Barony

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 ranks 1704 out of 2935 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the 42nd percentile of all configurations tested for this game. This mid-pack standing reflects a pairing where the CPU is far more capable than the GPU, and the data shows that the graphics card becomes the primary constraint at higher settings and resolutions. The combination delivers playable frame rates across most tested configurations, but the performance ceiling is clearly defined by the Radeon RX 9060, while the Core i7-14700K provides ample headroom that goes largely unused.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1704 out of 2935 tested combinations places it below the median in the database for Barony. This positioning is noteworthy because the CPU alone sits in the 94th percentile among all processors tested, while the GPU only reaches the 59th percentile among all graphics cards. The discrepancy between these two percentiles explains the overall ranking: the system's performance in Barony is dragged down by the GPU, not elevated by the CPU. Benchmark results indicate that the Core i7-14700K is not the limiting factor in this pairing.

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the Core i7-14700K holds its own in synthetic benchmarks. It scores an average of 69355 across all CPU tests, which is 0.1% above the AMD EPYC 9115's 69288 and 0.2% above the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X's 69515. The Core i7-14700K trails the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX by 0.7% and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F by 0.9%, but all four processors are within a single percentage point of each other, indicating that the CPU is operating in elite company. In contrast, the GPU's average benchmark score of 16014 is 0.7% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti's 16129, 1% above the AMD Radeon R9 370X's 15862, and 1% above the AMD Radeon RX 7700's 15852.

The measured FPS data reveals that this combo is not optimized for maximizing Barony's frame rates at high settings. At 1080p Ultra, the system produces 144 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, that drops to 48 FPS. The ranking reflects this reality: the combo is positioned for users who prioritize resolution over raw frame rates, or who are willing to dial down settings to maintain high FPS. Given that the CPU could easily handle far more demanding workloads, the GPU is the clear bottleneck in every measured scenario.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 44 chip, fabricated on a 4 nm process at TSMC. It features 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation pipelines, along with 28 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1700 MHz, a game clock of 2400 MHz, and a boost clock of 2990 MHz, with memory clocked at 2250 MHz for 18 Gbps effective speed. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory runs across a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

In Barony, the GPU's role is central to determining frame rates, particularly at higher settings. The data shows a clear pattern: as settings increase from Low to Ultra, FPS drops consistently across all resolutions. At 1080p, the average FPS falls from 315 on Low to 144 on Ultra. At 1440p, the average falls from 199 on Low to 91 on Ultra. At 4K, the average falls from 104 on Low to 48 on Ultra. This scaling suggests that the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game's demands at Low and Medium settings, but the compute load at High and Ultra settings pushes the GPU to its limits.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce this interpretation. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3322 and Passmark G3D score of 17631 indicate a mid-range performer. The Passmark DirectX 12 score of 44 is notably low, while the DirectX 11 score of 182 and DirectX 10 score of 104 are more moderate. These results suggest that the GPU's architecture is better suited to older or less demanding rendering paths, which aligns with Barony's roguelike genre and its modest graphical requirements.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows how the combo scales from 1080p to 4K, and the pattern reveals the GPU as the primary limiting component. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 201 at 1080p to 127 at 1440p, a 37% decrease, and then from 127 at 1440p to 66 at 4K, a 48% decrease. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at High settings is a 67% reduction in average FPS, from 201 to 66.

At Low settings, the scaling is less severe but still significant. The average FPS drops from 315 at 1080p to 199 at 1440p, a 37% decrease, and then from 199 at 1440p to 104 at 4K, a 48% decrease. The total reduction from 1080p Low to 4K Low is 67%, from 315 to 104. At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 235 at 1080p to 148 at 1440p, a 37% decrease, and then from 148 at 1440p to 77 at 4K, a 48% decrease.

