Barony

# Barony with Intel Core i7-13700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks #1 out of 2,935 tested combos for Barony, placing this configuration at the absolute top of the database for this roguelike title. This is a dominant result, but the measured FPS data reveals a nuanced story about where performance bottlenecks appear at different resolutions and settings. The combination of a 16-core, 24-thread Raptor Lake processor with a 32 GB GDDR7 Blackwell GPU produces extraordinary frame rates, yet the scaling patterns suggest that Barony's engine interacts with this hardware in ways that reward some settings more than others. This analysis breaks down the measured results, examines component roles, and answers practical questions for users considering this hardware pairing.

How This Combo Ranks

With a rank of 1 out of 2,935 tested combinations, this CPU-GPU pairing sits at the pinnacle of the database for Barony. The RTX 5090 D alone achieves a 92nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,712. Its nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark pool are the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (average score 76,904, delta +1.1%), the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (average score 78,940, delta -1.6%), and two NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants (scores 79,396 and 79,605, deltas -2.1% and -2.4% respectively). The RTX 5090 D's score sits between these contenders, with the RX 6850M XT and Tesla P100 models actually scoring slightly higher in raw GPU benchmarks, yet in actual Barony gameplay, this combo still claims the top spot. This suggests that game-specific optimization and CPU interplay matter more than raw GPU compute alone.

The CPU side reinforces this picture. The Core i7-13700K holds an 89th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46,881. Its nearest rivals are remarkably close: the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (average 46,971, delta -0.2%), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (average 47,022, delta -0.3%), the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (average 46,654, delta +0.5%), and the Intel Xeon w3-2535 (average 46,653, delta +0.5%). The i7-13700K is essentially tied with these competitors in aggregate CPU benchmarks, yet the combo ranking shows this specific pairing outperforms all others in Barony. The data implies that the combination's synergy, rather than either component's standalone strength, drives the #1 position.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows dramatic scaling across resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, this combo produces 724 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops that to 457 FPS, a reduction of approximately 37%. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls further to 239 FPS, nearly another 48% drop from 1440p. This pattern — halving performance at each resolution step — strongly indicates that at lower resolutions, the system is not GPU-limited but rather constrained by other factors, likely CPU-bound frame submission or engine-level limits.

The High settings tell a similar story. 1080p High yields 462 FPS, while 1440p High produces 292 FPS and 4K High drops to 152 FPS. The scaling ratios are consistent: 1440p delivers about 63% of 1080p performance, and 4K delivers about 52% of 1440p performance. These are not linear drops based purely on pixel count (which would be 44% and 25% respectively), indicating that the GPU becomes progressively more involved as resolution increases. At 4K, the RTX 5090 D's massive 1.79 TB/s memory bandwidth and 32 GB GDDR7 frame buffer are finally being exercised meaningfully.

The Ultra settings show the steepest curve. 1080p Ultra averages 331 FPS, 1440p Ultra reaches 209 FPS, and 4K Ultra falls to 109 FPS. The 4K Ultra result, at roughly one-third of the 1080p Ultra figure, reveals that Ultra settings at 4K finally push the GPU into a range where its raw compute — 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 — becomes the determining factor. The data suggests that Barony's visual feature set at Ultra creates a workload that scales more aggressively with pixel count than the simpler presets.

GPU Role

The RTX 5090 D's specifications paint a picture of extreme headroom for a game like Barony. The GPU ships with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory across a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost of 2407 MHz, and memory runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The chip, built on TSMC's 5 nm process, contains 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die, with 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs. These are extreme numbers for a roguelike that launched in 2015, and the measured FPS reflects that overabundance of capability.

The VRAM capacity is particularly notable. Barony, as a roguelike, does not demand massive texture memory, yet the RTX 5090 D's 32 GB allocation means memory capacity is never a bottleneck at any resolution or setting in the measured data. The 4K Ultra result of 109 FPS holds steady without min-FPS data reported (null values), suggesting no VRAM-related stuttering. The GPU's pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s provide theoretical throughput that far exceeds what Barony's rendering engine can likely consume, which explains why even at 4K Ultra the system remains far above playable thresholds.

The GPU benchmark data shows a PassMark G3D score of 44,065 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 376,915, with 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 at 14,326. These synthetic results place the RTX 5090 D in the top tier of the database, and the Barony measurements corroborate that standing — the lowest recorded average FPS across all tested configurations is 109 FPS at 4K Ultra, which remains exceptionally smooth.

FAQ

Q: Is the Core i7-13700K bottlenecking the RTX 5090 D in Barony?

A: The data suggests some CPU limitation at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 724 FPS, but the drop to 1440p Low (457 FPS) and 4K Low (239 FPS) shows scaling that is not purely GPU-driven. The CPU's 16 cores and 24 threads, with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, appear sufficient to keep frame rates extremely high, but the non-linear scaling pattern implies the CPU or engine limits are reached around the 700 FPS range at 1080p.

Q: How does this combo compare to other top-tier pairings?

A: This combo ranks #1 out of 2,935 tested combinations for Barony. The GPU's nearest benchmark rivals (AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, Tesla P100 variants) score slightly higher in synthetic GPU tests, yet this Intel-NVIDIA pairing still achieves the top in-game rank, indicating that CPU-GPU coordination and driver optimization give it an edge in actual gameplay.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Barony?

A: Yes, comfortably. The lowest measured 4K average is 109 FPS at Ultra settings, rising to 152 FPS at High, 178 FPS at Medium, and 239 FPS at Low. The 4K Medium configuration reports a min FPS of 151 and max of 204, confirming stable performance without significant frame drops.

