Barony

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

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread desktop processor built on Intel's Raptor Lake architecture (Raptor Lake-S) and manufactured on a 10 nm process. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, and it carries 30 MB of shared L3 cache alongside 80 KB of L1 and 2 MB of L2 per core. The chip supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, uses an Intel Socket 1700, and includes UHD Graphics 770 integrated graphics. It has a 125 W TDP and a die size of 257 mm².

In synthetic benchmarks, the i7-13700K posts a 3DMark single-thread score of 1136, a 2-thread score of 2262, a 4-thread score of 4469, an 8-thread score of 8193, a 16-thread score of 10717, and a max-thread score of 12412. Cinebench results show R15 multicore at 4507.5 and singlecore at 303, R20 multicore at 16292 and singlecore at 2299, and R23 multicore at 30745 and singlecore at 2116. Geekbench returns a multicore score of 19429 and singlecore of 2529. Passmark tests include multithread at 45887, single-thread at 4333, physics at 2716, integer math at 154446, floating point math at 114867, data encryption at 33249, data compression at 595292, extended instructions at 36625, random string sorting at 62670, and find prime numbers at 191. The CPU's average benchmark score is 46881, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs.

Relative to its nearest rivals, the i7-13700K is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, which scores 46971 (a delta of -0.2%), and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 at 47022 (delta -0.3%). It edges out the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX, which scores 46654 (delta 0.5%), and the Intel Xeon w3-2535 at 46653 (delta 0.5%). The data indicates the i7-13700K sits in a tight cluster of high-end processors where performance differences are within a fraction of a percent.

For Barony, a roguelike that is not typically demanding on multi-core throughput, the CPU's strengths lie in its high single-thread performance. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 and Cinebench R23 singlecore of 2116 suggest that the processor can handle game logic and AI calculations efficiently. The boost clock of 5.40 GHz is particularly relevant for maintaining high frame rates in scenarios where the game's simulation is the bottleneck rather than the GPU. The 16 cores and 24 threads are likely overkill for Barony's workload, but they ensure that background tasks and any multi-threaded game systems do not introduce frame-time hitches. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 153 avg FPS, indicating that the CPU is not limiting even at the lowest settings where frame rates are highest.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is a Polaris 20 chip built on GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It contains 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, with a transistor density of 24.6M per mm². The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, offering a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 1257 MHz with a boost clock of 1340 MHz, and memory runs at 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective). The card has 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operations pipelines. Pixel rate is 42.88 GPixel/s, texture rate is 193.0 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance is 6.175 TFLOPS. It has a 185 W TDP, requires a 450 W suggested PSU, uses a dual-slot design with a single 8-pin power connector, and interfaces via PCIe 3.0 x16. Display outputs include 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. The card supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3.

In GPU benchmarks, the RX 580 scores 1005 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 45235 in Geekbench Metal, 37453 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 45173 in Geekbench Vulkan. Passmark tests show G3D at 8813, G2D at 769, GPU compute at 3488, DirectX 9 at 124, DirectX 10 at 46, DirectX 11 at 60, and DirectX 12 at 43. The average benchmark score is 12928, placing it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs.

Against its nearest rivals, the RX 580 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, which scores 12940 (delta -0.1%), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER at 12986 (delta -0.4%). It slightly outperforms the AMD Radeon 740M at 12870 (delta 0.5%) and the AMD FirePro W5100 at 12847 (delta 0.6%). The RX 580's position in the 53rd percentile reflects a mid-range GPU that remains functional for older titles like Barony but is not competitive with modern high-end cards.

For Barony, the RX 580's 8 GB VRAM is more than sufficient, as roguelike games rarely exceed a few GB of video memory even at high resolutions. The 256-bit memory bus and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth provide adequate throughput for the game's simple textures and effects. The clock speeds of 1257 MHz base and 1340 MHz boost are modest by modern standards, which explains why the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 23 avg FPS, while at 1080p Low it reaches 153 avg FPS. This wide spread suggests that the RX 580's raw compute power, not VRAM capacity, is the primary constraint at demanding settings.

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

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a clear scaling pattern across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 153 (Low), 114 (Medium), 98 (High), and 70 (Ultra). Moving to 2560x1440, those figures drop to 97 (Low), 72 (Medium), 62 (High), and 44 (Ultra). At 3840x2160, the averages fall further to 51 (Low), 38 (Medium), 32 (High), and 23 (Ultra).

From 1080p to 1440p, the frame rate drops by roughly 37% at Low settings (from 153 to 97), 37% at Medium (114 to 72), 37% at High (98 to 62), and 37% at Ultra (70 to 44). From 1440p to 4K, the declines are approximately 47% at Low (97 to 51), 47% at Medium (72 to 38), 48% at High (62 to 32), and 48% at Ultra (44 to 23). The consistent percentage drops across all settings indicate a uniform scaling behavior, typical of a GPU-bound scenario.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU has more headroom, as evidenced by the high frame rates even at Ultra (70 avg FPS). At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting component—the RX 580's 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is insufficient to maintain high frame rates at this resolution. The drop from 153 FPS at 1080p Low to 51 FPS at 4K Low is a 67% reduction, which aligns with the increase in pixel count from approximately 2.07 million to 8.29 million (a 4x increase). The fact that the frame rate does not drop by exactly 75% (which would be proportional to pixel count) suggests that at 1080p Low, the system is partially CPU-limited, but at 4K, the GPU takes over as the primary bottleneck.

