Barony

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 presents a stark contrast in capabilities, and the measured frame rates in Barony reflect this tension clearly. The CPU is a modern, high-end part, while the GPU is an older, mid-range model. The data shows how this pairing behaves across resolutions and settings, with the GPU consistently emerging as the primary factor limiting performance, especially at higher graphical loads.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 clearly illustrates the GPU's dominance in determining performance. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 236.3 FPS, indicating that the CPU is more than capable of feeding frames at this level. Stepping down to 1440p lowers the average to 148.6 FPS, and at 4K it drops further to 81 FPS. This scaling pattern shows a direct and heavy impact from pixel count, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario.

The trend becomes more pronounced at higher settings. With High settings, the average FPS falls from 149.2 at 1080p to 97.3 at 1440p, and then to 49.6 at 4K. This represents a 67% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, a clear sign that the GTX 1070's rendering throughput is the limiting component. The CPU's performance headroom, as evidenced by its high benchmark scores, is not being fully utilized in these situations.

The data suggests that while the i5-14600KF is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions, its potential is largely untapped at higher resolutions. For instance, the jump from Low to Ultra at 4K sees the average FPS drop from 81 to 37.3, a 54% decrease. This massive performance swing based on settings is a characteristic of a system where the graphics card is the deciding factor. The CPU has enough power to handle the game's logic and physics at any resolution, but the GPU simply cannot keep up with the increasing pixel workload.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired fluidity. At 1920x1080, even the Ultra preset delivers an average of 108.5 FPS, which is smooth for most display types. The Medium preset offers a substantial increase to 172.6 FPS, providing a significant margin for high-refresh-rate monitors. For competitive play or maximum smoothness at 1080p, the Low preset at 236.3 FPS is the clear choice, as the visual trade-off is minimal in a roguelike title focused on gameplay clarity.

Moving to 2560x1440, the High preset maintains a solid average of 97.3 FPS, which is a good balance between visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset drops to 66.7 FPS, which may be acceptable but is less ideal for fast-paced action. The Medium preset at 112.8 FPS offers a better experience than High, providing a higher frame rate with only a modest visual downgrade. For a consistent 60+ FPS experience at 1440p, the Medium preset appears to be the sweet spot.

At 3840x2160, the situation becomes more demanding. The High preset averages 49.6 FPS, which is below the standard 60 FPS target. The Medium preset achieves exactly 60 FPS, making it the only viable option for a smooth 4K experience. The Low preset offers a higher average of 81 FPS, which is preferable for gameplay fluidity if visual fidelity is not a priority. The data indicates that for a balanced experience at 4K, the Medium preset is the recommended starting point, with Low being the fallback for higher frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 60 FPS experience at 3840x2160?

A: The measured data shows that the Medium preset achieves an average of 60 FPS at 4K. The High preset drops to 49.6 FPS, and Low goes up to 81 FPS, making Medium the only preset that hits the 60 FPS target precisely.

Q: How does the combo perform at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p with the Ultra preset, the system delivers an average of 108.5 FPS. This indicates that the combination is more than capable of handling the highest settings at this resolution, providing a smooth experience well above 60 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the primary limiting factor. The frame rates drop significantly as resolution and settings increase, which is characteristic of GPU-bound performance. The CPU's high multi-core scores, such as 32889 in Cinebench R23, suggest it has ample headroom.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 2560x1440?

A: At 1440p, the Low preset averages 148.6 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 66.7 FPS. This is a difference of 81.9 FPS, or roughly 55% lower performance when moving from Low to Ultra.

Q: Does the GTX 1070's 8 GB of VRAM appear to be a limiting factor in Barony?

A: The data does not directly show a VRAM limitation. The consistent scaling of frame rates with resolution suggests a general compute or fill-rate limit rather than a memory capacity issue, as the game is a roguelike with relatively simple textures.

Q: How does the frame rate scale from 1080p to 4K on the High preset?

A: On High settings, the average FPS drops from 149.2 at 1080p to 97.3 at 1440p, and then to 49.6 at 4K. This represents a 67% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, showing a steep decline as resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Barony, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 ranks at position 1417 out of 1702 total combos. This places it in the lower percentile of tested systems, which aligns with the performance data showing the GPU struggling at higher resolutions.

The ranking reflects the imbalance of the pairing. The CPU itself is a top-tier performer, with an average benchmark score of 49367 and a percentile of 93 against all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600K, has a nearly identical average score of 49166, a delta of only 0.4%. This puts the CPU in the top tier of processors. In contrast, the GTX 1070 has a percentile of 51 against all GPUs and an average score of 12331, placing it squarely in the mid-range.

The low combo rank is therefore a direct consequence of the GPU's mid-range standing. The data shows that while the CPU could support much higher frame rates, the GPU's performance ceiling drags the entire system down in this game. The rank of 1417 is a reflection of the overall system's measured capability, not the CPU's individual strength.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is built on the Pascal architecture and features a GP104 chip. It operates with a base clock of 1506 MHz and a boost clock of 1683 MHz. The memory runs at an effective speed of 8 Gbps, delivering a bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s across a 256-bit bus. The GPU is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR5 memory, which is ample for a roguelike title like Barony.

The GPU's compute capabilities are defined by its 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. These specifications result in a texture fill rate of 202.0 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s. These figures, while respectable for the GTX 10-series, are the primary determinants of the frame rates seen in the measured data. The GPU's floating-point performance of 6.463 TFLOPS is a key indicator of its overall rendering power.

The performance data shows that the GTX 1070 is the bottleneck in this system. The frame rate scales almost linearly with the number of pixels, which is a classic sign of a GPU that is fully utilized. For instance, at 1440p Medium, the average FPS is 112.8, while at 4K Medium it is 60, showing a 47% drop. This consistent pattern across all settings indicates that the game's performance is directly tied to the GPU's ability to process the visual data, not the CPU's ability to send it.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data is taken directly from the measured FPS rows for this specific hardware combination.

1920x1080

• Ultra: The average frame rate is 108.5 FPS.
• High: The average frame rate is 149.2 FPS.
• Medium: The average frame rate is 172.6 FPS.
• Low: The average frame rate is 236.3 FPS.

At 1080p, the system shows strong performance across all presets. The jump from Ultra to Medium provides a 64.1 FPS increase, indicating that the lower presets significantly reduce the GPU load.

2560x1440

• Ultra: The average frame rate is 66.7 FPS.
• High: The average frame rate is 97.3 FPS.
• Medium: The average frame rate is 112.8 FPS.
• Low: The average frame rate is 148.6 FPS.

The 1440p results show a clear step down from 1080p. The Ultra preset drops below the 60 FPS target, while the High preset maintains a playable 97.3 FPS. The Medium and Low presets offer increasingly higher performance, up to 148.6 FPS.

3840x2160

• Ultra: The average frame rate is 37.3 FPS.
• High: The average frame rate is 49.6 FPS.
• Medium: The average frame rate is 60 FPS.
• Low: The average frame rate is 81 FPS.

At 4K, the GPU is heavily taxed. Only the Medium preset hits the 60 FPS mark exactly. The Ultra preset falls to 37.3 FPS, which is not ideal for a fluid experience. The Low preset provides a more playable 81 FPS, but at a significant visual cost. The data shows a clear progression where the GPU's limitations become the defining factor at this resolution.