Barony

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti delivers a robust performance profile in Barony, though its position within the broader test pool is more modest than the hardware's pedigree might suggest. The combo ranks 987th out of 3717 tested configurations, placing it in the top 26.5% of all combinations. This is a solid result, but the data indicates that the game's engine scales in a way that leaves significant headroom at lower resolutions, where the CPU's 16 cores and 24 threads become the primary driver of frame rates. At 4K, the GPU takes over, and the RTX 3080 Ti's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 912.4 GB/s bandwidth prove sufficient to maintain high refresh rates even at Ultra settings. The measured FPS data reveals a clear hierarchy: the combo is capable of 4K Ultra at 70 FPS, but drops to 154 FPS at 4K Low, indicating that the game's visual settings have a profound impact on the GPU load. This analysis breaks down the specific measurements, settings recommendations, and the distinct roles the CPU and GPU play in shaping the final experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Core i7-13700K and RTX 3080 Ti achieves a rank of 987 out of 3717 tested combos in Barony. This places it above the median, but the percentile data for the individual components tells a more nuanced story. The CPU holds an 89th percentile ranking against all CPUs, while the GPU sits at an 83rd percentile against all GPUs. The disparity between these two percentiles is the first clue that the CPU is not the limiting factor in most scenarios. When looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 is a near-exact match with a deltaPct of -0.2%, and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 is similarly close at -0.3%. The Intel Xeon w3-2535 and AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX are both 0.5% ahead. This tight clustering suggests that the i7-13700K's raw compute performance is well within the expected range for high-end desktop parts. For the GPU, the nearest rivals are more varied; the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 is 0.8% behind, while the NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB is 1.2% ahead. The most notable rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, which is 2% behind the RTX 3080 Ti in average benchmark score. This indicates that while the 3080 Ti is an older architecture, its performance still holds up against newer mainstream parts. In Barony, the combo rank of 987 suggests that the pairing is well-balanced, but the FPS data shows that the game is capable of running at extremely high frame rates, which means the ranking is likely more dependent on CPU performance at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, even the most demanding preset, Ultra, delivers an average of 213 FPS. This is far beyond the 144 Hz standard for most monitors, meaning players can comfortably use Ultra settings without any concern for frame rate drops. The High preset at 1080p yields 298 FPS, while Medium produces 347 FPS and Low reaches 466 FPS. Given that the minimum FPS is only recorded for Medium (295 FPS), it is reasonable to assume that all presets maintain a high floor. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset still provides a very playable 135 FPS average, which is sufficient for high-refresh-rate gaming. High at 1440p jumps to 188 FPS, Medium to 219 FPS, and Low to 294 FPS. For the most visually intensive experience without sacrificing smoothness, Ultra at 1440p is the recommended choice. At 3840x2160, the situation changes. Ultra drops to 70 FPS, which is playable but may not be ideal for competitive play. High at 4K provides 98 FPS, which is a better balance of visual quality and speed. Medium at 4K offers 114 FPS, and Low jumps to 154 FPS. The data suggests that for a 60 Hz 4K display, Ultra is sufficient, but for a 120 Hz or higher display, High or Medium would be the better presets. Overall, the "best experience" is Ultra at 1440p, as it delivers the highest visual fidelity while maintaining a frame rate that exceeds most display refresh rates.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions. At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 213 at 1080p to 135 at 1440p, a reduction of 36.6%, and then to 70 at 4K, a further reduction of 48.1%. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, as the rendering load increases exponentially with pixel count. The RTX 3080 Ti's 34.10 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 186.5 GPixel/s pixel rate are being pushed to their limits at 4K Ultra. In contrast, at Low settings, the FPS drops from 466 at 1080p to 294 at 1440p (a 36.9% reduction) and then to 154 at 4K (a 47.6% reduction). The similar percentage drops across all presets suggest that the scaling is consistent and predictable. However, the absolute numbers at 1080p and 1440p are so high that they hint at a CPU limit. At 1080p Low, the 466 FPS average is far beyond what most GPUs can produce in modern titles, indicating that the Core i7-13700K's single-thread performance, evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 and Passmark single-thread score of 4333, is the driving force. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 253 FPS, while at 4K it is only 84 FPS. This compression of the FPS range at higher resolutions is a clear sign that the CPU can feed the GPU enough frames at 1080p, but at 4K, the GPU's rendering capacity becomes the limiting factor. The data shows that the i7-13700K is powerful enough to keep up with the RTX 3080 Ti at all resolutions, but the GPU is the component that determines the ceiling at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 466 FPS, which is the highest recorded value in the entire dataset. The Medium preset yields 347 FPS with a minimum of 295 FPS and a maximum of 399 FPS, showing a 104 FPS spread. High produces 298 FPS, and Ultra produces 213 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent reduction in frame rate, with each step up in visual fidelity costing roughly 50-70 FPS at this resolution. At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 294 FPS, which is still exceptionally high. Medium averages 219 FPS with a minimum of 186 FPS and a maximum of 252 FPS. High averages 188 FPS, and Ultra averages 135 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is 31 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 53 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a significant additional load. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 154 FPS, which is still above the 144 Hz threshold. Medium averages 114 FPS with a minimum of 97 FPS and a maximum of 132 FPS, making it the only preset at 4K with recorded min/max values. High averages 98 FPS, and Ultra averages 70 FPS. The data shows that the combo can handle 4K gaming effectively, but only at High or lower settings for a smooth experience on high-refresh-rate displays. The min FPS values for Medium at all resolutions (295 at 1080p, 186 at 1440p, 97 at 4K) provide a useful floor for understanding worst-case performance, and they indicate that the combo never drops below 97 FPS in any tested scenario.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti plays a decisive role in the 4K performance of this combo. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory, running at 19 Gbps effective on a 384-bit bus, provides a bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s. This is more than sufficient for Barony, which is a roguelike with relatively simple textures compared to modern AAA titles. The GPU's 80 RT cores and 320 Tensor cores are present, but the game's rendering does not appear to leverage ray tracing or DLSS, as the FPS numbers are purely rasterization-based. The GPU's boost clock of 1665 MHz and base clock of 1365 MHz are standard for the Ampere architecture, and its 10240 shading units deliver a peak FP32 throughput of 34.10 TFLOPS. The benchmark data shows a Passmark G3D score of 26896 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5077, which are respectable but not top-tier. The GPU's percentile rank of 83 places it ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (0.8% behind) and behind the NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB (1.2% ahead). The RTX 5070 is 2% behind, which is notable given that it is a newer generation part. In terms of the measured FPS, the GPU's role becomes evident when comparing 1440p Ultra (135 FPS) to 4K Ultra (70 FPS). The 48% drop in performance when moving to 4K is a direct result of the GPU's pixel throughput limit. The 186.5 GPixel/s pixel rate is the key metric here, as it caps the number of pixels that can be processed per second. At 4K, the total pixel count is 8.3 million, and the GPU is clearly working at its maximum capacity. The GPU's end-of-life production status and 350 W TDP suggest it is a power-hungry part, but the 750 W suggested PSU is ample for this configuration.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Barony?*

