Barony

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 delivers a remarkably fluid experience in Barony, a roguelike title where frame rate consistency directly impacts the precision required for survival. The measured data shows this combination handles even the most demanding settings with ease, though the performance scaling across resolutions and presets reveals a system that is clearly balanced, with the GPU becoming the primary constraint at higher graphical loads. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results, explaining what the scores mean in context and how this specific hardware pairing behaves in this particular game.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average of 166 FPS. This is significantly lower than the 363 FPS average seen at Low settings at the same resolution, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a substantial graphical load.

Q: How does the performance at 1440p compare to 1080p?

A: The data shows a clear drop as resolution increases. For example, at High settings, the average FPS falls from 231 at 1080p to 146 at 1440p. This represents a 36.8% decrease in frame rate, highlighting the impact of increased pixel count on the GPU.

Q: Is the RTX 5060 a bottleneck in this game?

A: The frame rate data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at higher settings. For instance, at 4K, the average FPS drops from 120 on Low to 55 on Ultra, a 54.2% reduction. This performance scaling with settings is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario.

Q: What is the best performing preset for high refresh rate monitors?

A: For a 144Hz monitor, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 provides an average of 170 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate. At 1920x1080, the High preset offers 231 FPS, and even the Ultra preset at 166 FPS is sufficient for high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49394, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. This score is 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 and 0.8% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245, showing it is competitive with other top-tier processors.

Q: What is the GPU's relative performance standing among all tested GPUs?

A: The RTX 5060's average benchmark score is 26331, which places it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. It performs 1.2% better than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT and 0.8% worse than the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary, indicating it sits in a solid mid-to-high performance tier.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, featuring 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is a key factor in the game's performance, especially at higher resolutions where texture data and frame buffers demand more bandwidth. The GPU's boost clock of 2497 MHz and its 3840 shading units work together to deliver the raw processing power observed in the frame rate results.

The measured FPS data reveals a clear correlation between the graphical settings and the GPU's workload. In Barony, the transition from Low to Ultra settings at 4K reduces the average frame rate from 120 to 55 FPS. This 54.2% drop indicates that the Ultra preset likely activates computationally intensive effects and higher-resolution textures that heavily tax the GPU's 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The GPU's 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores are present, but the data does not specify whether these are utilized in this particular title's rendering path.

The GPU's role as the primary performance limiter becomes evident when examining the scaling of frame rates with resolution. At High settings, the average FPS at 1080p is 231, which drops to 146 at 1440p and further to 76 at 4K. This consistent decline is a classic indicator of GPU-bound performance, where the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth become the constraining factors. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is likely sufficient for the game's requirements at these tested settings, as the benchmark data does not show any anomalies that would suggest memory capacity issues, such as sudden frame rate drops or stuttering.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested hardware combinations for Barony, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 achieves a rank of 1637 out of 3717 total combos. This places it in the 56th percentile of all tested configurations for this game, meaning it performs better than a majority of systems but is not among the absolute top-tier performers. This ranking is a direct result of the balance between the CPU and GPU, where neither component is so powerful that it completely compensates for the other's limitations in this specific title.

The combo's rank is particularly interesting when considering the individual component benchmark scores. The CPU's average benchmark score of 49394 is in the 90th percentile, while the GPU's score of 26331 is in the 72nd percentile. The game's final rank of 1637 suggests that Barony is more dependent on GPU performance than CPU performance, as the relatively lower GPU percentile drags the overall combo down from what the CPU alone might suggest. This aligns with the observed FPS scaling, which shows significant performance drops at higher resolutions and settings, both of which are GPU-centric workloads.

This ranking becomes a reference point for users. A combo ranked at 1637 indicates that a system built with these parts will provide a highly playable experience, but there is headroom for improvement, particularly on the GPU side. If a user were to pair this same CPU with a more powerful GPU, the in-game ranking would likely improve substantially, as the CPU's high percentile suggests it is not the limiting factor in this configuration.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data provides a comprehensive look at the system's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system achieves its highest frame rates. The Low preset delivers an average of 363 FPS, which is exceptionally high and indicates the game is not heavily demanding at this resolution. The Medium preset averages 270 FPS, with a minimum of 229 FPS and a maximum of 310 FPS. The High preset averages 231 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 166 FPS. This scaling shows a 54.2% reduction in average FPS from Low to Ultra at 1080p.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows a noticeable decrease. The Low preset averages 229 FPS, which is a 36.9% drop from the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset averages 170 FPS, with a minimum of 145 FPS and a maximum of 196 FPS. The High preset averages 146 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 105 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 54.1%, similar to the percentage drop seen at 1080p, confirming that the scaling is consistent.

