Barony

Barony is a demanding roguelike that scales heavily with resolution, and the Intel Core i7-14700K + Intel Arc B390 combination shows a clear GPU bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the setup delivers playable frame rates across all settings, but performance degrades sharply as resolution increases, with the Ultra preset at 4K falling below 30 FPS. The data indicates that the Arc B390 is the limiting factor, as the i7-14700K’s strong multi-threaded performance is not the constraint in this title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep performance drop when moving from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 159 FPS, which drops to 100 FPS at 1440p and further to 53 FPS at 4K. This represents a 67% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. The scaling pattern suggests the GPU is the primary limiting component, as the frame rate drop is roughly proportional to the increase in pixel count rather than being constrained by CPU performance.

At Medium settings, the trend continues: 118 FPS at 1080p drops to 75 FPS at 1440p and 39 FPS at 4K. The High preset shows 102 FPS at 1080p, 64 FPS at 1440p, and 34 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with 73 FPS at 1080p falling to 46 FPS at 1440p and 24 FPS at 4K. The consistent pattern across all settings confirms that resolution scaling is the dominant factor, and the Arc B390’s performance at 4K is insufficient for smooth gameplay.

The 1080p to 1440p transition shows a smaller relative drop than the 1440p to 4K transition. For example, at High settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 38 FPS, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 30 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is being pushed harder at 4K, where the frame rate falls below playable thresholds for most presets. The data suggests that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, while 4K should only be considered for Low settings if playability is the priority.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: 1080p is the best choice. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset maintains 73 FPS, while Medium and High exceed 100 FPS. At 1440p, only Low and Medium presets stay above 60 FPS, and at 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1440p?

A: Ultra at 1440p achieves 46 FPS, while High achieves 64 FPS. The 18 FPS difference represents a 28% performance drop for the Ultra preset, which may not justify the visual improvements depending on user preference.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in Barony?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck. The i7-14700K has 20 cores and 28 threads with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, which is more than capable for this title. The Arc B390, with only 1536 shading units and a 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs, limits frame rates, especially at higher resolutions.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Barony?

A: Only at Low settings, where it achieves 53 FPS. Medium drops to 39 FPS, High to 34 FPS, and Ultra to 24 FPS. 4K gaming is not recommended for this combo unless playing at Low settings.

Q: What is the minimum FPS observed in the data?

A: The minimum FPS recorded is 33 FPS, which occurs at 4K Medium settings. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 101 FPS, and at 1440p Medium, the minimum is 64 FPS. No minimum FPS data is provided for other settings.

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

A: It ranks 2601 out of 2935 combos in Barony, placing it in the bottom 11% of tested configurations. This low ranking is primarily due to the GPU’s weak performance relative to other tested hardware.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, users should prioritize Medium settings at 1080p. At this resolution, Medium achieves 118 FPS average with a minimum of 101 FPS, providing smooth gameplay without sacrificing too much visual quality. High settings at 1080p achieve 102 FPS, which is also excellent, and may be preferable for users who want better visuals while maintaining frame rates well above 60 FPS.

At 1440p, Medium settings are the highest recommended preset, delivering 75 FPS average with a minimum of 64 FPS. High settings at 1440p drop to 64 FPS, which is borderline for competitive play but still acceptable for casual sessions. Ultra at 1440p should be avoided, as 46 FPS may cause noticeable stuttering in fast-paced roguelike scenarios.

At 4K, only Low settings provide a playable experience, with 53 FPS. Medium at 4K drops to 39 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The data shows that the Arc B390 is not suited for 4K gaming in Barony, and users should stick to 1080p or 1440p for the best balance of performance and visual fidelity.

For users with high-refresh-rate monitors, the Low preset at 1080p achieves 159 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate in the dataset. This preset maximizes performance but reduces visual quality. Medium at 1080p offers a better compromise, with 118 FPS average and a minimum of 101 FPS, ensuring consistent frame times.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700K + Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 2601 out of 2935 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the 11th percentile of all configurations. This low ranking is driven almost entirely by the GPU, which scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and ranks in the 9th percentile among all GPUs. The i7-14700K, in contrast, ranks in the 94th percentile among all CPUs, but its performance cannot compensate for the GPU’s limitations in this title.

The nearest GPU rivals to the Arc B390 are all older, low-end NVIDIA parts. The GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463 (1.3% lower), the GeForce 800M scores 1460 (1.5% lower), the GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446 (2.5% lower), and the GeForce GT 710 scores 1443 (2.7% lower). This indicates that the Arc B390 is positioned at the very bottom of the GPU performance ladder, and its benchmark results in Barony reflect this.

The combo’s ranking is consistent with the GPU’s percentile ranking, suggesting that the CPU’s high performance does not meaningfully improve the combo’s standing in this game. The i7-14700K’s nearest rivals, including the AMD EPYC 9115 (0.1% higher average score), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.2% lower), AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.7% lower), and AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (0.9% lower), all have similar CPU performance, but the combo’s ranking is determined by the GPU’s frame rate output.

Given the low ranking, this combo is not recommended for Barony at higher resolutions or settings. Users seeking a better experience would benefit from pairing a stronger GPU with the i7-14700K, as the CPU has ample headroom to support more powerful graphics hardware.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. It has 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache per core, along with 80 KB of L1 cache per core. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration and has integrated UHD Graphics 770, though the discrete Arc B390 handles the rendering in this test.

In Barony, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The i7-14700K’s high single-thread performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2160 and Geekbench single-core score of 2569, ensures that the CPU does not bottleneck the GPU at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 159 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s frame generation limit for this title, but the GPU’s performance at higher resolutions is clearly the limiting factor.

The CPU’s multi-threaded performance is also strong, with Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 33440.5 and PassMark multi-thread score of 52392. These scores indicate that the i7-14700K can handle Barony’s background tasks and any concurrent applications without issue. However, Barony is not a highly multi-threaded game, so the CPU’s 20 cores and 28 threads are more than sufficient, and the bottleneck remains on the GPU.

The CPU’s 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms its high performance, but this does not translate to better frame rates in Barony when paired with the Arc B390. The data shows that the CPU is not the constraint, and users should focus on GPU upgrades to improve performance in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best performance. Low settings achieve 159 FPS average, Medium achieves 118 FPS with a minimum of 101 FPS and a maximum of 136 FPS, High achieves 102 FPS, and Ultra achieves 73 FPS. All presets at 1080p are playable, with even the Ultra preset maintaining a frame rate above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably. Low settings achieve 100 FPS, Medium achieves 75 FPS with a minimum of 64 FPS and a maximum of 86 FPS, High achieves 64 FPS, and Ultra achieves 46 FPS. The Medium preset is the highest setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS, while High is borderline and Ultra is not recommended for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, performance is severely limited. Low settings achieve 53 FPS, Medium achieves 39 FPS with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 45 FPS, High achieves 34 FPS, and Ultra achieves 24 FPS. None of the presets at 4K reach 60 FPS, and even Low settings may experience occasional drops below 50 FPS. The 4K Ultra preset at 24 FPS is effectively unplayable for most users.

The minimum and maximum FPS data is only available for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the range is 101 to 136 FPS, indicating stable frame times. At 1440p Medium, the range is 64 to 86 FPS, showing more variability. At 4K Medium, the range is 33 to 45 FPS, which is highly variable and may cause stuttering. The lack of min/max data for other presets limits the analysis, but the average FPS figures provide a clear picture of the combo’s performance envelope.