Barony

Barony, a roguelike title from 2015, exhibits unusual performance scaling characteristics when paired with an Intel Core i7-14700F and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D. The benchmark data reveals a system that is massively overprovisioned for the game's engine, delivering frame rates that far exceed display refresh rates at every resolution. The dataset provides a clear picture of how this combination behaves across three resolutions and four quality presets, with results that highlight the game's CPU-bound nature at lower resolutions and the GPU's headroom at higher settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data demonstrates that Barony's performance scales in a manner that is heavily dependent on both resolution and graphics settings. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 724 FPS, which drops to 457 FPS at 1440p and further to 239 FPS at 4K. This represents a reduction to approximately 63% of the 1080p score when moving to 1440p, and a reduction to approximately 33% when moving to 4K. The pattern indicates that while the GPU is still the primary limiter at higher resolutions, the extreme frame rates at 1080p suggest the CPU is reaching its processing ceiling for draw calls and game logic.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K varies significantly by preset. Under Ultra settings, the frame rate drops from 331 FPS at 1080p to 209 FPS at 1440p (a 63% retention), and then to 109 FPS at 4K (a 33% retention of the 1080p score). For High settings, the progression is 462 FPS to 292 FPS to 152 FPS. The Medium preset shows the most consistent scaling with min/max data available: 538 FPS (1080p), 340 FPS (1440p), and 178 FPS (4K). The data suggests that the performance drop from 1440p to 4K is proportionally larger than the drop from 1080p to 1440p, which is characteristic of the GPU becoming the dominant bottleneck as pixel count increases.

The low-resolution results are particularly revealing. At 1080p Low, the 724 FPS figure indicates that the CPU is being pushed to its absolute limit for this game's workload. The Intel Core i7-14700F, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, is clearly capable of generating a massive number of frames, but the game engine's single-threaded nature likely caps performance well below the GPU's potential. The fact that 4K Ultra still achieves 109 FPS shows that even at the most demanding settings, the RTX 5090 D is not fully stressed, as this is a 2015 roguelike with relatively simple geometry and effects compared to modern AAA titles.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D achieves a combo rank of 1 out of 2,935 tested combinations for Barony. This top-tier ranking is expected given the hardware involved, but the data shows that the margin over other combos is not necessarily vast in practical terms. The CPU itself holds a percentile rank of 91 against all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 53,620. The GPU holds a percentile rank of 92 against all tested graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 77,712.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks provide context for its position. The Intel Xeon 6505P scores 53,701, which is just 0.2% higher than the i7-14700F's average. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X scores 53,288, placing it 0.6% behind. These tiny deltas indicate that for Barony, which likely does not utilize the full multi-threading capabilities of either processor, the i7-14700F's performance is on par with other high-end desktop and server CPUs. The GPU's nearest rivals show a slightly wider spread, with the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT being 1.6% faster and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB being 2.4% faster in synthetic scores, though these are mobile and datacenter parts respectively that would not typically be used for gaming.

The rank of 1 out of 2,935 combos indicates that no other tested pairing of CPU and GPU produces higher average FPS in Barony at the tested settings. This is a meaningful achievement, but the data also shows that the gap between this combo and lower-ranked ones is likely small in absolute FPS terms, given that the game is extremely well-optimized or simple enough to run at hundreds of frames per second on almost any modern hardware. The combo's dominance is more a reflection of the raw horsepower available than any specific optimization for this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake Refresh architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock is 2.10 GHz with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, and it has 33 MB of shared L3 cache. The benchmark scores show a strong single-threaded performance with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4,958 and a multi-core score of 35,122. This combination of high single-thread performance and massive multi-threading capability makes it a versatile processor, but Barony's engine, released in 2015, may not be able to leverage more than a few cores effectively.

In the context of Barony, the CPU's role is likely critical at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck. The 724 FPS result at 1080p Low suggests that the CPU is generating frames as fast as the game's logic allows, and any faster processor would likely yield diminishing returns. The 5.40 GHz boost clock provides the raw single-thread speed that roguelike games often require for game state updates, pathfinding, and procedural generation. The 20 cores and 28 threads are largely unnecessary for this title, but they do ensure that background tasks and operating system overhead do not interfere with frame pacing.

