Barony

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Barony with the Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT shows a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 393.7 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that to 246.3 FPS, a reduction of roughly 37%. At 4K, the Low preset yields 128.5 FPS, which is about 67% below the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates that the rendering load at higher resolutions is falling squarely on the graphics card.

The Ultra preset tells a similar story but with more dramatic absolute losses. At 1080p Ultra, the system manages 179.9 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, that falls to 110.3 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it drops to 57.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra widens as resolution climbs: at 1080p, Low is 213.8 FPS ahead of Ultra; at 4K, that advantage shrinks to 71.1 FPS. This compression suggests that at 4K, even the RX 7700 XT's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily by the highest preset.

The limiting component is clearly the GPU. The i7-13700K, with its 16 cores and 24 threads, is not the bottleneck at any resolution. At 1080p Low, the 393.7 FPS result is far beyond what most displays can show, and even at 4K Ultra, the 57.4 FPS figure is respectable for a roguelike. The data indicates that players targeting 4K should expect to compromise on settings, while 1080p and 1440p users have headroom to push quality higher.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1440p as the sweet spot. High settings deliver 160.9 FPS at 1440p, while Ultra still holds 110.3 FPS. Both are well above the 84.1 FPS seen at 4K High, making 1440p the point where visual quality and frame rate balance well.

Q: How does the Ultra preset perform at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 57.4. This is playable for a roguelike, but it is the only measured configuration below 60 FPS. If you have a 60 Hz 4K display, this is borderline; dropping to High raises the average to 84.1 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU holding back the GPU in this game?

A: No. The i7-13700K scores 12,412 in the 3dmark max threads test and 1,136 in single thread. The FPS scaling from 1080p Low (393.7) to 4K Low (128.5) is consistent with GPU limitation. The CPU has ample headroom, as evidenced by the 24 threads available for Barony's workload.

Q: What settings should I use for 1440p gaming?

A: Medium at 1440p gives 184.1 FPS, and High gives 160.9 FPS. Ultra at 110.3 FPS is also viable. The data suggests that High is the most balanced choice at 1440p, offering a large visual step up from Medium while staying far above refresh rate limits for most monitors.

Q: How does the RX 7700 XT compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 7700 XT has an average benchmark score of 30,097, placing it at the 73rd percentile. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, scores 30,109 with a deltaPct of 0. The AMD Radeon RX 570 scores 30,158 with a deltaPct of -0.2, meaning the RX 7700 XT is effectively tied with both in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: Is the 1080p Low result of 393.7 FPS realistic for actual gameplay?

A: The data is measured, not estimated. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 393.7. This is a real result from the benchmark database. It shows that Barony is not demanding at lower settings, and the i7-13700K's single-thread performance (5,505 in Cinebench R23 single-core) keeps the scene feeding the GPU properly.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. For Barony, a roguelike that is not known for heavy multi-threading, the single-thread performance matters more than the core count. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5,505 and the 3dmark single-thread score of 1,136 indicate strong per-core capability.

The multicore scores are also robust: Cinebench R23 multicore reaches 39,000, and the 3dmark max threads score is 12,412. In a game like Barony, which likely uses only a few threads for logic and rendering, the i7-13700K's 24 threads are more than sufficient. The benchmark results confirm this: the FPS figures scale with resolution in a way that points to GPU saturation rather than CPU starvation.

The CPU's 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache help with game asset streaming, but the measured data does not show any CPU-related dips. The percentile ranking of 93 against all CPUs confirms that this processor is in the top tier. Compared to its nearest rivals, the i7-13700K trails the i7-13700KF by 0.1% (47,282 vs 47,334) and leads the AMD EPYC 4364P by 0.3% (47,282 vs 47,131). These differences are negligible in real-world gaming.

For Barony specifically, the CPU role is to keep the frame pacing smooth at high FPS. At 1080p Low, the 393.7 FPS result suggests that the CPU is not limiting even at extreme frame rates. The 5.40 GHz boost clock helps maintain high minimums, though the measured data does not include min FPS values. Overall, this CPU is overkill for the game, but that is not a drawback—it ensures consistent performance across all tested settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT ranks 744th out of 1,702 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the upper-middle portion of the database, which is a fair result given that the RX 7700 XT is a mid-range GPU. The rank of 744 out of 1,702 means the combo outperforms roughly 56% of tested configurations, but it falls short of the top-tier combos that pair high-end CPUs with flagship GPUs.

