Barony

Barony is a 2015 roguelike with a measured FPS dataset for the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination. The data shows this pairing ranks in the 80th percentile of 1702 tested combos for this game, indicating a very strong configuration. The benchmark results reveal a system capable of extreme frame rates, even at 4K, with the limiting factor shifting between CPU and GPU depending on resolution and graphics settings.

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

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, running on a 10 nm process. Its base clock is 2.10 GHz with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, and it carries 33 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU’s benchmark scores are impressive: it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35443 and a single-core score of 5003, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 16571 and a single-core score of 2711. Its Passmark multithread score is 41765, and its single-thread score is 4261.

This processor sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54097. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, scores 54450, a delta of -0.6%, meaning the i7-14700F is essentially tied with it. The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 is 1.2% ahead, while the AMD EPYC 7313P is 1.7% ahead. The data indicates the i7-14700F is a high-end desktop part, and its performance in Barony reflects that.

For a roguelike, single-thread performance often matters more than raw multi-core throughput, as game logic and AI are typically serialized. The i7-14700F’s single-core Cinebench R23 score of 5003 and Passmark single-thread score of 4261 are strong indicators of its capability in this regard. At lower resolutions like 1080p, where the GPU is less taxed, the CPU’s single-core strength becomes the primary driver of frame rates. The measured data supports this: at 1080p Low settings, the system reaches 636.2 FPS, a figure that is almost certainly CPU-bound. The high boost clock of 5.40 GHz allows the processor to keep up with the game’s logical demands, preventing it from becoming a bottleneck even at these extreme frame rates.

As resolution increases, the CPU’s role diminishes relative to the GPU, but the benchmark results show it remains sufficient. At 4K Ultra, the system still delivers 94.5 FPS, suggesting the i7-14700F provides enough headroom for the RTX 5080 to operate near its full potential. The 33 MB of L3 cache is also relevant, as roguelike procedural generation can benefit from larger caches to reduce memory latency. Overall, the CPU data indicates it is a capable partner for this GPU, with no evidence of it holding back performance in the measured scenarios.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC, with a die size of 378 mm² and 45,600 million transistors. It features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. The GPU’s base clock is 2295 MHz with a boost clock of 2617 MHz, and memory runs at 1875 MHz (30 Gbps effective). It has 10752 shading units, 336 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, with a pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 879.3 GTexel/s. Its FP32 performance is 56.28 TFLOPS.

The RTX 5080 ranks in the 89th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 59188. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A570M at 58239 (1.6% ahead), the Intel Arc Pro A60 at 60326 (-1.9% behind), and the Intel Arc A580 at 57756 (2.5% ahead). The GPU’s Passmark G3D score is 36565, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 8637.

In Barony, the GPU’s role is to render the game’s visuals, and the 16 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for a roguelike, which rarely stresses memory capacity. The high bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s ensures texture streaming is never a concern. The boost clock of 2617 MHz allows the GPU to sustain high frame rates, but the data shows that at 1080p, the GPU is often not the limiting factor. For instance, at 1080p Low, the system hits 636.2 FPS, which is more likely a CPU limit than a GPU limit.

At 4K Ultra, the GPU’s workload increases significantly, and the average FPS drops to 94.5. This is where the RTX 5080’s raw compute power becomes evident, as it still manages nearly 100 FPS at the highest settings and resolution. The GPU’s 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is the key driver here, allowing it to handle the increased pixel count without collapsing. The data suggests that the RTX 5080 is overkill for Barony at lower settings, but at 4K Ultra, it provides a solid experience, with the GPU clearly being the primary performance limiter at that point.

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

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of scaling from 1080p to 4K, which reveals the shifting bottleneck between CPU and GPU. At 1080p Low, the system averages 636.2 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, that drops to 401.3 FPS, a decrease of 36.9%. At 4K Low, it further drops to 212.5 FPS, a 66.6% reduction from 1080p. This steep decline indicates that even at Low settings, the GPU is becoming more involved as resolution increases, but the CPU still has significant headroom.

For High settings, the pattern is similar but less extreme. At 1080p High, the system runs at 408.7 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 255.4 FPS (a 37.5% decrease), and at 4K High, it falls to 132.8 FPS (a 67.5% decrease from 1080p). The percentage drops are consistent with what would be expected from a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, as the number of pixels quadruples from 1080p to 4K, but the FPS does not drop by a factor of four, indicating the GPU is scaling efficiently.

