bound scenario, particularly at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is based on the Turing architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its core clocks are 1470 MHz base and 1650 MHz boost, with 2176 shading units. The GPU's compute capability is rated at 7.181 TFLOPS for FP32 operations.

In Barony, the GPU's role becomes progressively more important as resolution and settings increase. At 1080p, the GPU is not fully saturated, as indicated by the massive frame rates. The CPU is capable of pushing over 200 FPS, and the GPU is mostly idle. However, as resolution increases, the GPU's pixel fill rate (105.6 GPixel/s) and texture rate (224.4 GTexel/s) become the limiting factors. The data confirms this: at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 44.2 FPS, which is less than half of the 1080p Ultra result.

The GPU's performance relative to its immediate rivals is very tight. It is only 0.3% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN and 0.5% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070. This places it in a competitive position within its generation, but its 63rd percentile ranking against all GPUs shows it is a mid-range part. The 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient for this game, as no memory-related stutters are indicated by the data. The GPU's end-of-life status and 12 nm process node mean it is not a top-tier part in 2024, but the benchmark results show it can still deliver a playable experience in Barony at 4K with settings tuned to High.