The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 4,257 and Geekbench single-core score of 2,429 further confirm its strong per-core performance. The data shows that the i7-14700F is not the limiting factor in any of the tested configurations, as even the highest FPS numbers at 1080p Low are likely constrained by the game's engine rather than the processor's capabilities. The 65 W TDP is notable for a processor with this many cores, indicating efficient power management even under sustained load. The L3 cache of 33 MB is substantial and helps with data locality for the game's tile-based rendering and entity management systems.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across all tested scenarios. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 724 FPS, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 538 FPS with a minimum of 458 FPS and a maximum of 619 FPS, showing a tight frame time distribution. High settings at 1080p produce 462 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 331 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a reduction of approximately 54% in frame rate, which is expected as more graphical features are enabled.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 457 FPS, which is still exceptionally high. Medium settings average 340 FPS with a min of 289 FPS and max of 391 FPS. High settings produce 292 FPS, and Ultra settings average 209 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at each preset is consistent, with a reduction of roughly 37-40% across all settings. This suggests that the GPU is handling the increased pixel count without any unexpected bottlenecks.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 239 FPS, which is still above 240 Hz for high-refresh-rate displays. Medium settings average 178 FPS with a min of 151 FPS and max of 204 FPS. High settings produce 152 FPS, and Ultra settings average 109 FPS. The 4K results show that even at the most demanding settings, the combo maintains playable frame rates, though the Ultra preset at 109 FPS is the only configuration that drops below the 120 FPS threshold that many enthusiasts consider optimal. The Medium preset at 4K, with a minimum of 151 FPS, offers the best balance of visual quality and performance for those seeking high refresh rates at this resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a massive graphics card based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, manufactured on TSMC's 5 nm process. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU has 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster operation units. Its base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz, and it supports PCIe 5.0 x16. The card's 575 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate its high power requirements, but in Barony, it rarely operates at full capacity.

The GPU's benchmark scores show its raw compute capability, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14,326 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 376,915. However, Barony's simple graphics pipeline means that the RTX 5090 D's advanced features, such as ray tracing cores and tensor cores, are largely unused. The card's role in this game is primarily to render 2D sprites and simple 3D geometry at extremely high frame rates, which it does effortlessly. The 32 GB VRAM is excessive for Barony, which likely uses only a small fraction of that memory for textures and assets.

The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 44,065 and DirectX 12 score of 219 (which is oddly lower than the DirectX 11 score of 371) suggest that the card's performance is not consistent across synthetic benchmarks, but real-world game performance is excellent. The data shows that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K Ultra settings, where the 109 FPS result is the lowest in the dataset. At 1080p Low, the GPU is likely idle waiting for the CPU to provide draw calls, as evidenced by the 724 FPS result which is far below the card's theoretical maximum. The 1.79 TB/s memory bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and framebuffer operations are never a bottleneck, even at 4K with Ultra settings.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS is 724, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations for Barony?

A: It ranks 1st out of 2,935 tested combos, indicating it is the top-performing combination for this game.

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

A: The lowest average FPS is 109, recorded at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck at 1080p Low settings?

A: The data suggests the CPU is the primary bottleneck, as the 724 FPS result is likely limited by the game's engine and processor's single-thread performance rather than the GPU's capability.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 D's 32 GB VRAM provide any benefit in Barony?

A: The 32 GB VRAM is far more than Barony requires, and it does not provide any measurable benefit in this game, as even the most demanding textures would use a small fraction of this capacity.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 Medium settings, the average FPS is 340, with a minimum of 289 FPS and a maximum of 391 FPS, showing a spread of 102 FPS between the low and high frames.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings depend on the user's display refresh rate and resolution. For 1080p displays, any settings preset will provide a playable experience, but the Medium preset at 538 FPS offers a good balance between visual quality and raw performance, with a minimum FPS of 458 that ensures no dips below 240 Hz. The High preset at 462 FPS is also excellent, and the Ultra preset at 331 FPS still provides headroom for 240 Hz displays. The Low preset at 724 FPS is only necessary for competitive play where every frame matters, but the visual quality degradation may not be worth it.

For 1440p displays, the Medium preset at 340 FPS (min 289 FPS) is recommended for those with 240 Hz monitors, as it maintains frame rates above the refresh rate at all times. The High preset at 292 FPS is suitable for 144 Hz displays, providing a comfortable margin. The Ultra preset at 209 FPS is ideal for 144 Hz displays and can even drive 240 Hz panels in less demanding scenes, though the minimum FPS is not recorded for this setting. The Low preset at 457 FPS is overkill for most users and sacrifices too much visual fidelity.

For 4K displays, the Medium preset at 178 FPS (min 151 FPS) is the best recommendation, as it provides high frame rates that exceed 144 Hz displays while maintaining a minimum FPS that never drops below 144. The High preset at 152 FPS is also excellent for 144 Hz displays, though the minimum FPS is not recorded. The Ultra preset at 109 FPS is suitable for 60 Hz to 120 Hz displays, but users with 144 Hz panels may notice occasional dips below the refresh rate. The Low preset at 239 FPS is unnecessary at this resolution, as the visual quality loss is significant and the frame rate exceeds what most 4K displays can show. Overall, the Medium preset at 4K offers the best experience, providing high frame rates with a documented minimum of 151 FPS that ensures smooth gameplay.