The consistent percentage drops across settings indicate that resolution scaling is independent of graphical settings, which points to a GPU bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would not scale so predictably with resolution. Instead, the data shows that doubling the pixel count from 1080p to 4K roughly halves the frame rate, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU's role is minimal here, as its 20 cores and 28 threads are far more than Barony requires.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings depend on the target frame rate and resolution. For users with a 1080p display, the Low preset delivers an average of 315 FPS, which is far beyond what any display can show, making it excessive for most use cases. The Medium preset at 235 FPS is still extremely high, while the High preset at 201 FPS offers a better balance of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 144 FPS is the most visually demanding option and still provides a smooth experience for standard 60 Hz or 144 Hz displays.

At 1440p, the Medium preset delivers an average of 148 FPS, which is ideal for high refresh rate monitors. The High preset at 127 FPS is also excellent, while the Low preset at 199 FPS is unnecessary for most users. The Ultra preset at 91 FPS is playable but may not fully saturate a 144 Hz display. For 4K, the Low preset at 104 FPS is the only option that consistently exceeds 100 FPS, while the Medium preset at 77 FPS and High preset at 66 FPS are both playable but below the 100 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 48 FPS is the only configuration that falls below 60 FPS, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

The data suggests that Medium or High settings provide the best experience across most resolutions. At 1080p and 1440p, High settings offer a strong balance, while at 4K, Low or Medium settings are preferable to maintain frame rates above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p, where it still delivers 144 FPS, but at higher resolutions, the performance cost is too steep.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance in Barony across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 315 FPS, the highest of any configuration. The Medium preset averages 235 FPS, with a minimum of 199 FPS and a maximum of 270 FPS. The High preset averages 201 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 144 FPS. All 1080p configurations deliver playable frame rates, with even the Ultra preset exceeding 140 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 199 FPS, the Medium preset averages 148 FPS with a minimum of 126 FPS and a maximum of 170 FPS, the High preset averages 127 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 91 FPS. The performance drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across all settings, with the Ultra preset being the only one that drops below 100 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 104 FPS, the Medium preset averages 77 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS and a maximum of 89 FPS, the High preset averages 66 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 48 FPS. The 4K Ultra configuration is the only one in the entire dataset that falls below 60 FPS, indicating that the GPU is severely taxed at this resolution and settings combination.

The Medium preset is the only one that provides minimum and maximum FPS data across all three resolutions, showing a consistent range: 199-270 at 1080p, 126-170 at 1440p, and 66-89 at 4K. This data suggests that frame pacing is stable, with no major stutters, but the overall performance is clearly GPU-limited.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory across a dual-channel bus, and it features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache.

In Barony, the CPU's role is minimal, as the game is not heavily multithreaded. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck in nearly every configuration, with the CPU providing far more performance than the game requires. The Core i7-14700K's synthetic benchmarks confirm its high-end status: it scores 33440.5 in Cinebench R23 multicore, 2160 in Cinebench R23 singlecore, 20767 in Geekbench multicore, and 2569 in Geekbench singlecore. Its Passmark multithread score of 52392 and single-thread score of 4472 place it in the top tier of processors.

Despite this overwhelming CPU performance, the combo's ranking in Barony is limited by the GPU. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking among all processors contrasts sharply with the GPU's 59th percentile, creating an imbalance that is evident in the FPS data. If the GPU were upgraded, the Core i7-14700K would have ample headroom to support higher frame rates, but with the Radeon RX 9060, the CPU sits largely idle in this game.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo's ranking in Barony?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700K with AMD Radeon RX 9060 ranks 1704 out of 2935 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the 42nd percentile of all configurations tested.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gameplay?

A: At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 201 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers 144 FPS. For most users, High settings provide the best balance of visual quality and performance, though the Medium preset at 235 FPS is also excellent.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Radeon RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, which is 0.7% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, 1% above the AMD Radeon R9 370X, and 1% above the AMD Radeon RX 7700.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this combo?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU sits in the 94th percentile among all processors, while the GPU is in the 59th percentile. The FPS data shows consistent scaling with resolution and settings, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS measured in this dataset?

A: The lowest average FPS is 48, measured at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is the only configuration in the dataset that falls below 60 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X?

A: The Core i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 69355, which is 0.2% above the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X's 69515, making the two processors effectively equivalent in synthetic performance.