Barony

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

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread desktop processor built on Intel's Raptor Lake Refresh architecture, running at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This CPU sits in the 90th percentile among all processors tested, with an average benchmark score of 49,394, placing it within 1% of rivals like the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (0.3% delta) and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (0.8% delta).

For Barony, a roguelike title, the CPU’s high single-thread performance is particularly relevant. The chip’s Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4,594 and Geekbench single-core score of 2,445 indicate strong per-thread capabilities, which matters for game logic, pathfinding, and procedural generation that often run on a single or few threads. The multi-core results are equally robust — Cinebench R23 multi-core at 32,544 and PassMark multi-thread at 38,697 — but roguelike titles rarely scale perfectly across 20 threads, so the single-thread strength is the more telling metric here.

The L3 cache is 24 MB shared, with 2 MB L2 per core and 80 KB L1 per core. This cache configuration helps maintain low latency for frequently accessed game data, which is beneficial in a roguelike where map state and entity data change rapidly. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel mode, and while the measured FPS data does not specify memory type, the flexibility allows for various system configurations.

The CPU’s percentile ranking versus all CPUs (90th) suggests that it is not a bottleneck in this pairing. Indeed, the measured FPS results show that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 302 FPS average, indicating that the CPU can feed the GPU well beyond typical display refresh rates. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 46 FPS, which is far more indicative of GPU limits than CPU limits, given the GPU’s 66th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

The nearest rival comparisons for the CPU show it performing essentially on par with the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (0.3% ahead) and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (0.4% ahead), while trailing the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 by 0.8%. These small deltas mean that, in CPU-bound scenarios, swapping between these processors would yield negligible FPS differences. In Barony specifically, where the CPU is likely not the primary constraint at higher resolutions, these rival deltas become even less impactful.

FAQ

Q: Does the Intel Core i5-14600KF bottleneck the RTX 5050 in Barony?

A: The data does not suggest a CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 302 FPS average, and even at 1080p Ultra it maintains 138 FPS. The CPU’s 90th percentile ranking and strong single-thread scores (Cinebench R23 single-core 4,594) indicate it can keep pace with the GPU across all tested settings and resolutions.

Q: How does the RTX 5050’s performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5050 has an average benchmark score of 21,035, putting it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. It is 0.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, 1% behind the AMD Radeon HD 8970M, and 1.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT. These are all sub-2% deltas, meaning performance is broadly comparable across these cards.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Barony?

A: At 1440p High, the combo delivers 122 FPS average, which is a strong balance of visual quality and smoothness. At 4K High, it drops to 64 FPS, which is still playable but noticeably lower. For competitive or twitch gameplay, 1080p Medium at 225 FPS or 1440p Low at 191 FPS are better choices.

Q: How does the CPU’s multi-threaded performance affect Barony?

A: Barony is a roguelike, which typically does not scale perfectly across many cores. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32,544 is strong, but the more relevant metric is single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core 4,594). The 14-core/20-thread configuration ensures headroom for background tasks, but game performance is driven by single-thread speed.

Q: Is the RTX 5050 sufficient for 4K gaming in Barony?

A: At 4K Medium, the combo averages 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS, which is playable. At 4K High, it drops to 64 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it falls to 46 FPS. So 4K is viable, but only at Medium or High settings; Ultra requires a more powerful GPU.

Q: What do the minimum FPS figures indicate for this combo?

A: The measured data only includes minimum FPS for Medium settings: 63 FPS at 4K, 120 FPS at 1440p, and 191 FPS at 1080p. These minimums are all above 60 FPS, suggesting that even the most demanding scenes in Barony remain fluid at Medium settings across all resolutions.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 302 FPS average; at 1440p Low, it drops to 191 FPS (a 36.8% reduction); and at 4K Low, it falls to 100 FPS (a 66.9% reduction from 1080p). This steep decline with resolution is classic GPU-limited behavior — the CPU is capable of far more than 302 FPS, but the RTX 5050’s rendering throughput diminishes as pixel count rises.

Looking at High settings, the pattern persists: 1080p High yields 193 FPS, 1440p High drops to 122 FPS (a 36.8% reduction), and 4K High falls to 64 FPS (a 66.8% reduction from 1080p). The nearly identical percentage drops across Low and High settings (36.8% and 66.8-66.9%) indicate that the scaling is resolution-driven rather than settings-driven. This is typical of a GPU that is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Ultra settings show a slightly different pattern: 1080p Ultra averages 138 FPS, 1440p Ultra drops to 87 FPS (a 37.0% reduction), and 4K Ultra falls to 46 FPS (a 66.7% reduction from 1080p). The consistency of these drops — roughly 37% from 1080p to 1440p and 67% from 1080p to 4K — confirms that the RTX 5050’s fill rate and memory bandwidth (320.0 GB/s over a 128-bit bus) are the determining factors.

