Barony

# Barony with Intel Core i7-14700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060

The data for Barony with the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 shows a configuration that spans the spectrum from highly playable to demanding, depending on resolution and quality settings. The measured FPS results across twelve distinct resolution/settings combinations reveal a system that excels at lower resolutions but faces increasing strain as pixel count and graphical fidelity rise. This combination ranks 986th out of 1702 tested configurations for this game, placing it slightly above the midpoint of all tested combos. The data is measured, not estimated, providing a concrete picture of performance expectations.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and reveals a system where the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. At Low settings, average FPS falls from 340.2 at 1920x1080 to 213.2 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 127 frames, and further down to 112.8 at 3840x2160. This represents a 66.8% decrease from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. The scaling pattern at Medium settings is similar: 256 FPS at 1080p drops to 159.3 at 1440p and then to 84.8 at 4K. At High settings, the progression goes from 220.1 at 1080p to 136.1 at 1440p and finally 71.1 at 4K. Ultra settings show the steepest absolute decline, with 153.6 at 1080p falling to 96.3 at 1440p and then to 49.7 at 4K.

The frame rate halving between 1440p and 4K at High and Ultra settings indicates that the RTX 4060's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated. The 128-bit memory bus width becomes a constraint when pixel throughput demands increase. At 1080p, the system delivers frame rates well above display refresh capabilities even at Ultra, but at 4K, only Low settings remain comfortably above 60 FPS. The scaling behavior points to a configuration that is GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while at 1080p, the processor's capabilities are more fully utilized. The 20-core i7-14700K with 28 threads and a 5.60 GHz boost clock provides ample headroom at lower resolutions where the GPU can keep up with the CPU's output.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K brings substantial processing power to Barony, a roguelike that typically benefits from strong single-thread performance due to its turn-based and procedural generation mechanics. The processor's architecture is Raptor Lake-R, built on Intel's 10 nm process, with 20 cores and 28 threads. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz, boosting up to 5.60 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 44534 and a singlecore score of 6287, indicating strong performance in both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads. The Geekbench results show 18896 multicore and 2932 singlecore scores, placing this processor in the 96th percentile of all CPUs.

The nearest rivals to this processor, based on average benchmark scores, include the Intel Core i7-14700KF with a score of 70104 (0% delta), the AMD EPYC 9115 at 69887 (0.3% delta), the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X at 70420 (-0.5% delta), and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 at 71056 (-1.4% delta). The i7-14700K's average benchmark score is 70074, which positions it within a tight cluster of high-end processors. In Barony's context, the singlecore performance is particularly relevant because roguelike games often have game logic that cannot be fully parallelized. The 33 MB of shared L3 cache helps with procedural generation and maintaining game state, while the 2 MB L2 cache per core supports rapid access to frequently used data. The processor's 125 W TDP indicates a power envelope that allows sustained boost clocks during extended play sessions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the graphics workhorse in this configuration, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC. The GPU contains 18,900 million transistors on a 159 mm² die, with a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz. Its memory configuration consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 2125 MHz, or 17 Gbps effective. With 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, the RTX 4060 delivers 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The GPU also includes 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores, though Barony's roguelike nature likely does not heavily utilize ray tracing or DLSS features.

In the PassMark G3D benchmark, the RTX 4060 scores 19545, placing it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 23181, with nearest rivals including the AMD Radeon RX 6600M at 23321 (-0.6% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti at 23338 (-0.7% delta), the Intel Arc B580 at 23021 (0.7% delta), and the AMD Radeon 760M at 22999 (0.8% delta). The GPU's performance in Barony shows clear scaling with settings: at 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 186.6 FPS (340.2 vs 153.6), indicating that the GPU is capable of handling the game's geometry and effects at high rates. However, at 4K Ultra, the 49.7 FPS average suggests the GPU's 8 GB memory capacity and bandwidth become limiting factors. The 48 ROPs and 118.1 GPixel/s pixel rate are adequate for 1080p and 1440p but struggle with the 4K pixel workload.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 at High settings provides 136.1 FPS average, which balances visual quality with high frame rates. At 1920x1080, even Ultra settings deliver 153.6 FPS, making 1080p the resolution where all settings remain above 150 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 perform relative to its closest rivals?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 23181, which is 0.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23321) and 0.7% higher than the Intel Arc B580 (23021). It sits in the 66th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Is the i7-14700K a bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. At 3840x2160, Low settings yield 112.8 FPS while Ultra drops to 49.7 FPS, indicating the CPU can feed the GPU adequately but the GPU cannot maintain higher frame rates at increased settings.

