Barony

# Barony with Intel Core i7-14700F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER delivers exceptional performance in Barony, a 2015 roguelike that scales dramatically across resolution and settings presets. This combination achieves a combo rank of 215 out of 1702 tested combos in this game, placing it comfortably in the top 12.6% of all systems evaluated. The data reveals a system with enormous headroom at lower resolutions, where frame rates exceed 500 FPS, while even the most demanding 4K Ultra configuration maintains a smooth 83.9 FPS average. The CPU, scoring 35,443 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 5,003 in single-core, sits at the 94th percentile of all processors, while the GPU's 31,811 Passmark G3D score places it at the 86th percentile of all graphics cards.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a predictable but steep decline as resolution increases, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario at higher settings. At 1080p Low, the system produces 554.9 FPS, while at 4K Low it drops to 183.1 FPS — a 67% reduction in throughput. This scaling pattern indicates that at lower resolutions, the Intel Core i7-14700F's 20 cores and 28 threads are capable of feeding the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER at extremely high rates, but the GPU's rendering workload becomes the limiting factor as pixel count grows.

Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings, the average FPS falls from 355.7 to 221.3, a 37.8% decline. The jump from 1440p to 4K at the same preset further reduces performance to 117.5 FPS, another 46.9% drop. These reductions are proportionally larger than the pixel count increase between resolutions, suggesting that Barony's rendering pipeline becomes increasingly inefficient at higher resolutions, likely due to fill-rate demands and memory bandwidth utilization. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's 672.3 GB/s bandwidth and 16 GB of GDDR6X memory are sufficient to avoid capacity-related stutters, but the raw compute throughput of 44.10 TFLOPS FP32 is what ultimately governs these high-resolution results.

The scaling from Medium to Ultra at 4K illustrates the cost of additional visual fidelity: Medium achieves 136.5 FPS, High drops to 117.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 83.9 FPS. The delta between Medium and Ultra represents a 38.5% performance penalty, which is substantial but still leaves Ultra playable at 4K. At 1080p, the same preset comparison shows Medium at 413.8 FPS versus Ultra at 251.6 FPS, a 39.2% reduction. This consistency across resolutions indicates that the relative cost of each quality tier is resolution-independent, which is typical for a game where shader complexity and post-processing effects scale linearly with pixel count.

How This Combo Ranks

With a combo rank of 215 out of 1,702 tested combinations in Barony, this system outperforms approximately 87% of all recorded configurations. This ranking reflects the synergy between the i7-14700F's strong single-thread performance — evidenced by its 5,003 Cinebench R23 single-core score and 4,261 Passmark single-thread score — and the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's high-end rasterization capabilities. The CPU's 94th percentile standing among all processors provides the foundational throughput needed to avoid bottlenecking the GPU, which itself ranks in the 86th percentile.

In the context of the CPU's nearest rivals, the i7-14700F's average benchmark score of 54,097 places it just 0.6% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X (54,450) and 1.1% behind the Ryzen 9 9900X3D (54,681). It leads the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 by 1.2% and the AMD EPYC 7313P by 1.7%. These margins are narrow, indicating that the CPU is not a differentiator in this combo's ranking; rather, the GPU's contribution is more significant. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's average score of 48,704 trails the NVIDIA CMP 50HX by 0.7% but leads the RTX A2000 by 1.6% and the RTX A1000 Mobile by 2.0%. The combination's overall rank of 215 suggests that the GPU's high-end positioning is the primary driver, as the CPU's performance is competitive but not class-leading.

The data indicates that this combo is particularly well-suited for Barony's demands, which favor high single-thread performance for game logic and substantial GPU throughput for rendering. The 251.6 FPS minimum at 1080p Ultra demonstrates that even the most demanding settings at mainstream resolutions leave significant headroom, making this system capable of driving high-refresh-rate displays without compromise. The rank of 215 out of 1,702 is impressive but not top-tier, reflecting the fact that systems with more powerful GPUs exist, though their additional cost yields diminishing returns in this title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the dominant component in this combination, and its specifications directly explain the observed performance profile. Built on the AD103 chip using a 5 nm process at TSMC, this GPU features 8,448 shading units, 264 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units. The 66 ray tracing cores and 264 tensor cores are present but have minimal impact in Barony, which is a roguelike without ray-traced effects. The GPU's boost clock of 2,610 MHz and base clock of 2,340 MHz, combined with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, provide the bandwidth and capacity needed for high-resolution textures and effects.