The GPU’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory is adequate for Barony at these settings, but the 128-bit bus width limits bandwidth compared to wider-memory GPUs. At 4K, the combination of higher pixel count and memory pressure causes the FPS to drop below 60 at High and Ultra settings. This is not a CPU limitation — even at 4K Ultra, the CPU’s single-thread performance (Geekbench single-core 2,445) is more than sufficient for the game’s logic, given that 1080p Low achieves 302 FPS.

In summary, the resolution scaling data points squarely at the GPU as the limiting component. The CPU’s performance headroom is evident from the 302 FPS at 1080p Low, and the consistent percentage drops across all settings confirm that the RTX 5050’s rendering capabilities dictate the framerate as resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination ranks 1,775th out of 2,935 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the 39.5th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly 60% of tested combos perform better in this specific game.

This ranking is somewhat surprising given the individual component scores. The CPU ranks in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 66th percentile. The combo’s lower overall rank suggests that Barony is more GPU-dependent than CPU-dependent, and the RTX 5050’s mid-tier standing drags the combo down despite the strong processor.

To contextualize the GPU’s position: the RTX 5050’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (0.6% faster), the AMD Radeon HD 8970M (1% faster), and the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (1.6% slower). These are all older or lower-tier cards, indicating that the RTX 5050 is positioned at the lower end of modern GPU performance. The combo rank of 1,775 reflects this — the GPU is the bottleneck, not the CPU.

For comparison, if the same CPU were paired with a higher-tier GPU, the combo rank would likely improve significantly, as the CPU has ample headroom (evidenced by 302 FPS at 1080p Low). Conversely, pairing this GPU with a weaker CPU might not change the rank much, since the GPU is already the limiting factor at most resolutions and settings.

The data also shows that the combo’s performance is sufficient for smooth gameplay at 1080p and 1440p across all settings, with 4K being viable only at Medium or lower. This suggests the combo is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but not for high-refresh-rate 4K or maxed-out 4K settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). Below is the full breakdown of average FPS, with minimum and maximum FPS where available:

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 302 FPS average
• Medium: 225 FPS average (minimum 191, maximum 258)
• High: 193 FPS average
• Ultra: 138 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 191 FPS average
• Medium: 142 FPS average (minimum 120, maximum 163)
• High: 122 FPS average
• Ultra: 87 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 100 FPS average
• Medium: 74 FPS average (minimum 63, maximum 85)
• High: 64 FPS average
• Ultra: 46 FPS average

The data shows a clear hierarchy: lower resolutions and lower settings yield higher FPS. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 302 FPS, which is more than enough for any high-refresh-rate monitor. Even at 1080p Ultra, 138 FPS is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

At 1440p, the combo remains strong: Low delivers 191 FPS, Medium 142 FPS, High 122 FPS, and Ultra 87 FPS. All of these are above 60 FPS, and the Medium preset includes a minimum of 120 FPS, indicating consistent performance.

At 4K, the picture changes. Low delivers 100 FPS, Medium 74 FPS (minimum 63), High 64 FPS, and Ultra 46 FPS. The Ultra setting falls below 60 FPS, and even High is only marginally above. The Medium preset’s minimum of 63 FPS suggests that 4K Medium is the highest setting that guarantees a fluid experience.

The minimum FPS figures, available only for Medium settings, show that the combo maintains at least 63 FPS even at 4K, 120 FPS at 1440p, and 191 FPS at 1080p. This indicates good frame-time consistency at Medium settings, which is important for a roguelike where sudden combat encounters can cause frame drops.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired framerate. For players prioritizing smoothness and responsiveness, 1080p Medium at 225 FPS average (minimum 191) is an excellent choice — it delivers nearly double the refresh rate of a standard 60 Hz monitor and maintains a high minimum FPS.

For 1440p, Medium at 142 FPS average (minimum 120) is the recommended preset. It offers a balanced visual experience with framerates that are smooth on any 144 Hz monitor, and the minimum of 120 FPS ensures no noticeable stuttering. The High preset at 122 FPS is also viable, but the Medium preset’s higher minimum (120 vs. no minimum data for High) provides more confidence in consistency.

At 4K, the recommendation is Medium at 74 FPS average (minimum 63). This is the highest setting that maintains a framerate above 60 FPS at all times, per the available minimum data. The High preset at 64 FPS is close, but without minimum FPS data, there is a risk of drops below 60. The Ultra preset at 46 FPS is not recommended for 4K, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

For players who prioritize visual fidelity over raw framerate, 1440p High at 122 FPS is a strong compromise — it offers better graphical details than Medium while staying well above 60 FPS. Similarly, 1080p Ultra at 138 FPS is a good choice for those who want maximum quality at 1080p without sacrificing smoothness.

The Low preset is rarely necessary for this combo, as even 4K Low achieves 100 FPS average. However, for competitive play where maximum framerate is paramount, 1080p Low at 302 FPS provides the highest possible responsiveness, though the visual trade-offs are substantial.

In summary, the data recommends: 1080p Medium or Ultra, 1440p Medium or High, and 4K Medium as the sweet spots. The Ultra preset at 4K should be avoided, as it dips below 60 FPS.