Barony

Barony is a roguelike that, despite its 2015 release, scales across a wide range of hardware due to its procedural generation and real-time rendering. The benchmark data for the Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Radeon RX 9070 combination shows a system capable of delivering extremely high frame rates at every tested resolution and setting tier. The dataset provides a clear picture of performance scaling, revealing how the CPU's powerful multi-threading and the GPU's large memory pool interact under varying loads.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate recorded for this system in Barony?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 442.1 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How much performance is gained by dropping from Ultra to Low settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, lowering the settings from Ultra to Low increases the average frame rate from 69.1 FPS to 145.1 FPS, representing a substantial improvement for smoother gameplay.

Q: Does the system maintain playable frame rates at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the data shows an average of 69.1 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which remains above the standard 60 FPS threshold for smooth play.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its closest rival?

A: The Core i7-13700K scores 47282 in the average benchmark, which is effectively tied with the Intel Core i7-13700KF, which scores 47334, a negligible 0.1% difference.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration, and does it present a bottleneck in this game?

A: The Radeon RX 9070 features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. Given the high frame rates across all resolutions, this memory configuration does not appear to be a limiting factor.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the system exceed 200 FPS?

A: The system exceeds 200 FPS at 1920x1080 with High, Medium, and Low settings, and at 2560x1440 with Medium settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is a central component in delivering Barony's high frame rates. The GPU's core configuration includes 3584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 128 render output units, allowing it to process the game's visuals efficiently. The boost clock of 2520 MHz, with a game clock of 2070 MHz, provides the raw throughput needed for high-refresh-rate play. The memory subsystem is robust, with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory operating at a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s across a 256-bit bus. This large memory allocation is particularly relevant for Barony, as the game's procedural generation can create dense scenes with many objects and effects.

The benchmark results show that the GPU is rarely the primary constraint in this pairing. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 442.1 FPS, indicating that the GPU is processing frames faster than the CPU can feed it. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6290 and the Passmark G3D score of 25381 suggest strong overall graphical capability. The GPU's percentile ranking of 79 against all other GPUs places it in a solid position, though its nearest rivals in the benchmark database—like the NVIDIA A2 and Quadro GV100—are not typical gaming cards, indicating the specific workload characteristics of Barony may favor this architecture.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the shifting balance between CPU and GPU load. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system produces 442.1 FPS. When the resolution increases to 2560x1440 at the same settings, the frame rate drops to 279.8 FPS, a 36.7% decrease. Moving further to 3840x2160, the frame rate falls to 145.1 FPS, which is a 48.1% decrease from the 1440p result. This pattern indicates that at lower resolutions, the game is heavily CPU-bound, as the GPU has spare capacity to render frames quickly.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is different. The system achieves 203.4 FPS at 1080p, 128.1 FPS at 1440p, and 69.1 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 37.0%, and from 1440p to 4K is 46.1%. These reductions are more significant than at Low settings, showing that the GPU becomes a more dominant factor when the rendering load increases with higher settings. The 4K Ultra result of 69.1 FPS demonstrates that the GPU can still handle the most demanding configuration, but the margin for error is smaller.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a complete picture of performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 442.1 FPS on Low, 328.1 FPS on Medium, 281 FPS on High, and 203.4 FPS on Ultra. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a clear performance cost for each tier of visual fidelity. The 1080p results indicate that the CPU is the limiting factor, as even the highest GPU load at Ultra still yields over 200 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are 279.8 FPS on Low, 208.2 FPS on Medium, 179.3 FPS on High, and 128.1 FPS on Ultra. The relative performance gaps between settings are similar to 1080p, but the absolute numbers are lower due to the increased pixel count. The 1440p Ultra result of 128.1 FPS is still exceptionally high, suggesting that this resolution is a sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 3840x2160, the system produces 145.1 FPS on Low, 110.2 FPS on Medium, 94.2 FPS on High, and 69.1 FPS on Ultra. The 4K results show the GPU beginning to assert its importance, though even the lowest frame rate of 69.1 FPS remains comfortably above 60 FPS. The data indicates that the system can handle 4K gaming with all settings enabled, providing a smooth experience in Barony's dynamic environments.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For users with a 60 Hz display at 3840x2160, the Ultra preset delivers 69.1 FPS, which is sufficient for smooth play. However, choosing the High preset at 4K increases the average to 94.2 FPS, providing more headroom for demanding scenes without a significant visual quality loss. The Medium preset at 4K offers 110.2 FPS, which is a strong option for those prioritizing frame rate stability.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset achieves 128.1 FPS, which is ideal for 120 Hz or 144 Hz monitors. The High preset at 179.3 FPS provides even more flexibility for high-refresh-rate displays, while the Medium preset at 208.2 FPS can support 240 Hz panels. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset at 203.4 FPS is more than sufficient for any current display technology, and the High preset at 281 FPS can take full advantage of the fastest gaming monitors. The data suggests that users can typically enable higher settings without sacrificing playability, as even the most demanding configuration at 1080p exceeds 200 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K plays a critical role in enabling Barony's high frame rates, particularly at lower resolutions. The CPU features 16 cores (8 performance and 8 efficient) and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. This configuration is well-suited for the game's multi-threaded rendering and logic, as evidenced by the benchmark scores. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39000 and the 3DMark max-thread score of 12412 demonstrate the CPU's ability to handle parallel workloads effectively.

The CPU's single-thread performance is also strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5505 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 1136. This is important for Barony, as the game's core simulation may rely on single-threaded performance for certain tasks. The Passmark multi-thread score of 45887 and the Passmark single-thread score of 4333 further confirm the CPU's balanced capabilities. The 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide fast access to frequently used data, reducing latency in gameplay.

The benchmark data shows that the CPU is the primary bottleneck at 1080p, as the frame rates scale more with settings than with resolution. For instance, at 1080p Low, the system reaches 442.1 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's maximum frame generation limit. The CPU's percentile ranking of 93 against all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 47282, place it in the top tier of processors. Its nearest rival, the Core i7-13700KF, is virtually identical in performance, with a 0.1% delta. This indicates that the CPU provides sufficient headroom for the GPU to operate without being constrained, making the combination well-balanced for Barony's demanding real-time rendering.