Barony

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 places at rank 1336 out of 2935 tested combinations for Barony, positioning it in the upper-middle portion of the database. This ranking reflects a balanced pairing where neither component is severely bottlenecking the other, though the data suggests the GPU carries more weight in determining overall performance. The combo’s standing becomes clearer when examining the individual component benchmarks and how they translate to the measured frame rates across resolutions and settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1336 out of 2935 tested combinations puts it in the 45th percentile of all pairings tested for Barony. This is a mid-pack result, indicating that while the hardware is capable, it is not exceptional for this specific title. The CPU, Intel Core i7-13700K, holds an 89th percentile ranking against all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 46881. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, scores 46971, a delta of -0.2%. The GPU, AMD Radeon RX 7700, sits at a 58th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15852. Its closest competitor, the AMD Radeon R9 370X, scores 15862, a delta of -0.1%.

The disparity between the CPU’s high percentile and the GPU’s lower percentile suggests that the processor has headroom that the graphics card cannot fully utilize in Barony. The data supports this: at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 360 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 54 FPS. This 6.7x reduction in frame rate across that span points to the GPU becoming the primary limiter as resolution and settings increase. The combo’s rank is therefore more reflective of GPU performance than CPU capability, given that the i7-13700K would rank much higher if considered alone.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with a Navi 32 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It contains 28,100 million transistors on a 346 mm² die. The GPU has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. Clock speeds are specified as a base of 1900 MHz, a boost of 2459 MHz, and a game clock of 2041 MHz. The memory operates at 2438 MHz, or 19.5 Gbps effective.

In Barony, the GPU’s memory capacity and bandwidth are significant. The game’s roguelike nature often involves procedurally generated levels with many objects, which can stress memory bandwidth. The measured results show that at 4K High, the combo averages 76 FPS, while at 4K Low, it reaches 119 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium at 4K reduces the average from 119 to 88 FPS, a 26% drop, suggesting that texture quality and shading complexity are demanding on the GPU. The 16 GB frame buffer is ample for this title, as the data does not indicate any VRAM-related stutters or crashes.

The GPU’s benchmark scores reinforce its mid-range position. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 2865. Passmark G3D gives it 20974, and Passmark GPU Compute shows 10963. These figures align with a 58th percentile ranking, meaning it performs better than roughly half of all GPUs tested. The nearest rival, the R9 370X, has a nearly identical average score, though the RX 7700’s modern architecture likely handles newer API features better. The RX 9060 and RTX 3060 Ti score slightly higher, with deltas of -1% and -1.7% respectively, placing the RX 7700 at the lower end of its immediate competitive group.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel’s 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration and uses the Intel Socket 1700.

For Barony, the CPU’s single-thread performance is more relevant than its multi-core capabilities, as roguelike games typically rely on a few threads for game logic and AI. The i7-13700K scores 1136 in 3DMark single-thread and 2262 in 3DMark 2-thread tests. In Cinebench R23, it achieves 2116 in single-core and 30745 in multi-core. The Passmark single-thread score is 4333. These numbers indicate strong per-core performance, which supports high frame rates at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck.

The CPU’s multi-threaded scores are also notable. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, it hits 30745, and in Passmark multi-thread, it reaches 45887. The 3DMark 16-thread score is 10717, and the max-thread score is 12412. These results suggest that if Barony were to utilize more threads, the CPU would not struggle. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 360 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s limit for this game’s engine. The CPU’s 89th percentile ranking, with an average benchmark score of 46881, puts it just behind the Ryzen 9 5900 at 46971 (-0.2%) and the Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 at 47022 (-0.3%). It is slightly ahead of the Ryzen 9 7845HX and Xeon w3-2535, both at 46654 and 46653 respectively, with a delta of 0.5%.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers four resolutions (1080p, 1440p, 4K) and four settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). At 1080p, the combo starts at 360 FPS on Low, drops to 268 FPS on Medium, 230 FPS on High, and 165 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting at 1080p records a minimum of 228 FPS and a maximum of 308 FPS. At 1440p, the results are 227 FPS on Low, 169 FPS on Medium, 145 FPS on High, and 104 FPS on Ultra. The 1440p Medium setting shows a minimum of 144 FPS and a maximum of 194 FPS. At 4K, the frame rates are 119 FPS on Low, 88 FPS on Medium, 76 FPS on High, and 54 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Medium setting has a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 102 FPS.

