Barony

Barony is a roguelike that, on the surface, does not appear to demand top-tier hardware, yet the measured frame rates for the Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti reveal a combination that scales aggressively across resolutions and settings. The data shows a system capable of delivering triple-digit frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, while still maintaining playable performance at 4K, though the margin for error at the highest settings narrows considerably. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, the roles of the CPU and GPU, and provides specific recommendations based on the benchmark rows.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Barony shows a steep and consistent drop as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 259 FPS at 1080p to 163 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 96 FPS, and then further down to 85 FPS at 4K, representing a 174 FPS swing from the lowest to highest tested resolution. This pattern indicates that the rendering load scales heavily with pixel count, which is typical for a game that relies on fill-rate and memory bandwidth rather than complex geometry or physics. The drop from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep, with a 78 FPS loss, suggesting that the GPU’s memory subsystem and shading units become the primary limiting factor at the higher resolution.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more pronounced in absolute terms. The average FPS goes from 405 at 1080p to 256 at 1440p and then to 134 at 4K. The 4K Low result is still above 120 FPS, but the relative drop is stark: 1080p Low is more than three times faster than 4K Low. This suggests that at lower settings, the game becomes heavily pixel-bound, and the RTX 3070 Ti’s 8 GB of GDDR6X memory and 256-bit bus are being pushed to their limits. The Medium settings row shows a similar trajectory, with 301 FPS at 1080p, 190 FPS at 1440p, and 99 FPS at 4K. The 4K Medium result includes a minimum FPS of 84, which indicates that occasional dips below the average are possible, but the experience remains fluid for most of the run.

The Ultra settings present the most challenging scenario. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 185 FPS, which drops to 117 FPS at 1440p and then to 61 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is exactly at the threshold of what many consider playable, but it is the only configuration in the measured data that falls below 60 FPS on average. This resolution scaling behavior suggests that the combination of the Core i7-13700K and RTX 3070 Ti is balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but at 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. The data does not show any CPU-bound behavior at lower resolutions, as the frame rates continue to rise substantially when moving from 1440p to 1080p, indicating that the processor is feeding the GPU adequately even at 405 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its benchmark results show strong multithreaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30745 and a Geekbench multicore score of 19429. In single-threaded workloads, the processor achieves a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2116 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 1136. These numbers indicate that the CPU has both high core counts for parallel tasks and excellent single-core speed, which is relevant for a roguelike like Barony that may rely on game logic, procedural generation, and simulation that are not heavily multithreaded.

The 3DMark results for the CPU show scaling from 2262 in the 2-thread test to 12412 in the max-thread test, with a notable jump to 10717 for 16 threads. This suggests that the processor’s performance scales well with additional threads, but the single-thread and low-thread scores are still high enough to handle any per-frame CPU work in Barony. The Passmark single-thread score of 4333 reinforces this, as does the Passmark physics score of 2716, which is a measure of gaming-related physics calculations. The CPU’s 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample fast memory for game data, reducing latency for frequently accessed assets.

In the context of the measured FPS, the CPU’s role appears to be secondary to the GPU, especially at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combination reaches 405 FPS, which is an extremely high frame rate that would require a capable processor to avoid becoming the limiting factor. The fact that the frame rate continues to scale up from 1440p to 1080p indicates that the Core i7-13700K is not holding back performance. The nearest rivals to this CPU in terms of average benchmark score include the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, which scores 46971 with a delta of -0.2%, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX, which scores 46654 with a delta of 0.5%. These deltas are within a fraction of a percent, meaning that the Core i7-13700K is effectively tied with those processors in synthetic benchmarks, and any gaming differences would likely be negligible. The CPU’s 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs, combined with its high boost clock, suggests that it is more than sufficient for Barony’s requirements, leaving the GPU as the dominant factor in determining frame rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture with 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units. It operates at a base clock of 1575 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, with 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus providing a bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s. The GPU’s benchmark scores show a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3478 and a Passmark G3D score of 23356, placing it in the 75th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile, which scores 29928 with a delta of 0.1%, and the AMD Radeon RX 6800, which scores 30095 with a delta of -0.5%. These close deltas indicate that the RTX 3070 Ti is positioned in a competitive tier, but its 8 GB VRAM may be a limiting factor in memory-intensive scenarios at 4K.

In Barony, the GPU’s role becomes increasingly apparent as resolution and settings rise. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 61, which is a significant drop from the 117 FPS at 1440p Ultra. This 56 FPS reduction is largely attributable to the GPU’s shading and memory bandwidth being saturated by the higher pixel count and more demanding effects. The 8 GB of GDDR6X memory, while fast at 608.3 GB/s, may struggle with the texture and asset demands of Ultra settings at 4K, even in a roguelike that may not have massive open worlds. The pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 339.8 GTexel/s provide the raw throughput needed for high frame rates, but the data shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, as the CPU has ample headroom.

