Barony

# Barony with Intel Core i5-14600K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D produces exceptional frame rates in Barony, a roguelike title from 2015. Across all measured resolutions and settings, this combination never drops below 109 FPS average, with the top configuration reaching 724 FPS at 1080p Low. The data reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at lower resolutions, transitioning to a more balanced workload as resolution increases. This combo ranks first out of 2,935 tested combinations in this game, placing it at the absolute pinnacle of the database's Barony results.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies in this system. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 462 at 1920x1080 to 292 at 2560x1440, then to 152 at 3840x2160. That represents a 36.8% reduction when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a 47.9% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is nearly linear with pixel count, which strongly indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor at High settings across all resolutions.

Low settings exhibit even more dramatic scaling. The 724 FPS at 1080p Low falls to 457 at 1440p Low (a 36.9% drop) and then to 239 at 4K Low (a 47.7% drop from 1440p). Interestingly, the percentage drops are remarkably consistent between Low and High settings at each resolution step, suggesting that the rendering workload scales similarly regardless of quality preset. The consistent ~37% and ~48% reductions track closely with the pixel count increases of 1.78x for 1440p and 2.25x for 4K relative to the previous step.

Medium settings show the same pattern, with 538 FPS at 1080p dropping to 340 at 1440p and 178 at 4K. The min FPS values at Medium settings (458 at 1080p, 289 at 1440p, 151 at 4K) maintain healthy margins above 60 FPS even at the most demanding resolution. Ultra settings produce the lowest absolute numbers but still deliver 331 FPS at 1080p, 209 at 1440p, and 109 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 109 FPS is particularly telling — it demonstrates that even at maximum quality and highest resolution, this combination remains comfortably above 100 FPS.

The scaling data implies that at 1080p and 1440p, the CPU is likely holding back the GPU from reaching even higher frame rates. The jump from 457 FPS at 1440p Low to 724 FPS at 1080p Low represents a 58.4% increase, which exceeds the 56.3% pixel count reduction — suggesting the CPU begins to throttle performance at extreme frame rates. At 4K, however, the GPU workload dominates, and the system behaves as a classic GPU-limited configuration.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K brings substantial processing power to this pairing, with 14 cores (comprising performance and efficiency cores), 20 threads, and boost clocks reaching 5.30 GHz. Its base clock of 3.50 GHz supports sustained workloads, while the 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB L2 per core provide ample fast memory for game logic. The CPU's architecture, Raptor Lake-R on a 10 nm process, delivers strong single-threaded performance that matters for Barony's roguelike gameplay mechanics.

Benchmark data positions this CPU in the 90th percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 48,618. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (average score 48,698, just 0.2% higher), the AMD EPYC 4345P (48,470, 0.3% lower), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX (48,287, 0.7% lower). In multi-threaded workloads, the Cinebench R23 multicore score of 24,491 demonstrates strong parallel processing capability, while the single-core score of 2,064 in the same test shows excellent per-thread performance.

The PassMark multithread score of 38,682 and single-thread score of 4,270 further reinforce the CPU's balanced capabilities. For Barony specifically, the high single-thread performance is particularly relevant, as roguelike games typically rely heavily on game logic, pathfinding, and procedural generation that favor strong per-core performance. The 90th percentile ranking indicates this CPU outperforms the vast majority of processors in the database, providing ample headroom for the GPU to operate without CPU-induced frame pacing issues.

At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 724 FPS, which approaches the practical limits of even high-refresh-rate displays. The data suggests that at these extreme frame rates, the CPU's ability to feed draw calls and process game state becomes the constraining factor, as the GPU has abundant raw throughput to render frames faster than the CPU can deliver them. The CPU's 20 threads and high boost clock help maintain consistent frame delivery even during complex roguelike events with numerous entities on screen.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this pairing, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC. Its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus provides 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, which is substantial for handling high-resolution textures and effects. The GPU's 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 ROPs deliver massive parallel compute capacity, with FP32 performance reaching 104.8 TFLOPS.

The GPU's memory configuration is notably generous for a game like Barony, which is not typically memory-intensive. However, the 32 GB capacity ensures zero risk of VRAM limitations at any resolution or settings combination. The memory clock of 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) and the 512-bit bus combine to provide the 1.79 TB/s bandwidth that supports high frame rates even at 4K with demanding settings.

In the GPU benchmark database, the RTX 5090 D ranks in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,712. Its nearest rivals are interesting — the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76,904, 1.1% lower), AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940, 1.6% higher), and NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants (79,396 and 79,605, 2.1-2.4% higher). These delta values are remarkably small, indicating that the RTX 5090 D sits in a very tight performance cluster despite its flagship positioning.

The PassMark G3D score of 44,065 and GPU compute score of 28,396 indicate strong general and compute performance. The DirectX 12 score of 219 in PassMark, while not directly comparable to game FPS, suggests capable API-level performance. The GPU's boost clock of 2407 MHz and base clock of 2017 MHz provide the clock speed headroom necessary to sustain high frame rates across all tested scenarios.

At 4K Ultra settings, the GPU delivers 109 FPS average, which is a demanding workload that fully utilizes the RTX 5090 D's capabilities. The fact that 4K Medium achieves 178 FPS while 4K Low reaches 239 FPS shows the GPU's scaling with quality settings. The GPU's thermal design power of 575 W and suggested power supply of 950 W indicate it requires substantial power delivery, but the performance payoff is evident in the measured results.

FAQ

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra settings in Barony?