At 3840x2160, the system begins to feel the pressure of the higher pixel count. The Low preset still manages a respectable average of 120 FPS, but the Medium preset drops to 89 FPS, with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 102 FPS. The High preset averages 76 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 55 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 4K is 54.2%, which is consistent with the other resolutions. This consistency in percentage drops across all resolutions suggests that the performance scaling is primarily driven by the GPU's processing capabilities, which scale linearly with the workload.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rate data, the optimal settings depend on the user's display refresh rate and resolution. For a 1080p display with a 144Hz refresh rate, the Ultra preset is a viable option, as its average of 166 FPS exceeds the refresh rate. However, for users with a 240Hz display, the High preset is more suitable, providing an average of 231 FPS, which is closer to the display's maximum capability.

At 1440p, the Medium preset offers the best balance for high refresh rate gaming. It delivers an average of 170 FPS, which is sufficient for a 144Hz monitor, while also providing a minimum FPS of 145, ensuring that frame times remain consistent. The High preset at 146 FPS is also a good option for 144Hz displays, but the Medium preset provides a higher average and a higher minimum frame rate, offering a more stable experience. The Ultra preset at 105 FPS is better suited for 60Hz displays, as it provides a solid visual quality boost without exceeding the display's refresh rate.

For 4K resolution, the data suggests that the High preset is the most appropriate for a 60Hz display. It provides an average of 76 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 89 FPS also works well, but the High preset offers better visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 55 FPS is marginal for a 60Hz display, as it averages below the refresh rate, which could lead to occasional frame pacing issues. The Low preset at 120 FPS is excessive for a 60Hz display and sacrifices too much visual quality.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with 24 MB of shared L3 cache. This processor is clearly capable of handling the demands of Barony, as evidenced by its high synthetic benchmark scores. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 and single-core score of 4594 indicate strong performance in both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads.

In the context of Barony, the CPU's role is less critical than the GPU's, as the frame rate scaling is primarily dependent on resolution and settings. The game's genre, roguelike, often involves procedural generation and logic that can be CPU-intensive, but the data does not suggest that the CPU is a bottleneck in this configuration. The 90th percentile ranking for the CPU indicates it is a high-performing part, and its 0.3% performance delta over the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 suggests it is at the top of its class.

The CPU's high performance is further underscored by its Passmark multi-thread score of 38697, which places it in a competitive position against its nearest rivals. The data shows that the CPU's average benchmark score of 49394 is only 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and 0.8% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245. This indicates that while the CPU is a strong performer, it is not significantly ahead of its closest competitors, and the choice of CPU is unlikely to be the primary factor in differentiating gaming performance in this title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and consistent pattern of performance scaling as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 231 at 1080p to 146 at 1440p, a 36.8% decrease. When moving from 1440p to 4K, the average FPS drops from 146 to 76, a 47.9% decrease. This accelerating decline with increasing resolution is a classic sign of a GPU-bound workload, as the number of pixels that need to be rendered grows geometrically.

The scaling pattern is similar across all settings presets. For the Medium preset, the average FPS drops from 270 at 1080p to 170 at 1440p (a 37.0% decrease) and then to 89 at 4K (a 47.6% decrease from 1440p). The Low preset shows a drop from 363 to 229 (a 36.9% decrease) and then to 120 (a 47.6% decrease). This consistent percentage drop across different settings suggests that the performance is being limited by a component that scales directly with pixel count, which is the GPU.

This data strongly implies that the RTX 5060 is the limiting factor in this configuration. The CPU's performance does not scale with resolution in the same way, as its workload is more dependent on game logic and draw calls, which are relatively constant across resolutions. The fact that the frame rate drops by nearly half when moving from 1440p to 4K indicates that the GPU's pixel processing capabilities and memory bandwidth are being saturated. The 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth and 119.9 GPixel/s pixel rate are the key specs that define this limit, and the data suggests that these are insufficient to maintain higher frame rates at 4K, particularly at higher settings presets.