The pattern across resolutions is consistent: each step up in settings reduces the average FPS by a meaningful margin. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra cuts the frame rate by 54% (360 to 165 FPS). At 1440p, the same settings reduction drops from 227 to 104 FPS, a 54% decrease. At 4K, the drop is from 119 to 54 FPS, a 55% reduction. This consistency indicates that the game’s settings scale predictably with GPU load.

The minimum FPS values, where available, provide insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 228 FPS against an average of 268, meaning the lowest 1% of frames are still above 200 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 144 FPS against an average of 169, which is acceptable for most displays. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 75 FPS against an average of 88, showing a tighter distribution. The lack of minimum FPS data for other settings limits deeper analysis, but the available numbers suggest the combo maintains stable frame pacing at Medium settings across all resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component. At Low settings, the combo goes from 360 FPS at 1080p to 227 FPS at 1440p and 119 FPS at 4K. This represents a 67% reduction from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the drop is from 230 FPS at 1080p to 145 FPS at 1440p and 76 FPS at 4K, a 67% reduction. At Ultra, the drop is from 165 FPS at 1080p to 104 FPS at 1440p and 54 FPS at 4K, a 67% reduction.

The consistent 67% reduction across all settings indicates that the scaling is primarily resolution-driven, not settings-driven. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the drop from 1080p to 4K would be less pronounced, as higher resolutions shift the bottleneck to the GPU. The data shows that even at 1080p Ultra, the combo maintains 165 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. This suggests the CPU is capable of pushing high frame rates, but the GPU cannot keep up as pixel count increases.

At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. This is the only measured configuration that falls short of that bar. The step from 4K High (76 FPS) to 4K Ultra (54 FPS) is a 29% reduction, which is larger than the 15% drop from 4K Medium (88 FPS) to 4K High (76 FPS). This indicates that Ultra settings impose a disproportionate load on the GPU, likely due to more demanding shading and post-processing effects.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and frame rate. At 1080p, all settings deliver playable frame rates. Low hits 360 FPS, Medium 268 FPS, High 230 FPS, and Ultra 165 FPS. For a 144 Hz or 165 Hz monitor, High or Ultra would be suitable, as both exceed those refresh rates. For a 240 Hz monitor, Medium or Low would be necessary to fully utilize the display’s capabilities.

At 1440p, the choice narrows. High averages 145 FPS, which is suitable for 144 Hz displays. Medium averages 169 FPS, providing headroom for 165 Hz monitors. Ultra averages 104 FPS, which is still smooth but may not satisfy users with high refresh rate displays. Low at 227 FPS is overkill for most monitors but ensures maximum performance.

At 4K, the data suggests Medium is the sweet spot. It averages 88 FPS, which is above 60 FPS and provides a comfortable margin. High averages 76 FPS, still playable, but the drop to Ultra at 54 FPS falls below the 60 FPS threshold. For a 4K 60 Hz display, Medium offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, as High’s 76 FPS is wasted on a 60 Hz panel. For a 4K 120 Hz display, Low at 119 FPS would be required, though this sacrifices visual fidelity.

The measured minimum FPS values support Medium as a stable choice. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 75 FPS, meaning the lowest frames are still above 60 FPS. At 1080p and 1440p Medium, the minimums are 228 and 144 FPS respectively, both well above typical refresh rates. This consistency makes Medium the recommended preset for most users across all resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo’s overall ranking for Barony?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks 1336 out of 2935 tested combinations, placing it in the middle of the database.

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

A: The i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 46881, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (46971) and 0.3% lower than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (47022). It is 0.5% higher than both the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 7700 has an average benchmark score of 15852. It is 0.1% lower than the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862), 1% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (16014), and 1.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129). It is 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15679).

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gaming?

A: Medium is recommended for 4K, as it averages 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS. High averages 76 FPS, and Ultra drops to 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Does the combo maintain above 60 FPS at all resolutions and settings?

A: No. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 54, which is below 60. All other measured configurations (1080p, 1440p, and 4K at Low, Medium, and High) exceed 60 FPS.

Q: What is the frame rate at 1080p Low?

A: The combo achieves 360 FPS at 1080p Low, which is the highest measured result in the dataset. The lowest measured result is 54 FPS at 4K Ultra.