The Medium settings data includes min and max FPS values, providing insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the range is 97 to 131 FPS (avg 114), at 1440p Medium it is 61 to 83 FPS (avg 72), and at 4K Medium it is 32 to 43 FPS (avg 38). The spread narrows as resolution increases, indicating that at higher resolutions, the GPU's consistent workload reduces frame time variance. At 1080p, the wider range suggests occasional CPU-driven spikes that get smoothed out when the GPU becomes the bottleneck.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Barony to maintain playable frame rates?

A: The data shows that at 1920x1080, all settings produce average FPS above 70, with Ultra at 70, High at 98, Medium at 114, and Low at 153. At 2560x1440, Ultra drops to 44 FPS, which may be borderline, while High remains at 62 FPS. At 3840x2160, even High only averages 32 FPS, making 1080p the most comfortable resolution for this combo.

Q: How does the RX 580's VRAM capacity affect Barony performance?

A: The RX 580 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth. For Barony, a roguelike, this VRAM amount is not a limiting factor—the performance drops at higher resolutions are driven by the GPU's compute capability (6.175 TFLOPS FP32) rather than memory capacity.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-13700K overkill for this GPU?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score is 46881 (89th percentile), while the GPU's is 12928 (53rd percentile). At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 153 avg FPS, suggesting the CPU is not fully utilized, but at 4K Ultra, the 23 avg FPS indicates the GPU is the clear bottleneck. The i7-13700K's high single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 singlecore 2116) helps maintain frame rates at lower resolutions.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the measured average FPS is 62. This is based on the data recorded for this specific combo, with no min or max values provided for this configuration.

Q: How does this combo compare to the nearest rival GPU in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The RX 580's average benchmark score is 12928, nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (12940, delta -0.1%) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER (12986, delta -0.4%). It is slightly ahead of the AMD Radeon 740M (12870, delta 0.5%) and AMD FirePro W5100 (12847, delta 0.6%).

Q: Does the game show better frame time consistency at higher resolutions?

A: The Medium settings data with min/max values shows that at 1080p, the frame range is 97-131 FPS (a 34 FPS spread), at 1440p it is 61-83 FPS (a 22 FPS spread), and at 4K it is 32-43 FPS (an 11 FPS spread). The narrowing spread indicates more consistent frame pacing when the GPU is the limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-13700K + AMD Radeon RX 580 combination ranks 3393 out of 3717 tested combos for Barony. This places it in the lower portion of the ranking, specifically around the 91st percentile from the bottom (or 9th percentile from the top). The ranking reflects that while the CPU is high-end (89th percentile of all CPUs), the GPU is only mid-range (53rd percentile of all GPUs), and for a game like Barony, the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions drag the overall combo ranking down.

The rank of 3393 out of 3717 indicates that most other tested combinations achieve better performance in this game. This is likely because the RX 580, despite being a capable 1080p card, struggles at 1440p and 4K, where many other GPUs in the database excel. The i7-13700K's strong CPU performance (avg benchmark score 46881) does not compensate for the GPU's mid-pack standing in a game that scales primarily with GPU load at higher resolutions.

In the context of the full combo ranking, this pairing is best suited for 1080p gaming, where the measured FPS at Ultra (70 avg) is respectable, and at Low (153 avg) is very smooth. For users prioritizing higher resolutions, the data shows that this combo falls behind, with 4K Ultra dipping to 23 avg FPS. The gap between the CPU's percentile (89) and GPU's percentile (53) highlights the imbalance in this pairing for Barony's specific demands.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following measured FPS data was recorded for this combo in Barony, with resolutions ranging from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 and settings from Low to Ultra.

1920x1080:

• Low: 153 avg FPS (no min/max provided)
• Medium: 114 avg FPS (min 97, max 131)
• High: 98 avg FPS (no min/max provided)
• Ultra: 70 avg FPS (no min/max provided)

2560x1440:

• Low: 97 avg FPS (no min/max provided)
• Medium: 72 avg FPS (min 61, max 83)
• High: 62 avg FPS (no min/max provided)
• Ultra: 44 avg FPS (no min/max provided)

3840x2160:

• Low: 51 avg FPS (no min/max provided)
• Medium: 38 avg FPS (min 32, max 43)
• High: 32 avg FPS (no min/max provided)
• Ultra: 23 avg FPS (no min/max provided)

The data shows a consistent pattern: at each resolution, lowering settings from Ultra to Low increases frame rates by roughly 2x. At 1080p, the jump from Ultra (70 FPS) to Low (153 FPS) is a 119% increase. At 1440p, the jump from Ultra (44 FPS) to Low (97 FPS) is a 120% increase. At 4K, the jump from Ultra (23 FPS) to Low (51 FPS) is a 122% increase. This consistent scaling suggests that the game's settings have a uniform impact on GPU load, with each step (Ultra to High, High to Medium, Medium to Low) providing roughly a 20-30% FPS boost.

The Medium settings are the only configuration with complete min/max data across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the min is 97 and max is 131, giving a range of 34 FPS. At 1440p Medium, min is 61 and max is 83, a range of 22 FPS. At 4K Medium, min is 32 and max is 43, a range of 11 FPS. This data indicates that at higher resolutions, the frame rate becomes more stable, as the GPU's consistent workload reduces the impact of CPU-side variability. For users seeking the smoothest experience, the Medium settings at 1080p (114 avg FPS) or 1440p (72 avg FPS) offer a good balance of visual quality and performance, while 4K at any setting is unlikely to provide a satisfying experience given the sub-60 FPS averages across the board.