The memory configuration is particularly relevant for 4K performance. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is ample for Barony's needs, and the 672.3 GB/s bandwidth sustains the texture streaming and buffer updates required at 3840x2160. The measured 117.5 FPS at 4K High suggests that the GPU is not memory-bandwidth-limited, as the performance scales smoothly with resolution changes. The pixel rate of 250.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 689.0 GTexel/s are the key metrics for understanding why 4K Ultra drops to 83.9 FPS — the additional shading and texture work at Ultra settings approaches the GPU's practical limits.

The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 31,811 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5,569 confirm its high-end positioning. Its nearest rivals, the NVIDIA CMP 50HX (49,071 average score) and Intel Arc A550M (49,737), are within 2.1% of its average score of 48,704, indicating that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is at the upper boundary of its performance class. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 223,091 and Vulkan score of 206,035 further substantiate its compute capabilities, though these are less relevant for Barony's primarily rasterization-based workload. The GPU's 285 W TDP and triple-slot design reflect its high-power design, but the measured frame rates justify this power envelope.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Barony?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER delivers 117.5 FPS at 4K High and 83.9 FPS at 4K Ultra, making 4K viable. At 1440p, frame rates range from 160.3 FPS (Ultra) to 348 FPS (Low), offering excellent headroom for high-refresh monitors. The choice depends on whether the user prioritizes visual fidelity or refresh rate.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700F's average benchmark score of 54,097 is 0.6% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X (54,450) and 1.1% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D (54,681). It leads the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 by 1.2% and the AMD EPYC 7313P by 1.7%. These small margins indicate the CPU is not a limiting factor in this combo.

Q: Is the 16 GB VRAM sufficient for Barony at 4K?

A: Yes, the 16 GB GDDR6X memory is more than adequate. The measured 4K frame rates (117.5 FPS at High, 83.9 FPS at Ultra) show no signs of memory capacity-related performance degradation, and the 672.3 GB/s bandwidth supports smooth texture streaming at all tested settings.

Q: What frame rate can users expect at 1080p with this system?

A: At 1080p, the system produces 355.7 FPS at High settings, 413.8 FPS at Medium, and 251.6 FPS at Ultra. Even at the most demanding preset, the frame rate exceeds 250 FPS, making this combo ideal for 240 Hz or 360 Hz displays at 1080p.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 215th out of 1,702 tested combinations in Barony, placing it in the top 12.6% of all systems. This ranking is driven primarily by the GPU's high-end performance, as the CPU's 94th percentile standing is strong but not exceptional.

Q: Does the GPU's end-of-life production status affect its performance?

A: No, the production status is irrelevant to measured performance. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's benchmark results (31,811 Passmark G3D, 5,569 3DMark Steel Nomad) and measured frame rates are current and reflect its capabilities. The end-of-life status only indicates NVIDIA has discontinued production, not that performance has degraded.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of settings presets across resolutions, and the optimal choice depends on the user's display and performance priorities. At 1080p, the Ultra preset at 251.6 FPS is the recommended configuration, as it provides the highest visual quality while still exceeding 240 FPS — sufficient for even the fastest gaming monitors. The 38.5% performance gap between Ultra and Medium at this resolution (251.6 vs 413.8 FPS) is a worthwhile trade for the visual improvements, given the absolute frame rates remain extremely high.

For 1440p users, the High preset at 221.3 FPS offers the best balance of image quality and performance. Ultra at 160.3 FPS is also viable for 144 Hz displays, but High provides a 38% performance uplift over Ultra while maintaining 221 FPS, which exceeds all but the most extreme refresh-rate requirements. The Medium preset at 259.4 FPS offers diminishing returns for competitive play, though the visual downgrade may be noticeable. Low at 348 FPS is only recommended for users with 360 Hz displays who prioritize maximum responsiveness over visual fidelity.

At 4K, the High preset at 117.5 FPS is the recommended setting, as it delivers smooth gameplay on 120 Hz displays while maintaining substantial visual quality. Ultra at 83.9 FPS is playable on 60 Hz or 90 Hz displays but may feel less responsive to users accustomed to higher frame rates. Medium at 136.5 FPS provides a middle ground, offering a 16% improvement over High while still using enhanced effects. Low at 183.1 FPS is unnecessary for most users, as the visual degradation outweighs the performance benefit unless targeting a 144 Hz 4K display, which this combo cannot consistently reach at any preset. The data indicates that High is the sweet spot across all resolutions, providing the best combination of visual fidelity and performance headroom.