Barony

Barony, a roguelike released in 2015, presents a unique benchmarking scenario where the CPU and GPU interplay heavily depends on resolution and settings. The data for this Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT combination shows a system that scales from extreme high-refresh 1080p performance to solid 4K capability. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data, component roles, and the ranking of this specific pairing.

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

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process. It features a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The chip includes 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache per core. Its benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30745 and a single-core score of 2116. Geekbench results show a multi-core score of 19429 and a single-core score of 2529, placing the CPU in the 89th percentile versus all CPUs.

In the context of Barony, the CPU's performance is largely sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at most settings. The data reveals a critical pattern: at 1080p with Low settings, the system produces 344 FPS, while at 4K with Ultra settings, it drops to 52 FPS. This massive scaling factor indicates that the CPU is not the primary limiting factor in most scenarios. The i7-13700K’s high single-thread performance (Passmark single-thread score of 4333) is likely the key attribute for a roguelike, which often relies on game logic and AI calculations that are not heavily multi-threaded. The 3dmark_16_threads score of 10717 suggests decent scaling with core count, but Barony’s engine appears responsive to the high boost clocks. The processor's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, which has a delta of -0.2% in average benchmark score, and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 at -0.3%, showing the i7-13700K is statistically tied with these chips in general compute. The data suggests that in Barony, this CPU provides ample headroom, allowing the GPU to become the deciding factor for frame rates as resolution and graphical demands increase.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is a RDNA 2.0 architecture GPU (Navi 22 chip) built on a 7 nm process. It has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2321 MHz with a boost clock of 2581 MHz. Its compute power is rated at 13.21 TFLOPS FP32. The GPU holds a percentile rank of 72 versus all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 27425 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile, which has a deltaPct of 0, and it sits behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 by -0.5%.

The GPU's role in Barony is clear from the FPS data. The measured performance shows a strong dependency on resolution and settings, indicating that the RX 6700 XT is the primary driver of frame rates in this pairing. At 1080p, the GPU delivers very high frame rates, but at 4K, the load becomes significantly heavier. The 12 GB VRAM buffer appears more than sufficient for this game, as even at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 52 FPS, which is likely a compute or fill-rate limit rather than a memory capacity issue. The boost clock of 2581 MHz contributes to the GPU's ability to handle the game's demands, but the data shows that the gap between Low and Ultra settings is substantial. For instance, at 1440p, the average FPS drops from 217 on Low to 99 on Ultra, a reduction of over half. This demonstrates that the GPU is the limiting component when settings are maxed out, especially at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured data provides clear guidance on which settings presets deliver the best experience across different resolutions. The goal is to balance visual quality with a smooth, playable frame rate.

• 1080p: All presets are playable. The Low preset achieves an average of 344 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play or extremely high refresh rate monitors. Medium produces 256 FPS, High hits 219 FPS, and even Ultra maintains a high 157 FPS average. For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the High preset is recommended, as it offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium while still providing over 200 FPS.

• 1440p: This is where the trade-offs become more apparent. Low provides 217 FPS, and Medium drops to 161 FPS. The High preset (138 FPS) is still excellent and is the recommended sweet spot for most users, offering a great visual experience while staying well above the 100 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 99 FPS is playable but starts to dip below the high-refresh-rate comfort zone.

• 4K: The GPU is heavily taxed at this resolution. Low settings yield 113 FPS, which is playable. Medium drops to 84 FPS, and High to 72 FPS. While 72 FPS is generally acceptable, the Ultra preset at 52 FPS is the only one that falls below the 60 FPS standard. For a consistent experience, the Medium preset is the recommended choice at 4K, as it provides a stable average of 84 FPS with a minimum of 72 FPS. The Low preset is the best option for those prioritizing frame rate over all else.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT ranks 1949 out of 3717 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the top half of all systems tested, indicating a solid mid-to-high-tier performance level. The rank is a reflection of the aggregate performance across all resolutions and settings.

The rank of 1949 suggests that while this is a powerful system, there are many other combinations that achieve higher frame rates in this specific game. This is likely due to the RX 6700 XT being a strong but not top-tier GPU. The CPU’s high performance does not heavily inflate the ranking, as Barony appears to be more GPU-limited at higher resolutions. The data shows that this combo is a good performer, but not an exceptional one for this title. It occupies a position where it can handle most gaming scenarios well, but it will not top the charts compared to systems with more powerful GPUs. The rank effectively communicates that this is a capable, balanced setup, but one that leaves performance on the table when compared to the top 50% of configurations tested.

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

The FPS scaling across resolutions is the most revealing metric in this dataset. By comparing the High settings preset, we see a clear progression: 219 FPS at 1080p, 138 FPS at 1440p, and 72 FPS at 4K. This represents a drop of 37% from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 48% drop from 1440p to 4K.

This pattern is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound system. The CPU is able to feed frames fast enough at 1080p, as evidenced by the 219 FPS High result. As the resolution increases, the GPU must render more pixels, and its workload grows exponentially. The frame rate drops accordingly, showing that the RX 6700 XT is the bottleneck in this pairing. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would see the frame rates plateau or decrease much less significantly when moving from 1440p to 4K. The data shows a consistent and steep decline, which is the signature of a GPU that is being pushed to its limits. The scaling from Low settings shows the same trend (344 to 217 to 113 FPS), further confirming that the graphics card is the primary performance constraint as resolution climbs.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The following table details the exact measured average FPS values for each resolution and settings preset.

• 1920x1080 (1080p):
• Low: 344 FPS
• Medium: 256 FPS (min 217, max 294)
• High: 219 FPS
• Ultra: 157 FPS

• 2560x1440 (1440p):
• Low: 217 FPS
• Medium: 161 FPS (min 137, max 185)
• High: 138 FPS
• Ultra: 99 FPS

• 3840x2160 (4K):
• Low: 113 FPS
• Medium: 84 FPS (min 72, max 97)
• High: 72 FPS
• Ultra: 52 FPS

The Medium preset is the only one that includes minimum and maximum FPS data, offering a more complete picture of stability. At 1080p Medium, the frame rate fluctuates between 217 and 294 FPS, showing a wide but entirely playable variance. At 1440p Medium, the range is 137 to 185 FPS. At 4K Medium, it narrows to 72 to 97 FPS. These ranges indicate that the game is generally stable, with the variance likely caused by in-game action and scene complexity.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: Can this combo achieve 144 FPS at 1440p?

A: Yes, but only on the Low and Medium presets. Low averages 217 FPS, and Medium averages 161 FPS. The High preset (138 FPS) and Ultra preset (99 FPS) fall below the 144 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best 4K preset for this system?

A: The Medium preset is recommended. It provides an average of 84 FPS with a minimum of 72 FPS, which is a more stable and playable experience than the High preset (72 FPS) or the Ultra preset (52 FPS).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in this game?

A: The GPU. The FPS drops significantly from 344 FPS at 1080p Low to 113 FPS at 4K Low, a trend that indicates the graphics card is the limiting factor as resolution increases.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 46881, which is only 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 5900's score of 46971, making them statistically equivalent in general performance.

Q: How does the GPU's average benchmark score compare to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT has an average score of 27425, which is 0.5% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090's score of 27565.

Q: What is the highest average FPS this system can produce in Barony?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 344, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.