A: Yes, comfortably. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 109 FPS, which is 81.7% higher than the 60 FPS threshold. The system provides significant headroom even at the most demanding configuration tested.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77,712, placing it 1.1% above the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76,904) and 1.6% below the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940). It trails the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB by 2.1% (79,396) and the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB by 2.4% (79,605).

Q: What is the biggest FPS jump when lowering settings at 4K?

A: The largest improvement comes from dropping from Ultra (109 FPS) to High (152 FPS), a 39.4% increase. Moving from High to Medium (178 FPS) adds another 17.1%, and from Medium to Low (239 FPS) provides a 34.3% boost. The cumulative gain from Ultra to Low is 119.3%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the data suggests the CPU becomes the primary bottleneck. The RTX 5090 D delivers 724 FPS at Low settings, and the frame rate scaling from 1440p to 1080p (58.4% increase) exceeds the pixel count scaling (56.3%), indicating the CPU's ability to process frames limits the GPU's output at these high frame rates.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations in Barony?

A: This combination ranks first out of 2,935 tested combos in Barony. It is the top-performing configuration in the database, outperforming all other CPU-GPU pairings tested for this game.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values for Medium settings across resolutions?

A: The Medium preset shows consistent minimum FPS values: 458 FPS at 1080p, 289 FPS at 1440p, and 151 FPS at 4K. These minimums are well above playable thresholds, indicating stable frame delivery without significant drops.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the Barony experience with this hardware. At 4K resolution, the Ultra preset delivers 109 FPS average, which is excellent for most displays. However, for users with high-refresh-rate 4K monitors (144 Hz or higher), the High preset at 152 FPS offers a 39.4% performance increase while presumably maintaining most visual quality benefits. The jump from High to Medium (178 FPS) provides an additional 17.1% improvement, which may be worthwhile for competitive play.

At 1440p, the High preset achieves 292 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of virtually all gaming monitors. The Ultra preset at 209 FPS still provides ample headroom for 144 Hz displays. The Medium preset at 340 FPS and Low at 457 FPS offer diminishing returns for most users, as the visual quality reduction outweighs the FPS gains beyond what displays can show.

For 1080p, even the Ultra preset delivers 331 FPS, which is beyond the capability of most displays. The data suggests that at this resolution, users can freely select Ultra settings without sacrificing playability, as the frame rate remains exceptionally high. The Low preset at 724 FPS is more of a theoretical benchmark result than a practical setting, as no mainstream display can showcase its benefits.

The optimal balance between visual quality and performance appears to be the High preset across all resolutions. At 4K High (152 FPS), the system delivers smooth gameplay with likely high visual fidelity. At 1440p High (292 FPS) and 1080p High (462 FPS), the frame rates are so high that users can afford to enable maximum settings if they prefer visual quality over raw FPS. For users with 60 Hz displays, even 4K Ultra at 109 FPS provides comfortable headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces extraordinary frame rates across all settings. The Low preset achieves 724 FPS average, representing the highest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium settings deliver 538 FPS with a minimum of 458 FPS and maximum of 619 FPS, showing tight frame pacing. High settings produce 462 FPS, while Ultra settings still manage a robust 331 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 54.3% reduction in FPS, indicating that even the most demanding settings at 1080p barely stress this combination.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high but show the expected reduction from 1080p. Low settings deliver 457 FPS, Medium hits 340 FPS (with min/max of 289/391), High achieves 292 FPS, and Ultra reaches 209 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p ranges from a 36.8% drop at High settings to a 36.9% drop at Low settings, demonstrating consistent behavior across quality presets.

At 3840x2160, the system still delivers impressive performance. Low settings achieve 239 FPS, Medium produces 178 FPS (with min/max of 151/204), High reaches 152 FPS, and Ultra maintains 109 FPS. The 4K results show that the RTX 5090 D's 32 GB VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are more than sufficient for Barony at maximum resolution. The minimum FPS values at 4K Medium (151 FPS) remain higher than the 4K Ultra average (109 FPS), suggesting that Medium settings provide particularly stable frame delivery.

The complete dataset reveals that this combination never drops below 109 FPS average in any tested configuration. The lowest measured minimum value is 151 FPS at 4K Medium, which still provides excellent smoothness. The system's performance envelope spans from 109 FPS (4K Ultra) to 724 FPS (1080p Low), offering users a wide range of options depending on their display capabilities and visual quality preferences.

How This Combo Ranks

This Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination ranks first out of 2,935 tested combos in Barony. This top position means no other CPU-GPU pairing in the database produces higher average frame rates in this game. The ranking reflects the synergy between the i5-14600K's strong single-threaded performance and the RTX 5090 D's massive rendering throughput.

The CPU's 90th percentile ranking among all processors and the GPU's 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs combine to create a system that sits at the apex of the database's Barony results. While neither component is the absolute highest-scoring in its respective category (the CPU's nearest rival, the Xeon Gold 5318H, scores 0.2% higher on average, and the GPU's nearest rival, the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, scores 2.4% higher), their combination for this specific game produces the best measured results.

The first-place ranking out of 2,935 combos is particularly notable given the age of Barony (released in 2015) and its roguelike genre, which typically does not demand extreme hardware. The data suggests that Barony's rendering pipeline responds exceptionally well to the RTX 5090 D's architecture, allowing this combo to outperform configurations with theoretically stronger individual components. The top ranking indicates that for users seeking the absolute best Barony performance, this specific CPU-GPU pairing is the optimal choice according to the measured data.