Q: What settings provide the most significant FPS improvement at 1440p?

A: Moving from Ultra to High at 2560x1440 increases average FPS from 96.3 to 136.1, a gain of 39.8 FPS. Dropping from High to Medium yields 159.3 FPS, while Low reaches 213.2 FPS.

Q: How many frames per second can this system achieve at 1080p with maximum settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the measured average FPS is 153.6. This is above typical 144 Hz display refresh rates, making Ultra at 1080p a viable option for high-refresh gaming.

Q: Does the processor's performance in synthetic benchmarks translate to Barony?

A: The i7-14700K scores 6287 in Cinebench R23 singlecore and 44534 in multicore. In Barony, at 1080p Low where GPU load is minimal, the system reaches 340.2 FPS, demonstrating that the CPU can sustain very high frame rates when the GPU is not the constraint.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the configuration delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 340.2 FPS, Medium reaches 256 FPS, High achieves 220.1 FPS, and Ultra drops to 153.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 186.6 FPS, showing that settings significantly impact performance even at this resolution. All 1080p results exceed 150 FPS, meaning this system can drive high-refresh monitors at any preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show more differentiation. Low settings average 213.2 FPS, Medium reaches 159.3 FPS, High achieves 136.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 96.3 FPS. The transition from Ultra to High at 1440p provides a 39.8 FPS improvement, which is the largest single-step gain among the settings at this resolution. At 1440p, Low and Medium both exceed 150 FPS, while High remains above 130 FPS and Ultra stays below 100 FPS.

At 3840x2160, performance drops considerably. Low settings average 112.8 FPS, Medium reaches 84.8 FPS, High achieves 71.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 49.7 FPS. The 4K results show a clear progression where each settings tier reduces performance by roughly 20-30 FPS. Only Low settings at 4K remain above 100 FPS, and Ultra dips below 50 FPS, which may be borderline for smooth gameplay depending on the player's sensitivity to frame rate fluctuations. The measured data shows a consistent pattern: at each resolution, the difference between Low and Ultra is substantial, but the relative scaling remains predictable across all three resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting 60 FPS as a minimum, all settings at 1080p and 1440p qualify, including Ultra at both resolutions. At 4K, Low (112.8 FPS), Medium (84.8 FPS), and High (71.1 FPS) all exceed 60 FPS, while Ultra (49.7 FPS) falls short. For high-refresh displays at 144 Hz, 1080p Ultra (153.6 FPS) and all lower settings at 1080p work, while at 1440p only Low (213.2 FPS) and Medium (159.3 FPS) exceed 144 FPS. High at 1440p (136.1 FPS) is close but does not quite reach the threshold.

The data suggests that Ultra settings offer diminishing returns relative to High in Barony. At 1080p, the difference between High (220.1 FPS) and Ultra (153.6 FPS) is 66.5 FPS, while at 1440p the difference is 39.8 FPS, and at 4K it is 21.4 FPS. For the best balance of visual quality and performance, High settings at 1440p provide 136.1 FPS, which suits most gaming scenarios. Players who prioritize frame rate above all else should choose Low settings at 1080p for 340.2 FPS, while those who want maximum visual fidelity on a 60 Hz 4K display can select High settings at 3840x2160 for 71.1 FPS. The recommended configuration for general use is 1440p High, as it maintains high frame rates while allowing the GPU to demonstrate its capabilities without being pushed to its limits.