A: The highest average FPS is 466, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

Q: Does this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 70, which is above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-13700K compare to its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900?

A: The i7-13700K has an average benchmark score that is 0.2% lower than the Ryzen 9 5900, making them effectively equal in performance.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 2560x1440 Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS at 2560x1440 Medium is 186 FPS.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 Ti stronger than the RTX 5070 based on average benchmark scores?

A: Yes, the RTX 3080 Ti has a 2% higher average benchmark score than the RTX 5070.

Q: At which resolution and preset does the combo drop below 100 FPS average?

A: The combo drops below 100 FPS average only at 3840x2160 Ultra, where it records 70 FPS, and at 3840x2160 High, where it records 98 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 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample data storage for the game's logic. The CPU's benchmark results are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30745 and a Geekbench multicore score of 19429. The single-thread performance is equally strong, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2116 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4333. In Barony, the CPU's role is most apparent at 1080p and 1440p, where the frame rates exceed 200 FPS. At 1080p Low, the 466 FPS average is a clear indicator that the CPU is not the bottleneck; the GPU is still capable of producing frames at that rate, but the CPU's ability to process game logic and draw calls is what allows the frame rate to reach such heights. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 10717 and max-thread score of 12412 show that the CPU scales well with multi-threaded workloads, which is beneficial for a game like Barony that may have complex simulation elements. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking against all CPUs places it in the top tier, and its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, is only 0.2% ahead in average score. The i7-13700K's 125 W TDP and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory make it a versatile choice. In the context of this game, the CPU's high single-thread performance is the key factor, as it ensures that the GPU is never starved of data, even at the highest frame rates. The data shows that the CPU is the dominant component at 1080p, where the FPS is more than double the 4K Ultra result, highlighting its ability to push the GPU to its limits. The launch MSRP of $409 positions it as a high-end desktop part, but the performance data shows it is a worthy companion to the RTX 3080 Ti.