The GPU's percentile of 73 against all GPUs is the primary driver of this ranking. The CPU's 93rd percentile is not the limiting factor. In a game like Barony, which is not graphically demanding, the GPU's 12 GB of memory is sufficient, but the 192-bit bus width and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth are modest compared to higher-tier cards. The 4K Ultra result of 57.4 FPS is the weakest point in the dataset, and it drags the overall ranking down.

The rank of 744 suggests that there are 743 combos that produce higher average FPS across the tested resolutions. Many of these likely use GPUs with higher fill rates or more memory bandwidth. For example, the RX 7700 XT's nearest rivals—the RTX 5060, RX 570, Tesla M60, and RTX 5070 Mobile—all have similar average benchmark scores (around 30,000), so the ranking differences come down to driver optimization and game-specific behavior. In Barony, the RX 7700 XT's performance is solid but not exceptional, which is why the combo sits in the middle of the pack.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings presets, yielding 12 data points. At 1920x1080, the results are: Low 393.7 FPS, Medium 292.8 FPS, High 249.2 FPS, and Ultra 179.9 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is a 100.9 FPS drop, while the step from High to Ultra is a 69.3 FPS drop. This suggests that the Medium preset is where the GPU starts to work noticeably harder.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low 246.3 FPS, Medium 184.1 FPS, High 160.9 FPS, and Ultra 110.3 FPS. The relative ordering is the same as 1080p, but the absolute values are lower across the board. The gap between Low and Medium at 1440p is 62.2 FPS, and the gap between High and Ultra is 50.6 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p for each preset is roughly: Low -37%, Medium -37%, High -35%, and Ultra -39%.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low 128.5 FPS, Medium 98.4 FPS, High 84.1 FPS, and Ultra 57.4 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K for each preset is: Low -48%, Medium -47%, High -48%, and Ultra -48%. This consistent ~48% drop across all settings confirms that the GPU is the sole limiting factor at 4K. The CPU's performance does not degrade with resolution, so the FPS loss is entirely due to the RX 7700 XT's rendering throughput.

The data shows that the RX 7700 XT maintains playable frame rates at 4K for Low and Medium settings, but High and Ultra require 1440p or lower for a smooth experience. The 1080p results are all above 180 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Settings Recommendations

For 1440p displays, the High preset is the best measured choice. It delivers 160.9 FPS on average, which is smooth for any monitor with a refresh rate up to 144 Hz or 165 Hz. The Ultra preset at 110.3 FPS is also viable if you prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, but the 50.6 FPS difference between High and Ultra is significant. Medium at 184.1 FPS offers no practical advantage over High unless you are using a 240 Hz monitor and want to maximize headroom.

For 4K displays, the High preset at 84.1 FPS is the recommended starting point. It is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a substantial improvement over Medium (98.4 FPS) in visual quality. The Ultra preset at 57.4 FPS is borderline for 60 Hz displays; the data suggests that the visual jump from High to Ultra is not worth the 26.7 FPS loss. Low at 128.5 FPS is an option for competitive play, but Barony is a roguelike, so High is a better balance.

For 1080p, all presets are playable, but Ultra at 179.9 FPS is the best experience if you have a 144 Hz or 165 Hz monitor. Medium at 292.8 FPS is overkill for most displays, and Low at 393.7 FPS is only useful for benchmarking or extremely high refresh rates (240 Hz+). The i7-13700K's single-thread performance ensures that even the highest FPS figures do not introduce CPU bottlenecks.

The overall recommendation is to use High settings at 1440p for the best balance of visual quality and frame rate. If you have a 4K monitor, High at 4K is acceptable, but you should be prepared to accept 84.1 FPS as the ceiling. For 1080p users, Ultra is the clear choice. The measured data does not include any setting beyond Ultra, so there is no headroom for additional quality options in this benchmark.