Barony

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread desktop processor built on Intel's Raptor Lake architecture, using a 10 nm process node. Its base clock of 2.10 GHz and boost clock of 5.40 GHz place it among the higher-clocked mainstream CPUs in the database, while the 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide substantial on-die storage for game assets. The chip supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus, with ECC memory support, and connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 16 CPU lanes.

In Barony, a roguelike title, the CPU's role is primarily about maintaining high frame rates across all settings, since the game's procedural generation and simulation logic can stress single-threaded performance. The benchmark data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 468.9 FPS, which is an extremely high ceiling that indicates the CPU is not a bottleneck even at the lowest graphical load. The multi-threaded capability of 20 cores is likely underutilized in this genre, but the single-core boost clock of 5.40 GHz is what drives the top-end frame rates seen at 1080p.

Compared to its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database, the i7-14700F posts an average benchmark score of 54097. This puts it 0.6% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X (score 54450) and 1.1% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D (score 54681), while leading the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (score 53469) by 1.2% and the AMD EPYC 7313P (score 53206) by 1.7%. The processor sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of tested desktop chips. For a game like Barony, which is not typically thread-hungry, the i7-14700F's combination of high boost clock and ample cache ensures that frame pacing remains consistent, even when many entities are active on screen.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, with 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. It features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 1920 MHz with a boost clock of 2475 MHz, and memory runs at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The card has 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units, along with 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores. Its FP32 throughput is 29.15 TFLOPS, with a pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 455.4 GTexel/s.

In Barony, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions and settings. The measured frames show that at 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 71.3 FPS, while at 1080p Ultra it reaches 214.7 FPS. This scaling suggests that the RTX 4070 is the primary limiter at 4K, especially with Ultra settings, as the 12 GB VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth must handle higher-resolution textures and effects. The GPU sits in the 81st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37283. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (score 37507, 0.6% ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A (score 38008, 1.9% ahead), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (score 38135, 2.2% ahead), while it leads the AMD Radeon RX 5300M (score 36371) by 2.5%.

The 12 GB VRAM capacity is likely sufficient for Barony at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K with Ultra settings, memory pressure may contribute to the frame rate drop from 99.7 FPS at High to 71.3 FPS at Ultra — a 28.5% reduction. The GPU's 192-bit memory bus and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for this roguelike, which does not appear to demand extreme texture bandwidth based on the measured results.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS across resolutions shows a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 468.9 FPS, which drops to 293.4 FPS at 1440p Low (a 37.4% reduction) and further to 156.1 FPS at 4K Low (a 46.8% reduction from 1440p). This steep decline at Low settings indicates that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor even at minimal graphical load, as the CPU has ample headroom at 1080p.

At High settings, the scaling is similar: 301.1 FPS at 1080p, 189.8 FPS at 1440p (a 37% drop), and 99.7 FPS at 4K (a 47.5% drop from 1440p). The consistent percentage reductions across settings suggest that resolution scaling is largely GPU-bound. At Ultra settings, the drops are 133 FPS at 1440p from 214.7 FPS at 1080p (a 38% reduction) and 71.3 FPS at 4K from 133 FPS at 1440p (a 46.4% reduction).

The data reveals that the transition from 1080p to 1440p consistently reduces FPS by roughly 37-38%, while the transition from 1440p to 4K reduces FPS by approximately 46-48%. This non-linear scaling is typical of GPU-bound scenarios, where the pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K but the frame rate does not drop proportionally, indicating some CPU involvement at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the i7-14700F's high boost clock keeps frame rates above 300 FPS on most settings, but the RTX 4070's rendering pipeline becomes the bottleneck as resolution climbs. The 4K Ultra result of 71.3 FPS, while still playable, shows that the GPU is the dominant constraint at the highest settings.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured rows provide clear guidance on optimal settings. At 1080p, all presets deliver playable frame rates, with Low at 468.9 FPS, Medium at 349 FPS, High at 301.1 FPS, and Ultra at 214.7 FPS. Since Barony is a roguelike where reaction time matters, High settings at 1080p offer the best balance: 301.1 FPS is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate of most monitors, and the visual improvement over Medium (349 FPS) is likely marginal for a game with this art style.

At 1440p, the data shows 293.4 FPS on Low, 219.7 FPS on Medium, 189.8 FPS on High, and 133 FPS on Ultra. Here, High is again the recommended preset, as it maintains nearly 190 FPS while providing superior visual quality compared to Medium. Ultra at 133 FPS is viable for 144 Hz displays, but the 30% drop from High to Ultra (from 189.8 to 133 FPS) may not justify the visual gains in a roguelike where readability of game elements is crucial.

At 4K, the options narrow: Low delivers 156.1 FPS, Medium 115.3 FPS, High 99.7 FPS, and Ultra 71.3 FPS. For 60 Hz displays, High is the best choice, as it stays above the 60 FPS threshold with 99.7 FPS, while Ultra dips to 71.3 FPS, which is still acceptable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. Medium at 115.3 FPS is also a strong option for higher refresh rate 4K monitors. Low at 156.1 FPS is not recommended, as the visual degradation is likely severe for a game that relies on environmental cues.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 447th out of 1702 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the 73.7th percentile of all configurations in the database. This rank reflects the combo's strong but not top-tier performance, consistent with the i7-14700F's 94th percentile CPU standing and the RTX 4070's 81st percentile GPU standing.

The rank suggests that while this combo delivers high frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings, there are 446 other combos that achieve higher average performance in Barony. Given the game's roguelike nature, which is not typically associated with extreme graphical demands, the rank indicates that the i7-14700F and RTX 4070 together provide a capable experience, but not the absolute highest possible. The CPU's 0.6% deficit to the Ryzen 9 9900X and the GPU's 2.2% deficit to the RTX 4080 Mobile in their respective benchmarks likely contribute to this mid-tier ranking. However, the measured FPS data shows that this combo still achieves over 200 FPS at 1080p on Ultra settings, which is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo achieves in Barony?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 468.9, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700F scores 54097 on average, which is 0.6% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X (54450) and 1.1% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D (54681).

Q: What is the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 301.1 at 1080p to 99.7 at 4K, a reduction of 66.9%.

Q: Which preset at 1440p gives the highest FPS above 200?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings deliver 219.7 FPS, which is the only preset above 200 FPS at that resolution.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 4070 have, and what is its memory bandwidth?

A: The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations in Barony?

A: The combo ranks 447th out of 1702 tested combos, placing it in the 73.7th percentile of all configurations.