Q: What settings should a user pick for the smoothest experience?

A: At 1080p, all settings exceed 331 FPS average, so users can max out Ultra without concern. At 1440p, Ultra still delivers 209 FPS, which is far above typical display refresh rates. At 4K, High settings (152 FPS) offer the best balance of visual quality and frame rate headroom, though Ultra at 109 FPS remains entirely playable.

Q: Does the 32 GB VRAM matter for Barony?

A: In the measured data, no configuration shows VRAM-related performance degradation. The 32 GB GDDR7 frame buffer is vastly more than Barony requires at any resolution or setting tested. The GPU's 1.79 TB/s memory bandwidth is the more relevant factor, enabling high fill rates at 4K.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threading affect Barony performance?

A: The i7-13700K's 16 cores and 24 threads score 30,745 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 45,887 in PassMark multi-thread. Barony's engine appears to leverage this capability — the combo's #1 ranking suggests strong CPU utilization, though the diminishing returns at higher resolutions indicate the GPU takes over as the primary performance driver.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data supports a clear hierarchy of settings recommendations based on resolution. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 331 FPS average, which is more than sufficient for any display. The gap between Low (724 FPS) and Ultra (331 FPS) is substantial, but both are far beyond playable thresholds, so Ultra is the obvious choice for maximum visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness. The Medium preset at 1080p offers 538 FPS with a min of 458 and max of 619, but the Ultra setting's still-massive frame rate makes it the recommended pick.

At 2560x1440, the situation remains similar. Ultra averages 209 FPS, while High delivers 292 FPS and Medium reaches 340 FPS (min 289, max 391). Users with 144 Hz or even 240 Hz monitors would be well-served by Ultra, as 209 FPS exceeds all but the most extreme refresh rates. The Low preset at 457 FPS provides no practical benefit unless chasing absolute maximum frame rates for competitive play, which is uncommon in a roguelike.

The 3840x2160 resolution requires more careful consideration. Ultra averages 109 FPS, which is smooth but leaves less headroom for dips. High settings at 152 FPS provide a more comfortable margin while still delivering strong visual quality. Medium at 178 FPS (min 151, max 204) is the safest recommendation for 4K users prioritizing consistent performance, as the min FPS data confirms stability. Low at 239 FPS is available for users with very high refresh 4K displays, but the visual trade-off is unnecessary for most. The data suggests High is the sweet spot at 4K — it offers a 43 FPS improvement over Ultra while retaining most visual features.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K brings formidable processing power to this pairing. With 16 cores and 24 threads, base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost up to 5.40 GHz, this Raptor Lake-S chip provides the computational headroom needed to feed the RTX 5090 D. Its 30 MB of shared L3 cache, plus 2 MB L2 per core and 80 KB L1 per core, helps maintain high frame rates in Barony's procedurally generated environments, which likely involve significant per-frame logic and world-state calculations typical of roguelike games.

The CPU's benchmark results show strong multi-threaded capability: 30,745 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 16,292 in R20, with a single-core R23 score of 2,116. The PassMark multi-thread score of 45,887 and single-thread of 4,333 demonstrate balanced performance. The 3DMark results — 12,412 at max threads, 8,193 at 8 threads, 4,469 at 4 threads, and 2,262 at 2 threads — show excellent scaling, which benefits games that can utilize multiple cores. Barony, despite its 2015 release, appears to leverage this parallel capability given the combo's top ranking.

However, the CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the 724 FPS result likely approaches the engine's maximum frame submission rate, making the CPU the limiting factor. By 4K Ultra, the GPU's rendering workload dominates, and the CPU's job becomes maintaining minimum frame pacing — which it does effectively, as evidenced by the stable 4K Medium min FPS of 151. The i7-13700K's 89th percentile standing among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46,881 and a launch MSRP of $409, positions it as a high-end processor that pairs appropriately with the RTX 5090 D.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080

• Low: avg 724 FPS (min/max not reported)
• Medium: avg 538 FPS, min 458, max 619
• High: avg 462 FPS (min/max not reported)
• Ultra: avg 331 FPS (min/max not reported)

At 1080p, the system produces staggering frame rates. The jump from Low to Medium costs 186 FPS, while Medium to High costs 76 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 131 FPS. The Ultra preset at 331 FPS is still nearly three times higher than a typical 120 Hz display's refresh rate.

2560x1440

• Low: avg 457 FPS (min/max not reported)
• Medium: avg 340 FPS, min 289, max 391
• High: avg 292 FPS (min/max not reported)
• Ultra: avg 209 FPS (min/max not reported)

At 1440p, performance drops by roughly 37% from 1080p across all settings. The Medium preset's min FPS of 289 indicates consistent frame delivery. Ultra at 209 FPS remains exceptionally smooth, with the gap between settings narrowing in absolute terms — Low to Ultra costs 248 FPS at 1440p versus 393 FPS at 1080p.

3840x2160

• Low: avg 239 FPS (min/max not reported)
• Medium: avg 178 FPS, min 151, max 204
• High: avg 152 FPS (min/max not reported)
• Ultra: avg 109 FPS (min/max not reported)

At 4K, all settings remain comfortably playable. The Medium preset provides the only reported min/max data at this resolution (151 minimum, 204 maximum), showing a tight performance envelope. The progression from Low to Ultra costs 130 FPS, with the largest single drop occurring between Low and Medium (61 FPS). Ultra at 109 FPS is the only configuration measured below 150 FPS, yet it remains above the 100 FPS threshold that most users consider smooth. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is roughly 48% reduction across settings, consistent with the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck at this resolution.