Barony

Barony, a roguelike released in 2015, presents an interesting case for hardware analysis because its performance profile is heavily influenced by both CPU and GPU depending on the resolution and settings. The measured data for the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination shows a wide range of frame rates, from a very playable 66.2 FPS at 4K Ultra to a staggering 448.2 FPS at 1080p Low. This page analyzes the measured FPS data to understand how this specific configuration scales across resolutions and settings, and what it reveals about the game's engine limits.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial across all settings, but the rate of decline is not uniform. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 290.2 FPS at 1920x1080 to 183 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 107.2 FPS. Moving further to 3840x2160, the frame rate drops to 93.7 FPS, which is a further reduction of 89.3 FPS from the 1440p result. This pattern shows that the GPU is becoming a significant bottleneck as the pixel count increases, which is expected for a game like Barony that relies on rendering many objects and effects.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more dramatic. The 1080p result of 448.2 FPS is exceptionally high, suggesting that the CPU is the primary limiting factor at this resolution. When moving to 1440p, the frame rate drops to 282.7 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 147.4 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is a 67.1% reduction, compared to a 67.7% reduction at High settings. This similarity in percentage drops suggests that while the GPU load increases with resolution, the CPU still manages to keep up until the very high pixel counts, where the RTX 3080's workload becomes the dominant constraint.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is often the limiting component, as the frame rates exceed what a typical GPU-bound scenario would produce. At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. For a game like Barony, which is a roguelike with potentially complex procedural generation and logic, this split is important for understanding why frame rates are so high at lower resolutions. The 204.1 FPS at 1080p Ultra versus 66.2 FPS at 4K Ultra represents a 137.9 FPS difference, showing that users with 4K displays will need to adjust settings significantly to maintain high refresh rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32881 and a single-core score of 4642. This processor sits in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49166, placing it just 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and 0.4% behind the Intel Core i5-14600KF.

In Barony, the CPU's role appears to be most critical at lower resolutions and settings. The 448.2 FPS at 1080p Low suggests that the game's logic and draw call processing are being handled efficiently by the i5-14600K's high single-thread performance. The boost clock of 5.30 GHz is particularly relevant here, as roguelike games often have a primary game thread that benefits from high clock speeds. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache also helps with procedural generation and keeping game state data close to the cores.

However, as the resolution increases, the CPU's impact diminishes relative to the GPU. The difference between 1080p Low and 4K Low is 300.8 FPS, which is entirely attributable to the GPU's rendering load. This indicates that while the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at 1080p, the RTX 3080 cannot maintain the same frame rates at 4K. For players with high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors, this CPU is more than sufficient, but for 4K gaming, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the experience in Barony. At 1080p, all settings produce playable frame rates, but the difference between Low and Ultra is significant. The Ultra preset yields 204.1 FPS, which is still well above the typical 60 FPS target and suitable for most high-refresh-rate displays. However, the Medium preset at 334.8 FPS offers a 130.7 FPS improvement over Ultra, which could be beneficial for competitive play or for users with 240Hz monitors.

At 1440p, the High preset at 183 FPS is an excellent balance, providing a 50.3 FPS improvement over Ultra (132.7 FPS) while still maintaining a high level of visual fidelity. The Low preset at 282.7 FPS is excessive for most displays, but the Medium preset at 212.1 FPS is a strong option for those prioritizing frame rate above all else. For 4K displays, the High preset at 93.7 FPS is the most balanced choice, as it delivers a smooth experience above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 66.2 FPS is borderline, and the Low preset at 147.4 FPS sacrifices too much visual quality for the frame rate gain.

The data suggests that the High preset is the optimal choice across all resolutions for this configuration, as it provides a consistent balance between visual quality and performance. The Medium preset is a viable alternative for users who want to prioritize higher frame rates, while Ultra is only recommended for those with 4K displays who are willing to accept lower frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS measured for this configuration?

A: The highest average FPS is 448.2, recorded at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra performance compare to 1080p Ultra?

A: The 4K Ultra average FPS is 66.2, while the 1080p Ultra average is 204.1, a difference of 137.9 FPS.

Q: Is this CPU or GPU better suited for Barony?

A: The data indicates the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p Low (448.2 FPS), while the GPU becomes the bottleneck at 4K Ultra (66.2 FPS), showing both components are relevant depending on resolution.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p Medium?

A: The average FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 212.1.

Q: How does the i5-14600K compare to the Ryzen 9 5950X in average benchmark score?

A: The i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 49166, which is 0.2% higher than the Ryzen 9 5950X's score of 49062.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the measured data?

A: The minimum average FPS in the data is 66.2, recorded at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is a powerful GPU with 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s. Its boost clock of 1710 MHz and 8704 shading units make it a strong performer, with a Passmark G3D score of 25086 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4407. The GPU sits in the 80th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35787, placing it 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon Pro Duo and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon 880M.

In Barony, the GPU's role becomes increasingly important as resolution and settings increase. The 4K Ultra result of 66.2 FPS is the lowest in the dataset, showing that the RTX 3080 is heavily taxed by the game's rendering at this resolution. The 10 GB of VRAM is sufficient for the game's requirements, as there is no indication of memory-related stutters or performance cliffs in the measured data. The 760.3 GB/s bandwidth helps with texture streaming in a game that may have many unique items and environments.

The GPU's performance at 1440p is particularly strong, with the High preset achieving 183 FPS. This suggests that the RTX 3080 is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming in Barony. The 1.6 inches width and 285 mm length make it a standard dual-slot card, and its 320 W TDP requires a 700 W power supply. The GPU's 68 RT cores and 272 tensor cores are not heavily utilized in this game, as Barony is not a ray-tracing title, but they contribute to the overall compute capability.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS dataset for this configuration is as follows:

• 1920x1080: Low 448.2 FPS, Medium 334.8 FPS, High 290.2 FPS, Ultra 204.1 FPS.
• 2560x1440: Low 282.7 FPS, Medium 212.1 FPS, High 183 FPS, Ultra 132.7 FPS.
• 3840x2160: Low 147.4 FPS, Medium 111.8 FPS, High 93.7 FPS, Ultra 66.2 FPS.

At 1080p, the frame rates are exceptionally high across all settings, with the Low preset nearly doubling the Ultra preset's performance. The 1440p results show a similar pattern, but with a narrower gap between settings. The 4K results show the most significant scaling, with the Ultra preset barely exceeding 60 FPS while the Low preset remains above 144 FPS.

The data also shows that the difference between Medium and High is relatively small compared to the difference between High and Ultra. At 1440p, Medium is 212.1 FPS and High is 183 FPS, a 29.1 FPS difference, while High to Ultra is a 50.3 FPS difference. This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces a significant performance cost, likely due to higher shadow quality or post-processing effects. For players looking to maximize performance, dropping from Ultra to High yields a substantial frame rate increase with minimal visual impact.