Barony

Barony, a roguelike from 2015, behaves in a distinctly un-roguelike manner at high frame rates when paired with the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti. The measured data reveals a configuration that is heavily front-end bound at lower resolutions, with the GPU only beginning to assert itself as the pixel count climbs. This analysis breaks down the performance characteristics of this specific combo, focusing on resolution scaling, component roles, and relative standing in the benchmark database.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate curve from 1080p to 4K clearly identifies the CPU as the primary limiter at lower resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 551.4 FPS. This figure is extraordinary, but it is not a GPU achievement; it is a measure of how fast the Core i7-13700K can feed draw calls. Moving to 2560x1440 at Low settings drops the average to 349 FPS, a 36.7% reduction. This is a massive hit for a resolution increase of 1.78x the pixel count, indicating that the CPU is still generating frames faster than the GPU can render them, but the gap is narrowing.

The scaling pattern shifts dramatically at 4K. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average FPS falls to 183.3. This is a 47.5% drop from the 1440p result, which is much closer to what you would expect from a pure GPU-bound workload given the 2.25x pixel increase. The transition from being CPU-bound to GPU-bound is evident in the High settings preset. At 1080p High, the system hits 352.2 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 222.1 FPS (a 36.9% decrease), and at 4K High, it falls to 114.6 FPS (a 48.4% decrease from 1440p). The consistency of the percentage drops between 1440p and 4K across presets suggests that the GPU is the bottleneck in that range.

The data shows that the CPU headroom is exhausted at 1080p. The RTX 4070 Ti is not the limiting factor at that resolution; the i7-13700K is. The evidence lies in the scaling between presets at the same resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low (551.4 FPS) and Ultra (250.9 FPS) is a 54.5% performance penalty, directly attributable to the GPU's increased workload. However, the raw FPS numbers at 1080p Low are so high that they outpace the refresh rates of all but the most specialized monitors. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the dominant constraint, with the frame rate responding predictably to the GPU load imposed by each preset.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, provides a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. In Barony, this memory configuration proves sufficient across all tested settings, as the frame rates remain high even at 4K Ultra. The GPU's boost clock of 2610 MHz and its 7680 shading units handle the game's visual effects, but the card's role is largely secondary to the CPU at lower resolutions. The FP32 performance of 40.09 TFLOPS is more than adequate for a roguelike, even one with modern graphical overlays.

The GPU's influence becomes the defining factor at 4K. At 3840x2160, the RTX 4070 Ti's raw throughput dictates the frame rate. The Ultra preset at 4K yields 80.8 FPS, which is a playable result but a significant 55.9% drop from the High preset at the same resolution (114.6 FPS). This large delta between High and Ultra at 4K suggests that the Ultra preset includes effects that heavily tax the GPU's texture rate of 626.4 GTexel/s or pixel rate of 208.8 GPixel/s. The card's 80 ROPs are likely the limiting factor at these extreme pixel counts.

The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is not a bottleneck in the traditional sense for this game until the resolution reaches 4K. The card's 85th percentile ranking among all GPUs supports its capability. However, the data also shows that at 1080p, the GPU is often idle waiting for the CPU. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (551.4) is nearly double the 4K Low result (183.3), implying that the GPU could render more frames if the CPU could provide them. The RTX 4070 Ti is the star at 4K, but it is a supporting actor at 1080p in this specific pairing.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti achieves a rank of 232 out of 1702 tested combos in Barony. This places the configuration in the top 13.6% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing for a game that is not typically associated with high-end hardware requirements. The rank reflects the CPU's exceptional single-thread and multi-thread performance, which is critical for a game that appears to have a high simulation thread load.

The i7-13700K's 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 and its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5505 are key indicators of why this combo ranks so highly. The CPU's ability to maintain high clock speeds across its 16 cores (24 threads) ensures that the game's logic, which may rely on specific threads, is never starved. The CPU's average benchmark score of 47282 is only 0.1% behind the Intel Core i7-13700KF and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i9-12900F, showing that this chip is at the top of its class. This CPU performance is the primary reason the combo ranks so well, as the GPU is not fully utilized at lower resolutions.

Compared to other combos in the database, this rank of 232 is substantial. It means that the vast majority of systems, including those with more powerful GPUs or newer CPUs, do not achieve higher frame rates in Barony. The data suggests that the combination of the i7-13700K's high clock speed and the RTX 4070 Ti's efficient architecture is a particularly effective pairing for this title. The rank is not just about raw GPU power; it is about the synergy between the two components, which allows for the highest possible frame rates in a CPU-intensive scenario like Barony.

FAQ

Q: Why is the frame rate so high at 1080p, even at Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Ultra, the combo achieves 250.9 FPS. This high result is due to the CPU's dominance at this resolution. The Intel Core i7-13700K's single-thread performance (a 3DMark single-thread score of 1136) allows it to process game logic faster than the GPU can render frames, making the CPU the limiting component and keeping the frame rate well above typical monitor refresh rates.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 Ti a bottleneck in this game?

A: The data shows the GPU becomes the bottleneck only at 4K resolutions. At 1080p and 1440p, the frame rate is limited by the CPU. For example, at 1440p High, the system produces 222.1 FPS, while at 4K High, it produces 114.6 FPS. The significant drop at 4K indicates the GPU's rendering capacity is the limiting factor at that resolution.

Q: How does this combo compare to other systems in the benchmark database?

A: This specific combination of the i7-13700K and RTX 4070 Ti ranks 232nd out of 1702 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the top 13.6% of all systems tested, indicating that it outperforms the vast majority of configurations for this specific game.

Q: What is the impact of the CPU's core count on the results?

A: The i7-13700K has 16 cores and 24 threads. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39000 shows immense parallel processing power. However, in Barony, the high single-thread score (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5505) is more critical, as it ensures the game's primary thread is processed with minimal latency, preventing frame drops.

Q: How does the GPU's memory bandwidth affect performance at 4K?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti has a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s from its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory. This bandwidth is sufficient to feed the GPU at 4K, as evidenced by the 114.6 FPS average at 4K High. The bandwidth is not a limiting factor; the GPU's compute units are.

Q: Is there a significant difference between the High and Ultra presets at 4K?

A: Yes, the difference is substantial. At 3840x2160, the High preset yields 114.6 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields 80.8 FPS. This represents a 29.5% performance drop, indicating that the Ultra preset includes effects that heavily tax the GPU's pixel and texture processing capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average FPS measurements for this combo across all tested resolutions and settings.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS |

| :--------- | :------- | ----------: |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 551.4 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 409.2 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 352.2 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 250.9 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 349.0 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 260.5 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 222.1 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 159.8 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 183.3 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 136.6 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 114.6 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 80.8 |

The data reveals a clear hierarchy. At 1080p, the system is CPU-bound, with the Low preset exceeding 550 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p still delivers 250.9 FPS, which is higher than the Low preset at 1440p (349 FPS). This indicates that the CPU's performance ceiling is above the GPU's ability to render at 1080p. At 1440p, the frame rates normalize, with the Ultra preset delivering 159.8 FPS. At 4K, the GPU is fully engaged, and the frame rates drop predictably with each preset increase. The Ultra preset at 4K is the most demanding scenario, yielding 80.8 FPS, which is still a smooth experience for most users. The scaling from High to Ultra at 4K (114.6 to 80.8 FPS) shows the steep cost of the highest graphical fidelity settings.