The most telling data comes from the Ultra settings. At 1080p Ultra, the system reaches 289.2 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 184.5 FPS (a 36.2% decrease), and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 94.5 FPS (a 67.3% decrease from 1080p). The fact that the FPS at 1080p Ultra is lower than at 1080p High (289.2 vs 408.7) shows that the GPU is doing more work, but the CPU is still not the primary bottleneck. However, at 4K Ultra, the GPU is clearly the limiting component, as the frame rate is less than half of what it is at 1080p Ultra.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound, with the i7-14700F’s high single-thread performance allowing for frame rates above 600 FPS at Low settings. As resolution increases, the GPU takes on more of the load, and by 4K, the RTX 5080 is the dominant factor, with the CPU providing enough headroom to keep the system from stalling. The consistent percentage drops across settings suggest a well-balanced system, but the absolute numbers show that for a roguelike like Barony, the CPU is surprisingly influential at lower resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS is 636.2, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700F has an average benchmark score of 54097, which is 0.6% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X’s score of 54450.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded, and at what resolution and settings?

A: The lowest average FPS is 94.5, recorded at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the GPU have enough VRAM for Barony?

A: Yes, the RTX 5080 has 16 GB of GDDR7 memory, which is more than sufficient for a roguelike game like Barony.

Q: How much does the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings?

A: At Medium settings, the FPS drops from 474.6 at 1080p to 299.2 at 1440p, and then to 156.4 at 4K, a 67.1% decrease from 1080p to 4K.

Q: What percentile does this CPU rank in among all CPUs?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700F ranks in the 94th percentile of all CPUs.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured data provides a complete grid of average FPS across three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 636.2 FPS at Low, 474.6 FPS at Medium, 408.7 FPS at High, and 289.2 FPS at Ultra. These numbers show a clear progression, with Low settings allowing the CPU to push the frame rate to its maximum, while Ultra settings add GPU load, reducing the average to 289.2 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop across the board. Low settings yield 401.3 FPS, Medium settings yield 299.2 FPS, High settings yield 255.4 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 184.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 216.8 FPS, which is smaller than the 347 FPS gap at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming more of a factor.

At 3840x2160, the numbers are lower still. Low settings produce 212.5 FPS, Medium settings produce 156.4 FPS, High settings produce 132.8 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 94.5 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 118 FPS, which is proportionally similar to the gap at 1440p. The data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the system remains above 90 FPS, which is a strong result for a roguelike.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K at each setting is consistent, with approximately a 67% decrease in FPS for Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. This consistency suggests that the RTX 5080 is scaling predictably with resolution, and the CPU is not introducing any unexpected bottlenecks at any point.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user’s display resolution and preference for frame rate versus visual quality. At 1920x1080, the system is so powerful that even Ultra settings, with an average of 289.2 FPS, are far beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. For a 1080p display, Ultra settings are recommended, as the visual fidelity is maximized without any perceptible performance loss, given that the frame rate is still nearly three times the typical 1440p target.

At 2560x1440, the data shows that Ultra settings yield 184.5 FPS, which is still exceptionally high. For users with a 144Hz or even 165Hz monitor, Ultra settings provide a smooth experience with no compromise. However, if the user has a 240Hz display, High settings at 255.4 FPS might be preferable, as the difference between High and Ultra is 70.9 FPS, which could be noticeable on a high-refresh-rate panel. Medium settings at 299.2 FPS offer an even higher frame rate, but the visual downgrade from Ultra may not be worth it for most players.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. Ultra settings produce 94.5 FPS, which is close to the 100 FPS mark and suitable for a 60Hz or 120Hz display. High settings at 132.8 FPS provide a significant boost, making it the better choice for a 120Hz or 144Hz 4K monitor. Medium settings at 156.4 FPS are also viable, but the visual difference between Medium and High is often worth the 23.6 FPS sacrifice. Low settings at 212.5 FPS are unnecessary, as the visual degradation is severe and the frame rate is already above the refresh rate of most 4K displays.

The best overall experience, balancing visual quality and frame rate, is High settings at 4K, which offers 132.8 FPS and is likely the sweet spot for this combination. At 1440p, Ultra is the clear winner, and at 1080p, Ultra is the only sensible choice given the hardware’s capability. The data consistently shows that this system can run Barony at maximum settings with playable frame rates at any resolution, making it a top-tier configuration for this game.