The GPU’s FP32 performance of 21.75 TFLOPS and its support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 ensure that it can handle modern rendering techniques, but the measured results suggest that Barony’s workload is more dependent on raw pixel throughput than on compute shaders or ray tracing. The fact that Low settings at 4K achieve 134 FPS while Ultra settings at 4K achieve 61 FPS indicates that the GPU’s fixed-function units are being taxed by the higher settings, likely through increased draw calls, shadow resolution, and post-processing effects. The 8 GB memory size is a concern for future-proofing, but within the measured data, it does not prevent the combination from reaching playable frame rates at any resolution, except for the 4K Ultra result which is borderline.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Barony with the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 405 FPS for Low, 301 FPS for Medium, 259 FPS for High, and 185 FPS for Ultra. The Medium setting at 1080p includes a minimum FPS of 256 and a maximum of 346, showing a tight range that indicates consistent performance. These numbers demonstrate that 1080p is well within the comfort zone of this combination, with even Ultra settings delivering more than triple the refresh rate of a standard 60 Hz monitor.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are 256 FPS for Low, 190 FPS for Medium, 163 FPS for High, and 117 FPS for Ultra. The Medium setting at 1440p has a minimum FPS of 162 and a maximum of 219, which shows a wider variance than at 1080p but still well above the threshold for smooth gameplay. High settings at 1440p remain above 160 FPS, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. Ultra settings at 1440p drop to 117 FPS, which is still excellent for most displays, but the gap between Low and Ultra is 139 FPS, highlighting the significant impact of settings on performance.

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are 134 FPS for Low, 99 FPS for Medium, 85 FPS for High, and 61 FPS for Ultra. The Medium setting at 4K has a minimum FPS of 84 and a maximum of 114, indicating that while the average is nearly 100 FPS, there are moments where the frame rate dips to just above 80. High settings at 4K average 85 FPS, which is playable, but the drop from 1440p High (163 FPS) to 4K High (85 FPS) is nearly half, confirming the GPU-bound nature of this resolution. Ultra settings at 4K average 61 FPS, which is technically above 60, but the lack of minimum FPS data for that row suggests that it may not be a stable experience. The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p is overkill, 1440p is the sweet spot, and 4K is only viable at Low or Medium settings for a consistently smooth experience.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Barony, the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti combination ranks 1333 out of 3717 tested combos. This places it in the top 36% of all systems, which is a solid position given that the RTX 3070 Ti is not a flagship GPU. The rank reflects the combination’s ability to deliver high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, while its 4K performance is adequate but not exceptional. The fact that it ranks in the middle of the pack suggests that many other combos, likely with newer or more powerful GPUs, can achieve higher frame rates, but this pairing is far from the bottom.

The CPU’s 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs and the GPU’s 75th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicate that the processor is relatively stronger than the graphics card. This imbalance is reflected in the measured FPS, where the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K. If the combination were paired with a more powerful GPU, the rank would likely improve, but the data shows that the Core i7-13700K has the headroom to support such an upgrade. The nearest rival GPUs, such as the RTX 5070 Mobile and RX 6800, have average benchmark scores within 1% of the RTX 3070 Ti, meaning that the measured FPS would be nearly identical for those cards in this game. The combination’s rank of 1333 out of 3717 reflects its balanced performance, but it is not a top-tier result, as there are thousands of other combos that achieve higher frame rates, likely at higher resolutions or settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 185 FPS, which is more than enough for any high-refresh-rate monitor, and the High preset at 259 FPS is even smoother. Since the 1080p Medium and Low presets exceed 300 FPS, there is no practical benefit to lowering settings below High, as the difference between High and Ultra is only 74 FPS, and both are well above the refresh rate of most displays. For 1080p, the recommendation is to use Ultra settings for the best visual quality, as the performance penalty is minimal.

For 2560x1440, the High preset at 163 FPS is the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, as it remains above 160 FPS, which is suitable for 144 Hz or 165 Hz monitors. The Ultra preset at 117 FPS is still playable and may be preferred if the user prioritizes image quality over frame rate, but the 46 FPS drop from High to Ultra is significant. The Medium preset at 190 FPS offers a slight performance boost but at the cost of visual quality, and the Low preset at 256 FPS is unnecessary for most users. For 1440p, the recommendation is High settings, with Ultra as a viable alternative for those with G-Sync or FreeSync displays that can handle variable refresh rates.

For 3840x2160, the Medium preset at 99 FPS is the best choice for a smooth experience, as it stays above 90 FPS on average and has a minimum FPS of 84. The High preset at 85 FPS is also playable, but the drop to 61 FPS on Ultra is too steep to recommend for consistent performance. The Low preset at 134 FPS is the fastest option but sacrifices too much visual quality for a roguelike where readability of the game world is important. For 4K, the recommendation is Medium settings, which provide a good balance between frame rate and visual clarity, with High settings as a secondary option for users who can tolerate occasional dips below 60 FPS. The data shows that this combination is best suited for 1440p gaming, where it can maintain high frame rates across all settings, and 4K users should stick to Medium or High to avoid the performance cliff at Ultra.